Visia Complexion Analysis

As part of our new Flawless Friday special we are offering each participant a complimentary Visia complexion analysis. I have found the Visia system to be the best start to any skin care program. A session generally runs about 30 minutes. First your skin is thoroughly cleaned. Then multispectral imaging and analysis is used to capture key visual information for six areas affecting complexion health and appearance. It then compares your skin assessment against baseline averages based on your skin type and age scoring you for wrinkles, spots, enlarged pores, uneven texture, bacterial accumulation, and photodamage.

This first scan not only serves as a clinical measurement of your skin’s surface and subsurface epidermal irregularities, it enables me to customize a skin care routine and recommend the best treatment options for your unique complexion profile. Going forward, it is an invaluable tool for measuring and monitoring your progress.

If you’ve been considering a new cosmetic dermatology treatment or wondering about your overall skin health, I heartily encourage you to take advantage of our Visia special and let me customize a skin care program that addresses your specific combination of facial characteristics.

Good Genes vs. Good Living

People will often credit their health or appearance to “good genes” as if lifestyle choices and environmental factors don’t play into a person’s issues with weight, longevity, or premature aging. Granted Mother Nature does have a role, but she can only carry a person so far. You might look at the photos above and think I’m displaying before and after photos of my work. Actually what you are seeing is a set of identical twins whose very different lifestyles created a severe aging disparity.

I constantly remind my patients that we’re a team. I’ll do my part providing the best in medical and cosmetic dermatological care but outside of my office they need to practice good living. If you thought it was all just “doctor-speak” when told to use sun screen, eat right, don’t smoke and exercise you can see for yourself that poor choices will show on your face.

A study of identical twins with obvious aging gaps narrowed the most damaging factors to sunbathing, smoking, and stress. Twin 1, the older looking twin, lived in California for thirty years, worshipping the sun year-round. She was a pack-a-day smoker, liked to drink, and dealt with some very stressful life situations. Twin 2 lived in Maryland with limited sun exposure, never drank or smoked, and lived rather stress free. She looks a good 10 years younger.

If you’re a smoker with too much sun exposure, you probably do look older than nature intended. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. It’s never too late to start living clean, and laser resurfacing, chemical peels and topical treatments can drastically improve skin quality, shrink pores and fade age spots.

Chocolate Benefits

It’s February. February means Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day means chocolate – lots of chocolate. If you’re like everyone else you’ve spent the holidays enjoying chocolate covered nuts, dipped fruits, gourmet chocolates, cakes, cookies, truffles, turtles and now hearts. And while this chocolate indulgence may not have done your waistline any favors, it surprisingly may have benefited your skin.

It turns out that dark chocolate has numerous health benefits. It lowers a person’s risk of heart attack and cancer, improves mood, and has a positive effect on bad cholesterol. Cocoa, it turns out, contains more antioxidants per cup than red wine or green tea. These antioxidants called flavanols promote healthy cellular tissue and increase blood flow to the skin resulting in improved texture and better hydration. Researchers have even found that subjects who regularly consumed at least 20 grams (about the size of one bar) daily were better protected from exposure to UV light.

I’m not giving anyone a license to replace healthy food choices with chocolate or to stop wearing sun screen. Of course, chocolate is high in calories and saturated fat so as always moderation is the key. Just remember the next time you think that chocolate is just a guilty pleasure, you’re helping your body maintain collagen and fight against sun damage.