Got a scar you want gone? Then check out paramedical tattooing – this procedure sends scars from whence they came. Roisin Murphy checks it out.
Ten years ago, I had a minor surgical procedure. But it left a big impact. This is because they left a device in me by accident during the operation. They sewed me up and sent me home with the device still in me. Of course, I got sicker and sicker over the years until finally, they worked out what was wrong with me.
But it wasn’t just a matter of taking the device out. They had to clean up all my insides as well, after all the damage caused by the object left in me. This left an absolutely giant scar across my body. At first, the scar was angry, red, and raised. But after a year or so, it became white and less angry. But I still wanted it gone.
Solutions
I went to see Katherine McCann of Facebox in Ashmore Plaza. I love this place because it has easy, free parking, no traffic, and it is in a shopping plaza where I can grab other things I need while I am there.
Matching the tattoo ink to the skin
Goodbye stretchmarks!
Katherine did several things for me and my scar. First of all, she tattooed the scar to be the same colour as the rest of my body. I promise you it doesn’t hurt. At all. In some moments, it was a little scratchy, but I honestly nearly fell asleep on the table. So don’t sweat it.
But that’s not all. She also did needling on the other areas of scarring I had. This was left from other procedures I had to have done while the surgeons were fixing me. And just because it’s cool, she showed me what she can do for stretch marks from those gorgeous babies I had. It is incredibly impressive stuff.
Scars: Paramedical Tattooing
That’s the beauty stuff. Katherine also does paramedical tattooing that helps out domestic violence survivors who need a lip scar camouflaged or an eyebrow scar concealed. And then there’s the people she helps to get rid of medical scarring like after breast cancer surgery or a hip replacement. Some heroes don’t wear capes. But in Katherine’s case, she does wear sparkly trainers.
The ability to conceal, camouflage, relax or improve a scarred area involves significant skill and should only be performed by an advanced technician. Katherine is one such technician. In fact, she heavily involved in education and innovation in the area, and is teaching the next generation on how they can help with paramedical beauty procedures.
Scar after injury
Scar minimisation using paramedical tattooing
Says Katherine, “Medical tattooing and micropigmentation play an important role in a person’s healing and recovery journey. This type of tattooing has helped thousands of people around the world – not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically as well. We treat all kinds of scars, and everyone has a story. It’s an amazing job and I am so grateful for the trust placed in me and the ability to really change a person’s life through my work.”
Scars on Other Body Parts
Katherine also loves that no one job is the same. “I have tattooed almost anything (anatomy wise) you can think of – and improved all types of scars whether they are surgical (breast cancer, augmentation, face lift, amputation etc) to self- harm, skin grafts, burn scars and even in some cases birthmarks, stretchmarks and vitiligo.”
Katherine and her staff work with patients referred by medical practitioners, dermal therapists and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. I am so impressed even after just one session of paramedical tattooing. It is totally life-changing and I can’t wait to see what else Katherine has in her repertoire for me!
WHEN TO SEE KATHERINE
Scars need to be at least 12 months old. An initial consultation is required. You will need to space the visits to allow adequate healing time.
To book a consultation: phone: 0405 069 311 www.faceboxofficial.com @katmccann_gc
Cancer Dogs: It seems that our fur babies are our new weapon. Doggos to the rescue!
A team of scientists has proven that dogs can truly sniff out cancer. And this canine cancer detection could lead to new non-invasive, and inexpensive ways to detect the disease. Good dog!
THE SCIENCE OF CANCER DOGS
Dogs that detect cancer may sound like science fiction. But the good news is that this could be the most exciting discovery in the cancer field for decades.
A dog’s nose is an exquisite piece of machinery, capable of smelling in parts per trillion. This makes dogs highly sensitive to odours we can’t even dream of smelling. If it was sight we were talking about, it would be like this: What you and I can see at half a kilometre, a dog could see at 5000 kms away, and see just as clearly. It’s impressive stuff.
EARLY DETECTION
Heather Junqueira is the lead researcher at BioScentDx. Her team are currently working to see if dogs really can spot cancer. For the study, Junqueira and her colleagues used a form of clicker training. They taught four beagles to distinguish between normal blood serum and samples from patients with malignant lung cancer. One beagle – named Snuggles, of course – couldn’t be convinced to stay on task, the hippie. But, the other three dogs correctly identified lung cancer samples 96.7 percent of the time. Aww cancer dogs, who’s a good boy!
“This work is very exciting because it paves the way for further research,” said Junqueira.
We should suck up to beagles, really really fast. Well, except Snuggles. All we can do with that guy is snuggle.
Junqueira isn’t the only scientist that’s getting results like this. Recent research has shown that dogs have detected lung cancer, melanoma, breast cancer and bladder cancer. While more study is needed, the initial results are incredibly exciting.
