The effects of the sun can be seen on the skin of any present or former sun-worshipper in the form of wrinkles, dark spots, roughness, leathery skin texture and a sallow complexion, often with prominent bursts of blood vessels. Under the microscope this shows up as thickening of the outer layer of the skin, with extra grouped pigment cells, and in the deeper dermis, clumps of non-functional elastic tissue and loss of collagen. (more…)
Does the performance of alpha-hydroxy acids match the promise? Yes, when formulated correctly, AHAs do indeed exfoliate the outer layers of skin to treat clogged pores and blackheads, to smooth fine wrinkles, and to remove dry surface skin. You, the consumer, however, are confronted with advertising for a myriad of products containing AHAs, all promising youthful, wrinkle-free skin. Not all preparations are effective. When choosing, there are three key factors to consider: (more…)
The whole universe is held together by gravity. The movements of the earth around the sun (determining the seasons) and of the moon around the earth (regulating the tides) are all according to the invisible force of gravity. Although gravity makes life possible (and helps people walk rather than float!), we are not often conscious of gravity’s effect on our appearance. (more…)
Six major causes of our facial wrinkles:
Natural, biologic aging is responsible for the inevitable thinning of our skin accompanied by the loss of structural collagen and elastic tissue. The good news is that this biologic aging is the least important of the causes of wrinkles on your face. (more…)
Some wrinkles are superficial; some can be deeper. The good news is that, as a scientist and a dermatologist, I can assure you that almost all wrinkles can be either prevented, or at least successfully treated!
How do you make your skin, and therefore yourself, look better and younger without expending a great deal of time and effort? Of course you can prevent new wrinkles from forming, starting today! (more…)
Has it ever occurred to you that you have too much fat on your body and too little fat on your face? However, today surgeons are actually taking fat from the stomach or thighs and moving it to the face. The transplantation of fat, or lipotransplantation, is an old and until recently neglected method of treating deep wrinkles, which was revived about ten years ago by the French plastic surgeon, Dr Pierre Fournier. (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…)
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…)
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…)
These can be divided into photoaging, potentially malignant and frankly malignant tumors. The changes result from a cumulative dose of UVB over many years. At present the worst affected are fair-skinned Britons who have been brought up in tropical or subtropical climates, e.g. Northern Australia or the southern states of the USA. Other groups include men who spent years in the desert in World War Two. The victims of the future are today’s young men and women who roast themselves on sunny beaches every summer and who then try to maintain the tan by using sunbeds through the winter months. (more…)
Broken veins are just visible skin blood vessels which are not really broken but just standing out more obviously because they are permanently dilated. They are usually the result of years spent out of doors and are typically seen on the face of farmers and sailors or those with pale skin who live in unsuitable sunny climates. Sometimes the incautious use of powerful steroid creams will cause these blood vessels to appear or make them much worse, or they can accompany skin diseases such as rosacea. When there are just a few they can be destroyed using an electric needle, but when they are so numerous that the whole cheek is redder than normal, it is not so easy. You may find that green foundation creams are useful as a background because the combination of green and red softens the colour and makes the usual foundation cream and powder more efficient. (more…)
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