Acne
It's skin disorder caused by inflammation of the pilo-sebaceous follicles. Its causes are not fully understood.
Age spot
Age spots on skin are marks caused by excess pigmentation.
Aging
Aging is the totality of those physiological and psychological processes, which begin to alter the body's structure and functioning once it has reached maturity.
Anti-acne laser
The laser is designed to target the specific element responsible for the acne - functional hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands. In order to have the greatest possible impact on acne, the sebaceous gland and infundibulum are focused upon, using the new smooth beam diode laser.
Anti-aging
A product or substance that attempts to reduce or slow down the signs of aging.
Anti-oxidant
An agent that prevents or slows down the oxidation reactions that noticeably speed up the processes of cell aging.
Anti-wrinkle
A product or substance that fights the formation of wrinkles or attempts to reduce them.
Anti-wrinkle laser
CO2 and Erbium lasers are both used to smooth out wrinkles. The CO2 laser, also known as the skin-resurfacing laser, allows skin's surface to be abraded layer by layer, down to a very accurately computer-controlled depth. It causes a tightening of the skin similar to that achieved through a facelift, through collagen regeneration and fiber-contraction. The post-operative problems associated with the CO2 laser mean that doctors often favor the Erbium laser, which has more manageable after-effects and heals more quickly.
Aramis laser
The Aramis laser acts on water and stimulates skin's collagen. It is used to treat acne (both blemishes and scarring) and superficial wrinkles.
Arm lift
From the age of 65, the skin of the arms naturally creases and sags. The deterioration of its elastic fibers means that the skin can no longer be held in contact with the muscle, which also begins to lose density with age. In order to correct this sagging, an arm lift is carried out: either an axillary or a longitudinal lift.
Birth mark
Birth marks are also known as flat angiomas or port wine stains.
Birth marks are a vascular deformation affecting the capillaries and concern around 3 out of every thousand newborn babies.
Botox
Botulinum toxin (botox) is used to smooth out facial wrinkles and procure a facelift effect that provides a genuinely more youthful look.
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin responsible for botulism, a form of food poisoning that is now extremely rare in France. Botulinum toxin acts at the neuro-muscular junction, blocking the transmission of the nerve signal.
Brow lift
A brow lift raises the skin and muscles of the forehead.
Brown spot
Brown spots on skin are caused by pigment activity. They appear on the back of the hands, the face, the décolleté and men's scalps. Hereditary predisposition plays a role in the formation of brown spots, but perhaps not so great a role as that played by sun exposure over several years.
Burane laser
The Burane laser thermal technique allows skin to be re-firmed (in a non-ablative manner). Scientific studies have shown that the thermal technique employed by the Burane system allows hypertrophic scars and other skin irregularities to be effectively flattened. The ablative Burane technique allows skin to be resurfaced in the traditional way, by removing the epidermis down to the papillary dermis. Result: skin is noticeably firmed up.
Café au lait spot
"Café au lait" spots result from an excess of melanin pigment .
Chemical peel
Chemical peels involve applying a liquid or paste to the face to eliminate skin's superficial layer. Following the chemical peel, brand new cells form a smoother, more toned epidermis. The secret to carrying out peels effectively is choosing the product to be applied, which will be more or less aggressive and more or less effective depending on the individual case.
CO2 laser
The CO2 laser, also known as the skin-resurfacing laser, allows skin's surface to be abraded layer by layer, down to a very accurately computer-controlled depth. It causes a tightening of the skin similar to that achieved through a facelift, through collagen regeneration and fiber-contraction.
Collagen
A substance used to fill out wrinkles (a fibrous protein present in the inter-cellular material of connective tissues)
Complexion
The complexion is facial skin's natural coloring, or artificial if cosmetics are used.
Cosmetic
A cosmetic is a substance designed to cleanse, protect, fragrance or keep the human body in good condition, by modifying its appearance or scent. Cosmetics are hygiene and beauty products.
Cosmetic surgery
Esthetic surgery includes all surgical techniques designed to correct physical flaws.
Cosmetic surgery clinic
Any surgeon carrying out procedures under general anesthetic must, in the interests of safety, work in a cosmetic surgery clinic.
Cosmetology
The study of care products and techniques designed to improve the body's appearance.
Crow's feet
These are small wrinkles found at the corners of the eyes. They appear with age, but sometimes occur prematurely. In such cases, they are mainly attributable to the "squinting" caused by sun exposure, poor reading light etc.
Cryo-fixation
The rapid cooling of small samples such as cellular components allows them to be immobilized within a few milliseconds.
