Mesotherapy for Psoriasis and Eczema

One of the rarer but very useful applications of mesotherapy in a medical practice is in the treatment of eczema and psoriasis.  The procedure can provide your patients with a great deal of relief and cosmetic improvement when it comes to the chronic appearance of plaques and red rashes.

Injecting Platelet-Rich Plasma

Both eczema and psoriasis respond wonderfully to injections of platelet-rich therapy. A small amount of blood is withdrawn from the patient and the centrifuged at a very high speed until the platelets are separated and constitute a rich solution.  The serum rich with platelets is then injected intradermally into the skin in an artful way that addresses the outbreak of psoriatic plaques or eczema rashes.

Common Sites For Chronic Exczema

The effectiveness of these treatments are now being proven in university studies all over the world.  A study from India about the newest trends in mesotherapy talks about how growth factors like platelet-derived growth factors, transforming growth factors and vascular endothelial growth factors are released and encouraged the body to produce procollagen, fibroblasts and type1careboxy peptides that provokes the skin into healing itself. A result is an improvement in the structural integrity of the skin. [1]

To be effective this treatment should be one every four to six months for one year and then every year as maintenance therapy depending on the response of the patient. Assessing the patient and determining the frequency of platelet-rich therapy treatments is a skill taught in the Pinewood Institute for Advanced Therapy.

Peptides In Mesotherapy

It is the peptides in mesotherapy that make it so effective. These peptides and their role in assisting your patient’s ability to heal are addressed more thoroughly in the course.  They include:

Acetyldecapeptide-3: that helps generate new cells in damaged dermis
Decapeptide-4: for wound healing
Copper tripeptide-1: helps blood circulation in the skin to get rid of plaques
Oligopeptide-24: minimises scars and plaques on skin by forming new skin cell
Tripeptide-6: hydrates dry skin and helps it stay in balance

The treatment for eczema and psoriasis has its own mesotherapy cocktail of acids, peptides and vitamins that can also assist with healing of the condition.

Relief from itching or pain is not always immediate for this disorder and patients receiving PRP mesotherapy should be told that they could experience additional itching, burning, bruising, soreness and swelling and that this side effect is temporary.

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com.  You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.

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[1] Konda D, Thappa DM. Mesotherapy: What is new?. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol [serial online] 2013 [cited 2014 Aug 26];79:127-34. Available from: http://www.ijdvl.com/text.asp?2013/79/1/127/104689

Natural Remedies for Bruising

One of the physical effects of cosmetic injections, mesotherapy and carboxytherapy is bruising. Although most cases of bruising at the injection site are quite mild, you can find yourself dealing with a patient who has more of an issue with it.

Arnica Flower for Bruising

The actual medical term for bruises is contusions and the word bruise is usually used to describe injuries to the soft tissues beneath unbroken skin. The reason we can see these skin cells is because skin tissue is a bit transparent.   

Usually a bruise begins with a bit so of swelling and it can feel tender to the touch.  Within an hour or much less it can be grape purple or grape red in color.  After a few days the bruise becomes black and blue. In the final stages of healing it looks yellow or green before fading to a pale brown color and disappearing.  Most bruises from injections heal within ten days. It is unusual for a bruise to still be apparent two weeks after an injection.

Although most bruises heal on their own your patient may ask for some treatment options to make it heal faster. You can offer the following advice.

• Apply cold compresses, either as a gel pack, a bag of frozen peas or ice cubes wrapped in a thin towel as soon as possible to minimize swelling, pain and discoloration.
• Arnica gel, arnica cream or arnica tincture (Arnica montana) works well to speed the healing of bruises and sore muscles.
• Aloe Vera gel applied directly to the bruise can help it heal.  You can also buy the gel in a tube as a gel.
• Blueberries, bilberries and Saskatoon berries contain potent antioxidants that help stabilize collagen and help the skin recover from discoloration.
• Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapples, can help reduce inflammation by helping clear waste from the tissues as they try to heal.
• Vitamin C can help reduce bruising. Take at least 200 mcg a day. You can recommend higher amounts if you like, keeping in mind that 1000 mcg a day is at the point that cause diarrhea for most people.
• Pycnognel also know as Pine Bark extract can help strengthen small capillary walls so that bruise heal faster.

How much your patient is going to bruise usually depends heavily on how deft you are with a needle. If your injection sties are dead on and not injuring nearby tissue, then your patient may not have any type bruising response to the injection at all.  This is the type of training that is covered in the Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine Courses in mesothreapy and cosmetic injections. Part of our course protocol is to have you practice needle injection technique using real patients, who are receiving the injections at a discount for participating as practice subjects in the class.  This way you can get your injection techniques down so perfectly that you do not leave bruises on the patient.

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com.  You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.

