Skin Welting

Dermographism in a patient with hives

If you have hives, you likely will also have a condition called physical urticaria. What happens is that any stroking of the skin, or scratching will form a raised line where you drew the line. This is also called dermographism. It will flare up within minutes of the scratch, and basically seeing what occurs is all that is needed for a diagnosis. If you are having hives it is important to tell your treating aesthetician so that they can advise you if doing treatments like microdermabrasion is safe at that time. We don't fully understand the causes, but it happens in as many as 5% of the population and will last weeks, months or years. Relapses can occur even after the condition resolves. Some women report worsening during their menstrual cycle but this hasn't been confirmed by all studies. It's possible that a skin infection or antibiotics trigger it. Using over the counter antihistamines is not a bad first line of treatment, and others may need prescription strength or even other types of medication. Some people need chronic medication to control the symptoms.

Skin Darkening in Pregnancy

Darkening of the skin in pregnancy is called hyperpigmentation and it used to be that we thought it was related to what is called melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), now we've decided it really is not certain why pregnant women get this skin darkening. Virtually 90% of patients will exhibit darkening of their skin during pregnancy, even if it's only in selected areas or only slightly darker. In fact extra pigment containing cells, known as melanocytes seem to cluster in areas, and can even form knots. These new skin knots that you can see are due to new skin melanocytes. If a woman gets darkening of her face it's called chloasma. This darkening is best treated after the pregnancy with some form of skin lightening and most commonly in the past we used tretinoin ointment. Other areas of the body that may darken are the areolae around the nipples, the inner thighs, or the linea alba which is a fine line that runs down the center of the abdomen. About half of all women will have chloasma itself. Moles, or nevi, while they may darken along with the overall darkening of the skin, should not change in size in pregnancy and if they do you need this evaluated.

Sudden Unwanted Hair Growth Explained: It May Not Be Your Hormones!

What now you ask? Suddenly you are seeing more excess hair, and you want to know what has changed. Your first thought is that you now have a hormone imbalance? Perhaps? Perhaps women who now notice they have excess hair have a missed diagnosis of polycystic ovaries called PCOS? Maybe, and we've discussed that condition in several other posts. But excess hair growth is affected by glands other than just our ovaries. So you wonder if you have adrenal gland abnormalities, adrenal gland stress? Perhaps as well. It can't be aging, we think PCOS might actually get a bit better with age. But a hidden source of abnormalities was poited out by Dr. Elise Olsen a Merck & Co consultant and an Investigator for Eisai Pharmaceuticals and a Dermatopharmacologist at Duke: drug exposures! Many medications have unwanted hair growth as a side effect. And that can not only be a problem to treat, but pose a problem for the cure! So be sure to check that med cab and the labels before you bop to our spas for laser hair removal!

Prevent Oral Herpes Outbreak

Prevention of oral herpes (cold sores, or the medical term herpes labalis) is desirable as active lesions are both painful and more likely to shed virus that can be spread.  Individuals with oral infections can spread the lesions to other areas with broken skin, such as the fingers or nail bed or the eye. So the infection control is very important for your health. And prevention is also important for skin health as oral lesions can get secondarily infected or leave scaring that can be unsightly from a contour perspective but also cause post-inflammatory pigment discoloration. For some individuals treatment of the cold sores as soon as you know that they are going to occur is good enough, it will shorten the average outbreak from ten days to four days and there is less shedding of virus as well. Unfortunately treating each outbreak won't decrease the number of episodes you will have. To minimize the chance of any scaring or unsightly pigment is important to keep any lesions very clean, which may mean the use of an antiseptic. For women who want to still use lipstick some experts will suggest a mineral gloss with sunscreen in it. I also think that those who have frequent outbreaks taking a daily antiviral to minimize outbreaks, or at least a preventative course of anti-viral with aesthetic treatments is very important.

The Right 'botox' for you

The number one cosmetic treatment: getting Botox, has even more choices for those looking to refresh and rejuvenate their look. Knowing what treatment to get, and now which product to get, has gotten more complex. At last count there were over 140 different indications for the use of Botox in medical and aesthetic treatments.  Some of the most common reasons to get these treatments are to resolve a permanent brow scowl, to renew the tired appearance of eyes,  to alleviate the deep forehead furrows. The furrows we all devlop are influcend by the weakening elasticity of the face, our genetics, and our expressions.  Botox itself was the first cosmetic neurotoxin approved. If you want to put a correct generic term to the treatment it is called BoNT-A, and all the current brand products are under this category of medication. The current BoNT-A products include Botox, Dysport and now Xeomin. Depending upon your treatment goals and you and an experienced injector can decide which treatment is right for you.The clinical effects of the boulinum toxin (BoNT-A) are related to the dose, the placement, and the product but are transient, and usually diminish over several months and resolves because of natural regeneration of the nerve terminals in the muscle treated. The three products come from the same source, but they do have some differences. For some areas, and for some patients, you can have successful treatment with either Botox, Dysport or Xeomin, and getting treatments based on price may be a reasonable strategy. But for most, you should get a consultation, the product and the desired affect should be done after planning. The products do have different proteins associated with them, and this will affect how each of us reacts to the treatment and may also affect how long the treatment effects last as the proteins even affect how much spread the product will have after placement. Even experts will disagree on how to switch patients from one product to the other, so we will likely be hearing much more about this as time goes on. At Hada Cosmetic Medicine the most common 'botox' used is still Botox itself, but as Dysport is relatively newer, and Xenomen is extremely new, it is probably too early to say which product will ultimately be the most popular with injectors and clients. 

