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By Richard M. Foxx, M.D.
We look at faces every day, dozens, hundreds of times. We've been doing it so long, it's automatic.
Faces provide us an array of non-verbal clues, clues to thoughts, clues to feelings. A raised eyebrow here, a frown there, the result is worth much more than the proverbial thousand words.
We draw conclusions about someone's health by their face. The texture, the color, the turgor, even the smell of it are important. If the eyes are the window of the soul, the skin of the face is the chalkboard upon which is written the state of the body's health. And the age. Not the real age, of course, that's not important, it's the effective age that matters, the age to which people relate.
Yet all too often, a patient will show up at the dermatologist or plastic surgeon or esthetician with those two simple words: "Fix me."
And, as if that would be enough, a tuck will be made here, a nip there, an injection placed here, a filler there. Sometimes skin will be removed by ablative laser, sometimes by microdermabrasion. When the treatment is over, if the patient is lucky, the surgeon will provide a list of products to buy. If the patient is very lucky, several products will be provided to take home.
Soon after that, the patient will wake up in front of the cosmetic counter at Saks, as if from a dream, alone, at the mercy of the friendly, but often ill-informed, sales associate.
Sound familiar? Perhaps because it's the way it was always done. The truth is that repairing time's ravages on the face without giving the patient the tools to effect change is the equivalent of patching up a damaged F-16 and sending it back into combat without training the pilot. Those wrinkles, those enlarged pores, the damaged collagen, the sun damage, didn't happen in a vacuum. More often than not they were acquired through a combination of ignorance and neglect.
Whether they articulate it or not, patients today want more than a quick fix. The modern patient is savvy, and knowledgeable enough to sense there is a better way. And they're looking to the medical profession for guidance.
The better way begins with a diet that emphasizes whole foods, that's heavy on seven or more servings of a variety of colored fruits and vegetables, that avoids red meat, white flour, and refined sugar and emphasizes cold-water fish. Supplements are critical, not only for the basic vitamins, but also for anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. A program of daily exercise that mixes aerobic activity with weight-training is as important as learning methods of stress management such as effective breathing. An adequate intake of pure water is as essential as getting proper rest.
Skin maintenance is a lifelong commitment. The daily use of an exfoliative such as Kinerase or a retin-A product is an important step to consider. Sometimes a product containing alpha hydroxy acid or hydroquinone will be necessary to lighten melasma, or brown spots. Skin nourishing vitamins and anti-oxidants, such as Prevage are often helpful to erase signs of aging. The daily use of a quality moisturizer is critical. Applying an effective sunscreen that contains a UVA blocker such as Mexoryl and reapplying it several times each day is arguably the single best measure available for the prevention of further damage.
The work really begins when the treatment ends. Accomplished with conscientious attention and care, the result can be a face that projects timeless beauty, no matter the age.
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