Impact of cosmetic care on quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy: an initial randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and therefore represents a major problem in public health. Data from patients' self-report questionnaires provide valuable information about the side-effects that patients may view as having a significantly detrimental impact on their quality of life (QOL) and yet are not always recognized as important by healthcare professionals. Cosmetology is a specific care for patients and there is actually no scientific evidence regarding effects on QOL for women with breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of cosmetic care on QOL in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. METHODS: We developed a prospective, multicentre, randomized, controlled study including 27 patients. All the patients had to fill in a French-validated dermatologic specific quality-of-life questionnaire to compare the QOL of the two groups, the cosmetic group and the control group, at three different times of the adjuvant treatment. RESULTS: The results show a statistically significant difference between the cosmetic group and the control group in two areas of QOL: mood state and self-perception of the disease. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the interest of cosmetic care in breast cancer patients. However, further larger trials are needed to confirm this study.     

Cosmetic benefits of lower midline skin incision for pediatric open heart operation

OBJECTIVE: Since we developed the procedure in 1996, we have now performed 100 pediatric open heart operations using a lower midline skin incision and a minimal sternotomy approach. METHODS AND RESULTS: To elucidate the benefits of this approach, we analyzed these 100 cases retrospectively. There was no death, and no major complication, caused by this approach, and the resulting scarring in each patient is difficult to be seen under a common undershirt. CONCLUSION: This review shows that the technique of a lower midline skin incision and minimal sternotomy approach is a safe reliable and cosmetically advantageous method for a pediatric cardiac operation.     

Kohl: a hazardous eyeliner

Kohl is a widely used traditional cosmetic. It is mainly worn around the eyes in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The elemental composition of twenty-one kohl specimens originating from various parts of Saudi Arabia, India and the Middle East was determined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The data indicates the presence of significant lead levels in two thirds (14/21) of the kohl specimens ranging from 2.9–100 (mean 48.5). Other less frequent elements present in kohl preparations include aluminum, carbon, iron, titanium, calcium, magnesium, oxygen, silver silicon, sulfur and antimony. Seven kohl specimens were totally lead-free, four had a lead content in the range of 2.9–34.1 and ten had lead levels in excess of 84. Carbon levels in excess of 60 were detected in six kohl samples. Antimony was present in only one kohl specimen at a concentration of 7.8.Five western made eyeliner pencils analyzed for comparative purposes consistently revealed iron as a common constituent (mean 46) but no lead or carbon were detected in these specimens.The findings of this study indicate that modern kohl preparations contain a number of metals derived from natural sources in addition to carbon. The predominance of lead in the kohl preparations tested is of major concern due to the documented adverse effects in humans and the increased susceptibility of children to lead intoxication. Application of lead-containing kohl needs to be considered as a source of lead in evaluating patients with symptoms of lead intoxication in regions where this tradition prevails. The documented toxic effects of lead in humans and the increased sensitivity of children to lead exposure serve to emphasize potential health risks of using traditional lead containing kohl preparations and the need for increased surveillance and regulation of the manufacture of kohl.The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or Department of Defense.     

Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate how a cosmetic product for oily skin is able to improve well-being in women

BACKGROUND: Skin diseases are known to negatively affect self-image and to have detrimental psychosocial effects. Oily skin is a cosmetic skin problem that women often describe as 'invalidating'. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the psychological and psychosocial effects of oily skin condition in women and the outcome of a targeted cosmetic skincare treatment. METHODS: We developed and validated a concise 18-item questionnaire [oily skin self-image questionnaire (OSSIQ)] to assess perception, behavioural, and emotional consequences associated with oily skin condition. The questionnaire was then used to assess the effects of a skincare treatment for oily skin and compare them with sebum level measurements. RESULTS: The 18-item questionnaire clearly distinguished the oily skin group from the control group. Responsiveness, reliability, and construct validity showed satisfactory performance. The questionnaire provided a relevant assessment of the psychological benefits associated with the skincare programme. CONCLUSION: The OSSIQ is a valid tool that can be used to monitor the benefits of cosmetic skincare treatments.     

“Do You Have a Healthy Smile?”

