Here in Northern Virginia, the winter environment can often be rough on your skin, especially if you’re already prone to dry or flaky skin the rest of the year.
Fortunately, with a few modifications to your routine, you can minimize the harsh effects of winter weather and keep your skin as healthy as it can be.
1. Protect Your Skin’s Natural Oils
Winter air already contains less moisture than other seasons, so it’s important to protect your skin’s natural oils. Avoid hot showers and body soaps that contain detergents. Hot water can further dehydrate your skin, and body soaps that contain detergents can diminish protective skin oils.
2. Hydrate Properly
Hydration is important to the health of your skin year round, but it’s also essential that you moisturize the outer layer of your skin so that you can retain moisture underneath the skin’s outer layer.
People shouldn’t assume that drinking excess fluids will help dry skin, according to Dr. Alicia Zalka, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale. If your skin is already very dry, these extra liquids may just evaporate instead of retaining moisture within the skin.
To properly hydrate, remember to moderate your consumption of alcohol or caffeinated beverages. Alcoholic drinks as well as caffeinated beverages can affect your skin and body more during harsh, dry winter months.
3. Reassess Your Skin Care Regimen
Not all skin care products are designed to be used year round. Cleansers and exfoliators for example, should be milder in the winter than in the summer, while moisturizer should be a richer to protect your skin during winter weather. Also, don’t forget that daily sunblock application is just as important in the winter as it is in the summer.
In London’s Hunterian Musem, a collection of medical archives is being gathered from World War I. “They are powerful testimony to the advances made by modern surgeons in the past 100 years,” writes Helen Briggs for the BBC, who recently posted a compelling article about the Gillies Archive and the ways in which war has driven innovation in plastic surgery.
“The war led surgeons to attempt ground-breaking procedures, which paved the way for modern plastic surgery,” said Dr. Andrew Bamji, former curator of the Gillies archive.
Named after plastic surgery pioneer Sir Harold Gillies, the archives include medical documentation, paintings, plastic casts, instruments and more.
The artifacts tell a story about war injuries and the surgical techniques that were developed to treat them.
You can read more about Dr. Gillies’ work on Wikipedia:
“The Queen’s Hospital opened in June 1917 and with its convalescent units provided over 1,000 beds. There Gillies and his colleagues developed many techniques of plastic surgery; more than 11,000 operations were performed on over 5,000 men (mostly soldiers with facial injuries, usually from gunshot wounds).”
Photo:The new film About Face by portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders takes a peek behind the modeling industry and the quest to continue looking young.
Through candid interviews, the film documents the experiences of models from the 70s and 80s.
“The divergent attitudes among the women about everything from the business of modeling, to aging and plastic surgery, are fascinating and priceless. ”
An excerpt from the film trailer asks Carmen Dell’Orifice: “What is it about plastic surgery and facelifts – what is your sense of that whole world?”
She says “Well, if you had the ceiling falling down in your living room,would you not go an have a repair?”
About Face has several screenings at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, January 19 – 29 in Park City, Utah.
Two years ago, reports of defective silicone breast implants manufactured by PIP (Poly Implant Prothèse) prompted authorities to halt production of the devices.
The breast implants are said to have a very high failure rate and a non-medical type of silicone gel. France is now encouraging women with these implants to have them removed.
PIP silicone gel-filled implants have never been approved for use in the United States. The only way an American patient would have these implants is if she had undergone breast surgery in another country.
ASPS Monitoring the Situation
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), working with the French Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, is monitoring the recent developments on PIP silicone gel breast implants.
The ASPS issued a statement to its members practicing outside the United States:
“We believe that while the current focus of attention is in France, approximately 80 percent of PIP implants were exported to other countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. There are also reports that implants under the brand name “M,” distributed by a Dutch company in Germany – and possibly elsewhere in Europe – may also be PIP implants that were rebranded as “M” implants.”
