Tag: China

How Laser Hair Removal Works on Different Skin Types and

How Laser Hair Removal Works on Different Skin Types and Hair Color

The effectiveness of laser hair removal is dependent upon several factors including skin type and hair color. Lesser factors include the condition of the skin, sun exposure, and the cycle of the hair.

There are four basic skin types – Caucasian European, African descent, Eastern Asian, and Middle Eastern / Mediterranean. Each of these four skin types have several things in common, such as the thickness of the dermis and epidermis, the number of hair follicles, and the skin’s layered components. However, there are many characteristics of each skin type that are very different.

Caucasian Europeans have the most varied skin type of all the groups. This group has light skin with great variation in skin color amongst the people which is determined by heredity. The people from this group are the best candidates for laser hair removal. Generally, they will need fewer treatments and attain the best results. Overall, the effectiveness of laser hair removal on individuals from this group is dependent upon a combination of their hair and skin color.

Individuals of African descent, with dark brown skin or poor candidates for laser hair removal. This is because the laser light is absorbed into the skin pigment, causing possible burns, scars, and keloids. The dark skin causes the laser beam to b drawn away from its target area.

People in Eastern Asian descent, which includes China, Japan and Korea, generally have the least amount of facial and body hair. They are usually good candidates for laser hair removal because their hair is dark, and they have minimal skin pigmentation.

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean people tend to have the most facial and body hair. Their skin color can very from dark white to medium brown. Those people with lighter skin generally make better candidates for laser hair removal. Skin bleaching agents, such as 4% hydroquinone, are sometimes used by people in this group to lighten the skin as much as possible. This is done to make the laser treatment as effective as possible and reduce the risk of burning the skin. This ethnic group has an increased risk of hyperpigmentation.

Hair color combines with skin type to further determine the effects of laser hair removal. Black or dark brown hair is usually coarser and contains the most pigmentation. These factors make it the easiest to treat because the laser light is most easily absorbed by the dark pigmentation. Lighter brown hair usually requires more treatments than darker hair. The lighter the hair color, the more difficult laser hair removal becomes. Red and light blonde hair contain phemelianin pigment which makes light absorption very difficult. Grey or white hair does not contain any pigmentation at all, therefor, they cannot absorb light. The Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype Scale and the Lancer Ethnicity Scale are used by professional technicians to determine the effectiveness of laser hair removal based on skin type and hair color.

The best combination of skin type and hair color for laser hair removal is light skin with dark hair. These people will have the best results with the least treatments.

Acupuncture and Children

As parents, we all want our children to be happy and healthy. Consider the idea that acupuncture might be a wonderful way to treat your child’s health. Acupuncture can be good preventative treatment, as well as a technique to cure various symptoms. In China, some acupuncture professionals in China are paid only as long as their clients remain healthy!

Your first question might be if any children are actually acupuncture clients? Sure! Nearly all children find acupuncture treatments very easy, even enjoyable. Especially the younger ones, for acupuncture needles are not painful, and younger children don’t have our “a needle is painful” association that adults do. Children also seem to be more aware of their bodies than adults, and can feel themselves feeling better quite quickly. Also, the improvement in energy and vitality is often so clear with children.

Are there differences for acupuncture treatment with children? The general treatment is similar, determining the locations and times to insert needles in order to effect the treatment. (Needles are inserted to different depths depending on the treatment, anything from just under the skin up to a maximum of a few inches. Even so, the needle insertion does not hurt. Sometimes an insertion can be described as a “slight pinch”, but once the needle is in, it isn’t felt at all unless it is moved.) The number of needles and the number of treatments for children is generally less, for their very active bodies respond quickly to less stimulation. Because of this, acupuncture treatments for children often bring noticeable results very quickly.

Another good reason to visit an acupuncture clinic with your child is that the diagnosis uses a number of different aspects: physical symptoms, observed physical signs such as the pulse and condition of the tongue, behavioral symptoms such as anger, aggression, depression, an even external physical conditions and the time of year. A goal of acupuncture is to bring the whole person into harmony: physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. This attention to the child as a whole is of great benefit, both to the child and to your whole family.

You can bring your child in for an acupuncture visit to maintain their health, for a physical symptom, or for a behavioral problem. One common problem that frequently responds quite well to several acupuncture visits is the problem of bed-wetting. Some children have the problem disappear after one acupuncture visit; others may require a few more visits. Interestingly, most parents are aware that the child has negative emotions, and assume that of course it stems from having wet the bed. However, a number of parents report that, after thinking on it, that actually sadness or other emotion preceded the bedwetting by several weeks. This is not always true, but there is often a connection other than the assumed “wet the bed then feel bad” connection.

Something that you may want to discuss with your acupuncture practitioner is child vaccinations. As time goes on, more vaccines seem to become available for a wider range of diseases, as the recent popularity of the chicken pox vaccine. Most acupuncture practitioners have a list of vaccines they still strongly recommend, such as the vaccine against polio. It is worthwhile to discuss the various vaccines with your acupuncture practitioner.So, please consider an acupuncture practitioner as a wonderful health specialist for your child.

