A nose operation takes up to one and a half hours, usually under general anaesthetic. Most often the desired aim is to make the nose smaller, in the process removing any unsightly hump or bump on the bridge. This entails cutting and manipulating the cartilage and bone that supports the nose and, if necessary, straightening the septum, the central partition in the nose. (more…)
A jutting or receding chin often causes grief to its owner but, whereas a great many people seek cosmetic surgery for noses, far fewer even know that anything can be done to the chin. Sometimes, in fact, it is the shape of the chin that throws an otherwise innocuous nose into undue prominence and a surgeon may suggest correction of the former rather than the latter. In a few cases, however, surgery for both the chin and the nose may be aesthetically beneficial.
The chin is, of course, part of the jaw but surgery for the chin is a different matter entirely from surgery for the entire jaw. The latter is a major procedure in which usually the teeth need realignment too because deformities of the jaw affect bite. Such surgery is not carried out by cosmetic surgeons but by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, working together with orthodontists. Chin surgery is concerned only with the small part of the jaw that sticks out under your mouth but it is not undertaken by all cosmetic surgeons. Ask for guidance from your general practitioner. (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.
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…)
Actinic keratoses(AKs) are flat or slightly raised, sometimes red, scaly patches which appear on the background of sun-damaged skin — especially on the face, the scalps of balding men, the backs of the hands, arms, chest and back. Since they are rough to the touch, AKs are often more easily diagnosed by feel than by observation. They are especially prevalent on fair-skinned people who continue to develop AKs even long after discontinuing sun exposure. AKs are pre-malignant skin growths that can develop into squameous cell carcinomas. They must therefore be treated straightaway, either by cryosurgery or chemotherapy using Effudex (5-fluorouracil) or Actinex (masoproco) cream. These creams cause the skin to become markedly inflamed for at least one week, but there is also some decrease in wrinkles as a bonus! (more…)
Moles(nevi) are collections of nevus cells derived from the pigment- producing melanocytes. Almost everyone has at least one nevus, which can be flesh-colored, brown or bluish-black. Some are flat (Junctional), some slightly elevated (compound), and some dome-shaped (dermal). Nevi occur in about one percent of all newborn babies; the number of nevi increases in childhood. The size and pigmentation may increase throughout life, especially during puberty, pregnancy, with oral estrogens such as the Pill, and after sun exposure. Although some women such as Elizabeth Taylor are known for their distinctive “beauty marks”, many moles are unattractive or irritating, and others may change in appearance. These should be removed for microscopic examination. (more…)
The word eczema is derived from a Greek word meaning “to boil out”, a description of the family of itchy skin conditions which begin with redness and swelling, often followed by blisters and oozing, then scaling, and finally thick, leathery, frequently painfully cracked skin. Several categories of eczema exist, the most common of which are atopic dermatitis, hand dermatitis, and nummular dermatitis. (more…)
These localized swellings (urticaria or wheals) of the skin or mucous membranes are usually very itchy. They can occur suddenly, last a few hours and then disappear, leaving no trace. No single hive lasts more than 36 hours. By circling the irregular, red swelling with a pen, you will see that it fades, even as new ones form. Each hive can be as small as a pea to larger than 30 cm (12in). When a hive forms near the eyes, lips, or genitals, there can be a frightening swelling called angioedema which lasts 12-24 hours (if the throat swells, seek urgent medical attention). (more…)
How do most family quarrels start? This, of course, is hard to say, for usually there is no single cause. Often there is some underlying discontent, particularly on the part of the wife. Marriage has changed her lot completely, while her husband may be carrying on the same work that has occupied his time for years. He may prefer to continue his routine uninterrupted, while she will want plenty of variety. She may then assume that he does not love her. This may be true in some instances, but not in most. In any case she may begin to feel rather neglected. She wants more attention. A brisk family contention may seem a rather rough way to bring this about, but it usually attracts the attention she craves—sometimes much more! Most men will take just so much, then there may be trouble, perhaps even physical violence. The sensible thing to do is prevent such episodes before they reach the place where there seems to be no turning back. (more…)
Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and fungi and they are not usually found on normal skin. Many viruses can cause a rash - e.g. measles and glandular fever - but these diseases are not dealt with here. This section describes some virus infections in which either the only signs or the commonest signs of the disease are on the skin.
