Posts filed under ‘Dermatology 911’
Dermatology 911
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Kathy Fields
Patient Name: Bree*
Gender: Female
Age: 29 years old
Concern: acne
Doctor’s Notes:
Bree, a graduate student in psychology and longtime acne patient, presented with a flair in her condition. This event is a common one seen in students undergoing final exams just prior to the winter break. The fact that Bree’s acne had severely worsened under pressure is no surprise. Research from Stanford University’s School of Medicine shows that there may be a strong correlation between exam-related stress and acne severity in college students. A volunteer sample of students with varying degrees of acne was assessed during both non-examination and examination periods. The result was that as students approached exams and experienced a higher level of stress, they also experienced more severe acne. But unfortunately, acne flare-ups don’t stop once you’ve received your diploma. Acne can be a lifelong condition and flare-ups can be brought on by any of life’s stresses.
The best way to prevent acne is to treat the full face daily with an acne-focused regimen containing either sulfur or benzoyl peroxide to address breakouts, and hydroquinone to address post-acne dark marks. If you’re coming into typically high stress circumstances, double up and apply your regimen twice daily. People with really persistent acne may need to see a dermatologist for more intensive treatment options. In Bree’s case, I recommended an over-the-counter acne regimen twice daily for a month before resorting to a prescription alternative. But daily preventative treatment the month before her finals would have most likely saved her the trip. Because when it comes to acne, prevention is key.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Kathy Fields
Patient Name: Anne*
Gender: Female
Age: 43 years old
Concern: aging skin
Doctor’s Notes:
Anne had been using topical retinol treatments as part of her anti-aging routine and seeing some benefits, but was ready to step up her skin rejuvenation program. As her dermatologist, I reviewed alternatives with Anne that included injections of fillers, alternative at-home treatment and procedures, or a combination of both. Anne opted to start with an at-home system that has clinically demonstrated consistently enhanced benefits.
I suggested she try treatment with a medical-grade roller as a step up in topical treatment before investing in more expensive and invasive procedures. I explained that topical anti-aging ingredients have the potential for significant benefits, but only if they can penetrate the skin’s protective outer surface. Our skin, by design, functions as a barrier to keep things out. For the most part, this is a good thing. The roller I recommend creates precise micro-channels in the skin so that potentially effective active cosmetics such as retinol would penetrate deeper into the upper layers of her skin. This roller could also help maintain her results in between chemical peels and micro-dermabrasion.
My medical-grade roller was a great solution for Anne. For anyone who is not satisfied with anti-aging skincare options, I recommend trying a new at-home roller system with 0.2 mm acupuncture needles and clinically tested skincare ingredients. This can be used daily for effective results and maintenance over time.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Katie Rodan
Patient Name: Rachel*
Gender: Female
Age: 46 years old
Concern: lines and wrinkles, especially around the eye area and mouth
Doctor’s Notes:
Rachel came into my office with lines and wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She claimed they never bothered her in her 30s and early 40s, but recently they had started to deepen and become more noticeable. To reduce wrinkling,, she elected to receive regular injections of Botox and Restylane. Over $1,500 of cosmetic procedures later (none of which were covered by her insurance), she was happy with her results but a little frustrated at the thought of ongoing treatments to maintain her new “look.”
The old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” was never truer than in Rachel’s case. Had she started on a proactive anti-aging routine in her 20s or even her 30s she, and her wallet, would have been much happier in her late 40s.
Learn from Rachel’s experience and start your anti-aging routine while you still love your skin. Incorporate healthy habits, like wearing sunscreen, not drinking from a straw, sleeping on your back and wearing sunglasses, in conjunction with starting an anti-aging skincare routine with peptide technology, to prevent wrinkles. Because at the end of the day, the best wrinkle is the one you never get.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Kathy Fields
Patient Name: Lisa*
Gender: Female
Age: 15 years old
Concern: acne scars
Doctor’s Notes:
Lisa has struggled with acne since she was 12, but finally has it under control with a full face treatment regimen. Unfortunately, Lisa was a picker. After watching her pick and pop for months, her mom finally brought her in, worried about the pitting and scarring she started to notice on her daughter’s cheeks.
Unfortunately, Lisa’s mom was late bringing her in and the scarring and pitting reached the deeper layers of Lisa’s skin making it difficult to treat. Several uncomfortable laser treatments and over $1,000 later, Lisa’s skin was smoother and her acne scarring had diminished.