A First Visit to an Acupuncture Clinic

You might be thinking about making an appointment at an acupuncture clinic. Many people consider this for various symptoms; some common ones being persistent pain, stress-related symptoms, or other problems such as weight loss. In China, many people use their acupuncture visits as a periodic tune up in order to stay healthy. Chinese acupuncturists sometimes get paid as long as their client is healthy, rather than when their clients have symptoms. So, let us take a tour of a modern American acupuncture clinic to see what it is like.

A typical clinic looks like any professional office, and you will be shown into a room where you are comfortably seated in a chair. The acupuncture practitioner comes in and begins the diagnosis. There are two major parts to the diagnosis, physical observation and a discussion of your symptoms and environment. A basic physical observation will include taking your pulse and observing your tongue. Unlike a traditional doctor’s office, your pulse is taken on both wrists, and at several points on each wrist. Your pulse is taken both near the surface of your wrist and also more deeply below the surface. These observations will be written down and used together with the discussion with the practitioner.

You should think about a number of things to discuss at your first acupuncture visit. If you are coming in for a particular symptom or set of symptoms, this should be a major part of the discussion. Think about several different aspects of your symptoms. Let’s say that you have persistent pain in your ankle, to use one example. The pain may not be constant during the entire day; it may ebb and wane depending on the hours of the day. The pain may increase or decrease due to certain activities, and you should observe these as much as possible. You might think that walking would certainly increase the pain, but sometimes walking is not as much of a problem as persistent standing, for example, as a cashier in a grocery store. Also, the pain might change depending on the times of the month, and that should also be mentioned to the acupuncture practitioner. Cause and effect, if any, is also important to report. Some things to consider if stress is a component, for possibly the pain started or increased when you got a new supervisor at work. Notice that a diagnosis for an acupuncture visit includes physical, emotional, social, and mental components to the diagnosis. So come to the acupuncture office armed with as much information as you can gather about the reason you are coming.

Once you and the acupuncture practitioner get through the initial diagnosis, some time is taken to construct a plan of treatments. Depending on the particular symptom that you have, and the other personal information that was taken in the initial diagnosis, your first treatment might be this same day, or you may be asked to return on a different day to start your treatments. The time of day and the particular days for acupuncture treatments are carefully selected in order to achieve the best result possible.

If you do have an initial treatment, it will be painless, and generally takes less than an hour, sometimes much less than that. The acupuncture practitioner will insert very slim needles at specific locations, which will remain for the number of minutes needed for your particular symptoms. When the needles are still you are not even aware of them. Inserting and removing needles is also pain free, rarely there may be a slight twinge, but not more than that. During your treatment you may feel more relaxed, a buzz of energy, slightly warmer at the needle insertion points, or exactly the same as when you came in. However, the needles are doing their work to regulate and rebalance the circulation in your body. So enjoy your first visit, and know that each visit brings you closer to your optimal health.

Air Ambulance of the Year Award Goes to AirMed

AirMed is an air ambulance service that stands out above the rest. This company is based out of Birmingham, Alabama. The AirMed air ambulance company was the only finalist from the United States to be considered for this honor.

The prestigious award was presented to AirMed by Voyageur Group’s International Travel Insurance Journal. This company is based out of London. The air ambulance of the year award was presented at the annual conference in Venice in 2007.

This honor represents the finest in the air-medical field. International Traveler Insurance Journal honors assistance companies, insurance underwriters, and cost-containment providers. AirMed air ambulance service has had excellent competition for the award. Several other air-medical companies from Canada and Europe were finalists for the award.

The annual awards speak volumes about the quality of service from the recipients. An impartial panel of judges are used to determine the appropriate winner. The judges are a panel of experts in the global travel insurance and medical transport industries.

AirMed’s devotion to quality air ambulance service shows in their high standards and patient-oriented business. This honor of Air Ambulance of the Year indicates AirMed’s dedication to service and standards in the industry.

According to company announcements, early next year, AirMed plans to open and operate an international base in Hong Kong. Based on this information, AirMed will be the first U.S. based air ambulance company to operate a base in China. With the addition of the new base in China, AirMed will be even more qualified and better equipped to serve the needs of the world.

Specialty patient care and seamless travel is a goal of AirMed air ambulance service. By the end of 2008, AirMed should have 11 dedicated aircraft in the fleet. This fact makes AirMed better prepared than most to serve the air ambulance travel needs with safety and convenience in mind.

AirMed is the preferred carrier for the United States Department of Defense and is the air medical transport for the Mayo Clinic. The AirMed air ambulance service has bases in Hawaii, Minnesota, and its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Annually, over 2,500 medical missions are flown with this excellent organization.

The patient care and customer service is unparalleled. AirMed offers bedside to bedside medical care worldwide. For anyone in need of air ambulance service, AirMed’s staff and fleet will undoubtedly provide the special care and customer service to meet the need.

The Air Ambulance of the Year Award is an honor that deserves recognition. The dedication and quality service received by AirMed’s clients have allowed the company to stand out above the competition. A well-maintained, high-quality fleet helps to make AirMed the top air ambulance of the year. The experienced and professional staff cares about the patients and providing excellent medical standards.

Top-notch customer service speeds AirMed to the top of the chart. Air ambulance competition is tough, but AirMed has come up on top. The honor of Air Ambulance of the Year will undoubtedly encourage AirMed to continue their strive for excellence in the years to come.