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Home vs Office? Do It Yourself Or Get a Professional?

DYI is absolutely fun, and lots of projects do go better with the DYI. But for the best skin results, and the best time efficiency, intense pulse light...IPL...treatments and laser resurfacing procedures with your physician's office is preferable to home therapy with the small home devices they are selling. The reasons are basically straight forward. The lasers are more specifically tailored to your skin type and treatment goals. The office lasers are more powerful, and have undergone years of scientific development to optimize the effectiveness.And what is best is to see your treatment specialist so that your aesthetician can continually evaluate your skin and your results with you.

Your Skin's Universal Need: Anti-oxidant

When it comes to health and nutrition there are certain universal needs! We all need oxygen for our lungs, water for our kidneys and other organs, and a few other nutrients. When skin ages the skin thins due to less collagen, the components of the skin like the glands and elastin that makes it supple break down due to actual damage of those organs. The destruction of the skin from within is mostly from what we get due to metabolism and exposure to sun which are called free radicals. To prevent the formation of the free radicals, to help heal the damage that they cause we recommend topical antioxidants. We can take in antioxidants in our diet, but not in quantities sufficient to help repair skin damage. When patients ask me what is the ideal antioxidant to begin with the resounding answer has always been Vitamin C. I also recommend a product you do not react to, and a product that is specially formulated to be effective, so there are some excellent choices. Vitamin C actually is made in many forms, and when formulated in combination with other antioxidant agents it is a more powerful skin tool. Research shows that specific combinations of antioxidants, when effectively formulated and medically tested, perform synergistically to provide superior results to single antioxidant formulations. Skin Ceuticals C E Ferulic and Phloretin C F protect against free radical damage, while stimulating collagen to help diminish signs of premature aging. Phloretin C F divides and conquers the range of reactive oxygen species throughout the skin.  Phloretin also accelerates cell turnover for a more radiant appearance making it a great choice for more oily or problematic skin types. C E Ferulic also replenishes essential skin lipids to enhance the skin's barrier function making it a great choice for more normal to dry skin types. Revaleskin’s products have taken protection against free radicals even farther with its ORGANICEUTICAL^® anti-aging skin care products exclusively formulated with the powerful, natural super-antioxidant ingredient CoffeeBerry Extract. Derived from the outerlayer which is the fruit of the coffee plant (Coffea arabica), CoffeeBerry Extract has one of the highest antioxidant scores ever recorded and can now help your skin look smoother and younger. CoffeeBerry. Extract  is exceptionally rich in polyphenol antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid, condensed proanthocyanidins, quinic acid, and ferulic acid. Within the first two weeks skin is visibly improved and the skin is calmed as well. If you would like a anti-aging product that has teamed with growth hormones to promote skin regeneration and beneficial peptides that enhance building the components of your skin then consider getting your free radical protection from TNS Essential Serum®, it also has ingredients that immediately plump the skin and alpha arbutin to brighten the skin. The growth factor components do take longer treatment sequences to experience the full effectiveness. For clients who would like to try alternative anti-oxidants we also have products with green tea, blueberry and other botanical extracts that are very effective as well.

Fight Unwanted Hair with Hormone Balance

There are actually medical reasons that your hormones are off balance and begin to cause unsightly hair to grow where you never had it before. Women with irregular periods, the condition called polycystic ovaries, those with genetic traits that predispose them to these conditions and a variety of less common causes can be diagnosed by your gynecologist. About 50% of women with polycystic ovaries (PCOS) will have some degree of glucose metabolism problems, actually a pre-diabetic state. Controlling those hormones can help balance hormones for more benefit when treating unwanted hair. For those wanting to read about a variety of hormone issues go to GynoGab. If your gyneocologist wants you to have medical therapies we often do use the oral contraceptive, and picking the right one or adjusting the kind of hormone can be beneficial to some women. There are also a number of other medications such as spironalactone, eflornithine in a cream, flutamide and finsteride that have been used and may be covered by your insurance plans. Not all hair will be successfully removed by medical treatment. It takes bout 6-112 months for full effectiveness and may still require advanced treatments for long term successful hair reduction. We suggest that patients come in for a consultation, talking to someone knowledgeable about both skin and unwanted hair can be the first step towards success!

