Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2011 | Page 108

fashion health & beauty Island Life - April/May 2011 QA &on health and beauty Q. I am expecting my second child and I have thought about having my under arms and legs lasered to make my life easier when the baby is born, can I do that while I am pregnant? A. Changes occur in the skin when you are pregnant due to hormonal surges which can cause increased skin pigmentation and for this reason IPL or laser hair removal treatment is not recommended during pregnancy. In fact it is very unlikely there would be any danger to the foetus but as no studies have been done on IPL and laser in pregnancy it is best to wait until after you have had your baby and also have finished breast-feeding to have the treatment. But after that I highly recommend it; as you said it will make life much easier for you. Q. I am getting married in June I would like to get a facial peel as I read that it can really brighten your skin, how long do I need to do it before so that it has time to heal for the wedding? A. I’m not enthusiastic about peels that cause the skin to need a long time to heal. The peels in the range I use are designed to have their effect mostly in the deeper layers of the skin and so there is very little or no “down-time” i.e. time when you would rather not be seen. If you want to have your skin in gorgeous condition for your wedding in June it would be advisable to visit your cosmetic skin care specialist as soon as possible and get a programme of treatment underway. I’m sure you will enjoy every minute of it. Q. All the females older than me in my family have lip lines above the top lip. Is there anything I can do now to prevent them? I am 42 and have very faint lines on my top lip already which I am worried will get worse as I get older. A. It is common to see upper lip lines running in families though usually only in the female side. There are some obvious things to avoid such as smoking and unprotected sun-exposure. Your fine lines can be helped with a very tiny amount of Botox in the lip. This will soften the action of the sphincter muscle around the lip taking away the lines you have and preventing new ones coming. This has to be done with care at a medical cosmetic clinic. The other wonderful treatment for lip lines is Juvederm Ultra filler. The one I have lovely results with in the lip area is the very gentle, soft Juvederm Ultra 2. 108 the BEAUTY doctor Monthly column devoted to you and your appearance concerns. Email your questions to me at: [email protected] Authors of published questions receive a £50 voucher for Orchard Cosmetic. Tel: [phone] www.orchardcosmetic.co.uk Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com