B6
HEALTH & WELLNESS
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY February 1 - 15, 2016
Microdermabrasion
and beyond
by Manuel C. Octaviano, Jr.
Microdermabrasion is
a non- invasive mechanical exfoliation treatment for
superficial skin resurfacing.
Other skin exfoliation used
in today’s cosmetic market
are chemical exfoliants like
glycolic and tricholoacetic
acid peels and laser treatments.
The depth of resurfacing achieved with microdermabrasion is moderately superficial as compared
to the more aggressive laser resurfacing procedures.
The target depth for most
microdermabrasion procedures is removal of the stratum corneum and this is
achieved based on the principles of wound healing. By
wounding and removing the
uppermost layers of the skin
in a controlled manner, cell
renewal is stimulated with
regeneration of a healthier
epidermis and dermis.
Histological
evaluation of facial skin after repeated Microdermabrasion
treatments demonstrate a
reparative wound-healing
process leading to cell regeneration and ultimately
a smoother epidermis.
Skin hydration increases
with improved epidermal
barrier function, and fibroblast stimulation increases
dermal thickness through
production of new collagen
and elastin.
Microdermabrasion
is commonly used to treat
sun damaged skin and is
proven to improve skin
texture, large pores, blackheads/whiteheads, and hyperpigmentation such as
melasma and solar lentigo.
It also improves fine lines
and superficial acne scarring.
Microdermabrasion
devices use crystals or diamond tips as the abrasive
element . Negative pressure
draws the skin to the handpiece tip then the crystals
or diamond tips superficially abrade the skin’s surface
as they pass across the epidermis. Used crystals and
cellular debris are aspirated
and collected in a sterile
container to be disposed
after each treament.
Each pass of the hand
piece removes approximately 15 μm of skin, and
two passes of most microdermabrasion devices fully
removed the stratum corneum. The depth of resurfacing achieved with microdermabrasion is the same
as superficial chemical
peels however microdermabrasion offers minimal
discomfort and has generally no downtime hence it’s
usually called “lunch time
peel”.
Recent advances in
microdermabrasion technology includes “Hydrafacial” and “Silk Peel” which
combines exfoliation with
dermal infusion . During
this process, topical products like hyaluronic acid or
salicylic acid, etc. are delivered into the skin at while
doing exfoliation. These
systems take advantage of
the transient disruption to
the epidermal barrier that
occurs with removal of the
stratum corneum to better
deliver medications into the
deeper dermal layers. Dermal infusion can enhance
results for conditions such
as dehydration, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and
rosa cea depending on the
products used.
Microdermabrasion
treatments are most commonly performed on the
face, neck and chest. It is
usually done in 6-8 treatments every 2-4 weeks. Single treatment is not enough
to see results therefore follow up is normally recommended depending on the
skin problem. It is usually
combined with other treatments such as IPL skin
rejuvenation or lasers for
better results. Patients typically experience redness or
superficial skin peeling after
the procedure. Moisturizer
as well as sunscreen protection with SPF 30 or greater
is recommended after each
procedure. It is best to talk
to your skin care practitioner so you will be better
informed about this treatment.
Hydrafacial
photo
courtesy of ww.hydrafacial.
co.uk
For questions, comments or suggestions, you
can email me at [email protected]
Or you can follow me
www.instagram.com/
at
melaninvancouver or www.
twitter.com/melaninclinic
You can also visit our
website at www.melaninlaserclinic.com
Manuel Octaviano is a
physician in the Philippines.
He is the owner of Melanin
Aesthetics and Laser Clinic in
Surrey. Manny is also the training officer of Nubody Equipment Ltd., Canada. His office,
Melanin Aesthetics and Laser
Clinic is located at 10342
Whalley Blvd, Surrey BC.
Phone #: 604- 496-5114 •
2016 Yoga in America
study: Yoga is booming
by Edgar Sevilla
The newly released 2016 Yoga
in American Study conducted Yoga
Journal and Yoga Alliance shows
that Yoga is not just thriving in
America but BOOMING. There
are now 36.7 Million US yoga
practitioners up from about 20.4
Million in 2012. Of the 36.7 Million,
72% or 26.4 Million are female and
28% or 10.3 Million are male. And
the cool thing is that the present
American population is estimated at
323 Million and about 90 % haven’t
experienced the gifts of yoga yet.
This creates more opportunities for
yoga teachers, yoga studios, yoga
companies and vendors, etc.
More men in yoga
The increase in the number of
males practicing yoga is very
encouraging as there only 4 million
of them practicing in 2012. Already
some yoga apparel companies like
Lululemon are started to carve out
this niche by opening their own
store exclusively for men. Their
men’s store in SOHO was pretty
much well-received by the market
when it opened in 2014 and the
company is expected to open more
men’s standalone stores in 2016.
Lululemon is targeting US$ 1 Billion
from the same of men’s product in
the future. Good sign for the yoga
industry but not yet enough to put
a male yogi in front of the cover of
Yoga Journal magazine. The chance
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
of the Chicago Cubs winning the
World Series is probably bigger
than the latter happening.
The next generation
Besides the fact that the
biggest growth are with men and
boomers with disposable income,
it’s interesting to note that 37% of
practitioners have children under
the age of 18 who also practice
yoga. As of present, the yoga
demographic in America is 43%
( 30 – 49 ), 38% ( 50 + ), and
19% ( 18-29 ). This assures the
next generation of yogis for the
industry. Good for yoga studios
and apparel companies that
have positioned themselves in
this segment like Lululemon
and IVIVVA. Like what they say in
marketing, if you get them at a
young age, they will be loyal to
you for the rest of their life.
New yoga teachers
More and more Americans
are becoming yoga teachers,
there are 2 people interested in
becoming a yoga teacher for
every one current teacher. As new
yoga studios keeps on popping
out everywhere and competition
becomes fierce, offering teacher
training courses has become
an important source of revenue
for yoga studios and keeps
student from dropping out or
defecting to another studio. More
Continued on PAGE B14