What is UV Light doing to your skin ?

Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) lights. These lights are responsible for wrinkles, pigmentations, sunspots and destruction of the underlying supporting tissues of skin, thus changing the texture and elasticity of the skin. In short, it is one of the main causes of aging of our skin.

In fact UV light is so strong that not only does it affects the epidermis and dermis, it also penetrate deep into the skin to affect the blood vessels and sweat glands of the skin.

However, not all people are equally affected by UV light. Patients with lighter skin tone will be more affected by UV light as the skin contains less melanocytes compared to patients with darker skin. Hence, patients with lighter skin should be more meticulous in protecting themselves from UV lights i.e. be religious in applying sunscreen an use a sunscreen with a higher SPF factor. Wearing long sleeves shirts, summer hat and sunglasses are also important to protect yourself from the sun.

While it is important to shield yourself from UV lights, do be mindful that the skin needs vitamin D, a vitamin D which is produced after exposure to sunlight. The trick is to ensure that you are adequately protected during exposure. 

Invasive and Non-Invasive in the aesthetic world

The term “invasive” is frequently thrown by doctors during consults. To the less medically inclined, we would like to give a brief explanation as what non-invasive or minimally invasive means in the world of aesthetic medicine. Invasive procedure denotes a procedure which is intrusive to the body. E.g. surgical facelift is an invasive procedure as it involves cutting and removing tissues. Healing generally takes a longer time and the patient will be left with a scar.

Non-invasive procedures are such as giving fine injections to create a face lifting effect. No doubt that is some intrusion of the body but this is done in a less drastic way. These procedures take a short time to heal as it is less intrusive and there is no scar to be seen. As the procedure is less invasive, the risk of infection is lower. However, being less invasive, the results may not be as drastic as you would see in a surgical facelift.

Both kinds of procedures have their pros and cons. Do speak to your doctor to find out your expected results and the intrusiveness of the procedure you would like to have before deciding what is best for you.

Thread Lift - A Non-Surgical Lift

You will be happy to know that in this modern era, facelift is not confined to surgery. Face lifting can be achieved via surgery, injectables and thread. While injectable facelift has been discussed before, we would like to concentrate on thread lift.

This technique is actually not new but constant refinement to the technique is being carried out to enable the effect of the lift to be better and longer lasting.  The procedure is carried out in an outpatient basis. After the consult, numbing cream is applied onto the face to minimize discomfort. Fine thread is then introduced in an aseptic technique to suspend the supporting tissue on the face. As the thread used is fine and self-absorbable, they do not need to be removed. Depending on the condition of the patient, this procedure generates high satisfaction amongst its users and the down time is minimal. The procedure takes 30-60 minutes to complete and the patient can go back to work immediately after the procedure.

Thread lift is an option to patients who wish to have a facelift without undergoing surgery. Like many other non-invasive procedures, it can be performed on an outpatient basis and the downtime is minimal. It is no wonder that it is one of the most popular facelift currently.

Treatment for Dark Eye Circles

This is a follow up post of an earlier article that discussed on the causes of dark circle under the eyes.  Treatment of dark circle under the eyes is related to its cause. These are some of the ways we can treat these dark circles under the eyes.

Appropriate eye care – The eyes deserve the type of care you would give to the skin over other parts of the body. It needs to be well hydrated and protected against UV rays. Do apply adequate moisturiser and sunblock to the undereye area. This slows down the regression of the underlying supportive tissues while preventing formation of skin pigment after sun exposure.

Healthy eye habits – Healthy eye habits are crucial to prevent dark circles. Avoid over straining of the eye but wearing sunglasses under the glaring sun, rest for 5 minutes every 20 minutes of peering into the computer screen, avoid reading in the dark are some of the ways to avoid engorgement of the blood vessels. Also do avoid rubbing the eyes.

Adequate sleep – It is not entirely false if your mother said the dark circles form because we don’t get enough sleep. Having enough sleep prevent straining of the eyes when you look at glaring object (like your phone). Also we tend not to rub our eyes as much if we have enough sleep.

Medical treatment – For those people who already developed these dark circles, all hope is not lost. One can seek treatment from an aesthetic doctor where lasers can help to decongest these blood vessels or injectables can be injected to rejuvenate and replenish the supportive tissues. For further information, do contact us at 603 77267626.

Dark Circles Under The Eyes

Many of us suffer from dark circles under our eyes. Some people, unfortunately, do get it more easily than others. Here is a simple explanation as why it forms.

The skin under our eyes is thin. There is not much fat around the area. If there is further reduction of the fat tissue or enlargement of the vessels underneath the skin, or deposition of pigments, there will be dark circle under eyes.  Factors that encourages thinning of the fat tissue or dilatation of the underlying blood vessels are:

Ageing – Aging causes a regression of the supportive tissues under the skin.

Hereditary – Some people tends to develop regression of the tissue around that area easier than others. This is especially so in people who have deeper skin colour.

Eye strain – Constant straining of the eyes eg. peering into computer screen over a long period, drivers who frequently drive under the glaring sun, reading in the dark; causes strain to the eyes. This results in engorgement of the underlying blood vessels.

Frequent rubbing – The habit of rubbing the eyes thins the supporting tissue. In the meantime, people who tend to rub their eyes are those who are sleepy or with strained eyes, the strained eyes encourage engorgement of these vessels.

Pigment deposition – When exposed to the sun, the skin will stimulate production of the pigments. As these pigments are not eliminated fast enough, they accumulate and cause darkening of the skin over the area.

There you have it, some of the causes of dark circles under the eyes. How many of the risk factors do you have?