Starry Eyes or Sleep Deprived?

Are your undereye areas shiny and the whites of your eyes a bit pink or red? Did you get smoke exposed, or sun burned eyes or just too much glare from being in the front row of the concert last night? Bright eyes are one of the first things that signal overall health and wellness when you are making an impression, and you cannot have bright healthy eyes if you are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation will make the undereye turn more hollow and bluish, and even dehydrate the tear ducts so they cannot give your eyes proper moisture. Lack of moisture makes us rub our eyes and the extra rubbing inevitably leads to increased bacteria exposure which can account for minor inflammations. Your skin can't glow, you can't concentrate your best, and now it seems you can't even loose weight if you let those triple threats of sleep loss, depression, and stress continue to pile up. And we tend to show it in our eyes first! So be good to your eyes, get proper sleep and nutrition, and proper sun protection for the sensitive eye area. My favorite eye protection is by Colorescience, come in to Hada Cosmetic Medicine and see how truly great it is!

Allergic To Your Makeup?

Allergic reactions come in various degrees and forms! Women who wear makeup regularly are more likely to develop allergies than the occassional user in part because the continued exposure to the allergens in the products. The traditional makeups soak into one's skin, and proper cleaning needs to be quite thorough to really get it off each night. The mineral make up users have a bit of a advantage as it's not so likely that the makeup will really soak in, the minerals stay above the skin and are thus less likely to trigger the factors that physiologically will comprise an allergic reaction. It is not uncommon to have an unwanted reaction after wearing makeup in terms of irritation. In part the fact that you may have used a brush with residual chemicals, or applied roughly, or were also in a social situation that caused flushing or sweating. Even if it is a make up that you have worn before, minor irritations are not uncommon with traditional makeup. True allergic reactions have to do with a histamine response, and in some cases may just be a more dramatic reaction than the 'minor irritation' type reaction. Certainally you shouldn't be getting hives, or physical itchiness, or bumps. It is important to figure out if the allergic reaction is due to what is in the make up or if it is something different. Hidden substances in your makeup products that may cause allergic reactions are metals, fragrances, talcs, dyes, powders that aren't talc, or preservatives are most likely to cause allergies which is why the purest mineral makeup lines avoid these contaminants.

The Fastest Increasing Cancer

Melanoma in increasing with new cases found more rapidly than any other cancer. The rates have actually doubled in the years between 1973 and 1993, and now in these next two decades we can expect the trend to continue. For women, most are found during the youthful so called 'reproductive years' which correspond with sun exposure. the factors leading to malignant melanomas include our immune system and genetic factors as well as ultraviolet radiation exposure. Early diagnosis is important as the only curative treatment is excision. If the excision is in a sensitive or critical area then the amount of tissue removed is best if can be minimized. Eraly diagnosis helps to be able to treat the melanoma before it enlarges. We recommend noting any lesions of your skin that are new, that are changing, or that are bothersome and getting them checked regularly.

Not in the Pink? Think of Zinc!

  If your skin doesn't have that healthy pink glow, could it be that you are lacking zinc? Zinc is potent micronutrient that we need for general as well as gyno health. Health effects on the fetus of being deficient in zinc has been known for over 50 years and some famous studies of dwarfism in Iran had been traced to zinc deficiencies. It is a trace mineral, also called trace elements, widely available in meat and plant sources. Because the zinc is harder for us to chemically extract from vegetarian food sources so there is lower bioavailability in plant sources. In otherwords, having lower bioavaibility means, its there in your food, but you just can't extract it. Vegetarians and vegans are urged to get approximately 50% more zinc than those who do eat meat. In fact your zinc blood levels will vary depending upon how much meat you do eat. Fish sources have zinc too, and oysters are among the best way to get zinc into your diet.

Zinc is necessary for the function of dozens of our body's metabolic enzyme systems; it is important for our immune system, the repair of DNA and for wound healing. Over 70 enzyme systems need zinc for proper function. It is linked to skin disease, poor sense of smell, inability to taste as well, infertility, and poor resistance to infection. It may be a cause of hair growth cycle disturbances. For those getting cosmetic treatments getting the right amount of zinc in your diet will help you heal more quickly and help enhance the way your products are working for your skin’s protection. Sun screens and cosmetics with zinc can help your skin be less irritated and less dry or flaky. If you have had diarrhea your skin can be listless for a variety of reasons: low fluid levels, too little magnesium and potassium in your system due to the loss during diarrhea, but low zinc can be responsible for the symptoms of being pale as well.

Remember there are hidden ways doing things you think of as beneficial for your health, that actually can be detrimental. Since zinc is absorbed in the small intestine too much fiber can oddly bind up your zinc and you can suddenly have a zinc deficiency you did not have before. For instance too much zinc can be both toxic and compromise the amount of copper, another trace mineral, in your body. Too much iron can also affect how we absorb zinc from our intestinal track.  Discussing these issues with your gyno, boils down to a basic diet analysis. There is no approved blood level tests for zinc, and hair analysis is inconsistent, so you just have to rely on the content of our diet to get enough zinc in!