ANECDOTES
It isn’t just in the lab that dogs are showing their ability to pick up cancer. There are many incredible stories of dogs detecting cancer in their owners, including a story about a dog called Max from BBC’s Secret Life of Dogs.
Max is a Red Collie Cross normally full of energy and enthusiasm, but his owner Maureen Burns noticed that something was wrong. “I thought at the time Max was fading. He was nine and a half and I was preparing myself for losing him because he just wasn’t happy. He would come up and touch my breast with his nose and back off so desperately unhappy. There was such a sad look in his eyes.”
Maureen knew she had a small lump in her breast but her latest mammogram was clear. So she presumed all was okay. “But soon, I connected it with the dog and his odd behaviour.”
Maureen went to her local hospital but both a scan and a mammogram came back negative. It took a surgical biopsy to finally detect the cancer. Maureen had it removed and the change in Max’s behaviour was instant. “When I came home from the hospital, he was his old hyper self again. He put his nose across my breast to check where the operation had been. His eyes were happy and the change in him was instant. I owe Max so much. Now, before I go for a check-up, I get him to check me out. If he’s happy and wagging his tail, I am happy.”
Shannon
Likewise, actress Shannen Doherty has battled cancer more than once in her life. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she told an extraordinary story – that her dog identified her breast cancer before doctors could diagnose it. And interestingly, her story isn’t unusual. There are thousands of stories that are very similar to Shannen’s.
Cancer Dogs: MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED
Many teams around the world are trying to work out how they can use dogs in cancer diagnosis. Dr Gianluigi Taverna is a researcher with Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan. He showed that his dogs could detect prostate cancer with an amazing 98% accuracy. Taverna and his team spent five months training two German Shepherds to detect cancer in humans by sniffing patients’ urine samples. The dogs checked over 900 people in the study. Out of these 900, the dogs were only wrong 20 times.
Said Dr. Taverna, “We have demonstrated that the use of dogs might represent a real clinical opportunity if used together with common diagnostic tools. Our standardised method is reproducible, low cost and non-invasive for the patients. This might reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies and pinpoint patients at high risk for prostate cancer.”
CANCER DOGS – MAN’S BEST FRIEND
Dogs are already used to detect impending seizure activity, and also to help mitigate meltdowns in people suffering from autism. The ability to detect cancer too means that dogs are not only amazing companions and our best friend – but could also save our lives.
Of course, there is a stack of research still to be done. But the future in this area is very bright. There are organisations which are springing up whose sole aim is to train cancer-sniffing dogs. One of these is the InSitu Foundation (dogsdetectcancer.org). They rescue dogs on death row and give them a new life, where they are loved and cared for.
Cancer-detecting dogs could be an amazing weapon against one of the biggest health scourges of our time. We knew we loved dogs for a reason, now there is a whole new reason to love them! Come sleep on our beds forever, doggos!
LINUS THE CANCER DOG
Hero Linus doing his work
This special guy, called Linus, is a 3-year-old male German Shepherd who was on death row. He was returned to a shelter three times by his previous owner. The InSitu Foundation adopted him. When he came to InSitu’s ranch, he got his first job, and it literally transformed Linus’s life. Linus went from a small jail cell to a life of love and play. Says InSitu, “He’s happy, balanced, and well adjusted, and he’s the most loving boy around! Linus loves his work, and he’s a gem on the cancer detection team.”
Linus also works on the Duke University team of breast cancer detection dogs. Read about more cancer-sniffing dogs at dogsdetectcancer.org/our-dogs
On the corner of Bermuda and Markeri Streets in Mermaid Waters, Q Super Centre is a shopping mecca right in the centre of the Gold Coast’s style map. The Silver team catch up with all the news from the popular shopping haven. Newsflash: There are new stores! Yay!
With the absolutely stunning Summer weather arriving, an outdoor shopping centre is the way to indulge in some retail therapy while enjoying those famous Gold Coast breezes. We can shop for our favourite things, and enjoy being outside as well.
Q Super Centre is on one level only, so there are no stairs to navigate. And it is beautifully landscaped, giving the feeling of being in an oasis, protected from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. So what is happening this Summer at Q Super Centre?
Q Super Centre – New Places to Explore
We all love food! So the good news is that Q Kebab House has burst onto the scene! Look out for Turkish kebabs and pides, homemade sauces, chips, Turkish coffee, baklava, tulumba, and falafel. Yummo! You will find them located near the Woolworths entrance.
There’s also a new café called Seeds of Life. Amazingly, they are a grain-free and gluten-free organic plant-based wholefoods manufacturer. Heidi and her team create the recipes with ‘organic gluten-free nutrition.’ Delicious and healthy! The wholefoods bakery is located at the Aldi end of the centre.
