Laser Hair Removal, Remove Unwanted Hair

Excess, unwanted hair is often a problem for a woman, or a man. Women frequently experience this condition on the face, especially the upper lip or eyebrow area, in the bikini area, under the arms or on the legs. Men often want to get rid of hair on their back or chest.

Laser hair removal systems use laser light � an intense, pulsating beam of light � to remove unwanted hair. Your doctor may use multiple treatments to target areas such as the face, upper lip, neck, breasts, chest, underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line and legs.
A single treatment costs an average of $390, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Advantages of Laser Hair Removal

    * Many people have experienced long-lasting hair removal or permanent hair reduction.
    * It is considered safe if performed properly.
    * It's particularly useful for large areas such as backs or legs.
    * If regrowth occurs, it will be lighter in color or finer in texture.
    * Light-skinned consumers with dark hair have the best results.

Are you a candidate for laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is not for everyone. The most important requirement is that your hair must be darker than the surrounding skin. Tanned people with dark hair should wait until their tan fades before they are treated.
Darkly pigmented people absorb too much laser energy in their skin and are not good candidates.

What areas can be treated?

Any area can be treated, except near the eyes. The most common areas requested are the face, upper lip, neck, chest, periareolar, underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line, and legs.

Will laser hair removal hurt?

The level of pain from laser hair removal depends on the patient and the person's skin and hair type. Generally, the treatment tends to hurt less for people with lighter skin tones and finer hair. Most people tolerate laser hair removal very well.

If it is becoming uncomfortable, the laser technician can offer you topical anesthetic that numbs the skin. Depending on the type of laser being used, a cool laser tip, gel, or spray is always used to increase comfort of the laser hair removal treatment.

The sensation from laser hair removal has been described as discomfort rather than pain - similar to the feeling of a rubber band being snapped against your skin with a sensation of heat.

Permanent Hair Removal

The FDA does not allow for the marketing of technologies and services that state permanent hair removal. This is because most technologies provide for permanent reduction in hair growth 90% of the time. It is not perfect.

By Beverly Smith

Source


So there would be a possibility of the hair to grow back but with lighter in color or finer in texture.

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Consumer Guide to Laser Hair Removal

Introduction - Lasers are a new modality for the rapid, gentle removal of unwanted hair. Lasers are not for everyone, and their proper use requires great expertise. Consumers contemplating laser hair removal require education to properly evaluate if and where to have laser hair removal performed. Many competing technologies exist. Several are already outmoded, and others offer particular advantages for certain patient populations. This site is designed to help consumers decide if they are proper candidates for laser hair removal and to answer the most relevant questions concerning this important new advance.Contents
1. Am I a candidate for laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal is not for everyone. The absolute requirement is that one's hair must be darker than the surrounding skin. Additionally very darkly pigmented people absorb too much laser energy in their skin and are not ideal candidates. Tanned patients with light hair are not candidates. Tanned patients with dark hair should wait until their tan fades before they are treated. Lastly the treatment cost should be within reach of the patient. Laser hair removal, although much less expensive than electrolysis, requires multiple treatments, and generally costs over $1000 in total for most anatomic areas.
2. What will it cost for laser hair removal for me?
Treatment cost varies with the size of the area treated. Experienced laser centers, which have developed expertise in laser hair removal, generally average about $500 per treatment session, with an average of four treatment sessions initially recommended. Large areas, such as the entire back, or the entire legs, cost considerably more than this. Small areas, such as the upper lip, can be less. Individual consultation with the laser center is necessary to obtain exact pricing.
3. Influence of skin color on laser hair removal.
4. Influence of hair color on laser hair removal.
5. Laser hair removal requires multiple treatments.
6. What areas can be treated?
7. About permanent hair reduction by laser.
8. Pulsed light and laser hair removal.
9. Myths 1: Guarantees in laser hair removal.
10. Myths 2: Discount laser hair removal clinics.
11. Myths 3: Laser hair removal limitations of effectiveness.
12. Qualifications of laser hair removal personnel.
13. Importance of experience in selecting a laser hair removal facility.
14. Tanning and laser hair removal.
15. Adverse treatment reactions.
16. Diet and laser hair removal.
17. Beta-Carotene and laser hair removal.
18. Laser hair removal and children.
19. Laser hair removal for African-Americans.
20. Laser hair removal for other people of color.
21. Who should not have laser hair removal.
22. How to assess a laser hair removal facility.


Sponsored by the Institute of Laser Medicine at 100 UCLA Medical Plaza, Los Angeles 90095.

Source


So laser hair removal is not for everyone, especially for those people who had a very darkly pigmented skin. The multibple treatments will make the costs high.

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Comparison of Long-Pulsed Alexandrite and Nd:YAG Lasers, Individually and in Combination, for Leg Hair Reduction

An Assessor-Blinded, Randomized Trial With 18 Months of Follow-up
Seyyed Masoud Davoudi, MD; Fereydoun Behnia, MD; Farzam Gorouhi, MD; Saeed Keshavarz, MD; Mansour Nassiri Kashani, MD; Mehdi Rashighi Firoozabadi, MD; Alireza Firooz, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2008;144(10):1323-1327.

Objective  To compare the long-term effectiveness and safety of long-pulsed Nd:YAG and alexandrite lasers, individually and in combination, in long-term leg hair reduction.

Design  Randomized, single-center, within-participant, investigator-blinded, active-controlled clinical trial.

Setting  Private skin laser center.

Participants  Twenty individuals aged 16 to 50 years with skin phototypes III and IV.

Interventions  The medial and lateral sides of each participant's legs were randomly assigned to receive 1 of the following laser treatments: (1) long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser (12-mm spot size); (2) long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (12-mm spot size); (3) long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (18-mm spot size); and (4) a combination of long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser and long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (treatments 1 and 2). Identified areas were treated for a total of 4 sessions at 8-week intervals.

Main Outcome Measures  Hair reduction from baseline based on hair counting with digital photography by 2 blinded assessors, 8 and 18 months after the last treatment session.

Results  Fifteen participants completed the trial. The mean (SD) hair reduction 18 months after the last treatment, as measured by the assessors from digital photographs, were 75.9% (19.0%) for the 12-mm spot size alexandrite laser, 84.3% (12.4%) for the 18-mm spot size alexandrite laser, 73.6% (11.4%) for the Nd:YAG laser, and 77.8% (15.9%) for the combination therapy (analysis of variance, P > .05). The incidence of adverse effects (hyperpigmentation) and pain severity were significantly greater in areas that received combination therapy (P = .001).

Conclusions  After 18 months of follow-up, alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers were efficacious for leg hair removal. Combination therapy did not have any additional benefit and caused more adverse effects.


Author Affiliations: Department of Dermatology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences (Drs Davoudi, Keshavarz, and Firooz), and Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Drs Behnia, Gorouhi, Nassiri Kashani, Rashighi Firoozabadi, and Firooz), Tehran, Iran.

Source:


YAG lasers were efficacious for leg removal.

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Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is an increasingly popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure. It is a non-invasive, convenient method to reduce hair growth.

Laser Hair Removal Technique
Depending on the area being treated, the process may take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to complete. The most commonly used lasers utilize a low energy laser beam. This beam passes through the patient’s skin and is attracted to the pigment of the hair. The energy passes down the hair shaft and is absorbed by hair follicles that are in the active growth phase, thereby disabling the hair follicle in the deeper layer of the skin. The hair follicles that are in dormant phase are not affected by the treatment. In most cases, minimal pain should be experienced and no anesthesia is required.

Laser Hair Removal Benefits:
A non-invasive, gentle technique that reduces undesirable hair from most parts of the body
Treats larger areas effectively because it disables more than one hair at a time
May make skin color and complexion more uniform
Minimal discomfort
Replaces waxing, electrolysis, shaving and bleaching
No downtime

Laser Hair Removal Considerations:
Laser hair removal is an ongoing process that requires multiple sessions because it only affects actively growing hair, and not all hair follicles are active at the same time. In addition, high energy levels are avoided so as to minimize the risk of injury to the adjacent skin
Occasionally patients may experience slight redness of the skin or mild swelling around the hairs
Sunscreen is recommended for any area treated that may be exposed to the sun
Patients with darker skin may not respond well due to inadequate discrepancy between skin and hair colors
Blonde or gray/white hair is less responsive due to lack of ample pigment in the hair. 


Source:

 It is nice to know that Laser Hair Removal can make your skin color and complexion uniform, but the fact that it requires multiple sessions would make some people think twice about it.
 

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Laser Hair Removal

The laser hair-removal systems currently used are relatively new; therefore, long-term results have not been reported. However, many reports about the efficacy of these systems have recently been published.

Success is typically reported in terms of permanent hair elimination or in terms of marked delay in its growth. Most investigators have assessed patients with light skin types (ie, Fitzpatrick skin types I-III), but recent groups have studied newer lasers for Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI.

History of the Procedure

Goldman et al first described ruby-laser injury to pigmented hair follicles in 1963.1 In 1983, Oshiro and Maruyama noted hair loss from nevi after treatment with a ruby laser.2 However, at fluences affecting hair follicles, the epidermis was severely damaged.

The theory of selective photothermolysis that Anderson and Parrish developed in 1983 was based on a laser of particular wavelength and a pulse duration of light to target a particular chromophore.3 By applying this theory, the target can be destroyed selectively, sparing the surrounding tissue.

Use of a topical suspension of carbon particles followed by treatment with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was the first laser treatment for hair removal the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. This initial method reportedly delayed regrowth by 3 months, but it did not provide permanent hair reduction.