Dark Circles Under the Eyes

Dark circles might just be temporary from a poor night sleep, but those with the deepest dark circles know it's not a quick fix in them. But there's no reason to dispair! First fix would be to get a cover-up mineral make up that has anti-oxidant treatment power as well as making you look and feel good. One recommended at Hada Cosmetic Medicine is Colorescience, and you can check their Facebook Store if you can't run right in downtown and get color matched. The next fix is sun screen. If you have your coverup on, it's sun screen as well, but double protection, and ideally every 2 hour application! The next fix is a quick trip to your physician. Several nutritional deficiencies can lead to dark skin pigmentation, and if your undereye area is one of your problem areas it will show this the worst! For instance, poor Vitamin D levels will manifest as dark pigmentation, and this can be simply corrected with the approprate supplements and medical monitoring. Lighteners do work, some are more chemically based, others just have botanical lighteners such as the Revale, or Skin Sceuticals pigment correctors which are safer and we recommend as your first line! Intense Pulsed light as well as laser treatment can treat pigmentation of various depths. To minimize the accentuation of the pigmentation appropriate use of fillers and botox can help, but in and of themselves won't likely make a dramatic effect on the pigment. The point is, a lot can be done, an there's no reason not to evaluate the options!

What is this Rash?

There are no two snowflakes alike, and sometimes we think there are no two rashes alike! Getting a diagnosis may be as simple as having your doc take a peek, it might take a biopsy if it keeps going. Rashes that last under a few days, they don't need a diagnosis, rashes that accompany fevers need checking right away. It's possibly worth a phone call, it's too soon to just Skype in a photo, the resolution is not that good. But before lasers, peels and deep treatments, do get a diagnosis if the rash is on your face.

Red Nose In Summer: The Fix

Treating your skin may mean treating the blood vessels close to the surface that are making your skin look cherry red. When the cherry red color occurs on your face it's most annoying. The first step is getting seen and getting a diagnosis. Sometimes this may mean a short diversion over to your primary care physician or your dermatologist. But if you just have bright red skin due to superficial vessels then an aesthetic treatment can be dramatically effective.  The advent of the use of lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL), and radio-frequency treatments are the best. These have been successfully used for the treatment of a variety of vascular lesions including telangiectasias (small blood vessels near the surface of your skin), port wine stains (PWS), and even hemangiomas. This may take one treatment for those with minor vessels, or a series of treatments. Depending on skin type and how your skin reacts to treatments an advanced treatment medical aesthetician can design an optimal program.

Summer Sweating A Challenge?

If summer sweat is a challenge then you need to think cool, or at least "cool" as in "calm!" All of us will perspire under the right conditions,...you know candid camera shows up just after you had an all weekend party, you can imagine! And for those who sweat heavily in the summer controlling the wet can be a challenge as we have discussed in some of our other posts on the topic of sweating, we all have differning amounts of sweat glands. .Add stress, the wrong diet, being overweight,  the blood flow in an area of the skin, or inappropriate clothing and suddenly that perfect up-do becomes limp and clothes are sticking, and you can't figure out just how you are going to actually shake the President's hand when you meet! Overly sweating is medically called hyperhidrosis. If it's in a particular area when there is no thermal need to be cooled off. it's called primary focal hyperhidrosis. Having to put up with excessively sweating forehead, underarms, palms, soles, can be challenging when in fact the heat and humidity of the summer weather can make it very difficult to put up with. Physicians define this condition as one that occurs on each side, that has been ongoing for over 6 months, and usually began at a fairly young age, such as under 25. We have three sets of sweat glands that control perspiration:  eccrine and apocrine, and apoeccrine glands.These glands vary in their physiology and their control factors. Some will function when you are nervous, and some function to regulate your temperature. There is no such thing as being nervous in your sleep, so your palms and soles won't sweat when you're asleep, but heat regulation goes on. So paying attention to your sweating patterns at night will begin to give a clue as to what is going on and help your physician help you get this under control. If showering and drinking fluids, and spritzing with your mineral spray is not enough to control the sweat the simple use of  over-the-counter antiperspirants is of course the next step. They function as simple sweat gland plugs by the main ingredient that is usually some sort of metallic salt like aluminum which literally blocks the pore of the sweat gland and obstructs the escape of fluid. Some medications are very effective at stopping sweat, but the side effects have been problematic. And beyond these therapies some prescription antiperspirants and Botox therapy.

