Dr Des Fernandes, a plastic surgeon from Cape Town, South Africa, has devoted more than 30 years to researching skin. Nearing 70, he shows no signs of slowing down. Fernandes was in Hong Kong recently to showcase his techniques - such as skin needling for collagen stimulation - and raised a few eyebrows with his dismissal of mainstream procedures.
He criticises treatments such as microdermabrasion (a mechanical form of exfoliation using a vacuum) and laser resurfacing, which he says damage the skin, and certain peels, which can cause pigmentation, especially in Asian skin. He also says costly face creams are no better than their low-cost counterparts. "People buy expensive creams expecting a better result, but they're probably getting the same as they'd get from a simple moisturiser."
Fernandes began his career as a surgeon at various hospitals, including the famous heart transplant unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town along with Christiaan Barnard, a cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human heart transplant in 1967. Fernandes was responsible for the illustrations of the "piggy-back" or "double" heart transplant.
In 1975 he returned to plastic surgery and eventually became the head of the Cleft Lip and Palate Division at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, a post he held until 2000. He entered private practice in 1979.
Fernandes' research into the skin and skin cancer was motivated by the loss of two young melanoma patients in the 1980s. This led to the creation of a skincare line crammed with higher doses of vitamin A than others, which he officially launched as the brand Environ in 1990.
"[Vitamin A] is the crucial keystone in keeping up the health of the skin, controlling how cells grow," he says. "However, it is destroyed by sunlight. In addition, every time a woman menstruates, her levels of vitamin A drop, which means she is more prone to getting skin problems. It is essential to keep up the skin's vitamin A levels; they will determine how you age."
