Is Your Skincare Right for Your Age?

Lotions, Botox, Dysport, Fillers, Lasers, Skin Tightening…it’s great to have so many skincare options, but how do you know when it’s time to start using them? At what age should you start thinking of adding one (or more) of these to your routine? And, is it ever too late to try to fix something?

Here are some good general guidelines:

In Your 20’s:

• It is NEVER too early to start sunscreening your face, neck, chest and hands every morning. Start in your teens or 20s if you can. That 30 seconds you invest once in the morning will save your skin years of aging.
• Establish (and stick to) a solid basic skincare routine – a good antioxidant under your sunscreen in the morning followed by a good moisturizer. At night, use a vitamin A cream like retinol (non-prescription) or Renova/tretinoin (prescription).
• Don’t “fix” problems you don’t have. If you are 25, and have no frown lines, starting Botox/Dysport just wastes your time and money. Start only when you see problems developing; and who knows, you may get lucky and never have need.

In Your 30’s:

• By their mid-30’s, most women and men are starting to show signs of frown lines, crow’s feet, or upper lip lines. This is usually a good time to start preventive treatments with small doses of Botox/Dysport 2-3 times a year– but only if you actually have these problems.
• Almost everyone can benefit from photorejuvenation/IPL starting in their 30’s. There is a big difference in the power and results with different IPLs so please see the information on SkinTour.com on this laser cousin. It clears up small brown spots, dilated blood vessels, and generates a little collagen which improves skin texture.

Over 40:

• Fillers can help with early signs of volume loss (sagging), which affects most women/men by the age of 40-50. Starting with a syringe or two of hyaluronic acid filler 1-2 twice a year retards the sagging. Everyone is very individual on this, so consult your doctor for an individualized plan for correction of existing sagging and then maintenance.
• Laser treatments need to be customized at this age. You might be someone who can benefit from skin tightening like Thermage/Ultherapy, etc. or you might need more intense laser skin improvement like the Fraxel Dual or fractionated carbon dioxide laser – it really varies by the individual, so you will need a consult.
• Over 60? Your skin can still be noticeably and safely improved with these technologies, it just takes a little more time, more treatments and more expense.

And, some good advice for all ages:

• Don’t believe everything you hear from marketers or friends. Do your own web research (on reputable sites) and talk to your doctor, but also take into account your own skin and its reactions. We are all different, so what works for others might not work for you.
• Don’t start more than one new skincare product at a time.
• Remember it often takes 1-3 months to see a beneficial effect of a new skincare product.

Brandith Irwin, MD

Webmd

You can find older posts regarding ASEAN politics and economics news at SBC blog, and older posts regarding health and healthcare at IIMS blog. I thank you.

Vietnam - Vietnam may raise retirement age as seniors' health improves

An elderly couple doing pull-ups at a Hanoi park. Photo: Minh Hoang

The overall health of retirees has improved and so retirement ages should be raised, Deputy Minister of Labor, Ward Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam has said.

“The retirement age may be raised differently for men and women and in various sectors,” he said at the opening of a three-day conference that opened in Hanoi Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Those engaged in heavy and hazardous jobs would continue to retire at the current ages of 60 for men and 55 for women, he added.

NGO HelpAge Asia Pacific’s biennial conference, titled “The Economic Implications of Ageing”, has attracted more than 300 officials and experts from 35 countries and territories.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, chairman of the Vietnam National Committee on Ageing, said the average lifespan in Vietnam has increased to 76.6 from 66 in 1990.

“The number of older people is increasing and will equal that of young people. So the government will discuss solutions to overcome challenges and promote the role of older people.”

According to HelpAge Asia Pacific, the ageing population will lower economic growth in coming decades, partly because of a shrinking and less productive workforce.

Civil society and the private sector need to anticipate changes by adapting policies, services and programs affecting areas such as healthcare, the labor market, pensions, savings and consumption, it said in a statement.

Economic growth should be shared equitably and that growth reduces poverty and vulnerability among ageing societies, it said.

Governments should take key steps to maintain manageable budget trends while honoring a commitment to improve the welfare of older citizens as their numbers increase, it added.

thanhniennews

You can find older posts regarding ASEAN politics and economics news at SBC blog, and older posts regarding health and healthcare at IIMS blog. I thank you.

Philippines - Philippines' HIV dilemma: too young for a test but old enough for sex

A ban on minors being tested for HIV is preventing the Philippines from tackling a surge in infections, particularly among young men

When Rey* first got an HIV test, his mother went with him. He was 17 and her consent was required by law.

“My mum and I are pretty close. She has no issues about me being gay and is really supportive. But I know a lot of my friends wouldn’t dare bring their mums with them to get an HIV test,” says Rey, from Palawan.

His test came back positive and although it frightened him, Rey couldn’t say he was surprised.

Sexual initiation came early but condom use did not. He was 14 when he had his first sexual encounter; 16 when he tried to buy condoms at the local pharmacy. Condoms were placed behind the counter. Rey had to endure the awkwardness of telling the cashier he wanted to buy condoms and the knowing looks he got.

 Asia's Aids epidemic needs urgent action to prevent even more deaths

“It was bad enough that people in line heard me and knew what I wanted to buy. But the cashier kept looking at me and I could feel her sizing me up. It made me feel so small,” he says. Rey did not try buying condoms again.

“When I started having sex, I didn’t know anything about condoms. When I tried to buy them, I couldn’t. It was just too embarrassing. In a way, getting HIV was inevitable,” he says.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 100 million people in south-east Asia, is experiencing a surge in infections. Of the more than 40,000 people living with HIV, the majority were diagnosed in the past five years and many are young men (pdf).