AK Treatments that Beautify

It is possible to get a successful treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) due to sun exposure on the face and other  body parts.These spots develop on the face, but can be found on the scalp (especially in men), on ears, and in the decolletage and forearms preferentially, because these areas get the most sun exposure and are often sites forgotten by your sunscreen touch ups! If not treated they can progress, after further sun exposure, to squamous cell cancer of the skin.  They look like areas of abnormal pigmentation (could be brown, often red), which is patchy and often flaky. Treatments include watching: if you are young, they might go away; freezing with liquid nitrogen, surgically scraping, Some topical therapies actually do show promise, from creams used to treat warts to the anti-inflammatory medicine called diclofenac cream (one brand is Voltaran).Using a fractional laser non-ablative treatment also works. Devices called 1540 or 1550 wave length lasers are these types of treatments. Interestingly the skin is significantly improved in terms of texture and wrinkles while treating the precancerous condition.  Other FDA approved non-ablative fractional laser treatments include  laser include skin resurfacing procedures and the treatment of  wrinkles around the eyes, the treatment of acne scars, improvement and treatment of surgical scars,treatments to even out abnormal skin coloration  and pigmented lesions, such as age spots, sun spots, the AK, and deeper, more difficult to treat melasma. As with other laser treatments, your medical treatment provider can evaluate your skin and decide if these are AKs to be treated, or other conditions. Once you have a diagnosis, you can decide what treatment best suits you. Considerations such as location, your skin type, your tendency to hyperpigment, any recurrences, the amount of time you are outdoors will all factor into what she or he will recommend. But once all factors are weighed, the laser treatments both treat the AK, and are significant anti-aging treatments.

Your Nose and Your Hormones

Hippocrates him self noted that in menstruation or pregnancy the mucosa (lining) of the nose would be swelling and any nose bleeds would be worse during a period as well as during pregnancy. Your nose skin thus has special hormonal considerations as well! We now have a study from Brasil and the Otorhinolaryngology Department at Santa Casa de Sao Paulo that has looked into the nose, and the way it responds to hormones. We have estrogen receptors in the nose! And the type of receptors and their numbers vary during our cycle. In the nose we have more beta receptors than alpha receptors. And beta receptors do relate to local arterial pressures though vasodilatation or opening up of blood vessels. And the numbers of cells can vary if you are on birth control pills, and when you cross over into menopause these tissues can thin. So that you may have noticed that at the same time this affects break outs, the amount you flush, sweating, and how dry or moist your skin is. Right now we don't have tests that can determine how each individual can best use this information. At Hada Cosmetic Medicine we suggest you discuss changes you notice during your cycle with us so that we can help you adjust to these changes.

Do you Have a Photosenitivity Reaction?

Rashes! So common, so annoying, and so, well, vague! Often one looks like the other, and if you actually consulted a physician as often as not you get the 'you are allergic.' to.... 'something.' Of course we recognize that is not necessarily very helpful for diagnosis or cure! The days are bright and the heat can cause us to flush! But if you have too much red flush of the day it is possible you have developed a photosensitivity reaction. First off, the distribution of this reaction is typically in areas exposed to light, so our neckline. Face, neck and hands are most likely to suffer the reaction. Staying protected from the sun does help prevent this condition. For those who are the most sensitive actually fairly dramatic effects can occur. Within a few minutes of sun exposure the most allergic will have more than just redness, but small bumps may appear, thickened and scaling patches can develop if chronic and itching is common. If too great an area of skin is exposed the reaction can be much more than skin deep and can cause dizziness, being faint or wheezing. If this occurs it can be serious and you should consult the MD consultant for your spa for an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Kobner's Phenomenon Is Not Serious After a Cosmetic Treatment

Some women are very sensitive to any manipulation of the skin. You can wake up with funny red lines, maybe your swim goggles show red marks for a long time, or perhaps you even get a line that lasts from a bandaid or from a skin treatment. Estheticians are taught to be very gentile, and the correct amount of pressure from any device used on the skin will minimize any temporary effects of the treatments themselves. Some women will have noticeable lines along the treatment area. This effect is called the Kobner's Phenomenon. Usually the area may appear as a red streak, or some bumps along the area, or even just an extra area of swelling. regularly getting these side effects from any treatment it may be time to have a discussion with the supervising physician so that you can craft a more gentle treatment plan. And for those that are getting these lines more commonly during the activities mentioned above: better skin care will minimize those effects as well. At Hada Cosmetic Medicine we will have suggestions!

The Colors of Epoch Glamour

It's true that we all have a bit of a comfort zone when it comes to colors, and to some extent it's because those colors do harmonize with our skin tone, or or hair color, or our wardrobe, or that festive new hat we happened to grab! But there its a place to think out side the ordinary and it's just that sort of thing that a colorist can help you with! In fact colorists have been doing that for, literally millennium! The 'original' color was reported to be red ocher, it was used to advertise fertility. In the far east, the ocher stayed the color of choice, but for the Mehndi pain of hands and feet it was more for luck, and protection in one's marriage and fertility while enhancing beauty. Although we think it was only for beauty that the Egyptian women 5000 years ago used the inert mineral kohl thickened into a paste with animal fat to paint eye liner on their eyes, the modern studies of the scientists behind mineral make up have discovered it prevented eye diseases as well, and is the basic concept behind the minerals still used in the main eye definers today. The crystal white of QE I's skin was achieved with actual white lead paint, we cherish sun protected skin, no matter what our natural color, in a nod to the classic look. So, some looks, are just classic, and likely here to stay! 

