Photofacial skin care treatments, also called IPL, short for Intense Pulsed Light, are very effective, no down time, safe methods for removing pigment, or brown spots, and excess or broken blood vessels from the facial skin. Browns spots, broken blood vessels around the nose, chin and cheeks are classic signs of sun damage and aging of the facial skin. Brown spots, often called age spots are caused by pigment that is produced by the skin to protect the skin from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. New blood vessels grow into the skin in response to skin injury, first to wash out damaged skin debris and later to bring in healing factors.

As our skin ages, the brown spots and broken blood vessels are left behind on the skin after the inflammation or skin injury has passed. These pigmented and red vascular spots create an aged variegated appearance to the facial skin which is called dyschromia, and is a sign of facial aging. Photofacial skin care treatments are the treatment of choice for benign facial skin pigmentation, age spots, brown spots and broken blood vessels and small red spots called telangiectasia on the face. Photofacial treatments are now preferred over laser treatments for these specific pigment and vascular lesions.

What Causes Age Spots, Sun Spots, Red Blotches and Broken Blood Vessels on the Face Neck and Décolletage?

Browns spots and broken blood vessels around the nose, chin, cheeks, neck, hands and Décolletage are classic signs of sun damage and aging of the skin. Brown spots, often called age spots are caused by pigment that is produced by the skin to protect the skin from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. New blood vessels grow into the skin in response to skin injury by the sun. This process of new blood vessel growth is called inflammation.

The new blood vessels bring blood into the facial skin first to wash out damaged skin cell debris and later to bring in skin healing factors.

As our skin ages, the brown spots and broken blood vessels are left behind on the skin after the inflammation or skin injury has passed. These pigmented and red vascular spots create an aged variegated appearance to the facial skin which is called dyschromia, which is a sign of facial aging.

Photofacial skin care treatments or IPL treatments are the non-surgical anti-aging skin care treatment of choice for benign facial skin pigmentation, age spots, brown spots and broken blood vessels, the small red spots called telangiectasia, on the face, hands, neck and Décolletage. Photofacial treatments are now preferred over laser treatments for these specific pigment and vascular lesions.

How Do Photofacial or Intense Pulsed Light Non-surgical anti-aging Skin Care Treatments Work?

Photofacial or IPL anti-aging skin care treatments use a bright flash of visible light, like the light of a camera flash to remove pigment and blood vessels non-surgically from the skin. This pulsed or flashed light is very different from a laser and in most instances, less powerful and less dangerous that laser light.

I use a Photofacial IPL machine called the LuxGreen IPL made by Palomar Medical Laser Company in Burlington, Massachusetts. Palomar Medical is the premier manufacturer of Aesthetic Laser and Light therapy machines in the world. The LuxGreen Photofacial is the best Photofacial technology I have ever used. The LuxGreen Photofacial IPL machine is very effective and is the most comfortable for you the patient of any IPL device available.

Photofacial skin rejuvenation works by passing a flash of bright light through a filter that only allows a specific color of light in the flash to pass through the filter and hit the skin. In the case of the LuxGreen Photofacial, only light with a wavelength of 550nm (nm=nanometers or one millionth of a meter and is the measure of the green light wavelength in the visible light spectrum) to pass through the IPL filter and hit the skin.

The LuxGreen IPL 550nm light is selectively absorbed or taken up by the brown pigment in an age spot or the dark reddish brown color of blood in a blood vessel. When the Photofacial light energy is absorbed by the pigment or blood vessel, the heat from the Photofacial or IPL light destroys the pigment or blood vessel by heating it.

This process is called Target Specific Photothermolysis. A specific target, that is a color, is heated (thermo) with a light (photo) beam and dissolved or destroyed (lysis).

Using color filters placed in front of the Intense Pulsed Light beam, a wide variety of colors can be allowed through to treat many different skin conditions including hair removal (LuxRed), acne (LuxViolet), and others.

What Will My Skin Look Like Immediately After a Photofacial Skin Care Treatment?

Unlike lasers, which can cause the skin to peel and possibly leave scars, the Lux Green IPL treatments are very gentle on the skin. The pigment in the brown spot or age spot will darken very slightly, and the treated blood vessel will also darken a bit. However the skin will be intact. The treated areas may also be slightly pink for a few hours.

We place ice or a cool pack on the treated area immediately and this also may make the skin pink. However, the pinkness may be covered with makeup immediately. You may return to work. And your skin will be nearly normal the next day.

Does An Intense Pulsed Light Skin Care Treatment Hurt?

