From pediatric questions to general medical queries, our panel of experts is here to answer your questions….
OPEN PORES
Question: I am a 34-year-old with fairly good skin that I take care of at home. Despite this, I have enlarged open pores. Is there a remedy for this?
Olimpia Carmen
Skin Care & Anti-Aging Specialist responds, “Everyone has those little openings on the outer layer of our skin, but the key to making pores appear smaller is to keep them clear. However, for stubborn pores, you’ll need to take your treatment to the next level – a professional one. I always use a combination of skin care treatments for dramatic results, but these require some downtime. The ablative laser fractional CO2 in combination with the plasma rich treatment, or Q-Switch Laser followed by Dermapen infusion or MesoGold as these provide a more permanent solution to large pores. However, the demand in Dubai nowadays is for treatments with little to no downtime so Q-Switch Laser is the best non-invasive option for now. The heat of the 1064 Q-Switch wavelength heats ‘old, loose’ collagen deeply, shrinking the sebaceous glands, while producing new collagen, thereby closing the open pores.”
SULLEN TEENAGER
Question: My otherwise happy teenage daughter has become sullen recently. Could she be suffering from depression?
Dr. Sheetal Kini
Clinical Psychologist responds, “It could be possible that your daughter is suffering from depression. However, it could also be possible that she is experiencing an emotionally difficult period in her life; there is a difference. Some key signs of depression are: significant changes in appetite and sleep, difficulties with concentration, fatigue, loss of pleasure in activities and low mood consistently for most days over a two-week period. The best way to help her would be to approach her when she is relatively open to conversation and share that you have noticed she has been sad or low. Tell her that you are concerned and that you’re there to listen non-judgmentally and to support her in any way she may need you. Share with her that if she doesn’t wish to speak to you, but would speak to a professional or someone else, that is also okay. If she withdraws again, let her know that you understand she is not ready to talk, but that you’ll check in later. It could also be helpful to write her a letter if she is unwilling to hear you out.”
LIFTING AND TIGHTENING
Question: I have heard Ultherapy is great for lifting and tightening. Can you please explain if it will help my sagging jowls?
Dr. Sanjay Parashar
Consultant Plastic Surgeon explains, “Sagging jowls are due to either skin sagging or drop in the cheek fat to the jowl areas. Sometimes it may be due to excess fat accumulation in the lower face and neck line that gives a sagging appearance. If your weight is stable and near normal range for your age and height, then tightening the skin and underlying muscle will help reduce the sagging jowls. Ultherapy is the only nonsurgical technology that penetrates skin at multiple levels—1.5, 3, and 4.5 millimeters to cause a firming of the layers of skin. It is an ultrasonic technology that penetrates like a cone of the beam into deeper layers and generates a sudden increase in temperature that causes collagen to contract. Ultherapy can be done on the cheeks, jawline, neck, and even in the brow region. However, if fat accumulation is the cause of sagging jowls, then just ultherapy alone may not give the best results.”
