Dr. Pushpendra Shukla

BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a major cause of vertigo. This is a condition that gives a sensation of head spin all of a sudden. It also results in dizziness in brief episodes. The severity level can vary from intense to mild. BPPV is triggered with certain changes of the head position. Although BPPV is bothersome, it isn’t serious unless there is a chance of a person falling abruptly because of the head spin. There are ample treatment options available to address this problem.

Symptoms of BPPV
BPPV includes some of the following symptoms:
a. Loss of balance
b. Dizziness
c. Feeling of the surrounding spinning
d. Vomiting and nausea
e. Rhythmic movement of the eye

When to seek medical attention?
If dizziness is accompanied with one of the below-mentioned symptoms, it is time to urgently seek medical attention and get vertigo addressed for good:

1. Hear loss
2. Tingling or numbness
3. Fever accompanies with severe headache
4. Arm or leg weakness
5. Problems with vision
6. Difficulty in walking
7. Becoming unconscious

Causes of BPPV:
If there is on known cause associated with BPPV, the condition is termed as idiopathic BPPV. In most of the cases, though, BPPV is associated with a severe to minor blow to the head. Other causes include an injury to the inner ear, prolonged sitting position in a fixed posture, even migraine pain is at times associated with BPPV.

What are the risk factors?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is likely to occur in the age group of 50 and above, this being said it can happen at any age in case of any injuries. Statistically, it is found that the likelihood of BPPV is more in women than men. Head injury of any sort is by far the most likely reason of BPPV.

What are the tests and diagnosis involved?
A doctor is likely to perform a physical examination followed by a series of tests. Some typical signs that a doctor looks for include the following:
Ability to control eye movement- especially side to side movement

Symptoms of dizziness
In case it is difficult to spot the symptoms, a doctor might suggest video- nystagmography or electronystagmography. It helps to track irregular eye movement. An MRI can also be prescribed to study the cross-sectional images of the body and the head.

Treatments associated with BPPV:
BPPV mostly go away within months or weeks on its own. If however, it still persists, a doctor can suggest Canalith Repositioning- series of small movements that helps to counter BPPV. For extreme cases, a doctor might advise a surgery for blocking the portion of the inner ear that might be causing the problem. It guarantees close to a 100 percent fix to BPPV. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ENT specialist.

Age is really nothing, but a number. The best thing about age is to embrace it. However, not everybody can jovially accept the bodily changes that come with age, especially the wrinkles, the sagging skin and the not-so-wanted curves of the face. So are you tired of using a hundred different age-renewal creams?

Tired of all the false promises from brands claiming their products would turn back time? Tired of putting heavy makeup to hide those wrinkles? Guess what? There is a long-term solution to these problems. Consult an awesome cosmetic physician and get a facelift. Since this is a life-changing decision, you must know about the different types of facelifts to give you a proper idea about the whole thing before you contact a surgeon.

A surgical procedure that involves minimizing the various signs of ageing around the face and neck area is called a facelift, also known as rhytidectomy. There are numerous types of facelift surgeries, a few common ones are discussed below-

1. The deep plane procedure: There is a layer beneath our skin known as the superficial musculoapnoneurotic system (SMAS). The muscles of facial expression are surrounded by this layer. The deep plane lift is the most commonly used face-lift technique and in this technique the SMAS is lifted, released and repositioned. After the repositioning of this layer, the loose, extra skin is removed and the edges of the layer are structured and stapled in place. This is by far the best voted technique and is known to give long lasting results with lesser number of revisions. The estimated cost of this procedure ranges from 5000 - 12000 dollars.
2. The short scar lifts: This includes various types of facelift techniques, which involve minimal scar formation. The short scar lift techniques unlike the others do not extend beyond the ears. The surgeon can re-suspend all those tissues that support the smile-line and jowls, thereby, tightening a moderate amount of loose skin wherever required. The estimated cost of these types of procedures ranges between 6000-10000 dollars.
3. FAT auto transfer?: In this technique, fat from the buttock/stomach/thigh area is collected by the process of liposuction and is then injected into the face to fill in the required areas. Price ranges from 5500-15000 dollars.

However, the most important part is to contact a certified cosmetic physician because as already discussed, this is a life changing decision, and one wrong move can cost you a lot.