24 wonder women
How the obsession with lighter skin tones in Malaysia is driving opportunities in the skin lighteners market
The HEALTH | APRIL, 2018
24 wonder women
The culture
Down syndrome:
Who’ s at fault?
123RF
THE first positive test after years of trying to conceive. You’ ve been waiting for this moment when you pee on a stick and see two lines – indicating that you are now pregnant. You’ re filled with excitement, amazement and joy. Then there’ s a part of you that is consumed with fear – eager to get a doctor or two’ s opinion as to whether the fetus would be a normal baby. The possibility of getting a down syndrome baby strike you with terror even further as you realise that you are now in your 30’ s.
The genetic background of down syndrome
Fetal Medicine and Gynaecology Centre( FMGC) Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist Dr Raman Subramaniam explained that down syndrome effects younger women who are in their 20’ s and early 30’ s and also in women in their late 30’ s where the incidence are high.
“ The genetic cause of down syndrome is an extra chromosome. In chromosome 21, we have 22 sets of chromosome and one pair of sex chromosome. So we have 23 pairs. But the sex chromosome, can be X or Y – XX is female while XY is male.”
In the younger women, down syndrome can be caused by translocation which means part of another chromosome, breaks off between chromosome 13 to 15 and comes and joins chromosome 21.
“ That kind of chromosomal abnormality sometimes exist between the husband and wife. It becomes down syndrome when the sperm and the egg meet.
“ However, down syndrome that occurs in the older female is called regular down syndrome or non-disjunction which happens when the sperm meets the egg at fertilisation, because the egg has 46 chromosomes. The sperm has 23 chromosomes, so when the sperm enters the egg, the egg has to divide into two- 23 – 23. The defect occurs there.”
“ An extra chromosome is dragged into 21, so you get 22 and 24. And that joins with 23 of the male and therefore you get 47 which is down syndrome if it is in 21,” he said.
Peak of fertility
According to Raman, the peak of fertility is 22 to 26 years for a female when the quality of egg production is good. This however, deteriorates as a women is in her late 30’ s.
He indicated that the problem of conceiving a child with down syndrome is increasing in women who are in their late 30’ s or 40’ s due to lifestyle where women are predominantly getting married later in life and ending up pregnant at the age of 44 till 48.
“ Although the chances are low, they are able to deliver a normal child as they don’ t have a history of down syndrome,” he said.
Beyond the age of 48, he said that women would usually experience menopause. Although this was the case, the quality of the egg is already bad 10 years before.
“ In the late 30’ s and 40’ s, firstly you don’ t ovulate, and even if you ovulate, the egg quality is poor. When it divides, it becomes abnormal,” he said.
The survival rate
Only 70 per cent of downs are born alive while 30 per cent die in the womb. It may be through miscarriage or defects such as swelling in the neck, body, fluid in the chest and defects in the heart.
Detection
Although there is no way of accessing the downs, their IQ and how good the motor power is, early detection can be done through ultrasound and DNA testing, to prepare parents in advance.
In western countries, screening is available through ultrasound at 11 and 13 weeks and six days.
“ When the ultrasound is done, the length of the baby and the skin at the back of the neck is measured. If the skin behind the neck appears to be thick, then it is a down syndrome. The same applies if the nose bone is missing,” he explained. of colourism
How the obsession with lighter skin tones in Malaysia is driving opportunities in the skin lighteners market
by NURUL AIN HUDA ABDULLAH ainhuda @ revonmedia. com
“ No scientific evidence to prove that Vitamin C and Sheep Placenta injections aid skin whitening.” – Dr Wan Syazli Rodzaian
Carpal tunnel syndrome more common in women than men
T
HE desire for a lighter complexion is deeply rooted from ancient times. In“ Who’ s the fairest of them all? Television ads for skin whitening cosmetics in Hong Kong,” S. Leong shares the Chinese myth that consuming a small amount of pearl powder together with hot water every day can lighten one’ s complexion. In“ Fair skin in South Asia: An Obsession?” Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists, P. R. Shankar and P. Subish attributes the colonial legacy in South Asia as the contributing factors for the perception that white is powerful and beautiful as the white race was the ruler while the dark natives were the ruled.
Unfortunately, this belief dictated by Eurocentrism, is a response to hundreds of years of colonial indoctrination that has been passed down through socialisation since independence.
Today, this point of view has become so pervasive even in Malaysia that individuals are subjectively ranked according to the colour tones of their skin. Those who have fairer skin tones receive preferential treatment both within and between races. Social status, marriage desirability and economic attainment are all related to light skin tones.
This notion is further propelled by advertisers of creams, lotions, traditional herbs and supplements through television, movie and video images that seem to render fair skinned men and women as role models or symbols of masculinity, beauty and achievement.
Market for skin lighteners projected to increase globally
According to the Global Industry Analyst Inc, a worldwide business strategy and market intelligence source, the global market for skin lighteners is projected to reach RM122 billion( US31.2billion) by 2024.
The Asian Scientist reported that the beauty business in the Asia-Pacific region is estimated to be worth an enormous RM313
SHE wriggled her left hand, again and again. The pins and needle sensation over her left thumb, index and middle finger felt like it almost disappeared with that move. In her haste, she dropped the needle and the thread that she was holding from between her fingers.
Azizah has been having difficulty doing her needle work for the past few months now. The pins and needles-like sharp sensation over her fingers appear often at night, and she has to wriggle her hand to get rid of it. She suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
UITM Private Specialist Centre Orthopedic surgeon and senior lecturer Dr Mohamed Faizal Hj Sikkandar explained to The HEALTH that typically affecting females more than males, symptoms include sensory loss( loss of feeling) over lateral three fingers or the thumb, index and middle finger – all supplied by the median nerve.
“ This syndrome is more likely to occur during pregnancy and patients who tend to use their hand-wrist movement often as seen in clerks and typist.”
Risk factors
“ Other risks factors include medical conditions such as diabetes, gout and rheumatoid arthritis, though it is not uncommon for patients to present with