In 1996, Grossman and associates, who used a normal-mode ruby laser, reported the first application of Anderson and Parrish's theory for hair removal.4 In 1998, Dierickx and associates published their report of a 2-year follow-up study demonstrating long-term, permanent hair removal with this laser.5

Hair-removing lasers and light sources

Since then, the market has been flooded with numerous hair-removing lasers and light sources.

Initial laser systems, such as the Q-switched Nd:YAG (1064 nm, Soft Light system; Thermolase Corp, San Diego, CA), used a suspension of carbon mineral oil to penetrate the hair follicle and to act as an energy-absorbing chromophore.

An optically filtered xenon flashlamp (Epi Light, ESC Luxar; Energy Systems Corp, Needham, MA) uses filters to select operating wavelengths of light at a cutoff of 690 nm, allowing light above this wavelength to pass through to affect hair.

The long-pulse ruby laser (EpiLaser 694 nm, Palomar Technologies, Lexington, MA; EpiTouch, Sharplan Laser, Allendale, NJ) uses the principle of selective thermolysis in which melanin acts as the target chromophore.

The long-pulse alexandrite laser (PhotoGenica LPIR 755 nm; Cynosure Inc, Chelmsford, MA) is based on the principle of thermokinetic selectivity and targets melanin in the hair follicle. In this way, the epidermis is allowed to cool efficiently while the melanin in the hair follicle is heated.

Coherent Medical (Santa Clara, CA) and Palomar (Lexington, MA) have introduced the LightSheer, a diode laser operating at 800 nm that has pulse durations of as long as 30 ms. This technology minimizes the size of the laser by replacing the laser tube in place of solid-state diode circuitry.

Lasers available or once available

The following is a list of lasers available at the time of this writing. Most technical improvements in devices have been incremental in terms of improving efficacy and reducing side effects. Some new models combine light- and heat-based methods by using radio-frequency (RF) energy; these are based on the theory that the heated areas can be further heated without causing damage to surrounding skin.

New devices are frequently introduced, and old models may be discontinued but still available as after market products. Check with the manufacturers for latest information.

Currently manufactured models of lasers are the following (by brand name - type of laser - manufacturer):

* Acclaim 7000 - Nd:YAG - Cynosure
* Apex 800 - Diode - IRIDEX
* Apogee 5500 - Alexandrite - Cynosure
* Apogee 6200 - Alexandrite – Cynosure
* Apogee 9300 - Alexandrite – Cynosure
* Apogee Elite – Alexandrite/Nd:YAG – Cynosure
* Aurora – Intense pulsed light (IPL)/RF - Syneron
* Comet – Diode/RF - Syneron
* CoolGlide CV - Nd:YAG – Altus/Cutera
* CoolGlide Xeo - Nd:YAG – Altus/Cutera
* CoolGlide Vantage - Nd:YAG – Altus/Cutera
* CoolGlide Excel - Nd:YAG – Altus/Cutera
* Cynergy PL - IPL - Cynosure
* DeLight - Flashlamp - Radiancy
* Dualis XP – Nd:YAG - Fotona
* EpiLight - IPL – ESC/Lumenis (This device is actually a flashlamp and not a true laser for hair removal.)
* EpiStar DS series - Diode - Nidek
* EsteLux - IPL – Palomar
* Fidelis XP – Nd:YAG - Fotona
* Galaxy – IPL/RF - Syneron
* Gemini - Nd:YAG - Laserscope
* GentleLASE - Alexandrite – Candela
* GentleYAG – Nd:YAG – Candela
* LightSheer (SC, EC, XC, SP, EP) - Diode - Coherent Star/Lumenis
* Lyra-i - Nd:YAG - Laserscope
* LPL - IPL - Lambda Scientifica
* Lumenis One - IPL/Nd:YAG - Lumenis
* MediLux - IPL - Palomar
* MeDioStar XT - Diode - Asclepion-Meditec
* NaturalLase 1064 - Nd:YAG - Focus Medical
* NaturalLase LP - Nd:YAG - Focus Medical
* NeoLux - IPL - Palomar
* PhotoGenica LPIR - Alexandrite – Cynosure
* PhotoLight - IPL - Cynosure
* PhotoSilk Plus - IPL – Cynosure
* Pitanga – IPL/RF - Syneron
* RubyStar+ - Ruby - Asclepion-Meditec
* SkinStation - IPL - Radiancy
* SmartEpil II - Nd:YAG - Cynosure
* SoftLight - Nd:YAG – ThermoLase/Danish Dermatologic Development
* Solis - IPL - Laserscope
* SpaTouch - IPL – Radiancy
* SpaTouch Pro - IPL - Radiancy
* StarLight - Diode - Star Medical/Coherent
* StarLux - IPL - Palomar
* VascuLight Plus - IPL/Nd:YAG – ESC/Lumenis
* VEGA - Nd:YAG - Lambda Scientifica

Discontinued models include the following:

* Athos - Nd:YAG - Cosmos
* Chromos 694 - Ruby - Mehl/Biophile
* Depilase - Nd:YAG - Depilase
* Depilase - Diode - Depilase
* E2000 - Ruby - Palomar
* Ellipse – IPL - Danish Dermatologic Development
* EpiLaser - Ruby – Palomar
* EpiPulse - Ruby - ESC
* EpiTouch - Alexandrite – ESC/Lumenis
* EpiTouch - Ruby – ESC/Lumenis
* IPL Quantum HR - Flashlamp – ESC/Lumenis
* LaseAway - Alexandrite - Silver Creek Medical
* LaseAway - Ruby - Polytec PI/Lambda
* Lorad - Nd:YAG - Focus Medical
* MedLite - Nd:YAG - Continuum
* MLT R694 - Ruby - MLT International
* MultiLight - PhotoDerm - Flashlamp – ESC
* PhotoDerm - Flashlamp - ESC
* SLP 1000 - Diode – Palomar
* SmoothLASE - Alexandrite – Leisegang/Cooper

Home-use lasers and IPL devices

Several low-power devices have been marketed directly to consumers as home-use epilators. Although some have companies followed regulatory procedures and though their devices are available by prescription, most are not capable of even epilation. Patients should be discouraged from purchasing and using home-use lasers unless the FDA has approved the device for use as epilators. Physicians should ascertain whether patients presenting with adverse effects were using one of these devices instead of medical-grade lasers.6
Problem

Unwanted pigmented hair is a common cosmetic problem for both men and women.
Frequency

About 4% of young, healthy randomly selected white women feel disfigured by their facial hair. The percentage is even higher in people of color and increases with age. This percentage does not reflect the vast number of patients who have unwanted hair in other areas, and it does not account for the huge number of men who feel disfigured by unwanted hair (eg, on the ears and back).
Etiology

Excessive hair growth affects the healthy population, but it also severely affects patients with hormonal disturbances, such as polycystic ovary disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hirsutism, hypertrichosis, and congenital hairy nevi.

Excessive hair growth has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pilonidal disease and in the unfavorable outcome of some reconstructive flaps.
Pathophysiology

Hirsutism is characterized by the excessive growth of coarse terminal hairs in women in a pattern similar to that of adult men. Given the subjectiveness of this perception, especially in different racial groups, Ferriman and Galway developed a scoring scale. Nine body areas are used to grade hair growth on a scale of 0-4. The scores for the 9 body parts are added, and a total score of 8 or more defines hirsutism. On the basis of this scale, 5% of women in the United States have hirsutism.

Hyperandrogenism (ie, increased plasma androgen levels) is sometimes the cause. This condition may be related to adrenal causes (eg, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-producing tumors), pituitary causes (eg, Cushing disease), ovarian causes (eg, polycystic ovary disease, ovarian tumors), or exogenous causes (eg, anabolic steroids, testosterone).

Idiopathic hirsutism is likely caused by subtle forms of ovarian or adrenal hypersecretion, alterations in serum androgen-binding proteins or androgen metabolism, or (most likely) excessive genetic sensitivity of hair follicles to normal androgen levels.
Presentation

Patients typically have a history of either excessive hair growth or hair growth in undesired body locations. For men, these areas are often the shoulders, back, and ears. For women, these areas are often the face, breasts, legs, and lower abdomen.

Take a complete history, including menstrual, pregnancy, and family histories. Discuss the degree of past, recent, and potential future sun exposure.

Perform a full external physical examination. If a hormonal problem is suspected, consider referring the patient to an endocrinologist or a gynecologist.
Indications

The indication for hair removal is mostly subjective. A desire for hair removal is the only criterion for laser surgery.
Relevant Anatomy

Each hair has 3 distinct components: the bulb, which lies near the insertion of the erector pili, the isthmus, and the infundibulum.

Pluripotential cells in the bulb and bulge areas cause growth of the hair follicle. Melanocytes are present in these areas. For most people, the bulb is approximately 4 mm beneath the surface of the skin (deeper in some individuals). Therefore, a considerable laser-penetration depth is required to remove the bulb.

Hair grows in cycles. Anagen is the active growth phase, catagen is the transition phase, and telogen is the resting phase. The duration of the anagen phase governs the length of hair at different body sites. Lasers are truly effective in only the anagen phase, when hair-matrix cells divide rapidly and migrate outward from the shaft and when the melanin load is at its highest. During the catagen phase, mitosis ceases, the hair matrix regresses, the papilla retracts to a place near the bulge, and capillary nourishment diminishes. In the telogen phase, the follicle detaches from the papillae and contracts to a third of its original depth, eventually falling out. The telogen phase varies in duration from one body area to the next. For example, the telogen phase may last as long as a year for hair on the leg.

