Blog Entries

Is Cosmelan a good product for pigmentation problems?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm very suspicious of this company - Mesoestetic. First, it's difficult to find out much about them. Their website constantly asks the user for information while providing almost nothing to the you the viewer. Their claims of '10 years of research' and mentions of a lab are not substantiated in any way.

The Cosmelan 2 (is that the product you are referring to?) does not contain hydroquinone but contains azelaic acid (it doesn't say the per [...]

What can I do about uneven cheeks?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

At the age of 31, it's unusual to have cheek uneveness so I'm wondering if you had this as a child? Look at pictures of yourself when you were younger, do you have that even at age 10 or 16? Some of us, have inborn facial asymmetries that are easily seen. In general though, it's easy to correct this kind of uneveness with one of the longer lasting hyaluronic acid products like Perlane or Juvederm Ultra Plus. Link to more on these products.

In Canada, doctors als [...]

Can I continue to use Retin A if I have rosacea?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Yes! For many years dermatologists recommended against this afraid it would cause more irritation. But, a few years ago, several studies were done which showed that Retin A/Renova/tretinoin, etc. in fact does NOT irritate rosacea and, in many cases, improvez it. It's fine to stay on it! Link to more on rosacea.

WHAT I LEARNED AT THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE (IMCAS)

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Topics I'll be discussing include pigmentation problems, how to find good doctors in Europe, Asia, Middle east, etc., new information on lasers and various products. Dr. I

Are Juvederm and Botox safe for african american skin?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The short answer is yes! In general, pigmentation problems or any problems (other than the usual - see links to Botox and Juvederm), make these products very safe for African American skin. It's usually certain lasers and some peels which cause most of the problems. Dr. I

Age Spots on the Hands

jeff@fdgweb.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This is a problem that bothers many women. They aren't really age spots; they are sun damage.

So the first thing is to start wearing a sun block on the hands daily and reapply as much as you can. It helps to wear gloves (fingerless) while driving if you spend a lot of time in the car. Antiaging creams like a 10-15% glycolic at night or TNS Recovery will help - try alternating them. But .... at the end of the day, those spots may require a laser. A series of 3 IPL treatments or 2 Fraxel [...]

Treating Upper Lip Lines

jeff@fdgweb.com — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Many women have these lines whether they smoked or not. Smoking definitely makes these worse, but let's just think of them as kissing lines! Whatever the cause, I don't know a single woman who likes them.

While there is no single thing that works miracles, a combination of 3 things can, if they are done well, remove most of them. The combination of

a few drops of Botox (makes the muscles not purse quite so hard), a filler like Juvederm (to plump out the lines and replace some of th [...]

Are these products safe during pregnancy?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The safest products during pregnancy are organic or contain glycolic acid which is just made from a sugar, if you want to be really particular. All of the products sold without prescriptions are generally safe unless they contain a clear warning on the label. Generally, avoid any of the vitamin A creams or retinoids like retinol, Retin A, Renova, etc. There's no proof that those topicals/creams cause problems but doctors generally counsel patients to avoid extra Vitamin A during pregnanc [...]

Does metal, particularly braces, cause a problem with Thermage?

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Generally, as long as the grounding pad is placed properly, other metal in the body or on the body is usually not a problem. But.......have your doctor call the MD only line that Thermage offers. Your doctor can find the number on their website. This is what we do if we have any situation that is unique and we are not 100% sure. It always is good to double or triple check things where your health in concerned! Dr. I

Where are you Dr. Irwin???

questions@skintour.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

I just want to let all of you know that I'll be gone until February 3rd. I, and several other members of our office, are going to Paris for the Dermatology/Plastic Surgery conference there (IMCAS). We will learn and research so we can continue to be a good resource for all of you!! Dr. I

Fat Busting Technologies

jeff@fdgweb.com — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Until recently, other than liposuction, these haven't been worth wasting your money on. That is beginning to change in that there are relatively new technologies that are promising.

