COLORADO SKIN
Pamper it with kindness
Written by SHARON ALMIRALL
The English woman lives in a climate where
moisture and cool breezes keep the skin soft,
but in Denver, the climate places considerably
more demands on skin. Dry air and never-failing
sunshine challenge most women to determine how
they can keep their skin supple and soft, how they can
prevent the alligator-purse look as time goes by. Skin care
specialists and medical personnel stress the value of
taking care of one’s skin. “Living in Colorado, we see
patients with a lot of sun damage; this can range from
freckles to even cancer,” says Dr. Joel Cohen, director of
AboutSkin Dermatology and DermSurgery in Englewood
and Lone Tree.
Dr. Lisa M. Hunsicker of Revalla Plastic Surgery &
Medical Aesthetics, agrees: “Cold, thin, dry air and high
doses of ultraviolet light are what characterize a high-altitude
environment, all of which take a significant toll on your
skin. Staying well hydrated, using a high-quality moisturizer
and regularly applying sunblock that contains zinc and titanium
dioxide are basic, but lifelong, steps for skin care here
in the Mile High City.”
Yes, rejuvenating products and procedures are available to
assist with skin repair. But all of our experts stress that prevention
is extremely critical. It must be acknowledged that
many women simply grew up living in the sun, slathering their
skin with baby oil or tanning lotion, then baking in the sun for
hours on end. “We didn’t really know it was harmful,” says
one woman past the age of 50 who grew up in a climate that
was nearly always sunny.
Today, we understand the importance of using sunscreen
and that it is necessary to reapply sunscreen frequently.
Sunscreen must be applied every two or three hours. Our
experts talk about how important it is to use both Ultraviolet
B (UVB) and Ultraviolet A (UVA) sunscreen protection products. “Simply speaking, Ultraviolet B radiation causes sunburns,
and Ultraviolet A radiation ages the skin,” says Dr. Cohen. Ratings that appear on sunscreens with sun protection
factor (SPF) ratings refer only to UVB exposure.
New FDA guidelines will come out this summer that will
more clearly indicate the level of UVA protection of a specific
sunscreen product, using a new four-star rating system. “Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are two physical
block sunscreens that have traditionally been used to also
protect against UVA exposure. The new L’Oreal proprietary
ingredient Mexoryl has been
found to filter some UVA
radiation as well, but it is
only now available in a limited
number of formulations in
the United States, sold
under the name Anthelios.
Neutrogena has another
ingredient, Helioplex, that
helps protect against UVA
rays that is available in several
of their product lines,”
Dr. Cohen explains. He recommends an SPF rating of at
least 15 and a four-star rating for a UVA product.
In addition to selecting the right sunscreen product, it’s
important to see a board-certified dermatologist every year to
check your skin for skin cancer or pre-cancerous lesions,
according to Dr. Cohen. “Prior to having any cosmetic treatment
of skin lesions, it is also essential to have a dermatologist
evaluate your skin to ensure these bothersome spots are
simply cosmetic and not potentially cancerous,” he says. For
skin damage such as lines and wrinkles, newer technology, in
the form of ablative and fractionated laser resurfacing, is recommended
for some patients. There are also physician-grade
chemical peels, such as TCA, that can be helpful with some
kinds of photo damage.
All our experts advocate a regular skin care program.
“Products that are Retin-A derivatives are excellent for maintenance
therapy of photo damage, and some studies show a
role in chemo prevention,” Dr. Cohen says. Antioxidants are
good choices, and include pomegranate, vitamin C and vitamin
E. “A new antioxidant called Revaleskin, sold only in certain
dermatology and plastic surgery offices, is a coffee-berry
extract that has been shown to have some of the highest
antioxidant scores, compared to other products. We are also
starting to see several new compounds that have shown to
be DNA-repair formulations to help reverse some of the specific
damage caused by the sun on cells,” he adds.
Dr. John Bershof, a board-certified plastic surgeon who
has been in practice for 17 years, offers the full spectrum of
cosmetic plastic surgery and medical-grade skin care and skin
rejuvenation treatments. Dr. Bershof suggests there are four
main steps, which include cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating
and protecting from ultraviolet rays. He says that people often
do these steps, but in the wrong order. He also encourages
people to consider where they buy their products. “If you are
not making progress in your skin care, you need to have a skin
care consultation,” Dr. Bershof says. He explains that the sun
and climate contribute to skin damage. Living in a cold climate,
where many homes are heated with forced air, also
contributes to trouble for skin.
Dr. Bershof has offices at Rose Medical Center and at Sky
Ridge Medical Center. In addition to his plastic surgery practice,
his offices include Body by Design, which offers skin
care and skin rejuvenation treatments.
A skin expert who agrees with others’ assessment of the
particular needs of the Colorado woman is Tenesha Litwiler, a
paramedical aesthetician and owner of Skin, a professional skin
care business on South Pearl Street. “A lot of people in
Colorado are focused on premature aging skin. Colorado
women just live — they’re traveling, they’re out of doors. I have
some clients who want to be as corrective as possible and others
who want to prevent aging,” Litwiler says.
Many women stop in for
skin care help around their
40th birthday. “They haven’t
seen what’s happening to
their skin, and now it’s obvious,”
she says. She suggests
that laser treatments
are most aggressive and
good for prematurely aging
skin, fine lines and some
freckles. She explains that
the laser machine can be
adjusted to go to various depths.
Litwiler says the aesthetician must be licensed by the state,
and the client should be sure the aesthetician is certified in several
types of treatments. “You want to do your homework and
make sure it’s a person you can have a partnership with, make
sure you are on the same page,” she says.
Skin offers microdermabrasion, chemical peels, gel
enzyme peels, medical facials, lam probes, ultrasonic therapy,
oxy-regeneration, innovative peels, injections and mineral
makeups. “If someone is concerned about wrinkles, that person
can talk to a physician about fillers, laser treatments and
chemical peels. Fruit acids are good for chemical peels. There
are many different kinds of chemical peels, from light to very
deep. Someone can be on a program that takes 15-20 minutes
every two to three weeks, or you can have up to three
weeks of down time with a deeper peel,” she explains.
The breakdown of collagen will cause more lines. Some of
the things that will break down collagen are stress, smoking,
free radicals and pollution. Free radicals are environmental
factors. Mineral makeup products have antioxidants and healing
properties and can give the skin a beautiful finish. These
mineral products are available in drugstores and department
stores. “Having a skin care program that is constantly exfoliating
your skin is good,” Litwiler says,
Dr. Hunsicker says, “It is important to think of skin care as
something that needs continuous maintenance. We are used
to this with our house or car, but many do not think of the
maintenance cycles for our skin. Usually a quality plan can be
tailored to fit almost any budget. The key is to make sure you
get advice from a skilled medical professional who can identify
and treat a wide range of skin issues. In the end, it can save
you time, money and further skin damage.
“If you feel you have damage, you should visit a plastic
surgeon or dermatologist for a good skin evaluation. Lasers
and stronger peels can be a great tool for correcting damage,
but only with proper usage. There is no one-size-fits-all
approach to your treatment path. It is up to you, with guidance
from a knowledgeable dermatologist or plastic surgeon,
to customize a path that fits your skin care at each stage of
your life,” Dr. Hunsicker says.
“It’s never too late or too early to start taking good care of
your skin, and that first step is getting a quality consultation,” she adds.
