| |
It’s important to take care of your body, since
it is your single most valuable possession. In recent years, there
has been an increasing emphasis on promoting internal health through
diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and pharmacological and surgical
intervention. Of course, skin also benefits from health maintenance
practices. We attempt to outline your skin care options below, in
a fashion that proceeds from simple, relatively inexpensive interventions
to more advanced surgical options. The degree of available improvement
is generally greater with more expensive options, but so are the
financial costs, “down-time”, and potential risks in
some cases.
Tier 1 (Minimal expense
and possible savings!)
The first step to achieving healthier skin involves minimizing lifestyle
practices that injure skin and cause premature aging. Adopting these
recommendations may even save you money. Limiting excessive sun
exposure is the single most important step, since most features
of “aging” skin actually have less to do with age than
with sun exposure. Of course, we are not suggesting that you spend
your entire life indoors, but we do encourage daily use of sunscreens
and laundry products that limit the sun’s ability to penetrate
clothing (Rit Sunguard). Smoking cessation is also very important,
since tobacco is just as injurious to the skin as it is to internal
organs such as the heart, lungs, and bladder.
Tier 2 ($50 –
100)
The next level of intervention involves home use of proven rejuvenating
creams that reverse signs of sun damage (splotchy pigmentation,
rough texture) and stimulate collagen production to elevate wrinkles
and scars. Of all the available anti-aging creams, the only two
with proven efficacy are Vitamin A derivatives (Retin-A,
Renova, Tazarotene) and Glycolic Acids in concentrations over 10%.
Unfortunately, most advertised rejuvenating creams are “snake
oil” or simply overpriced moisturizers. Patients with severe
pigmentation problems often benefit from short-term use of bleaching
creams. Finally, we offer superficial chemical peels. A series of
monthly peels can significantly increase the effectiveness of anti-aging
creams. Downtime is minimal.
Tier 3 ($350 –
750+)
Patients suffering from brown spots (e.g. “liver spots”),
broken blood vessels, or unwanted hair may want to consider laser
therapy. Lasers are very safe and effective, and typically result
in no downtime, or at most, mild redness and swelling lasting 2-3
days.
Tier 4 ($400 –
1,000)
Botox is a true “lunchtime” procedure (no downtime)
that has received a lot of positive press in recent years. In reality,
it has been available since the early 1980’s. In the 20+ years
of its existence, it has never been associated with a single internal
side effect, making it one of the safest medicines known to man.
It is one of the best treatments available for frown lines involving
the forehead, area between the eyebrows, and “crow’s
feet” around the eyes. Treatments vary in price depending
on the number of areas treated, and injections are typically repeated
every 4-6 months for best results.
Dermal fillers (e.g. Restylane) are very effective
for treating unwanted lines around the mouth and cheeks. Most patients
schedule therapy every 3 – 4 months to maintain the best results.
Tier 5 ($2000 –
10,000+) – Not currently offered at DAK
Deeper wrinkles and scars may be addressed via more aggressive resurfacing
techniques such as dermabrasion or CO2 laser resurfacing. These
procedures require 2 weeks off work. They also typically involve
general anesthesia. Patients suffering from excessive skin laxity
around the eyes, face, or neck are often best served by a “lifting”
procedure, e.g. blepharoplasty, browlift, facelift, and/or necklift.
Please note that we do not currently offer these procedures for
cosmetic purposes.
Our physicians will bring the latest advances to you
once they are proven safe and effective. At the present time, we
do not recommend microdermabrasion, nonablative laser resurfacing,
or radiofrequency treatments (e.g. Thermage) due to concerns regarding
their true efficacy. “Caveat emptor” (buyer beware)
– there is a lot of snake oil and hype out there!
|
