Botox (Wrinkle Reduction Treatment)--PART 1

The gradual development of facial wrinkles is inevitable and generally represents the early sign of ageing. The most common areas of wrinkling include the forehead, the brows and the outer corner of the eyes (crow's feet). This is mainly related to muscle activity which can be effectively dampened by the use of botulinum toxin, which is a naturally occurring bacterial toxin. This type of treatment to paralyse muscles selectively and reduce wrinkles is commonly known as 'Botox' treatment. Botox is a trade name, and other similar preparations may also be used for this purpose. Botulinum toxin was initially used in the 1970s for treating patients with hyperactive muscles around the eyes. Currently, it is widely used for cosmetic reasons, such as wrinkle reduction and a wide variety of other medical conditions related to dysfunction of muscles.





Consultation and treatment 

During consultation a detailed medical history is obtained by your surgeon and assessment of the facial wrinkles is carried out to determine the exact areas of muscles that require the injection. An appropriate dose of botulinum toxin is then injected into the muscles using a tiny micro needle. Following the treatment with Botox, the skin over the muscles remains smooth and even. Injected muscles are paralysed in about 2-3 days while untreated areas continue to work as normal. As the needle used is very fine and small quantities are injected, the pain is minimal and therefore no anaesthetic is required. You may experience some discomfort over the treated area immediately after treatment. You may resume normal activities immediately however any strenuous activity and massaging the area should be avoided. You must follow the post injection instructions carefully to avoid any untoward effects. Some patients may experience mild headaches in the first week or so following the injection which resolve spontaneously, and the use of mild painkillers such as paracetamol is recommended to relieve the headaches.








Reference information: www.entific.com.hk, www.eafps.org/
The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing loss treatment

The treatments vary depending on the type, site/s and severity of hearing loss. This is best assessed and diagnosed by an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. 

The appropriate treatment may be conservative observation, hearing aiding and /or ear surgery. For children with persisting “glue ear” especially when in both ears with notable signs of language and /or attention problems, a ventilation tube (grommet) can be placed into the eardrum by surgery. For patients with a perforated eardrum, this can be repaired by surgery.


For patients with bilateral complete deafness, a cochlear implant sound processor should be considered. This re-stimulates the deaf ear using an electrode array and some very clever speech software processing. The new sound that is heard will indeed be different. Speech and hearing rehabilitation exercises to re-learn these sounds would be required. Children do better than adults with these cochlear implants. Studies have shown that a child’s brain has a higher neuro-plasticity than an adult, and therefore a greater capacity to adapt to new sounds and learning development.

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above. 

胡亂「自療」致鼻敏感惡化

鼻敏感雖不是致命疾病，可是發作時引來的流鼻水、鼻子癢等問題卻是非常煩人，不少鼻敏感病人卻諱疾忌醫，自行購買成藥或利用針炙、按摩來「自療」。

其實，這些「自療」方法只能暫時消除病徵，根本沒有徹底根治鼻敏感帶來的炎症，長期使用，甚至會惡化成鼻膜炎，最終要動手術治療。

一些聲稱可以通鼻塞的噴鼻劑是鼻敏感患者最常使用的成藥。這些噴鼻劑只是利用藥物強力收縮鼻膜及血管，並沒有真正解決鼻敏感引致的發炎問題。長期使用，鼻塞問題不單會反彈，更會演變成慢性鼻炎。

其實，對於這個情況，醫生會向病人處方一些含輕量類固醇的噴鼻劑，病人只需連續噴一個星期左右就可以痊癒。現在含類固醇的藥物十分安全，被身體吸收的份量極微，不會影響身體功能。

參考資料: www.ent.cuhk.edu.hk , www.entific.com.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

Implications of Chinese face reading on the aesthetic sense

Chinese face reading is an ancient art that has been developed over centuries, not only in China but over the wider area of Asia owing to China's cultural dominance in Asia during its imperial rule. Similar to feng shui, Chinese face reading is based on a philosophy held by Chinese people all over the world that expresses itself in contemporary daily life and practices by coloring people's choices, likes, and dislikes. It is inevitable that the aesthetic sense is also affected by face reading principles, especially among those who are most familiar with them. An understanding of these principles and beliefs would help surgeons better understand their Asian patients' requests and perhaps allow them to better communicate appropriate suggestions accordingly.





