10 April 2002

What we can do about looking old

The Royal Society of Medicine has chosen the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Liverpool, as a venue for their regional conference The Ageing of Skin (11th April 2002). Highlights include:

What really works: avoid the sun, no cigarettes, use the right creams
Professor Chris Griffiths, Hope Hospital, Manchester, - How and why skin ages
Professor Griffiths will explain which anti-ageing remedies really work and what we can do to minimise our chance of looking old too soon. He will look at the increasing evidence which suggests that too much exposure to the sun (photodamage), and tobacco smoking are the key factors that cause wrinkles and other symptoms of prematurely ageing skin. He will also review treatments, including skin creams with vitamin A derivatives which, if they are in the right formulation, have been found to be effective in repairing skin that has aged naturally, as well as photodamaged skin.

Cosmetic surgery obsession
Dr Eileen Bradbury, Cheshire- The perception of ageing
Growing older in a society which values youth can be a distressing process, says Dr Bradbury. Increasing numbers of people are looking to surgery to delay the ageing process, not just with one-off operations but multiple procedures. Dr Bradbury will discuss how cosmetic treatments can be genuinely empowering, but if used as substitutes for developing real strategies for happiness, risk doing psychological harm: "the more remarkable the treatment the greater the psychological risk to vulnerable individuals." She will look at ways to identify and help those most at risk of becoming obsessed with 'Permayouth'.

New combination treatments "have revolutionized" anti-ageing therapy
Dr Nick Lowe, UCL Hospitals, London & UCLA School of Medicine, USA, - Combination treatments and a comparison of the botulinus toxins
Modern skin rejuvenation techniques often involve the a patient undergoing a combination of treatments: skin fillers, lasers and muscle inactivants like botox. Dr Lowe will be discussing the options available, and warning that these very specialist procedures should only be undertaken by a qualified doctor. He will also be presenting results of new trials comparing the effectiveness of different botulinum toxins in combination with other treatments, such as laser rejuvenation and topical therapy.

Patients now demand the 'natural' look
Mr Clive Orton, President, British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Manchester, - Recent Advances in aesthetic surgery
Recent advances in cosmetic surgery have not just been about new techniques but also a refinement in how those techniques are used. Mr Orton will explain how modern surgeons are concentrating on how to correct the ageing face with a natural look, working on muscle and shape correction rather than the old-fashioned 'tightening' of the facial skin. He will point out that public demand has driven improvements in treatment, as people become increasingly aware of what a bad facelift looks like.

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