The New Year is a good time for new beginnings and turning over a new leaf. If you wish to give your face and your skin an overhaul, a skilled dermatologist has innumerable tricks up his sleeve to help you achieve that. From flattening a large zit in a day to looking 10 years younger in a week, read on to find out more about dermatological makeovers.
For the conservative folk who do not wish to undergo procedural treatment, dermatologists have discovered and created a wide range of medications and cosmeceutical products, which can redefine your skin. For instance, for a woman in her late 30’s, a dermatologist will prescribe an antioxidant serum in the day time followed by a broad-spectrum sunscreen. At night, you could use an anti-ageing moisturizer containing peptides or Coenzyme Q10. If you are in your 40s, this is the right time to start using a retinol containing cream every night to banish away fine lines and wrinkles. Under eye creams containing retinol, caffeine, Vitamin K or Vitamin C can reduce dark circles, puffiness and keep fine lines at bay. If you have pigmentation prone skin, then an Alphahydroxy acid containing cream or serum may be added to your regime. If you have oily and acne-prone skin, you’ll need a salicylic acid containing face wash along with clay or silica based matte finish sunscreen and gel based moisturizers.
A night cream containing a combination of retinaldehyde and glycolic acid can keep the skin oil free, exfoliate blackheads and whiteheads, clear acne and marks and prevent fresh acne. Large painful and deep-seated acne can be flattened quickly with steroid injections, although this not a cure and must not be abused. Oral antioxidants help by acting as an internal sunscreen; omega fatty acids can make your skin look young and dewy; and oral biotin and amino-acids can keep hair and nails strong and healthy. Medicated lotions like Latisse can thicken your eyelashes and Amnexidil containing hair serums can arrest hair fall and increase hair thickness. There are various face packs, scrubs, masks and home microdermabrasion kits, which contain some of these ingredients in a higher concentration, which you can use on a weekly or SOS basis for instant hydration and glow. As you can see, there is no “one fix for all”. In fact, your dermatologist will customize your skin care regime based on your skin type and specific concerns, keeping in mind your age, skin color, ethnicity and even your budgetary constraints. Conditions like acne and rosacea will require medical treatment as well. An ultra-conservative skin care regime which only relies on topical applications will have to be followed religiously for at least 6 weeks to start noticing improvement, and your makeover will be complete in about 6 months. The regime may have to be modified as you age, or based on climatic conditions. If you are looking for lasting and long-term benefits, then proper skin care is a commitment of a lifetime.
If you are looking for faster results, or want to get rid of spots and blemishes over a ‘lunchtime/hop-in hop-out’ procedure, then you can opt for chemical peels every 4-6 weeks. A peel takes about 15 minutes and uses fruit acids or salicylic acid to even out skin tone. The benefits range from skin lightening to exfoliation, and it also has anti-acne, anti-pigmentation and anti-ageing benefits. You can appreciate the results after a single peel, and see maximal benefit after 4-6 peels, after which you can get it done once in 4-6 months for maintenance. Darker skin types can only tolerate superficial chemical peels, while medium-depth peels are reserved for deep-seated pigmentation or chemical cautery of bumps or scars.
Microdermabrasion involves skin polishing using crystals or diamond tipped heads, which can exfoliate blackheads and dead skin, while making open pores and superficial acne scars look less prominent. A medicated facial involves cleansing, exfoliation, extraction and hydration using cosmeceuticals which are delivered into the skin using jet sprays, oxygen infusion or vacuum. The results are instantaneous and these treatments are ideal if your skin is too sensitive or cannot tolerate a chemical peel.
Dermatologists also use a wide range of laser and light based devices, which can achieve a complete make-over of your skin by tightening it, eliminating fine lines and wrinkles, shrinking acne scars and pits, and burning off unsightly warts and skin tags. Various countries have manufactured a mind boggling array of dermatological lasers. Radiofrequency-based devices (such as Thermage, e2 Sublime etc) are the best for skin tightening, and they work best for those in their 40s or 50s when skin sagging is mild to moderate.
The carbon dioxide laser is the most effective laser for precise cutting or vaporization of warts, moles, cysts and skin tags.
Fractional ablative lasers like the Pixel 2940 or the Lumenis UltraPulse laser is ideal for treating acne scars, trauma scars and stretch marks.
Nonablative lasers like the Fraxel is safely used for full face skin resurfacing which irons out fine lines and wrinkles.
Light based devices like the IPL are used for painless ‘photofacials’. These devices get rid of freckles and age spots, facial redness or tiny broken capillaries on the face. They are also somewhat effective in achieving skin tightening. However, in Asian skin types, IPL devices are neither very safe nor every effective.
The Q switched Nd:YAG laser is the gold standard for getting rid of freckles, age spots and certain types of birthmarks.
The blue light laser is effective in the treatment of acne and rosacea in those who cannot tolerate (or are unsuitable candidates) for antibiotics.
Facial hair in women can also give the face an aged and masculine appearance. There are several different laser technologies that are available for removal of unwanted hair. The Diode and the Alexandrite lasers have been proven to be the best hair removal lasers across multiple clinical studies. However the long pulsed Nd:YAG laser is widely respected as the safest hair removal laser for skin of color.
The Alma Accent laser and the Velasmooth laser are used for cellulite reduction. Most of the above mentioned technologies require multiple sessions over 4-12 months to achieve the desired results.
But there is more to ageing than just ageing skin. The face ages as well. The facial bones shrink, lips lose volume and the facial fat collapses making an aged face shrunken and asymmetrical. There is an overall droop, especially in the middle of our face, and the neck loses its firmness. None of these age-related changes can be addressed by any of the interventions mentioned above. Botulinum toxin injections (popularly known as Botox) can be used to get rid of crow’s feet (wrinkles at the corners of the eye), frown lines, forehead lines and neck lines in a week’s time; literally taking away years off your face. It can also be used to create a sharp and well defined jawline (the Nefertiti face lift). The effects only last for 3-6 months, so the treatments need to be repeated on a regular basis in order to maintain the benefits. Dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvederm are safe and temporary treatments which can be used to “fill out” laugh lines, lift the droopy corners of your mouth or create brow lifts. The results are instantaneous and last for 6-9 months. There is a misconception that these treatments are only meant for older men and women. Botox injections can also be used to slim a heavy jawline or treat gummy smiles in younger men and women. Fillers on the other hand can also be used to fill out thin lips or sunken under eye tear troughs as well.
There are other treatments as well, like the ‘vampire facelift’ (where plasma from your own blood is injected into your skin) or mesotherapy injections. There is insufficient scientific data supporting the validity of these treatments. So until dermatologists and researchers come up with evidence on the safety and efficacy of such treatments, you can give it a miss. And of course, my long time readers already know my views on “fairness” treatments.
So this new year, resolve to give yourself a dermatological make over. It may not mend a broken heart or get you that dream job. But do it for the pleasure and the confidence boost that it gives you. Choose only qualified and well-trained dermatologists who stay regularly updated on these treatment techniques.