The ratio of anagen follicles to telogen follicles varies with body location. Because not all of the hairs are in the anagen phase at any 1 time, laser treatment must be repeated to capture the new hairs coming into the anagen phase.
Contraindications

For the laser to be effective, the hair pigment must be darker than the surrounding skin pigment. If this is not the case, the treatment will not work, and harmful complications may occur. Early in the evolution of the procedure, patients with Fitzpatrick skin types V or VI were not candidates, and even patients with skin types III and IV were at high risk. With new technologies, most patients can now be treated, though caution must still be exercised.

Recently, Aldraibi et al looked at using topical corticosteroid treatment to help minimize the side effects when treating skin types IV-VI with an Alexandrite laser system.7 Their study showed that using a topical corticosteroid treatment appears to minimally help in reducing posttreatment erythema and edema and also decreases the duration of hyperpigmentation. It was felt in this study that treating skin type VI was "less safe."

Sun tanning is obviously contraindicated during or before treatment because the practice darkens the pigment of the skin surrounding the hair.

By Mounir Bashour, MD, CM, FRCS(C), PhD, FACS, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, McGill University; Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Sherbrooke University; Medical Director, Cornea Laser and Lasik MD
Coauthor(s): Andrea James, MA, Director of HairFacts.com, Deep Stealth Productions, Inc

Source:

Although laser hair-removal systems are new, many successful procecdures and studies has been reported. Men and women are affected with undesired hair growth, but due to the advent of new technologies most patients can now be treated.

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Never mind the Botox

Botox injections are now available in the high street. The ground floor of Boots in High Street Kensington, West London, is frantic with shoppers searching for toiletries and office workers grabbing sandwiches and drinks.

Upstairs in the "Health and Beauty Experience" section, the lighting is subtler and the atmosphere much more tranquil.

Here customers can chat about the store's beauty products with smartly-dressed assistants or find out about a range of treatments on offer from chiropody to aromotherapy.

From now this will also be a first port of call for anybody interested in investing in the company's latest treatment - "wrinkle reduction" achieved with injections of the poison Botox. Botox is the most powerful nerve toxin known to man, and is a purified protein toxin produced by the clostridium botulinum bacteria (otherwise known as botulism).

The Boots' operation involves a team of doctors and nurses visiting clinics at four stores, including High Street Kensington. If it proves very popular the scheme will be extended.

Before customers are actually treated they will see a doctor or nurse for a 30-40 minute consultation. They will be asked about their medical history and a would-be customer may be denied treatment if he or she has a heart condition or certain muscle problems. The doctor or nurse will also try to establish what the patient expects or hopes from the treatment. If their expectations are unreasonable, they will be let down gently.

Botox works by relaxing muscles, making lines less visible. Best results are on lines on the forehead and around the eyes. It is more difficult to treat the areas around the mouth and the upper neck.

Not surprisingly, one of the first questions asked is whether the treatment is painful. One practioner - who himself has had the treatment - said it "stung a little". However the needles used are very fine, similar to those used by acupuncturists.

The doctor or nurse may also be asked how many injections will be needed. It is not unknown for as many as 30 to be carried out.

In the High Street Kensington store the treatment takes place in a room in the basement, which is also occupied by the branch's dental practice. The basement is accessed only by a lift, ensuring that casual shoppers do not wander in.

The customer waits on bright blue plastic chairs before being ushered into a rather sparse room which at the moment is marked "Laser care hair removal". He or she lies on a white leather treatment couch. The procedure only takes five or ten minutes.

Patients are generally advised not to do anything too active immediately afterwards - and should definitely not stand on their head or the Botox can move around. Afterwards there tends to be some swelling, blotchiness or bruising, which settles within a few days.

The effect comes on gradually over a week to ten days and lasts up to three months. Subsequent injections last progressively longer.

by Steven Morris

Source

So the chair that is used for Laser care hair removal is also being used for botox injections.

This new service might make Boots more popular.

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Edmonton robbery leaves two dead

Robs spa shop, booze store before taking his own life

By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA

The Edmonton Sun


EDMONTON -- A spa-owning family is grieving after a man was shot and killed while confronting an armed robber in Mill Woods yesterday morning.

The assailant later shot himself after he held up a nearby liquor store.

"I don't know what to do," said a shaking Amanda Gill, who has worked at Bella Tonic Spa and Laser Hair Removal at 133 Millbourne Road East for about five years.

Owner Nina Bains was hysterical, pacing and wailing on the sidewalk near the store as police scoured the scene. The victim has been identified as her husband, Duane.

An armed man walked into the spa just before 10:15 a.m., said cop spokesman Jeff Wuite.

Duane confronted the armed culprit who then opened fire and fled.

The victim was later found slumped over and bleeding inside the spa, where paramedics pronounced him dead.

Within 10 minutes of the fatal shooting, another call came about an armed robbery at a liquor store about 600 metres away - with a description matching the suspect in the spa shooting.

MILLBOURNE MALL

Police raced to the scene and were in the parking lot of Millbourne Liquor at Millbourne Market Mall near 38 Avenue and Millwoods Road when the culprit tried leaving, said Wuite.

"He noticed the police presence and turned the gun on himself," said Wuite.

"In such a serious incident where two men lost their lives, there's going to be a very thorough investigation," he added.

Kapil Sharma, an accountant at the office next door to the spa, said he feels badly knowing Duane is dead.

"We met every day," he said.

Sharma described Duane as a cool and calm man - an unlikely target for a violent criminal. The two greeted each other with waves and handshakes nearly every morning when they'd arrive at their businesses, said Sharma.

"He's a good guy. I don't know how come someone could kill him without any reason," he said. "If (the thief) wants to kill himself, why would he do that?"

EMPLOYEES RELATIVES

There were only seven employees at the spa, two of them male. Most of the employees were relatives, Gill added.

"I used to go to (Bains's) daycare when I was younger," said Gill. "(They are) just very, very nice people, giving - it's shocking."

Nina Bains declined comment, barely able to speak between sobs.

Two nearby schools - St. Elizabeth Elementary at 7712 36 Ave., and St. Hilda Junior High at 7630 38 Ave. - were locked down for about half an hour following the incidents.


Source

The is a robbery happened in the spa which two person are killed by the robber.

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Wrinkles in the Economy Should Not Show on Your Face

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - As unemployment rises, the need for a competitive edge in the job market is becoming essential. Any way someone can compete better in this job market is a plus. Looking and feeling young can be a strong component when trying to get or keep a job.

Yet there can be hesitation about spending money in bad economic times - and cosmetic surgery, due to its cost and potential for absence from work, becomes a low priority. But due to advances in medical technology this is a great time to take advantage of cosmetic procedures because costs are lower, results are improving and less recovery time is required.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery found in its 2008 Procedural Survey that some prices for cosmetic procedures have dropped significantly in 2008 alone. Take for example, a facelift, in 2007 the average cost was $7,241 and in 2008 it dropped to $7,007.

Additionally, over the past three years cosmetic surgeons have seen a significant increase in both males (456%) and females (215%) electing to have laser resurfacing. Also, laser hair removal has jumped to the second most performed non-invasive cosmetic procedure. Once again, price is a contributing factor to these procedures popularity. Laser resurfacing has seen an approximate $450 decline in price since 2002. Numbers like these show that cosmetic surgery is becoming more affordable to many.

Although the cost of cosmetic surgery is an important focal point in today’s economy, another aspect to consider is the quicker recovery times associated with many procedures due to the integration of advanced technology. The days of taking two or more weeks off of work in order to have a cosmetic procedure are less frequent. If most people take that amount of time off in this economic climate, they may return to their job to find that someone has replaced them. To avoid such a situation, many patients are discovering
alternatives like the laser facelift. By incorporating technology in procedures, cosmetic surgeons may give patient excellent results with less downtime and less pain. Many of my patients tell me that recovery time is very important. With a procedure like a laser facelift, patients are able to return to work in as little as three to five days. Cosmetic laser procedures are turning out to be an excellent alternative and the lasers are is not just limited to the face. The use of lasers in liposuction is also proving to give effective results with an acceptable recovery time and price tag.

As difficult as the economy may seem, the options available to cosmetic surgery patients is remaining steady. The bottom line is that patients can truly benefit from advances in medical technology; they can improve appearances and self-confidence without having to spend a fortune.


Source

As difficult as the economy is. The matured women fear to their wrinkles to show up but their are options available which is the costmetic surgery.

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Scarred in the quest for beauty

BELINDA MERHAB


Governments are dithering while some under-trained operators leave ungainly legacies.A walk through any supermarket or pharmacy tells the story: for women, facial and body hair have joined age and gravity as enemies in the quest for beauty.

Meredith Jones, a lecturer in cultural studies at the University of Technology, Sydney and author of Skintight: An Anatomy Of Cosmetic Surgery, says we are becoming a culture that refuses to accept hair on women; except on top of the head, of course. "There's definitely a lot of angst about it, and it's something that women seem to need to work on quite a lot throughout their lives. Some of them resent that," Jones says.

Now at work on an anthology about women and body hair, Jones says she interviewed a woman who encountered verbal abuse from men at a gym for having hairy legs. "We're so surrounded by these images of perfection that we forget to look at each other and see what normal people look like," she says. "With the mainstreaming of pornography, things like the Brazilian wax, which used to be quite extreme, have now become part of the everyday visual lexicon." Studies over 10 years show women find their body hair unattractive. In a 1998 American study, Women And Body Hair: Social Perceptions And Attitudes, participants watched videos of a bikini-clad woman, filmed first with body hair and then without. The participants judged the hairier woman as less happy, less intelligent and less attractive.

Permanent removal of women's pubic hair is getting more popular too. A study last year by the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia found 75 per cent of clients cited aesthetics as the main reason for hair removal, and 65 per cent of women surveyed said they felt sexier without hair.

