A Kernel of Truth: Debunking Cosmetic Myths
The Kernel of Truth
I was reading my email this morning and up pops my daily Groupon (a popular discount coupon service that I subscribe to). Today’s offer is too good to be true 92% off spa services, so I look further. Great marketing, “made me look”! And there was an amazing statement, and I quote: “Lying in the sun causes the tiny gold deposits under the skin to heat up and explode, resulting in a million dollar tan”. Ok, nobody actually thinks they have little pieces of metal that ingnite causing their skin to change color….or does somebody take this as a truth? It got me to thinking about all of the myths and misconceptions that float around simply because someone heard someone say something. Lack of education is our problem with perhaps a tad bit of gullibility thrown in.
Here are a few myths that I hear from time to time and a kernel of truth.
- Tans are caused by exploding gold nuggets (actually this is a new one on me)
- MYTH
- Tans are a way for your skin to defend itself against the cancer causing and aging forces of the sun. Pigment (melanin) is stimulated by sun and acts as an umbrella to shield you. Culturally, we have associated tan with health (we used to also think smoking improved health but that is another story). Economically, an industry that delivers artificial yet still damaging sun rays has developed, hence the flowery language that caught my eye. Maybe people are more likely to pay for cancer inducing skin treatments if they imagine gold explosions rather than DNA damaging radiation.
- Bottom line: Stick to the spray tan or better yet, embrace your natural color whatever shade that is.
- MYTH
- Over swollen fish lips can be the only result of fillers in the lips.
- MYTH
- As much as everyone seems to be in love with Angelina Jolie, I must say that women are not in love with those lips. The most common fear expressed in my office and at cocktail parties is “I would never get my lips ‘done’!! I don’t want to look like Angelina Jolie!”
- Bottom line: Fillers are like jello, they make a change by filling space. A little filler restores the lost volume of aging. Yes, our lips get smaller as time goes on starting in the early 30’s. A lot of filler can be added to produce gigantic lips. The resulting lip depends on the skill of the physician or licensed medical professional doing the treatment. Find an established reputable medical provider and be clear on what you want. Then think of all of the areas on the face that could use just a little fill, I think you will be very pleased with what can be done.
- MYTH
- Beware the frozen face of Botox, all expression is lost.
- MYTH
- Not to pick on celebrities, but they can give cosmetic dermatology a bad rap. Nicole Kidman, as beautiful as she is, has from time to time overindulged in Botox , I think.
- Bottom line: Botox (and now its new competitor Dysport) are certainly capable of relaxing anything that moves, but who wants that? Find a capable cosmetic medical provider and their experience and your clear desires result in very pleasant softening of harsh movement related lines with out overdone “frozen face”.
- MYTH
- Sure Latisse grows great eyelashes but it will make my blue eyes brown!
- MYTH
- There is some reality here. Latisse started life as Lumigan, a prescription eye drop that is used for glaucoma. A small percentage of hazel eyed patients did see darkening of the iris. The MYTH part is that to date no reports of eye color change have occurred with Latisse which is not an eye drop but is applied to the lash line with a brush, like invisible liquid eyeliner.
- Bottom line: It seems when used correctly, applied to the lash line, not dropped into the eye, Latisse has not made anyone’s blue eyes brown.
- MYTH
- Sunblock causes cancer, don’t use it.
- MYTH
- Don’t believe it even though it has been all over Twitter lately. Yes there is a study cited (referred to as junk science by real experts from the Skin Cancer Foundation ) indicating an ingredient of some sunscreens is a problem. The ingredient retinyl palmitate is related to Retin A, one of the original anti wrinkle creams with known anti-cancer properties.
- Bottom line: Sunscreen is your best way to reduce skin cancer and aging. Use an SPF of 30 daily and don’t smear massive amounts of retinyl palmitate on your rats.
- MYTH
Sundamage Meets It’s Match
Fraxel Dual Before and After
Brown spots, liver spots, age spots, whatever you call them, they are not usually thought of as a sign of beauty. They are a sure sign of sun damage though, and age of course. Lindsay Lohan started out as a cute freckle face kid. Among other unhealthy habits she seems to like the sun, the result is not so cute. In more recent photos the spots are gone! And it is not just the make up.
How did she do it? More important: how can regular folk get rid of the earliest unattractive signs on sundamage and age?
Well, there is always the bleaching cream. The most popular and most effective available in the US remain hydroquinone. It is actually not a bleach at all, it is a chemical that inhibits the ability of the pigment cell to create pigment. Please note, it only reduces pigment, it does not eliminate it . The problem is that it can take months and results are moderate.
Various methods have been used for centuries, perhaps the first recorded is the lactic acid (milk) baths that Cleopatra took. I imagine that living in Egypt without sunscreen caused some pretty impressive brown spots even on the legendary beauty (the Amazon’s version of Lindsay).
Freezing or burning brown spots is still commonly done and in some situations, is still a good approach if you only have one or two spots.
When the spots are all more numerous chemical peels including lactic acid, glycolic acid , and various other acids have been and still are used.. The light peels are great for maintaining but not great for producing improvement. Deep peels are just too toxic and are rarely done in the US for simple age spots. The medium peels (not too strong, not too weak) have been replaced for the most part with the laser.
Lasers have been around for decades (5 to be exact) but it has been the last 15 years that the cosmetic use has skyrocketed. The newest addition to the arsenal against age is the FRAXEL DUAL.
Fraxel is the gold standard in what is called “non-ablative skin resurfacing”. Essentially, it removes sundamage and stimulates collagen to combat scars and wrinkles. Down time is in days, not weeks and results occur gradually over several treatments.
FRAXEL DUAL combines the gold standard Fraxel (deep) laser with a second laser (superficial). The great advantage of the superficial laser is that the brown spots lie very close to the surface. The more laser energy that is placed in the upper layers of skin, the better the result on the brown spots. We still like the deep laser because we can get a nice improvement in scars and wrinkles. The DUAL combines both and allows the physician to use all deep laser, all superficial laser or a combination of both for optimum results tailored to the patient.
So, back to brown spot/age spot removal for the regular folk: there is something for everyone. Consult with an experience cosmetic physician to see what is best for you. For a qualified board certified dermatologist go to ASDS.net.
Looking Good in Your 40s, 50s and 60s!
Photo by SantiMB
Noninvasive cosmetic procedures are a great way to take years off your look—at every age! The nonsurgical approach offers flexibility, allowing each person to have a customized treatment plan. I especially think they are great for those who would prefer not to have a sudden or dramatic change. Here are some of my basic recommendations for cosmetic treatments in your 40s, 50s and 60s: Read the full article »
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Follow me @drvandyke About the Author:
Susan Van Dyke, M.D. is a board certified dermatologist who has performed more than 10,000 non-invasive cosmetic procedures. She is a top consultant and national physician trainer for Medicis, Allergan, Lumenis and Solta (manufacturers of Thermage and Fraxel); on the advisory board for Valeant Pharmaceuticals; on the speakers’ bureaus for RevaleSkin, Clinique Medical and Obagi; a “Platinum Plus” BOTOX Cosmetic and Juvederm Provider; and her practice is designated as a BOTOX Cosmetic National Training Center. For more information on Dr. Van Dyke and her practice, Van Dyke Laser & Skin, visit http://www.VanDykeLaser.com.