This is where you meet a friend to have gourmet lunches, coffee, delicious doughnuts, cookies and raw cakes. All the products are made onsite. Ingredients are certified organic or biodynamic, and predominantly Australian grown. The range is paleo/ vegan/ low carb/ keto and low calorie.
And that’s not the only brunch date hangout that is brand spanking new! Two Birds One Stone is a uniquely equipped café. It serves coffee and brunch and are getting known for their aromatic coffee which will put a firecracker in your day! They have an intimate knowledge of the foods people crave across the seasons. Grab a mate and try the best vegan breakfast on the Coast.
FUR BABY FUN
As most of us know, Q Super Centre is becoming very well known as a doggie-friendly shopping centre. There are dog watering stations across the shopping centre, plus handy dog waste bags throughout the complex, and doggies are allowed in all the outdoor areas. Some stores also allow dogs inside.
To make sure dog parents know that Q Super Centre is fur baby friendly, the Q Ambassadog called Sidecar Bob has been deployed. He rides all over the Gold Coast with owner Mark Brereton in his motorcycle side car. He does this to promote Q Super Centre as dog friendly!
Community Services
There are plenty of services for those in the community to avail of. There is a free JP service operation 7 days per week except public holidays (although this can change during Covid restrictions, please check with the website to see the schedule.) The JP Service is permanently located next door to Aldi Supermarket. No appointment is necessary.
Q Super Centre also have a food donation bin located outside Woolworths and the donations go towards St Johns Crisis Centre in Surfers Paradise.
There are over 80 retailers including three supermarkets at Q Super Centre. You will also find Bunnings, Pet Barn, and 12 dining choices, speciality stores offering gourmet fresh food, dining, hair and beauty, homewares, medical and health, banking as well as unique and boutique fashion. For more updates, keep an eye on Q Super Centre facebook or Instagram @qsupercentre or log onto qsupercentre.com.au.
Looking for a day trip? Then check out Hinze Dam. The highly accessible walks and facilities make this the day out the stuff of legends.
Hinze Dam, in the Gold Coast hinterland, seems wildly far away, but in fact, it is just 30 minutes’ drive from Pacific Fair. Built across the Nerang River, it was originally constructed in 1976, and significantly upgraded in 2011.
The body of water the dam created is stunning. Of course, it is what we all drink here on the Gold Coast, so its purpose is originally functional. However as an accidental recreation area, it’s a great win for everyone who likes nature and fresh air.
Visually speaking, it quite the sight to behold. The vastness of Queensland’s mountains alongside man’s engineering expertise unite in perfect symmetry. You want to say things like, ‘Ah! The serenity!’ The architecture and landscaping, plus the sheer size of the lake and its shores make this a dam good day out (sorry I couldn’t help it).
It’s the accessibility here that is a winner. There are lots of disabled parks. Also, the paths are wide and flat, and super-smooth… everywhere. There’s a 2.5 kilometre walk over the dam that maintains this flatness and smoothness. Use a walker?
Easy Walking
This is a dream walk. Wheelchair? You’ll have the time of your life. Do you simply prefer no steps and a flat surface? You’ll love it. There are no steps, not even from the carpark, to the café, to the dam, to the toilet, across the grounds…no steps. None.
The visitor centre here has an interesting display, and they have informative talks on the dam. Well worth a drop-in. And the café next door has brilliant views and food.
We spent a couple of hours at the dam but you could spend all day if you have the time. By the time you have lunch, take a walk in the gardens, cross the dam and just enjoy the beauty of the place, you can easily smash through 3 hours.
The walk along the top of the dam wall is amazing, and it reminds us that we are small little beings who are unimportant entirely. There’s no shade though, so don’t forget your hat! There are well-placed explanatory plaques and information stands detailing the method of construction, the points of interest, the geology and specific types of flora and fauna. And look out for the sign explaining the “climbing eels.” It reminds us all that the natural world can be dam weird.
Hinze Dam Picnic Sites
If you want to bring a picnic, there’s many places to set up camp, with beautiful vistas. There are a few shaded tables, but they go fairly quickly, so bring a picnic blanket, just in case.
When there’s drought the drowned trees become visible and there are a number of places that present a very photogenic situation. When there is a lot of rain, the spillway looks incredible. And, when the dam needs to release water, you can be put on an alert service that informs you when this will happen, so you can go that day to see it! (seqwater.com.au/dam-release- notification-service).
In all, this is a great place for Silvers. It is a very peaceful area, with the silence broken by the odd kookaburra and smaller birds. You realise how quickly you can get to deep forest so close to the ocean. This place has a nice combination of science, environmental information (the hydroelectric power), scenery, tranquillity, and artistic landscaping. The whole area is a selfie paradise, and it would make a great wedding backdrop.
