Caution:
On-Line Medical Advice
& Laser Surgery

By Roberta Angela Dee

I feel compelled to address those among us who use the internet for medical advice. I've been removed from several listservers for stating what any intelligent person should know: that the best medical advice is likely to come from a personal physician -- not an on-line medical guru.

I've also been removed for stating that African American women have beauty needs that differ from Caucasian women. It is not, however, only women of African descent that might be adversely affected by recommendations received through the internet. Any dark complexioned woman might be adversely affected.

Nothing irritates me more than to read a column on electrolysis that excludes the dangers that this practice might bring to women who have deep skin tones. I questioned one doctor on the internet and was told that any scars that resulted from such electrolysis could be treated with injections of cortisone.

The question here is how the good doctor defines "treatment" as opposed to removal. Virtually anything can be treated.

It is one thing if the information being excluded is the result of being unaware or ill informed. The physician in this case, however, simply felt that it wasn't an important enough issue to merit changing her web page.

The truth of the matter is that women with deep skin tones are more likely to form keloids. Keloids are raised scars that can be terribly ugly and disfiguring. Not all dark complexioned women succumb to keloids, but all deserve to be presented with the possibility.

When I write my beauty tips, I do my best to acknowledge that different women have different needs. Not everyone wants to look like a Barbie doll, nor can every woman look well as a Barbie Doll. America is comprised of many different ethnic groups. Those of us who feel competent to give medical advice or even beauty advice should accept the reality of the world in which we live.

Laser surgery is now in vogue. It's costly but it's also popular. A half-hour treatment to remove bags under the eyes is likely to cost about $2,000 dollars. However, women of color, should be cautious about undergoing this procedure.

W. Earle Matory, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., a leading African American surgeon in Irvine, California states: "Patients of color who undergo CO2 laser [surgery] will have temporary or permanent discoloration. For that reason, I don't recommend the CO2 laser but prefer a number of other therapeutic options."

The procedure for tattoo removal, for example, requires the light beam to go beneath the surface of the skin. The pigment in darker skin tones might absorb too much of the laser and as a result suffer damages."

Not all lasers have an adverse affect on darker skin tones. So, again, the patient must seek informed medical advice from a competent physician.

For free surgeon referrals and information, contact the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Inc. (800) 635-0635; the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, (800) 441-2737; the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, (800) 332-3223; and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. (888) 272-7711.

I am a writer and like most writers I live for responses from Readers like you. Please take a few minutes to comment on "Robert Angela Dee's Beauty Tips." Contact me at RADANGLE@aol.com

Thank you.

Roberta Angela Dee