Dark circles
Dark circles are pigmented skin flaws, forming hollows under the lower eyelids. They make the face appear tired and older.
Deep peel
This is very effective in rejuvenating skin by 10 to 15 years. Nonetheless, it is important for patients to be aware that the recovery period following deep peels is particularly difficult, with a considerable degree of edema affecting the treated area for several days.
Derma K laser
The Derma K laser destroys the superficial epidermal layers via photo-abrasion. It can thus be referred to as resurfacing. Derma K allows for skin to be rejuvenated, wrinkles around the eyes and lips to be treated, scars and dark circles to be corrected and colored tattoos to be removed.
Dermabrasion
Abrasion/Sand-blasting of the skin designed to correct acne scarring and some wrinkles.
Dermis
Deep layer of the skin (made up of connective tissue) lying beneath the epidermis.
Dermography
Skin reaction suffered by some people upon rubbing or scratching the skin, characterized by the onset of redness followed by a pinkish-white swelling and itching marking out where the injury occurred.
Dermo-pigmentation
Dermo-pigmentation includes permanent makeup and pigment re-structuring (correcting the areola on the breasts, scars, lips etc.).
Epidermis
Superficial skin layer above the dermis. The epidermis is made up of 5 super-imposed layers. From the bottom up: basal layer, Malpighian layer, granular layer, clear layer, corneal layer.
Esthetic dermatology
Esthetic dermatology is concerned with diseases of the skin and how best to treat them. It brings together pathology and esthetics, and employs both cosmetic and medicinal products.
Esthetic medicine
Medical or surgical practice designed to improve the appearance of, re-shape, correct the proportions of or rejuvenate the body or facial features. Esthetic medicine aims to correct or improve non-pathological physical flaws.
Face
The forward-facing part of the head in humans.
Face and neck lift
A procedure designed to correct the facial outline, thus giving the face a globally younger appearance.
Facelift
A facelift allows skin to be lifted from sub-jacent planes, in order to restore its tension and tautness by removing the excess, and sometimes also re-positioning the muscles higher up and further back.
Fat
Adipose tissue which becomes visible when fat cells are poorly distributed across the body.
Fine line
A small, shallow wrinkle, which should be treated as soon as it appears to prevent it from developing into a wrinkle.
Fraxel laser
Fraxel is a fractioned ablative laser using the dermabrasion technique, but this time in four stages. This laser allows skin to be renovated without having a surgical procedure, anesthetic, down-time, pain or side effects that are difficult to manage.
Freckle
A small brown fleck also known as an ephelid, which appears on areas of skin exposed to the sun in children and fair-skinned adults. Freckles fade or even disappear in winter. They result from an increase in the amount of melanin in the epidermis, but fo not affect the number of cells manufacturing in (melanocytes).
Full facelift
A facelift is an operation designed to restore tension to the sagging tissues of the neck and the two lower thirds of the face. The improvements that can be expected from this type of procedure essentially concern the degree of sagging of the neck, cheeks and jawline or facial outline.
GentleLase laser
GentleLase is a revolutionary long-impulse, alexandrite-based high-energy laser system, which emits a gentle beam of light that penetrates skin to reach the hair follicle, which absorbs it. It is used for the purposes of hair removal.
GentleYag laser
The GentleYag laser uses the same technique as GentleLase. The beam penetrates the skin to reach its target and this process is repeated a limited number of times. It is used to treat varicose veins, pseudo-folliculitis due to shaving and on the nape of the neck; it allows the hairs to be removed. Unlike GentleLase, GentleYag is designed for darker, mixed-race and black skins.
Hair loss
Hair loss involves the progressive and permanent falling out of hairs from the scalp. Most cases involve men, but some women are also affected. Hair loss is much more severe when it begins permaturely.
Hand lift
There are two types of skin-lifting procedure that can be performed on the hands to remove the excess skin: you either make an incision around the wrist in the shape of a bracelet or you make it down the outer side of the hand. In both cases, the incision made to carry out the hand lift is extremely thin and almost invisible.
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is a natural constituent of the dermis that plays an important role in hydrating skin and ensuring its elasticity. Due to the the reduction in both its quantity and quality with age, skin dries out and becomes wrinkled. A large number of high-end cosmetics contain hyaluronic acid as well as most wrinkle-filler products.
Hypodermis
The hypodermis is skin's deepest and thickest layer. It opens out into the dermis and is attached to the subjacent dermis by collagen and elastin fibers.
Injections
Injections allow wrinkles to be filled out, causing them to disappear. The anti-wrinkle effect of injections varies from 3 months to several years depending on the product selected by the doctor.
