Health Issues
Cosmetic Products and Treatment
“Enhance the already beautiful you!”
Products
Proper skin care is probably one of the best ways you can maintain your skin. This includes washing your skin both morning and night with a cleanser, and perhaps a toner, moisturizer, and eye cream. Protection against UVA and UVB rays is an extremely important step in preventing further sun damage to your skin. Ensure that your sunscreen is broad spectrum, with an SPF of 30 or higher in order to properly protect your skin from the sun. Also having an SPF in your other skin care products such as your lip balm, moisturizer, or concealer and foundation can be beneficial.
Antioxidants: Unfortunately, as humans we are unable to produce certain essential antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. These antioxidants help to repair our skin against UV rays from the sun that damage our skin and in turn activate free radicals, which can become carcinogenic.
Some of these antioxidants such as vitamin C are consumable orally, however, recent dermatology studies suggest that our skin does not get enough through oral administration and topical forms of antioxidants are therefore necessary.
References: Burke, K. E. (2004). Photodamage of the skin: protection and reversal with topical antioxidants. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(3), p. 149-155. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00067.x
Lin, J. Y., Selim, M. A., Shea, C. R., Grichnik, J. M., Omar, M. M., Monteiro-Riviere, N. A., & Pinnell, S. R. (2003). Jour- nal of the American Academy of Dermatology. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2003.425
Vitamin A (retinol): Retinols help to improve both healthy and photoaged skin by stimulating the production of collagen to diminish fine wrinkles. Retinol also improves the skin’s overall texture by retaining water. This in turn helps our skin to recover from a less thin and fragile state, which is common as our skin ages.
Reference: Kafi, R., Kwak, H. R., Schumacher, W. E., Cho, S., Hanft, V. N., Hamilton, T. A., King, A. L., Neal, J.D., Varani, J., Fisher, G. J., Voorhees, J. J., Kang, S. (2007). Improvement of Naturally Aged Skin With Vitamin A (Retinol). Arch Dermatol, 143(5), p. 606-612. doi:10.1001/archderm.143.5.606
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in our body from dietary sources. The topical use of vitamin C is popular among anti-aging remedies today. Antioxidants are extremely beneficial to our skin, as they battle free radicals, which occur when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet light (mostly the sun), as well as with normal aging of the skin. Vitamin C works on photoaged skin to protect and promote the formation of new collagen, defense from new ultraviolet light exposure, improvement of hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin), and improvement of a variety of inflammatory conditions of the skin. It is recommended to use vitamin C in conjunction with your daily application of sunscreen, as it combats the free radicals that emerge due to exposure to UV light.
Reference: Farris, P. K. (2005). Topical Vitamin C: A Useful Agent for Treating Photoaging and Other Dermatologic Conditions. Dermatologic Surgery, 31(7). doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31725
References: WebMD. (2012). Healthy Beauty, Chemical Peels and Your Skin.
“Enhance the already beautiful you!”
Products
Proper skin care is probably one of the best ways you can maintain your skin. This includes washing your skin both morning and night with a cleanser, and perhaps a toner, moisturizer, and eye cream. Protection against UVA and UVB rays is an extremely important step in preventing further sun damage to your skin. Ensure that your sunscreen is broad spectrum, with an SPF of 30 or higher in order to properly protect your skin from the sun. Also having an SPF in your other skin care products such as your lip balm, moisturizer, or concealer and foundation can be beneficial.
Antioxidants: Unfortunately, as humans we are unable to produce certain essential antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. These antioxidants help to repair our skin against UV rays from the sun that damage our skin and in turn activate free radicals, which can become carcinogenic.
Some of these antioxidants such as vitamin C are consumable orally, however, recent dermatology studies suggest that our skin does not get enough through oral administration and topical forms of antioxidants are therefore necessary.