These sentiments have elevated laser hair removal to a multimillion-dollar business in Australia, with most hair and beauty salons offering laser or intense pulsed light (IPL) services. Hair, cellulite, pigmentation, scars and spider veins - indeed, most skin imperfections - can be removed by laser.

Upper lip "permanent hair reduction", a common treatment, will cost anywhere between $70 and $150. A full leg can cost up to $700 a treatment, and at least six treatments are generally required. Laser treatments in Australia are estimated to number in the tens of thousands each year.And this booming industry is largely unregulated.

Federal law requires laser machines to be registered as medical devices, but no NSW law applies to laser operators, despite years of mounting evidence that, in untrained hands, these devices can cause serious damage and scarring.
In May, Victoria's Human Services Department issued a tender to gather a working group to investigate regulation of the cosmetic laser industry, following complaints from women suffering permanent damage. No one has been appointed to the investigation.

The NSW Health Department has been aware of a problem for at least a decade. In 1999, the Cosmetic Surgery report recommended guidelines for the use of lasers, suggested operators be licensed and asked for accredited training programs. It seems to have fallen through the bureaucratic cracks.

A spokesman for NSW Health said regulation of lasers was the responsibility of the radiation regulator, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, which says it is waiting for the federal framework being prepared by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

In 2001, the federal agency assembled medical professionals to investigate uniform national regulations and, four years later, the working group reported in draft form on the use of lasers on people.

The working group leader, Stephen Newbery, of Tasmania's Health and Human Services Department, presented in that 2005 draft a doctor's email reporting 52 cases of hyper-pigmentation, or darkening of the skin, 22 cases of hypo-pigmentation (loss of skin colour) and scarring, 17 cases of burning and blistering, and four cases of lesions treated inappropriately, including three instances of malignant melanomas and one of a
pre-malignant mole.

The informant doctor, whose name was concealed, said more cases arrived daily and 96 per cent of complications were the result of beauty therapists using IPL. Another doctor's letter emphasised concern about beauticians not being trained to identify melanomas, the country's third leading cause of cancer death.

The working group recommended licensing operators of 3B lasers, and that patients be assessed by doctors before beauty therapists operate the most powerful lasers commonly used for hair removal, and IPL devices.

In 2005, the federal safety agency's radiation health committee accepted the working group recommendations.Alan Melbourne, ARPANSA's manager of standards development, says the recommendations are being assessed to test how the costs of regulation stack up against the benefits of patient protection. Recommendations will then be released for public comment.

James Walter, an investigator on the working group, says state and federal governments are sitting on their hands. "I've done my bit; I've told the state government representatives" who report to the federal agency, he says. "It's the state government which regulates things. They've had [the information] for a year, 18 months. They've sent the regulations out to the beauty therapists, and they [the therapists] say 'you can't do that'. The government is too frightened to act. Meanwhile people are being damaged every day because these beauty therapists have no idea what they're doing … We don't want to stop beauty therapists using IPL but we want to make sure that they're trained. With government the wheels turn slowly."

Meikin Rees owns Laser Therapy Centre, which offers a government-accredited laser and IPL training course. Rees, back recently from a laser conference in the US, says Australia has been slack in regulating laser therapies, compared with the US. She sees victims of laser burns daily. "Lots of people have been burnt and they don't have anywhere to turn to or anyone to tell about their experience. The public should be more aware not to go near these [inexperienced operators]."

Her course in laser and IPL runs for six to eight days, and participants are required to fill out a logbook of practical work they do with clients. But Rees says beauty therapists are more likely to take the free training offered by the manufacturer of the laser, which she and dermatologists agree is insufficient. "Bigger companies will offer two days' training on how to operate the machine and how to read the manual, but the
distributor or manufacturer may not know how to operate it themselves, or the skin and hair conditions. It's not as simple as turning on a machine; they need to know about health and body science and how to apply it accordingly," she says.She says her pleas to government have gone unanswered. ""We've made submissions to local government, virtually every local council in the Sydney metropolitan area, WorkCover, the Health Department at both state and federal levels.

"We received no reply from Tony Abbott when he was Minister for Health. We have tried to cover as many different agencies as possible, but it appears that it is too hot to handle really, just too difficult."



Source

People are judging on what they saw to their appearance.

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Admit it, you need it now more than ever

BY KATHRYN WEXLER

kwexler@MiamiHerald.com


With consumers cutting back on everything from salon visits to dinners out, the seaweed-wrap business isn't exactly going great guns.

But the economic downturn is giving a boost to Spa Week, a biannual event organized by Spa Week Media, which maintains a website promoting all participating spas at spaweek.com. From April 13-19, all treatments that are part of the promotion cost $50.

When the event was held last fall, about 550 spas nationwide were part of the campaign, said Kristine Cholakian, a Spa Week Media spokesperson.

Since then, nearly 100 more spas have jumped onboard, she said.

In South Florida, 21 spas from Palm Beach to Miami are touting the $50 services through the website, and nine of those are new to the campaign, such as The Standard in Miami Beach, Palm Aire Spa at the Wyndham Resort in Pompano Beach and The Center for Beautiful Skin in Coconut Grove.

''They're definitely turning to us to help bring in consumers,'' Cholakian said of the uptick.

Spa Week Media has come up with a new category for spa treatments called Stress Busters. These are services that are supposed to make you forget for 50 minutes that there's a recession out there. The treatments tend to include things like massages and aromatherapy.

Services offered for the event normally cost $100 to $250, Cholakian said.

They run the gamut from classic facials to laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, facial peels and body scrubs. Some are condensed or modified to fit within the 50-minute window.

But spa owners hope that their reduced prices will generate repeat business -- long after Spa Week is gone


Source

Because of the global financial crisis there are a lot of company who are affecting, especially the spa. The spa has a promotion which all treatment are discounted they offer it so that they can easily get the attention of the people.

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Grooming: Ahead of the pack

By Janetta Mackay

My guinea pig enjoyed his first taste of a mini-facial and said his skin felt more toned and looked clearer afterward.

For men who are already familiar with skin treatments, a spa is an enticing rather than a scary place, offering rare "me" time. Frequent long-haul fliers are apt to check-in to their hotel spas for a post-flight massage and facial to help relax and rehydrate. Couple treatments, where you and a partner are both massaged in the same room are a nice experience.

Check out the new Chuan Spa at the Langham Hotel for Auckland's newest luxury experience.
DIY grooming

A good basic at-home skincare regime of cleansing, shave care and moisturising with use of sunblock should be a given, and you can add on extra products such as an eye cream or refining masks.

Man makeup: This is not much in evidence in marketing, but it's not uncommon for cosmetic consultants to help men find a subtle face base within women's ranges to even out their complexions for a healthy natural glow. A few men's ranges include tinted moisturisers or self-tanning products. (If applying self-tan exfoliate and moisturise first to guard against a blotchy application).

Brush-on mineral makeup, used in broadcasting for its barely there, natural looking coverage, is easily obtainable via female supermarket ranges such as Maybelline and L'Oreal. Concealer is another trick of the trade, with Yves St Laurent one of the few to have a men's version with its under-eye brightening Magic Touch pen.

Brow and lash tints in salon are a way of defining these areas, without the daily drag of applying makeup. But that's not just for K Rd queens as All Black Ma'a Nonu and Top Model's Colin Mathura-Jeffree show. If you want to experiment with makeup, ask your BFF or try fashion forward ranges like M.A.C where you're most likely to feel welcome.

Extra help

Spas and salons such as the Forme and About Face groups welcome male clients, stock specialist skincare ranges and say men are adding advanced skin rejuvenation and laser treatments to their waxing, facial and manicure appointments. Leanne Dore, owner of The Beauty Connection on Broadway, Newmarket, is also finding men moving on from regular maintenance to anti-ageing treatments. "Men are really embracing the science of having treatments." This includes light therapy and lasers, used to treat scarring and veins and
remove hair.

Big appearance medicine clinics, the Skin Institute and Caci, report a similar upsurge.The Skin Institute's Sally Ellison, says: "We find IPL (Intense Pulse light) for skin rejuvenation and hair reduction are very popular." Laser hair removal works best on dark hair and pale skin and can permanently nix 80 per cent or more of hair after around six treatments. Popular areas include chest, back, neck, face, nose and ears with costs depending on area.

"IPL is fantastic for reducing brown pigmentation, rosacea, flushing, visible red vessels, birthmarks, while also boosting collagen within the skin." To achieve good colour correction you will need 2-3 treatments, one month apart. Costs vary from $300 plus a treatment.

Botox is used by men to rejuvenate their look, with popular areas being the frown, forehead and crows feet. Cost vary, but range from $180 to $360 per area.
Caci is doing more work with botox and fillers on men from all walks of life. Salesmen are signing up to maintain a youthful edge in a competitive market.


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Skin treatment are commonly use for reconstructing to be smoother and look great. Some men are using it already.

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The new UB logo has taken away UB history

From a novice like myself, when it comes to graphic design and all that has to do with visual representation I am a total disappointment but I am still appreciative when I see what the gifted can do and call it art.

Have you ever attended an art exhibition? You will see all types there, the wannabe art critics, the wannabe artists and the wannabe wannabe's who try hard to make it seem LIKE they appreciate abstract art. Judging by what people usually say after they stare at those things for few minutes, they must have a hallucinatory effect on people and I am sure it does help the artist, besides, he/she does not have to bother coming up with anything remotely recognizable.

The University of Botswana, obviously with the help of some ultraspiffy artists in their respective field of branding and graphic design has recently unveiled an ultrabuenotastic abstract masterpiece, all in the name of re-branding the institution.

Do not get me wrong, it was surely time to re-brand the institution and bring it up to speed with the ultra modern institutions across the world but that did not mean eroding its history at the same time.