Sun Screen and Sun Exposure

In 1855 the original "Sun Doctor" Arnold Rikli began offering light therapy to treat a variety of disorders, but he didn't really know it wasn't strictly beneficial! But sun worshiping has never actually been far out of style! We do now have studies that say sun exposure, and other UV light exposure ,causes various forms of skin damage from solar keratoses to melanoma and squameous cell carcinoma. It was once thought that as long as you didn't burn the skin, it was a safe way to tan. Ambre Solaire was thus invented so you could use to 'bronze but not burn,' in 1935. Thus the orginal  tanning lotion  brain child of Eugene Schueller who went on to found the parent company  of L'Oreal. But ever since that has led us to get more sun exposure, not less, and been under the mistaken idea that there is a safe way to tan. Medical studies have tried to increase specific knowledge about what the true risks are, and how to best avoid. So instead of enhance your tan, fashionable or not, we encourage covering up, and to that end sunscreen has been the most effective.  The data presented in the media has been confusing when we've shown that sun screen use has actually increased melanomas, but quickly clarified to determine that people who use sun screen actually go out in the sun more, so they are much more exposed to sunlight. Some of this may be due to better UVA than UVB protection, and in general, if you are getting tan, the sun's effect is on your skin, whether you didn't burn or whether you did. More details can be found in this article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.And if you managed to have skin sun damage you would like to reverse, that that is something that is very possible, call for an appointment!

Lip Enhancement Treatment Gets FDA Panel Approval

On April 27th, the  US Food and Drug Administration's General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee recommended the injectable wrinkle-filler Restylane (Medicis Aesthetics Inc) for use as a lip enhancer. Restylane, one of the top three commonly used injectable gel composed of hyaluronic acid, is currently  indicated for mid- to deep-dermal implantation to correct moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. The company is seeking to amend the product's indication to include submucosal implantation for lip augmentation.
The panel voted 6 to 0 (1 abstaining) that Restylane for lip augmentation is generally safe and effective for this purpose and that the benefits outweigh the risks, but the FDA still has to make a final decision on Restylane injectable gel for lip augmentation, but the agency usually follows the advice of its advisory panels, which consist of outside experts. The side effects of the lip injection treatments in the study were mild and resolved quickly. Depending upon the area treated, and the effects wanted, there is variation in the amount of volume injected and that has to be decided with your individual provider who is doing your injections. So the FDA panel is not going to set a maximum dose. Men and women of color have been under represented in these studies, but it is felt that the injection of filler in these patients would be safe. In the recent study only a very few patients were in the 18-22 age range, but it has been tested safely in these few patients. Restylane is commonly used off-label to augment and contour the lips, so the ruling really just enhances current practices.

More Anti-Talc Advice For Your Skin

There are at least three good reasons to steer away from body powder use near the private parts for gals: 1 If  your powder contains talc  it can lead to ovarian cancer (here's the latest link on this), 2. It is drying to your skin, and  3. Actually the fine grains can cause micro tears in sensitive tissues, so for the vaginal regions this makes STDs easier to catch.

The Eyes Have It

We have been discussing make up and skin health and the potential dangers of some make up that is contaminated by bacteria. At the University of Illinois  at Chicago they have written about the ingredients in makeup that can be irritating to your eyes. It's important to understand your allergies and risks. If your eyes are dry, itching, red, or if the eyelid skin has developed pigment changes or skin conditions, consider an evaluation. Your health care provider or your aesthetician can be good places to start if you have a question. If you have actual vision changes or headaches, an ophthalmology evaluation may be indicated.

Sleep On Your Back To Avoid Wrinkles?

Wrinkles in our faces are creases just like a piece of origami. Wearing sun glasses, sun hats, and having proper windshield tinting now helps prevent squint lines because you just don't squint into the sun as much. So fess up you stomach sleepers, are you just folding those lines in,? All night long are you folding lines in by sleeping in one position? Really? What is the ideal sleeping position? This is not a quiz that's hard, ideal, face it, we need rest, sleep deprivation is not good for anything.So the most comfortable, in rough terms, the one that makes our sleep most restorative is probably the best. And we have to do that in rhythem with our biological clock, if you want to read more about that go to the sleep post at GynoGab. And sleep positions may have health consequences that are more than just our wrinkly skin: in pregnancy when you are in your third trimester you may drop your blood pressure by sleeping too much on your back, and in Japan one study showed less heart attacks in men with sleeping on their abdomens!Good positions to avoid heart burn is the left side, and on the side with knees bent is the best position for your back. Definitely all things to consider, no wonder I toss and turn trying to sort out all the advice out their for you! So skin wrinkling: what we need are facts and few studies have really looked at wrinkling and sleep position: if you have had Botox for instance, no amount of squishing up your eye region with a sleep position will likely effect the wrinkles in that area, and the younger you are the less likely you would have consequences of wrinkling from sleep positions. For those who want to study sleep facts you can log onto The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). And most of us do naturally move around in our sleep, so don't worry too much if you are in that same position in the morning as the night, you didn't likely stay there!

