What are dermal fillers + how different it is from botox?

Dermal fillers are an artificial or naturally-derived material used for directly injecting into the skin. These soft tissue fillers are used with the aim to restore your facial appearance to address issues related to facial aging. Depending on the kind of filler that you opt for, the effects can vary from 6 months to 5 years. Nonetheless, they are used for a number of problems associated with facial aging such as:

  for smoothen out and add volume to creases known as laugh lines

  for enhancing thin lips

  for providing shape and fullness to cheeks so as to provide a youthful appearance

  for enhancing the under eye areas to the point that depressions or hollows are no longer visible

  for merging scars from chicken pox or acne with surrounding skin

  for adding volume to your temple or lower cheek area when shifting of fat pads (masses of tightly packed fat cells) underneath your skin surface occurs.

How are these fillers different from botox?

Even though both these procedures involve the use of injections, they are completely different from one another. Botox or botulinum (a purified, natural protein) works by numbing muscles that contract to create facial lines. It is mostly used around the eye and forehead areas for stopping the movement of muscles that cause wrinkles to form. Moreover, it treats active lines, which are visible when you smile, frown or squint.

Dermal fillers, on the other hand, treat wrinkles that are very deep and static, which you can only be seen when the face is in a restful state. Furthermore, it serves to enhance the skin while lightly swapping the collagen (a protein that helps connective tissue in the body to remain strong) that gets lost as you age. When it comes to swelling and bruising, botox reports minimal effects and dermal fillers a certain amount of swelling and bruising that disappear within 7-10 days.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: 6 Face Washing Mistakes that are Damaging Your Skin, Every day!

For Your SKIN: What are Dermal Fillers + How Different it is from Botox?

Psoriasis is a durable autoimmune disease defined by patches of irregular skin. These patches of skin are usually scaly, red and itchy. Its symptoms vary greatly in severity, the coverage might be small and focused or it could spread all over the body.

Types
There are mainly five types of psoriasis:
1. Plaque- also called psoriasis vulgaris, is the most common kind of psoriasis (90% of cases). It affects the skin behind the forearms, over the navel, shins and scalp, usually presenting itself in red patches with white- colored scales over it.
2. Guttate- has lesions that are drop-shaped.
3. Inverse- red patches show up in the folds of your skin.
4. Pustular- pus-filled blisters form. They are non-infectious.
5. Erythrodermic- the rash spreads wider. In some people, even fingernails and toenails get affected as pits may form on them or their colour may change.

Causes
Anything from emotional trauma and stress to streptococcal infection can cause psoriasis. Sometimes you might carry predisposition for psoriasis in your genes and stress may aggravate it. Environmental factors may also lead to psoriasis. And then again defects in the immune system may also be the underlying cause. Even after thirty years of research, the exact cause for psoriasis remains a mystery. There is no age limit to psoriasis. It can show up from anywhere between infancy to old age.

Symptoms
Common symptoms include
1. Pink or red scaly bumps that are smaller in size, but become plaques later, show up on the skin. Although these scales can show up anywhere, they are mostly common on sites where there is much friction, abrasion or scratching.
2. Small pinpoint depressions or pits might show up on toenails and fingernails. Distal onycholysis, which refers to large brown/yellow divisions on the nails, shows up as well.
3. Sore throat may follow if it is guttate psoriasis.

Treatment
Psoriasis is not curable. But its symptoms can be managed with steroid creams, ultraviolet creams, vitamin d3 creams and with medicines that act as immunosuppressants. Creams alone can help control symptoms in 75% of patients with psoriasis.

All About Psoriasis

Your nails tell a lot about your health or the lack of it! Many health problems have nails as the indicators or warning signs. If your nails are not healthy or pink and shiny, you might be in for some sort of health issue.  If you have cracked nails, discoloured nails, irregularities or very thick nails then you probably have some internal health problem.

Look for these indicators to get an idea-

1) Color of your nails : Pink or white nails are considered healthy. Dark spots on your nails? surface are not just a sign of aging but also indicate a risk of heart disease. Red color is a possible sign of heart infections and green colour usually indicates local fungal infection.

2) Brittle nails: If your nails are brittle and get cracked often, it is due to lack of folic acid, vitamin C and protein. In 10% of cases, psoriasis starts with the nails.

3) Furrow nails: Furrow nails are the ones which are irregular with a dent like appearance. It may indicate you of psoriasis or auto-immune illness which leads to hair loss. Thick furrow nails may signal a yeast infection.

4) Thick nails: Nails thicken in time. Thick nails are neither natural nor normal. If your nails are extremely thick, you probably it could be that your lungs are not healthy. It can also indicative of the fact that your body has poor circulation.

5) Curved nails: If your nails are curved and concave like shape it might signal either lack of iron or heart problems.



What Your Nails Tell About Your Health

Primarily common among middle-aged women, rosacea is a disorder which is characterized by redness and pus-filled bumps and blisters on the chin, cheeks and the forehead. As time progresses, these red bumps can get aggravated and result in other complications. It may also affect other parts of the body such as the back, neck and the chest. If the eyes are affected, then they might appear to be watery and bloodshot. It can also lead to formation of bumps and pimples on the face.

