Lifestyle Choices

Besides wrinkles, which come to us all, many people may have their faces marred by rough scars, of diverse origin, or permanently marked as a result of acne or chickenpox. There are three treatments which may correct some or all of these problems, depending upon their extent. They are — chemical face peel, dermabrasion, and collagen implants. (more…)

Dermabrasion is an extreme form of exfoliation. For this procedure, the doctor actually uses a rotating wire brush like a sanding instrument to remove the entire outer surface of the skin. The epidermis and the upper portion of the dermis (about one-quarter to one-third of the thickness of your skin) is usually abraded. (more…)

“Skin Bleaching” Medical Surgery Basic Procedure

Before a chemical peel, the doctor may recommend that the face be “pre-treated” with a special exfoliating cleanser, with retinoic acid, or with alpha-hydroxy acids so that the peel procedure can be performed on a more even skin surface. Just before the peel, the doctor may ask the patient to wash his or her face thoroughly. Then he or she will clean the patient’s face extensively with alcohol oracetone, rubbing the superficial oil from the skin. (more…)

The use of chemicals to “peel away” unwanted or dead skin is a practice with a past. Chemical face peeling can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where creams of alabaster particles suspended in milk and honey were applied to the face for “tightening”. The Egyptians also used animal oils mixed with salt and natural minerals, and plant substances to “exfoliate” their faces. Later, poultices containing mustard, sulfur and limestone were used. (more…)

Sometimes dermatologists use the antibiotic tetracycline, usually administered in doses of 250 milligrams twice a day. In many cases this has dramatically reduced the acne probably by altering the chemistry of fatty acids in the skin so that the sebaceous glands are rendered less active, as well as acting on the infection itself. But there are disadvantages to antibiotic treatment, too, particularly in growing teenagers, for it does inhibit protein synthesis in mammalian cells. It can also stain the teeth when used over a long period of time and of course disrupts the natural intestinal flora, which produce many of the body’s B-complex vitamins. (more…)

Permanent Waves

Waving and straightening hair involve pretty much the same process. First you break down the sulfur bonds connecting the protein molecules by using a highly alkaline solution containing a chemical such as ammonium thioglycolate. Then you rearrange the softened hair into the structure you want it to have. Finally, you use a peroxide neutralizer to halt the chemical action of the bond-breaking chemical and to encourage the new shape to set. Since the neutralizer is acidic, it also helps close up the imbrications in the cuticle and encourages the hair shaft to become strong again. Finally, your hair is treated with some kind of conditioner to restore some of the damage done by the process.

In the case of the permanent, the reshaping of hair takes place while it is wound tightly on curlers. With straightening, the reshaping takes place while it is being combed, stretched, and encouraged to give up its natural tendency to curve. (more…)

The brain consists of about ten thousand million neurones, ornerve cells, each cell having the capacity to conduct a tinyelectric charge to others, via seven or eight thousand interconnections. The tail of each cell spreads into thousands offibres, each ending with a swelling called a terminal button.The electric charge passes from the head of the cell to the tail,and ends in the thousands of terminal buttons. Between theterminal buttons of one cell and the head of the next cell aremicroscopic gaps called synapses. The electric current can not jump the synapse, but instead causes a change in the chemicals within the synapse, this change then causing a current to start in the head of the next cell. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters because they effectively transmit electrical charge from one neurone to the next. A few neurotransmitters have been isolated. They are divided into two groups, called the monoamines and the catecholamines. (more…)