The quest for beauty

For thousands of years women have tried various different methods to try to look younger. With the assistance of science they have gone a very long way from simple home remedy products to state of the art hypo-allergic refined products with effects that not only creates the effect of taking years off their skin but also promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Back in the years when the pharaohs ruled Egypt and the great pyramids were not considered one of the great wonders of the world but were being planned and constructed women were looking for a way to make their skin look younger and healthier.

One of the first figures of significance to pioneer in the field of dermatology is Cleopatra. She would use various methods to make her look younger and attractive such as bathing in sour milk. Sour milk was high in lactic acid to exfoliate the skin to make it smoother and healthier. She would also create creams and lotions to help maintain her beauty however many of those were lead based products and would eventually lead to lead poisoning, a fact that was not known back then.

The Greeks also had some knowledge in keeping their skin younger and healthier. To achieve this they would constantly bathe in olive oil and honey to moisturize their skin and protect it form the harsh sun and other harms.

The Romans probably had the best idea for the best way to maintain a healthy skin. Because of their impressive engineering techniques the Romans were able to supply their people with water allowing them to take baths daily. The Romans would use soaps to help remove the dirt and other particles from their skin. They would then apply a fresh batch of scented oils to maintain their cleanliness.

Hundreds of years later women in Europe would use other measures to keep their skin looking younger by bathing in wine. However in the Middle Ages and early colonial America, frequent bathing was not executed by the people because of the impracticalities of it and lead to poor hygiene resulting in poorly maintained skin. Once the link between poor hygiene and sickness was proven people then began taking frequent baths helping the maintenance of a healthy looking skin.

Today women are still trying to look younger and younger everyday by the uses of facial masks, treatments and lotions. But who can blame them as looking healthy can boost a persons attitude and allow them to live a positive lifestyle. With today's technology, scientists can prove why a certain product or procedure can work and how it works as well as finding the positive and negative side effects. Such products that contain certain extracts like emu oil or procedures as plastic surgery have assisted in improving and maintaining the look of healthy looking skin.

Teeth whitening works for me

Teeth whitening can be a highly effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth, not removing any of the tooth surface. It can not make a complete colour change; but it will lighten the existing shade.

There are a number of reasons why you might want to get your teeth whitened. Artists were some of the first to do it, and it was tax deductible for them! Yes, they needed it and many other public persons followed.

Very few persons have brilliant-white teeth, and our teeth usually become more discoloured as we get older.

Your teeth can also be stained on the surface through food and drinks. Tea, coffee, red wine and blackcurrant make a difference not only in the short run. And smoking do stain teeth. Some people may have staining under the surface, which can be caused by certain antibiotics or tiny cracks in the teeth which take up stains.

Professional bleaching is the most common form of tooth whitening and your dentist will be able to tell you if you are suitable for the treatment. First the dentist will put a rubber shield or a gel on your gums to protect the soft tissue. They will then apply the whitening product to your teeth, using a specially made tray which fits into your mouth like a gum-shield.

The ‘active ingredient’ in the product is usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. As the active ingredient is broken down, oxygen gets into the enamel on the teeth and the tooth colour is made lighter. The total treatment can be done within three to four weeks.

First, you will need two or three visits to the dentist. Your dentist will need to make a mouthguard and will take impressions for this. Once your dentist has started the treatment, you will need to continue the treatment at home. This means regularly applying the whitening product over two to four weeks, for 30 minutes to one hour at a time.

However, there are now some new products which can be applied for up to eight hours at a time. The treatment can be performed when you sleep. This means a satisfactory result can be achieved in as little as one week.

There is now laser whitening, even called power whitening. During this procedure a rubber dam is put over your teeth to protect the gums, and a bleaching product is painted onto your teeth. Then a light or laser is shone on the teeth to activate the chemical. The light speeds up the chemical reaction of the whitening product and the colour change can be achieved more quickly using this procedure. The effect of laser whitening is good, teeth can make up to five or six shades lighter.

Your dentist will need to check your teeth to make sure that you are suitable for the treatment. This procedure is fast and usually takes about one hour.

The effects of whitening can last up to three years and will vary from person to person. Of course the effect is less likely to last as long if you smoke, or eat or drink products that can stain your teeth. Some people may find that their teeth become sensitive to cold during or after the treatment. The symptoms are usually temporary and should disappear within a few days of the treatment finishing.

Home kits are cheaper but because tooth whitening is a complicated procedure you should only have it done by a dentist, after a thorough examination and assessment of your teeth. Home kits that you buy over-the-counter will not be able to lighten your teeth noticeably. And some contain mild acids and others are abrasive. This can cause ulcers and damage to the gums if the product is not used properly.

There are many whitening toothpastes on the market. Although they do not affect the natural colour of your teeth, they may be effective at removing staining and therefore may improve the overall appearance of your teeth. Whitening toothpaste may also help the effect last, once your teeth have been professionally whitened.

