Lifestyle Choices

Wrinkles and Facial Scars Cosmetic Surgery Scars

Ideally chemical face peels and dermabrasion should not leave scars. However, if an area is burned too deeply with the chemical or dermabrasion is too deep, lumpy and angry red scarring can result. This may or may not fade in time — sometimes it is permanent.

All injections leave tiny puncture marks, so this will occur after collagen implants. Normally they are virtually invisible. They might show up as white dots, however, if you have very dark skin, but the procedure isn’t really advisable for dark-skinned people anyway. (more…)

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…)

If feelings become so painful and overwhelming that you feel like harming yourself or others, you need to get help right away. Speak to a parent, an adult or a doctor. Ring the

SOS or teenage helpline for crisis counselling. In the meantime, the following suggestions can offer some solace until you find someone you can talk to:

Many teens who have attempted suicide (and survived) say that they did it because they had mistakenly felt that there was no other solution to the problem they were experiencing. At the time, they could not see another way out — but in truth, there is always a way out, even if they could not see it there and then. No matter how horrible you are feeling now, these emotions can, and will, pass. (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…)

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…)

Just as upper arms reveal ageing or significant weight loss by sagging, so too do the inner thighs and buttocks. Although the scarring that results from the trimming of excess fat and skin is as extensive as in arm reduction surgery, its positioning in buttock reduction makes it less of a problem. Both the body and normal clothing help conceal it. This is not however the case for thigh reduction although only mini-skirts and swimsuits may be awkward to wear. (more…)

Allergic reactions

A potential recipient of bovine collagen implant must first be tested for possible allergy to the substance. The test is simple: a small amount of collagen is injected painlessly into the forearm through a tiny needle. The dermatologist examines the area tested a few days later, and again after a month. Almost everyone allergic to collagen shows a reaction within two days — an itchy, red bump appears at the site of the pin-prick. A few people might not show a reaction for up to four weeks. (more…)

If only everyone knew earlier in their lives how to prevent wrinkles and age spots! Fortunately, it is also known not only how to slow down those tell-tale signs of aging, but also how to reverse some of the skin damage already suffered, using simple techniques that can be employed every day at home.

Some more difficult skin problems such as acne- scarring, conspicuous blood vessels, and deep wrinkles can only be corrected by a dermatologist. Most treatments that may improve your appearance can be completed in just a few visits to a doctor’s office, and such treatments are far less costly than more major plastic surgical procedures (such as facelifts or eyelid surgery). (more…)

Fat Suction Scars

You will have as many scars as you had incisions but none should be longer than half an inch. If your buttocks and thighs have been treated, most of the scars should be hidden by the buttock crease. Scars behind the knee, on the ankle or on the stomach will show and some can turn out to look red and thick. (more…)

GoreTex is a synthetic material composed of interconnected fibrils of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). You may recognize Gore- Tex as the lightweight fabric used to make insulating ski jackets, but GoreTex fibers are even more interesting as surgical implants. They have been used for almost 30 years as surgical vascular grafts and more recently for implants in the skin.

GoreTex patches can be placed just under the skin of the nose to give a smooth profile to previously unaesthetic indentations, and can be threaded under the deep folds between the nose and the mouth to smooth the grooves. (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…)

Acne is something we all recognize. It is so common that only one person in three may escape and probably everyone has a little, mild acne at times. It is normal to have a degree of acne while growing up but this does not make it any easier to cope with. No one finds it easy to cope with any disfigurement on the face. (more…)

Most people will need advice from their doctor to help in the treatment of moderate or severe acne. Generally doctors will start with cheap, safe agents which have few side effects and only if these fail will they recommend medication to be taken by mouth.

Topical preparations (onto the skin)

Benzoyl peroxide

This has been around for more than thirty years but we do not yet know fully how it works. It loosens blackheads and kills bacteria but has other effects as well. It comes in strengths from two-and-a-half to twenty per cent and may be bought as a cream, gel or a wash. Examples are given in the previous section. (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…)