Lighten Those Dark Circles

WHAT CAUSES DARK CIRCLES ?

There are multiple causes for dark circles (medically called periorbital hyperchromia), according to medical research.

Genes They can be genetic, affecting any skin color and type, but Asian race and southern Italians are particularly prone to them.

Hyperpigmentation The browner type of dark circles, rather than the bluish-hued type, could be the results of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to sun damage or hormonal fluctuations.

Older, thinner skin As we age, we become more prone to permanent dark circles - simply because, as skin thins, the blood vessels in the under-eye zone show up more. Airborne allergens cause blood to pool in the vessels under the skin, worsening the appearance of any dilated blood vessels.

Nasal congestion Famously, they are linked with lack of sleep. When your nose is bunged up, veins that usually drain from your eyes into your nose become dilated and darker. Equally something in your beauty regime could be the culprit like a new mascara or eye cream, which may also cause puffiness.

Stress When your body is in fight or flight mode, your brain, like every other organ, leeches every single molecule of oxygen it can from the blood, so a darker, more deoxygenated blood flows through your veins. This dark blood is most visible in the transparent skin under our eyes, and is what causes the appearance of these discoloured veins. (The skin under the eyes is the thinnest on the body)

Drugs Some drugs, including the contraceptive pill, can darken the eye area by dilating blood vessels.

Smoking Women who smoke - which affects micro-circulation long before it leads to heart and lung problems - can be prone to dark circles too.

Source : The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible

Aesthetic Procedures : Which Matter the Most ? Price or Safety ?

Have you ever wonder why a particular treatment is priced differently at different places? Take filler injection for example, you may get filler injection at clinic A for RM1000 while at another clinic, the treatment is RM1500. The same treatment using the same product but with difference in price. What is wrong here?

Many patients treat these procedures like buying groceries in a supermarket. I pay for the product. When I buy instant noodles, the noodles that I get is the same no matter where I buy it, be it a posh supermarket or the nearby convenient store. Similarly, I am going for a filler injection using product X and it does not matter where I receive the treatment, I still get product X.

Obviously such a thought is too simplistic.

When you go for a medical procedure, we have to take into consideration whether the doctor administering the treatment is well trained and certified, the experience of the doctor, the complication rate, the measures taken to reduce infection, processes put in place to reduce medical errors, the after care and many more. There is a lot of background work that makes the procedure safe and successful. The added value that one gets from these is not measurable, especially the ones relating to patient safety. In fact one should ask as why the procedure is performed at such low price at clinic A.

Your safety is of utmost importance. Do not compromise safety over price.

HAIR LOSS : How To Prevent It ?

What causes hair loss

Hair loss causes a person to appear much older than he / she really is. Although majority of the patients are men, many women do suffer from this condition as well. In this series of post, I would like to discuss the causes of hair loss, treatment options as well as prevention strategies.

Common causes of hair loss are:

Hereditary. This is by far the commonest cause of hair loss. It usually occurs with aging and in predictable patterns. Very likely, you have a hair pattern similar to your parents or grandparents. So if you close relative has hair loss, you are at risk.

Hormonal. Hormonal inbalance due to dietary changes, estrogen excess or testosterone excess may result in hair loss. That is why, women during pregnancy and menopause will see their hair dropping easily.

Stress. Often emotional stress and work stress lead to hair loss. While removal of stress often lead to cessation of hair loss, how easy it is for us to remove stress completely?

Others. Chemotherapy, medication, radiotherapy and constant pulling (tying of hair) or overzealous hair styling (frequent perming of hair or hot oil treatment) are some of the less common causes of hair loss.

What can we do to prevent hair loss?     

While there are things that we cannot change e.g. family history, we can play our part in preventing hair loss.

Overzealous hair styling. While it is cool to keep up with the newest hair style trends overzealous hair styling e.g. perming, hot oil treatment, dying of hair, tight braids or pony tails, are bad for the hair. Overzealous is this types of hair styling encourages hair loss.

Nutrition. Good nutrition helps to keep body strong and healthy. Our hair follicles are part of our body and should be well nourished. Food which is rich in vitamins A,C,D and E, zinc, biotin, and protein are essential in maintaining good hair health.

High insulin may destroy our hair follicles. It is important that we reduce sugar intake and eat food that is lower in glycemic index to reduce the circulating insulin in the body. Fat reduction also reduces the excess estrogen, which is responsible in hair loss. 

Stop smoking. Smoking has been associated with hair loss and is it a no brainer that stops smoking helps.

What are the treatment options available for hair loss?

Medications. There are different medications that are used to treat hair loss. Some of them reduce inflammation while others suppress excessive hormonal effect onto the hair follicles. Speak to your doctor. Your doctor will decide on the best treatment that suits you most.

Hair transplant. Hair transplant is a procedure in which hair is removed from the back or side of your scalp to be transplanted onto the target area. As you can see, it is a tedious procedure and hence, occasionally, the procedure s broken in a few stages.

Injections. Growth factors or peptides that stimulate the growth of hair follicles are injected at the target sites to stimulate the growth of hair follicles. This is performed via fine needles and the discomfort is minimal.

Different treatment modalities confer different effectiveness and often, a combination of therapy is used to treat patients. Treatment should also be individualized as the causes hair loss and the quality of the hair follicles differs from one person to another. Do speak to your doctor about it if you have any concerns.

What should I watch out for after Filler Injections?

Filler injections are commonly performed nowadays. Here are some of the things to take heed of after an injectable treatment.

• Immediately after the treatment, there may be redness or mild bruises. As the wound heals, there may be itchiness as well. Refrain from touching or massaging the injected area. As unhygienic handling of the injection sites may introduce infection.

• Avoid exposing to intense heat e.g. sunbathing, tanning, sauna or washing of the injected areas with hot water. Excessive heat may degrade the complex texture of the injectables causing it to deform. For best results, do avoid heat to the treated areas for at least 1-2 weeks.

• Do protect yourself from the sun. Ultraviolet light is the main culprit of aging process. Hence, after treatment, we need to protect ourselves from the sun. Do apply sunscreen religiously to avoid damage of the UV light onto the treated areas.

• If there is pain or unusual redness over the treated area, please do not hesitate to contact your doctor. Potential infection to the treated area needs to be aggressively treated. It is easier to treat infection in the early phase than doing damage control at the late phase.

Non-Invasive Nose Job ?

Is there such as thing as a non-invasive nose job? Well, currently, there is. Do let us share with you what modern medical aesthetic can do for your nose?

Nose lift – For many Asians who has a flattish nose, this may be the solution for you. Medical aesthetic procedure is able to add height to the nose by using injectables. Doctors can add volume to the nose to increase its height and give it a more 3-dimensional (3D) appearance.

Shape correction – Some people do have a bump at the bridge of the nose or a beaking tip of the nose. This can be corrected via injections to improve the contour of the nose to give it a smoother outline.

 Decrease flaring of the nose – Flaring of the nose is commonly seen in people who are of Asian or African descent. Flaring of the nose causes the nose to appear big. Occasionally, the contour of the nose is inverted such that the nasal aperture is exposed when you look forward. These can be corrected as an outpatient basis using injectables.

Having said that the nose is heavily vascularized. As such, nose injection should be performed by highly trained individuals.