According to Reuters, Italy is working with cosmetic surgery clinics to compile a list of women who received the implants. Meanwhile, officials in Brazil and Britain are urging women to check in with their surgeons. The French government is recommending and offering to pay for explantation surgery – if the original surgery was for breast reconstruction.
Allergan Inc, American Breast Implant Maker Assures Quality of Their Implants
In response to the French situation, Allergan issued a lengthy press release to reassure surgeons and patients about the quality of their breast implants. Allergan’s products are marketed under the names Natrelle, McGhan and CUI. None of these implants are included in the French investigation.
“The health authorities are specifically concerned about breast implants made by the company called Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP),” states the Allergan Press Release. The release also describes the extensive checks that are in place to ensure quality of their implants. “Allergan maintains rigorous clinical development processes, extensive manufacturing and quality assurance testing, as well as an industry-leading post-marketing surveillance program, to ensure the highest quality and safety of its breast implants that patients and surgeons can rely on.”
AP Video: France Calls for Breast Implant Removal
The following video from Associated Press briefly explains the situation.
New study shows good long-term face lift results in patients under 50.
People with early signs of aging can achieve good results and high satisfaction 10 years or more after their face lift, according to a new study in the latest issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
A previous study found that older patients were more likely to have lower satisfaction scores, with varying facelift results. This new study by Doctors Liu and Owsley (at California Pacific Medical Center) involved comparisons of long-term and short-term patient satisfaction scores, combined with analysis of long-term results using photo analysis. Three age groups were selected: younger than 50, 50 to 60, and over age 60.
“Remarkable Maintenance of Their Appearance”
Patients who had a facelift before age 50 showed “remarkable maintenance of their youthful appearance,” according to the authors. At both short and long-term follow-up, younger patients reported higher satisfaction scores. Their scores were further supported by photo analysis.
The study results support the idea of performing “maintenance” facelifts for patients who don’t have significant signs of aging. “Younger patients who have facelifts (<50 years old) have longest lasting results with less noticeable postoperative changes,” Drs. Liu and Owsley say. Because at 50, the visible signs of aging represent “the tip of the iceberg” in relation to changes beneath the skin that come later.
Many patients in this age group are likely to treat facial wrinkles and other localized signs using injectables. For a long-lasting result, it may be a better idea to undergo a face lift. The changes after facial rejuvenation surgery will also be more subtle, so patients can be modest about having cosmetic surgery.
Read more on plasticsurgery.org
A segment from PRI’s The World comes from Spain, where the European debt crisis has impacted a variety of industries. But not the beauty industry, which seems to be thriving.
Why would healthy and beauty be growing, while other industries remain flat in the country?
Inexpensive Ego Boosts Are Popular
It could be that people simply need a boost. When unemployment is nearly 23 percent, “inexpensive ego-boosts go a long way” reports PRI’s Marco Werman.
Salon manager Patricia Marquez explains, “a person needs to feel handsome to feel comfortable with themselves, she says. “If they don’t look good it doesn’t matter what they do; you have to feel comfortable in your own skin.”
“The well-groomed will be well positioned when opportunity knocks.”
The Salon Index as Spain’s Economic Indicator
on PRI’s The World Listen Here
One theory says that during an uncertain economy, women take refuge in beauty products, especially lipstick, according to Leonard Lauder, chairman of Estee Lauder.
In 2001, Lauder claimed that sales of lipstick go up whenever the economy goes down.
During times of distress, women skip the clothes and shoes, finding satisfaction in simpler beauty enhancements like lipstick.
Analda Santano, who works at the busy Cinema Nails salon, agrees with Lauder’s theory. She explains that people want to be prepared when the economic crisis finally ends and jobs become available. “The well-groomed will be well positioned when opportunity knocks,” she said.
