Fifty-six billion dollars.
That’s what the global scar treatment market is expected to grow to by 2030 (up from $25 billion in 2022), according to Precedence Research.
A chunk of that is parked on the overcrowded shelf of over-the-counter lotions, ointments, creams and oils, all of which claim to make scars heal, lighten or vanish altogether, despite threadbare evidence to back up such lofty claims.
Experts suggest the nature of a scar determines the best course of treatment, which is why it’s important to work with qualified healthcare professionals to arrive at a plan. Medical history, skin type and the potential risks and benefits of every available treatment must all be considered.
Why do scars form?
“Scars are typically the result of the body's natural healing process after an external injury, surgery or skin conditions such as acne or chickenpox,” explains Dr Jaishree Sharad, celebrity cosmetic dermatologist and author of The Skincare Answer Book. “The body produces collagen fibres when we suffer from skin trauma such as burns, cuts or any other damage. These fibres form scars over the injured area as the skin repairs itself.
“Severe scars can be painful or even limit movement due to damaged tissue and might require extensive medical treatment to prevent complications and infections.”
Depending on the physiological appearance, dermatologists classify scars as atrophic, hypertrophic or keloidal. Dr Vimi Ponnamparambath, a specialist in dermatology and cosmetology at Aster Beauty Clinic in Dubai, says: “Atrophic scars mostly merge with your skin surface or are depressed below the skin surface. Scars that are above the skin surface are hypertrophic and keloidal scars are hypertrophic in appearance, but with the tendency to grow to the surrounding areas instead of staying contained to the site of the wound or infection.”
Home remedies for scars
As for the army of lotions and potions readily available in pharmacies made for use at home, Dr Ponnamparambath flatly says “they don’t work”.
“There is also no scientific evidence that home remedies such as honey, aloe vera or apple cider vinegar work on scars. Your skin might get better, which might make you think your scars are getting better. But apart from silicone gels and sheets, no other topical treatment available over the counter works. That’s the science.”
Sharad is more charitable. “They might reduce the appearance marginally, but cannot completely eliminate or make them vanish.”
Dr Kiran Sethi, medical director at Isya Aesthetics, adds: “Only if the scars are marks, and very light marks at that, but even marks often need prescription-strength creams.”
Sharad offers a checklist for at-home scar treatments: “Know your ingredients; look out for silicone, allantoin, allium cepa extract, heparin sodium and vitamin E in your products – they can aid in minimising thickened scars.
“Do your research, by looking up proof and results of clinical testing, reading contraindications, and following instructions carefully to avoid side effects.
“Finally, be realistic. The effectiveness of products will depend on the size, severity and location of the scar, as well as the individual's skin type,” Sharad says.
Expert-recommended scar treatments
All three doctors agree that, ultimately, scar treatment boils down to stimulating, regulating or rebalancing collagen levels, since collagen makes up 70 to 80 per cent of the skin and is responsible for its mechanical and structural integrity.
Here are some popular and effective treatments for scars.
Silicone sheets or gels: Regular application and use over a period of months will help to soften and compress scars by increasing the moisture of the scarred skin and regulating collagen production. This reduces discolouration, bumpiness and redness, and improves overall skin texture.
Laser therapy: It can be used to treat both atrophic and hypertrophic scars by targeting the scar tissue with concentrated light energy. This can help to break up the scar tissue and stimulate the regeneration of healthy skin cells. Pulsed dye lasers and fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing are two of the most popular treatments currently. However, Sethi warns: “Don’t pick a laser treatment if you have significant sun exposure.”
Microneedling: This involves using tiny needles to puncture the skin to trick the brain into producing collagen and, consequently, new skin cells to reduce the appearance of scars and improve overall skin texture.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy: PRP treatment involves processing the patient’s own blood to get a concentrate of platelets, which are them injected in the area of the scar. It helps with the healing process by stimulating collagen and providing the skin with important growth factors to repair wounds, improving the appearance of the scar. PRP is also often used as secondary therapy after the primary treatment in skin grafts and burns.
Dermal fillers: This cosmetic treatment involves injectables to improve the appearance of depressed scars caused by acne or injury by adding volume and smoothness to the skin so scars become less noticeable. Derma fillers might give instant results, but are not permanent and last only for a few months.
Surgery: The most invasive form of scar treatment is surgical scar revision, which entails tissue removal and skin repositioning. Sethi says: “Surgery can sometimes be worse than better because grafting is hard to do perfectly such that it looks natural. Also avoid anything invasive if you have a history of keloids or autoimmune conditions, and always undertake extensive testing before making a decision.”
Dr Ponnamparambath also adds a caveat for keloidal scars: “These are the most difficult to treat. As keloidal scars grow, they tend to compress the nerves and the patient often tends to suffer from intractable pain or itching. So treatment protocol such as lasers or microneedling won’t work. In keloids, there is an excessive growth of collagen, so we need to inject medications with steroids or methotrexate in the tissue to reduce the size of the lesion and the symptoms. Stay away from anyone recommending the same treatment for keloidal scars as hypertrophic or atrophic scars.”
Social media traps and cues
The reason the scar treatment industry is poised to grow is because most of us shudder at the mere mention of scars. New York-based beauty influencer Megha Singh, who shot to fame with her viral Normalizing Insecurities series of social media videos, says: “I made the one on scars because I have acne-prone skin and have struggled with scars in the past.
“All we see in the media is glowing, clear, poreless, ‘flawless’ skin. This has become the beauty standard worldwide for normal women to the point that scars can destroy self-image, particularly younger women, even though acne and acne scars are ridiculously common,” she says.
Perhaps we should take our cues from those who look at the scars on their body as an album of theatrical moments from a life well-lived. Over the years, the body may well paint a mosaic of our most daring and dodgy life decisions in the form of cloudy scar tissue peppered across its canvas.
The inch-long gnarly scar on the knee from a boating accident during a nervous date. The lifelong grin on the belly from the complicated C-section that brought a breech baby into the world. The faint scar tissue on the forehead from crashing into a glass table while playing catch indoors.
If Keanu Reeves, Kylie Jenner, Jason Momoa and Princess Eugenie all have stories to tell about accidents, childhood capers, bar brawls and life-saving surgeries behind their scars, why can’t you?
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
