Cosmetic Medicine Procedures

Acne is a very common skin condition, affecting over 85% of 15-24 year olds. It can persist well past early adulthood, especially in females. It varies from mild acne, with some clogging of pores, through to inflammatory acne with reddened lesions and pustules, through to cystic acne with large, painful lesions which may lead to scarring.

Acne management will vary with the condition`s severity. Over-the-counter topical skin care products may suffice for some, however prescription topical creams or oral medications may be required for more severe acne. Low glycaemic index diets also help some sufferers. Microdermabrasion, blue or other light therapies, laser treatments or photodynamic therapy may be appropriate in other cases.

Combinations of therapies may also be required for increased efficacy.

Should acne scarring occur, other treatments such as lasers or dermal filler injections may be required.

Various chemicals or combinations may be applied to the skin with the aim of producing a smoother, more evenly-textured skin.

Peels vary in depth. With superficial peels, just the external already-dead cells shed more quickly producing a mild flakiness for a few days. Medium-depth and deep peels produce a wound which heals over a period of a week or so with greater smoothing effect on deeper lesions such as wrinkles and scars.

Potential Problems

Temporary/permanent discolouration or texture change, scarring, infection.

Various skin lesions may require excision for medical or cosmetic reasons. Most skin cancers must be surgically removed to ensure they do not continue to grow and/or spread. Microscopic examination of the excised specimen by a pathologist affords reassurance that skin cancers have been completely removed.

Potential Problems

All excisions will produce scarring. This can often be minimised by appropriate placement but can never be avoided. Infection.

Localised excessive sweating (usually of the armpits, hands or feet) may be treated with injections which temporarily reduce the stimulation for sweating in these areas. Multiple small injections are placed within the skin of the affected areas, usually taking effect in a few days and lasting, on average, 7-8 months.

Potential Problems

Bruising. Temporary weakness of nearby muscles. Insufficient effect.

Facial Rejuvenation can improve sagging facial skin, jowls and loose neck skin by removing excess fat, tightening muscles, redraping skin. Most often done on men and women over 40.

A small amount of fat may be harvested from a body area such as the thighs, abdomen or buttocks, purified and injected into areas of the face where volume is required, such as hollow cheeks. As only a proportion of this transferred fat `takes`, a relatively large amount is injected producing an over-correction which then subsides. The amount removed from the donor site is usually too small to affect the overall contour unless a definitive liposuction is performed.

Potential Problems

Bruising, swelling. Unpredictable results. Lumpiness. Variation of effect with weight change.

Hair loss affects many males and a smaller proportion of women. Medications may help some, especially in the early stages of hair loss, however for some, surgical measures may be necessary. This involves moving hair-bearing scalp into non-hair-bearing areas either as a large flap or as tiny grafts containing a few follicles.

Potential Problems

Infection. Scarring. Inadequate coverage. Further hair loss.

Various substances may be used to plump up lines and wrinkles, define and/or produce more fullness for lips or reduce hollows produced by ageing, weight loss, genetic predisposition or some medical conditions.

Different products may be employed, with varying durations of action. Some products fill instantly, others stimulate the body to thicken its own tissues over time.

Potential Problems

Varies with product and site treated. Temporary swelling and bruising. Infection. Lumpiness. Allergy. Scarring (rarely).

There are many different types of lasers and light sources which produce varying effects on the skin. Lasers are light beams of specific wavelengths that produce specific effects. Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a broad band of wavelengths which achieves somewhat more general effects on the skin.

Controlled abrasion of the skin's surface combined with suction which `vacuum cleans` the pores and stimulates circulation, produces a smoother skin and reduces clogging. Often a series of procedures is required to produce a sustained benefit.

Microdermabrasion is useful for improving acne and other conditions where a build-up of dead skin cells has occurred. It also aids the absorption of medications including topical local anaesthetic prior to other procedures, and in photodynamic therapy.

Potential Problems

Temporary redness, superficial abrasions and bruising. Increased pigmentation.

Infrared light, radiofrequency current or a combination of these may be used to cause a gradual contraction of the skin of the face or certain areas of the body. Depending on the process used, one or a series of treatments may be required.

Potential Problems

Rarely painful with current methods. Inadequate effect.

Scars may occur due to accidental trauma, surgery, certain infections or severe acne. Scars may be fine or wide, raised or depressed and may be highly-coloured or white.

Various treatments may be employed to reduce the appearance of scars. These include injections to raise or flatten them, laser treatments to improve colour or blend scars into the surrounding skin or some scars may be excised and resutured to give the tissues another opportunity to heal in better circumstances.

Spider veins and varicose veins of the legs are quite common especially amongst women. Although some large varicose veins may require surgical intervention, many leg veins may be treated with injections. Often a series of treatments is required with support stockings being worn after each session. The injected solution causes a gradual closing-down of the abnormal veins.

Potential Problems

Leg pain. Inflammation of veins. Deep vein thrombosis. Skin pigmentation overlying veins. Ulceration leading to scarring. New growth of clusters of vessels.

The right skin care will vary from one person to another. Various over-the-counter and prescription products can be used to treat various skin conditions or to improve a "normal" skin and help protect skins from environmental damage. Individualised medical advice is often the best way to obtain the right skin care.

Potential Problems

Transient flare-ups of skin problems. Allergy to certain skin care ingredients.

Many wrinkles are due to the action of the muscles of facial expression. Some of these muscles may be relaxed to produce a smoother, less-stressed appearance. The most-frequently treated areas are the frown (between the eyebrows), the crows' feet and the horizontal forehead lines.

Injections are made into very specific sites to produce the appropriate muscle, and therefore wrinkle, relaxation. The effect takes a few days to begin and is temporary, but may last longer with repeated procedures.

Potential Problems

Bruising. Headache. Non-targeted muscle relaxation (temporary).