April | 2014 | Helene Bam
Die soeke na ewige jeug het die kosmetiese wêreld tot by ŉ spuitnaald vol bakterie gebring. Dit beloof om lagplooie, kraaipote en fronsplooie te verbloem én hok te slaan. Die spuitnaald stryk die kreukels netjies uit en word selfs gebruik om migraines te behandel. Helené Bam het verdere ondersoek gaan instel oor die beloftes van dié parmantige spuitnaald.
Meeste mense sal nie omgee om meer uitgerus, energiek en gelukkig te lyk en te voel nie. Daar is altans gedurig nuwe kosmetiese grille en giere wat slaafs nagevolg word in die hoop dat die biologiese klok tog ŉ klein bietjie terug gedraai kan word.
Daar is self die wat hul lywe deur pynlike en gevaarlike prosedures sleep om beter, fermer en jonger te lyk. Dit blyk dat daar tog ŉ ‘wonder’ produk op die mark is wat relatief pynloos gebruik kan word en aan die belofte van jeugdige vernuwing voldoen.
Botulinum Toksiene, of eerder Botox® soos dit alombekend is, word vervaardig van ŉ bakterie met die naam Clostridium Botulinum Tipe A. Dit word al vir meer as 15 jaar suksesvol gebruik om pasiënte te behandel wat sukkel met spastiese spier kondisies en migraines.
Die gebruik van Clostridium Botulinum Tipe A vir die behandeling van migraines is tans besig om deur die derde fase van ŉ kliniese studie te gaan en die resultate tot dusver lyk baie belowend. Die bakterie word in die spiere van die nek en slape ingespuit om verslossing te bring van spierspasmas wat deel vorm van die oorsaak van migraines.
Die kosmetiese voordele van die bakterie word reg oor die wêreld gebruik aangesien dit die kleiner spiere in die gesig ook laat ontspan en die voorkoms van plooie versag.
Botox® word meestal in die boonste gedeelte van die gesig gebruik om die dinamiese plooie te behandel. Dinamiese plooie is die plooie wat sigbaar is wanneer ons frons, lag of ons gesig op ŉ ander dinamiese maniere gebruik. Soos ons ouer word verloor ons vel kollageen en word die vel minder elasties. Baie van die dinamiese frons-lyne raak mettertyd statiese plooie. Botox® word ingespuit om dié plooie se voorkoms te verbeter.
Die gebruik van Botox® saam met ‘fillers’ vir ŉ volkome gesig-ontrimpeling staan bekend as ŉ liquid-facelift en ook as ŉ Clostridium Botulinum facial. Die prosedure sny glo jare weg van jou ouderdom sonder dat jy onder die mes hoef te gaan. Die laat jou gesig voller en fermer lyk met ŉ jeugdige glans.
Volgens Michelle Botha, ŉ derde jaar student by die Isa Carstens Akademie in Stellenbosch, is daar alternatiewe produkte en behandelings op die mark wat kan gebruik word in die plek van Botox®. Aromaterapie en olie-masserings kan ook ŉ jeugdige voorkoms bevorder en plooie versag maar dit vat altans veel langer om resultate te sien.
Een van die alternatiewe produkte wat gebruik kan word vir diegene wat effe sku is vir ŉ naald tussen die wenkbroue is Environ se Ionzyme Focus Frown Serum. Die produk verslap ook die spiere tussen die wenkbroue en kan voorts aangewend word vir lagplooie en kraaipootjies. Die Focus Frown Serum versag die voorkoms van plooie en kan met ’n spesiale rollertjie aangewend word om te verseker dat dit die diepste lae van die vel kan deurdring.
Dit is uiters belangrik dat daar seker gemaak word dat die persoon wie jou behandel en die Botox® inspuit na wese gekwalifiseer is. Omdat Botox® die spiere verslap kan dit uitermate nadelige gevolge inhou as dit nie reg gebruik word nie. Botox® kan slegs deur medies opgeleide persone en dermatoloë aan pasiënte toegedien word.
ŉ Oordosis Botox® kan die teenoorgestelde impak hê as waarvoor daar gewens word. Die spiere bo die oogbank kan tot so ŉ mate verslap word dat dit nie sterk genoeg is om die gewig van die vel te ondersteun nie. Dus, sak die vel oor die oogbank en kan jy ouer lyk as van te vore.
Die verkeerde spiere kan per abuis ingespuit word wat ook tot nadelige gevolge kan lei. Wanneer Botox® in die nek en kaak area verkeerd ingespuit word kan dit in sekere uitsonderlike gevalle asemhalings probleme veroorsaak en die funksie van die slukderm verswak.
