Plastic Surgery and Skin Care

Twenty years ago, plastics surgeons and dermatologists performed very different roles. The surgeon would take care of nose jobs, liposuction and the very radical, face lift, while the dermatologist would handle skin care, checking moles and taking care of things like rashes. My, how the times have changed!

Today, our society has increasingly become youth-obsessed. More Westerners than ever are flocking to day spas, dermatology clinics and plastic surgeons for everything from Botox injections, to chemical peels to seaweed facials. Somewhere along this line the two once-separate fields merged and now we have a never-ending supply of choices from radical procedures to minor topical ones.

One that note, technology has also made new advances in scientific skin care formulas that can now treat the surface of the skin with no invasive procedures needed. Instead of cutting the skin and pulling it tight, the focus has now shifted to improving the quality of the skin itself, before the damage is done. By treating the skin from the inside out and by stimulating collagen production or encouraging new cell growth for instance, the modern fight against age is taking place on a molecular level and science is leading the charge.

To treat the skin, one has to understand the skin and it’s inner workings. How does skin repair itself? How did skin behave under extreme and mild conditions? How can it be manipulated? Bio-technology was a key word leading this new science and it set the stage for a new generation of skin care based on cutting edge medical discoveries.

Doctors today want to influence the way your skin behaves rather than simply operating on it to “remove wrinkles.” Every couple of months, a “new, better or improved” treatment hits the market and there are a sea of possibilities from which to choose. Aggressive, face-lifts are a thing of the past. Smaller, more conservative office treatments are the better way to go these days. These “mini-procedures” are “layered” to create cumulative and therefore more subtle results.

Looking younger is now more attainable than ever – if you make the right choices. That means sticking to a healthy lifestyle. What you really want is not perpetual youth – that is impossible. You really want to look your best at every age you are – radiant, healthy, glowing and full of life. Your completion should reflect that radiance with an even skin tone and plump moisturized skin. Not dry and crêpe-like with a ton of thick make up, trying to “hide” the imperfections. Healthy skin comes from within. Today’s topical treatments and surgical procedures can help, but only you can provide the foundation to make them lasting.