Causes
The exact cause of rosacea has not yet been ascertained. However, certain factors have been known to act as catalysts in the development of this disorder, such as problems of the blood vessels. It may also be caused by fungus and microscopic skin mites. Though more research needs to go into it, but psychological factors are often considered to be important reasons behind this disorder. Some other risk factors of rosacea are:

Gender: It is more common among women
Complexion: People with fairer skin are at a higher risk
Symptoms
The symptoms of this disorder can vary among individuals, but they all share a few common symptoms. The major symptoms of this disorder are:

Bumps and pimples: Similar to pimples, pus filled bumps and pimples are a few common symptoms.
Flushing: A flushed face or a face that appears reddish is one of the most common symptoms indicative of rosacea.
Visible blood vessels: The blood vessels on the face tend to become visible.
Thickening of the skin: The skin tends to thicken and enlarge, caused by the presence of excessive tissue.
Stinging and burning: One may experience burning sensations and inflammation on the face.
Treatment
There are two primary methods of treatment and the required type is decided upon after a through diagnosis of the symptoms. They are-

Medications: Topical and oral medications can be administered to treat symptoms of pimples, bumps and the reddish hue on the face. Medications help you manage the symptoms and prevent them from aggravating or resurfacing.
Surgical procedures: Surgical procedures for rosacea are aimed at reducing the excessive facial redness, remedying blood vessels that are visible and correct other deformities if required.
There are certain preventive measures that you can adopt, them being:
1. Avoid direct exposure to the sun
2. Don t overdo your exercise sessions
3. Avoid eating spicy foods
4. Take steps to minimize your stress levels

Swollen Red Bumps On Skin - Can It Be A Sign Of Rosacea?

A common skin condition, which causes the discoloration of your skin in patches across the face, melasma is more of a social embarrassment and cause for distress rather than being a serious condition. Although it affects men as well, studies have shown that over 90 percent of patients are women. It is also known as the mask of pregnancy as many pregnant women develop this skin condition.

Causes of Melasma
Primary causes of melasma have been attributed to various hormonal changes within the body. Let's look at some of the factors that may cause this disorder:
1. Pregnancy: This is often attributed as the leading cause of melasma, the primary cause has often been attributed to hormonal changes that a woman may experience due to pregnancy.

2. Treatments that may change hormonal balance: Women on contraceptive pills or who have implants such as intrauterine devices may also develop this disorder. This is due to the balance of estrogen and progesterone being changed within the body.

3. Sun exposure: Continued sun exposure may also lead to melasma. This is due to the activation of melanocytes within the body which start producing more melanin.

4. Stress: Long periods of stress on the body can also trigger hormonal changes and cause melasma.

5. Thyroid problems: If someone suffers from Hypothyroidism or low levels of the thyroid hormone, it can trigger other hormonal changes and also cause this skin disorder. 
It has also been noticed that people with generally a darker skin tone tend to get melasma and it is less common in people with fairer skin.

Certain characteristics of Melasma
Melasma develops in certain patterns which can be easily diagnosed either as spots on the skin similar to freckles or brown patches of skin that grow bigger. Some of these patterns are:
a. Malar pattern: This grows on the nose and cheeks
b. Mandibular pattern: Starts growing around the jaw line
c. Brachial melasma: This grows on the upper arms and shoulders
d. Lateral cheek pattern: Grows on the cheek on both sides of the face
e. Centrofacial pattern: Nose, upper lips, forehead and cheeks

Treatment of Melasma
Most women who develop melasma during pregnancy report that it goes away after childbirth. However certain forms of melasma may appear in non-pregnant women due to hormonal changes. Treating the underlying hormonal changes usually resolves the problem. However certain other methods may be required to resolve the issues such as skin creams, chemical peels, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion.

All About Melasma

Dandruff is also known as Seborrhea, the white flakes that you may notice on your scalp or skin. It is generally caused due to dryness. Dandruff can only be controlled and not absolutely cured. It can give rise to other skin problems as well. The following are the ways in which your skin may be adversely affected due to dandruff

Pimples may pop out: Due to dandruff pimples may pop out on your skin. If the white flakes fall on your T- zone region, the facial area which is more prone to pimples.
Problem of pigmentation: The pimples leave behind dark spots all over your skin leading to the embarrassing problem of pigmentation. Dandruff makes the condition even worse.
Chest rashes may appear: If your dandruff becomes uncontrollable then it keeps falling all over your body. This may lead to the break out of chest rashes.
Acne: Acne is another distressing problem that may be the result of dandruff. This also promotes the break out of pimples and red rashes on your skin.
Facial rashes: Facial rashes may also appear in many cases. Rashes can be seen near the eyebrow or forehead region. In case of men, beard rashes are also common.
Itchy scalp: Dandruff gives you an itchy scalp. This further makes the condition of dandruff worse and the skin of your scalp becomes scaly resulting in further problems.
Eczema and psoriases are unfavorably affected: Skin problems like eczema and psoriases become far worse due to dandruff.
Inflammation and redness: Dandruff may cause your facial skin to suffer from the problems of inflammation and redness.
It is highly recommended for you to use natural remedies and good hair care products to control your dandruff so that your skin is not much affected. But if it is uncontrollable, visiting a dermatologist is a must.

How Is Dandruff Affecting Your Skin?

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