Season of Beauty / body
Everybody loves summer. Long days, warm nights and lots and lots of sun, that’ s what all of us wait for all year long. The sun makes everything we do a bit happier; it warms us up and tans us. However, in our enthusiasm we tend to forget that the sun is most of all an immensely strong power unit than can affect us without us even noticing. How? Well, everybody is aware of the danger of sunburn but the sun does not only cause this. It can make your skin age faster, it can bring up a pigmentation problem you did not know you had and can even endanger your life. Let’ s not be pessimistic, though, the sun is also greatly beneficial for your health. The key is to know how to manage it.
Our neighbours from Australia and New Zealand will tell you things about the sun you probably wouldn’ t believe are true. Life in a country with such high sun activity or under the hole in the ozone layer is very different from a mild central European climate. Sun protection is not a joke there; here in the Czech Republic, on the other hand, we tend to trivialize it. And the increasing numbers of melanoma cases every year don’ t seem to be changing our opinion.
Of course melanoma is a very serious life endangering problem, but it is only one of the many negative effects the sun has on us beginning with such small symptoms we don’ t even notice – like ageing. The sun dehydrates the skin which loses its elasticity and becomes wrinkly and rough to touch, looking far older than it should look for your age. Dehydrated skin also doesn’ t breathe well and closes itself down; therefore there is not much good you can do with a hydrating cream anymore, since it doesn’ t penetrate the surface layers of the skin and doesn’ t reach the areas where it’ s desperately needed.
Hydration, Hydration...
There is never enough hydration. Our bodies are 70 % made of water, which is essential for the correct functioning of all our bodily functions, starting on a cellular level. If you lack water, you’ re tired and sore, you’ re weary and looking significantly older than how old you actually are. Deep hydration is the key to health. The most efficient deep hydration we can use, in order to make up for the damage done to our skin by the sun is mesotherapy by hyaluronic acid( so called bio-revitalization). This acid is normally present in the human body, its main functionality is to bind water and activate the growth of collagen fibres. It does not only hydrate the skin down to its deep layers but it also increases its elasticity and suppleness.
Natural colour, smoothness and elasticity of the skin can also be returned by a unique Swiss DNA therapy called RegenPlasma ®. Our own plasma can repair and regenerate cells as nothing else can. It can order those tired cells to recover and fix the damaged ones. All that needs to be done for it is to centrifuge it and reapply. While most procedures of aesthetic medicine only cover ageing, RegenPlasma ® PRP( platelet rich plasma) stops it completely on a cellular level.
Enough of Pigmentation
The high production of melanin, as the body reacts to sunshine, is almost always a problem. Not talking just about melanoma, the increased level of melanin cause the development of excessive pigmentation. Brownish spots or larger areas of pigmentation, freckles, all of this can be harmless or it can be a problem. Definitely, it is an aesthetic problem but nothing modern medicine couldn’ t solve.
Laser treatments are considered the most effective methods for removal of unwanted pigmentation. Through fractional ablative laser Candela CO2, vascular Candela V-Beam™ laser or their combination a total removal of all treated pigmentation and pigment spots can be achieved. Resurfacing Candela CO2 laser renews surface layers of the skin completely. The current one with unwanted pigmentation is therefore replaced with the brand new layer without pigmentation after the treatment as the treatment stimulates the body to do so. Apart from pigmentation, this type of laser is also used for removal of wide spectre of other unpleasant structures on the skin surface such as freckles, warts, acne scars and so on.
The vascular Candela V-Beam™ laser on the other hand doesn’ t interrupt the surface layers of the skin and treats pigmentation through them. It can solve pigment spots, sun spots and spots caused by age. It is great at treating acne too.
“ Modern medicine provides us with many options for treating skin problems caused by the sun. The greatest of them, however, is and will always be prevention,” concludes Dr. Helena Reisingerová, dermatologist at Mediestetik clinic.
Myths & Facts about Sunbathing
> 50 SPF sun cream is enough to only apply in the morning and you’ re protected for the whole day. Not true. No sun cream will protect you for such a long time, no matter how high its SPF is. Every sun cream should be applied 30 minutes before exposing to sun and should be re-applied every one or two hours.
> Waterproof sun creams are more effective because they protect us in the water, too. Not really. No sun cream is waterproof forever. Yes, they protect us in the water but in a matter of minutes, not hours. It is then necessary to reapply sun cream once an hour or two, even if it’ s waterproof.
> The sun rays don’ t go through glass and clouds. Not true. Neither glass nor clouds can protect you from UV rays. The sun can easily go through both even without you noticing it – that is why, for example, driver’ s tan exists, which is the situation when after long hours spent behind the steering wheel in summer months drivers tend to have burned hands, forearms and thighs.
> If you want to get tanned, you shouldn’ t use sun creams. Absolutely not true. No sun cream protects you 100 %. Even when using SPF 50 sun cream, sun rays still reach your skin but the cream only lets through a reasonable amount of them. In order to get a healthy tan, it is essential to avoid burning. The ideal time for tanning is in the morning until 10 or 11 before lunch and after 5 o’ clock in the afternoon, always with proper means of protection.
> A solarium is healthier for your body than natural tanning because you can regulate it. Not true. Almost all dermatologists strongly object to solariums because they dry the skin out and significantly accelerate its ageing process. Wrinkles and shrivelled skin tend to appear much sooner when you’ re a solarium enthusiast than if you’ ve never been to one and you only tan naturally.
What causes melanoma?
“ High-risk factors for the development of melanoma are genetic predispositions, hormones, a weakened immune system, a history of melanoma in the family or previously experienced melanoma. The most serious factor, however, is the sun which stimulates the body to produce melanin, skin pigment that naturally protects the skin from UV radiation. Every case of sunburn increases the risk of melanoma development, especially in childhood.” – Dr. Helena Reisingerová, dermatologist of Mediestetik clinic
# 4 spring / summer 2016 9