Aangesien Botox® meestal vir estetiese redes gebruik word sal dit voordelig wees om na ŉ dokter te gaan wie jou voorkoms met dieselfde deernis en sorg sal behandel as wat ŉ kunstenaar een van sy meesterstukke sou versorg. Die spesialis wat die Botox® inspuit moet dus ŉ intieme verstandhouding hê van die anatomie van die menslike gesig.
Dr Louw, ŉ Botox® administrateur by die Panorama Dermatologie Sentrum beveel nie voorkomende Botox® behandeling aan vir jonger vroue nie. Vroue jonger as 30 word wel aangeraai om in ŉ goeie oogroom te belê, daagliks sonroom te gebruik en gesonde eetgewoontes aan te kweek. Botox® behandeling is natuurlik nie net alleenlik beskikbaar vir vroue nie.
Een eenheid Botox® kos tans R70.00 maar pryse kan wissel van plek tot plek. Vir die verligting van diep fronsplooie in die wenkbrou area kan 20 tot 28 eenhede gebruik word, afhangende van die spier massa. Vir daardie verwenste kraaipotjies word 14 tot 18 eenhede gebruik vir optimale impak.
Botox® kan ook gebruik word vir die behandeling van plooie om die mond en op die brug van die neus. Daar is ook vroue wat Botox® om die kakebeen aanwend om die lyn van die kaak te versag en meer vroulik te laat lyk.
Botox® behandeling is vir 3 tot 6 maande effektief. Die tydperk wat die impak van Botox® sigbaar is hang ook af van die hoeveelheid eenhede wat gebruik word en hoe vinnig ŉ persoon se lyf die Botox® afbreek en verwerk. Die impak van Botox® word vandaar baie vinniger verwerk deur mense wat ŉ sogenaamde ‘ooraktiewe wenkbrou’ het en dus konstant deur die dag frons of hul wenkbroue oplig.
Die langdurige gebruik van Botox® kan die verouderings proses aansienlik vertraag aangesien dit die opbou van kollageen onder die vel in die area van die plooi bevorder en ondersteun.
ŉ Botox® behandeling kan binne 30 minute afgelê word. Daar is dus tyd om vir ŉ Botox® behandeling te gaan én ŉ vinnige cappuccino te geniet in jou middagete-uur voor jy weer op kantoor moet wees. Jy kan ŉ meer jeugdige voorkoms binne 3 tot 10 dae verwag na die eerste behandeling.
Vroue wat swanger is, word sterk afgeraai teen die gebruik van Botox® aangesien Botox® potensieel nadelig kan wees vir ŉ fetus.
Dokter Schoonbee, wie ŉ mediese praktyk in Stellenbosch het, is van mening dat wanneer mens reg eet en ŉ gesonde leefstyl handhaaf sal Botox® behandeling nie eers nodig wees nie, “dit is belangrik om gesond in jonk van binne te wees”.
Skoonheid vergaan maar deug bly staan.
Thys Walters is somewhat of an enigma. It is difficult to contact him because he does not have a cellphone or a home telephone. When you do get a hold of him you are taken on a rollercoaster of ideas and mysteries.
Thys grew up in Stellenbosch. He has had a love for birds of prey since he was a young boy of 12. He has been a falconer since the age of 14. In 2008 he moved to Fisherhaven while he went through his divorce and gave up falconry for a while, “I just did not have the energy anymore, I was very tired.” His previous wife, Michelle is the subject and model of many of his works.
He proudly produces a large box of photos and places it on the table. His eyes glisten and the tension in his body language eases up as he shows me photos of his first falcon. Like a gushing dad would speak of his new born child, Thys tells me the details of the diet of his falcons, “when there is road kill and it is still fresh I will pick it up from the road and take it home to my birds.”
“When I was a child I collected the skulls and bones of dead animals that I collected in the field. I made sculptures from horns and porcupine pens. Birds made me an artist. When I was a young boy I would always draw falcons and eagles. These birds took me on a very special journey through my life. They made me who I am today.”
Thys wholeheartedly believes in reincarnation and says “I was definitely a falcon in my previous life. I just have such a special connection with those birds. He produces more photos of him with his beloved birds and one where a white-headed eagle majestically rests on the forearm of Thys. The claws of this bird wrap comfortably around the whole circumference of his arm. You realize what a powerful predators these birds are.
He eagerly takes more photos out of the box. It is a photo of him and Mark Shuttleworth. Thys considers himself to have a very special connection with space. His dad is a physicist and when he was a child they went to see the launch of various space shuttles in America. He laughs and says, “Yes Mark was worth getting into the shuttle”. He lowers his voice somewhat and says “we are the aliens, I do not care what people think or say, I have said and I will say it again, we are the aliens!” Thys is of opinion that our evolution as a human race was speeded up because we have interbred with creatures that are not from this world.
