Skin Care and Cosmetic Surgery – Questions and Answers

Skin Care and Cosmetic Surgery

My child has eczema — I’ve read that hard water can exacerbate it. Should I install a water softener?

It certainly can’t harm and might help. We are not yet sure whether there is a direct or indirect link between childhood eczema and hard water. It may be that the alkaline salts themselves in hard water are causing or worsening the condition or that people in hard water areas tend to use more soap to get a lather. If you can’t afford to install a water softener you should reduce your level of soap usage and not bother about getting a lather. Switch to non-soap cleansers such as Nutralia or Ph5.5 or try washing formulations made expressly for dermatological conditions (eg. Dermol 500 lotion, Balnium, Oilatum, Wash 45).

I have thread veins. What’s the best method for getting rid of them?

If they are very large they will have to be surgically removed. If small, the majority of upper legs veins are best treated by sclerotherapy. On the face and around the ankle, the laser should be used to avoid the risk of brain damage and blindness, or ulceration of leg arteries respectively. Where you have your veins treated is also important. The thought of beauty salons doing it is unbearable — sclerotherapy carries the risk of anaphyaxsis, total shock shutdown which can kill. Ensure the person treating you has medical training, or at very least supervision (many dermatologists have their nurses perform sclerotherapy).

Just how effective are lasers for hair removal?

The long pulsed ruby lasers are proving to be very effective, normally permanently reducing 80 per cent of hair growth. Those with refrigerated wands carry the least risk of thermal damage or scarring. Your physician should always do a small test patch first. If you have olive skin and dark hair, you and your physician should proceed vvith caution as the laser can mistake skin pigment for hair colour and eradicate it. Fair skin and dark hair is the best combination for laser hair removal.

Our local hospital has told us we shouldn’t bother having our child’s strawberry birthmark treated as it will probably go away of its own accord as she gets older. Is this true?

Statistically, yes. Fifty per cent of strawberry hemangiomas have gone by the time the child is 5, 60 per cent by the age of 6, 70 per cent by 7. By ten, however, 10-20 per cent remain and even if the redness has gone, some slack skin may be left. There is now a growing feeling that it is wise to treat such birthmarks with pulsed dye vascular lasers because there is a better chance of total clearance and to avoid the risk of psychological damage that facial disfigurement often brings.

Will I be more prone to sunburn while I’m using Retin A?

Yes, because your stratum corneum is thinner. A thick rough hide is a good sun block. It is therefore essential to apply daily sunscreen – not least because if you are using Retin-A to smooth your wrinkles you don’t want further sun damage to cancel out its reparative work.

If I stop using Retin-A or AHAs will my skin look worse than before?

No. It was thought that after stopping treatment your skin returned to its pre-treated state but there is increasing evidence to suggest that as long as you used, and continue to use, a daily sun-screening cream, some of the improvement you gained while on a cosmeceutical can be maintained. Instead of stopping altogether it can be useful to shift down to a ‘maintenance regime’ of applying Retin-A twice a week.

Most of my wrinkles are around my eyes. Is it safe for me to apply my cosmeceutical here?

Yes, the thin skin in this area should normally tolerate very small amounts every second or third night and will usually show good improvement as a result. Remember to remove all your eye-make-up and wash your face very gently before applying it.

How do I know how long my temporary filler will last?

Unfortunately, there is no way of predicting exactly how long a substance will last in any individual as it will depend on the site and the amount of sun damage to your skin. However, your physician should be able to give you a fair idea, to within two or three months.

What if I simply don’t like the look of my injection or implant?

The temporary fillers will gradually be reabsorbed but you will have to wait from three to twelve months for this to happen. Softform can be easily removed at any time. However, if you have opted for other permanent fillers you do have a problem. Silicone and Artecol cannot be taken out and Gortex can be, but with difficulty, and often not without some tissue damage.

I am Asian and have very dark skin. Am I a suitable for a peel?

With any resurfacing procedure there is a risk of the patient developing unevenly pigmented areas. However, the more deeply pigmented your skin, the greater the risk, so dark Mediterranean, Asian and black patients should be fully appraised of the risks before signing up for such a procedure. That said, the new lasers are so extraordinarily accurate that the chance of an uneven result is greatly lessened.

I’m considering a face lift and a peel. Which should I have first?

My advice would be to have a peel first and then decide whether you still need surgery. Particularly with the laser, there is a good degree of collagen fibre shrinkage which results in a tightening, lifting effect. If you later decide you still want surgery, your improved complexion will not be affected.

Related posts: