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| Sunday, 21 March 2004 |
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In-depth approach to beauty culture By Kaminie Jayanthi Liyanage
Skin lightening, permanent make-up, 10-minute lunch time facials, Botox injections for frown lines and Restalyn injections for erasing years from one's face in minutes are among the techniques Dr. Pai spoke of, for cultivating a more youthful and wrinkle removed skin. All her treatment processes are imported from London. On the opening day of the Sunsilk Hair and Beauty Fair 2004, organised by the Sri Lanka Association of Hairdressers and Beauticians (SLAHAB) at the B.M.I.C.H., her marathon speech of two-and-a-half hours on the topic "Body Beautiful - Making of Ms. India", was to bridge the not-so-wide-apart distance between a dermatologist and a cosmetologist. She did succeed in going beyond the usual standpoint of a cosmetologist to disclose the medical reasoning and the rationale of skin improving and age erasing cosmetic processes to the mostly female audience gathered there, expecting to hear something new. In Dr. Pai's own words, "A dermatologist heals skin diseases and a cosmetologist gives an aesthetic look." In other words, an aesthetician becomes a becomes a better beautician when her cosmetology has the added insight of being a medical practitioner. After chucking a Rs.7,000 a month medical practice in a children's clinic for a Rs. 700 a month facial clinic called Blush in Mumbai, and having on call dieticians, cosmetologists and plastic surgeons for her patient-clients, Dr. Pai is said to have found that her in-depth approach to beauty culture has been appreciated by Bollywood actresses, models and who's who of society in India. "Botox is the number one cosmetic treatment in the world," said Dr. Pai of this new cosmetic approach to rejuvenating the facial skin, replacing facial surgery. A Botox injection relaxes muscles and reduces the formation of forehead lines, wrinkles, frown lines and crow's feet. When injected to a muscle which causes wrinkling of the skin, the skin can become smooth, giving a more youthful appearance. "Certain international TV news anchors look totally expressionless," joked Dr. Pai. "But that too is not good as then the whole world will know that they are using Botox. Hollywood actresses come for Oscars wearing Botox under their arms, as it stops them from excessively sweating for a certain amount of time." Yet, one must be sure that one receives the Botox treatment from an authority who knows how to administer it right, emphasised Dr. Pai. Otherwise, you might be in for trouble. A woman's passage from the thirties beyond the fifties can be marred by the decrease in the skin thickness, dryness, sagging of the skin and wrinkles, being more prone to itching and allergies, superfluous hair, adult acne, and probable physical disorders. Such changes are the result of the decreasing levels of the female hormone, estrogen. Dr. Pai explained that such impacts of menopause can be relieved by estrogen therapy on the prescription of a doctor after discussing one's symptoms. Hormonal replacement therapy or HRT is advisable for those who do not have a family history of cancer, she warned, as HRT has the capacity for flaring up a cancerous potential. Yet, relax, because this might be a silver lining in the grayest of clouds. "We in Asia has the pigment, melanin, by virtue of which we do not age as fast as Westerners with white skins," said an optimistic Dr. Pai. As the greater presence of melanin in dark skins protects it from the damaging effects of the ultraviolet rays, such skins tend to stay pliant and youthful longer than skins with relatively little melanin. Does that sound good news? Skin ageing which can hasten through intrinsic, genetic factors or extrinsic, stress could be erased through different methods of age erasing. Sunscreens, moisturisers, peels for reducing scars and wrinkles, and lightening agents are some of the local age erasers which are available with a cosmetologist. Another approach to age erasing is the dermatosurgical approach. One such methods is the filler injection, used to remove sagging facial muscles and the dropping of the mouth and for creating a clearer chin line. Dr. Pai also spoke of microdermabrasion, which is an intense exfoliation process which rejuvenates the skin by sluffing off dead skin and evening out the skin texture. Done under the supervision of a doctor, it is described as a fine buffing of the skin and the quick recovery of this method has earned it the nick name, "the lunch time peel". For acne, she recommends hormone tests. "Stress levels can alter your hormonal balance and pollution can play havoc with your skin. Many of my young clients come with skin problems caused by stress and affected hormone levels." Dr. Pai, whose dream of becoming a beautician crystallised when she saw a homeopath practicing medicine and administering beauty treatment at the same time, says, "Skin problems are usually symptomatic of deeper problems. It helps when you have a medical background because you can get to the root of a problem and treat that rather than the symptoms as happen with a beautician." In other words, achieving beauty is safer when coupled with medical guidance. |
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Last week, Doctor-Beautician Dr. Jamuna Pai from Mumbai was in Sri
Lanka to accomplish what can be called an Amazonian task.
