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Health
Health
The latest health issues explored
Forever young
R
Virginia Ngai explores ways to slow aging
enown for their
work ethic,
accountants
working long
stressful hours
are at risk of
premature
aging – the signs of which are wrinkles
and grey hair.
Apart from stress, Dr. Walter W.K. King,
a plastic surgeon at a Hong Kong private
hospital that he prefers not to name, says
aging is caused by a combination of genetic
and environmental factors.
“There’s not much we can do about
countering genetic aging. If our parents live
longer, it’s a definite plus. But if our parents
have cancer and heart diseases, we need to
be more diligent in terms of screening and
annual checkups.
“It is the environmental factors that we
may be able to control,” he says. Avoiding
smoking and too much sun, drinking
moderately, regular exercise, adequate rest
and a balanced diet are important aspects
of a healthy lifestyle.
While managing stress is important for
health, more people are also turning to
various cosmetic procedures to help them
turn back the clock, says King.
The magic of Botox
Botox injections, for example, have
become all the rage in Hong Kong. The
procedure, which costs around HK$5,000
per treatment, involves the use of
botulinum toxin to block nerve impulses
and temporarily paralyze the muscles that
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January 2010
cause frown lines, forehead creases and
crow’s feet.
King says he has had a steady rate
of patients in recent years, but he also
notices a growing number of plastic
surgeons in the field, which indicates an
increasing number of people opting for
cosmetic procedures.
Although the side effects of Botox
are minimal, King says some people
experience inanimate facial expressions,
drooping eyelids, headaches and facial
swellings if the dosage or location is wrong.
Proponents, however, say they begin
seeing obvious results with just one
injection. But the downside is: The effect
only lasts about four to six months.
Dr. Lauren Bramley, who runs her
own medical and dental clinic, says the
treatment is safe and highly effective when
administered properly.
“Botox is magic. It can immediately
reverse wrinkles and improve appearance.
Botox can also reduce tension headaches
and migraines and has been proven to
improve quality of life,” she says.
Botox, however, doesn’t improve skin
quality and should be combined with
anti-aging skin care products as well as
supplements, she adds. “Sometimes Botox
is offered in areas where a filler would
give a better result such as around the
mouth,” where tiny lines or thinning lips
contribute to an older look.
Another recommended anti-aging
medical treatment is intense pulsed light,
which simultaneously removes damaged
skin and stimulates collagen growth
It is important to consult a
professional before deciding on a
procedure – be sure to bring up all
your questions with your doctor.
by using light and heat to activate the
fibroblast cells in the dermis.
Justine Grier, spa manager of the
Beautiful Skin Centre at Pacific Place, says
IPL treatments work best when combined
with vitamin C facials, a healthy diet and
the correct home skin care routine.
Other skin tightening options are
mesotherapy, a French-pioneered
technique of giving multiple injections of
hyaluronic acid and vitamins into your
A PLUS
face, and radiofrequency, which sends
heat energy into the skin to stimulate
new collagen growth. The former can
dramatically improve skin elasticity,
reducing jowls and dark circles, and
the latter can alleviate dark circles and
sagging eyelids, neck and abdomen,
according to Bramley.
Those who have very high expectations
and unsatisfactory results from less
invasive procedures may opt for surgery.
According to King, one increasingly popular
form of treatment is fat transplantation,
which can be done under local anaesthesia.
“We use liposuction techniques to
harvest fat from thighs or abs and prepare
the fat tissues and cells, which have been
scientifically proven to contain a small
amount of stem cells,” he says. “As a result,
during the fat injection process, some stem
cells also enter the system. The cells will
then fill up hollow spaces, add fullness to
the face and make your cheekbones higher.
The stem cells will also rejuvenate the
overlying skin.”
Both King and Bramley, however, stress
that it is important to consult a professional
before deciding on a procedure – be sure to
bring up all your questions with your doctor.
