They say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Is it really?
While differences of opinion on what defines beauty clearly still exist, women around the world are increasingly being presented with a homogenized global standard of female exquisiteness: thin, tall, fair-skinned, wrinkle free, blond, blue-eyed, and the list goes on. In a poll about body image conducted by Dove, 90 percent of women admitted that, "they want to change some part of their appearance."
It's no surprise cosmetic surgery is fast becoming a flourishing industry. However, despite having spent lots of money and time perfecting the way we look, women are forgetting one thing - their hands!
In the past, we used to say that you could tell a woman's age by just looking at their laugh lines (also known as crow's feet) or wrinkles on their neck. Now, with Botox, crow's feet can disappear in minutes. Moreover, with technological advancements in medicine and sophisticated skin care products, your neck "problems" can disappear too.
But what about aging hands?
Our hands are probably one of the most used parts of our body - often exposed to the sun, harsh substances from detergents, wind, dust and others. We use our hands for almost everything: to caress someone, greet people we meet, gesture when we talk, and most importantly for women, as the vantage point for a sparkling diamond. Dried and wrinkled hands that have been neglected can make you look older than you really are.
So, you've tried all sorts of hand creams that do not work and your confidence is still low? Well, you are not alone.
Dr Marco Faria Correa, a Brazilian plastic surgeon who practices at the Gleneagles & East Shore Medical Centre, Singapore, said that "there has been an increase of women and even men coming in for hands rejuvenation over the past months. After each person we treat, two to three of their friends will come asking for the same surgery".
"Women these days do not only come in to get their face lifted and body retouched but they're requesting more specific treatments like hand rejuvenation," he continued. Dr Marco needs no introduction when it comes to the topic of beauty. After almost two decades perfecting the art of beauty, Dr Marco has seen and done it all. According to Dr Marco, the two major concerns that patients have about their hands are: the loss of fullness of the dorsum and dry skin with aging spots.
All of us were born with soft, smooth hands (mainly our dorsum). But as we age, our hands lose their subcutaneous fatty tissue and start to look very bony and flabby. Sometimes veins and tendons become very visible.
"To treat the dorsum of hands that have lost their fullness, different types of fillers can be used. Temporary fillers, which last up to a period of three to six months, can be used. However, many injections will be needed because of the size of the syringes. Commercial fillers are expensive compared to using one's body fat, and have potential side effects. That is why the patient's own body fat is the best filler," he explained.
Fat is grafted to fill the empty space between tendons and to cover the veins. Once injected, the area instantly becomes fuller and regains its youthful appearance. This procedure is known as "micro fat filling".
Fat can be taken from areas like inner thighs, inner knees or arms, using liposuction at a very low pressure, preferably manually with a small cannula and syringe, then immediately grafted into the skeletal dorsum area with the aid of a microcannula. As fat is a living cell, taking fat from one part of the body using high pressure machines and machines like LASER Liposuction, Vaser or Ultrasound liposuction that melt the fat, is very likely to destroy the fat cells.
According to Dr Marco, usually up to 50 percent of the injected fat graft will stay on the hands while the rest of it will be absorbed by the body. The grafted fat will cover the bony area where tendons and veins tend to show. In some cases, patients will only need one treatment while others will have to repeat the procedure at least two to three times over a period of four to six months. This procedure can be done under local anesthetic and takes around one hour. The surgery is safe and results are very predictable. Swelling is minimal and stitches are usually removed two to three days later.
Another procedure, which is very rare, is to inject the fats directly into the fingers. Only an experienced cosmetic surgeon with microsurgery skills can perform this procedure because the treatment requires the doctor to protect the nerves and blood supply to the fingers.
People's second complaint is aging spots on surface of their hands, which looks like white and patchy pigmentation. The damage is caused by exposure to the sun. Lightening cream and sun blocks are usually used at first. Chemical peel, laser & intense pulse light machines can be used to treat those darker spots (lightening cream will not work). Microdermabrasion, hand scrub, masks and investing in a good hand cream will help improve the skin texture.
When asked how Dr Marco maintains his hands, he gave out a little laugh and replied, "Try to avoid sun exposure and harsh washing detergents as much as possible."
cFlyFreeForHealth2009
Articles in this column, which will appear every two weeks, are provided by a panel of doctors from www.flyfreeforhealth.com,a leading multimedia medical tourism platform dedicated to providing adopters of healthy lifestyle with travel and lifestyle incentive. Join FlyFreeForHealth's online seminar for free by SMSing your email address to +65-98IREACH (+6598473224) to receive the exclusive invite. Hurry, limited space! Email us at info@flyfreeforhealth.com.
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