Archive for August, 2011

Rosacea Treatments

Published by Bowen on August 25, 2011 in Treatments. 23 Comments

Rosacea (pronounced “roh-zay_sha”) is a disease of the skin that causes redness and pimples to appear on the cheeks, chin, forehead and nose. Outbreaks of rosacea are often assumed to be adult acne because the symptoms are similar to acne, but rosacea is not just acne. Rosacea can also result in a burning or soreness sensation to the eyes and eyelids.

People with fair skin tend to be effected by rosacea more than others, and it appears to be hereditary, but the exact cause of rosacea is not known. It is not caused by alcohol abuse, as commonly thought, but symptoms can flare with alcohol use. It also seems to flare when doing anything that causes blood vessels in the face to expand, such as exercise, contact with heat or hot water, eating spicy food, or stress.

Symptoms of Rosacea May Include:

  • Redness on the face and pimples on the cheeks, nose, mouth, chin and forehead.
  • Spider veins visible on the face.
  • Red or swollen eyelids, with dry or irritated eyes.
  • Burning or stinging of the skin on the face.
  • Sensitive facial skin.

 Treatments for Rosacea may Include:

The Center offers Neocutis®, a powerful line of skin care products. These products heal and nurish the skin, restore skin radiance, clarity and luminosity, hydrate the skin, and can improve skin texture and tone.

The Levulan® Photodynamic Therapy System is a two-part process that utilizes both the Levulan® Kerastick® topical solution and a BBL (broadband pulsed light). This combination of Levulan® and BBL smooths skin texture, reduces acne, and helps to create a more even skin tone.

Sciton BBL™ Photorejuvenation is a cosmetic treatment that treats vascular redness and the appearance of rosacea. The use of the broadband light therapy (an advanced version of IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) can improve acne breakouts common with rosacea and repair damaged skin, evening skin tone and texture. BBL is the gold-standard in treating rosacea.

The Center offers jane iredale® skin care makup®, perfect for after a laser treatment or to use as a cover-up. It is non-irritating, allergy and safety tested, and hypoallergenic.

Does it sound like you may be experiencing rosacea? You’re not alone. Rosacea is very common, and treatments are available. Please contact The Center today to learn more about rosacea treatments.

Adult Acne: I’m 40. Why Do I Still Have Pimples?

Published by Bowen on August 22, 2011 in Uncategorized. 5 Comments

Does this headline sound like you when you look in the mirror? Maybe you suffered through your teenage years with embarrassing pimples, or maybe you didn’t. But now you are certainly no teenager and still suffering from acne…as if graying hair and the appearance of wrinkles aren’t enough!

You are not alone. Estimates are that up to 30% of women and 20% of men ages 20 to 60 suffer from acne as adults. The numbers don’t make it any less embarrassing, though.

Causes of Adult Acne

The causes of acne in adults are similar to what causes it in younger people; sebum, an oily substance produced by your sebaceous glands, gathers and clogs pores, attracting bacteria and becoming inflamed. This can be heightened by a hypersensitivity to male hormones or an imbalance in estrogen. This is why women often suffer from acne during pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. Makeup can also add to the development of acne.

Treatments for Adult Acne

There are a number of ways to treat acne in adults:

  1. Keep your skin clean:  Just as when you were younger, use a good cleanser and scrub your face. This helps loosen dead skin and remove oils in the skin, keeping acne symptoms from spreading or getting worse.
  2. Use over-the-counter creams and lotions:  There are a variety of retinol products that can be purchased at your local pharmacy or grocery to treat adult acne. To treat active acne, use products that include benzoyl peroxide to kill bacteria.
  3. Vibradermabrasion:  The Center for Positive Aging offers Vibradermabrasion, a procedure similar to microdermabrasion, to gently remove the top layer of old skin, leaving newer, smoother skin beneath. Vibradermabrasion can help to reverse either excessive dryness or oiliness of the skin, reducing pore size and creating a more uniform look to the skin. It also helps to stimulate collagen. Vibradermabrasion is a quick, easy, inexpensive and non-invasive way to treat adult acne.
  4. The use of Leuvlan® Photodynamic Therapy is very effective in treating adult acne. Levulan® Kerastick® topical solution is applied to the skin, and then broadband pulsed light in the blue spectrum (called BBL) is shone on the skin. The Levulan® topical solution makes the skin more sensitive to light. Then the BBL light is used to attack the bacteria. This procedure kills the bacteria in the skin that causes pimples and cripples the sebaceous glands, helping to alleviate acne problems.
  5. Cystic acne can be treated with Sciton’s SkinTyte technology. While not originally designed for this use, Dr. Bowen noticed that patients with acne get an improvement in their painful breakouts after treatment with SkinTyte. By safely but deeply heating the dermis, sebaceous glands which are overactive are crippled and acne breakouts decreased.
  6. To cover adult acne without exacerbating the blemishes, use jane iredale® Liquid Mineral™ foundation. The lightweight coverage gives the appearance of a clean and clear complexion without clogging pores, and its anti-inflammatory ingredients calms and soothes irritation.
  7. Acne scars, whether new or old, can be effectively treated at The Center as well. ProFractional Therapy™, the latest in laser technology, can aggressively treat a whole host of problems and involves less downtime and discomfort than traditional laser treatment. Not only will ProFractional Therapy™ do wonders to improve the skin’s cosmetic appearance (reducing fine lines, wrinkles and sun spots; improving skin clarity; decreasing pore size), this remarkable laser treatment is capable of remodeling and improving even deep acne scars (and other scars as well). SOFT™ is the trademarked name of the process developed by Dr. Bowen to treat burn and acne scars.