The UB re-branding exercise should have been more concerned with repositioning the institution so as to make it more competitive and raise client expectations and inject a fresh look. When it comes to the logo, a great number of years seem to have been shaved off and flushed with the old logo; but how surprising is it in the age of laser hair removal, botox injections, push up's, Viagra ... age is a shame, no one seems to want to be associated with such a burdening thing.

I guess the new logo is wearing a push up or something, it looks like that of an institution created yesterday and has no visual link whatsoever with the history behind the UB ... maybe it would make sense to an ultra modernist or one of those Japanese robots. I am told that all the elements of the old logo have been re-interpreted in the new logo ... ? But then again who am I? I said earlier that I was a complete novice when it comes to design; I cannot even draw to save my life, now what more with exercises that require the expertise of so called "Branding Guru's?"

The transparency of the logo just bothers me; couldn't you at least just modernize the old logo a bit so that it still makes a lot of sense to us earthlings? I am not even going to go into that discussion about how great institutions do things in this world, at least one thing that I have noticed about them is that their visual representations of themselves seem to have some sort of connection with what they do, you don't even have to have it explained to you but with the UB logo I am told there are horns somewhere ... "ahh you mean those wild animal horns?" but then again Botswana is wild animal territory right and maybe one can learn about it at the UB right? What with the introduction of such courses as tourism? A book somewhere ... ? "Yes I see the paper thin laptop like thing; sometimes you call it a notebook right? Real books do not exist anymore" A sorghum head somewhere ... ? "Ok, sorry now I am really lost, but then again with all this genetically modified stuff that we get fed there might be a sorghum head somewhere there".

Let's keep on hallucinating while looking at the logo one day we might be able to figure it all out. The great and famous Spanish abstract artist, Picasso, once drew a portrait of a woman who was posing for him and after the portrait was done the lady said that it looked nothing like her and this is what Picasso said, "in time it will." You figure it out ...


Source

The university of Botswana(UB) change their logo, the old logo interpet them into new logo.

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Beating your fuzz in the light way

By Katy Islip »


SALON: JR Medical, 42 Highfield Gardens, Westcliff TREATMENT: Underarm IPL Hair Reduction COST: £45 per session (repeat sessions required) THERE are some parts of a girl’s beauty regime that are more fun than others, but hair removal is never going to set the world on fire.

For most women, it’s a necessary evil that, depending on your chosen method and the area in question, takes anything from five minutes in the shower to half-hour waxing sessions at your local beauty salon.

Therefore, when I first heard about more long-term solutions to the dilemma of wax, shave or epilate I was intrigued and decided if I could reclaim even a few minutes from my morning routine I would be game for a go. My underarms were where the battle would commence.

No salon can yet claim to permanently remove hair using laser or light treatment, but repeat treatment can significantly reduce hair growth to the point where further hair removal is unnecessary.

Intense pulsed light hair reduction delivers hundreds of wavelengths of filtered light to damage hair follicles and reduce regrowth.

It was this treatment I opted for at the bright and modern JR Medical centre in Westcliff.

After a consultation with the husband-and-wife team of Jafar and Shahrzad Rafiei about the treatment, possible after-effects and the results I could expect, I had a patch test with the intense pulsed light machine to assess if my skin would be suitable for the treatment.

Once given the all clear, I donned my protective goggles and Dr Rafiei set about his task.

I had worried the treatment would be painful, but all I felt was a tiny pin-prick as each light pulse was applied, followed by a slight warming of my skin which soon faded.

After treatment I was given a cooling ice-pack to minimise any redness, before a soothing post-treatment cream was applied.

From start to finish, the whole session from consultation to treatment took no more than an hour, with the actual process taking less than 15 minutes in total.

At least six treatments are required to achieve a long-lasting result, and the process takes several months due to the three-week or more gaps between each session, but it is a small price to pay for never having to pick up a razor again.

As well as laser and intense pulsed light hair reduction, the clinic offers a variety of treatments including laser tattoo removal, microdermabrasion and mole and skin lesion removal.


Source

There is no methods that can permanently remove hair using laser or light treatment. But still it can reduce hair growth.

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Plastic surgery demystified

by Annie Shirley

Plastic surgery is a recognised surgical specialty that includes both reconstructive and constructive surgery. Reconstructive surgery is used to correct abnormal structures in the body or to improve body functions. Cosmetic surgery is performed solely for the enhancement of appearance. Ideally it is concerned with reshaping, restoring and otherwise functioning properly for the purpose of beauty.

Once considered as a pastime of the rich and vain celebrities, the demand for cosmetic surgery is becoming a new craze. Cheered on by television shows like "The Swan" and "Extreme Make Over" which rely solely on using plastic surgery to change what is considered a below average looking woman, into someone society considers to be beautiful and acceptable.

Dr Stanley Khainga and Dr Adan, plastic surgeons based at Kenyatta National Hospital are up to standard and can easily be compared to equivalent professionals in the UK."We even get clients from UK, tourists from other European countries and people from other African countries who come to Kenya, because the procedures are not only cheap but of high standard" says Dr Khainga.

The cosmetic procedures provided in Kenya include:

Breasts

This involves breast augmentation (enlargement), breast reduction and breast lifts. Breast enlargement is usually popular with women whose breasts have never developed, hose who have lost breasts to cancer or women who have reduced breast size because of weight loss. It involves the surgical placing of implants. Although it is popular in countries like America, in Kenya breast reduction is a more commonly preferred procedure."Some women have breasts that weigh as much as four kilos, a condition referred to as gigantomastia. It causes back pain, neck pain, cardiovascular and respiratory problems," says doctor Adan.

Breast reduction is also common among men who suffer from gynecomastia, a condition where men develop breast tissue during puberty, rapid weight gain, while using steroids or during middle age.

Breast lift

"Is a procedure that corrects aging breasts that have lost elasticity and shape, dropping nipples, breasts which have suffered a toll after pregnancy and nursing, says Dr. Khainga."

It is a procedure very common with women who have finished giving birth and want to restore their body to its original glory.

Liposuction

This is another procedure that is very popular among Kenyan women especially. The procedure involves the removal of excess fat from the abdomen, outer and inner thighs, upper and lower arms, knees, necks and flanks to give them a specific symmetry.Liposuction is a procedure that can be performed on almost every part of the body even the bottoms, hips and chin, anywhere as long as fat is stored there. The full effect of a
liposuction procedure is often not seen for up to a year.

Tummy tuck (Abdominoplasty)

It is a procedure for people who have excess skin and fat around the abdomen and want to have it removed. It is used to strengthen the abdominal wall. Although the procedure is very useful in reducing a protruding abdomen and tightening the abdominal, it does leave a permanent scar.

"Many times, women who were pregnant and stretched their abdominal muscles and skin elect to have tummy tucks to give them tighter abdomen and skin," asserts Dr. Khainga.

Peter Biu Ngugi, a Nutritionist at Karen Hospital where cosmetic surgery is also available, warns that, "Many women do liposuction or tummy tucks believing that it is a permanent solution to their protruding stomachs and so after procedures do not exerciseor eat healthy. Thus resulting in the protruding stomachs coming back. After surgery, one has to exercise and eat a healthy diet.

Skin treatments

The chemical peel

"The chemical peel is a procedure used for facial rejuvenating. It helps skin which has been ravaged by exposure to the sun, heat and other harmful elements that cause wrinkles," say Dr. Adan.A chemical peel can make an individual look years younger because it smoothens the texture of the skin by removing the outer layers and encouraging the formation of new skin. It can also be used to treat acne.Chemical peels should not be performed by just any Tom or Jane, but by or under the supervision of a board certified cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist.

Dermabrasion

It is a form of mechanical exfoliation on one’s skin in order to smooth out irregular surfaces."Those who have acne scars, or scars from trauma like burns are good candidates for this procedure," advices Dr Khainga.

Anti-aging procedures

Laser skin resurfacing

This procedure can be used to provide adequate reduction in wrinkles and stimulate collagen production, to the point that skin resumes its shape, luster and fullness.

Botox

It has been called a wonder drug by celebrities like Jane Fonda who faithfully used the product. "It is a procedure that is very successfully used in the treatment of wrinkles, frown lines and crow feet through an injection. It is usually injected into the muscle tissue surrounding a wrinkle via small needle and the discomfort is minimal," explains Dr Khainga.

"It is advisable to begin anti-aging procedure like dermabrasion or face lift earlier on when you start to notice wrinkles and sagging skin, don’t wait until very late." Microdermabrasion is a technique also used to reduce the signs of aging and sun exposure such as crow’s feet, age spot and laugh lines. It is usually done over series of five or 10 treatments, with each visit stimulating a layer of new, healthy skin to achieve lasting results. The treatments take between 30 minutes and one hour. Some skin types respond to micro dermabrasion more than others, so qualified doctor must be consulted. It is done quickly with very few side effects and requires no anesthesia.

Face lift (Rhytidectomy)

It is also used for the removal of wrinkles and signs of aging from the face.The facelift procedure involves making incisions in the hairline from just behind the ear into the scalp by the temples. Also, if the neck is being worked on, a small incision will be made just below the chin. Once the incisions have are made, the plastic surgeon will separate the skin from the fat and the muscle below. Sometimes, in order to provide you with a sleeker and tighter face, fat below the skin is trimmed or suctioned away. The surgeon will then tighten the muscle and the other tissues beneath the skin, re-drape the skin, and remove excess skin from the face. Stitches are used to close the incisions and your hair covers up any scaring that is left after the procedure.

