Aesethic choices

Ear piercing is a popular cosmetic custom. Know the risks of infection and the steps required to care for newly pierced ears.

All surgical procedures result in scars. One of the main skills of plastic surgeons is to control scar formation. This is done by carefully choosing the incision location and patterns, by gently handling the skin with fine, specialized instruments, and by the skillful and careful repair of surgically or traumatically created incisions and wounds.

Wrinkles are not caused by dry skin, but by environmental damage, mainly radiation from the sun. This damage is cumulative, meaning that the total dose you have received over your lifetime determines how much damage has been done. If you tanned heavily as a child and teen, that damage is still present, so it is especially important to avoid adding insult to injury by continuing to lie in the sun or burning your skin when at a high altitude or when spring skiing.

Now tattoos can be removed fairly easily using lasers. Before the early 1990s, tattoo removal procedures included surgery, with or without skin grafting, dermabrasion (sanding the surface of the skin), salabrasion (rubbing the skin with salt), or covering of the original tattoo with another tattoo. Now, however, a powerful laser is available that can destroy and remove unwanted tattoos.

What do Angelina Jolie and NBA players have in common? A fondness for tattoos. It may seem oh-so-trendy, but they're simply carrying on an ancient tradition of body ornamentation. Humans have been marking themselves with ink and jewellery for thousands of years. Luckily, we enjoy the benefits of modern health precautions. If you're thinking of getting body art, read on for safety tips.

Varicose veins or smaller spider veins are common and often caused by a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors.

Varicose veins may be treated with a procedure called sclerotherapy. Learn about the treatment, including what to expect and possible risks and side effects.

If you've tried all the products out there and are still not satisfied with the results, speak to your dermatologist about cosmetic procedures that may work for you. Chemical peels are used to correct superficial-to-moderate photoaged (aged from years of exposure to UV radiation from sunlight) surface skin damage.