Split face study between famous toxins…

Spring Cleaning

When to throw away your products?

Spring cleaning is upon us-why not take a closer look at your skin care inventory? Just like any other medications and pills, it may be time to replace old and expired products.

One clear sign that a skin care product has expired is the presence of strange odour, separation or discoloration. But there’s more to quality than meets the eye (or nose): Even if there are no changes in a product’s appearance, smell or consistency, it may still be past its prime.

As a general rule, most skin care products are formulated to maintain effectiveness for up to two years after opening. Air and bacteria begin to break down the purity and efficacy of ingredients once the product has been opened.

Most over-the-counter skin care products-including eye cream, moisturizer and topical anti-aging treatments-fall under the FDA’s “cosmetics” category. The FDA does not mandate expiration dates on cosmetics, which means you may not find one on your skin care packaging. One exception: sunscreen. Because the FDA classifies sunscreen as a drug, SPF must feature a clear expiration date on its packaging.

Eye creams tend to have brief shelf lives because of the increased risk for eye infection due to bacterial growth. Certain anti-aging ingredients like vitamin C and retinol are more susceptible to heat and sunlight and may lose their potency when exposed to these elements. In addition, because “natural” and paraben-free products do not contain commonly used preservatives-and sometimes no preservatives at all-they may have a shortened shelf life.

One sure-fire way to protect the life of skin care products: Don’t share! Putting your fingers directly into a product container spreads bacteria. Wash your hands thoroughly before using any product to protect its purity, and look for creams and serums packaged in airtight pumps, which help to limit ingredients’ exposure to air.

Always store products away from direct heat or sunlight to preserve their contents. When in doubt, toss: It’s not worth the risk of irritation, infection or in the case of an expired sunscreen, sunburn or damaged skin.

Celebrities Who Had Botox Injections

It’s been ten years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved Botox for use on wrinkles. Between now and April 15, 2002 a lot has happened. High-profile lawsuits, medical breakthroughs, tragedies, controversies, reality TV segments and a generation of celebrities suspended in their mid-thirties. Hollywood royalty may have been the first to jump on the wrinkle-filler trend but it was years before they actually admitted it. For years their M.O. was “Deny”, but as the rest of the country has caught up with the trend, stars are finally letting their guard down, if not their forehead skin.

Split face study shows Dysport better than Botox…

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 2.4 million people got anti wrinkle injectables in 2014. The injections were administered to reduce fine lines on the face.

For the past decade, wrinkle injections medicine, which is a version of botulinum toxin type A that temporarily weakens or paralyzes muscles that cause wrinkles, has been the most popular cosmetic nonsurgical procedure.

However, a new version of the drug, called Dysport, was recently found to deliver better results in some cases.

A study conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco and published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery compared the effectiveness of the two injectables in reducing the appearance of crow’s feet, or the small wrinkles that are common around the eye area.

For the so-called “split face” study, 90 volunteers had Botox injections on one side of their face and Dysport injections on the other. After one month, 67 percent of those who received the injections said that the Dysport side of their face looked better.

“From our findings, it’s clear that there’s a better smoothing effect and clearing of lines around the eyes with Dysport,” the study’s co-author told HealthDay. “But does that also mean that Dysport is better at achieving the same thing around the mouth or forehead or neck? We really can’t make that conclusion.”

FDA Approval

If you have this problem, Allure outlines the basics:

•make sure your doctor is registered,

•expect that you will need treatment once or twice a year,

•if you’re diagnosed with hyperhidrosis, your insurer may pay a portion of the treatment,

•you will need about 15 to 20 tiny injections for each underarm, and

•finally, don’t worry about the sweating shifting to other body parts; it doesn’t.

You can undergo this treatment with confidence. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), Botox was FDA approved for underarm sweating in 2004.

Most Important Factor

Botox and Dysport are both approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not associated with any severe safety risks.

“The most important aspect of using these different botulinum toxins is not which one you get, but making sure that you are being injected by a reputable and respected physician who does a lot of these injections,” A professor of facial plastic surgery at Washington University in Saint Louis, told ABC News.

Experts say that the first step to ensuring positive results from cosmetic procedures such as injections of Botox or Dysport is to choose a trained, registered cosmetic doctor.

