DR. ANNIE FLORA, Aesthetic Dermatologist, Laser & Hair Transplant Surgeon

Wishing all my fellow bloggers & friends a very happy Diwali.. May all of us enjoy peace & prosperity and may all our lives be enlightened as we light these lamps & dispell the darkness around us. Stay safe today... Keep environment clean today, so we can stay safe tomorrow.... Let us spend time today with our loved ones & friends. Our elders spent hours preparing all these yummy snacks to share it with friends & relatives. We have moved ahead to readymade sweets & savouries. Instead, we spend that time on TV & gadgets. So lets wave off our present trend & go back to the olden days & spend time making these healthy at home & spend time sharing it with others. Wishing for those golden olden days when we used to run around, eating all these snacks as they were made - hot & healthy.  Today,  lets get offline & have quality family time...  Wishing you all a happy & safe diwali.. Let's give pollution a solution.. If any

        Promoting new hair growth, which was once a difficult task, is now made easy with the latest advances in the field of dermatology.. Minoxidil was once the only solution available earlier. Gone are those days, as the revolution in dermatology brought forth treatments with promising results for hair growth.   Mesotherapy:     It is a treatment in which vital hair nutrients are introduced into the scalp to provide an environment that is conducive for new hair growth. This treatment is done weekly till hair loss gets corrected, say for around 6 sessions, then if needed, may be done every 2 weeks as new hair continues to grow. Comfort of the patient is given utmost care to reduce discomfort. Those who have severe hair fall can see hair fall reducing dramatically in the first month of treatment itself. Other conservative methods fail to give the results that mesotherapy can deliver. Stem Cell Therapy:      Stem Cell Rx is a treatment in which recombinant fat stem

Our hair is our crown jewel. The texture, length, shine & type of hair is important for each individual.Some like straight hair while others like it curly. Some like it long & some like it shoot. None of us like to see our locks go down the drain, literally. So when hair is shed , our confidence a self esteem also takes a toll. In this, we'll just go through the basic reasons forhair loss. They are :  1)Low protein intake, dieting for weight loss 2) Anemia 3) Dandruff 4)Hormonal -Thyroid, PCOS, Androgen induced 5) Genetic 6) Associated skin diseases -Psoriasis, SLE, Lichen Planus, Alopecia Areata, etc 7)Following any illness 8) Stress-physical & mental 9) Psychogenic causes -Trichotillo mania, etc lo) Hair straightening, curling procedures, etc Let us leave the difficult ones in the hands of a dermatologist. Routine Hair Care: One needs to wash one's hair regularly, at least weekly thrice to remove accumulated dirt, sebum(oiliness), dandruff from th

        Acne / Pimples is a physiological process of life. Its a phase that almost all of us go through. It has a wide spectrum of skin damage, ranging from mild to severe.        Acne consists of Microcomedones, Black heads, white heads, small papules, red pimples, big pus & sebum filled cysts, etc. Acne lesions can also occur on the neck, chest, back, etc...         As acne heals, each spot has a pigmentation or a scar as a reminder. For some, the marks fade away, but majority tend to have it for quite a long time. As for the scars, correcting them is another story.. Acne can also occur due to hormonal reasons, steroid applications on the face, medications induced, or occlusive fairness OTC creams, etc.. a proper history will help in bringing out the cause.       Coming to acne treatment proper.... When does one need acne treatment? As one or two pimples pop out on the skin, its time to start taking care.  A good face wash containing salicylic acid, tea tree oil, glyc

  Sunscreens are meant for protection from the sun. But what do they actually protect & what are the benefits? That is something many of us don't know.              A busy mother says, "With kids, there's no time for sunscreen!!!"             Guys say, " Isn't it meant for girls?"             One who uses sunscreen says, " Tis cloudy today, so din't use it."             Regular user says, " I use it daily in the morning."  So, today I thought I'd add few simple points as to why  & when we'll need a sunscreen.           We think of sunlight & its severity based on the visible light & the heat we encounter. That's the reason people avoid sunscreens on cloudy & cool days. Sun rays comprise of visible light & UV rays. UV rays are of three types - A, B, C.             UV A - is the most abundant of the three types & is passes thro' the ozone layer. (95%)            UV B - is the nex

           Women or men, all of us have to get rid of unwanted body hair to have the clean look that we always desire, just to make ourselves appealing to ourselves and others. Women go through the process of threading, waxing, epilating, shaving to stay smooth, but for how long? Men shave their beard every day. Men want to keep their underarms and over hairy torso a little softer if not smoother. Those into modelling need that clean, smooth appearance. Men also have the problem of excessive hair over the face, bushy eyebrows, ear lobe hairs, which they really find irritating. Put together, everyone has this problem of wating precious time with these unwanted body hair.            Laser Hair Removal is the permanent solution to our hair woes. Laser works on the principle of destroying the black color, which is predominantly present in the hair follicle. With each session of Laser, the hair follicles reduce in number, become softer, grow slower. For example, for a person who shaves t

Platelet rich plasma is gaining lots of attention these days. Few of my patients have asked me, "What is PRP doc?" So I thought I'd put in a few words about it here. Platelets are one kind of cells in our blood, along with  red blood cells, white blood cells and a whole lot of hormones & molecules swimming along side in the blood stream. So what makes them special? Platelets are a rich source of growth factors, improve the healing capacity of the skin. Where can PRP be used to benefit the skin? Hair growth promotion with hair transplant Acne Scar reduction Stretch mark reduction Wrinkle reduction Skin tightening wound healing, etc The procedure involves drawing one's own (autologous) blood, getting it centrifuged, seperating the platelet rich plasma from the other components and injecting it into the areas affected, be it stretch marks, acne scars, wrinkles, alopecia, etc. To minimise discomfort during procedure, my patients are given a numbing cre

               Not many feel this way about stretch marks. It is a permanent etch on the skin & the mind of the one who earns it. So is it really possible to get away with stretch marks?  Stretch marks happen because of collagen (and elastin ) in the dermis that breaks, cracks as the skin stretches. hence grooves appear on the skin that are either white or red. Many creams are available that promise prevention of stretch mark, helps it vanish.. but nothing like that works, really.  Stretch marks have to be dealt with actively and aggressively. Collagen breakup can be recovered by stimulating new collagen synthesis. This can be done by triggering the skin by microneedling, fractional laser, etc.  Numbing creams are used prior to procedure, to prevent patient discomfort. Combining these treatments with platelet rich plasma a.k.a PRP will give good collagen synthesis, thereby causing these marks to fade. The procedure time varies from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Post pr

Happy weekend everyone. All of us know one thing - "Skin is the largest organ of our body". We adorn this skin with beautiful attire, lovely ornaments to add beauty to the already existing beautiful self.... Our skin is our prime jewel. But how we maintain this jewel is what decides how sparkling it will be in the eye of the beholder. So, in this blog, I'm planning on updating various ways & treatments to make this jewel of each of us worth wearing.  A lustrous hair and flawless skin is not too much to ask for. I will be giving my inputs for the same. Also, several skin conditions make one lose their self confidence in life. Many of my patients put these words to me - " Doc, Am not able to socialize, coz this skin issue keeps bugging me all the time". Every problem has a solution. In each blog I'll try to provide the time tested treatments and the latest advances for various skin, nail & hair issues. Keep in touch. Please add your inputs and an