Shinagawa Partners With Intellicare

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Intellicare

Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetics Center, the world’s leading provider of LASIK services and the number one aesthetics center chain in Japan, has teamed up with Intellicare, a Philippine-based health maintenance organization (HMO). The exciting partnership will provide millions of Intellicare employees and members with exclusive discounts to Shinagawa’s LASIK, Aesthetics, and Orthodontics services, as well as to CELESTY products.

“We’re very delighted to have Intellicare on our list of corporate partners. With our growing number of allies in the country, we will be able to reach out to more Filipinos and offer our most-advanced medical procedures at an affordable cost,” says Marketing Officer Daryl Joy Guinto.

Intellicare employees and members can now enjoy 50% discount on all LASIK treatments, 50% off on Aesthetics services if availing a package and 20% off on other Aesthetics treatments, 20% discount on Dental Braces and other Orthodontics services, and 20% off on CELESTY products.

To avail the special rates, Intellicare employees and members simply need to present their health card at Shinagawa clinics in Makati and Ortigas.

The Shinagawa-Intellicare partnership will run until April 30, 2018.

For more information or appointment request, go to http://shinagawa.ph/.

After Treatment

Dark Undereye Circles: Ending the Horror

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So, you’ve finally determined the root cause of your undereye darkness. Now, it’s time to choose the right treatment(s). Contrary to common belief that dark circles can be banished by simply getting a full night of shut-eye, they usually require medical intervention. Treatments include:

Eye Cream and Chemical Peel

Eye cream with topical bleaching agent can reduce undereye darkness caused by hyperpigmentation from melasma or sun damage. In extreme cases, doctors may recommend chemical peeling.

IPL and Laser Resurfacing

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy and laser resurfacing help reduce dark circles by increasing collagen production, decreasing pigmentation problems, and improving overall skin quality. Laser treatments can also be more effective when combined with chemical peeling.

Fillers, Fat Injection, and PRP

Injection treatments for dark circles include hyaluronic acid injectable fillers, like Restylane, which restores volume to the thinning undereye skin and upper cheeks. Fat injection also gives the same benefit permanently although results are not guaranteed as fat cells don’t always survive the fat transfer process.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy is recently introduced as a treatment for dark undereye circles. The PRP extracted from the patient’s own blood is injected into the problem area, helping regenerate skin tissue and promote collagen production, which in turn add volume, radiance, and glow to the skin.

Facelift

Dark circles caused by sagging cheeks can be efficiently corrected by facelift procedures (cheek lift and mid-face lift). Aside from treating dark circles, it can also reduce puffiness and deep nasolabial folds.

Blepharoplasty

Lower blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) is generally the most effective way to permanently get rid of dark circles. This surgical procedure removes the excess undereye skin and corrects sagging of the lower eyelids. It is often combined with other surgical procedures, like arcus marginalis release, placement of tear through implants; and the addition, removal, or repositioning of undereye fat.

Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetics Center offers various treatments for dark undereye circles, such as chemical peeling, IPL, Laser Resurfacing, Injectable Fillers, PRP, Facelift, and Blepharoplasty. For details and appointment request, visit Shinagawa PH.

To understand how dark undereye circles develop, check out the first part of this blog series here.

Before Treatment

Dark Undereye Circles: Causes and Risk Factors

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Troubled by the noticeable dark circles under your eyes do not seem to go away even after getting a good night’s sleep? Dark undereye circles (also called periorbital dark circles) are common concerns among many adults. They are not dangerous to your health, but they can make you look old, sick, and tired, which can affect your self-esteem and body image.

What’s to blame?

There are various factors that contribute to undereye darkness, including genetics, age, lifestyle, and illnesses.

Genetics and Aging

The skin under your eyes is thinner compared to other areas of your body, making its blood vessels more visible to the naked eye. When the skin loses more collagen and elasticity due to skin aging, the dark circles become more prominent.

Periorbital hyperpigmentation, which happens when the skin around your eyes produces more melanin than normal, also leads to the formation of dark circles. The hyperpigmentation, which is more common in people with darker skin, is usually brown in color.

Lifestyle

Fatigue, stress, and lack of sleep can worsen dark circles. Without enough rest, your skin becomes paler, making its blood underneath more visible.

Overexposure to the harmful rays of the sun can also increase dark circles by breaking down collagen and elastin.

