Skin Health Articles
Copyright for the following articles belong solely to Sylvia Ramirez, MD MPH MBA.
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Is Botox Right For You? By Dr. Sylvia Ramirez, MD MPH MBA
Botox treatment is the most common aesthetic procedure in the world. Its popularity results from its effectiveness in restoring a youthful appearance without any downtime. This article gives you facts and details about Botox to remove the mystery and myths about this treatment.
What is Botox?
Botox is a brand name for botulinum toxin, a highly purified protein which is injected in very small doses to reduce or eliminate wrinkles. The other brand available in Singapore known as “Dysport” works in exactly the same way. For the purposes of this article, we will call botulinum toxin as “Botox” but the treatment and effects are the same with “Dysport”. The US FDA, which is the organization in the US that approves the use of medications in the US based on scientific evidence and safety profile, has approved Botox for use in certain medical conditions since the 1980s. Its effectiveness for reducing wrinkles was discovered more recently, where patients receiving Botox for lazy eye were also found to have fewer wrinkles. Since then, doctors have been using Botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes.
Healthy Aging... Maintaining a Good Quality of Life with Advancing Years by Dr. Sylvia Ramirez, MD MPH MBA
In many countries around the world, there is concern that the population is aging. Similarly in Singapore, by the year 2030, it is estimated that the percent of Singaporeans aged 65 years or older will make up 19% of the population ( Inter-Ministerial Committee on Ageing Report. (1999) Ministry of Community Development: Singapore). Older people are more likely to get chronic diseases, which are associated with reduced quality of life and increased cost of health care. And yet, research has shown that poor health is not inevitable as we grow old. And though a long, healthy life is partly good genes, there are effective lifestyle practices that can allow us to maintain a good quality life and remain independent longer with advancing years.
Shape Magazine Q&A
1) What is the name of the study that found only 56% of runners put on sunscreen regularly?
One study cited that compared with non-runners, runners had an increased risk for certain forms of skin cancer. In this same study, it was reported that only 56% of runners regularly used sunblock (Ambros-Rudolf CM, Hofmann-Wellenhof R, Richtig E, et al. Malignant melanoma in marathon runners. Arch Dermatol 2006; 142 (11): 1471-4.
Furthermore, another study cited even lower rates of sunblock use in athletes. In a US study of college athletes, it was found that 85% reported no regular use of sunblock (Hamant E, Adams B. Sunscreen use amoung collegiate athletes. J Am Acad of Derm2005, 53(2): 237-24
Skin Care and the Active Woman by Dr. Sylvia Ramirez
With the increasing popularity of outdoor running, do we need to compromise beauty to be active outdoor runners? Many of us have pondered the dilemna of whether we should actively train outdoors in order to be competitive with the standard Chartered Marathon, or the all-women's Sha'e Run and Great Eastern Race; or whether we should train in the gym because of the fear of sun damage and developing sunspots. Do we really need to compromise on beauty and our skin in order to be active in the outdoors?
The Things I Put on My Face..... A Practical Guide to Skin Care Products by Dr. Sylvia Ramirez
Everywhere you turn, every time you read the paper, whenever you meet a friend, you hear about the latest and the greatest skin care products that promise to make you look better. How do you know which ones to believe and which ones are right for you? Its easy to spend a lot of time and money trying different skin care products. In this article, we present a practical guide to common ingredients in skin care products and how to evaluate whether these are right for you.