Potions and lotions
Medical cosmetic procedures aside, the
popularity of anti-aging skin products
and supplements is also growing in Asia.
Nu Skin Enterprises, a direct seller of antiaging skin care and nutritional products in
48 markets worldwide, said its annual revenue
is expected to hit around US$1.3 billion this
year and 70 percent of it will come from Asia
Pacific. Like many other businesses, Nu Skin
considers China to be its most important
growth market – revenue on the mainland
rose 6 percent in the third quarter compared
to a year ago.
With a proliferation of anti-aging skin
care products to choose from, consumers
may have a hard time discerning which
brand is the most effective. King stresses
that rather than looking at brands, it’s
more important to look at ingredients.
“From the medical viewpoint,
antioxidants and sun protection skin care
are most useful for anti-aging purposes.
Doctors recommend daily sun protection
use from an early age as most of the sun
damage would have been done before
the age of 20.
“Sunscreens that boast of a high SPF
(sun protection factor) may not necessarily
be better as SPF refers to protection from
the sun’s UVB rays but UVA rays causes just
as much aging, skin cancer and wrinkles,”
he says.
As we age, the level of hormones,
vitamins and other nutrients in our bodies
tends to decline, which can dramatically
age our appearance. King says antioxidants
such as vitamin C and vitamin E are the
most widely researched ingredients that
are known to be effective.
“Even with sunscreen usage, some of the
UV rays will still enter our skin. If we have
January 2010
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Health
Applying
vitamin C to
your skin will
help reverse
early forms of
sun damage
such as solar
keratosis.
enough antioxidants on the skin, they will
reduce the damage done by the UV light on
skin cell and tissue,” he says.
When looking for a skin care product,
Bramley recommends making vitamin C
and D a staple while rotating through other
antioxidants such as retinol, idebenone,
phloretin, ferulic acid, omega 3, melatonin
and hyaluronic acid, which have different
properties to offer.
Applying vitamin C to your skin will help
reverse early forms of sun damage such as
solar keratosis, a thick, scaly or crusty patch
of skin, which can become skin cancer if left
untreated. “No other topical product has
been shown to do this,” says Bramley.
She says most anti-aging experts now
agree that taking vitamin D3 supplements
of at least 2,000 IU (international units)
a day is one of the top three anti-aging
initiatives one can do.
“These products can be remarkably
effective in firming skin, reducing wrinkles,
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January 2010
removing pigment, closing pores and
reducing redness,” Bramley says.
Recent research has indicated that
vitamin D supplements may make you live
longer too. A 2007 study – conducted by
the International Agency for Research on
Cancer based in Lyon, France – found that
those who took at least 500 IU of vitamin D
daily were 7 percent less likely to die
compared with those given a placebo. Other
studies have suggested that the sunshine
vitamin can strengthen bones, thwart some
forms of cancer and fight infections.
Adequate sleep also does wonders in
helping restore collagen production, essential
to make your skin look refreshed. “By ensuring
adequate sleep in a pitch black room, hormones
can be produced as best as possible. Melatonin
production occurs in total darkness and plays
a major role in skin aging.
“I often recommend melatonin supplementation for poor sleepers, which can
also improve skin appearance, especially
when applied topically. Interestingly,
Asian skin has been found to have much
higher levels than Caucasian skin, which
may explain why Asians have a more
youthful appearance and an easier ability
to sleep,” Bramley says.
Hair stylist Shayne Chandler recommends
a new haircut or colouring to combat grey
or thinning hair.
“As you age, your hair produces less
melanin, which is the pigment that creates
the colour in your hair as well as conditions
your hair. With less melanin, hair turns
grey and becomes coarser so it tends to
pop up,” he says. “Combat these signs by
colouring and conditioning treatments as
well as using products that stimulate blood
flow to prevent loss of hair.”
Chandler says the most aging thing
about hair is keeping a style you’ve been
wearing for the last 20 years. “Like fashion,
hair styles need to be modern and current,
but don’t need to be extreme.”