KTP laser
This laser is used by dermatologists and phlebologists to correct varicose veins and pigmentary lesions via photo-coagulation, while leaving normal capillary structures unaffected.
Laser to treat brown spots
Q-Switched lasers can be used to erase brown spots.
Laser to treat red patches
Argon and KTP lasers can be used to erase red spots.
Laser to treat rosacea
The only effective treatment for rosacea is the V-Beam laser, which very precisely targets the area affected by lesions.
Laser to treat scars
The pulsed CO2 or Derma TMK laser allows scars to be erased.
Laser to treat stretch marks
This laser corrects stretch marks by flattening skin's surface in order to smooth it out. Resurfacing or re-smoothing lasers are used to this effect. There are two types of laser used to reduce stretch marks, but they can never be erased completely. Burane lasers are the most useful in targeting white stretch marks, whereas the V-Beam laser is used to treat pink stretch marks. The ideal stretch mark treatment combines the Burane and V-Beam lasers, using them alternately.
Laser to treat varicose veins
Pulsed dye or KTP lasers can be used to treat varicose veins.
Lentigos
Lentigos are brown spots that appear with age. Lentigos, or "liver marks" are particularly common on the back of the hands, the face, the décolleté area and on the top of men's scalps as they age.
Lips
The lips are two sets of muscular tissues forming the entrance to the buccal cavity.
Marionette lines
Marionette lines are the wrinkles found at the corners of the mouth.
Mask lift
A type of facelift, to rejuvenate the two upper thirds of the face.
Medical lift
A medical lift is a tailored anti-aging treatment, which does not involve surgery.
Medium-depth peel
The products used are relatively aggressive and penetrate skin more deeply than a superficial peel. Medium-depth peels are effective against fine lines and last longer than gentle peels, but entail a more painful recovery period.
Mesolipodissolve
Mesolipodissolve is a gentle, painless technique, which involves giving multiple injections scattered over all cellulite-affected areas. It acts on skin's appearance and volume rather than weight. Mesolipodissolve is indicated in cases of diffuse cellulite, circulatory problems and more generally for the entire lower half of the body.
Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy involves injecting a micro-dose of medical agent just under the skin, in direct proximity to the problem requiring treatment.
Mini-facelift
The mini-facelift is a procedure that treats both face and neck at the same time and allows a younger, more defined facial appearance to be achieved. It is the most minor form of facelift carried out by surgeons.
Mole
Moles or naevi are commonly found on skin. They result from a build-up up melanocytes (cells that produce skin's pigment, melanin).
Mouth
A cavity made up of lips, gums, cheeks and the palate, forming part of the digestive and respiratory systems.
Nasolabial folds
Nasolabial folds are the wrinkles that become visible between the nose and the corners of the lips.
Orange-peel skin
Orange-peel skin is so called because the fatty deposits involved give skin a similarly dimpled appearance to that of the fruit. Orange-peel skin is also sometimes referred to as dimpling.
Peel
Peel: an esthetic procedure in which the facial epidermis is caused to flake off so as to reduce surface flaws (buffing, exfoliation). The choice of acid used depends on the desired intensity for the treatment and hence the depth of the wrinkles to be treated.
Photo-rejuvenation
Photo-rejuventation allows a variety of benign skin problems to be treated. It is mainly used to treat skin imperfections on the face.
Plastic medicine
Plastic medicine includes procedures going well beyond simply esthetic medicine and allows certain disadvantages associated with esthetic medicine, such as general anaesthetic or post-operative problems, to be avoided.
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery includes all procedures designed to modify, repair or improve the appearance of teguments (organic tissues) and their shape.
Pregnancy mask
Pregnancy mask, also known as chloasma, or melasma, is the incidence of brown marks on certain areas of the face, which appear following sun exposure.
Profiloplasty
Profiloplasty is the procedure in which both nose and chin are re-shaped.
Q-Switched laser
Q-switched lasers are indicated for brown spots, sun spots or "liver marks" on the hands.
Red patch
These are angiomas, which are harmless deformations caused by abnormally dilated blood or lymph vessels and whose causes and development are poorly understood.
Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation is the erasing of the signs of aging. Prevention remains the best approach.
Resurfacing laser
Laser resurfacing is a technique in which a laser is used to smooth the skin. This technique abrades skin imperfections and erases wrinkles.
Rosacea
Rosacea is the permanent dilation of the small superficial veins on the face. It causes red lines on the chin, the sides of the nose, the forehead and cheeks.
