http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hard-contact-lenses.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hard-contact-lenses.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Rigid gas permeable lenses are made of a hard material that allows increased oxygen flow as compared to the PMMA lens. Therefore it avoids the corneal damage caused by its predecessor. RGP lenses offer many other benefits to the contact lens wearer.
ADVANTAGES OF RIGID GAS PERMEABLE LENSES
• Retain shape better than soft contact lenses
• Provide better vision than soft contact lenses
• Increase durability, lasting up to a year
• Less costly due to increase durability
• Can be worn occasionally or regularly when cared for properly
• Increase visual clarity
• Treats astigmatism and karatoconus well as the lens can be formed to correct such problems
• Effectively treats presbyopia
• Used to correct the cornea shape during sleep
• Can slow down the progression of near-sightedness in children
DISADVANTAGES OF RIGID GS PERMEABLE LENSES
• Take longer for the wearer to adjust to and achieve max comfort than soft contact lenses
• “spectacle blur”- a blurring of the vision that occurs when the contacts are removed that may last for a period of time
• Requires greater care during cleaning
Rigid Gas Permeable lenses are equal if not better than soft contact lenses but thye are much less popular because they are usually uncomfortable to wear. Speak with your optometrist to determine what is best for you.


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Ronny Smith is the contact lens specialist. He writes many books on history & future of contact lenses. He always focused on contact lenses usages.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-transplant-procedures-and-costs.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-transplant-procedures-and-costs.html Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
If you have well-defined and clearly established areas or patterns of baldness on the crown with healthy dense coverage of hair at the sides and the back of the head, you are probably suitable for a hair transplant surgery. Hair that is transplanted in the frontal region of the skull generally offers the best results. However, a hair transplant procedure can also be carried out on any other area of your head if you have some bald patch there.

It is best to have detailed information about the hair transplant procedure before you make plans to undergo a surgery. It is only after you have read through all the information that you can understand and appreciate the significance of surgical hair restoration. The information will also help you decider whether you are the right candidate for the hair transplant surgery.

Now that you are well informed, you would probably think whether the hair transplantation is at all affordable? Hair transplant cost varies depending upon your past medical history, the degree and extent of your hair loss, possibility of medical hair restoration as an adjunct for surgical hair restoration, number of sessions that would will be required for hair transplant surgery, etc. It is after placing due considerations to these factors that your hair restoration surgeon will be able to chalk out an affordable hair transplant treatment plan for you.

Before you make a decision to undergo hair transplant procedure, it is better that you make a consultation visit to the hair transplantation surgeon. This consultation will give you some idea about the hair transplant cost for your surgery.
In general, the average hair transplant cost in USA ranges from $3,690 to $ 9, 800. In some cases it can also be as high as $ 15, 000. The hair transplant cost varies considerably from person to person, and also depends on how many grafts you need, the number of sessions involved, and the hair transplant center or clinic you visit. Clinics in California charge more on average than clinics in Texas. Going to Canada or to Mexico for the hair transplant will be cheaper.
Remember that the hair transplants costs & prices should not be the main reason for choosing a particular hair transplant surgeon, though it is an important factor for most patients. The cost of hair transplant surgery at most hair restoration centers in the USA is based on the size of a hair transplant "session" not on the number of hair follicle units transplanted. This is simply because some grafts contain more hair follicles than others.


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Michelle Hudson is writes informative articles for various internet magazines about the hair transplants procedures. She writes descriptive information about expenditure of hair transplant procedures.



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-restoration-procedure.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-restoration-procedure.html Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Various methods of hair restoration surgery

There are various methods of hair restoration surgery for you to choose from. The two chief methods that you can opt for are – a.) Scalp Flap Surgery and b.) Scalp Reduction Surgery.

A. Scalp flap surgery – It entails moving a flap of skin and underlying tissues from one scalp area to the other. The surgeon first cuts out a section of the scalp where there is no hair growth He then replaces it by a flap of hair-bearing scalp. The size and placement of the flap will depend on your requirements. You do not need to worry about the scar. It will be covered by the relocated hair.

