Can Botox make you happier?

I just read a interesting study performed at the highly reputable School of Psychology at Cardiff University. In this paper the investigators wondered whether injections with botulinum toxin (botulinum toxin is the active ingredient in ‘Botox’) might be useful in cases of depression. It has long been believed in psychological circles that the actual act of frowning itself can make …

The day our skin sins finally give us away

When we holistically access a cosmetic patient in clinic, dermatologists look at three key problem areas – a) lines and wrinkles; b) loss of volume and contour; and c) skin surface and texture problems. While early cosmetic treatments were all about ‘chasing’ lines and wrinkles, over the past couple of years there has been plenty of hype about re-contouring and …

Summer and skin – a love / hate relationship

We so deserve the gorgeous weather we’ve been having recently – even the odd shower doesn’t seem too bad now. But sitting in a London park recently for my lunch break, I couldn’t help but notice all those pale skins turning red in the sun. Surprising? We’re in the UK – not Spain or Italy – after all. Sorry to …

Why no-one should trust those ‘All skin types’ labels

Whenever I snoop around department stores or ‘mystery shop’ at beauty counters, the abuse of the phrase ‘for all skin types’ really annoys me. No matter how many times you read this on packages, to a dermatologist, it’s nonsense. And while I fully appreciate that the more people a product appeals to the better its profit margins, what I don’t …