There is minimal discomfort during an IPL care treatment. Anesthesia or numbing medicine is not required. When the IPL flash hits the skin you will feel a small snap or sting, but this is easily tolerated by all of my patients.

How Many IPL Skin Care Treatments will I Need?

Usually 3 IPL skin care treatments are required spaced 4-5 weeks apart for the best results. Multiple treatments are the price for gentle treatments that are not painful and do not injure the skin.

Technically enough power can be used to remove the brown spot or blood vessel in one treatment, but this energy level would be painful, blister the skin and possibly leave a scar. This is what happened with old time laser treatments, and the new IPL is designed to remove pigment and blood vessels painlessly and with no trace or scar left behind. To accomplish this we need to stage the removal in 2-3 treatments 4-5 weeks apart. The results are well worth the wait.

How Soon after My Intense Pulsed Light Skin Care Treatment Will I See a Result?

Generally you will see the results of your IPL skin care treatment at 4-5 weeks. The brown spot will be lighter or gone and the red spot or blood vessel will be much smaller. Some patients with thin skin and very light pigment or small broken blood vessels will see complete removal after one treatment.

However most people see definite improvement 5 weeks after the IPL treatment and require 2 more treatments for complete removal.

How Many Intense Pulsed Light Skin Care Treatments Will I Need?

If you have very fair thin skin with minimal sun damage and very light pigment or very tiny blood vessels you may only need one IPL treatment. However most people need 3 treatments scheduled 4-5 weeks apart for a complete result.

Who Should I Consult For My Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Skin Care Treatment?

The best IPL machines are found in a physician’s office. Less powerful IPL machines are allowed to be used in Spas, but results are not as effective with these downgraded machines. In my experience patients do not get the results that they want in a spa, and often come to my practice for repeat treatments with the LuxGreen IPL after having already spent money for IPL in a spa.

The other benefit of having your IPL treatment in a physician’s office is that you will be examined by a doctor who can properly diagnose your skin condition. Some brown lesions are dangerous and require medical evaluation and should not be treated with Intense Pulsed Light. If you have Rosacea or larger blood vessels on your face, a different therapy is required. These are medical treatments and should be done in a doctor’s office. Your skin will be evaluated for more serious skin conditions, and you will receive more effective Intense Pulsed Light skin care treatments.

How Do I Find a Good Doctor to Do My Intense Pulsed Light Skin Care Treatment?

Light based and laser non-surgical skin rejuvenation treatments are best done by a doctor who is well trained and specializes in anti-aging skin treatments. Your safest bet is to seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist who has experience in laser and light based therapies such as Intense Pulsed Light.

I am of course prejudiced because I am a board certified plastic surgeon. However, a plastic surgeon is trained and capable of providing the full range of non-surgical and surgical skin anti-aging procedures and can customize your skin treatments to your unique face. Doctors who cannot provide all treatments are tempted to “fit your unique face” into the particular skin treatment they offer, and that is not the best situation for you.

Prince Charles’ wife gets royal treatment at Bangalore spa

BANGALORE: Prince Charles’ wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is being given some truly royal treatment at a spa on the outskirts of Bangalore. Apart from Ayurveda and naturopathy therapies, she will also get to experience the benefits of yoga and meditation.

The 63-year-old checked into the Soukya holistic health & ayurveda centre in Whitefield early Tuesday and will undergo holistic treatment during her four-day stay.

” Camilla arrived here from London with a 15-member group for a four-day stay. She is impressed by our facilities, including the holistic treatment for toning up her health,” Soukya spokesperson Mary told IANS.

The state protocol office earlier confirmed that Camilla landed at the Bangalore international airport on a British Airways flight and was escorted to Whitefield, about 20 km from the city, under tight security.

“Though Camilla is in good health, she preferred to rest for a while in our presidential suite as she was tired after a long flight. She had a light breakfast and a good lunch especially made for her as per our diet,” Mary said.

Holistic health practitioner and spa owner Issac Mathai has drawn up a schedule to rejuvenate Camilla using various therapies under the Indian system of medicine such as ayurveda and naturopathy.

“Charles and Camilla are great patrons of integrated medicine. Organic farming and holistic treatment are close to their hearts. We will also give her complementary therapies like yoga, meditation, acupressure and reflexology,” Mary said but declined to share other details of the treatment.

Camilla will join her husband in New Delhi Saturday to participate in the inaugural ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 beginning Sunday.

“For privacy and security reasons, we are not in a position to share Camilla’s itinerary here. She is expected to spend most of her time at the spa with some of her family members and friends accompanying her,” Mary added.