The objective of this hair restoration method is used to rectify a non-traumatic cosmetic defect. It is also used to repair a traumatic injury site and restore its functionality and cosmetic appearance. Another use of scalp flap surgery is repairing a skin defect caused by congenital malformation. The advantages of this hair restoration surgery procedure include natural frontal hairline, proper hair placement in temporal areas, hair pattern distortion avoidance, etc. However, it runs the risk of certain side effects. They include permanent hair loss at donor sites, scarring at donor or recipient sites, blood supply failure to the flap, etc.


Scalp Reduction Surgery – Scalp reduction surgery is the hair restoration procedure usually meant for people with posterior baldn
B. ess. It is into removing bald scalp and bringing the half-bearing scalp closer to it to fill in the bald area in the scalp. In this hair restoration surgery the surgeon reduces the baldness by cutting out a segment of the bald scalp skin. The hair restoration process in scalp reduction surgery has two parts. The first part includes the surgical removal of the bald portion of the scalp. The other part entails hair-bearing scalp being upwardly stretched to replace the bald scalp that has been removed. You many need the scalp reduction surgery to be conducted in combination with the surgical procedure called brow lifting. This procedure removes the frown lines from the forehead and crow’s feet from around the eyes. In your case this surgical procedure can be carried out through scalp extension or scalp expansion device. In this technique the hair-bearing scalp skin is stretched causing better coverage to bald areas of the scalp. This hair restoration surgery is often combined with hair transplantation. What’s the objective? Well, one possible objective is to “fine tune” hair restoration in your anesthetically sensitive areas. One example of such an area is your frontal hairline.

The scalp reduction surgery can be conducted before, during or after hair transplantation. The appropriate time will be identified mainly on the basis of your need. How to decide which scalp reduction technique is correct for you? That depends on various factors like your hair loss degree, laxity of the scalp, donor hair amount, etc. The possible complications and side effects that you may face include scarring at the suture lines, scalp skin “stretch back” at the excised bald area and central midline scar called slot deformity.

Recent advances in hair transplantation – The emergence of some relatively recent advances in hair transplantation techniques offer better surgery outcomes for pattern baldness. These new hair restoration techniques are less complicated and painful.

Follicular Unit Transplantation – At present it is considered to be the most reliable hair transplant technique. Its success rate is almost 10 per cent. A follicular unit is a physiological unit that needs to be extracted and transplanted as an intact unit. Its advantages include natural looking hair, more effective surgery due to the use of stereoscopic microscopes for dissection, avoidance of damage to the follicular unit, etc. However, it is a time consuming procedure.

Direct Hair Implant (DHI) – The minimally invasive hair transplant procedure for follicular hair transplant, DHI is free from the use of scalpel, stitches and a donor strip. The technique is based on the transportation technique named Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUE exemplifies the latest extraction procedure for follicular unit transplants procedure. FUE includes the use of custom-made, precise micro-surgical tools. There is direct extraction of follicular units one by one, instead of dissection. One main advantage of FUE is possibility of quality control during the transplantation procedure. Besides, it is a simple and painless procedure.

Choosing the right clinic

Be very careful while choosing your hair restoration clinic. A standard clinic will successfully help you realize your hair restoration dream. On the other hand the selection of a wrong clinic will lead to a faulty service. The various factors that determine the credibility of a clinic include the feedback of former patients, legal status (i.e. whether any lawsuits are pending against the clinic), the professional kills of the surgeon, etc.


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Charles Browwn has been studying the hair restoration process for a number of years. He is associated with a number of clinics as counselor. Besides, he regularly writes columns on Hair Restoration Surgery in various magazines and newspapers.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-transplantation-surgery.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/hair-transplantation-surgery.html Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 hair transplant informationis important before going for a hair transplantation surgery. Hair transplantation is the process of transplanting hair-bearing portion of the scalp onto the bald area. Recent technological advances have made the operation more convenient, affordable and effective.