Reference information: www.entific.com.hk/

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

鼻敏感或是鼻塞的手術

包括下鼻甲減容術及鼻中隔成型術。下鼻甲減容術是適用於因為下鼻甲肥大引致鼻塞的病人，而鼻中隔成型術是適用於因為鼻中隔偏曲而引致鼻塞的病人。有一些病人是兩種情況也有，而耳鼻喉專科醫生就會同時為他們做這兩種手術。

通常先試藥物治療     例如  :  類固醇噴劑或抗組織胺

術前注意       
全身麻醉或局部麻醉

血液或鼻分泌倒流

全身麻醉

術後注意       
填塞方法   (例如海棉或紗布1-2天)

流眼淚，面腫，面痛，頭痛等等

藥物: 去減少這些不舒服

避免過熱的食物

                                                                               

出院以後       
鹽水洗鼻

輕微流血  →   冰敷

嚴重 → 回去急診室

休息兩至三天，視符工作性質

長期問題       
仍然需要藥物，尤其是鼻水，噴嚏等問題

復發(鼻塞)

併發症注意   鼻中隔穿孔

參考資料: www.entific.com.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

矯鼻手術介紹

鼻矯形及隆鼻手術 面部整形日漸普及，大眾對整形的接受程度也越來越高。改善鼻形手術是其中最普遍和受歡迎的整形項目。除了外觀上的改善外，有鼻塞的人仕更可藉手術治療。 鼻矯形可分為手術性及非手術性兩種。 非手術性鼻矯形 主要是透過注射來達至矯形效果。常用物質包括透明質酸(Hyaluronic Acid, 又稱玻尿酸), 微晶瓷(Calcium Hydroxyapatite) 等。

 透明質酸是人體本身物質，常用於注射面部，下巴，鼻部等。好處是簡單而需時短，一般二十分鐘左右可完成。但是，由於注射透明質酸只可輕微改善鼻形，所以不 是所有人也適合。例如，鼻翼左右不平衡，鼻子過大或比較嚴重之鼻部畸形，就需要選擇手術性修復。

透明質酸隆鼻通常能維持半年至九個月，需要重覆注射，方可 維持效果。 但是，注射性矯鼻並非完全沒有風險，如注射位置紅腫，瘀傷，甚至發炎等。此外，注射性矯鼻只能改善外觀，並不能幫助有鼻塞問題的人仕。 手術性鼻矯形 手術性鼻矯形，適合比較嚴重之鼻部畸形，鼻子過大，或有功能上問題如鼻塞之人仕。

手術之植入物，可分為自體移植和異物植入兩種類型。自體移植的植入物是來 自患者身體的其他部份：例如，鼻中隔軟骨，耳朵軟骨或肋骨等。好處是副作用如排斥或發炎等，較異物植入為低。 異物植入手術的植入物，一般是人工物質，例如矽膠或合成的聚合物，如Goretex等。異物植入的好處是手術時間較短，而亦不需在病者其他部份造成傷口。 一般來說，單純隆鼻的手術時間較短，大約三十分鐘左右。

鼻矯形(或鼻雕)手術則需時兩至三小時。 每一個患者的需要和狀況也不同，在決定手術前，請先諮詢專科醫生平衡手術的風險。

黃德彰  耳鼻喉專科醫生

參考資料: prochats.she.com/, www.entific.com.hk/

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

胡亂「自療」致鼻敏感惡化

鼻敏感雖不是致命疾病，可是發作時引來的流鼻水、鼻子癢等問題卻是非常煩人，不少鼻敏感病人卻諱疾忌醫，自行購買成藥或利用針炙、按摩來「自療」。其實，這些「自療」方法只能暫時消除病徵，根本沒有徹底根治鼻敏感帶來的炎症，長期使用，甚至會惡化成鼻膜炎，最終要動手術治療。

一些聲稱可以通鼻塞的噴鼻劑是鼻敏感患者最常使用的成藥。這些噴鼻劑只是利用藥物強力收縮鼻膜及血管，並沒有真正解決鼻敏感引致的發炎問題。長期使用，鼻塞問題不單會反彈，更會演變成慢性鼻炎。

其實，對於這個情況，醫生會向病人處方一些含輕量類固醇的噴鼻劑，病人只需連續噴一個星期左右就可以痊癒。現在含類固醇的藥物十分安全，被身體吸收的份量極微，不會影響身體功能。

參考資料: www.ent.cuhk.edu.hk , www.entific.com.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

