STAY WELL & SPARKLE: Skin deep

Dr. Sam Christian
Dr. Sam Christian

It was Keats who wrote, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way. And everyone is beautiful to someone. Princess Diana was envied worldwide for her fairytale marriage into royalty. Every outfit she wore became an instant fashion hit. Paparazzi could not get enough of her. She seemed to have all. It was only after her untimely passing we learnt that her marriage had become a sham, a nightmare – anything but living happily ever after. Only then were folks in a position to say, “Not me papa! No way I would want to trade places with her!”

Skin deep beauty, not a bad topic for a lovely holiday weekend. Let me start by saying that in all my travels, braiding and locksing in Dominica is by far among the best. I am so impressed by all these beautiful black women wearing natural, elegant Afrocentric styles. Yet other hairstyles persist. Remember the Jerri-curl? What were we thinking?! If you have a chance, go on YouTube and search for Chris Rock’s trailer “Good Hair.” Funny as always, yet I’m sure you’ll agree that it is a masterpiece of social commentary.

What are the health implications of beauty? Medical students learn the first line of a standard physical examination goes something like this: ‘This is a 39 year mixed race female, in no acute distress, who looks her stated age.’ The physician is immediately called upon to make a judgment. Is this someone who looks like they are burning the candle at both ends? Does this person look like they have seen a lot of hard times, abuse, over-worked, appearing to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders? Such a person is likely to look older than her stated age. All the medicine in the world may not cure her illness unless she gets a handle on her lifestyle.

And what about the woman who is taking good care of herself, physically active, living a well-balanced life? She looks well-preserved. Her doctor describes her as looking younger than her stated age. And who among us does not like to be told that we look younger?

Like it or not, though the skin is the largest organ of the body. It is often overlooked as we pay attention to cancer screening, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. All these are crucial internal medicine issues, which frankly, we cannot see with the naked eye. The skin serves a mirror of internal health. Doctors often make straightforward medical diagnoses by observing the condition of external structures of hair, skin and nails. One good example is clubbing or spoon-shaped nails which is associated with emphysema and hypoxia. Another is Acanthosis nigricans. This is darkened, velvety skin at the skin folds of the neck, under the breasts and belly. This is commonly seen in the overweight and often is a sign of early diabetes.

From time immemorial, lepers were shunned as outcasts of society because their skin looked terrible. Today, young people with warts and severe acne have a tough time socializing. Antibiotics and topical medications are used to treat active acne. The good news is that the bumps and scars left behind can now be effectively managed. Premature fine wrinkles make one look older than one’s stated age. Now, there are real options. Certain moles may look cute growing up. However, with passing years, they may become larger, grow hair and become rather unsightly. Though skin cancer is less common in people of color, these can be easily removed in the office to eliminate that possibility.

The ancient Egyptians were proud pioneers in enhancing facial appearance. They used pumice (tarish) and alabaster, among other things. Nowadays we would rather just leave tarish as aggregate for road-building etc. Instead, new modern technology, microdermabrasion, is now available with allows us to have that desirable, smoother, younger looking skin. Micro-D, as it called for short, is being touted as an “instant facelift.” The safest technique of the medical procedure uses a diamond-tipped wand to suction up the superficial dead layers of skin. This allows the younger skin underneath to shine though, giving that youthful glow. No local anesthesia or numbing medicine is needed. There is no interruption with school or work.

Today, guys who work around elegant ladies realize that the old, rough look is not going to cut it. Such gentlemen are likely to consider Micro-D for the women in their lives and for themselves as well. You would be surprised the folks from all walks of life who have a healthy interest staying well-groomed, refined and looking their best.

Let’s face it – if you do not take care of yourself, who is going to? Don’t let Hollywood decide if you are beautiful or not. If you feel beautiful, you are going certain things to take care of yourself. If you do certain things to take care of yourself, you are going to feel more beautiful. Feeds on itself, right?…just like an automatic recurring decimal.

Even as we age gracefully, we want to embrace that forever joy that comes from knowing we are beautiful inside and out. A woman does not have to be a candidate for Dominica’s top model or carnival queen, to consider microdermabrasion. If interested in learning more, go on YouTube for an instructional video on ‘smoother, younger looking skin, Dominica.’ Micro-D is a breakthrough in treating acne scars and fine wrinkles. It is not just about boosting one’s self-confidence before special occasions. That would just be superficial and skin deep. It is about understanding the profound health benefits associated with skin care. It is about feeling like you deserve paying attention to yourself in that personal quest to stay well & sparkle.

Dr. Sam Christian is a general surgeon and general practitioner. He is author of the book ‘Mannafast Miracle’ and serves as Medical Advisor to the Dominica Cancer Society.

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6 Comments

  1. anonymous2
    August 6, 2013

    Anyone in the know would never want to be involved with that royal family. There is nothing fairy tale about it. Diana feared for her life and they saw to it that her life was cut short. That was no accident.

  2. August 5, 2013

    “It was only after her untimely passing we learnt that her marriage had become a sham, a nightmare –anything but living happily ever after” News Article

    Okay about the Skin Deep discussion; but how could that quote above be true, when we all know that Lady Diana died together with her boyfriend–whatever his name was, I cannot remember.

    She separated from her husband, Prince Charles, for years before that accident–who did not know that? But then again I live in Toronto, perhaps if I was living in Dominica, I would know about those things either.

    Don’t any of you in DA, think that I am putting you down–the truth is that I wish I was living in Dominica, instead of having to face this useless noise and haste of the City of Toronto

  3. T mama
    August 4, 2013

    yes, and when one keeps oneself well groomed it makes a big difference….when you feel good about yourself, you feel good inside too….and that is part of good health…

  4. August 4, 2013

    I got that.

  5. Just saying
    August 3, 2013

    Wow! I didn`t know they had that in Dominica…

    Yea! So where can i get this done?

    • POSITIVE
      August 6, 2013

      you can get this done by Dri Christian in Didier Lane> telephone no. 4409133

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