Health News
Watch Out at Your Nail Salon
Contributed by Drs. Noeller & Wells
Spring is here and sandals are out and about sporting pretty toes and sassy new polishes. Please be careful where and who performs your pedicures. There are no licensing requirements for salons. If you are diabetic, have peripheral arterial disease or are taking blood thinners, you should seek approval from your physician before you go to the salon.
While having a pedicure at the local nail salon may seem like a luxury that you deserve, it’s a good idea to keep your eyes and ears open and to make sure that you keep your feet safe by following a few easy tips.
If you schedule your pedicure first thing in the morning, you may find that the foot bath is the cleanest it will be all day. If you can’t be the first customer however, make sure that the technician cleans both the tub and the filter before your pedicure.
If at all possible, bring your own pedicure tools to the salon. Bacteria and fungus can easily be transferred from person-to-person on these tools, especially if the salon does not use proper sterilization techniques. Never allow technicians to use blades or knives to cut your calluses or to eliminate thick, dead skin. Only use pumice stones, foot files, or exfoliating scrub. Once you soak your feet for a few minutes, this thickened skin can be easily sloughed off with these types of tools.
The pedicurist should trim your nails straight across. Do not let them dig into the sides of the nails or try to trim out ingrown nails. If you think you may have an ingrown toenail, see a podiatrist immediately.
Only healthy nails should be painted with colored polish. Make sure to change the polish frequently and to check your nails when the polish is off. Signs of fungus and other nail problems can often be hidden under nail polish, so be vigilant in checking your nails.
If your skin bleeds or gets nicked at the salon, make sure to carefully clean and disinfect that area and then watch for signs of infection. Check with your podiatrist immediately if you have any signs of redness or skin irritation after your salon visit.
Ready for a Lift?
According to Murrieta plastic surgery specialist Dr. Brian Eichenberg, as people age, the effects of gravity, exposure to the sun and the stresses of daily life can be seen in their faces. Deep creases can form on the face; the jawline grows slack and jowly; folds and fat deposits appear around the neck.
A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can't stop this aging process. What it can do is "set back the clock," improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, or eyelid surgery.
If you're considering a facelift, this will give you a basic understanding of the procedure, when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. Please ask your surgeon about anything you don't understand.
The best candidates for a Facelift
The best candidate for a facelift is a man or woman whose face and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well-defined. Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but facelifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well.
Facelifts address much more than just the skin, and can give a much more dramatic and longer lasting result than chemical peels or lasers. A facelift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance your self-confidence in the process. But it won't give you a totally different look, nor can it restore the health and vitality of your youth. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. When a facelift is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, complications are infrequent and usually minor. Still, individuals vary greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and their healing abilities, and the outcome is never completely predictable.
Planning your Facelift Plastic Surgery
Facelifts are very individualized procedures. In your initial consultation the surgeon will evaluate your face, including the skin and underlying bone, and discuss your goals for the surgery. Going to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and having your surgery performed at an Accredited Surgery Center can make a big difference.
Your surgeon should check for medical conditions that could cause problems during or after surgery, such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, blood clotting problems, or the tendency to form excessive scars. Be sure to tell your surgeon if you smoke or are taking any drugs or medications, especially aspirin or other drugs that affect clotting.
Types of anesthesia for a Facelift
Most facelifts are performed under local anesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy. You'll be awake but relaxed, and your face will be insensitive to pain. (However, you may feel some tugging or occasional discomfort.) Some patients or surgeons prefer a general anesthesia. In that case, you'll sleep through the operation.