by Q Pro-team | Feb 16, 2010 | 1.1 Resources & Tips, 2.1 Acne Treatment
Warning Issued For Acne Medication Accuttane By Health Canada
OTTAWA By The Canadian Press – Health Canada is advising consumers that rare but potentially deadly skin reactions have been reported with the use of Accuttane for the treatment of severe acne.
In an advisory Tuesday, the federal department said there have been “very rare” reports of severe skin reactions linked to Accuttane that can result in hospitalization, disability or even death.
Accuttane (isotretinoin), made by Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., is prescribed for serious acne that cannot be cleared up by other treatments, including antibiotics. The skin condition, which mainly affects adolescents, causes pimples, cysts and nodules that most often appear on the face, chest and back.
Health Canada said anyone currently taking or recently on Accuttane should stop the drug and see their doctor immediately if any of following symptoms develop:
-Rash, especially if associated with fever and-or malaise or conjunctivitis (red or inflamed eyes, like pink eye).
-Blisters on legs, arms or face, and-or sores in mouth, throat, nose or eyes.
-Peeling skin.
Severe skin reactions can start with mild, non-specific symptoms such as fever, malaise, chills, aching muscles, headache, sore throat or stinging eyes, said Health Canada, noting that it can take up to three days for the skin lesions to develop.
Accuttane has been prescribed over the last 25 years to about 16 million people. There have been 66 cases of severe skin reactions reported in both adults and children worldwide. While other factors were involved in the majority of these cases, an association with Accuttane cannot be ruled out, the advisory states.
Back to Toronto Acne Treatment.
by Q Pro-team | Jan 30, 2010 | 1.1 Resources & Tips
Five things to consider when choosing a laser clinic
Nowadays, there are laser clinics everywhere. When looking for the right laser clinic for your specific skin condition, these five key points can help you to avoid unhappy experience:
1. Expertise
Consultations and treatments should be provided or performed by highly trained medical staff and certified experts. When it comes to your health and self-esteem, you deserve to receive services from only qualified professionals!
2. Facilities
Safety, hygiene, and equipment are of utmost importance. There is as pecific laser or device that works best for each condition: hair removal, acne treatment, scar removal, vein treatment, tattoo removal, and so on. Ensure that the clinic uses only the Gold Standard lasers,or FDA approved aesthetic equipment.
3. Experience
The same laser in different hands will do a different job; the same skin lesion shows different conditions to different observers. Not all dermatologists can remove your warts or moles without scarring; a good doctor is not necessarily a good laser hair removal operator. So please check out the professional history of the one who will actually perform the treatment for you and whether or not they will have a tailored plan for your specific needs.
4. Reputation
Does this clinic have good business ethics? Have they ever given false promises? Have they ever had any accidents? Do they provide comprehensive follow-up care for their patients? You can do some homework to get the answers: search the Internet or ask around to see what people are saying about this clinic.
5. Pricing & Financing
Check the cost for your treatment. It may vary from one patient to another depending on many aspects. Choose a clinic that will guarantee competitive pricing compared to others offering equivalent services. Find out if financing options and discounts for multiple procedures are available.
by Q Pro-team | Jul 21, 2009 | 1.1 Resources & Tips
Tips To Stop Wrinkles
As a natural aging process, wrinkles settle on our skin. Usually women give more attention to their unwelcomed lines than men. Listed below are a few simple things you can do in your daily life that can help to prevent early wrinkling or improve the appearance of wrinkles:
1) Drink Plenty of Water:
One of the best ways to soften wrinkles is to drink as much water as you can everyday. It is the least costly yet most effective method. With plenty of water, the fatty and oily stuffs entrapped in your skin will find their way out with ease.
2) Eat Healthy Foods:
Studies have shown that diet plays a critical role in improving skin condition. A diet with plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fresh fruits and healthy oils can lessen oxidative stress in the skin, and thus reduce wrinkles and lines. Simply drink a full glass of fresh juice everyday, and you will be surprised to see the difference on your skin.
3) Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure:
Excessive exposure to UV rays is the main cause of wrinkling and other skin problems, so make sure to apply sunblock and wear a hat whenever you need to go out in the sun.
4) Keep Skin Hydrated:
Women with drier skin usually have a more flaky and rough skin texture, while women with oilier skins have fewer wrinkles. Believe it or not, you do need oil on your skin, which is your body’s natural way of moisturizing the skin. Applying moisturizers can effectively keep your skin in shape and reduce the formation of wrinkles, especially if you live in a dry environment or dry season.
5) Relax and Exercise:
Relaxing and exercising can stimulate the blood circulation under the skin and increase the elasticity of the skin, and thus help to reduce stiffness and wrinkles on the skin. Sleeping well, playing sports, keeping happy, listening to music and having regular facial massages are all good ways to prevent our skin from aging early. Avoid the following bad habits as much as possible: worrying or stressing too much, sitting in front of a TV, PC or game set too long, working or studying too hard, going to bed too late, etc.
As you age, you can never stay away from winkles, but if you follow the tips listed above, you may significantly delay their appearance.
by Q Pro-team | Mar 30, 2009 | 1.1 Resources & Tips
Fraxel and Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing
If you are interested in skin resurfacing, you may have heard a lot about fraxel and fractional resurfacing. To better understand the significance of these new advances, some technical knowledge of laser skin treatment and technology is helpful.
Over the past few years the concept of Fractional skin rejuvenation or fractional laser skin resurfacing has evolved. With fractional skin resurfacing, an erbium laser beam is broken up, or fractionated, into many micro beams which are separated. So when they strike the skin surface, the small regions of the skin between the beams are not hit by the laser light and left intact. In the small zones (see figure below) treated by the fractional micro beams, sufficient laser injury promotes new collagen production to replace collagen damaged by aging or sun exposure. Damage to collagen in the skin is a cause of skin wrinkles. The new collagen produced by the laser stimulation “plumps” skin wrinkles. The intact skin between the micro treatment zones allows for much more rapid healing (3-4 days) as opposed to 2-3 weeks for the older CO2, and enough pigment cells are left intact that hypo pigmentation does not occur.
The diagram above shows the progression of laser skin rejuvenation technology from the older CO2 on the left to the newest fractional ablative lasers which have just come out. The Fraxel laser and the Lux 1540 are depicted in the 3rd illustration under Non ablative fractional laser resurfacing.
Fractional Non Ablative Laser Resurfacing
To ablate means to “surgically remove”. The Fraxel and Lux1540 are non ablative lasers which mean that when the laser beam strikes the skin the skin is not removed immediately, rather the laser beam heats the skin to cause inflammation and new collagen production. The benefits of the Fraxel and Lux 1540 non ablative laser skin treatments are dramatically reduced recovery time, but the results in terms of wrinkle removal and skin tightening are less dramatic than with ablative lasers.
However, the new fractional lasers like Fraxel and the Lux 1540 are able to penetrate much deeper than traditional non fractional ablative lasers and we are discovering that deeper penetration of the laser produces a much more dramatic stimulation of new collagen formation which translates into a plumping effect on the skin. This is particularly useful in treating depressed acne scars. Another diagram which helps explain this is the diagrammatic representation of the Lux 1540 below.
In summary, the benefits of fractional non ablative laser skin treatments are:
- Less down time- only pink skin for 1-2 days and a day or so of bronzing that can be covered with make-up
- Better new collagen production in the deeper skin layers causing skin plumping especially of acne scars
- Fewer complications like hyper pigmentation (although with Fraxel there is a 15% incidence of hyper pigmentation (darkening of treated areas) especially in dark skinned people, but it is temporary.
- Improvement in skin texture and possibly enlarged pores
- Improvement in wrinkles
The field of laser skin rejuvenation is developing rapidly and new tech breakthroughs occur frequently. The benefit to you is that better wrinkle removal results are achieved with less down time and fewer potential side effects. The applications of fractional laser are expanding to other fields like skin tightening and eventually to fat and cellulite removal.
