THE lure of staying young and beautiful for as long as one can, is keeping aesthetic medicine in the pink of health.
| CO2 laser is being used to remove moles, and age spots. |
Aesthetic medicine is primarily focused on the patho-physiology of ageing skin. Its practitioners are trained in both invasive and non-invasive treatments and use a combination of both to treat patients.
“Aesthetic medicine is gaining popularity in Malaysia, as is the trend
everywhere else in the world,” says aesthetic and laser physician Dr
Chin Shih Choon, who helms an anti-ageing and aesthetic centre in
Shah Alam, Selangor.
“Over the past 10 years, non-surgical aesthetic procedures have increased nearly 750 per cent, with consumers in the US spending more than US$12 billion (RM41 billion) on cosmetic procedures in 2006 alone.
“But in tough economic times, small aesthetic luxuries are in demand.
Consumers load up on affordable luxuries as a substitute for more expensive items, for example, laser lipolysis over surgical liposuction,
or dermal fillers over facelifts.”
Technology matters
Technology is a key feature of aesthetic medicine. “Aesthetic physicians use many hi-tech medical devices that allow doctors to treat many conditions that were unheard of just a decade ago. Who would have imagined we could erase lines and wrinkles, wiping away years from our
features with cosmetic lasers, botox and RF (radio frequency) equipment?” Dr Chin says.
Many aesthetic physicians also have turned to the Internet and use blogs and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to
share information, he points out. “Doctors practising aesthetic medicine are alsoquick to adopt new technology in their rapidly evolving landscape. It is really an exciting time for us and also our clients.”
Among technologies used are cosmetic lasers, light devices, ultra-sound, RF and dermal infusion devices. Cosmetic lasers are widely used to treat
pigments, wrinkles, acne scars, vascular lesions and skin lesions as well as for hair removal, lipolysis and skin rejuvenation.
Light devices such as intense pulsed light are used to treat acnes, pigments and skin rejuvenation while ultra-sound is frequently used for non-invasive lipolysis.
RF-based medical devices are used to tighten the skin, remove cellulite and reduce localised fat. “RF is used to combat ageing by stimulating and restoring collagen and elastin that lie below the skin’s surface.
As the skin ages, the collagen fibres begin to stretch and the result is sagging skin,” Dr Chin explains. “The RF lift procedure works in two ways. First, it uniformly heats up the weaker collagen which causes it to immediately contract and thicken. Then it creates micro-injuries to the
dermis layer, which leads to the production of new collagen and elastin over the next several months.”
Risks
Aesthetic medicine is not without risks. For example, a laser can treat
pigmented lesions and birth marks or remove a tattoo safely in the hands of an expert. But if a laser device is used by an untrained person,
it can cause much damage such as intractable pigments and dangerous
infections, Dr Chin warns.
That’s why patients must always seek treatment only from qualified medical
practitioners. Those who want such information can get a list from the Health Ministry’s Web site or Malaysian Society of Aesthetic Medicine
“Aesthetic medicine is gaining popularity in Malaysia, as is the trend
everywhere else in the world,” says aesthetic and laser physician Dr
Chin Shih Choon, who helms an anti-ageing and aesthetic centre in
Shah Alam, Selangor.
“Over the past 10 years, non-surgical aesthetic procedures have increased nearly 750 per cent, with consumers in the US spending more than US$12 billion (RM41 billion) on cosmetic procedures in 2006 alone.
“But in tough economic times, small aesthetic luxuries are in demand.
Consumers load up on affordable luxuries as a substitute for more expensive items, for example, laser lipolysis over surgical liposuction,
or dermal fillers over facelifts.”
Technology matters
Technology is a key feature of aesthetic medicine. “Aesthetic physicians use many hi-tech medical devices that allow doctors to treat many conditions that were unheard of just a decade ago. Who would have imagined we could erase lines and wrinkles, wiping away years from our
features with cosmetic lasers, botox and RF (radio frequency) equipment?” Dr Chin says.
Many aesthetic physicians also have turned to the Internet and use blogs and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to
share information, he points out. “Doctors practising aesthetic medicine are alsoquick to adopt new technology in their rapidly evolving landscape. It is really an exciting time for us and also our clients.”
Among technologies used are cosmetic lasers, light devices, ultra-sound, RF and dermal infusion devices. Cosmetic lasers are widely used to treat
pigments, wrinkles, acne scars, vascular lesions and skin lesions as well as for hair removal, lipolysis and skin rejuvenation.
Light devices such as intense pulsed light are used to treat acnes, pigments and skin rejuvenation while ultra-sound is frequently used for non-invasive lipolysis.
RF-based medical devices are used to tighten the skin, remove cellulite and reduce localised fat. “RF is used to combat ageing by stimulating and restoring collagen and elastin that lie below the skin’s surface.
As the skin ages, the collagen fibres begin to stretch and the result is sagging skin,” Dr Chin explains. “The RF lift procedure works in two ways. First, it uniformly heats up the weaker collagen which causes it to immediately contract and thicken. Then it creates micro-injuries to the
dermis layer, which leads to the production of new collagen and elastin over the next several months.”
Risks
Aesthetic medicine is not without risks. For example, a laser can treat
pigmented lesions and birth marks or remove a tattoo safely in the hands of an expert. But if a laser device is used by an untrained person,
it can cause much damage such as intractable pigments and dangerous
infections, Dr Chin warns.
That’s why patients must always seek treatment only from qualified medical
practitioners. Those who want such information can get a list from the Health Ministry’s Web site or Malaysian Society of Aesthetic Medicine
Sources : New Strait Times
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