Mesolifting Skin Rejuvenation

When you take a a course in mesotherapy at the Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Nedicine you will be taught the latest techniques for what is commonly branded as a mesolift. This is the use of mesotherapy as a safe natural alternative to the more invasive cosmetic procedures that literally require that the patient go under the knife.

The Benefits of Mesolifting For Your Patient

Mesolifting Makes the Skin Glow

The mesolift skin rejuvenation process is one that your clients will request again and again, once they experience the very attractive results and realize how expedient and effective these treatments really are.  Most patients can have a full treatment on two areas of their body in about fifteen minutes, which adds to the convenience of the treatment. 

The treatment gives your patient a youthful glow and a lift in appearance within a day.  Once the minimal amount of swelling that sometimes occurs goes down the skin looks radiant, rested and firmer.  Treated skin looks a bit rumpled or swollen on some people for the first few hours (but not in all instances) but it is key to tell the patient to be patient and let the injections of carbon dioxide do it’s work.  Usually all signs of treatment have disappeared within 24 hours.

The procedure can be used anywhere on the body to tone and tighten sagging skin on the face, hands, neck, legs, abdomen and arms.  This is a newer procedure here in North America but in Europe, mesothrapy is part of the regular beauty routine of many women and even younger women who use the treatment as a preventative measure against aging.

Getting the Word Out About Mesotherapy

The fact that the sessions are brief, painless for most and provide firming and lifting effects immediately is definitely one that needs to be communicated to your patients by email, flyers or information in your office.  Be sure to include any testimonials from satisfied patients, as they will help your patient find confidence in the new procedures.

Your best ally, when it comes to advertising any of your new injectible or mesotherapy procedures is the satisfied patient, unless they are the type of person who does not like to share their beauty secrets.  When you send out information about your treatment to your patients keep in mind that there is no real target audience for these treatments, even though it is usually older that  women make up the majority of mesolift customers. Do not forget that men and younger women will also be interested in these subtle, rejuvenating treatments that have them looking better without the signs of having had plastic surgery. Mesolifting is the perfect anti-aging therapy for men who just want to look younger, more awake and more relaxed in appearance.

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com.  You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.

Mesotherapy to Treat Thigh Cellulite

As a certified mesotherapist you will find that one of the most requested procedures from your patients will be for cellulite treatment for the thighs.  Like all mesotherapy treatments, treatments on the thighs are officially defined as surgical medicine even though mesotherapy is not invasive at all and involves injections of medication into the skin and fat in order to “blast away” the fat and smooth the fascia so the skin does not look lumpy or have that orange peel quality to it anymore.

Treating Thigh Cellulite

THIGH CELLULITE

To treat thighs, cellulite injections are medicated form the buttocks to the knees on both the front, sides and backs of the thighs. Microscopic quantities of homeopathic medications, vitamins, minerals and amino acids and sometimes-pharmaceutical agents are injected under the skin to help improve it.  Pharmaceuticals that may be used to treat your patients include emphysema medications that have been known to break down fats. These include Isoproternal and Aminophylline that are usually used to treat cellulite because they break down fat.  The use of minute injections of pharmaceuticals along with other agents and a discussion of what works best for what condition is discussed thoroughly in the Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine.

The needles used to treat cellulite on thighs are very short and thin with the idea that the needle should be long enough to reach the tissues of the middle layer of the skin (mesoderm).

Less experienced or beginning mesotherapists may want to consider mapping the points on the body before they begin, but as you become more competent with the injections, this will not ever be necessary.

The Body Rights Itself

Although it may seem like mesotherapy is a drastic intervention when it comes to smoothing out cellulite, it actually isn’t.  The patient’s body does most of the work once the needles therapy has been completed.  Most people’s bodies are quite cooperative when it comes disposing of and eliminating the fat from the body.

Some individuals suffer mild bruising after a treatment but this can often be treated with arnica cream.  For the most part, patients do not feel any pain at all; just a mild pinprick. However, if a patient really does feel pain while the subcutaneous injections for the treatment of cellulite are going on, then you can use a mild numbing agent at the site of the injections to make the patient more comfortable.  This might be necessary because a comfortable patient is one that can keep coming back

However despite your best efforts your patient might notice and complain about minor swelling, a burning feeling for fifteen to twenty minutes after the treatment, minor soreness that can last a week or more an minor skin discoloration that usually resolves quite quickly on its own.

These side effects and how to deal with them are discussed thoroughly in Module 1 of the Pinewood Mesotherapy course in which you will learn how this non-aggressive procedure can help eliminate your patient’s cellulite. 

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com. You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.

The Benefits of Adding Cosmetic Services to Your Practice

No matter what type of medical or naturopathic practice you are conducting, it is likely financially advantageous for you to add cosmetic services to your practice.  Cosmetic injection training is ideal for medical doctors, plastic surgeons and naturopathic doctors.  Even if you have a fairly busy practice, it is usually quite simple to add these simply achieved cosmetic enhancements to earn your office some additional income.

