| The
Sun and Premature Aging
Can we repair what the light years have done to our skin?
Ironically,
Americans are pursuing the Fountain of Youth more avidly than ever yet
doing exactly what makes their skin age the fastest - exposing it to the
sun.
Since
Coco Chanel popularized suntans in the 20's, a sun-kissed glow has come
to symbolize the good life, the life of leisure, youth, and even, healthy
living. It's the American Way to spend hours in the sun - on the beach,
at the pool, on the tennis court. Or even, just working on your garden
in the back yard. It's part of our leisure lifestyle but it wreaks havoc
on the skin.
Fact:
80% of Visible Skin Aging is Caused by Sun Exposure
Outdoor
living may be part of our lifestyle but it's burning the life out of our
skin. Sun exposure causes a whopping 80% of the changes the we characterize
as "aging" in our skin: crows-feet, wrinkles, loss of firmness, age-spots,
uneven color or texture, hyperpigmentation (redness), broken capillaries,
and a rough, leathery look are all the result of years spent in the sun.
More bad news: Most of us get half our lifetime exposure to sun before
we've reached voting age - 18. The reason we don't notice it, is that
much of the damage to our skin will only appear decades later.
The
Signs of UVR - Ultra Violet Radiation Damage (sunlight)
-
Freckles
-
Thinning or thickening of the skin
-
Blotchy pigmentation
-
Enlarged or broken blood vessels
-
Loss of firmness
-
Wrinkles & crowsfeet
-
Rough texture
-
"Age" or "Sun" spots
-
Skin Cancers
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Today's
high-tech treatments can reverse the damage - to a degree. Here's the
most effective treatment money can buy:
Laser
Therapy
Laser
therapy is the highest-tech remedy of all for removing lines and wrinkles.
Using high-beam light, doctors can vaporize wrinkles, age-spots and crows-feet
in seconds.
Negatives:
Lasers are good 'erasers' for lines and dark spots but they can't recontour
skin that's lost its firmness. Some darker skins may show pigment changes.
Sometimes touted as a quickie lunchtime procedure, it rarely is. Depending
on degree of treatment and where it is, your skin is visibly red and raw
for a week to 10 days.
Availability:
Choose a dermatologist with an active laser practice.
Tretinoin
- Vitamin A
Commonly
called Retin-A, Tretinoin speeds up cell turnover, so younger,
fresher skin emerges faster and evens out pigment irregularities. It lifts
off the top layers of the skin to ease dryness and rough texture and soften
visible lines. It stimulates collagen production to help replace collagen
fibers broken by sun exposure. Originally used to treat acne, it's effective
in smoothing the skin surface.
Negatives:
Retin-A and the sun don't mix. Many people find it causes redness and
irritation - plus much greater sensitivity and faster burning even with
moderate sun exposure.
Availability:
The effective level of Retin A you need for real improvement is available
only by prescription. Usually in a crème or gel base, Johnson & Johnson's
well-known Renova is a Retin A treatment in an exceptionally rich creme
to help counteract dryness and irritation - but it might be aggravate
oilier skins. For oily skin, gel-based Retin A is a better choice. It
combats acne as well as lines and wrinkles. Ignore the hype. Over the
counter, cosmetic products with Retin A are too weak to offer much improvement.
Glycolic
Acid
One
of today's most popular treatments. Recommended for resurfacing top layers
of skin and easing lines and wrinkles. Glycolic Acid is an alpha-hydroxy
acid derived from sugar cane. (other AHA's may derive from sugar-rich
fruits). It quickly penetrates and loosens the 'cement' that binds dead,
old cells to the stratum corneum to permit the top layers of dead skin
to shed evenly and rapidly. The new cells which emerge look fresher because
they're younger and healthier. In a topical treatment, for example, a
cleanser or moisturizer, daily use smoothes the skin and evens out pigment
irregularities but, to be effective, you need a treatment that contains
at least 10% Glycolic Acid.
Negatives:
Irritation, burning, redness and dryness.
Availability:
The strongest glycolic "peels' are available at the dermatologist. These
have a higher percentage of Glycolic Acid than available over the counter.
Peels can substantially help diminish fine wrinkles and age spots. If
done weekly or bi-weekly for 6-12 consecutive sessions, increasing the
strength gradually , the results, some doctors say, can be equivalent
to a year's worth of nightly Retin-A. Weaker 'peels" are available at
many salons which also do some cosmetic resurfacing. Although cosmetic
companies have jumped on the AHA bandwagon, most products you buy are
too weak to achieve noticeable improvement beyond a little surface smoothing
- unless they contain 10% or more Glycolic Acid or another AHA. Read labels
and compare before you buy - some of the best are moderately priced drug
store brands.
Chemical
Peels
Deeper
penetrating and more intensive than Glycolic Acid, Liquid Chemical Peels
encourage even more shedding of dead or dry skin cells. After treatment,
it typically takes a week or 10 days to reap their full benefits - a considerable
reduction in acne scars, fine lines, age spots and uneven textured areas.
The best candidates for Chemical Peels are fair-skinned types with fine
wrinkling or stubborn age spots to remove. Patients with darker skin,
typically those with brown hair and eyes, may show irregular, blotchy
pigmentation after a chemical peel.
Negatives:
Skin is red and sensitive after treatment and should be treated carefully.
Results are unpredictable with darker skins. Sun should definitely be
avoided for up to 3 months after treatment.
Availability:
Available only from dermatologists. Pick one who's well qualified in the
procedure.