Activists blame the increase on outdated laws and the grip of the Catholic church, which has sought to restrict safe sex programmes, sex education and efforts to distribute condoms to at-risk groups.

Homosexuality is legal, but the law prohibits people under 18 from getting an HIV test or taking free condoms from public health clinics without parental consent.

Attempts by politicians to lower the age of testing without consent to 15 failed to gain sufficient support, leaving many young people without the means to protect themselves.

“Comprehensive sex education was never really taught in school. There is a gap in the knowledge of communicating HIV and STI [sexually transmitted infections] prevention on the side of teachers and even healthcare providers,” says Mario Balibago, HIV programme officer for the UN children’s agency, Unicef.

Lack of awareness has resulted in risky sexual behaviour among teenagers.

A study by the Department of Health on sexual behaviour among young gay men (pdf) said adolescents were using social networking accounts and cruising sites to meet partners. From 2011 to 2015, newly diagnosed HIV cases among the most affected populations – predominantly young men and transgender people who have sex with men – increased by 230% (pdf).

Cris Pablo, executive creative director of the LoveLife Project, an organisation that raises awareness about HIV, says young people have had sex in exchange for playing online games.

“Playing is an all-night activity, there is betting involved and, inevitably, they run out of money. Selling quick sex is an easy solution. The exchange is done in a dark corner outside the internet shops, behind parked vans or secret places identified by the boys as their ‘hang out’ place,” says Pablo.

The health ministry estimates (pdf) that nearly 10,000 adolescents have HIV, but only 10% have been diagnosed. Fewer than 400 are enrolled on anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy.

“We cannot treat them if we cannot diagnose them,” says Dr Genesis Samonte, head of the health ministry’s HIV and Aids unit. “If we don’t identify them and get them on ARV now, these adolescents are going to die within the next 10 years.”

Authorising doctors to give proxy consent for minors who want to get tested is reportedly being discussed.

Quezon City, the largest city in metropolitan Manila, has one of the fastest growing HIV infection rates in the country. In response, the local health department launched a free testing campaign at cruising sites and set up clinics open until 11pm to offer people privacy and the convenience of getting tested after office hours.

At a recreational centre where students hang out after class, counsellors hold sessions on HIV and hand out condoms and lubricants. “The law says we cannot give out contraceptives to minors. But we are giving out condoms as a prevention tool, not as a family planning tool,” says Dr Rolly Cruz, epidemiologist at the city’s health department.

The government is also trying to reach teens at school. A sexuality education module for grade eight (students aged 13 to 14) is being tested on 3,000 students in Quezon City. The module will be revised based on the test run and is set for full implementation next school year.

“There has been no opposition from the school district. We see from what is happening around us that there is a need for HIV prevention education. We hope that there will be no opposition from the church,” says Cruz.

*Name has been changed

This story was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

theguardian

You can find older posts regarding ASEAN politics and economics news at SBC blog, and older posts regarding health and healthcare at IIMS blog. I thank you.

Is Your Skincare Right for Your Age?

Lotions, Botox, Dysport, Fillers, Lasers, Skin Tightening…it’s great to have so many skincare options, but how do you know when it’s time to start using them? At what age should you start thinking of adding one (or more) of these to your routine? And, is it ever too late to try to fix something?

Here are some good general guidelines:

In Your 20’s:

• It is NEVER too early to start sunscreening your face, neck, chest and hands every morning. Start in your teens or 20s if you can. That 30 seconds you invest once in the morning will save your skin years of aging.
• Establish (and stick to) a solid basic skincare routine – a good antioxidant under your sunscreen in the morning followed by a good moisturizer. At night, use a vitamin A cream like retinol (non-prescription) or Renova/tretinoin (prescription).
• Don’t “fix” problems you don’t have. If you are 25, and have no frown lines, starting Botox/Dysport just wastes your time and money. Start only when you see problems developing; and who knows, you may get lucky and never have need.

In Your 30’s:

• By their mid-30’s, most women and men are starting to show signs of frown lines, crow’s feet, or upper lip lines. This is usually a good time to start preventive treatments with small doses of Botox/Dysport 2-3 times a year– but only if you actually have these problems.
• Almost everyone can benefit from photorejuvenation/IPL starting in their 30’s. There is a big difference in the power and results with different IPLs so please see the information on SkinTour.com on this laser cousin. It clears up small brown spots, dilated blood vessels, and generates a little collagen which improves skin texture.

Over 40:

• Fillers can help with early signs of volume loss (sagging), which affects most women/men by the age of 40-50. Starting with a syringe or two of hyaluronic acid filler 1-2 twice a year retards the sagging. Everyone is very individual on this, so consult your doctor for an individualized plan for correction of existing sagging and then maintenance.
• Laser treatments need to be customized at this age. You might be someone who can benefit from skin tightening like Thermage/Ultherapy, etc. or you might need more intense laser skin improvement like the Fraxel Dual or fractionated carbon dioxide laser – it really varies by the individual, so you will need a consult.

Over 60?

• Your skin can still be noticeably and safely improved with these technologies, it just takes a little more time, more treatments and more expense.

And, some good advice for all ages:

Don’t believe everything you hear from marketers or friends. Do your own web research (on reputable sites) and talk to your doctor, but also take into account your own skin and its reactions. We are all different, so what works for others might not work for you.

Don’t start more than one new skincare product at a time.

Remember it often takes 1-3 months to see a beneficial effect of a new skincare product.

Brandith Irwin, MD

webmd