Start a 3D PRINTING: Producing abundance with technology
Start a laser skin resurfacing center
A laser skin treatment is a relatively new technology that surgeons have only recently begun using. It is when the surgeons utilize lasers (containing carbon dioxide) to vaporize the skin’s upper layers, consequently allowing a new layer of skin to form. The technique is commonly used to fine tune wrinkles and various face lines, especially around the eyes and the mouth. What is great about the laser skin treatment is that it can be used at any part of the body, including damaged areas, as the laser beam is extremely precise. This allows some forms of scars and burns to be faint or less noticeable. Also, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, which use pulses of the laser light, is used to treat scars such as acne scars and various veins and stains.
Also known as a laser peel, the laser skin treatment create similar effects as chemical peels. Basically, the technique will remove the top layer of the skin. Then, as the dermis (the bottom half of your skin) is revealed, a new top layer of skin that is smooth and soft will be recreated.
Usually a single laser skin treatment does not take so long. Conducted under anesthetic and sedation, the whole process can take from a few minutes to a couple hours (considering that the whole face is being treated). As is the case, recovery time varies quite drastically. Those who did not have the laser dig very deep might have a short (or possibly even no) downtime. However, those who did undergo deep laser treatments might have a slightly longer recovery time. Regardless of the depth though, aftercare is necessary. Laser treatments of all types, including the laser skin treatment, are very precise. There hardly is any bleeding and thus there is hardly any discomfort afterwards.
Behind the Laser Skin Treatment Process
After having the local anesthetic material applied on the skin area that is to be treated (usually a day prior to the treatment), your face is then cleansed again, which can take a few minutes to a few hours depending on the size of the area being treated. Usually, when doing a small treatment job, the laser will only penetrate up to the epidermis or the papillary dermis. However, for deeper operations, it may even penetrate up to the upper levels of the reticulas dermis. This is what is great about laser skin treatment; it allows the surgeon to be very flexible when dealing with the skin that needs to be treated, as all areas, depending on whether it is a scar or a deep wrinkle, needs to be treated at different levels.
After the treatment, the surgeon will apply some antibiotic ointment to avoid any infection before the top layer of the skin is back to normal. In rare cases, there might be swelling too, in which case, ice packs are used to limit it along with some painkiller if there are any discomforts. For the first few weeks after the treatment, mild moisturizer such as cream will need to be used to prevent the skin from drying out. Any other products that could get onto the skin, such as shampoo, should also be as mild as possible. Like with all skin treatment, the patient is also suggested to stay out of direct sunlight by wearing a strong sunblock cream.
Possible Risks Behind Laser Skin Treatment
Usually, laser skin treatment is a very safe treatment for all people. However, those with black, brown, or olive skin might face some difficulties, as the treatment can trigger the change in the original pigment. Also, if the patient took accutane in the last 18 months or is prone to keloid scarring, there is a greater likelihood that they might catch an infection. In rare cases, a treatment can also provoke a new cold or make the patient feel drowsy. Swelling and red and pink spots are a possibility too, although very temporary. Nonetheless, as anesthetic products are used with the treatment, the treatment is usually very safe and risk free.
(107)Start a 3D PRINTING: Producing abundance with technology
MANY fantasize about designing and building their dream home. If achieved, the feeling must be one of great pride and involvement. The sad reality is that building a house from scratch requires a whole team, and a group of wholesalers. For starters you would need an architect, electrician, a plumber, mechanical engineer and a surveyor, not to mention all the chain stores you would have to visit to furnish your new home. In the end, it may not feel like you were involved at all — apart from having dished out all the necessary funding.
But what if you could play a bigger and cheaper role in your home’s creation? Of course it would be wise to get the professionals to assess the ground and foundations, but when it comes to furnishing and decorating, the power lies in 3D printing. Most homes are, after all, built from the inside-out.
As jaw-dropping as it may sound, 3Dprinting is essentially the creation of solid three dimensional objects using a large oven-sized printer. Objects are “printed” by laying down successive layers of material. The “ink” generally consists of molten plastics, but the more hi-tech 3D printers are able to use workable metals such as nickel, bronze, titanium and stainless steel.
Most 3D printing methods use melting or softening material to produce the layers. Others lay liquid materials that are then cured with other technologies. Some 3D printers can even reproduce themselves entirely.
3D Printers work by being fed digitised files or schematics. The design for a particular object is created using 3D modeling software and then sent to the printer for creation. Wikipedia explains the process thusly: “A 3D printer works by taking a 3Dcomputer file and using and making a series of cross-sectional slices. Each slice is then printed one on top of the other to create the 3D object.”
Since 2003 there has been large growth in the sale of 3D printers for industrial use, but they are now finding their way into consumers’ homes (at around R100 000). The technology is generally used in the fields of industrial design, engineering, construction, auto mechanics, and the dental and medical industries, and is also known as the “architect’s dream tool”. 3D printing is even used for creating jewellery and footwear prototypes before they are mass produced.
One fantastic application is the use of 3Dprinting for reconstructing fossils in paleontology. Ancient and priceless artifacts can be replicated with flawless precision. As exciting, is the reconstruction of bones and body parts in the field of forensic pathology as well as the reconstruction of heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.
Meanwhile in the biology department, 3D printing technology is currently being studied by biotechnology firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering. Its applications are to build living organs and body parts. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium which slowly builds up to form three dimensional structures. This field of research has been termed as organ printing, bio-printing or computer-aided tissue engineering. I’m surprised that no one has called it “playing God”.
The thought that 3D printing could be the means for producing abundance, excites me. High quality metal parts or tools could be mass produced and then donated to relief efforts or developing communities. Taps, tools, light fixtures, cutlery, hip replacements, 3D models, cogs, prosthetics and nuts and bolts could all be mass printed. Gone are the dreary days of the assembly line; 3D printers could even run overnight while the goods cook in the oven.
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