Bacteria In Your Make UP

News stories regarding bacteria in your make up have begun surfacing again. Mineral make-up that is pure minerals cannot accumulate bacteria as the make up is inert rock and not susceptible to contamination the way some of the oils and compounds are in regular make up. Some make-up that is not the pure mineral makeup will contain preservatives to try to fight off the contamination and prolong shelf life. Mineral Makeup such as in the Virtual Facelift by Hada 
is designed with Makeup as Medicine, thus preservative free makeup that contains bacteriostatic mineral properties. So this makeup fights bacteria in two ways: less likely to ever be contaminated and as part of treatment regimen for inflamed skin.

Introduction of Blunt Needle Technique at Hada Cosmetic Medicine

Dermal fillers fill in facial crevices, like in the nasal labial folds. And yet they do more to enhance facial features, such as produce collagen building. Although some strategies preoperatively , like avoiding asprin, with proper adherence to post operative instructions, and strategies during the treatment such as technique, down time from bruising and swelling can be kept to a minimum. Patients now have additional benefit from a technique introduced called blunt needle cannulas. By using these the tissue is gently pushed apart rather than actually cut in parts of the injection and thus the swelling and bruising is less and the patient comfort is enhanced as well. At Hada Cosmetic Medicine, where the technique was introduced first in Central Illinois, injection nurse Jody Randolph, RN was immediately impressed with the difference in comfort level. As with other techniques, it is not used for all locations and all techniques. For best individual results she suggests, "consultation, and to remember, that fillers are enhanced by the other care you give your skin."

Botox to Control the (flood) of Glisten!

Women don't just flash when they're hot, they flush and blush and often perspire copiously. The symptoms persist for up to five years after menopause. The forehead is one place when we get a hot flash that we can experience a flood of perspiration that can steam the glasses, blur the vision, drip the sun screen and overall make us miserable. When a woman hot flashes she does get has a dramatic increase of local skin blood flow. And researchers in London and Texas, in a study supported by the NIH National Institute of Aging have shown that this skin blood flow is in fact sensitive to being controlled by Botox. And the treated patients were less likely to get forehead and forearm sweating in response to heat generated by being exposed to heat (ie an 'experimental hot flash'). We could have predicted some of this response as Botox is already used to control severe facial blushing as well as underarm sweating. Remember that this study didn't confirm that Botox should be used for hot flashes, as they weren't studying hot flashes exactly, but getting hot by being exposed to heat which may produce a physical stress that is completely different. And we know that women who are heavy will have worse hot flashes, so it's important to get the whole picture before you pull out the Botox! But some will say this research paves the way for your gynecologist to treat your flushes in a whole, new, non-hormonal, although not necessarily completely non-invasive, way!

Pretty Your Nails Save Your Skin

You may need to be more aggressive with sunscreen and antioxidant use on your hands than you have been in the past. For women who regularly go to tanning salons and dry their nails with UV light, the look of the polish is flawless, but it's intense UV light exposure and could up the risk of skin cancer on your hands. Solutions: yes, now and then air dry if you have the time, or simple fan use for polish setting that that doesn't involve light activation, and most importantly start thinking of how to reverse sun damage on the hands. This could be done with anti-oxidant use or laser IPL treatments. Most potent anti-oxidants to consider: Vit C, coffee-berry, green tea.

Virtual Facelift

Watch for tips, enhancements, more information regarding the beneficial aspects of this Hada Cosmetic Medicine Virtual Facelift.

Freckles

The evolution of the word freckle.

Your Nutrition and Your Skin

Being well nourished is having the right macronutrients and the right micronutrients and making sure they are in balance with each other. Most of us fortunately will not have deficiencies, but in fact we may have excesses that are causing problems with both our health and our skin. Those of us who are under nourished may be so because of avoidance of certain foods because of presumed allergies, and fad dieting and others may have chronic illnesses or malabsortion or medications that interfere with our micronutrients. For instance too much aspirin can interfere with the levels of Vitamin K. Your liver is an important site of storage of nutrients, for instance Vitamin A.Sometimes the key to poor skin health is your nutrition. If you skin is becoming thickened and darkened it may be due to deficiencies of B or C or E or even poor essential fatty acid intake. Actually there are many physical signs of nutritional disease. Too much Vitamin A can cause dry and scaly skin. If you don't have enough Vitamin A your serum carotene levels can fall. In fact many of the essential micronutrients can be measured by blood testing.

