65 woman this month | December 2011 | Cosmetic alterations have become a norm and long gone are the days when you had to grin and bare the unfortunate shortcomings of gravity. The face undergoes characteristic changes with ageing, as all of us have experienced. Each region of the face — forehead, periorbital area, midface, lower face, mouth and neck — ages in a distinct manner. The BSH cosmetics team offers both men and women surgical and non-surgical methods to rejuvenate their ageing face. The goal of surgery, in its broadest sense, is to address the excess quantity of soft tissue that accumulates with age, the loss of facial volume and any tissue hypertrophy. Non surgical rejuvenation procedures, on the other hand, are directed at the quality of the skin and deficiencies in the dermis. The prime reason that patients seek non surgical procedures is skin wrinkles, caused by photo-ageing and chronic ageing. Studies show that these kinds of ageing cause dermal thinning at a surprising rate of approximately six per cent per decade. “Concomitant changes occur in the epidermal layer, as well as loss of deeper subcutaneous adipose tissue. Also, muscular animation causes facial lines of aging to appear in most people and imprints individual patterns of facial expression,” says Dr. Gautham Basu, BSH’s consultant plastic surgeon. The treatment process is defined by the nature of the deformity — be it wrinkles, a fold or furrow — by the skin layer in which the defect occurs or by the technique used to address it; like exfoliation, injectables, resurfacing, chemo enervation. Because of the many causes of wrinkles, the effects of ageing coincide and overlap. Optimal treatment often necessitates a multifaceted approach. This makes the treatment objectives directed towards preventing, restoring, or reversing the underlying cause of the deformity. Although scientists pay attention to innovations in non-surgical treatment, wrinkles are normally dealt with using one of three standard methods. Botox causes paralysis of the muscles involved in dynamic wrinkles and thinning of the overlying skin. It also contributes, to some degree, to facial reshaping. Lasers, chemical peels, or dermabrasion are used for resurfacing of static lines. These resurfacing techniques have their greatest benefit in levelling the epidermis and improving collagen in the dermis. Tissue fillers replace missing dermal components or subcutaneous fat. These injectable materials are effective for augmenting areas of dermal atrophy by supporting the dermal matrix or volumetric enhancement. “Self-applied prescription and cosmeceutical topical agents can also be useful and are designed to complement and supplement non surgical physician-directed, in-office facial rejuvenation.” Call 17 812-000. Fresh Faced BAHRAIN SPECIALIST HOSPITAL No one can beat the signs of ageing. However, although it happens to all of us, some of us can stave it off longer than others. Bahrain Specialist Hospital (BSH) shows us how.
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