Skin
Care
The basic
principal of skin care is a well balanced diet, healthy life style,
avoidance of prolonged exposure to the sun's rays and extreme weather
conditions, which together with smoking and alcohol abuse, are among
the most responsible factors for skin deterioration. There are many
cosmetics on the market and each individual may choose his or her own
brand according to the fragrance and texture of the preparation.
All of
these products should be used for three basic purposes:
- Cleansing
- removal of skin secretion and dead layers of skin.
- Moisturizing
- prevention of the evaporation of water from the superficial skin
layer and smoothing cornified areas of the epithelium.
- Protection
against sun radiation.
Micro-Dermabrasion and
Light Facial Skin Peeling
Maintenance
of the skin has been greatly enhanced by the introduction of alphahydroxy
acids (AHAs) - light peels - in the early 90's. There are many products
containing AHAs available on the market. I recommend medically dispensed
home care proiducts - prepared in an all natural healing aloe vera
base and combined with free radical fighting vitamins. These products
are free of colour additives, fragrances, harsh alsohols, comedogenic
oils or other ingredients that may cause sensitve reactions.
The advantage
of light facial skin peeling over well established deep peeling, mechanical
and laser resurfacing methods is the absence of significant inflammatory
reaction necessitating special treatment during healing time and then
the application of makeup to camouflage redness which may last, at
times, six months or longer.
The light
peels do not require camouflaging and do not disturb the individual's
business or social schedule. The effects are far less dramatic and
improvement is gained with repeated long term applications.
The most
recently introduced tehcnique of gentle skin resurfacing popular for
today's busy person is Micro-Dermabrasion. It is relatively
new in North America but has been practiced for years in Europe. Our
staff delivers the Micro-Dermabraison treatment under medical
supervision and screening. This therapy does not require any form of
anaesthesia. It helps to remove fine lines and age spots from the face
and neck and is effective to a variable degree in reducing acne scars.
Its main advantage can be seen in the improved skin texture regardless
of the skin colour. "It is the ultimate advancement in non surgical,
non invasive skin conditioning."
It enhances the effectiveness of well selected skin maintenance preparations
mentioned earlier on.
At least
six sessions at two week intervals and then occasional maintenance
treatments every six to eight weeks are recommended.
Micro-Dermabrasion
is ideal for:
- People
who cannot afford to take time off for healing from chemicals or
lasers.
- Active
patients who do not want to put off outdoor or social acitivites
like tennis, golf or skiing.
- Skin
that is sensitive to chemicals or make-up.
- Acne-prone
skin that has not responded well to acne remedies.
- Younger
patients with early skin changes who wish for softer, smoother skin.
Collagen
and Other Injectable Fillers
Fine lines
around and above the lips, between the eyebrows and on the forehead
may not disappear after peeling or laser treatment. Such areas can
be treated by injections of "Zyderm" which is a highly
purified bovine dermal collagen. Some acne scars, localized skin atrophy,
depressed skin grafts and other soft tissue defects can be improved
using this treatment.
The safety
of this method is well documented and untoward reactions can be prevented
by two skin tests which are performed prior to collagen injection therapy.
While some patients experience a significant benefit, others notice
only a slight improvement.
The injections
are quite painless and are carried out in the office. Current clinical
experience reveals that in order to maintain a satisfactory result,
the treatment may have to be repeated at intervals varying from six
to twelve weeks.
In recent
years, other injectable materials have been introduced such as Restylane, Perlane,
and Hylaform for intradermal (into the skin) and subcutaneous
(under the skin) injections. These products in contrast with collagen,
do not require pretesting. They are derivatives of a substance that
normally exist in our body - hyaluronic acid. Laboratory studies have
shown these substances remain in the body for a longer period than
collagen, but also eventually reabsorb. Repeated treatments may be
necessary to maintain the improvement.
Artecoll,
an injectable tissue filler, has been used in Europe for more than
ten years and has been approved by the Ministry of Health in Canada
only at the beginning of 1999. It consists of a mixture of collagen
and polymethylmethacrylate. It can be injected under the skin and it
is ideal for cheek-lip groove correction and lip augmentation. Some
soft tissue depressions also respond well to this treatment and the
effects are permanent. Treatment consists of two or three injection
sessions three months apart. Collagen testing is required