A Scotland Yard team has been stationed in the sprawling holistic centre for Camilla’s security.

The noted wellness centre has recently tied up with the London-based Royal College of Integrated Medicine to train western doctors and therapists in ayurveda and traditional forms of Indian medicine.

HIV treatment expands in developing world

By Andrew Jack in London

Published: September 28 2010 17:04 | Last updated: September 28 2010 17:04

The number of people receiving treatment for HIV in the developing world has risen for the first time above 5m, but remains only a third of those who need life-saving medicines, according to the latest United Nations estimates.

About 5.25m people in low and middle income countries were receiving drugs during 2009, and many more gaining access to prevention services, in a series of programmes estimated to be costing $10bn a year, says the report from Unicef, UNAids and the World Health Organisation.
The figures suggest that the financial crisis has not yet reduced the overall levels of support for tackling the epidemic despite anecdotal reports of HIV patients being turned away as governments cut health programmes,

However, Gottfried Hirnschall, head of the HIV department at the World Health Organisation, warned that the treatment figures would have been greater still without funding cuts, and there could yet be a delayed effect of budget constraints.

The report warned that “on a global scale, targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care will not be met by 2010”, raising doubts over the G8 nations’ commitment to reach “as close as possible” to treatment for all who need it by 2015.

The UN estimates that $26bn is required this year to accelerate programmes towards the 2015 target, against $10bn being spent by governments, donors and international agencies.

The gap between forecast needs and current programmes has widened in recent months following new international treatment guidelines that recommend patients are given antiretroviral medicines earlier after contracting HIV, extending the estimates of those who would benefit from drugs from 10m to nearly 15m.

That substantially increases the demand for funding, although UN agencies argue that in the medium term earlier treatment would reduce costs of more expensive later-stage interventions and hospital admissions.

“We have the opportunity to make the case and to improve efficiencies,” said Mr Hirnschall. “Treatment is a smart investment.”

He highlighted substantial progress, notably in South Africa, which has embraced HIV treatment programmes far more aggressively under President Jacob Zuma.

However, countries including those in eastern Europe and central Asia have large numbers of HIV-positive people not receiving treatment or prevention, partly because of the stigma associated with injecting drug use, the leading cause of infection in the region. He also highlighted laws banning homosexual partnerships, which are among the obstacles in the Middle East and North Africa, where only 10 per cent are treated – the lowest proportion anywhere in the world.

Hypoglycemia is a condition that results when blood sugar drops at very low levels. Although the symptoms for hypoglycemia can vary from person to person, the most common symptoms of this condition includes the feeling of tiredness, nervous, sweaty and may lead you to feel irritable and impatient. You may also experience being a little shaky, hungry or confused.

If you have Type 1 diabetes, you may also be more prone to having hypoglycemia. Thus, it is important that you have to let your family members, housemates or friends know or that you are diabetic or you have low blood sugar so they will also know what to do in cases when you are not capable of telling them. If you want to get rid of hypoglycemia or if you want to lower your chances of suffering from such condition, here are 5 tips that you might find useful.

Learn the causes of hypoglycemia. It is when you know the causes that can help you fight it off from the start. Hypoglycemia can occur if you skip meals or you delay eating your meals. Eating too little can also trigger hypoglycemia as well as drinking alcohol, thus if you want to get rid of this condition, make sure you avoid these culprits as well.

If your blood sugar is low, which you can determine by testing it, you can also help yourself by eating carbohydrates right then including some fruit juice. Supplying your system with sugar in the form that are easily absorbed by the body, can help you regain balance. One important thing to keep in mind is to take in sugar that is easily be absorbed by the body and not those in the form of complex carbohydrates that may take time.

Explore alternative treatments. Although there are medical ways on how to treat hypoglycemia, it also helps to explore the alternative treatments. Acupressure is one of the alternative treatments that can help you overcome hypoglycemia.

Eat small but frequent meals throughout the day. This will help you attain that balance in your blood sugar level. Aside from this, you also have to take note of what you are eating. You may need to increase foods with fiber as well as complex carbohydrates.

See your doctor for underlying problems you have with hypoglycemia. Of course, one of the ways on how to treat hypoglycemia is to make sure that the underlying conditions are also treated.

Even before trying to find treatments for hypoglycemia, it is important that you are correctly diagnosed with the disorder. It is important that you are being diagnosed correctly.

You may also ask advice from your doctor on supplements that you can take to help you overcome hypoglycemia as well. But of course, the best treatment is always prevention. Eat small but frequent meals, do not skip pr delay your meals, avoid drinking alcohol and make sure that you eat a balanced diet.