Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Designer Vaginas Blacklisted in Australia

A recent Fox News report details why the so-called "Designer Vagina" is being blacklisted. I have blogged on this a couple of different times, once in "Designer Vagina" and another in "Hymenoplasty.."

While I feel that a minor labiaplasty may be beneficial to some patients, full vaginal "rejuvenation" as it were, is another issue. As noted, there are many risks inherent in this procedure and the fact that many unqualified professionals perform the surgery is questionable. Also, if a patient's significant other is the one dictating the surgery, you need to rethink your priorities.

Don't rush into this sort of surgery unless it has been well researched.

CO2 Laser Resurfacing - Great for Wrinkles!

It has been long known that in order to address fine lines and wrinkles associated with animation, age, sun damage, smoking, etc. one needed to perform some sort of skin resurfacing. This is any method whereby you penetrate the deeper levels of the skin (into the deeper dermis) and stimulate the tissue to form collagen and tighten the surrounding skin and thicken the areas of fine lines.

Popular methods include chemical peels, dermabrasion (not "micro" dermabrasion like in the spa) and laser resurfacing. CO2 had a bad rap because of potential for long-term pigmentation changes and acne. The English press has reported on the efficacy of current CO2 laser treatments in the Telegraph.

I have found that conservative application of the CO2 laser in select patients can yield great results. The erbium laser is also a great device and some say may have a slightly larger safety window. For those who are leery of laser treatments, there are tailored chemical peels such as TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peels, lesser glycolic or even lactic acid peels.

The best thing to do is 1. stop smoking and going to the tanning bed, 2. wear sunscreen starting at an early age (even going to work!), and 3. see a qualified professional who can offer many different options to suit your needs and tailor it to fit your skin type.