Sex Organ surgery

Apparently plastic surgery can be used to help in one’s sex life."Plastic surgery has developed so much; it can now help men with erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction usually occurs when there is not enough blood flowing in the area. Surgery can help increase circulation in the area by bringing another artery and thus
helps in creating a firmer erection for better penetration," says Dr Adan."We also perform vaginal plast for women, a very popular procedure that helps tighten up the vagina. Usually after a woman has given birth expansion in the vagina occurs. Many women who opt for this procedure, say they do this for their husbands," say Khainga.Other cosmetics procedures include neck lift, ear surgery, nose job, face surgery, thigh lift, forehead lift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, laser hair removal, chin surgery, buttock enlargement and collagen injections to make lips fuller. The cost for the different procedures range from Sh20,000 to Sh180,000 at Kenyatta Hospital."In future we hope to be able to do hair replacement for men with receding hair lines and maybe facial implant," says Khainga.
What to look for when picking a plastic surgeon

1. Always ensure that the doctor performing the procedure has a Kenya Medical and Dentist Practitioners’ board certificate.

2. Must be a member of Kenya Society of Cosmetics and Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery, which will soon have a website to better inform the public"Many times we get patients who went to quack’s (unqualified surgeons), to get some of these cosmetic procedures done and when it goes wrong they come to us to correct the procedure. An uniformed patient is not a good candidate for plastic surgery," warns
Khainga.

Adan adds: "Patients should also not have unrealistic expectations. It is not possible for a 50-year-old to look 18 even with the help of plastic surgery."

Pre-preparation

Before any plastic surgery procedures, the doctor has to determine if you are of the right age, normally over 18 and if you are emotionally stable for the procedure. Most plastic and cosmetic surgeons will also ask a series of question upon initial meeting, for example if you are a smoker, the doctor will advice you to stop smoking for perhaps six weeks before the procedure. Smoking interferes with blood circulation thus affecting
healing. If you have conditions like diabetes the doctor will give appropriate advise. Also if a patient is seeking plastic surgery as a means of disguising emotional distress they are not good candidates for the procedure.During preparation one is also advised on what they should eat and what not to eat before
and after procedure.

Future of plastic surgery in Kenya

They are hoping to start a branch at the university that teaches plastic surgery. Instead of doing your masters before specialising in plastic surgery which takes almost 15 years, students will be given the option of going straight into plastic surgery after completion of a degree in medicine.


Source

They clarify what is the difference of plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

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Matching the rug to the drapes

Hey, did you know that in addition to trimming, shaving, waxing, sugaring, laser hair removal, electrolysis and going au naturel, personal grooming options now include a specialized dye for pubic hair? Well, they do! As several alert Broadsheet readers informed us on Wednesday, fledgling cosmetics company Betty Beauty recently came out with a special, extra-sensitive dye "for the hair down there," available in shades ranging from "auburn" to "fun."

In our porn-influenced, improvement-obsessed culture, it was probably only a matter of time until someone thought to cash in with specialty muff dye. Probably some people are dyeing their nether regions already; the Beauty Betty site claims it's common in Italy. And the product itself isn't really any more or less problematic than other beauty aids. Like navel piercing or the Brazilian wax, pubic dye can be seen as a reminder of our culture's unrealistic, objectifying standards for female appearance, as well as an opportunity to be creative with one's personal canvas. Still, being presented with yet another way to enhance oneself can feel like the last straw; one of our tipsters lamented, "Now we have to DYE our pubic hair?" What will they think of next, special decals for inside the vaginal canal?

Of course, the dye doesn't discriminate -- men can certainly customize their pubic regions, too, and the Beauty Betty site reports it has gotten plenty of inquiries from guys looking to cover gray or otherwise enhance their packages. But women are clearly the primary market. The product's packaging shows a slender female silhouette with a big triangle on the pubic region; said triangle varies in color depending on the shade of dye.

And the marketing relies on more squirm-inducing euphemisms for the vulva than any modern woman should be expected to stomach. A Wednesday promotion on the advertising site Daily Candy suggested that whether you're looking to make "the drapes match the rug" or just mix things up a little, it's "time to refurbish your special no-no place with a jazzy fall color: Put your triangle's tresses in the capable hands of Betty, the first dye created especially for your down-there hair." Note to advertisers: Even if you're kidding, using the childish, sex-negative term "no-no place" to refer to an adult woman's vulva is pretty creepy, especially when you're also suggesting she put her pubic hair in the hands of someone named Betty. Daily Candy did acknowledge its own use of "unsettling euphemisms," but couldn't resist slipping in references to a woman's "sensitive lady place," "fuzzy éclair" and "wilting orchid." (Would customers really run from anatomically correct terms like "pubic" and "vulva"?) For a finisher, the site goes all sexist and heteronormative, promising, "Your new plumage is more than certain to attract plenty of male attention. So go on and wash that man right into your hair." Yech. Honestly, I think I'd prefer the vaginal decals -- maybe I can find some using the Feministing logo


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I can't understand this article.

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Get your legs ready for summer

Mayo Advertiser

Ladies say good-bye to waxing, shaving, and laser hair removal this summer as a revolutionary new herbal hair removal cream — Bioxet — has arrived in Ireland.

To make sure your legs look great over the summer months, Bioxet is the first product to offer permanent results at an affordable price. “With consumers’ pockets getting tighter people will be looking for some ways to save on their beauty regime, one of which will be hair removal,” said Triona McCarthy, one of Ireland’s leading beauty gurus.

“Being Ireland’s biggest beauty junkie, I have tried every hair removal method out there. Bioxet has been a great find and I am sticking with it as the results are so impressive. Because it is a herbal product, I have had no skin irritation from it and I have made it a part of my daily routine. Hair beware with Bioxet! That’s my new mantra.”

Triona’s tips for summer legs:

“So while I have the hair issue sorted with my trusted dream cream Bioxet, which also moisturises and conditions my skin, time to get ‘em tantastic! For a streak-free tan you have to exfoliate prior to applying tan. I like to save money by making my own exfoliator.”

Ingredients: one cup of sugar, half a cup olive oil, and one tablespoon of lemon zest, grated.

Triona also recommends to always use the stairs to tone the legs, especially taking two steps at a time if possible to firm up legs and bottom. Being a fashionista Triona also cannot live without death defying heels and recommends gel cushions which will ease pressure on the ball of the foot and will help you walk tall in heels for hours.

Bioxet is a wallet-friendly home beauty treatment comprising 100 per cent natural ingredients that directly affect the hair roots to reduce and weaken unwanted hair. Once applied daily results can be achieved within a few months, for maximum results Bioxet should be used for eight to 12 months. Clinical studies have proven that Bioxet decreases the length of hair and number of hairs permanently. The clinical studies also showed that a three month use of the cream resulted in hair reduction of 46 per cent, reduced hair length of 43 per cent, and reduced hair thickness of 30 per cent.

Bioxet is available through pharmacies nationwide and Bioxet Hair Reducing Body Cream (140ml) retails at €36.95. There are also two face creams available, one for normal/dry skin, and one for oily skin. It is available from the following pharmacies in Mayo: Ward’s Pharmacy, O’Connell Street, Ballina; Molloy’s Lifestyle Pharmacy, Bunree, Ballina; Molloy’s Lifestyle Pharmacy, Garden Street, Ballina; Staunton’s Pharmacy, Main Street, Castlebar; Sheila O'Donnell’s Pharmacy, Bridge Street, Westport; Rowland’s Pharmacy, Castlebar; and Ward’s Pharmacy, Pearse Street, Ballina.


Source

Advisory for a hair removal which they implement to use is a bioxet for summer- to look great result in your legs.

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Tired of dark armpits? Here's help

If dark armpits are spoiling your wish to show off the sleeveless dress or jazz up the oomph factor with spaghetti tops, don't worry. There are Tired of dark armpits? some sure shot remedies to banish them for everThough there is no medical reason behind someone having dark underarms, experts say that mostly all joints like knees, elbows and armpits are dark compared to other body parts. "There is no scientific reason behind why a person has dark underarms but the fact is that mostly all joints are dark," Apollo Hospital senior cosmetic surgeon Anup Dhir said. "But with the latest medical technologies, you can easily get rid of them or else lighten the skin tone of that particular area," he added.

Experts also reveal that excessive use of hair-removing creams and shaving are the major causes of darkening armpits. "Waxing is the best hair removal option for the area under the arms. Still, many people prefer shaving and hair removal creams. This is a bad idea because shaving does not remove hair by the roots and the chemicals present in the hair removal creams result in discolouration of the skin under the arms," beauty expert Shahnaz Hussain said.

Other than shaving and hair removal creams, use of deodorants and perfumes directly on the skin leads to darkening this area further. According to Kaya Skin Clinic's dermatologist Hema Pant, people have this misconception that sweating results in darkening the armpit area.

"Sweat has no direct relation with darkening under the arm area. But, yes, it has an indirect role. "People use deodorants and perfumes to get rid of body odour which in turn makes the armpits area darker if they use it directly on their skin," she said.

Agreeing with her, Dhir said: "Deodorants contain metallic salts that result in darkening the skin tone and sometimes people also complain about developing rashes and some itchiness. The fact is that these metallic salts are not at all good for your skin."

In terms of treatment, markets are flooded with various options starting from the permanent hair removal treatment to body peel and from Botox treatment to some skin lightening creams.

According to Dhir, laser is the best option because this results in permanent hair removal and improves the skin tone of the area as well. Also peels like spa body do wonders in lightening the skin tone of that area, if one is not facing excessive hair growth or dark under the arm skin problem.

"Spa body peels remove blackness of the armpits. This is a moderate to extensive exfoliation which needs around 4-6 sittings to see the results. But the best option for all those who have heavy hair growth should be to opt for laser because that is the best way out to remove hair permanently," said Dhir.