If you are running a practice that is restorative or regenerative in its promises to patients in the first place then you will barely have to market any cosmetic injections. You will be, as they say, preaching to the converted that are looking for ways to feel and look younger.

Suggesting Treatments to Patients

Part of making these additional treatments part of your practice is making the fact that you offer them known to your current client base. This can mean sending them a newsletter by email or by snail mail and putting up signage in your office such as table placards and posters that advertises your new service.  Be sure to also have post-card sized advertisements that your clients can take home with them with a full description of your services including the cost.

You should also encourage your staff to freely talk about your patients about the treatments while they are in the office. Train your staff to hand out a post card with a list of services on them every time they check in at the reception desk.

Making these friendly appeals for business is very encouraging for clients who would never step foot into a cosmetology place for treatment.  Psychologically, many older women prefer to think of their treatments as being necessary medically, rather than as an aesthetic treatment.  Also, procedures such as brow lifts, mid-face lifts and upper eyelid lifts can be covered by insurance if they are seen as medically necessary.  An example would be drooping flesh with pouches that drape down over the eyelid from the brow causing interference with vision.  Additional injections with dermal filler could be applied after a blepharoplasty to refine the person’s appearance.

There is also a comfort for your patient in going with “the physician they know” for such procedures.  Many people feel anxious at the prospect of having to seek out a cosmetic or plastic surgeon.

Mixing Functional and Cosmetic Medicine

Dermal fillers, mesotherapy and PRP (plasma rich protein techniques) are procedures that can often be integrated quite seamlessly with an existing practice.  For instance, the individual who is having a surgical facelift might also want to have their naso-labial folds and creases between the forehead done as well.  Naturopathic doctors with weight loss programs might dealing with clients with saggy skiing and other issues that could benefit from mesotherapy or dermal filler injections.

The fact that your market for your services is likely built into your existing database makes adding mesotherapy and dermal fillers to your practice a very good idea.

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course on PRP, mesotherapy and dermal fillers as well as detailed descriptions and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com.  You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.

Getting to Know The 4 Main Types of Injectable Hyaluronic Acid

Dermal fillers are a very much in demand with hyaluronic acid, a temporary filler, being the choice of many clients and patients just simply because the results are not permanent or toxic to the body.

Hyaluronic acid is one of those structures that is uniform throughout nature and very well tolerated by almost everyone. The hyaluronic acid that is injected for cosmetic purpose is stabilized into a viscous gel by a cross linking process.  It is soft enough to move with the face without being animated and stable enough not to be absorbed by the body.

There are four main hyaluronic acid preparations that are in use today. These are

Restylane – This is an FDA approved substance produced from the cultures of Streptococcus equi.  It is very biocompatibile with the native hyaluronic acid in your patient’s skin, which means that the results are likely to last a long time. There are many types of Restylane that are not yet FDA approved on the market including Restylane Fine Lines (for superficial lines) and Reystylaine Perlaine (for volume contouring). The viscosity of Restylane is directly proportionate to the size of the particles in the gel.

Hylaform (INAMED AESTHETICS) is an FDA approved hyaluronic acid made from rooster combs that is crossed with divinyl sulfone. It is slightly less biocompatible with the dermis. Its very large particle size makes it better for deep dermal implantation.

Captique (INAMED AESTHETICS) is a synthetic, non-animal hyaluronic acid dermal filler that is produced through the process of bacterial fermentation. This suits clients who do not like the idea of avian proteins in their body.

Juvederm (INAMED AESTHETICS) includes a line of hyaluronic acid fillers that boasts increased biocompatibility because the particles have been reduced to a homeogenous gel. It also allows for refined results and techniques.

Each of these is injected intradermally, which is an art that takes great skill. If the substance is injected too deep then the duration of the effect will be shorter, maybe even a matter of days rather than months.  If the substance is injected too shallowly into the skin then there maybe bumps, skin discolorations or areas where an excess fullness is very obvious.

A Juvederm Advertisement

One of the benefits of injecting hyaluronic as compared to other types of injections is that it does not usually require local anaesthesia to be administered.

However, one of the axioms of this type of injection is that it seems the deeper they are more likely the patient is to be in discomfort as you inject them.  If you are less than artful with the needle as you are administering the injection, you can cause bruising.  Excess bruising decreases the effectiveness and the duration of dermal filler as its life can be shortened because of an extreme inflammatory response.  The average life-time of a hyaluronic filler is about nine months.

It is how talented that you can become using a needle that has to do a lot with how well your patients will do afterwards and also how long the effect will last.

For more information about The Pinewood Institute for the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions, please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com.  You can also send us an email using our email form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100. If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.