Some basic hair transplant facts

Hair transplantation operation involves several steps like pre-surgery care, post-operation care.


Pre-surgery care - You are supposed to follow certain pre-operation precautionary measures. For example, you need to follow the list of dos and don’ts provided by the surgeon. These dos and don’ts include abstaining from alcohol and medicines not prescribed by the surgeon.


Post-operative care - You have to take certain precautions after the transplantation. For example, you must not expose the operated area to sunlight for some days. Shampoos and chemicals are also to be shunned.

You may experience falling of displaced hair from the recipient zone. It is a perfectly normal phenomenon.


Hair transplant cost - The hair transplant cost depends mainly on the clinic and the surgeon’s fees. The required number of grafts, that depends on the balding area size, also matters in this regard.


Hair transplantation is the most effective way to deal with pattern baldness. The process entails removal of the scalp’s hair-bearing portion and transplanting it onto the bald patch. Recent technological advances have enhanced the convenience and affordability of the surgery, making it most popular method of medical hair restoration.

Follicular unit transplantation

A discussion offering basic hair transplant information is incomplete without a special discussion on follicular unit transplantation. This process is considered the most effective among the various hair restoration methods. The surgery involves transplanting hair from the permanent zone in the back of the scalp onto the affected areas.

The donor tissue is removed in one piece to ensure that the follicular units being relocated from the scalp back are not damaged. An integral part of follicular unit transplantation is single-strip harvesting. It ensures that no damage is caused to the individual hair follicles.


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Michelle Hudson is researching on hair transplantation. She has studied various procedures of hair transplantation, has tracked their advances, and has also made a comparative study of them. She lives in New York.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/advancement-in-hair-transplantation.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/advancement-in-hair-transplantation.html Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Given the time consuming and tedious nature of this procedure, a hair transplant surgeon is often able to transplant only about 500 to 600 follicular unit grafts per day. However, thanks to the recent hair transplant advances, this technique is often replaced by the follicular unit extraction (FUE). The cost per graft of FUE is typically twice the cost of the standard follicular unit hair transplant procedure discussed above but it is comparatively faster and minimally invasive.


Some hair transplant advances
In a typical FUE procedure a small round punch is made in the donor area to directly extract 1, 2, 3 and 4 hair follicular unit grafts. The follicular units extracted using this process is typically referred to as "blunt dissection" where a punch is made to envelope the entire follicular unit separating it from the surrounding soft tissues.

Once the underlying follicular unit is separated from the surrounding tissues, it is easily extracted using a small forceps. The small holes left behind after the follicular unit extraction gradually heal over the next few days and are not detectable to the naked eye once the patient's hair grows out. The healing time is much less than the donor strip extraction procedure.

While the FUE procedure has been adopted by most hair transplant clinics, the standard strip excision method is still the most popular hair transplant procedure because it is more economical than the FUE.

Moreover, due to some recent hair transplant advances such as the use of trichophytic closure technique, the linear donor scar created by the strip excision procedure is now often rendered almost undetectable to the naked eye. This advancement in the hair transplantation technique has made FUE procedure relatively less appealing.


Hair transplantation research
Besides the hair transplant advances in the transplantation procedures, a lot of research is also underway to clone the hair. If the hair transplantation research is successful it will be possible to make several copies of donor hair in the laboratory. The application of this technique would be used in the form of hair transplantation. In the traditional procedures, the biggest limitation is often the donor which is not able to meet required density. However, hair cloning promises to overcome this problem by having the amount of hair required to be grown in a laboratory from a single donor hair and then implanting it into the scalp.

Hair transplantation research for cloning is very difficult and there are many hurdles that have to be overcome regarding the safety and cosmetic characteristics of the cloned hair. Some hair transplantation research has also provided breakthrough for some hair loss medication like Dutasteride.


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Michelle Hudson is involved with research on hair transplantation. She regularly writes articles to inform people about the latest advancement in hair transplantation. More information on the topic can be found at www.hairtransplantation.info.



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>