Conclusion

Being 40 and still having acne doesn’t make you feel any younger…pimples are not fun at any age. But luckily, there is something you can do about it. If you are interested in learning more about treatments for your adult acne, call The Center today to schedule a consultation.

The Aging Face: The Cause of Wrinkles and How You Can Slow Down the Process of Aging

Published by Bowen on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized. 103 Comments

There are several factors that cause or increase the rate of aging skin, including loss of collagen, repeated use of facial muscles over time, sun exposure, smoking, alcohol consumption, hormonal changes, and stress.  And although we cannot stop the process of aging, there are preventative measures we can take to help slow it down. The first step is to understand the cause of aging.

Not surprisingly, aging itself is a factor that contributes largely to wrinkles. Collagen, a substance that provides support in the upper layer of the skin, decreases about 1% per year after the age of 40.  Furthermore, sun exposure and lifestyle habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol accelerate the aging process by breaking down collagen fibers which results in accelerated wrinkle formation.

Treating the Aging Face

To slow down the process of aging, it is important to address as many of the aforementioned wrinkle-causing factors as possible.  This can be done through both internal and external treatments.

Internal treatments include taking vitamins, antioxidants and supplements; smoking cessation, limiting alcohol consumption, eating a healthy and nutritional diet, a positive lifestyle and stress management.

External treatments include: Dysport®, BOTOX®, Restylane®, JUVEDERM®, Radiesse®, other dermal fillers, chemical peels, MicroLaserPeel™, ProFractional laser treatment, BBL light/laser treatment, medical-grade skin care, and sun protection.

The Center for Positive Aging offers these external treatments and can customize a skin treatment program that will slow down the aging process of your skin.  Take preventative measures today, and call us for a consultation at 304-264-9080.

Age Spots Treatments

Published by Bowen on August 17, 2011 in Treatments. 5 Comments

Age spots, also referred to as brown spots, sun spots, and liver spots, are dark, freckle-like hyperpigmentations on the skin caused by damage from frequent sun exposure. As we age, the natural defenses of our skin tend to weaken while exposure to the sun increases, resulting in these brown spots that accumulate over time when not treated.

Fortunately, age spots are treatable with the following procedures:

Vibraderm – Microdermabrasion: Proven to safely and effectively remove layers of old, discolored skin, this treatment can reduce the visibility of sun damage at its early stages.

Sciton MicroLaserPeel™:  Using an Erbium laser, this procedure is a minimum downtime laser peel that is ideal for vaporizing undesired, sun damaged skin and improving the skin’s overall texture and tone.  The MicroLaserPeel™ is ideal for the face, neck, chest, and hands.

Sciton BBL™ Photorejuvenation: Commonly referred to as photofacial, this cosmetic treatment uses BBL therapy – an advanced version of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) – and is designed to reverse the signs of aging and sun damage by treating the pigmented brown spots, skin texture, and collagen structure all at once. Photorejuvenation is an ideal way to treat age spots (as well as other forms of hyper pigmentation) with no downtime, little discomfort and optimal results using a series of treatments.

NEOCUTIS® Skin Care Products: The Center offers this medical-grade skin care line that combines Processed Skin Cell Proteins or PSPs, Human Growth Factors and other ingredients with anti-aging properties that reverse visible signs of aging.