Prego Acne

Wondering what to do now that you are pregnant? Ask the gyno: http://gynogab.blogspot.com/2011/03/prego-acne.html

Makeup As Medicine

The Hada Cosmetic Medicine Virtual Facelift
Makeup As Medicine

Un-Stretch My Stretch Marks!

Early Treatment Results from Palomar Treatment of Stretchmarks

Can we un-stretech the stretchmarks, yes you can!
You can. How did they get there? Genetics mostly, but weight gain is part of it. The number of pregnancies, the amount of fluid, the physical pressures. Did you try creams as you go? Maybe all these factors are contributory, definitely poor nutrition is not good for the skin but whether there's really a very effective skin cream, we're still testing. Stria are essentially stretched skin from collagen shrinking and contracting in the stripped area. To improve the area you need to regrow the collagen and to some extent, remodel it. Using the Palomar StarLux 500™ Laser 1540 this patient was treated three times. The first 6 hours, some pinkness to the skin, there may be some swelling. No situps, no hot tubs, TV and that page turner are about the right activities. Right as skin gets treated there may be a tiny bit of skin blanching, you’ll never see that. Most patients with older stretch marks take 3 to 6 months to see improvement, if they are new and bright red the way these were, they respond right away. Stretch marks of the breast, the back, the thighs, the abdomen can all be treated. We can use the infrared laser head to tighten skin as well, and the IPL laser to get rid of the bright fuchsia of the newer ones

Skin Melanoma and Endometriosis

A national study of almost 100,000 French women were studied by a group of researchers at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale and Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France and they have found a positive association between a history of endometriosis and melanoma risk. They also found an association between breast fibromas and melanomas. The association is not completely surprising because there is a small association between skin melanoma and estrogen hormone levels. That having been said it is safe to take birth control pills and/or use hormone therapy in menopause if you have melanoma. It is also safe to become pregnant after a diagnosis of melanoma. But if you have been diagnosed with either of the gynocologic conditions of endometriosis or a breast lump, don't skip your skin check up!

When Chin Hairs Come

When chin hairs start to form that you have not seen before! What? Why? When! There are several possible solutions, age, the cause of the hair growth, the hair type, the hair color, whether you also have other side effects of male hormones like breakouts, and your goals are strongly considered. No FDA approved treatments other than laser hair removal, but some medications are effective, and often solutions have to be managed with more than one technique.It may be best to see a Gyno plus your aesthetian! One medication that is less frequently used for women is Flutamide (marketed as Eulexin) which blocks the receptors of the male hormone and is actually approved as a chemotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. The dry skin, dry scalp and green pee is usually tolerated pretty well, but it's the potential liver toxicity that has discouraged patients and physicians from using it too often. A therapy that is used as a treatment for prostate enlargement works on another step of the pathway that makes make hormones in your body, it's called finasteride, and it's been used as well, and it has fewer side effects although may not be as effective. All the medications used for those chiny chin chin hairs however can potentially cause feminization of a male fetus and you need to have effective contraception or be past your child bearing years to consider them!

Stacy's Tips For Skin

Stacy’s Tips for Highlighting Your Best Facial Features

     A natural look is best when it comes to make up.  Those who are great at applying make up don’t even look like they are wearing it; instead appearing naturally beautiful.  Of course, this skill takes a little practice and experimentation.

For Glowing Skin

     Hada carries the full line of Jane Iredale as well as  Colorescience Pro Mineral foundation.  These are high-performance cosmetics were created to remedy and camouflage specific skin concerns and the formulations blend and layer to create a flawless face. Pick a foundation that matches your skin perfectly, provides sun protection, and nutrients for your skin.

Enhancing Your Eyes

     A common eye make-up mistake is overdoing the eye shadow or liner.  Don’t hide your eyes-flaunt them! 

     Oftentimes, for a daytime look all you need is a light eye shadow and carefully applied mascara.  The shadow should compliment your skin tone, often in shades of beige, pink or brown.  Apply the shadow so it blends in seamlessly with the skin around your eye.

     The most important step in highlighting your eye is a careful application of mascara.  The mascara will make your eyes look bigger and brighter.  Spend some time around the outer corners of your eye to get that baby doll effect.

Creating Soft, Full Lips

     As with choosing the right foundation, the key to a natural looking lip is finding that perfect color to compliment your skin.  Nude shades are perfect for a natural daytime look and don’t forget to add a little gloss on top to highlight your perfect pout.

     Please stop in for a Colorescience Pro Mineral foundation match and while you are there let us show you our beautiful spring colors from our Jane Iredale collection.

Stacy works at Hada Cosmetic Medicine