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Perfect Skin ...1

Let’s face it, in most countries chucking acid in a woman’s face is considered a horrendous act of mutilation. Unless, of course, you are a dermatologist. Then you can call it a chemical peel and charge a whole lot of money for it. The disconcerting thing is that there are willing participants queuing up for the pleasure. People see it as acceptable to be burnt by acid in the pursuit of the perfect skin or the removal of a blemish that is the natural consequence of aging.

As a society, we are ever more focussed on the exterior appearance of not only ourselves, but others. Studies have shown that good looking, tall people are better paid, more successful and more likely to be promoted, so no small wonder that some will go to any lengths to improve their chances in this dog eat dog world we live in. Eternal youth is the goal, even if it is unrealistic. Madonna might be the posterchild of what we can look like when we are over 50 and suck the joy out of living by eating things that don’t really taste of anything. On the other end of the scale is the famed catwoman who is grotesque in the caricature she has become…./2

Perfect Skin ...2

Some of these procedures are a lot more invasive than others. The old fashioned facelift entails a separation of cheek and body, a bit of tugging and a reattachment. They are still happening with alarming regularity, even though there is Joan Rivers as evidence of too much of a good thing. On the less invasive front, there are new procedures like Fraxel and IPL.

Fraxel is fractional frying of your skin’s underlying dermis layer by laser in the quest to trick it into producing more collagen which will plump your skin up, thereby ridding your visage of fine wrinkles. I have it from a reliable source that this treatment was akin to tattooing your entire face in an hour. The pain was the one thing the doctors failed to mention and if you do, the3y underplay it. But it all worked out well for this particular person and she is happy with the results. Unlikely to go for a second helping, but happy nonetheless.

IPL, the treatment not the cricket extravaganza, is Intense Pulsed Light which removes sun damage and, yes, you guessed it, fine wrinkles. It is also the cure for acne, thread veins, pigmentation problems and rejuvenation…./3

Perfect Skin ...3

Botox, those pesky little bacteria that people wilfully inject into their faces causes muscle paralysis. So while you are able to look a lot younger due to the relaxation of the muscles, you don’t have a lot by way of expressing your joy. A quick search online produces gem like –“a total of seven different toxins all of which have the same end result, the paralysis of muscle.”

While millions of dollars are spent each year on the cosmetic procedures outlined above, I, for one, don’t see the point. Each line tells a story, each winkle is earned. Why deny yourself the passage of time with an illusion. If you spent too much time in the sun when you were younger and uninformed, tell your kids so that they don’t end up looking like you. Ever thought that genetics have a hand in this and not all can be reversed in a few outpatient sessions?.../4

Perfect Skin ...4

Our faces are our life’s work, the measure of our experience and something we have to face each and every day. The crux of the matter is that if you are uncomfortable with who you are, or who you are becoming, go for it. Change it all. Have as many procedures as you want to have in order to be more comfortable in your tightly stretched skin. I just know that I won’t be joining this queue any time soon.

Maybe because I am tall, good looking and successful. And I am up for a promotion.