"The process requires 4-5 sittings, depending on the hair growth." Dhir also emphasised the fact that Botox treatment is limited to mere 2-4 percent people because only those who suffer from excessive sweating go for it. The result lasts anywhere between six months and one year.

"In this method, we paralyse sweat glands temporarily and not many people go for this treatment because in most cases it is not required. One should also use sunblock creams in this area to prevent their further darkening," Dhir explained.

While many people are opting for these treatments, there are many who still stick to the home remedy and for them Shahnaz Hussain has a simple mantra. "Mix besan (gram flour), curd, lemon juice and a little turmeric and apply at least three times a week under the arms. Wash it off after half an hour. It will definitely work wonders," Hussain said



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Using wax is better than hair removal cream and shaving but other still using cream and shaving that's because when you use wax you can feel pain.

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In Mayfair's top male hair-removal spa, no one can hear you scream ...

Footballers do it, male models do it. So what's to stop all men treating themselves to the thrill of a full body wax? Jay Rayner signs up for the £120 Galaxy

Jay Rayner


I am rather attached to my pubic hair. Or, to be more exact, it is rather attached to me. It's been attached to me since I was in my early teens, a welcome marker of masculinity. The hormonal rush of adolescence can be delayed in fat boys and I was certainly one of those, so I was forced to wait longer than my cohort for the riot and crash of puberty to begin. Having been so relieved to see it finally make an appearance it had never once occurred to me to get rid of it. Despite the beard and the moustache and the chaos of the mop on my head - all acquired as I rammed into my 40-something midlife crisis - I am not a particularly hairy man. I am not the kind of chap with a pelt to which babies could cling. My back never needs combing and I have always regarded my soft hairless hands as looking like something that might belong to a male-to-female transsexual, once the hormones have kicked in.

All of which makes my presence at The Refinery, the top male grooming spa, located opposite Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, all the more odd. For The Refinery has a speciality, something it apparently does with more panache, style and bravura than almost anywhere else, and it has been decided that the world would be a far, far better place if I were to experience it. Put most simply, the 10 skilled therapists here are currently working their fingers to the bone using hot wax to rip pubic hair off men who think the boy-zilian is simply the way to go.

There are no reliable figures on how many men are doing this - it's not like you can spot them on the high street, is it? - but beauty salons and spas across the country who offer the treatment say they are not short of business. With the likes of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas admitting to laser hair removal and dear David Beckham languidly displaying himself on billboards in a manner which suggests he's been depilated to within an inch of his life, male waxing is no longer a no go.

Here at The Refinery there are many options: from a mere bikini wax for £45; through to the Mercury wax, described as 'crack and buttocks or testicles', for £85; all the way up to the big daddy of waxes, the championship option, the king of the baby smooth hill, the Galaxy. Or the 'back, sack and crack', as they like to call it, delightfully. For £120 they'll take everything off. Naturally, as well as a manicure, pedicure and facial I am booked in for the Galaxy. It is part and parcel of the curious world of male waxing that anything other than the removal of every last follicle that marks me out as a fully grown man might well be considered unmanly. I don't want to be a wimp.

In preparation I phone my friend Zoe Margolis whose sex blog, Girl with a One Track Mind, and subsequent book of the same name, contained many sage thoughts on men and their nether regions. Why, I ask her, should men pay attention to the state of their pubic hair? 'Well,' she says. 'Nobody likes to floss while they're eating, do they?' And she laughs uproariously. Anything else, dear? 'The area is cleaner and fresher with less hair, therefore making it more enjoyable for anyone who is getting up close, although that applies to both sexes. For men specifically waxing makes your bits look larger. And the area is full of sensitive nerve endings so having it hairless makes it all the more sensitive.' In short, male waxing equals good.

Or, if you are other female friends of mine, waxing equals bloody hilarious. They are delighted that I am going to do it, relishing what they tell me will be an excruciatingly painful experience. One wants me to know that a waxing left her with blisters. Two others tell me with glee that I should neck some painkillers beforehand. As far as they are concerned I am finally going to understand what it's like to be a woman, as if I personally have been herding them all through the doors of beauty salons across Britain demanding they get themselves a Brazilian (everything bar a little landing strip) or the Hollywood (the whole lot).

Even though I am sure they are just trying to psyche me out, I do take a few pills, and try to steady myself, with little success. It doesn't help that the first thing I see on a shelf behind the immaculate reception desk at The Refinery - a cool very GQ sort of space full of leather armchairs and flat-screen TVs and moody lighting - is a battered tube of E45 anti-itch cream. My attention is drawn back to the sleek woman on reception who nods at her computer and says, 'Ah, I see you are here for an intimate wax,' with more enthusiasm than can ever be strictly necessary. I begin to wonder whether for the women working here the job is less vocation, more act of revenge. She smiles sweetly and directs me down to the changing room. I am told to shower, put on a towelling dressing gown and then wait in the lounge with daily papers, the fruit bowl and two other men (we do not make small talk) to await my therapist.

Who is a woman. Why hadn't I expected this? The Refinery is a male-only beauty spa, so I had assumed... but no. Simran, who is a pretty and solidly built Asian woman with arms made for wrestling bears, tells me that nine of the 10 therapists here are women. 'Men find the idea of another man doing an intimate wax...' she hesitates, as if searching for the right word, 'embarrassing.' Which I take to be code for: makes them uneasy about their sexuality. If they don't feel uncomfortable with another man fiddling with their bits they get anxious that they might be gay. And if they do feel uncomfortable with another man doing it, the whole experience is merely traumatic. Better, apparently, to have a woman you have never met before do it because, hey, that just makes it all so much easier. Of course it does.

To be fair to Simran she is a model of professionalism and skill; funny, charming, frank and completely unshockable. At which point it's worth issuing a health warning. Because there is absolutely no point me now lurching into euphemism in describing my lovely day out, and if you are at all of a nervous disposition you might want to look away now. Let's be clear: any discomfort you might be about to experience on reading this is as nothing as compared to the discomfort I went through undergoing it.

We are in a small treatment room, with a massage bench, a sink and a heated bowl of something dark, hot and sticky. Naturally whale calls and panpipe music play on the iPod, because that is exactly what you need to calm you when a complete stranger is preparing to rip out your hair from the follicle. Simran gets me to disrobe and lie flat while she snaps on the latex gloves. She assures me that she will first be treating the area with a little oil, which should stop the wax sticking to the skin. That done she sets to work, painting a wide strip of wax on to the top of my pubic region, and tapping it gently to see if it has hardened before taking hold and tearing away.

Jesus-H-Christ-in-a-bloody-handcart-mother-of-screaming-God-make-it-stop! If this is what it's like with the oil what would it have been like without? It isn't just the pain, which is intense and deep, but the bizarre feeling that lots of me might be about to come away with the hair. Never have my genitalia felt more like some appendage, an afterthought tacked on to the body, which could quite easily be pulled off if only somebody showed enough commitment.

And for this men pay £120? Surely the money should be flowing in the other direction, in the form of a fine? Or perhaps she should get a custodial sentence as a warning to others. Then again, it occurs to me that Simran might be under-charging, depending on the client. If Max Mosley was willing to pay thousands for a good spanking, what might someone like him be willing to pay for this?

I do not howl or cry for Mummy but I do make a low hissing sound, akin to air escaping from a bicycle tyre. Simran asks me sweetly if I really want the lot off, or whether she should leave something behind. She is regularly asked for heart shapes, she says, particularly around Valentine's Day, and can even do initials. I wonder about asking for SOS but instead I tell her to press on. I am a fearless reporter and I must know the truth. She reassures me that the top of the pubic area is the most painful. I tell her I'm trying to work out why some parts might be more sensitive than others. 'Well I'll let you carry on thinking about that as a way of distracting yourself,' she says, and she heads into the bikini region.

Simran seems happy in her work, contented even. She can perform all the beauty treatments on offer at The Refinery but she makes no secret of the fact that she does enjoy a good waxing. 'It's one of my favourites. I like seeing the skin all clean and you do get real results don't you?' I look down, and gaze upon something I have not seen for nearly 30 years: a growing expanse of Barbie pink. It immediately makes me consider the vocabulary. All the terms men tend to use for their genitalia - round words that speak onomatopoeically of size, like cock and dong and knob - seem ludicrous in these circumstances. With such an expanse of skin on show I feel reduced back to tiny, infantilised words like winkle and willy or the anatomically correct but unwittingly condescending, penis.

I ask if anybody ever bottles it. 'Oh yes,' Simran says. 'But they always come back about two weeks later.' Now she needs my help with what she sweetly calls 'a few stretches'. This is in my interests. The wax comes away quicker from taut skin, so when she tells me to pull my penis to one side by taking hold of the tip I do as I am told. On goes the wax. Off comes the hair. Now over to the other side. She tells me to do the same with my scrotum, and I manhandle myself in a manner I don't recall since childhood when, like all small boys, I wanted to see if it was possible to make my genitals completely disappear. Right now I wish I had succeeded back then. After the full waxing of each area, she returns with a lighter wax strip to catch any hairs she has missed, like a builder following a snag list. I feel examined and explored, but not as a human body. I feel more like a knackered sash window in need of restoration.

It's time to turn over. 'This bit will really make you hoot with laughter,' she says. I quickly understand that this too is code for something else, namely: laughter is all you have, my friend, because if you think too deeply about what I'm about to do, you will start crying and screaming and will doubtless make a dash for the door, unless your idea of a good time is having a woman you've never met before paint hot molten wax onto your arsehole. In which case you deserve all you get.