This article examines whether cosmetic interventions by dentists and plastic surgeons are medically indicated and, hence, qualify as medical interventions proper. Cosmetic interventions (and the business strategies used to market them) are often frowned upon by dentists and physicians. However, if those interventions do not qualify as medical interventions proper, they should not be evaluated using medical-ethical norms. On the other hand, if they are to be considered medical practice proper, the medical-ethical principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and others hold true for cosmetic interventions as much as they do for other medical and dental interventions. It is concluded that most cosmetic interventions do not qualify as medical interventions proper because they do not restore or maintain the patient's health (defined as the patient's integrity) by any objective standards. Rather, cosmetic interventions are intended to enhance a person's physical appearance; more specifically, they intend to fulfill the client's subjective perception of an enhanced appearance. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

右前外侧切口不阻断主动脉体外循环心脏直视手术57例

本研究采用右前外侧切口不阻断主动脉体外循环的方法对５７例心脏病人施行了心内直视手术。结果表明,一例房缺病人因引流多而再次开胸止血,另一例法乐氏四联症术后残余分流者术中修补不满意,其余效果良好,无手术死亡及术后住院死亡,无伤口感染发生;也解决了长期以来许多女性病人因正中切口显眼的瘢痕所造成的心理压力,取得良好的手术美容效果。     

Cross-Cultural Understanding of Aesthetic Surgery: The Male Cosmetic Surgery Patient in Japan and the USA

This review describes the historical development of aesthetic surgery in Japan and parallels with the development of the specialty in the United States. The focus is on the consequences of aesthetic surgery in the male patient when collaboration between mental health clinicians and surgeons lags. The cultural, social, and psychological issues raised are relevant to the diverse cultural groups now seeking aesthetic surgery in the United States. Case illustrations are a reminder to aesthetic surgeons of the potential need for more comprehensive evaluation in the group of male patients who may be at added risk for negative outcomes in terms of satisfaction.     

安徽省1999～2003年化妆品卫生质量分析与评价

目的　评价我省化妆品卫生质量现况 ,为进一步开展化妆品监督监测工作提供参考。方法　依据《化妆品卫生规范》 ,对 1999～ 2 0 0 3年安徽省化妆品样品进行监测分析。结果　我省化妆品卫生监测合格率呈波浪式逐年上升趋势 ,但 2 0 0 3年有较大回落。结论　化妆品卫生监测力度应加大、能力需提高、方法要改进。     

Changes in Facial Morphology Using Poly-L-lactic Acid Application According to Vector Technique: A Case Series

BackgroundThe search for nonsurgical cosmetic procedures has increased considerably in recent years. A new injection technique, using vector direction, has shown good results in improving facial aesthetics but to date has only been performed with hyaluronic acid which can be associated with a risk of vascular complications. Therefore, in clinical practice, it would be interesting to assess this technique with a liquid product already widely used in the facial region, and at the same time bring the same aesthetic benefits, but with greater durability than hyaluronic acid.ObjectiveTo investigate the improvement of facial morphology in patients with facial flaccidity submitted to the vector technique using poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) (Sculptra^®; Galderma, Lausanne, Switzerland).Case SeriesHere we report the outcomes of three cases of female patients, aged between 41 and 55 years, seeking improvement of facial flaccidity. In each patient, PLLA was applied in the posterior temporal region as a bolus, in three points, with a 2-mL injection in the upper region, 1.5mL in the midpoint, and 1.5mL at the bottom point. Each of the three patients showed an improvement in face morphology, with concomitant improvement in the support and stretching of the face and improvement in skin sagging in the upper, middle, and bottom regions.ConclusionThe vector technique with PLLA is a viable alternative for the treatment of patients with facial skin flaccidity, providing harmonious and progressive improvement in the face morphology.     

Skin sensitivity and skin microbiota: Is there a link?

Sensitive skin is defined by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations, accompanied or not by erythema, in response to stimuli which normally should not provoke such sensations and that cannot be linked to skin disease. Even if its pathophysiology is not completely known, hyper‐reactivity of the cutaneous nervous system associated with an abnormal skin barrier has been hypothesized as a primary culprit including more recently a role of the cutaneous microbiota. The objective of this short review is to discuss the relationship between the skin microbiota, skin sensitivity and the skin barrier function.