骨膠原

美容醫學可有效刺激皮膚自我增生骨膠原，讓皮膚緊緻有彈性，改善皺紋。

1.  醫學換膚﹕研究證實，高濃度醫學換膚(>20%,  pH<3.5)有效令真皮層的厚度及膠原纖增加。

2.  光學療法﹕利用高能量光束(激光或彩光)在真皮層造成熱能傷害，促使纖維母細胞增加製造優質骨膠原來自我修復。現在常用的嫩膚激光完成後沒有傷口，可即時化妝，對日常作息影響減到最少。

3.  射頻緊膚﹕將高頻電波導入到真皮層，加熱刺激深層的骨膠原收緊及再生。

4.  小分子透明質酸注射﹕透過小針注射小分子透明質酸到皮膚中，深層補水之餘，也可刺激纖維母細胞增加製造骨膠原。

左旋乳酸聚合(poly-L-lactic acid)注射﹕透過小針將左旋乳酸聚合注射到真皮層中，對增加真皮層的膠原蛋白含量十分有效，其效用可長達2年，已被FDA核准作為治療皺紋的方法。

參考資料: www.metrohk.com.hk/

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

Botulinum toxin safety

Botulinum toxin is a safe drug and when injected by an experienced facial plastic surgeon the incidence of side effects is extremely low. The most common side effects are temporary and localised bruising, slight redness of the skin and occasionally slight swelling at the injection site. The side effects of Botox are completely reversible and are temporary, lasting only a few hours and occasionally up to one or two days.

Rarely unintended paralysis of muscles may result in troublesome cosmetic imperfections such as drooping of the eye brows. The incidence of such side effects is injector dependent and settles with time.

How long does it last? 

The effects of Botox usually last for three to four months after the first treatment. The effects fade gradually, at which point wrinkling begins to reappear and you may return for re-treatment.

Generally, with repeated injections, the effects last longer and the frequency of injections gets lesser. The duration of effect varies from patient to patient and may be less effective in older people.

Reference information: www.eafps.org

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your ENT specialist for diagnosis and treatment.

I cannot hear in one of my ears!

Single sided hearing deafness (SSD) is not uncommon. There are all kind of reasons including accidents & trauma, medication, surgery, strokes, brain tumours, etc. However, usually the reason is never known (idiopathic) as in patients who experience sudden hearing loss of unknown cause. It has been suggested that overall, single sided hearing loss may be as common in our population as 12 in every 100,000 persons.




What problems do these SSD sufferers have?

SSD patients cannot hear clearly from one side, and therefore do not have stereoscopic sound i.e. they are unable to localize the source of a noise. Also in noisy environments, their only hearing ear is challenged by the useless “noise” that masks the useful “sounds” that they want to hear e.g. speech of a friend in an interesting conversation over cocktails in a crowded party. 

SSD patients also automatically modify their lifestyles to better suit their condition. For example, they will always walk and talk with family and friends standing, sitting and walking on their better hearing side. They will arrive at meetings earliest, not because they are the keenest, but so that they can sit strategically with their good ear to the meeting attendees.




What is the solution?

The state of the art evidenced based solution that is better than others on the market, is the  Cochlear™ baha® ( bone anchored hearing aid ) hearing system. The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system was FDA-approved for the treatment of single sided deafness in 2003, and has been successfully used to treat specific hearing conditions in Hong Kong since 1996. The technology translates sounds from an hearing processor, through a titanium implant, to the cochlea or inner ear. The vibrations received are perceived as sounds, and the patient “hears”.

How does the baha help with single sided deafness?

The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system is applied to the deaf side of the head. Sounds that it “hears” are conducted though the implant to the other good and normally functioning inner ear on the opposite side of the head. The good ear interpretes the sound as coming from the deaf side, and the brain does the rest.

Is the hearing normal then?

The hearing is not normal as there is only one inner ear that is functioning and translating sound from both sides. However the brain is able to understand the difference. For the patient, they can now hear sounds from their deaf side.





How do I know if the baha will help me?

The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system comes with a Softband™ for trial in a clinic setting. 
You will be assessed with the Softband™ and advised if the Cochlear™ baha® solution is the right one for you. 
If you are a potential candidate, you can try the Cochlear™ baha® processor in your different sound situations specific to your lifestyle….and then choose for yourself.



Dr Gordon Soo, MD 











The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.