Under the spotlight

Age Spots | Lentigines | Sun Spots

The term ‘age spots’, or lentigines, refers to the brownish spots that, over time appear on your face and body as a result of overexposure to the sun. As we age our skin is subjected to more and more sun damage. Our skin has what is called ‘melanin pigment’ which absorbs sunlight and helps naturally protect our skin from UV rays. However as we age, our skin’s natural ability to fend off UV rays from the sun begins to deteriorate, and as a result, we see the development of age spots. These age spots can be effectively treated with lasers.

Skin Changes

There are a couple different types of brown spots that people get on their skin. There are solar lentigos (age spots) and freckles (known as ephiledes). These come from the sun and that’s because the sun damages the melanocytes, which are the cells in the epidermis (the skin’s surface layer) that produce melanin pigment. Most of the cells in our epidermis are skin cells that form the dead skin layer as well as keratin that protects us from the outside world, but one in every tenth or twentieth cell is a melanocyte which produces melanin pigment and transfers this brown pigment to our skin cells to help protect us against the sun.

Freckles increase the risk of skin damage after sun exposure

Some people have almost no melanin pigment and our skin does not do a good job of protecting us from the sun. Dark-skinned people do a much better job of protecting themselves from the sun. When the sun attacks me and other light-skinned people, my body does not know how to respond properly. As a result it can cause abnormal melanin pigment in the form of freckles and brown spots.

Sun Spot is More Accurate

‘Age Spots’ actually have nothing to do with how old you are, they have to do with how long you’ve been in the sun. I prefer the term ‘sun spot’ rather than ‘liver spot’ or ‘age spot’ because that is what they are from and is more appropriate.

Cancer Risk

The most important thing if you see any pigmented lesion on your skin is to not assume that it’s benign. If you notice a lesion on your skin, especially if it has any changes in color or shape, you should see a dermatologist to determine if they are cancerous or something to be concerned about.

You may need to have a biopsy performed to determine if the lesion is benign or not. Once the doctor has determined that it is benign, there are a variety of lasers that can be used to improve or remove it.

Tanning + Age Spots

Tan skin is not healthy skin. A tan is our body’s way of telling us our skin has been damaged, and its attempt to protect itself from further damage. As we undergo UVA and UVB light exposure from the sun’s rays or from tanning beds, we are damaging our skin, which will lead to age spots (solar lentigines), sun spots, liver spots, poikiloderma (reddish–brown areas of discoloration) and melasma (mottled brownish areas).

Prevention

Preventing age spots requires sun avoidance and sun protection. Most of the sun damage we receive occurs while we are driving. Car window glass protects us from 100% of the UVB light (the light which causes a burn) but none of the UVA, the light responsible for sun damage and aging skin. I advise all of my patients to have UVA-protecting film installed on their car windows. This may be tinted or clear. This will help prevent much of the sun damage which causes age, liver, or brown spots.

The second thing I recommend is to wear sunscreen ALL THE TIME. Even if you already have sun damaged skin, it’s never too late to start. This will help prevent further damage and age spotting.

For Treatment: Read More…

 

Three Procedures

Hairless smooth skin

The diode hair removal laser works extremely well on any area of the body — unkempt pair of eyebrows, dark sideburns, greenish hair growth in the underarm area or hair growth on the upper back. This laser causes the permanent destruction of most hair follicle and treats hundreds of follicle at a time.

Younger looking hands

Hands give your age away rather easily. Fillers with a combination of a skin tightening laser can work wonders. Superficial and deep peels done once a month are also a great option.

Smooth feet

Some of the most common problems that plague the feet are dry, cracked skin, calluses, corns, tan, build-up of hard skin around the heels and balls of the feet, and in-grown toe nails. As a quick home remedy start by soaking your feet in warm water mixed with some sea salts and slough of the dead skin using a pumice stone. The feet have a very high rate of cell turnover so it becomes important to keep exfoliating this area regularly. Secondly massage the foot with some vaseline two-three nights a week before bedtime. Put on a pair of cotton socks and allow the moisture to seep in overnight. Whilst waxing legs, wax the foot as well — this removes the dryness and dullness from the upper part of the foot and the toes, as waxing too is a form of exfoliation.

I hope you enjoy the contents…..

Until the next time,

Dr Hazem Kahlout
Ms Maggie Walsh

newsletter@castleknockcosmetics.ie

[/one_fourth_last]

Leave a reply