Reflections on Beauty

Face it: there really are no up sides to cigarettes. They’ve been linked to cancer, premature aging of the skin, and now prices are lingering around eight dollars a pack in New Jersey. If that doesn’t make you want to quit puffing away, a study has now found that there is a link between smoking and adult acne.

According to a study published in The British Journal of Dermatology, ‘smokers’ acne’ is particularly common among women. Of the subjects with acne, 192 of 226 (85.0%) were classified as having comedonal postadolescent acne (CPAA), which is characterized by blocked pores and large blackheads. Not only was CPAA the most common form of adult acne, but 72.9% of the subjects with CPAA were smokers.

Microdermabrasion is one of the most-common non-invasive skincare treatments that can be found in medspas, salons, and doctors’ offices. Microdermabrasion is often marketed as a non-surgical and safe way to treat acne scarring and other facial concerns. However, concerns have been raised about the possible dangers of traditional microdermabrasions.

The  treatment traditionally sucks exfoliated dead cells off the skin that have been blasted off using aluminum oxide crystals. Once praised as great option to obtaining glowing skin, the older methods are now being denounced by experts due to the negative effects of the aluminum oxide crystals.
Though there are many critics of traditional microdermabrasion, the real threat comes from the person performing the treatment, not the crystals. If not meticulously administered by an experienced technician, Aluminum oxide crystals in traditional microdermabrasion treatments can have post-treatment reactions that include intense redness, infections, streaking from pressure on the probe, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In conjunction with these side effects, crystals can scatter into the hair, lashes and ears, which can lead to corneal scratches and abrasions.

Never fear, for there are alternative technologies available for microdermabrasion treatments. As with any cosmetic treatment, it is important to seek out a highly trained medical professional to perform your microdermabrasion. If you are still on edge about the possible side effects, there are safer microdermabrasion options available for New Jersey patients. DermaSweep offers the same benefits of conventional microdermabrasion without the use of crystals. DermaSweep integrates a variable level vacuum pump that gently lifts the skin surface as specially-designed treatment brushes “sweep away” dead skin cells.

Another option available at the Reflections Center is Sapphire Photo Abrasion. Sapphire abrasion is crystal free, suction free, non thermal technique that uses a sapphire hand piece that vibrates while it slowly passes across the skin’s surface to wear away the outer most layers of the skin. This process results in improved skin texture, tone and appearance. Sapphire abrasion makes the skin more receptive to the next stage of treatment which involves wet, vitamin infused gel exfoliation and hydration. Sapphire Abrasion and DermaSweep are also more beneficial for skin as they offer different additional infusions for a wide variety of skin types.

Even though microdermabrasion is classified as a non-surgical procedure, it is important to seek out a highly skilled medical professional to perform your treatment. Microdermabrasions in New Jersey can be performed by licensed aestheticians under the close supervision of a physician. More aggressive microdermabrasion procedures, however, should be performed by the physician themselves.

The American Medical Association news writer, Victoria Elliott, has recently posted an article about brides and their quest to look their best on their big day.   According to Brian Lawrence, owner of Local Traffic Builder, a wedding industry Web site company based in River Edge, N.Y., “There’s definitely a lot of self-improvement when brides are planning their weddings. And there is tremendous motivation for a bride to look her best and feel her best.”

According to Elliott’s article, wedding preparations in 2008 included nearly $300 million spent to lose weight, and not just for brides, but for their moms and grooms as well. With nearly $60 billion spent on wedding preparations in 2008, this $300 million was a small amount. Though most of the money is spent on a lavish reception, invitations and music, it’s not surprising that brides, and their families, wish to look great for those all-important and long-lasting wedding photos.

Although our New Jersey cosmetic surgery practice doesn’t do anything specific to cater to brides-to-be’s and their family members, we offer a huge variety of treatments that can help the bride (and her entourage ) to look fabulous on their special day. Knowing that many brides and grooms need acne scarring treatments, we offer special laser treatments such as fractional resurfacing for acne scars, our Smoothbeam laser and the CO2 laser for the deepest scars.  For older brides and moms, our Portrait PSR unit utilizes a unique technology to reduce wrinkles and tighten the skin, all while creating a beautiful glow in tone and a smoother texture.

For Moms wanting a fresher face for the event and afterwards, the offerings run the gamut from fat transfers, filler injections, microdermabrasion, laser treatments and other means to a more beautiful visage for the Big Day as well as the weeks before and after.

Many brides want to refresh their body contours as well—not only to fit into the Most Important Dress Of Their Lives but to look great in a swimsuit during the honeymoon. I have a vast array of options here including laser liposuction and cellulite treatments. The downtime on these treatments is minimal but the results can be spectacular, particularly if several treatments are performed.

For those with upcoming weddings, my best advice is not to wait until the last minute. You don’t want to be recovering from a treatment when your friends and relatives arrive or when the photographer is snapping your wedding photos!

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Mitchell Chasin

Pimples. Zits. By any name, acne is a distressing condition. Although acne generally disappears by the time we reach college-age, some people suffer with acne break-outs well into their 20’s and beyond. Previously, this type of refractory acne was treated with oral Accutane, which Roche Pharmaceuticals removed from the American market in 2009 for legal and financial reasons. Now, laser treatments are the preferred method for controlling this troublesome condition.

But there’s something new on the horizon that may provide relief for acne sufferers from an unexpected source. A Chicago plastic surgeon, Dr. Anil Shah, claims that injecting Botox into the skin may be able to treat acne, due to its ability to suppress the production of too much oil.

Botox is well known as a treatment for a broad variety of conditions. It was first created to treat muscle spasms. It’s also known to resolve migraines and excessive sweating, reduce lower back muscle tension, help TMJ sufferers and even relieve the problems of an overactive bladder. And, of course, we all know that Botox is used to soften facial wrinkles. This new application of Botox may change the way physicians treat adult acne in the future.

Dr. Shah says, “Treated patients had less oily skin, smaller pores, and a dramatic reduction in (pimples) and blackheads. Our subjects reported far fewer breakouts.” To our knowledge, Dr. Shah is the first doctor in the world to inject Botox directly into the skin, rather than in the muscles.

After treating over 100 acne patients with Botox, Shah notes that many of them have enjoyed a blemish-free complexion for over a year. He thinks Botox therapy will be reserved for adults with acne, not teens due to the strong hormonal influence that drives teen acne.

Most patients should opt for conventional therapies first, like topical antibiotics, proper skin cleansers, oral antibiotics, etc. But when those measures don’t work, laser therapy offers safe and predictably excellent results. At this point, the risk of injecting Botox into the skin is too great to consider this as a treatment regiment yet.

Whether Botox will be determined to be a viable treatment for acne is still unclear, but Dr. Shah’s initial results are interesting. It will require significant research before the safety and efficacy can be truly established, but any tool to help stamp out acne is always welcomed at Reflections. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.

In the meantime, check out our acne before/after photos to see how we’re successfully treating acne at Reflections, center for skin and body.