Improving looks

This page is for miscellaneous articles on the aesthetic or cosmetic treatment of skin.

The previous article on treating cellulite addressed mesotherapy or the use of agents that breakdown fat deposits in the fat cells just beneath the skin.  This article addresses a different approach to treating cellulite, namely using electromagnetic radiation or ultrasound to heat up the skin, typically in the form of twice-weekly treatments over a couple of weeks.  The heat damages collagen fibers, causes contracture of collagen-rich connective tissue, and prompts the body to overcompensate in terms of increased collagen content of the skin, which firms up the skin over the buttocks and back of the thighs.  This principle is also behind some approaches used for rejuvenating aging facial skin and reducing wrinkles.

This article will address the outline of the basic elements of makeup.^{(1, pdf)}

Large labia minora can result in chronic irritations, worsened hygiene, interfere with sexual intercourse and be aesthetically displeasing.  The solution is surgical reduction, and the technique addressed here is inferior wedge reduction with superior pedicle flap reconstruction.^{(1, pdf)}

This article will address two recently published reports on acne treatment.

There was a time when I heard about some topical applications that claimed to shrink fat cells just beneath the skin.  If true, then they could help improve cellulite, the cottage-cheese-like appearance of the skin that many women have in the back of the upper thighs and buttocks and some men also.  I assumed these were a scam, but some of these drugs work, and here is the latest literature review on them.

This article addresses the latest literature review on drugs that have been documented to improve the health and appearance of aged or photodamaged skin.^{(1, pdf)}

Rhinoplasties (nose jobs) are among the most difficult cosmetic surgical procedures and unfavorable results are not unusual, making a number of patients seek additional rhinoplasties to correct the deficits of the first one.  People considering a nose job and cosmetic surgeons in particular should be aware of four types of nose deformities that predispose to unfavorable results.^{(1, pdf)}

This is a follow-up on a previous entry on eyebrow aesthetics.  Baker et al.(1) morphed the faces of 5 women into oval, square, long and round faces; digitally removed the eyebrows, and for each morphed shape, came up with two images: one with an added eyebrow conforming to Westmore’s ideal and another with an eyebrow added by a make-up artist to suit the face shape.