Is a beauty laser the answer to everything?: Dr Nick Lowe

What's so good about personal beauty lasers?

What's so bad about surgery? Why shouldn't I inject poisons into my body? Who cares if it gives me cancer or makes me infertile as long as I look young? Must we suffer to be beautiful? Or will a cosmetic laser treatment fix everything safely and painlessly?

What is Low Level Laser Therapy?

"Low Level Laser Therapy or Laser Phototherapy is a method where light from a laser is applied to tissue (or cells in culture) in order to influence cell or tissue functions with such low light intensity that heating is negligible. The effects achieved are hence not due to heating but to photochemical or photobiologic reactions like the effect of light in plants. The lasers used are normally referred to as therapeutic lasers." Swedish Laser Medical Society

Low Level Laser Therapy is widely used in hospitals and clinics around the world to treat and cure a number of conditions including pain relief, problematic skin conditions and to promote healing in wounds or injuries.

Low Level Laser Therapy is beneficial in repairing damaged cells and speeds up and enhances the response of the body’s immune system as well as aiding pain relief. That is why it is so effective when used for skin rejuvenation and healing acne and skin blemishes - it restores the skin to a healthy, more youthful condition.

Also, if you are suffering from hair loss, low level laser therapy can help to stimulate the hair follicles into action again, resulting in new hair growth and healthier hair. Amazing but true.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

From the facelift in a jar to the gel that boosts your bust, do these miracle creams EVER work?

Every month a new product is hailed as a miracle that will banish wrinkles, zap cellulite or give you a bigger bust.

But how many wonder lotions work?

JENNY STOCKS of the Daily Mail asked two top dermatologists, Dr Nick Lowe, of the Cranley Clinic, and Dr Stefanie Williams, of Harley Street clinic Eudelo.com, to find out...

THE CELLULITE BUSTER

Biotherm Celluli Laser D Code, £37, Boots

What is it? Only a lucky few will escape the curse of cellulite and so there are dozens of creams on the market that claim to lessen the dreaded orange peel effect. But one product caused a real splash, back in April, when 94 per cent of women during clinical trials reported less dimpled legs after use.

Biotherm’s pink gel contains a chemical, phytosveltyl, which helps skin cells burn more fat and store less of it.

Dr Lowe’s verdict: ‘Whenever I see the word laser in a non-prescription cream, I’m worried. It’s doubtful any product can do the same as a laser.

‘This contains moisturising glycerin and caffeine, which may cause a slight tightening, but it would be a very temporary result.’

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Botox: Perennially perky, even when sad

After having Botox, Rebecca Newman finds herself longing to frown again.

"Just a few injections around your eyebrows,” recommends Dr Nick Lowe. Botox. It’s a bit like being offered drugs. The excitement. The fear. The shame. Increasingly, the ubiquity: about 500,000 people have botulinum toxin syringed into their dermis each year in Britain, in the pursuit of beauty, if not truth.

Yet despite its popularity, Botox is not regulated in this country and, should you come across a shoddy practitioner, you could end up with a petrified, lopsided face. But Dr Lowe, aka Dr Botox, is one of the country’s most celebrated dermatologists. So when he tells me that my wrinkles are nothing to worry about, and that he can relax the muscles I use when I frown (which I do as I type, over the years leading to droopy, basset-hound eyelids) I am powerless to resist.

A few small pricks later, my eyes open beautifully wide, just as they used to.

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