Beyond Aesthetics

Beyond Aesthetics

Many of us turn to light rejuvenation treatments, injectables and chemical peels in the quest for smooth, even-toned skin. But what we may not realise is that some of these aesthetic procedures double up as effective ways to address certain medical problems, says Dr Yvonne Goh, of Dr Yvonne Goh Aesthetics at Camden Medical.

Ease the persistent redness of rosacea

One of these is rosacea, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes redness and raised bumps over the face.

“People with rosacea will notice that their skin appears persistently red, blotchy and flushed; there may be raised red bumps and tiny broken blood vessels,” Dr Goh explains. They can also be associated with sore eyelids or crusts around the roots of eyelashes.

While avoiding triggers and applying treatment creams or oral antibiotics can soothe redness and inflammation, another management option is light laser rejuvenation. Dr Goh shares that she offers top-of-the-line IPL, Nordlys Ellipse IPL, that evens out the skin tone by reducing persistent facial redness and broken blood vessels. “This also has an added cosmetic benefit as it improves the skin’s appearance overall,” she adds.

For a chronic condition such as rosacea, the recommended initial treatment frequency is three to four weekly for the first course, before moving to quarterly sessions as the skin condition stabilises.

“One of the benefits of IPL and laser treatment for rosacea is that it directly targets the blood vessels, thus reducing the cause of the redness,” Dr Goh says, “While IPL and laser therapy is not a permanent cure, it significantly improves the physical outcome.”

Address acne holistically

Another skin condition that can be treated with aesthetic procedures is acne. A frustrating skin problem for many, acne is often caused by a multitude of factors, from hormones, excessive sebum production, inflammatory processes and more.

Beyond topical and oral medical treatments, good skin habits and a suitable cleansing regime, treatments such as lasers, peels and light treatments can actually tackle the issues beyond the surface layer of the skin. “We have various approaches to address acne, from controlling oil production, boosting the skin’s healing processes and helping to reduce scarring and discolouration,” Dr Goh explains.

Migraines and jaw pain begone

There is one other treatment that double-teams as both a therapeutic and aesthetic solution: botulinum toxin injections, more commonly known as Botox.

This injection is known for smoothing out wrinkles by paralysing or weakening the muscles in the face. This action is also helpful for conditions such as bruxism (teeth grinding) and migraines caused by tension in the jaw, neck and facial muscles.

“An adequate dose of Botox into masseter muscles (jaw clenching muscles) helps to weaken them,” says Dr Goh. This does not significantly affect the ability to chew or move the jaw, but is very helpful to limit teeth grinding, she adds. This in turn, helps to protect the teeth, alleviate tension in the jaw, neck and facial muscles and even prevent more conditions such as jaw joint arthritis and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). As a benefit, the treatment also makes the face look slimmer and chiseled as the jaw muscle shrinks in size.

For some patients who have received Botox in their forehead for wrinkles, the relaxation of the muscles have also led to migraine and tension headache relief.

Embrace the 2-in-1 benefits

To Dr Goh, it is important to raise the awareness of the benefits of some of these aesthetic treatments as ways to treat rosacea, acne and TMJ dysfunction. “These are fast treatments with little to no downtime, and have proven safe and highly effective. I encourage people to chat with their doctor to learn more about what some aesthetic treatments can do for you beyond the cosmetic outcomes.”