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Side-effect of aesthetic procedures – A Vibrant You!

Leading dermatologists of Mumbai, on a mission to educate and beautify, recently reached Thane. With help from dna and Alma Lasers, they shared precious secrets at a Vibrant Forever wellness workshop

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(Left pic from L to R) Dr Karishma Balani, Dr Amit Karkhanis, Dr Ratnaprabha Pisal-Possa and Dr Dattataray Sonawane at the dna Vibrant Forever workshop in Thane; (right) Somen Dutta, managing director, India and SAARC region, of Alma Lasers addresses the gathering
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When Dr Sonawane, one of the four eminent physicians presiding over the third dna-Alma Lasers Vibrant Forever workshop, stressed that a basic beauty routine (cleansing, toning, moisturising, exfoliating and proper use of sunscreen) is the first step towards a healthy, glowing skin, one could have sworn that the well-lit hall in Thane's Hotel Vihang's Inn turned awkward with guilty laughter. It suggested the obvious — we don't give ourselves the care we deserve. Fortunately for the audience, a spirited crowd of young, elderly and the middle-aged, aesthetic medicine experts Dr Amit Karkhanis and Dr Karishma Balani, Dr Dattataray Sonawane and Dr Ratnaprabha Pisal-Possa were happy to remind everyone why they deserved a well-groomed body—? and how to get there!

Radiant, inside out

Dr Pisal-Possa agreed with her colleague Dr. Sonawane when she pointed out that as the largest organ in our body, our skin deserves some serious love and attention. "A clear skin is the sign of a healthy lifestyle—of good diet, good hygiene, a good skin care regime and exercise—yet most often, our attention is limited to taking care of the face," she pointed out. She revealed that women are by no means the only ones aspiring for a better skin, smashing gender stereotypes and the notion of aesthetic wellness as the female's prerogative. Taking a cue from her, Dr Karkhanis explained that the path to a healthy skin comprises two milestones—internal care (diet and exercise) and external care (sunscreens, moisturiser, creams and, if required, laser or cosmetic beauty solutions), which, practised wisely, makes the journey far less of an uphill climb. At this point, he broke down the myths and misconceptions about the use of laser in aesthetics, simplifying concepts like Laser Hair Removal, Laser Skin Pigmentation and Laser Body Contouring in alliance with his fellow physicians.

What is laser?

So, what is laser? Why should we allow an alien element to interact with our body? What can it really achieve? At what cost? Dr Karkhanis tackled familiar questions about laser procedures with the knowledge of a doctor and the patience of a friend. "Laser", he said, "is just a beam of light, different wavelengths of which are used to perform different functions. One laser can soften scars, one can promote hair growth, while a different one can remove hair." Lasers in themselves do not understand what they are doing, so the onus lies on the licensed, experienced doctor, and the quality, high-end machines that should be used for such procedures, he revealed, warning not to place such responsibilities on x-y-z laser machines, for "not every laser machine reacts the same way".

Sun and the skin

Dr Balani steered the dialogue towards a caution arguably simpler to practise—skin care, under the glare of its one nemesis—excessive exposure to the sun. She recommended a Vitamin A- and C-rich diet, full of fruits like oranges, lemons, sweet limes and differently coloured vegetables. Who knew what goes inside has so much to do with what shows outside on our skin, right? Dr Balani went on to say that "the best anti-ageing cream to date is sunscreen", one that suits the individual's skin type, of course. She broke down the often ill-performed process of sunscreen application for the audience. "Take a 1 rupee coin-sized finger-full of the sunscreen and dot it around your face. Spread it evenly and reapply every three hours," she explained, insisting that with a minimum SPF of 30, the habit should work wonderfully as an armour against various kinds of skin damage. The result, she added, can be optimised only with the right lifestyle choices, harking back to her colleagues' advice.

Skin toning and pigmentation

Amid demands for more expert-trivia on skin care, Dr Pisal-Posaa initiated a dialogue about hyperpigmentation and its solutions. "Hyperpigmentation is just unwanted darkening of the skin. Often, Melanocytes, the melanin-forming cells present in each of us, increase in number or grow larger in size," she shared, "leading to skin darkening—melanin being the pigment that attributes human skin its colour." She pinned down the cause as varied and multiple, from hereditary, metabolic disorders, excessive sun exposure to underlying hormonal issues. "Melasma is more common in females (with a gender ratio of 1:4) during pregnancy or after delivery," she mentioned. Before proceeding to the high-benefit results of laser on skin pigmentation, she re-emphasised the necessity of sunscreens, to be selected as per skin type in consultation with a certified physician, "required more frequently before activities like swimming, outdoor hours and vacations".

