Useful analysis or just getting skinned?
At 23, Alison Muckle never worried about crow's-feet or sunspots. So a year ago, when her sister, Zoe Morel, then 27, suggested that they get a free skin analysis at a Sephora outpost, she said sure.
She will never do it again. "It was so depressing," Muckle said. One digital image laid bare hundreds of sun spots beneath her skin's surface to match the dozens already visible. If she didn't get proactive, she would resemble Grandma Moses in no time.
Both Muckle and Morel, who was told that she had facial discoloration and fine lines, were told to buy hundreds of dollars worth of under-eye creams and anti-wrinkle serums like $96 Kinerase's C6 Peptide Intensive Treatment.
The women were flummoxed. "I feel like I have really pretty skin," Muckle said. "Then I saw this picture and I was like, ‘I need help!'"
Simple procedure
In the last few years, high-tech-looking photo boxes cum skin analyzers have cropped up at beauty counters, medical spas and doctors' offices nationwide. Procter & Gamble's SK-II has machines at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores. The Elemis line at Bergdorf Goodman has one. Olay and Vichy both offer hand-held scanners at 400 CVS pharmacies.
While some dermatologists agree that the devices can help prevent future skin damage, others say skin analyzers are nothing more than a scare tactic designed to open wallets.
The analysis itself is simple: Stick your face or cheek inside the box – usually the left, since it gets the most sun while driving – and passport-size images are snapped. The machine tallies your crows'-feet, wrinkles, evenness, sun spots and pore size. Then the doctor, aesthetician or skin-care specialist prescribes anti-wrinkle, lightening and spot-reducing creams for problems consumers may never have noticed. (In medical offices, laser surgery or a chemical peel might be the suggestion.)
mens adidas shoe | Bracelets | Baseball | Telescopes A few months later you repeat the test, which costs more than $100 in doctors' offices or medical spas but is free at many beauty counters. You should have fewer wrinkles and sun spots.
Source: thenewstribune.com
Excess hair? See a doctor
Unwanted growth of hair could be an indication of a serious underlying medical condition, particularly in women, experts said. It can affect the well-being and even the reproductive health of many women, researcher Sharon Ortiz, the president of the American Electrology Association, Inc. (AEA), said.
"Hair growth is often the symptom a woman will address first," she said.
Although excess male hormone 'androgen' is recognised as the reason for this excess hair growth its causes are not always easy to determine, reported health portal Medical News Today, quoting the researchers.
The research cited a large-scale analysis of women with androgen excess and found more than 80 per cent suffered from hirsutism (excess hair growth), menstrual dysfunction and acne.
As most androgen excess disorders begin around the onset of puberty, most women appear to suffer without intervention, the research said.
It was noted by researchers that "up to 80 per cent of patients are not recognised, evaluated or treated in a timely fashion".
Electrologists noted that women with an excess of androgen grow hair in a much different manner from most other women they see.
Their facial and body hair growth could rival that of a man's. This masculine hair growth pattern on both the face and body is very worrisome and much of their energy is spent trying to look as though the hair growth doesn't exist.
Since professional electrologists are trained to recognise the signs of androgen excess, when a woman comes in to address the cosmetic symptoms, they are likely to be referred to their primary care physician or an endocrinologist for evaluation.
While electrology treatments go forward, the cause of the unwanted hair growth can be mitigated through appropriate medical treatment.
The impact of having been directed to medical care can greatly benefit many other areas of their lives, the researchers said.
5 things you didn't know about plastic surgery
1. Among the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures: botox injections, 420 percent increase from 2000 to 2006; hyaluronic acid injectables (antiaging substance), 59 percent; breast augmentations, 55 percent; breast reductions, 23 percent. Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
2. National average surgeon fees: Breast augmentation, $3,600; nose reshaping, $3,841; liposuction, $2,750; eyelid surgery, $2,877; tummy tuck, $5,063, the society says.
3. Things that can go wrong: In breast augmentation, a perforated lung; in nose reshaping, nasal bleeding could be aspirated into the lungs; in liposuction, heavy blood loss; in eyelid surgery, bleeding into the eye socket could cause blindness; in tummy tuck, long hours of surgery could encourage blood clots. Such problems happen less than 1 percent of the time.
4. The top 5 reconstructive surgeries in 2006: tumor removal, 3.9 million; laceration repair, 313,000; scar revision, 165,000; hand surgery, 156,000, breast reduction, 104,000.
5. Choosing a doctor: The gold standard is a doctor certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the panel recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which sets standards for all medical specialties. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery is self-governing and not overseen by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Source: startribune.com
Hair pulling can be problematic
Hair pulling can be a real psychological problem and can occur in both men and women at any age. There is even a psychological term for it: Trichotillomania. Hair pulling is often an ongoing problem that can lead to lower self esteem, embarrassment and avoidance of social situations. Hair pulling is considered an impulse disorder and can be chronic. Like all such disorders, the person feels an increase in tension to pull their hair and then a wave of relief once they have done it. That relief is only temporary and then the cycle must repeat itself.
Hair pulling can have a significant impact on a person's family and friends. Often learning more information about this problem can be helpful. For example, hair pulling is far from being a "bad habit"; it can accompany serious psychological and medical problems. The most common regions of the body for hair pulling are the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic hair and facial hair. Some people will ingest the plucked hair, while others just discard it. Hair pullers may also exhibit other habits like nail biting, knuckle cracking, face/scalp picking or scab picking.
It is important for loved ones to pay attention to how you address the problem. Phrases to avoid include: "It's just a phase you are going through," "It's just stress," "Don't you care about your appearance?" Instead of these comments, ask your loved one to help you understand more about their problem. You can also ask how you can help them with their hair pulling and offer encouragement for small steps. Be available to your loved one when the inevitable setbacks occur.