Lisa learned the hard (and expensive) way that popping zits won’t make them go away. In fact, picking zits is a surefire way to make sure you have souvenirs for a lifetime in the form of scars and remnant dark marks. Picking is a natural inclination, but as parents we need to keep an eye on our children and be proactive about getting them help. If you see your child picking her (or his) face, get her to a dermatologist before it’s too late. The only way to get clear skin is to treat the full face every day with an acne-focused skincare regimen and leave the extractions to professionals … like your local dermatologist.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Katie Rodan
Patient Name: Julie*
Gender: Female
Age: 54 years old
Concern: pores
Doctor’s Notes:
I saw Julie, a new patient, last week; she was very concerned with her pores because this problem was new to her and appeared very quickly. Julie said she had always been very diligent and involved with her skincare. She stays out of the sun, follows a daily anti-aging routine, and even gets Botox injections every few months. And it shows; she had very few lines and wrinkles.
But her pores were large and distracting. And I can understand her frustration; it’s hard to invest time doing what you think is right only to be confronted with yet another skin concern. Had she realized the importance of treating her pores early on, as she did with preventing lines and wrinkles, I wouldn’t have even needed to meet with her. But Julie focused on lines and wrinkles and ignored her pores until her mirror showed that her pores demanded attention. She’s not alone in this—it happens to a lot of people. And that’s because pores are tricky; most people think of them only as a teenage concern and therefore don’t give them a second thought until they appear larger than life on their faces. Once they’re large you can’t shrink them physically—you can only minimize their appearance.
When I saw Julie, her pores were quite visible and our best option to minimize their appearance was to use laser therapy, a very expensive procedure that will ever so slightly reduce the size of her pores. This was disappointing news to deliver.
Learn from Julie’s mistakes and start on a pore-focused routine early to prevent your pores from expanding in the first place. The best pore-focused skincare you can start incorporating is a clay-based cleansing mask. Apply it one to three times a week for approximately two minutes, or until dry, then gently rinse with lukewarm water. This will clean out your pores and keep them small and tight. This extra step doesn’t require much time and it will give you great results. When it comes to pores, at-home solutions early on make all the difference.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Kathy Fields
Patient Name: Michael*
Gender: Male
Age: 53 years old
Concern: yearly checkup
Doctor’s Notes:
Michael has been my patient for almost five years. At the request of his wife, he started coming in for yearly checkups. Michael is your typical “man’s man” … a hiker, biker and golfer who always steered clear of using skincare. He did turn over a new leaf when he married and started applying sunscreen to his face.
He’s been very healthy in the past few years, but this appointment I had to deliver some bad news … Michael had skin cancer on his left ear.
The sad truth is, this is not uncommon. In fact, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are white men over the age of 50, and that risk continues to increase with every decade. And what’s more, they also found that men over the age of 40 have the highest annual exposure to UV rays.
Even men who are the most diligent with their sunscreen often forget their ears and their hairline. As hair recedes with time, most men forget to apply sunscreen on those newly exposed areas. And this can have huge implications, especially for golfers and outdoor enthusiasts, like it did with Michael. And the same applies for women. So cover up with a hat and sunglasses and apply sunscreen to all exposed areas, doctor’s orders!
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Dermatology 911
By Dr. Katie Rodan
Patient Name: Laura*
Gender: Female
Age: 35 years old
Concern: Skin is looking dull and aged; it has lost its glow and is starting to look old
Doctor’s Notes:
Laura booked an appointment at my office last week. At 39 years old, she looked much older and more tired than her years. Longing for the clear, radiant complexion of her 20s, she felt that in recent years her skin had lost its “glow.” As she sat down on the exam table, she inquired about Botox, fillers, micro-dermabrasion, and lasers—all of which she had discovered in her on-line research. She was ready to try anything!
Laura is like so many of my patients who are prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on unnecessary treatments which are unlikely to help her pigmentation problem and potentially could even make it worse. I explained to her that most of her concerns could be treated with a simple hydroquinone-based topical regimen that exfoliated dead skin cells, lightened brown spots from the sun and protected against further UVA/UVB damage. Laura was thrilled that the solution was so easy. Her reaction was not uncommon. Most people attribute everything they hate about their skin to the passage of time, when in reality, it’s from environmental damage from the sun which can be reversed.
Find out if sun damage is at the root of your skincare woes using a wood’s lamp (black light). Wash off your makeup, sunscreen and moisturizer. Then, go into a dark room and look at your skin under the wood’s lamp. If you are seeing dark brown spots, far more than meets the naked eye, the diagnosis is SUN DAMAGE. These discolorations lurking under the skin’s surface are responsible for making your skin look dull and aged … just as sediment clouds a muddy lake. Reverse the damage, remove the “muddy” particles and your skin will look as radiant and clear as a freshwater stream.
*Patient name has been changed to protect privacy
Derm RF
Dr. Kathy Fields
Dr. Katie Rodan
Mary Radford, RN
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