To organise a function room at the café, call 07 5563 0313. To check opening times at the visitor centre, click here.
Our Silver hero Leesa volunteers her spare time all across regional Australia to help both humans and animals. Here, she tells us about her volunteering adventures.
VOLUNTEER TRIPS
On Thursday Island, we did our first pilot program and that was with Vets Beyond Borders and AWLQ, and the Thursday Island Animal Support Group. I volunteered as a vert nurse, helping with health checks, doing an animal management program, desexing dogs, treating dogs for parasite treatment, and also talking to their owners regarding tick treatments, and unwanted pregnancies or unwanted litters.
I absolutely love volunteer trips, I have been volunteering as a vet nurse with AMRRIC (Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities) for 11 years now. Plus, I volunteer in remote communities, Aboriginal communities, everywhere from Western Australia through to the Northern Territory and regional Queensland.
A lot of this is helping in the indigenous communities to do a desexing program. We want to desex more dogs. I know in some of the indigenous communities, they can have 10-15 dogs in a household. So cutting that down is an aim. There are often quite a lot of stray dogs in communities, and they can cause problems as well as having lots of litters, and if there are a lot of male or un-desexed dogs, there can be issues between male dogs having fights over female dogs. There’s a lot of noise, a lot of wounded animals, and a lot of puppies to look after.
There’s also a problem with parasites – some are zoonotic. So that means that the parasites can transfer from humans to animals, or animals to humans. And so we help treat the dogs. We also do an educational program through schools, and with the community, and elders, just explaining what we do. We explain simple things from washing hands after the kids are playing with the animals, and how to hold your dog properly. What’s good food for cats and dogs, things like that.
SILVER HERO – VET NURSING
As a vet nurse, I help set up our surgery area, also help with vet students and vets, making sure that we have all the proper instruments and attire, so that they can do their surgical work. I help the flow-through of patients.
One of the places we visit is Yuendumu, in the NT. AMRRIC is based in Darwin. We meet in Darwin, and then it’s about an 11- or 12-hour trip in the car to go there. There’s a team of us, usually, two vets, a two nurses, if we are lucky! We meet with the rangers or community members, and they help us work out where we’re going to be situated and where we’re going to stay.
I am a general practice vet nurse. So, I have my normal job and I have to either take unpaid leave or holiday leave. But I love the volunteering and I will do is as long as I’m still mobile and I can still get around. I always laugh with the ladies or whoever I’m out on the trips, and I’ll say, I’ll be out with my walking stick. And I love the interaction between people and their animals. I love to be able to help with animal welfare and make life better for animals and for their owners as well. I get to see lots of parts of Australia that you would not necessarily be able to go to because you would need special passes or permits to get into some of these communities. The day I have to stop, I’ll be really, really upset.
FUNDING
The funding for these trips comes from different sources. There are charities like AWLQ who help with the funding for Thursday Island. In other places, the councils fund the trips. We also try to get donations from drug companies for tick and flea treatments, for example. And a lot of the nurses and vets as well will donate some of the stock from their own practices as well.
AWLQ do a great job, and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. Due to being involved with the Thursday Island program, I’ve got to know Sylvana from AWLQ, and she’s just wonderful. And the work that she’s done as well in her time is amazing. I would love to do more work for AWLQ. I’m actually leaving tomorrow to go back for another week on Thursday Island, in conjunction with AWLQ! There is a lot of work to be done there. We’re always very, very busy once on the island. We have got an extra couple of team members this time! But we will still be working 13 to 14 hour days.
The AWLQ and the Thursday Island Support Animal Support are taking in unwanted or stray dogs. They are getting them back to health and adopting them out. Not just to the people on Thursday Island or the surrounding islands, but they do often go off to New South Wales and Queensland to loving homes.
SILVER HERO – VOLUNTEERS WANTED
We are always looking for volunteers. We need admin people, to help people fill out forms. There are also some statistic duties, where often we will do counts in certain communities just to get an idea of how many houses, how many people, and then how dogs or cats or pigs or horses that are owned as well.
With this type of volunteering, you’re forever learning. There’s always courses. There’s always something new to learn. It definitely brushes the cobwebs off!
Through organisations like AWLQ, Vets Without Borders and others, you’ll find amazing vets, vet nurses and then other volunteers that give up their time for the animals and people who need them. Everyone’s likeminded. They are wonderful people that come and volunteer. Even small things make a difference, like helping to clean some of the cages, to grooming animals, to watching them wake up from their surgeries.
There’s always going to be dogs and cats that need help and love. So as long as I’m around, I will be involved.
Be a silver hero and donate to AWLQ, or to leave a bequest, click here.