Ask me anything

When the floor was opened to questions, both from those present and those who had reached out via mails and letters, the doctors took charge like the pros that they are. Dr Pisal-Possa advised a 53-year-old working woman with brown marks on her face to "consult a dermatologist for a Vitamin C+E-rich sunscreen, skin-lightening cream and moisturiser to combat the post-menopausal hormonal imbalance, while allowing herself good diet, reduced stress and sound sleep. Dr Sonawane assured that medically supervised laser treatment, coupled with the right laser-choice (skin rejuvenation laser) can diminish the woes of a 17-year-old girl plagued by a severe case of pimples. "There can be up to 50 per cent improvement in her case," he said, citing a whooping 80 per cent of statistical hope for another woman with burn marks. Dr Balani pointed out the importance of precautions like eye-shields while performing mild laser therapy for under-eye dark circles (Q-switch laser), suggesting application of topical creams or fillers (for under-eye hollows, often confused with darkening) before considering other procedures.

Hair Reduction

Dr Karkhanis took up the topic of hair removal, the most common laser procedure performed around the world, explaining that laser, by scientific law, is attracted to dark pigments. "The darker the hair, the better the result," he announced. Dr Karkhanis revealed that in typical cases without underlying health conditions, six-eight sittings at a gap of a month between each can reduce up to 80-85 per cent hair. Should the excessive growth be the result of a health issue, "the cause has to be medically treated first," he warned. "Underarm, with its thick growth, is one of the best areas for the procedure, while white or fine hair do not react to or require laser."

On side-effects, he said there were none in the modern, medically advanced scenario. "When laser first made appearance in the aesthetic scene, the same lasers used on white (Caucasian) skin would be applied on us.

There has been a massive shift since. Alma was the first to pioneer the method of applying not the high intensity laser of 50 Jules, but instead, a mild, nearly pain-free application of 5 Jules, 10 times, on a given area. With that kind of research-based scientific method and an experienced physician handling the machine, it is actually pretty hard to cause any harm these days," he laughed. He also mentioned that although males are generally less receptive to pain (in relation to females who are accustomed to the pinch-and-twinge of eyebrow plucking or waxing!), they with thick black hair, perhaps on the chest, or any other major area of the body, are ideal candidates for the procedure. The biggest advice from the segment was to exercise strict caution while selecting the place and machine for the procedure. A woman, whose laser hair reduction "at a parlour" left her with "dark spots on the chin", was advised to never again entrust unqualified sources with the purpose. Which machine is being used? Is there a doctor overseeing the procedure? These are the questions that need to be answered before the otherwise harmless procedure.

Body contouring

A favourite topic with the urban audience, constantly striving (and mostly failing) to achieve a balance of health and weight, this segment saw Dr Balani sharing tips on treating obesity and simple problem areas of the body.

"Obesity is the second biggest cause of preventable death after smoking," she began on a grim note, immediately catching people's attention. A good way to check for signs is to calculate your BMI (body mass index), by dividing one's weight (in kilograms) by one's height (in metres squared). "A BMI of 19-23 is normal, while 25-30 can be said to be overweight and 30+ is obese," she observed. The causes can be anything–medical issues, effects of certain medicines, hormonal imbalance, bad lifestyle choices like junk food intake and inadequate exercise, or stress-eating due to emotional factors.

She cited insulin resistance as an attendant evil, denoting a pre-diabetic condition on rise among Indians. "Visible markers are dark lines or patches along the neck, underarms or inner thighs," she shared, pointing at cardio-vascular conditions, thyroid and PCOS as other red flags in the context. For the three body shapes of apple (full upper body and a slimmer lower portion), pear (lean upper body and rounder lower body) and hour-glass (full upper body, slim waist and full lower body), she suggested the simple pinch-test to catch early signs of weight issues. "Pinch any part of your body with the thumb and the index finger, if there is more than one finger of skin in between, it's time for action," she announced to the room full of promptly self-pinching men and women.

While stressing that there was no alternative to maintaining a healthy lifestyle when it came to weight management, Dr Balani assured that stubborn problem areas of fat like saddle bags, love handles etcetera could benefit immensely from laser treatment. Alongside, she pushed for 30 minutes of brisk walking, consumption of less carbohydrates and more proteins (fish, chicken, egg-whites) at dinner and having not more than three tea-spoons of oil daily.

On a high note

Clearly, with the right research and judgement, laser and other medical aesthetic procedures are as effective as traditional wellness solutions, and often more. The only side-effect you need to take into account then is a brighter, happier you!

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