It is now known that there are several strains of wart virus and each tends to produce its own type of wart. Some cause the ordinary wart on the hands, others painful warts on the feet; and still others warts on the face or genitals. Warts are caught from other people. This happens easily in children who have not had time to develop immunity to the virus but adults are more resistant. Even when the virus has gained access to the skin it may lie dormant for weeks or months before the wart itself appears. (more…)
The commonest form of this disease is plaque psoriasis and most sufferers have this type alone on and off for much of their lives. A few individuals will develop other varieties but this is usually a temporary occurrence which will then revert back to the plaque type.
About one million people in Britain have psoriasis and the majority have the plaque form. The appearances are quite characteristic and there can be any number of patches, pink or pink-red, stuck onto the skin. They are clearly separated from the normal surrounding skin and come in almost every shape and size but tend not to have rounded edges. The surface is scaly and, on the legs, markedly so. The scale is silvery and is quite easily scraped off with a fingernail: however, new patches, those on the upper body and face, and those undergoing treatment may have little or no scale. (more…)
Do you ever collapse after hearing a funny joke, or after becoming very angry? Do you have any relatives who are always sleepy? If you answer yes to these questions, you might have narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations (explained below). Narcolepsy is thought to be an attack of REM sleep during the day.
A person with narcolepsy will have recurring episodes of naps, or lapses into sleep. The narcoleptic will sleep for fifteen to twenty minutes and awaken refreshed, but within the next two to three hours will begin to feel sleepy again. This pattern repeats itself throughout the day. Sudden sleep attacks can occur in situations when it is quite inappropriate to sleep, such as while eating, conversing or driving.” (more…)
Do you physically act out your dreams? Injure yourself and/or your bed partner? Fly out of bed and have frightening dreams? People with REM sleep behaviour disorder actually attempt to act out their dreams. They kick, punch, leap and run from bed, often injuring themselves and/or their bed partners.
One case in England resulted in a man shooting his new bride to death while he was dreaming of being pursued by gangsters.
We usually can’t act out our dreams. During REM sleep a part of our brain keeps us from moving our arms and legs, although we can still breathe and move our eyes. REM sleep, in essence, is characterized by a highly active, dreaming, brain in a “paralyzed” body. When the normal movement-inhibiting mechanism fails, some people, usually men over the age of sixty, may develop REM sleep behaviour disorder and be able to act out their dreams. The risk of developing REM sleep behaviour disorder increases with age, and men are more likely than women to develop it. (more…)
To keep your clothes looking good, working strong, you should know something about what they’re made of and how best to care for them. Here is a miniglossary of fabrics as well as info on proper care and handling.
Cotton.An all-purpose favorite. Comfortable, cool, or cozy and toasty, this is one fiber that really lets your skin breathe, never makes you feel hot or sticky. Can be knit into bulky summer sweaters, comfy Ts, or crisp like poplin summer slacks, starched menswear shirts. Care: Hand or machine wash. It can be dry cleaned, but that’s not necessary unless it’s a lined garment, like a jacket, or one that can lose its shape, like a dress. When washed, press with a hot iron. (more…)
Never underestimate the statement-making impact of the right shoes; the right pair can really carry your look! Never before have there been so many shapes, styles, materials, and colors from which to choose. Study the list below; how many of these do you own?
These so-called liver spots are changes in pigmentation in the skin as a result of the aging process coupled with exposure to the sun’s rays. Their proper name is lentigines. They usually mar hands and faces most, and in truth they have little to do with the liver, from which they have borrowed their name. Women deficient in some B vitamins—particularly folic acid and niacin—or women who have a particularly high personal requirement for them thanks to their genetic inheritance or their taking of oral contraceptives, are particularly prone to developing liver spots in areas of the body that are regularly exposed to the sun’s light or artificial ultraviolet rays from a sun lamp. (more…)
There are many causes. The most simple is that of poor circulation in the scalp, hair breakage from poor treatment or overprocessing, and temporary illness or stress. Other reasons include hormonal imbalance, underactive thyroid, drugs, and poor diet (specifically too little B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, sulfur, and iron). If you find you are losing your hair at a rapid rate, don’t panic. There is a strong link between anxiety and hair loss, and a temporary excess shedding of hair at the telogen stage can be made much worse by worry about it. Instead, go through the process of elimination to discover possible causes and then seek whatever treatment is necessary to help correct the excess shedding. Start by asking yourself the following questions.