We recommend that you look for an accreditation symbol on the packaging of oral care products. This is a guarantee that the claims made about the product have been scientifically and clinically checked by an independent panel of experts.

As you know many dead teeth go discoloured after a root filling. If the tooth has been root treated, the canal (which previously contained the nerve) may be reopened. Then the whitening product is applied and will work from the inside to whiten the tooth.

You can do a lot to keep your teeth white by cutting down on the amount of food and drink you have that can stain teeth. Stopping smoking can also help prevent discolouring and staining.

Take care of your teeth - brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Cut down on how often you have sugary snacks and drinks and visit your dentist at least once a year.

Botox - is it really safe

There is an old story about a town of people who were running for their lives from an approaching asteroid. They ran to the edge of town and were confronted with a cliff and a long drop. Seeing the asteroid behind them, they all jumped off the cliff. On the way down, one person shouted out, "Do you think we're going to survive the fall?"

Such is the case with people and less extreme circumstances, such as when they look in the mirror and see they have wrinkles on their forehead, crows feet and heaven knows what else. They scream in horror saying, "My God! Where is my Botox?" and they head straight for the doctor. Then, after getting the injection, they ask the doctor, "Um, doc, is this stuff safe?"

The truth is, up to the present, nobody has proven that Botox is harmful in any way. But one has to ask oneself a few questions and compare the situation to other things in medical history that at first appeared to be perfectly safe and then turned out to be total disasters, resulting in massive lawsuits. To illustrate an example of this one needs to go no further than Vioxx. The lawyers are having a field day with that one.

Given that Botox is made from botulism, albeit a purified form, one has to wonder just how safe this stuff really is, especially if taken for a long period of time. To start our suspicions we need go no further than some studies that were done on doctors who perform such procedures as Botox injections.

Research shows that many doctors fail to take a person's medical history before even administering these injections. That is something that should be standard procedure. Then there are the so called "lunch time treatments" where patients just pop by a doctors office for an injection with no appointment, much like getting an allergy shot. Currently there are attempts to make tighter restrictions on these pop in treatments.

Then there are those reports of actual botched treatments where the doctor injected the wrong area of the patient in spite of the fact that it was clearly indicated in the patient's chart which areas were to be injected for that particular visit.

While none of this actually proves that Botox itself is dangerous, it does tend to make a person wonder. If treatments involving Botox are so lax and regulations are so weak or non existent, then certainly there is too much room for abuse by money-hungry doctors who have no concern for their patients' well being. The simple answer of "It's perfectly safe" just doesn't wash with all that is going on and reported everyday.

The only thing we do know for certain about Botox is that it can cause side effects such as bruising, headaches, double vision or temporary drooping of the eyebrow or lid. Also, it can leave the face without expression. And the medical profession has admitted that if more than 2000 units are injected it can be toxic. A normal session is about 50 units.

Well, at least it's a start. Now the world just sits and waits for the other shoe to drop just like with Vioxx.

Lasik eye surgery - are you ready

Is Lasik in your future?

Millions of Americans turn to Lasik Surgery when their vision is less than perfect and they’re tired of being tied down to wearing glasses or contacts. What part of the eye is it that may be causing all your vision trouble? Your cornea! When the shape of your cornea is irregular, the image on your retina is blurry and out-of-focus. The cornea is a part of your eye that works to focus light and projects an image on the retina. This focusing of light is called refraction. The 3 main types of refractive errors are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. If you are nearsighted, you have trouble seeing distant objects. If you are farsighted, you have trouble seeing things close up. Astigmatism is caused by irregularities in the surface of the cornea or lens and causes the image on the retina to be distorted. It’s not uncommon for a person to have a combination of all 3 refractive errors, myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Before Lasik Surgery, glasses and contact lenses were the main ways to compensate for your eye's imperfections.

What exactly is Lasik?

Lasik stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. Keratomileusis is the carving of the cornea in order to reshape it. As the laser reshapes the cornea, it changes the angle at which you see images and therefore strengthens your vision significantly. This reshaping adjusts and strengthens the power of your cornea to focus on objects near and far. If you are nearsighted, your doctor uses the laser to flatten your cornea that is too-steep. If you are farsighted, your doctor uses the laser to make your cornea steeper because it is too flat. For astigmatism, the laser can be used to smooth an irregular cornea into a more smooth shape. There are few other procedures like Lasik Eye Surgery that can give you these amazing results and permanently change the shape of your cornea in just minutes.

OK, I’m convinced, now what?

Start by talking to family, friends and co-workers. Who do you know that has had Lasik Surgery? Did they have a good outcome? How long were they out of work? How much did they pay? Did they have to pay the total price prior to the surgery? Would they recommend their surgeon to you? Then armed with this information, begin researching what surgeon you would like to schedule an initial consultation with. Ask lots of questions and keep a notebook of all the details that you learn. You’ve taken your first step toward better vision with Lasik Surgery!