He takes another gulp of his wine and frowns when he asks if I have gold. When I nod my head he responds, “You can be very happy, you are very lucky because they are going to lock all our gold away!” Thys explains that there is a planet that circles the earth every three-thousand-six-hundred years and that they come to earth during that time specifically to get the gold of our plant because they need it for the atmosphere of their planet.
It is difficult to sum up Thys, even more so his art. He is a sculptor, a painter as taxidermist and a photographer. His style ranges from cubism to realism. His art is provoking and mysterious. Some of his work will make you turn away and blush while other works will make you want to take a closer look. He works with wood, bronze and stone. You can give him paint, pastels or ink and he will surely create a masterpiece out of it. The central theme that runs through his art is that of mystery and just complete abandon.
When speaking about the meaning of his art and what message it is that he wants his art to convey he says” I want my art to convey a deeper message. I enjoy making art that makes people think a little deeper about themselves and their world. People have become so lazy to think.”
Many of his works are confrontational. One of his latest pieces that titled Know Thyself is a Bible with a mirror on the inside of the first page. While Thys discusses this particular work his tone of voice becomes more serious, “people need to know who they are and the power that they have within themselves, I believe that god is in us and that we need to connect with that part of ourselves.”
In one of the back room of the PJ Oliver art centrum hangs a work of his title Dick Chaney. It is a painting with 3 dimensional silver penises. This work was inspired by the USA invasion of Iraq after the Twin Towers terrorist attack in 2001.
He looks at me with a piercing earnest as if the information that he is about to share with me is a state secret “I believe the government of the Unites States orchestrated the killing of their own people in order to get the international support they needed to invade Iraq! I know that what I say can get me into a lot of trouble but I am 45 years old I feel that I can speak my mind now.”
One of the works that Thys feels most passionate about is Wake up Call. It is a video that plays and deals with various ‘conspiracy theories about the power of multinational corporations and pharmaceutical companies. There is a one dollar bill that hangs in front of the screen as the video plays. This one dollar bill is tied with a hangman noose and according to Thys this illustrates how we have become so dependent on multinationals and big government that we are ultimately killing ourselves.
At the end of our meeting I am greeted with a CD, “not everyone wants to be confronted with the truth but there are some very important things on that CD, things that the governments of the world do not want us to know.”
He anxiously looks over his shoulder, almost as if he expects someone of listening to our conversation. He stares back at the wine in his glass. He flicks his long black hair over his shoulder and pauses for a moment before he continues speaking. He squints his eyes and looks straight at me. “I do not know who you are or who sent you but I hope you know how powerful the things are that I have shared with you today.”
Stellenbosch- The Department of Political Science at the University of Stellenbosch celebrated 40 years of political thought and leadership today.
The department hosted a special lecture to commemorate Politikon’s 40th year of existence. Politikon is one of South Africa’s leading political science journals.
Peter Vyle, one of the current editors of Politikon, was the keynote speaker at the event. Vyle’s address focused on how specialist knowledge in the field of political science can be used to change South Africa and said political science knowledge contributed to the democratic transformation of South Africa.
Vyle spoke candidly about the state of South African politics and referred to the “one party dominant system of South Africa as the elephant in the room”. He continued to say that the sociology of politics in South Africa has become more about 24/7 entertainment than about the critical evaluation of issues.
Vyle lashed out at political science scholars that treat politics as a form of “gossip” instead of using their knowledge to change South Africa, “post-colonial thinking has seeped into South African politics but only marginally”. “The discourse of politics in South Africa has further changed because it has revolved more around economics… Politicians have become economist and the line has blurred between the two worlds.”
According to Vyle it is important for political scientists in the country to reimagine their field, “politics in South Africa has become very unreflective in what it is, what its purpose is and what it is trying to do”.
Vyle argued that the issue of ‘voice’ is crucial in the development and survival of political science and said the feminist voice in political science is not strong enough in South Africa and should be given greater attention to.
According to Bob Mattes, a political science lecturer at the University of Cape Town, the most prominent question that political scientist in South Africa can answer is; what the prospect of democracy and development in South Africa is.
“It is essential for scholars to do systematic research on why the voter turnout at national elections has declined as well as the reason why many South Africans view democracy as being instrumental and not intrinsic.”
Mattes stated it is important that a strong tradition of quantitative systematic research should be developed among political science scholars in South Africa to give greater insight into South Africa’s national identity and “how people interact and relate to institutional change”.