Beauty - More than Skin Deep
Wrinkles, age spots, adult acne and laugh lines
- these are just some of the skin changes women
face as they age. The time and money you have
to invest and the results you desire determine
what skin care program is best for you.
Your race, sun exposure and many other factors
affect how your skin changes as you age. "With
aging, the collagen and elastic fibers in the
skin on the face start to thin. You see this
in the mirror as wrinkles, pigment blotches,
and sometimes yellowing of the skin," explains
Leonard Dzubow, MD, dermatologist at Penn Medicine
at Radnor. Although 80 to 90 percent of your
skin's sun damage happened before age 18, wearing
sunblock is crucial to prevent further damage
and skin cancer.
Adult acne is another affliction affecting many
women. Stress, too much sun, some medications
and scrubbing the skin too hard all contribute.
Treatment often includes a topical agent such
as benzoyl peroxide, a topical antibiotic cream
or gel, or an oral antibiotic. For severe cases,
Retin A or a stronger medication may be prescribed
through a dermatologist.
Beyond basic skin care, there are several proce-dures
to rejuvenate your skin such as laser resurfacing,
chemical peels, and prescription creams, such
as Retin A or Renova. The function of most of
these skin care regimes is to slough off the
outer layer of skin exposing smoother skin.
The simplest is the alpha-hydroxy peel. "Women
enjoy the nice glow and brightness that light
alpha-hydroxy peels give to their skin. A peel
also helps the natural collagen and elastin in
the skin stay healthy longer," explains
Betsy Rubenstone, clinical esthetician with the
Center for Human Appearance at Penn Medicine
at Radnor. Patients often refer to this program
as the "lunchtime peel" because they
can put their makeup on and go back to work the
same day. To get the full benefit, Rubenstone
recommends a series of monthly peels (about six)
and using prescribed skin-care products.
Medium and deep peels use stronger chemicals,
or a laser, and penetrate the skin much deeper.
These peels are performed by a dermatologist
or plastic surgeon and offer more dramatic results,
but require a two-week recovery, due to the temporary
inflammation and peeling of the skin's outer
layers. These deeper peels also can remove precancerous
growths and scars.
For those who are inclined to optimize their
appearance, other popular skin procedures include:
botox injections to diminish crow's feet, face-lifts,
body contouring, liposuction, collagen injections
to enhance the lips and breast augmentation.
The traditional face-lift is no more. With the
addition of laser resurfacing (using a laser
to diminish wrinkles) and by injecting fat onto
the bones and muscles of the face to add volume
and smooth wrinkles, Penn plastic surgeons have
devised various strategies to accomplish facial
contouring.
"We view the face as a 3-D structure (skeletal/bone
mass, the muscles, soft tissues and fat, and
the skin) and treat each area separately. This
strategy provides a healthier appearance to the
face with less tension on the skin," explains Louis
Bucky, MD, plastic and reconstructive surgeon
with Penn's Center for Human Appearance at Radnor. "Adding
volume and resuspending the underlying soft tissues
can help avoid an unnatural over-pulled appearance."
One of the major advances in cosmetic surgery
is computer imaging. Through this new technology,
patients are able to see how they will look after
surgery before making the decision to proceed
and they can communicate more effectively with
their physican.
If you've decided to have cosmetic surgery,
do your homework. When selecting a physician,
talk to other doctors, nurses, and patients.
Check the physician's background and make sure
he or she is board certified by the National
Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), affiliated
with a well-known hospital, and has received
good medical training. Finally, trust your instincts.
Also, insurance doesn't cover cosmetic surgery
so expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred
dollars to over $10,000 depending on what you
select.
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