A Permanent Cure for Acne Scars?

Ask anybody who has ever suffered from acne what was the least enjoyable part of the whole experience and probably the most possible answer will be the scars - acne scars that remain long after acne is gone. If having acne is considered bad, then what about having acne scars for several years more?

If your acne has already progressed beyond the initial stage of whiteheads and blackheads and you now have pimples and scars on your face, then you have to do two things at the same time - get rid of pimples and get rid of acne scars.

Before discussing how to eliminate acne scars, you may want to know...

What are acne scars?

Acne scars are caused when pimples either get inflamed or do not heal fully. Acne scars are formed when at least one of the layers of healthy skin is injured. When the skin is damaged and bleeding, the body forms new tissue fibers at the place to heal the wound and stop the bleeding. It is these tissues that may appear as a scar.

So getting rid of scars requires that the scar tissue be replaced by healthy tissue by some process or method.

There are several methods to help acne scars but in practice very few of them may be very effective. And some methods may have side effects that you may want to be aware of before you start such a program.

Laser Resurfacing: A carbon dioxide laser burns away the damaged skin, layer by layer. The depth of penetration is controlled. As the outer layers of damaged skin is removed, new skin cells begin to form as the healing process starts and in a few weeks, a younger looking smoother skin surface begins to appear.

Dermabrasion: This uses a spinning diamond instrument or a rotating wire brush to wear down the outer layers of the skin that have been damaged. And when the skin starts healing, younger and smoother skin will replace the old skin removed by abrasion.

Chemical peels for acne scars: Acidic solutions are applied to the skin to peel away the damaged layers and the new skin that is formed is usually smoother. Chemical peels range from mild to deep penetration. Though chemical peels can be applied at home, it would be advisable to get a dermatologist to apply it.

Punch grafts: More suitable for deep and pitted acne scars, this method involves punching a hole to remove the scar and then removing a small piece of undamaged skin.

But the question you may want to ask is... do they work?

All of the treatments mentioned above seem to have a moderate success rate - while they seem to work well for others, some are less than delighted with their treatments. While results like these may be expected with any medical procedure, your face is a very important part of your life and you will want to be absolutely certain that any treatment will be beneficial to your sense of well-being.

All About Antique Hitchcock Chairs

There are many kinds of antique chairs, each of which has its own set of interesting stories to tell, and each with a different value, depending on how old they are and who made them. If the chair was made my somebody famous – for instance, Leonardo Da Vinci doodled on it – then it is all the more valuable and would definitely fetch a gargantuan sum when sold off at auction houses.

History tells us that the concept of chairs began with the so-called Wainscot chair in the 1600s, which was, then, a privilege to be sat on. At the time, people sat on the ground and only the heads of families and esteemed individuals were given the opportunity to sit on chairs. Of course, this story, whether true or not, sounds really silly now because there is no household without a single chair inside. (Doesn't that make you want to NOT take your chair for granted anymore?)

One of the more popular antique chair designs and also one of the more sought after is the Hitchcock chair. No, it isn't name such because it was created by Alfred Hitchcock. In fact, Alfred does not have anything to do with the antique design. The Hitchcock chair was created in the mid 1800s by Connecticut resident Lambert Hitchcock and his business associates. How Lambert is related to Alfred, however, is unknown.

The Hitchcock chair was developed in different designs and makes. Its chair backs were the following: cut-out back slat, the so-called turtleback, the curved back with spindles, the pillow top, one with a round top, and one that had an oval back. All of the Hitchcock chairs were either stenciled or painted on, making each look very unique and extra special.

Given the time of its creation, there is no doubt that the Hitchcock chair is an antique. The concept, at least, is of antique nature. Of course, if the Hitchcock design was adopted by a furniture maker of this time, its value might be high only because it is a Hitchcock design and not because of the merits of its age.

Antique furniture are rather difficult to appraise because most of the background information on it would be based on hearsay. Whenever a certain piece of furniture is appraised, the factors that add to its value are its age, its make and maker, and historical background. And since the latter three can only be verified by stories, then giving its value is rather debatable. Its age, of course, can be determined by looking at the wood quality.

In the case of the Hitchcock chair, there are certain antique experts who can tell whether it is simply a replica or the real thing. A Hitchcock original will definitely fetch a much larger sum when sold.

However, speaking of selling antique furniture, would you really want to sell if you know you own a real Hitchcock? Wouldn't you want to wait more years to see its value grow? Remember, antique items gain value as years pass. If you have no urgent or very important need for the money, then it is recommended that you hold on to the Hitchcock antique for a while. The next generation could find better use for it.