In America, A Similar (But More Expensive) Story
The Daily Beast reports this week on a similar trend back home. “We might be cutting back on basics, but we’re pouring money into our looks,” writes Rebecca Dana, who offers some peculiar statistics about the cosmetic surgery industry:
“Between 2009 and 2010, Americans spent 3.8 percent less on food, 2 percent less on housing, 1.4 percent less on clothes, and 7 percent less on entertainment. At the same time, we spent 1.3 percent more on breast augmentation, 5.1 percent more on lipo, 8.1 percent more on eyelid surgery, and a whopping 24.4 percent more on butt lifts.”
In a recession economy, looking good appears to be a high priority for Americans and Europeans alike. Perhaps it is important to remember the multitude of other ways you can reinvent yourself during uncertain times. You can get an “inexpensive ego boost” from a class, a book, or a new venture. Honing your skills as well as your looks will keep you competitive in the job market.
A recent story from msnbc and the Associated Press has cast a new light on the renewing capabilities of laser surgery.
Bryon Widner was a reformed white supremacist when he decided that facial tattoos were no longer a proper reflection of his identity. Looking like a thug wasn’t in line with his priorities: holding a job and doing his part to support his family.
He needed a solution, which he was fortunate to find through a group called the Southern Poverty Law Center. A donor who was moved by Widner’s story offered to help pay for his tattoo removal procedures.
Dr. Bruce Shack, a plastic surgeon and member of the ASPS, was the doctor who helped Widner remove the signs of his past.
Widner and his wife Julie found Dr. Shack to be the professional and caring physician they needed for such an arduous treatment process.
“He didn’t just see the tattoos; he saw me as a real human being,” Widner told reporters.
The Associated Press story provides details of his procedure:
On June 22, 2009, Widner lay on an operating table, his mind spinning with anxiety and hope. A nurse dabbed numbing gel all over his face. Shack towered over him in protective goggles and injected a local anesthetic. Then he started jabbing Widner’s skin, the laser making a staccato rat-tat-tat sound as it burned through his flesh.
Through 25 laser tattoo removal procedures, Dr. Shack was able to erase the ink from Widner’s face, giving him hope for a normal life. “Anyone who is prepared to put himself through this is bound to do something good with his life,” the doctor said.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
When men are affected by gynecomastia, male breast reduction can improve quality-of-life, according to a recent study by plastic surgeons in Siena and Pisa, Italy.
Men who have gynecomastia have excess breast tissue.
The problem can develop during adolescence or adulthood.
Gynecomastia can negatively affect a man’s self-image, harming his quality of life for years.
Male breast reduction is common solution for gynecomastia.
A plastic surgeon can remove glandular tissue and fat, sculpting the chest into a more masculine shape.
Research on Male Breast Reduction
The Italian study evaluated 126 cases of gynecomastia during a six-year period. The average patient was a 28 year old male. Most patients had symptoms of gynecomastia on both sides of the chest, while a smaller number (11.9 percent) had the condition on one side.
During procedures, the surgeons employed different techniques as necessary. They frequently performed “adenomammectomy with periareolar inferior or inverted Omega incision,” while another alternative was “circumareolar or vertical scar incision and liposuction.”
The procedures effectively removed the excess glandular tissue and fat from the patient’s chest.
How Effective Was Your Procedure?
Before and after their male breast reduction surgery, patients filled out questionnaires for their experiences. They answered questions like:
- Why did you choose to undergo male breast reduction?
- How satisfied are you with your results?
- Has the quality of your life improved after surgery?
According to the study, patients had high satisfacton: “all patients reported an improvement in their quality of life with an average satisfaction score of 8.2 out of 10.” The complication rate was reportedly 17.72 percent.
“We suggest to the patients affected by gynecomastia to undergo surgery always and as soon as possible,” the authors conclude.
Learn more about male breast reduction in Northern Virginia.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons presents Patients of Courage 2011. The stories documented here recognize four inspirational people whose lives have been changed by reconstructive surgery. They are now working to help others in need.
During the ASPS meeting in in Denver this year, they were recognized and served as ambassadors for all Patients of Courage nominees. The 2011 honorees are Aaron Mankin, Dee Dee Ricks, Jamie Verdi and Dallas Wiens.