Newsletter

September 2011

Combined treatments for
more beautiful skin

Your skin can look better than you ever imagined. All it takes is a combination of treatments rather than the single treatments you may have tried in the past. At Skinfresh Clinic, you can get a smart combination of treatments for your specific skin type and condition.

The skin has three layers. The top layer is where superficial brown and red discolouration is generally found. Limelight treatment using our medical grade IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) works at the skin surface to reduce brown and red blotches. Good skincare can also help address this problem.

The second layer is the mid-dermal level, where Laser Genesis works.

If skin discolouration is deeper, as is the case with rosacea, deep skin redness and veins, Limelight will not be able to treat it. In these cases we can use Laser Genesis, alone or in combination with Limelight. Laser Genesis also comfortably treats acne, wrinkles, texture problems and scars, and helps to tighten the skin.

Treatment with Laser Genesis is comfortable and has no downtime, so you can go straight back to work! There are very few Laser Genesis lasers in New Zealand.

For wrinkle and texture problems, you get even better results when Laser Genesis is used alongside microdermabrasion. Skinfresh Clinic has a treatment programme that combines the two. For most clients, we have been able to increase collagen, tighten skin and reduce wrinkles and texture problems by half.

Microdermabrasion stimulates skin at the deep dermal level to produce more collagen. It is a comfortable treatment with no downtime. Skinfresh Clinic nurses often recommend microdermabrasion and exfoliation before certain treatments, as it helps the laser or light to penetrate more deeply. Our medical grade microdermabrasion equipment is operated by trained nurses.

This month, we have a fantastic special offer on combined treatments, along with Botulinum toxin treatment. Now there’s a blockbuster combination for your complexion!

Help for bloating, belching and flatus

Bloating, belching and flatus has been recorded in history since antiquity. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is known to have said that gas makes one feel whole. Emperor Claudius of Rome allowed gas to be passed in the city, but this ruling was overturned by Constantine, who in 315 made passing of gas illegal in Rome.

Abiding by this law would have been hard, as intestinal gas is a normal condition. On average, each of us passes gas 13 times a day. The total daily volume can range from 200 to 2000ml. The gas consists mainly of methane, hydrogen and nitrogen.

What causes gas

Swallowing air is a common source of intestinal gas. Many people swallow air as a habit, more so when they’re prone to stress or anxiety. When you eat too fast or drink through a straw, you swallow more air, while those with ill-fitting dentures also tend to swallow more air than others, as do smokers and people who chew gum. Carbonated drinks contain dissolved gas that can escape in the intestine as well.

Despite this, the main aspect to consider when you’re concerned about bloating or wind is diet. Try to identify foods that affect you negatively. Common dietary causes of intestinal gas include beans and legumes, potatoes and some other vegetables, sweeteners and fibrous supplements.

Sweeteners such as Splenda® and Equal® are not absorbed by the body, so they remain in the bowel. Having a similar structure to glucose, they turn into a fermentable sugar, which causes gas. Many diet foods contain non-digestable sugars such as sorbitol or mannitol, which also become fermentable sugars in the large bowel, causing gas.

Legumes, beans and fibre supplements

Legumes and beans are well-known causes of gas. These foods contain the sugars raffinose and stachyose. Your digestive system doesn’t have enzymes that can break down these sugars, so gas is produced. These sugars are also found in vegetables such as potatoes, kumara, broccoli and cauliflower. Onions are common causes of gas too.

Many fibre supplements include the soluble fibre psyllium, which becomes a gelatinous substance when it dissolves. This material can ferment, causing gas. By contrast, non-fermentable fibres  such as wheat germ and those derived from some vegetables tend not to ferment and produce gas. If you eat a lot of fibre, you may find that even the sugars you get from fruit can create gas.

From the above, it is clear that fermentable sugar is a common denominator. So you have to think about aspects of your diet that can create such sugars, and try to avoid them if intestinal gas is a problem for you.

Lactase deficiency as a cause of gas

Lactase deficiency is a very common cause of problems with gas. As the name suggests, lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk products). Lactase deficiency tends to become more prevalent as people age, while Asians have an above average incidence of this shortage. The reason it worsens over time is that the lining of the small bowel becomes thinner as you age, causing the loss of more lactase enzymes.

People with lactase deficiency find that they have more gas after they have eaten milk, cheese and ice cream. In some cases, the condition is associated with bloating and diarrhoea.

Not having enough lactase means that the lactose enters the intestine undigested. As it makes its way through the intestine, fermentable sugars are formed that start to ferment. This causes abdominal bloating and flatus.

Ways to treat intestinal gas

Excessive bowel wind can be remedied and dramatically reduced by following a few simple steps.

Obviously, it makes sense to avoid the habits and foods that lead to intestinal gas. It’s worth bearing in mind that the only starch that doesn’t cause much gas is rice. Choosing rice rather than potato, kumara and other sugars could be useful. Watch out for sweeteners, chewing gum, drinking through straws and carbonated drinks, as well as legumes and certain vegetables.

Another option is to try an anti-gas agent such as Beano®, which you’ll find advertised on the Internet. This product can help your body to digest stachyose and raffinose, so would be useful to limit the effects when you eat beans and the vegetables that cause gas.

Many antacids contain simethicone, an agent that breaks up some of the gas that forms in the stomach, helping to relieve upper bowel wind.

Ordinary probiotics also help with gas, as they balance out the good and bad bowel bacteria that have been unsettled by the food.

The new drug Rifaximin has been researched for the treatment of irritable bowel. It discourages the development of bad overgrowth bacteria, especially in the small bowel. This drug can be expected to become available in New Zealand later.

Information for this article was adapted from a lecture written by Prof. David A. Johnson, Professor of Medicine, Chief of Gastroenterology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.