She tells me there are two ways in which this can be done and I am thrilled that I have options. Either I can get on all fours, or I can lie flat and perform another stretch which will give her greater ease of access. I opt for the latter. Curiously this seems more dignified than the all fours option though clearly, by now, these things are entirely relative. 'Oh, and try not to clench your buttocks or they can get glued together by the wax, which can be unfortunate.' Simran has a lovely way with understatement. I bury my face in the towel-covered bench and wait for it to be over. When she is done she anoints me with a few lotions which, she says, will help the swelling and rash to subside - my skin really is very pink and mottled - and then hesitates as she spots a stray hair that somehow escaped the deforestation. 'I do hate to miss the little ones,' she says. But she senses that I have had enough.

The day is not done. However, after the waxing session, everything else feels like an afterthought and I realise my responses are out of kilter. She starts on a pedicure and suddenly, despite the fact that she's just spent an hour on my genitalia, I feel the need to commiserate with her because of the gnarled nature of what she has to deal with. Really! When they were handing out feet I was in the queue marked fish. They are broad and flat and most of the smaller toes go nowhere near the ground, clawed back by over-tight tendons which have refused to succumb even to surgery. As a result calluses build up on the balls of my feet. Simran doesn't appear to care, filing away at the nails, applying cuticle dissolver and smearing them in green, gooey paste which, I decide, makes them rather more attractive than less. Granted, this isn't difficult.

She turns her attention to my hands. This is not unfamiliar territory to me, for I have had a manicure before. That said, the last one, performed just outside Washington DC, was in curious circumstances. The manicurist was Lorena Bobbitt, the woman who had become famous for chopping off her husband's penis. Many of my male friends thought I was foolhardy to allow a woman who had proved herself so agile with a blade to go near me with a pair of stainless-steel clippers, but I was made of sterner stuff. I let Lorena range far and wide across my hands and she did a lovely job, preparing me for the job interview as a political lobbyist I had claimed I was in town for. I didn't want to tell her I was a journalist trying to get up close and personal in case the clippers drifted lower. I needn't have worried. She was charming, even as she applied the clear varnish.

Even so it had left me with an uneasy relationship with manicures. This is not helped when Simran lifts her nailfile, looks at my nails and says, 'Well, there's nothing I can do with those, is there?' I realise I am blushing. I got through the whole knotty business of stretching my scrotum this way and that for her, and giving her access to my bottom without once going red about the cheeks at either end. But her discovery that I am a chronic nail biter - hell, I sometimes make myself bleed - makes me want to die. This male grooming business is, I decide, fraught with social complications.

We move on to the facial - steam treatments, face packs, eye gels, blackhead removal - and slowly I start to drift away. She pummels and pampers me, performs a face, head and shoulder massage, and for a while I even forget the trauma I have been through. But all too quickly it is over, and Simran is giving me aftercare tips and we are groinally obsessed once more: no heavy exercise for 24-48 hours because excessive sweating is a bad idea. And no shagging either. This, she admits, has distressed some of her clients who have come in early in the day for a waxing with the intention of surprising their loved ones later, only to be told sex is a no-no. If anything defines the bizarre nature of the treatment, it is that something which can surely only be designed to make you more intriguing sexually should also require you to avoid it for a while.

Over the next few days I tell friends what I have done, partly because I enjoy the look of intrigue that passes across the faces of my female friends, and the look of pain that crosses the faces of my male friends. I phone my mother, and end up telling her what I've had done. 'You've been waxed? Where, exactly?' I tell her proudly, 'Mayfair.' I can practically hear her eyes rolling in her head. She says, as if talking to an idiot: 'Where on your body.' Aha! Of course. 'Between my knees and my navel.' There is a moment's silence and then she says, 'Having been through various procedures in my time that required the removal of hair and knowing exactly the agony of the itching when it grows back you deserve absolutely everything you bloody well get.' There are some conversations you should never have with your 77-year-old mother. Even mine.

Anyway, the issue of regrowth is not one I have to deal with yet. The sight of the waxing still takes me by surprise when I prepare for bed or get up in the morning. It looks like me and not like me. I have become unfamiliar to myself. One friend opines that waxing is wrong because it is essentially buying into the aesthetic of porno. I consider myself in the mirror but conclude that any porno involving someone who looked like me would be for a very niche market indeed and that I really didn't need to worry about that.

I also decide that what really matters, given that I'm the one who is experiencing it most of the time, is how it feels to me. And the answer is tidier, neater. It also occurs to me that however squeamish some people are about it, any notion that it is somehow wrong, is completely perverse. After all, every morning I choose to shave my cheeks and my neck but not the hair on my chin or beneath my nose, simply because I like the way I look. We make decisions about what to keep of our hair and what to lose all the time. So why should pubic hair be any different?

Not that you care about any of this. What you all want to know, what you are dying to be told, is what my wife thought of it. Well you can carry on wondering. I may be a truly modern male. I may not flinch from manicures and pedicures and the rest.

But I refuse to invade my own privacy.


Source

Hair removal is not for women, but it is also for men.

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Valentine Spa Celebrates Expansion & New Location

Brampton - Just steps outside Brampton's Rose Theatre, Andrea Valentine of Valentine Spa celebrates 10 years of Professional Spa Services, introducing med spa services of Laser Hair and Vein Removal.

Valentine Spa congratulates members of the Valentine team, Barb Cooper, Stephanie Comas, Jennifer Manasterski, Sandy Keatings and Janis Valentine with a signature heart necklace. Mayor Susan Fennell is welcomed and commemorates the event with the Official Ribbon Cutting along with Members of Council, Elaine Moore, Grant Gibson, John Sanderson and Bob Callahan. Special Guests Karen Campbell President of the BDDC presents an achievement plaque, Carman McClelland President of The Brampton Board of Trade presents a Welcome Plaque.

Speeches given thanked Andrea Valentine for her community efforts, business achievements and bringing Value, Class and Flare to Downtown Brampton. All guests, visitors and customers enjoyed the Spanish upbeat sounds of Kevin Laliberte and enjoyed gourmet hor'dourves presented by Nexxus Fine Dining Restaurant. The champagne popping event continued until 9pm in the evening.

All guests received a special gift token including a special offer for the launch of Valentine's signature Go "V" Facial, an office express for clients on the GO! A special thank you to all who attended, and also to the Rose Theatre for providing the outdoor tents and tables to accommodate all our guests.


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Valentine Spa Celebrates 10 years of professional Spa services, introducing a med spa services of laser hair and vein removal.

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Palomar debuts cosmetic laser devices at American Academy of Dermatology meeting

Palomar Medical Technologies (Burlington, MA), developer of light-based systems for laser plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments, unveiled four new devices during the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual meeting (San Francisco, CA), which concluded yesterday. The new instruments target deep skin resurfacing, wrinkle treatment, hair removal, and body sculpting ("laser liposuction"); Palomar expects to begin shipments this Spring.

The new the XD Optic, designed for use with the StarLux 500 laser and pulsed-light system, attaches easily to the Lux1440 and Lux1540 fractional non-ablative laser handpieces, Palomar says. The XD Optic provides deeper columns of micro-damage for deeper skin treatments. Palomar plans to seek FDA clearance for this device and will begin shipping upon approval.

Palomar designed its GROOVE Optic, for use with the Lux2940 fractional ablative laser, to provide lines of fractional ablation. The Groove Optic promises results approaching the gold standard full-surface ablation treatment but with the minimal downtime of a fractional treatment. By changing the shape of the micro areas of ablative damage from "dot" to "line", the pattern of treatment can now be correlated with that of wrinkles. With multiple passes, a faster, more uniform coverage can also be realized. The Lux2940 is FDA cleared for skin resurfacing and treatment of wrinkles, rhytides, furrows, fine lines, textural irregularities, pigmented lesions, and vascular dyschromia. Palomar plans to begin shipping the GROOVE Optic this Spring.

The LuxPowR intense pulsed-light handpiece brings permanent hair reduction to a new level, without sacrificing comfort, Palomar claims. Capitalizing on the StarLux 500's increased power and cooling, the LuxPowR's optical train generates fluence up to a 100 J/cm2. An efficient cooling system and advanced optical filtration are provided for patient comfort and safety. Palomar plans to begin shipments this Spring.

Finally, Palomar says its new 40 Watt Aspire SlimLipo Body Sculpting Laser is the premier member of its SlimLipo body sculpting family. With its high continuous wave power output, optimized dual-wavelengths, and superior treatment tip design, the 40 Watt system enables fast treatment of larger volumes of fat. The SlimLipo laser-assisted lipolysis device promises excellent results with minimal patient downtime for true laser body sculpting. Palomar plans to begin shipments of the new SlimLipo unit in the coming weeks.

"Even in this difficult economic environment, we continue to devote a large percentage of our revenue to research and development in comparison to others in our industry," says Palomar CEO Joseph P. Caruso. "The benefits of this investment are shown in our current and new products, and we have protected this investment through our intellectual property portfolio. We are excited about our new products which represent Palomar's commitment to continued research and improved science."

Caruso reports that several physicians are seeing "fantastic results" using a combination therapy with the XD Optic on the Lux1440 or Lux1540 followed by the GROOVE Optic on the Lux2940. "Some physicians believe this combination therapy best addresses the unique needs of the aging face--deep non-ablative resurfacing with the XD Optic for excellent reduction in dyschromia and ablative resurfacing with the GROOVE Optic for reduction of moderate lines and texture. Our goal is to offer physicians multiple treatment options with the fastest and most effective products. The new 40 Watt SlimLipo Body Sculpting Laser represents that objective and will revolutionize the laser-assisted liposuction industry," he explain


Source

The Palomar decided to use about deep skin resurfacing, wrinkle treatment, hair removal, and body sculpting ("laser liposuction"), this is there target for new method.

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