Health Issues

Dark circles can be triggered by certain health conditions, including periorbital hyperpigmentation, which happens when the skin around your eyes produces more melanin than normal; anemia (iron deficiency), which limits oxygen supply to the tissues around the eyes, leading to discoloration; and allergies, which triggers the release of histamines in the body that inflame blood vessels and cause swelling. The itching reaction from allergies can also cause you to rub or scratch your skin, which eventually darkens it.

If you are taking any medications that cause blood vessels to dilate, dark circles may also appear as the increased blood flow shows through your skin.

Blood Leakage

In certain cases, the blood vessels around the eyes may leak and the oxidation of the leaked blood can result in undereye darkness. Usually, swelling and bags also appear as leaked blood is affected by gravitation pull.

Identifying the root cause

To determine the possible cause of your stubborn dark circles, try gently stretching the skin under your eyes. If it becomes darker, the circles are probably due to genetics or aging but if the color doesn’t change, it can be due to sun exposure or allergies. For a more accurate explanation, however, it is always best to consult with a doctor.

Shinagawa Aesthetics Center offers free consultation for all skin concerns. For details and appointment request, visit Shinagawa.PH.

Want to know the best treatments for your dark undereye circles? Click here for the second part of this blog series.

Contact Lenses

6 Risks of Long-Term Contact Lenses Use

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Contact lenses are medical devices worn directly on the corneas of the eyes for vision correction or aesthetics purposes. Although useful, they can put the eyes at risk of infections and inflammation, especially when used for an extended period of time. This is because the lenses cover the entire corneas, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches the eyes from the environment.

Several risks of prolonged wearing of contact lenses include:

Dry Eye Syndrome

1. Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is caused by insufficient or poor quality tears. Its symptoms include burning or stinging sensation, sandy or gritty feeling, sore eyes, light sensitivity, blurry vision; and eye itchiness, tiredness, dryness, and redness. Inadequate supply of oxygen reduces the tears produced by the eyes so if you have borderline dry eye syndrome, you may feel especially uncomfortable with your contacts on. If you wear contacts for too long, the protein deposits also build-up, which can make your eyes feel even drier.

 

 

Pink Eye

2. Pink Eye

Bacterial infection from contact lenses can lead to pink eye (conjunctivitis), an inflammation or swelling of the conjunctiva. Symptoms of conjunctivitis include pink discoloration to the whites of eyes, swollen eyelids, itching or burning sensation, discharge or excessive tearing, and increased sensitivity to light.

 

 

 

Corneal Ulcer 3. Corneal Ulcer

Corneal ulcer (microbial keratitis) results from the rubbing of contact lenses against the eyes’ surface, creating open sores in the outer layer of the corneas that may enable bacteria to penetrate the eyes. Corneal ulcer causes pain and redness, mild to severe eye discharge, and blurry vision.

 

 

 

4. Corneal ScarringCorneal Scar

Corneal scars develop when contact lens cause abrasions or injury to the Bowman’s membrane (smooth and nonregenerating layer between the superficial epithelium and the stroma) and the stromal layers. Scar can also form when the corneal ulcer penetrates the Bowman’s and the stromal layer. Corneal scarring can lead to impaired vision.

 

 

 

 

 

Vision Loss

5. Vision Loss

Corneal ulcer scarring can lead to permanent vision loss, especially if the ulcer is centrally located in the cornea and is deep and invasive. Vision loss after corneal ulcer occurred more frequently with extended-wear soft contact lenses compared with extended-wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

 

 

 

Abnormal blood vessel growth

6. Abnormal blood vessel growth

Wearing contact lenses for too many hours or too many years can cause abnormal blood vessel growth in the cornea (corneal neovascularization). Blood vessels normally circle the cornea at the limbus or the border of the cornea and the sclera (white part of the eye). Any growth beyond this point hampers your vision.

 

 

 

Risks of prolonged contact lenses use differ for each person. If you decide to use them, always keep them clean and stored properly, follow your lens-wearing schedules, and set appointments with your eye doctor for follow-up care. Also, make sure to have an up-to-date pair of eyeglasses to give your eyes a break.

For permanent and long-term solution to vision problems, consider getting LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), which is the most advanced type of vision correction that uses laser energy to reshape the cornea and correct refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Shinagawa Lasik Center provides safe, fast, painless, and bladeless LASIK procedures. For more information or appointment schedule, visit Shinagawa PH.