Dermabrasion
Once
the best available treatment for serious skin damage this mechanical abraiding
process is now reserved for extensive wrinkling, age spots, and problems
like precancerous crusts, called actinic keratoses, caused by the sun.
Very effective on the fine lines around the mouth and crow's-feet.
Negatives:
You'll leave the doctor's office bandaged and red and your skin is not
a pretty sight for 10 days to 2 weeks so plan time off accordingly. No
sun exposure for 3 to 6 months make this procedure best scheduled in the
Fall or early Winter months. Like chemical peels, dermabrasion may result
in uneven pigmentation if skin is dark or if only one part of the face
is abraided.
Availability:
Done only by a dermatologist. Pick one who's well experienced in dermabrasion.
Micro-Dermabrasion
The
very latest in non-surgical, non-invasive technology. It gives you immediate
improvement by removing dead, flaking skin cells, stimulating the growth
of fresh young skin cells and collagen. Like glycolic peels, the procedure
is a real "lunch time" miracle, meaning there's no disruption to your
normal activities afterwards. Fine micro-crystals are vacuumed through
a device hand held by a technician onto your skin to "polish" the surface.
In 10-30 minutes or so, your skin emerges with a pink glow. For serious
problems like acne scars, fine lines, scars and melasma (over pigmentation
or blottchiness), 2-12 visits are recommended. Micro-Dermabrasion is safe
and effective on all skin types and colors with excellent results reported
especially around the eyes, lips and neck areas.
Negatives:
Caucasian skin turns pink for a few days, all skins may feel a little
sensitive. Some flaking will be noticed.
Availability:
Dermatologists, skincare salons and day spas.
Collagen
Injections
Collagen
is one of today's most popular choices for wrinkle smoothing. Typically
it is injected via a very fine needle that prevents bruising, into fine
or medium wrinkles on the forehead, eyes, lips, cheeks and smile zones.
Results show up in a week or 10 days, because the collagen 1) plumps up
tissue from underneath the surface and 2) stimulates the skin's own production
of collagen to plump up skin even further.
Negatives:
A collagen allergy test is a must before treatment. Results last on average,
2 to 6 months, depending on mobility of the areas treated and the amount
injected. Some patients have slight bruising.
Availability:
Only by a dermatologist. Pick one with an extensive cosmetic practice.
Botox
Fast
overtaking collagen injections in popularity. Botox (the tradename of
Botulinum Toxin Type A) is a purified toxin produced by the bacterium,
Clostridium Botulinum. Pioneered in 1980 to treat "lazy eye' and uncontrolled
eye blinking, botox has been used for wrinkles since 1989. Small doses,
injected into facial muscles, especially in the forehead areas and between
the eyes, paralyze the muscle and prevent it from contracting, so the
lines above the muscle treated gradually fade away. It sounds scarier
than it actually is. Injected via tiny needles into the skin, botox takes
effect in 3-5 days and lasts 3-5 months. Many doctors believe it more
effective than collagen in some areas of the face like forehead and around
the eyes.
Negatives:
Benefits are short-term, as the muscle action gradually returns. Some
say Botox injections are more painful than collagen injections. You may
have a little bruising. A slight lowering of the eyelid may occur if botox
is injected around the eyes or right above them - this is temporary. No
permanent side effects have been reported from botox use.
Availability:
Only by a dermatologist. Pick one with an extensive cosmetic practice.
Fat
Injections
The
dermatologist draws small amounts of fat from another part of your body
and injects it under the grooves around your mouth, eyes and between the
brows. The big plus is that it's your own tissue so your body won't experience
any rejection or allergic reactions.
Negatives:
Some say is more temporary than Collagen with results lasting anywhere
from 3 months to 3 years. And, it means harvesting the fat from yet another
part of your body to reinject into another- ouch!
Availability:
Dermatologist only.
Electrocautery
After
years of sun exposure, fine or broken veins may pop up or become more
noticeable on the cheeks or around the nose. With a fine electric needle,
the veins are cauterized to eliminate them. 3-6 sessions may be required
but the procedure is uncomplicated and almost always very successful.
Negatives:
Slightly uncomfortable for the second or two it takes to treat the vein.
New veins must be treated as they occur. Some veins take several sessions
to eliminate.
Availability:
Through a dermatologist only.
Cryotherapy
Using
liquid nitrogen or CO2 slush, the dermatologist can remove dark, age spots
and very fine wrinkles. A subtle, non-invasive treatment that allows patients
to wear makeup the same day.
Negatives:
Several treatments may be required to achieve results.
Availability:
Through a dermatologist only.
Facial
Liposuction
Like
liposuction for the body, facial lipo firms and tightens sagging tissues.
Frequently used to restore a firm, smoothly contoured jaw line and correct
the chin-neck angle back to a youthful 90 degrees.
Negatives:
Liposuction is more of an operation than most of the other rejuvenating
treatments and definitely not a "lunchtime" procedure. Bruising is commonplace.
If the skin is very loose, a surgical lift may be suggested along with
liposuction to achieve the best results.
Availability:
A cosmetic surgeon skilled in the procedure is highly recommended.
While
the good news is that some of our bad behavior in the sun can be erased
at the dermatologist's office, these days, the best defense is still a
good offense. Keep yourself and your children out of the sun when you
can and use sunscreen when you are in the sun. When you think about it,
it's not much to ask for a lifetime of looking younger - and worry-free
of serious skin problems.
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