References: Burke, K. E. (2004). Photodamage of the skin: protection and reversal with topical antioxidants. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(3), p. 149-155. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00067.x
Lin, J. Y., Selim, M. A., Shea, C. R., Grichnik, J. M., Omar, M. M., Monteiro-Riviere, N. A., & Pinnell, S. R. (2003). Jour- nal of the American Academy of Dermatology. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2003.425
Vitamin A (retinol): Retinols help to improve both healthy and photoaged skin by stimulating the production of collagen to diminish fine wrinkles. Retinol also improves the skin’s overall texture by retaining water. This in turn helps our skin to recover from a less thin and fragile state, which is common as our skin ages.
Reference: Kafi, R., Kwak, H. R., Schumacher, W. E., Cho, S., Hanft, V. N., Hamilton, T. A., King, A. L., Neal, J.D., Varani, J., Fisher, G. J., Voorhees, J. J., Kang, S. (2007). Improvement of Naturally Aged Skin With Vitamin A (Retinol). Arch Dermatol, 143(5), p. 606-612. doi:10.1001/archderm.143.5.606
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in our body from dietary sources. The topical use of vitamin C is popular among anti-aging remedies today. Antioxidants are extremely beneficial to our skin, as they battle free radicals, which occur when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet light (mostly the sun), as well as with normal aging of the skin. Vitamin C works on photoaged skin to protect and promote the formation of new collagen, defense from new ultraviolet light exposure, improvement of hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin), and improvement of a variety of inflammatory conditions of the skin. It is recommended to use vitamin C in conjunction with your daily application of sunscreen, as it combats the free radicals that emerge due to exposure to UV light.
Reference: Farris, P. K. (2005). Topical Vitamin C: A Useful Agent for Treating Photoaging and Other Dermatologic Conditions. Dermatologic Surgery, 31(7). doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31725
Cosmetic Treatments
Cosmetic treatments are also available to help repair your skin from sun damage, and eliminate or decrease facial wrinkles and sagging skin. These include:
Facial: A facial is a procedure commonly done in spas. Treatments may vary but generally have the same premise, to renew and refresh the skin. Usually a facial will start with a consultation, skin cleansing, and then a skin analysis. Throughout the treatment the esthetician will exfoliate the skin, execute extractions of clogged pores, perform a facial massage, apply a facemask, and then end the procedure with the application of toner, serums, moisturizer and sunscreen.
Reference: Brown, A. (2013). What Is A Facial? The Basic Steps of A Professional Facial. About.com. Retrieved from http://spas.about.com/od/massage/a/whatisafacial.htm
http://spas.about.com/od/massage/a/whatisafacial.htm
Chemical Peel: A chemical peel (sometimes called chemexfoliation or derma peel), like all cosmetic treatments and procedures, aim to improve the overall look and feel of the skin, diminish age spots and fine lines caused by sun damage, and improve certain types of acne and mild scars. This treatment can be done on the face, neck, or hands. This treatment uses a chemical such as glycolic acid, salicylic, or carbolic acid, which are applied to small areas on the face to create a controlled wound, from which new skin will take its place. There are variations in the type of treatment you may choose to receive, ranging from light, medium to deep chemical peels, which differ in the depth in which they infiltrate the skin. The best candidates for chemical peels are generally those with fair skin with lighter hair, as they are less likely to have an uneven skin tone after the procedure.
Cosmetic treatments are also available to help repair your skin from sun damage, and eliminate or decrease facial wrinkles and sagging skin. These include:
Facial: A facial is a procedure commonly done in spas. Treatments may vary but generally have the same premise, to renew and refresh the skin. Usually a facial will start with a consultation, skin cleansing, and then a skin analysis. Throughout the treatment the esthetician will exfoliate the skin, execute extractions of clogged pores, perform a facial massage, apply a facemask, and then end the procedure with the application of toner, serums, moisturizer and sunscreen.