Are you taking any medication? The Pill or estrogen in hormone- replacement therapy is a common cause for thinning hair—thinning that is usually corrected in a few weeks after stopping it. Anti-coagulants, cortisone, and diet pills such as amphetamines are other offenders, as is boric acid, which occurs in many common proprietary products, from ointments for cuts and burns to eye baths. Thyroid medication can also be the culprit. So can simple aspirin, if you take as many as one or two a day. (more…)
Straight hair is often strong and beautiful hair. It can be lank, in which case you should treat it with a thickening product, which will enlarge the shaft of each hair and make it look fuller. It can also be lackluster, which calls for a conditioner to make the scales of the cuticle lie flat and enable hair shafts to reflect light better. Straight hair is often good blunt- cut and worn not too long, or tied up in a twist, or chignon.
Curly hair needs to be carefully cut, for this can make all the difference between its looking fantastic and frizzy. A layered cut is usually best, one in which the direction of each scissor snip goes counter to the direction in which the hair grows, so it makes the most of all your hair’s natural curves and idiosyncrasies. It is best not to impose a particular style on your hair, but, rather, to go with the natural swing of things. If your hair tends to be wiry, you can correct this by using a softening conditioner. (more…)
You need to stop any processing you have been doing to it (such as coloring with permanent tints or permanent waving) for several weeks and go on to a pH-balanced protein shampoo plus a protein conditioner. You can use a heavy protein pack on the hair for twenty minutes twice a week. This will close the imbrications of the cuticle and help heal whatever damage you have done to the cortex, which is the cause of fragility. You should have split ends cut off and steer clear of very hot blow drying, overbrushing, and heated rollers. Wear your hair in a simple, easyto-care-for style until it has responded to the treatment and healthy hair is showing at the roots (usually about three months). Then you can consider having a gentle permanent (but it should be professionally done). Stay out of the sun.
This depends on the cause. Some hair has become dull as a result of pigment changes associated with age or illness. Some is dull because of raised cells in the cuticle, which poorly reflect light. Usually dull hair is dry hair, so much of the problem and advice for dryness goes for you, too. If the dullness is a color problem, it is best to seek professional advice, since correcting it is usually easy, provided you know how. The hot oil treatment can help dull hair, as can an intense protein treatment every two weeks. (more…)
Childbirth can be a time of intimacy, excitement, wonder and openness. It can also be a time of fear and pain, sometimes in a place that is forbidding and lacking in warmth. There may be all kinds of left-over feelings, which are usually repressed. First of all, the birth hurts you — it is quite natural for some women to be angry about this. Secondly, you may resent the way your delivery was handled. Unfortunately, the case history above is not an isolated example. I have heard of so many similar and worse cases that it sometimes makes me feel ashamed of my profession as a doctor. The resentment is usually related to lack of consultation on decisions. Medical interventions are sometimes carried out (for instance, routine episiotomies, injections to speed up the birth of the placenta) without any explanation of side-effects. If the side-effects occur, the natural reaction is anger, but this is often repressed, with the explanation that the doctor knows what is best. It is this attitude of the patient handing over authority to the doctor and the doctor taking assumed authority over another’s life that may lead to later feelings of resentment. Some women have told me they felt like a nonentity, going through a process that was designed by the hospital to maximize speed and efficiency. Others have told me that it felt like being taken over by machines and fingers. The residue of resentment may go very deep and is usually repressed, with a resultant depression of spirits in general. (more…)
| Blog Authority |
Lifestyle Choices © 2008 All Rights Reserved. Entries and Comments, Hosting by BlogTells Blog Hosting.
