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Published on GoldenTimes.com on May 04, 2007
Looking Our Best…with a Little Help from the Doctor
By Lynette Loomis

In our last issue, we focused on tips for maintaining your skin and hair with over-the-counter products. There are many alternatives to consider if you want a more dramatic change in your skin’s appearance. For some people, improving their appearance is about self-esteem, and for others it is part of looking younger in a culture that values youth (misguided as that is).

“It’s hard to land a job if you look older than you feel. I was over 50 and the person interviewing me was in her thirties as were the people I was competing with. I looked at my stomach and my face and thought “When did this happen and what am I going to do about it?” Robert Loss, MD, of Dermatology Associates of Rochester and his staff of board certified doctors, specialize in the diagnosis and therapy of skin disorders. They explain some of the most popular medical procedures.

Botox is a non-surgical treatment by a physician to reduce moderate lines in the face. A low dose of Botox is injected in the muscles that is causing the lines and blocks the nerve impulse. Because the skin is moving less, the surface of the skin gradually smoothes out. The “furrowed brow” line is greatly lessened. Botox is a quick treatment, relatively painless (described as a bug bite) and lasts four to six months.

According to Loss, RADIESSE (a name brand) is becoming a popular treatment for filling in wrinkles and lines. An FDA-approved derma filler, RADIESSE is injected into the skin and can correct smiles lines and wrinkles around the nose and mouth. The product is calcium based, stimulates the growth of your own collagen, and is eventually absorbed into your body. Results are visible after a single treatment and last a year or more.

Throughout life our cells die, flake off and are replaced by new cells but as we age this process slows down. The result can be dull looking skin and blotches. Chemical peels use a solution to shed damaged skin cells and stimulate the production of new cells. After the peel fine wrinkles will be less visible and age spots and freckles disappear. The process is like getting a sunburn in that your face literally peels or scales for a few days.

Two common signs of aging skin are what we call “age spots” and broken capillaries or dilated blood vessels which give us tiny red lines on our nose and face. These can be treated with a laser procedure.

This same procedure is effective for rosacea and acne (which affects adults as well as teenagers). The laser is applied and the offending spots disappear and are temporarily replaced by redness which lasts up to a week or two. The results are permanent.