Reference: Brown, A. (2013). What Is A Facial? The Basic Steps of A Professional Facial. About.com. Retrieved from http://spas.about.com/od/massage/a/whatisafacial.htm
http://spas.about.com/od/massage/a/whatisafacial.htm
Chemical Peel: A chemical peel (sometimes called chemexfoliation or derma peel), like all cosmetic treatments and procedures, aim to improve the overall look and feel of the skin, diminish age spots and fine lines caused by sun damage, and improve certain types of acne and mild scars. This treatment can be done on the face, neck, or hands. This treatment uses a chemical such as glycolic acid, salicylic, or carbolic acid, which are applied to small areas on the face to create a controlled wound, from which new skin will take its place. There are variations in the type of treatment you may choose to receive, ranging from light, medium to deep chemical peels, which differ in the depth in which they infiltrate the skin. The best candidates for chemical peels are generally those with fair skin with lighter hair, as they are less likely to have an uneven skin tone after the procedure.
References: WebMD. (2012). Healthy Beauty, Chemical Peels and Your Skin.
Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/cosmetic-procedures-chemical-peel-treatments American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2012). Chemical Peel, Minimally Invasive Procedure.
Intense Pulse Light Laser Treatments (IPL): Eliminates or reduces damage to your skin caused by the sun such as freckles, brown age or liver spots, and fine lines. It significantly improves the superficial and deep layers of the skin. Photorejuvenation also stimulates the production of collagen, which adds plumpness and elasticity to our skin. As the collagen is stimulated, lines and wrinkles are decreased. Usually a series of treatments are recommended.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). IPL Photorejuvenation.
Retrieved from www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/ipl.html
Facial Fillers: As we age, the fatty tissues in our skin start to deplete. Facial fillers help to restore the volume that is lost in our fatty tis- sues. There are a few variations in facial filler products. The most common is hyaluronic acid, however, others include polylactic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the skin but depletes over time. Hyaluronic acid works to moisturize and improve the skin’s tone. The gel of the facial filler is injected directly into facial wrinkles or lines, creating a volumizing effect.
Botulinum Toxins or Neuromodulators (Botox): Botox temporarily reduces facial wrinkles by selectively inhibiting the nerve impulses from the muscles that create the lines and wrinkles either on the forehead, crows’ feet, or lower face. This relaxes the muscle, which prevents the muscle from creating wrinkles giving the skin a smooth appearance.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Botox. Retrieved from http://www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/botox.html
Microdermabrasion: A microdermabrasion or “micro” treatment employs the use of a diamond tip wand to gently slough of some of the superficial layer of the skin. Microdermabrasion works to improve the overall quality of the skin by evening out skin texture, treating acne blemishes, enlarged pores, and superficially sun damaged, blotchy skin.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Microdermabrasion. Retrieved from
www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/microdermabrasion.html
Radiotherapy Treatments: There are several different trade names that correlate with radiofrequency treatments such as Accent or Titan. These treatments work to tighten our loose and sagging skin by applying heat to break up adipose tissue, which in turn melts the fat cells and stimulates the collagen in our skin. This will result in gradual skin tightening over a period of six months.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Cellulite and body contouring with Accent Radiotherapy. Retrieved from www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/cellulite.html
Additional Resources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons: www.oplasticsurgery.org/Cosmetic-Procedures.html Bella Sante MD:www.bellasanteclinic.com
Caution: When it comes to cosmetic treatments, the bottom line is you get what you pay for. Today there are many at-home treatment options such as at-home microdermabrasion, as well as treatments offered in a variety of settings, clinics, salons and spas with varying levels of qualifica- tions. Be careful to choose a reputable product and clinic. Often physician-owned clinics have medical grade products and machinery that other salons are not able to purchase. Medical-grade services will most likely give you the best results. Also beware of procedures performed in other countries. The cost may be cheaper and therefore, more appealing but the quality is often poorer.
Questions: Things to consider when contemplating cosmetic or aesthetic procedures:
Questions about the service provider
•Who will carry out the procedure?
•What training do they have to provide this procedure?
•How frequently do they carry it out?
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). IPL Photorejuvenation.
Retrieved from www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/ipl.html
Facial Fillers: As we age, the fatty tissues in our skin start to deplete. Facial fillers help to restore the volume that is lost in our fatty tis- sues. There are a few variations in facial filler products. The most common is hyaluronic acid, however, others include polylactic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the skin but depletes over time. Hyaluronic acid works to moisturize and improve the skin’s tone. The gel of the facial filler is injected directly into facial wrinkles or lines, creating a volumizing effect.
