Lifestyle Choices

The sand in our hourglasses runs out at different rates. Everyone is different and these ten steps will take different people along different paths. It may cost you a little more to follow them; you may need to look after yourself a little better; it may take a while — but you are worth it. (more…)

As with textile fashion, jewelry from most time periods evokes a certain set of images. Often, those images are an exaggeration of a few elements that were popular at that time. We remember the poodle skirts, and it will be hard to forget the belly button rings.

In fact, often when you create jewelry with the feel of a time period, it may seem to capture the essence of an era better than an authentic item from the time period. (more…)

Ear Cosmetic Surgery Scars

The scar will be about three inches in length but it will be hidden by the crease of the ear.

Ear Cosmetic Surgery Problems

Infection is not common but it is vital to call a doctor at the very first signs — increased rather than decreased reddening, swelling and aching of the ear after the first few days — because infection that is not treated quickly can lead to permanent damage to the cartilage of the ear and a misshapen appearance possibly worse than the one that has been corrected. Infection is a higher risk if the ear has been seriously injured prior to surgery. (more…)

As ears are virtually fully grown by the age of six, ears that are going to be unacceptably prominent will definitely be noticeable by that age. Unfortunately, it is other children not similarly afflicted who tend to notice them most and a child’s life may be made a misery by teasing in the early school days. On the plus side, this is one cosmetic operation which can be carried out in childhood and is usually obtainable on the NHS without more than a few months wait. (more…)

Who is at risk? Everyone!

No one is safe from sun damage! You suffer an increased risk if your skin is Type I or II — that is if you are of Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian, or northern European descent and have fair skin that burns easily but does not tan. Especially at risk are people who have freckles, blond, red or light-brown hair, and blue, green or gray eyes. (more…)

Decreased Immunity

Your skin is your first layer of protection from the environment. These capture foreign substances and organisms to present them to the immune system deeper in the skin and in the blood.

It is known that after exposure to UV light, the number of Langerhan’s cells markedly decreases and can even disappear completely, making us far more susceptible to skin infection. When you suffer sunburn you compound the problem. Not only are your immune cells depleted, but the blistering of acute sunburn breaks down the skin, making infection more likely. (more…)

There is no doubt that the sun does damage the skin. “If you tan now, you’ll pay later!”

You will be surprised to learn about the many kinds of sun damage that you or your friends or family may suffer if you do not take the proper precautions. You were probably unaware of some of these hazards.

Sunburn

Although most people admit that they’d like a light suntan, nobody wants a sunburn. Nevertheless there are many people who love to spend hours at the beach, thinking that their sunburn is the first step towards a “glorious” tan. Many people have at one time shared this view. (more…)

It should reassure you to know that sunscreens are classified as over-the-counter drugs, not merely cosmetics. That means that all ingredients in each preparation have undergone testing to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness. Each particular sunscreen formulation must also be checked prior to sale to demonstrate its sun protection factor (SPF).

Interestingly, the sunscreen ingredients accepted as effective by regulatory bodies differ a little from country to country. (more…)

Always wear sunglasses when you are outdoors and exposed to solar radiation. Your eyes need the protection. So, incidentally, does the skin around your eyes, which is especially delicate and susceptible to sun damage. Wrinkles are a factor, too. Without protective sunglasses, sunlight makes us squint giving us both “crow’s feet” wrinkles alongside our eyes and extra wrinkles across our forehead. (more…)

The only “safe” tan is the tan obtained from a bottle! Effective self-tanning creams contain the chemical dihydroxyacetone, which reacts with the keratin protein in the outer layers of skin to dye the skin brown. (Be careful! Dihydroxyacetone darkens all keratin protein, including hair and wool.)

This type of self-tanner is perfectly safe and can give the tan you desire if applied properly and uniformly. There are many formulas which give different shades of tan. The consistency of the cream or lotion also varies — self-tanner must be applied evenly to prevent splotchiness. Quite a few products are good, so experiment with several brands until you find one that you prefer. (more…)

Have you ever heard of an “indoor environmentalist”? Most people associate the environment with the “great outdoors” and the “wonders of nature”. On the contrary, our own “environments” are increasingly indoors, and increasingly “unnatural”. Whether at home or at the office, your skin suffers in special ways from the indoor environment with its closed atmosphere and surrounding work materials. How do you recognize actual or potential irritants? How can you protect your skin from daily damage by the indoor surroundings you take for granted? How can you correct or at least improve your indoor environment? (more…)

