If you were like most of us, when you were 18 you spent as much time in the sun with as much skin exposed as possible.  Unfortunately, the sun damage done at that age doesn’t catch up until later in life, like now!  Fortunately, though, many new laser and selective wave length light therapies are now available to rejuvenate these premature aging effects.  

Clinically, there are two components of aging skin: intrinsic (internal) aging caused by free radical formation and extrinsic (external) aging caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds.   You can easily see the difference between intrinsic aging and the combined effects of intrinsic and extrinsic aging.  Simply look in the mirror and observe the difference between the skin on your face and the skin on the inner surface of your upper arm.  Your face shows both intrinsic aging and sun damage, a combination we refer to as photo-aging, while the inner surface of your upper arm gets little sun exposure and so shows predominantly intrinsic aging.  For most people, further motivation to use sunscreen is not required.Sun exposure can set in motion a number of chemical events in the skin that at best, result in an undesirable appearance that includes wrinkling, mottling, red blotches and a pasty thinning of the surface layers.  At worst, sun exposure can result in cancer. Sunscreen and sun cover are the only ways to prevent exposure, but, unfortunately, a lot of damage has already occurred by age 18.  Furthermore, damage continues to occur with the so-called “casual exposure” that comes from daily activities like walking to your car after work.  While everyone should use sunscreen daily, most of us also need to consider methods of repairing damage from photo-aging that has already occurred.We recommend clients consider the four pillars of skin rejuvenation: 1) skin nutrition with topical cosmeceuticals, 2) microdermabrasion with oxygen therapy, 3) laser skin treatments, ablative and nonablative and 4) surgical tightening of the skin and underlying support tissues.SKIN NUTRITION:  Applying topical agents to the skin dates back to antiquity, yet only in the past few years have scientists proven that exposed skin can achieve maximum health by having nutrients delivered through the skin.  Medical grade strength skin care products achieve the goals of cleansing, hydration and protection, rejuvenation and and resurfacing. These cosmeceuticals and prescription products may rejuvenate your skin by stimulating the growth of collagen and minimizing fine lines, and by reducing brown sun spots.  Others help resurface your skin to eliminate the dull, dead surface cells.  For many people, a medically supervised skin care program will be all that is required to achieve the reversal of skin damage they desire.MICRODERMABRASION:  The surface layer of the skin, the epidermis, is constantly being renewed.  With age, the rate of renewal slows to half that of a twenty year old.  Microdermabrasion removes the dead outer layer of cells to stimulate a youthful epidermal regeneration rate.  The addition of oxygen therapy during microdermabrasion catalyzes the rejuvenating benefit of other topical nutrients. Acne protocols can be added if needed.  Microdermabrasions enhance the benefits of active cosmeceuticals since they reduce the skin barrier, allowing the topical products to penetrate more deeply to be more effective.  

BROADBEAM LIGHT TREATMENTS:  These can be very effective in reducing damage under the skin, such as redness and brown spots, both of which are often due to sun exposure.  Combining this with treatments to improve the outermost skin layer, like skin care products and microdermabrasion, is even more beneficial as the superficial and deeper tissues are both being treated for more effect.

LASERS:  For many years lasers have been used to remove wrinkles and mottled skin.  A recent advance that has made lasers more effective with fewer side effects is the ability to supercool the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, while stimulating the deeper layers, thus allowing treatment without creating a superficial burn.  Eliminating the burn significantly reduces downtime and the chance of infection.  For individuals requiring ablative laser, the newer erbium laser ablates surface skin without causing the extreme damage to pigment cells sometimes seen with older CO2 lasers.SKIN TIGHTENING:  Nonsurgical skin tightening can be used to help firm loose skin, including “crinkly” wrinkles on most any part of the body.  Facial fillers can be used to reduce the appearance of sagging skin from the nose to the mouth and around the mouth.

COSMETIC SURGERY:  Surgery can be done on upper or lower eyelids to reduce excess skin or “bags”.  Neck or face lifts may dramatically reduce sagging.  Modern techniques allow for excellent results without the use of general anesthetic or a hospital stay.  For a complimentary comprehensive evaluation of your skin, and what can be done to help you improve its appearance, call Aesthetic Surgical Arts at 859-223-FACE (-3223).  Sharon M Napier MD