The Zeltiq works by grabbing that love handle or abdominal pouch with large plates, squeezing it firmly, and then delivering very cold temperatures to the area. The cold kills about 10-20% of the fat cells, which then die and are metabolized. The fat does not recur. The Zeltiq technology is limited [...]

I recently ordered Retin A and was given desonite cream. ...

questions@skintour.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

You bring up a good point and no, they are not the same, at least in the U.S. Did you order this off the web? In most countries, if you buy a product like Retin A (generic name is tretinoin) at the pharmacy you can be pretty sure you are getting the correct product. Also, if you buy worldwide brands at the drugstore, like Neutrogena or L'Oreal, etc, you can also be pretty sure you are getting what you think.

Unfortunately, not all sources on the web are reliable and some are outrigh [...]

Can you recommend a good office in Southern California for Thermage?

questions@skintour.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

I'm giving you two links on the site - the first to our Regional Guide, and the second, to the article on how to find a good doctor! These should help. Dr. I

Could a cleft lip be improved with filler?

questions@skintour.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Generally, a cleft lip must be corrected with surgery. Fillers can sometimes make the cleft look worse. Hopefully, you can find a good surgeon near you and, there are international organizations who sometimes make this available at no or low cost. Once the surgery is done, certain lasers may be useful to blend the scar better, if needed. Dr. I

I bought device that seems to be making my skin worse?

questions@skintour.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Please don't try to do this yourself at home. I'm guessing that you bought this off the internet. You really don't know what your getting. Some radiofrequencies used incorrectly can actually cause divits in the skin and probably do that by destroying support in the underlying fat. You should consider going to a dermatologist to have it checked out and then possible have them perform a radiofrequency treatment to improve your skin. Dr. I

In the Pipeline for 2012

jeff@fdgweb.com — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In the Botox universe, the introduction of Dysport was greeted with a lot of hope that the competition between Dysport and Botox would bring the prices down a bit.

It was a huge disappointment, because Dysport (Medicis) was priced almost the same as Botox. And the conversion between the Botox units or volume and the Dysport units or volume was annoying for many doctors. The bottom line was there wasn't much benefit for either patients or doctors.

Now Merz (a German company) is in [...]

Is two Sculptra treatements for the intitial series enough?

questions@skintour.com — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

You didn't tell me your age! So it really depends a lot on that and also where your body weight range is. Low body weight women tend to need more. And, the older we get, the more is needed for that initial series and to maintain it. So there's really no hard and fast rule to this. If you are 38 years old with just the beginnings of volume loss a total of 2-3 vials spread over 2 treatments might be perfect. If you are 65 to 70, you could need 8-10 vials spread over 3-4 treatment [...]

Is there a good doctor for aesthetic services in Anchorage, Alaska?

questions@skintour.com — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

I truly wish I knew absolutely great and trustworthy board certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons for cosmetic services in every area. I'm sure there are wonderful doctors out there and we just don't know about them. We just don't have referrals in all areas at this time though and Anchorage is one of them. Here's a link on how to find someone in your area bearing in mind that some areas just don't have good people for these services yet. &nb [...]

How do I sort out a complex product problem and acne?

questions@skintour.com — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Petra - thank you for writing and I hear your frustration on this. A couple of general thoughts that may help and then some specifics. Remember that while products can make certain types of acne somewhat worse, they don't cause cysts. And, at the end of the day, your hormones and your genes are far more important, especially for cystic acne. Also at 43, you may be trending into perimenopause with more variation month to month in your hormone levels. Here is more information on acn [...]

Melasma and Asian skin

questions@skintour.com — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Melasma is one of the most difficult problems that Dermatologists face today because, at this point in time, as you all know, there is no true cure for it. There is just good control. As our information and technology progress we may have a solution (I hope so!), but no one can cure it yet in all cases.

The first issue is your suncreening - good work! You may even want to double or triple layer your sunscreen when it's really sunny. For example, you could use a light sunsc [...]