Baggy Eyelids Removal Pain and Recovery

You can go home the same day, with two small strips of bandage over your stitches to protect them. These can be removed a few days later, when your stitches come out. Your eyelids will ache initially but the pain should not be severe. If it is, call a doctor, as there may be internal bleeding. (more…)

Blepharoplasty is the technical name for correction of baggy eyelids and it is almost as commonly carried out as rhinoplasty (nose correction). The sagging of skin around the upper and lower eyelids is one of the natural signs of ageing and, if pronounced, may be particularly distressing to those who are very conscious of their appearance. It can, however, occur much earlier in life, due to an inherited disposition, but have much the same impact: that is, you feel you look old well before your time. (more…)

Port-wine stains are birthmarks which occur on the face and/or neck and derive their colour from dilated blood vessels either just below the skin or in the deeper layers.

Removal of port-wine stains

The elimination, as far as possible, of the disfiguring marks. However, there is no really successful surgical treatment and some residual disfigurement is likely o remain.

Removal of port-wine stains, for whom is it appropriate?

This procedure can be carried out at any age from childhood. (more…)

Giant brown birthmarks may sometimes cover a large area of the body or the face and neck and cause a great deal of distress. Unfortunately simple excision is rarely the answer as the brown pigment usually extends deep into the skin. A skin graft may be necessary.

Removal of Brown Birthmarks

To remove the unsightly pigmented area with the best cosmetic results possible in each individual circumstance. (more…)

We all have moles, usually about 20 or 30 of them. We are born with a fair number of them, but some new ones develop up until the age of about 30. They start out as brownish-looking freckles and then sink lower into the skin, leaving fibrous scar tissue in their wake, which is what gives them the appearance of a raised brownish lump. By the time we have reached 40, they have sunk lower still and tend to look paler but more bulbous. (more…)

Allergies and irritations are different. An irritation occurs in everyone who comes in contact with an offending substance, though some more sensitive people might react to lower concentrations or fewer contacts. (If concentrated formaldehyde were applied to anybody’s fingers or face, for example, he or she would develop a dry, flaky, red, painful rash. Very sensitive skins could be irritated by a trace of formaldehyde, just touching a newspaper or even being in a room with new curtains.)

An allergy, on the other hand, is a genetic predisposition. The person must already have been exposed to the allergen at least once, and the allergy might show itself on the second, tenth, or ten-thousandth contact! (more…)

Of all smokers who start smoking in adolescence and continue throughout their lives, half will succumb to a fatal tobacco-caused disease before the age of 70, losing, on average, 22 years of their life expectancy!

In the United States, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable, premature death. As more and more women smoke, so their incidence of heart disease and lung cancer has increased — their death rate from lung cancer has increased by a factor of almost seven from 1950 until 1990 (with the death rate from breast cancer showing little change over the same period). Whatever its pleasures, smoking’s consequences are most unpleasant: chronic cough, hoarseness, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder (all of which can be fatal), and increased risk of heart attack and stroke! (more…)

Hair Transplant, What needs to be done?

The most commonly and successfully used method for transplanting hair is the punch graft, which can be done under local anaesthetic and takes a couple of hours.

You will receive an injection of anaesthetic in the area of your scalp that the hair is to cover and the area from which the hair is to be taken. The instrument used for the operation is, as might be expected, a small punch. This is used to punch out about 20 to 50 small circular areas of bald skin, in a shape that will provide a relatively natural- looking hair line once hair-bearing skin is implanted in the holes. Then the same amount of hair-bearing skin is punched out, from whatever site has been chosen for their removal (usually the lower back or side of the head where thinner hair growth will be less noticeable). The hair- bearing skin is fitted into the holes that are waiting for them in the bald skin. But there will of course be small areas of bald skin between the holes, where hair still will not grow. (more…)

Most men lose some of their hair and a fair number lose almost all of it, at some stage in their lives. Although balding is considered a common sign of ageing in men, very many suffer significant hair loss before their 30s or may even be almost entirely bald by then. Hair loss is hereditary and, if your father lost his hair young, it is quite likely to happen to you.

Despite much female approbation of big screen personalities, whose most immediately obvious feature is their lack of head hair, the first signs of hair loss are usually greeted with dismay by men. Some resign themselves to the inevitable but others resort to artistry with their remaining hair, growing it longer where possible and brushing it sideways to cover prominent gaps (a technique that doesn’t stand up to strong winds or vigorous exercise). Still others are prepared to go to great lengths in an effort to restore their hair. (more…)