Rosacea is a chronic condition of vascular origin, which has a progressive inflammatory effect on skin and only affects the face. It is caused by an abnormality of the blood circulation, which results in redness, dilated blood vessels and small spots.
Sagging
Sagging involves tissues losing their tension. This loss of tension initially concerns muscles, followed by skin, causing an excess of skin and ptosis.
Scar
A scar is a mark left behind following the healing of a tissue lesion.
Skin
Skin is an organ made up of several tissue layers, playing, among others, the role of the body's protective covering. It insulates the body from the outside world, thus protecting the muscles and organs from external aggressors. It also allows the body's thermal and chemical (e.g. pH) stability to be maintained.
Soft lift
See Mini-lift.
Stretch mark treatment
A light beam is emitted by the laser to progressively abrade the superficial epidermal layers, thus reducing stretch-marks' unattractive shiny appearance.
Stretch marks
Scars that appear when skin is stretched. Both epidermis and dermis are spread more thinly, and in the case of deep scars the hypodermis is also thinner. They can appear during adolescence, in the final months of pregnancy, following significant weight gain, following certain treatments or illnesses and after intense muscle training (body building).
Sub-dermal lift
Sub-dermal lifts (under the dermis) are an alternative to surgical skin-lifting techniques and allow for the treatment of both skin sagging and wrinkles.
Superficial peel
Superficial peels constitute a mega-radiance booster that lasts 1 to 2 years. In cases where the skin is severely damaged, superficial peels are often ineffective.
Temporal lift
The temporal lift is used to open up the eyes by repositioning the eybrows and smoothing out crow's feet.
Thigh lift
A skin-lifting procedure performed on the upper or lower part of the thighs.
Ultrasound
Vibrations like those responsible for sound, but at a frequency beyond man's hearing range. The vibrations are produced within matter at a frequency above 20000 Hz. In medicine, ultrasound is used to treat neuralgia, to find lesions on certain organs and tissues, to investigate abnormalities within the skull, on the vocal cords, to examine the eye and for the purposes of gynecological examinations.
Ultrasound therapy
Ultrasound therapy is currently one of the most effective surgery-free body-contouring procedures available in France. Low-frequency ultrasound waves are used to treat cellulite.
V Beam laser
The V-Beam laser is designed to emit laser energy impulses onto skin. Laser light is only absorbed by blood vessels situated within the region of the vascular lesion. This laser has a unique quality: it is able to select its target, in the case of the blood vessels of a vascular lesion, without damaging the surrounding tissues.
Varicose veins
Dilatation of superficial veins in the lower limbs, caused by valvular incontinence, which can be congenital or acquired.
Varicose veins are dilated subcutaneous micro-vessels, forming red or bluish lines under the skin. They are often hereditary, and are promoted or even caused by pregnancy, hormone levels, weight gain and certain working conditions. Varicose veins are most commonly found on the inner side of the knees and thighs or on the ankles.
Vascular laser
Vascular lasers act on lesions containing blood vessels. The types of lesions treated include rosacea, erythrose, broken veins, varicose veins and angioma. The V Beam laser is used to treat deep-set vascular lesions. The GentleYag laser is designed to treat varicose veins.
Wrinkle
A deep groove in facial skin caused by aging. Wrinkles can be improved through several existing techniques: laser, collagen, peels, injections etc.
Wrinkle filler
Wrinkle fillers allow the groove of the wrinkle to be pushed back up, causing the wrinkle to disappear. Wrinkle fillers can be used before or in conjunction with a facelift, but are often sufficient on their own.
Wrinkle prevention
Wrinkle prevention involves forestalling the formation of wrinkles.
Wrinkle treatment
Wrinkle treatment involves erasing wrinkles or, in severe cases, reducing them. There are two ways of going about this: - Wrinkle treatments that erase or reduce the wrinkle hollow by smoothing skin down to the base of the wrinkle. An anti-wrinkle laser or peel is used to this effect.
- Wrinkle treatments where the groove is filled through injection.
YAG laser
There are several types of YAG laser.
- The ND-Yag laser: the beam emitted by this laser deeply penetrates the skin. For this reason, ND-Yag lasers are used to erase tattoos and pigmentary lesions. In some cases, this laser is also used for the purposes of hair removal or wrinkle correction.
- The Erbium-Yag: this type of laser is used to smooth skin on delicate areas like the neck and the back of the hands.
- The Erbium-Yag CO2 laser: treatment with this laser simultaneously procures a very fine ablation of the epidermis and an in-depth treatment to boost collagen production. The results are very good on very sensitive areas like the eyelids, the neck, the back of the hands and the face in general.