Number #24 summary - GO BACK TO ARCHIVE

What is beauty?
Questions seeking the answers to what is truth and what is beauty have engaged the minds of mankind’s greatest thinkers since antiquity. Dr Pierre Fournier, a distinguished French plastic surgeon, examines the defi ning characteristics of good looks
   The French writer and philosopher Paul Valery once said: “Health is the silence of the organs”, and according to the World Health Organisation, “health is not only the absence of illness but also a state of complete mental and social well being”. On the other hand, beauty—which Plato placed behind health and before fortune—has not been well defined. Medical aestheticians must create or conserve beau-ty. In the education of cosmetic surgeons, techniques abound in the medical textbooks of Europe, North, South and Central America, but artistic teaching on beauty, or human beauty, is not taught enough.Medical aestheticians often find it difficult to define beauty. Ask a group of practitioners and the answers vary considerably, and in the main are unsatisfactory. This is why I thought it would be useful to approach the sub-ject from a psychological point of view and attempt to understand what it is that enters the mind of a person—cosmetic surgeon or not—when he or she perceives, or does not perceive, the feeling of beauty. It is important to understand this feeling to guide us during our pro-cedures.

Bridging decorative and medical art
More commonly known as semi-permanent make-up, micropigmentation has long been considered the domain of beauty, but it has been making its mark in medical aesthetics, writes Debra Robson-Lawrence
   Semi-permanent make-up, a form of cosmetic tattooing in which a fine needle injects micro-pigments into the dermis, is usually perceived as a purely cosmetic treatment to enhance the appearance of the eyes, brows and lips. As its name suggests, semi-permanent make-up also fades over time, varying from a few months to a number of years.Cosmetic skin camouflage, however, is not new. It was pioneered during the second world war to help American and British pilots who had been badly burned. It was later researched and implemented in the 1950s by Joyce Allsworth, founder of the British Association of Skin Camouflage.Camouflage make-up today has two primary roles: as a post-procedure treatment to cover up erythema and post-operative bruising after injections, chemical peels, dermabrasion, laser treatments or cosmetic surgery, and to disguise dermatological and congenital conditions such as vitiligo, birthmarks, pigmentation problems, rosacea, age spots and veins. It can also disguise scars and burns.

The full picture
Advances in 3D scanning are providing a more accurate record of patients’ responses to treatments. The technology enables better clinician–patient communication and procedural planning.Nicolas Miedzianowski-Sinclair looks at how the benefi ts of 3D imaging are being realised
   More aesthetic practices are using digital imaging in their everyday work as part of the initial consul-tation and as a component of the patient record in respect to outcomes management. However, physicians traditionally acquire body measure-ments by hand to assess health status, skin quality and suitability for the intended treatment. 3D digital surface imaging (or surface scanning) offers capabilities that are transforming image and information management, treatment planning, patient documentation and patient education. During the consultation it becomes possible to highlight the extent of changes that can be expected from some procedures and to identify whether the desired change will require more than one. There are a number of scanning technologies, which include laser scanning, millimetre wave and photogrammetry. In “3D Body Scanning and Healthcare Applications,” Computer July 2007, Philip Treleaven and Jonathan Wells provide a sound insight into the background and the potential for 3D in healthcare applications. They divide healthcare applications into four groups: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring; although, applications such as growth defects might appear in multiple groups.

Why exercise is the polypill of anti-ageing
Professor Wayne Derman explores how exercise can be such a powerful treatment in anti-ageing
   The many advances towards our understanding of ageing have given researchers insights into potential anti-ageing interventions. But one of the simplest and possibly most effective methods for living a longer and fuller life is actually the closest thing to an anti-ageing pill… regular exercise.“The biological process of ageing is associated with an altered function of most human organ systems. The nature of the altered function is characterised by cellular and genetic changes that can result in degenerative/inflammatory conditions causing disease and functional incapacity. Mounting data suggests that specific forms of exercise training, in appropriate doses—duration, frequency and intensity—can retard and, in some cases, even reverse changes in the body. This is particularly relevant to the chronic diseases associated with increasing age. There has been much written in the media about the formulation and use of a “polypill” for widespread use to fight chronic cardiovascular disease. A polypill has multiple constituents and will combat disease by many mechanisms. In the case of the polypill for chronic cardiovascular disease, the constituents of the polypill are aspirin, a statin drug for lowering cholesterol, and agents that lower blood pressure.

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