References: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Facial Fillers. Retrieved from http://www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/fillers.html American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2012). Brand Name Procedures and Treatments, Branded Treatment Options. Retrieved from www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/brand-name-procedures-and-treatments.html
Botulinum Toxins or Neuromodulators (Botox): Botox temporarily reduces facial wrinkles by selectively inhibiting the nerve impulses from the muscles that create the lines and wrinkles either on the forehead, crows’ feet, or lower face. This relaxes the muscle, which prevents the muscle from creating wrinkles giving the skin a smooth appearance.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Botox. Retrieved from http://www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/botox.html
Microdermabrasion: A microdermabrasion or “micro” treatment employs the use of a diamond tip wand to gently slough of some of the superficial layer of the skin. Microdermabrasion works to improve the overall quality of the skin by evening out skin texture, treating acne blemishes, enlarged pores, and superficially sun damaged, blotchy skin.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Microdermabrasion. Retrieved from
www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/microdermabrasion.html
Radiotherapy Treatments: There are several different trade names that correlate with radiofrequency treatments such as Accent or Titan. These treatments work to tighten our loose and sagging skin by applying heat to break up adipose tissue, which in turn melts the fat cells and stimulates the collagen in our skin. This will result in gradual skin tightening over a period of six months.
Reference: Bella Sante MD. (2013). Cellulite and body contouring with Accent Radiotherapy. Retrieved from www.bellasanteclinic.com/procedures/cellulite.html
Additional Resources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons: www.oplasticsurgery.org/Cosmetic-Procedures.html Bella Sante MD:www.bellasanteclinic.com
Caution: When it comes to cosmetic treatments, the bottom line is you get what you pay for. Today there are many at-home treatment options such as at-home microdermabrasion, as well as treatments offered in a variety of settings, clinics, salons and spas with varying levels of qualifica- tions. Be careful to choose a reputable product and clinic. Often physician-owned clinics have medical grade products and machinery that other salons are not able to purchase. Medical-grade services will most likely give you the best results. Also beware of procedures performed in other countries. The cost may be cheaper and therefore, more appealing but the quality is often poorer.
Questions: Things to consider when contemplating cosmetic or aesthetic procedures:
Questions about the service provider
•Who will carry out the procedure?
•What training do they have to provide this procedure?
•How frequently do they carry it out?
Questions about the procedure
•Is the procedure right for me?
•Will it change my appearance the way I hoped?
•Am I doing this for myself or to please someone else?
•How long does the procedure take?
•Is the procedure painful and, if so, what form of anesthesia is used? •What are the risks involved?
•Are there any other options available for me to achieve the results I want?
•Do you have any ‘before and after’ photographs that I can see?
Questions about after the procedure
•What care and pain relief will I need after the procedure?
•Will I have swelling or bruising?
•At what stage will I be able to judge the results of the procedure? •How long do the results last?
•Will I need a more than one procedure?
* Always remember to ask any other questions that you may have.
Reference: The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. (2013). Get the Facts: What you should know about Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved from
www.cpso.on.ca/ policies/positions/default.aspx?id=1726
Lauren Dawes
Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan Student
February, 2013
•Is the procedure right for me?
•Will it change my appearance the way I hoped?
•Am I doing this for myself or to please someone else?
•How long does the procedure take?
•Is the procedure painful and, if so, what form of anesthesia is used? •What are the risks involved?
•Are there any other options available for me to achieve the results I want?
•Do you have any ‘before and after’ photographs that I can see?
Questions about after the procedure
•What care and pain relief will I need after the procedure?
•Will I have swelling or bruising?
•At what stage will I be able to judge the results of the procedure? •How long do the results last?
•Will I need a more than one procedure?
* Always remember to ask any other questions that you may have.
Reference: The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. (2013). Get the Facts: What you should know about Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved from
www.cpso.on.ca/ policies/positions/default.aspx?id=1726
Lauren Dawes
Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan Student
February, 2013
Improving Women's Lives Through Better Health in Mid-Life and Beyond
