New technology is popping up all over to make looking our best even easier. Here are a handful of new developments you might not have discovered yet. Once you do, there’s no telling how many of them you’ll want to try!
[less underarm sweat]
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, can be extremely distressing. It stains clothes and is embarrassing in a work or social situation. We can’t always change our clothes multiple times a day. Some treatments, such as Botox, have proven useful, but are costly and may last only six months to a year. A better solution now available is laser (or Vaser) sweat ablation.
Usually done under local anesthesia in the office, the procedure involves making a tiny incision in the armpit, through which a thin laser (light ablation) or Vaser (ultrasound ablation) is passed around under the skin to destroy the sweat glands. Afterward, the area is temporarily bandaged. The incisions are too small to require stitches. Which method is used is up to physician preference, as they offer comparable results. Most people return to work the following day. There is some soreness for a few days but the risks are minimal. The process eliminates or significantly reduces sweating in the armpits in 80 percent of people. Although somewhat expensive, it provides a permanent solution with very little scarring. If the procedure works, it can improve the quality of life for the patient, reducing the need for heavy antiperspirants, sweat pads and expensive medications that may have unwanted side effects.
[faster tattoo removal]
At least 10 percent of the population has one or more tattoos. Over time, 50 percent of them will wish they didn’t and will want them removed. That has become easier, if not cheaper. The American Academy of Dermatology has come out with a new way of removing tattoos in sometimes only one or two visits. Called the R20 method, it uses the Q-switched laser but with a different protocol. The normal approach is to pass the laser over the tattoo and then have the person come back a month later for another treatment. What they have discovered is that they can do four treatments in one office visit, as long as they have 20 minutes between treatments to clear the white bubbling that typically forms on the treated area and blocks the laser. This approach allows the laser to reach and treat deeper color layers. Clinical studies have shown that one four-pass visit can clear the tattoo of black ink. Other colors will require an additional visit or two. Cost is another issue. The traditional laser removal costs about $400 a pass per session. When four passes are done in one session, the cost is, no surprise, $1,600. However, the tattoo is gone quicker—and it does not create any more problems than the more drawn-out method does.
[solving cellulite]
Cellulite, that lumpy look that can plague the lower body despite diet and exercise, is really a structural problem involving small fat pockets separated by fibrous bands that pull down on the skin. Some of the factors that play a role in cellulite are aging, hormones, genetics and weight variations. Connective tissue bands under the skin become more fibrous, causing the larger fat cells they surround to bunch up. At the same time, our skin is becoming thinner, making this effect more noticeable. Developed by Cynosure, Cellulaze uses laser-assisted technology to attack the three causes of cellulite. Under a local anesthetic, a thin laser fiber is inserted through narrow slits in the skin into the thighs, buttocks or hips, where the surgeon can liquefy fat cells, release the fibrous bands and stimulate collagen production that will enhance the thickness of the skin. The procedure takes up to two hours, and results continue to accrue over the next three to 12 months. Based on reviews, it seems to keep cellulite at bay for a year or more. You need only one treatment, and patients uniformly report satisfaction with results. It will set you back more than $5,000.
[vintage vinyl nails]
CND, the introducer of Shellac, has now come out with a unique vinyl nail polish called Vinylux. While ordinary polishes start chipping and flaking over time, Vinylux dries quickly and becomes more chip-resistant over time. It lasts a week or more and it dries completely in 8 1/2 minutes, compared to the 15 to 20 minutes needed for traditional polish. Vinylux comes in 62 opaque, sheer and semi-sheer shades, and no base coat is needed.
[chin symmetry]
Cosmetic surgery focused on the chin and its prominence has made chin implants a huge trend among both men and women, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. It is especially popular for people over 40, the age that both men and women start to see age-related changes around the lower face. The number of chin implants in 2011 increased 76 percent in men and 66 percent in women from the previous year. Some people speculate that the increase in online video chatting has made people more conscious of their chins. According to some plastic surgeons, people subconsciously associate a stronger chin with more authority, self-confidence and trustworthiness.
Even more popular than lip augmentation, chin implants (by themselves or with liposuction to remove excess fat) are a fairly quick way people can add definition and a more assertive look to their profiles. Making it even more popular is the growing number and shapes of chin implants available. Earlier implants tended to be small and sometimes looked like a bulb on the end of the chin. Now they are made of soft, flexible body-friendly material that can extend along the jaw lines on both sides to give them a more natural look and tailor them to your face shape and size.
[docs give back]
A national initiative, New Beginnings: Radiation Mark Removal Program, uses lasers to remove the signs of radiation from cancer survivors, free of charge. Two doctors in our area, Dr. Brock Ridenour and Dr. George Hruza, are the local participants. Typically, cancer patients who receive external radiation treatments are ‘marked’ with small tattoos on the skin to ensure that the radiation therapist lines up the radiotherapy machine correctly each time. These are permanent unless removed with a laser at the conclusion of treatments. Dr. Ridenour’s free removal service is open to all cancer patients year-round, with an oncologist’s letter approving the removal of the marks. The free program is coordinated by the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery.
[face-lift dentistry]
Face-lift dentistry assesses the bite, height and placement of the teeth, and which corrections are needed. It is based on restoring the jaw position to where it should be before aging set in. By putting teeth and jaws in the right alignment, it not only takes years off age, but also improves health. Natural aging and tooth wear can lead to a shortened face, resulting in wrinkles and thin, compressed lips. As teeth wear and shorten, the distance between the tip of the nose and the bottom of the chin gets smaller. By restoring the length of short, worn-down teeth, even lips appear fuller. Changing the bite position can make the jawline look stronger and the cheeks appear more filled out. A variety of techniques is used, including crowns and veneers.
[contact branch out]
You may have thought you couldn’t wear contact lenses because you have too much astigmatism or, let’s face it, your arms are getting too short for your age-related presbyopia. As of April, Alcon Laboratories has expanded its Dailies AquaComfort Plus contacts line to include toric lenses for astigmatism and multifocal lenses for presbyopia. They correct low, medium and high levels of presbyopia and astigmatism up to -1.75 diopters, all in a daily disposable contact.
For those of us who have OK vision but would really love Paul Newman’s baby blues, colored contacts are all the rage. Blue is the most popular and, depending on the shade of blue, different manufacturers excel: Deep Blue by Acuvue, Triple Color by Aloha Contacts (most intense), and Freshlook Colorblends blue (most classic). The hottest trending color right now is gray. Brown is popular with people wanting warm, cocoa-colored eyes. Honey lenses also are still popular, thanks to the Twilight craze. If you want to live on the edge, try more of an anime look: violet lenses. Splash’s Violet Venom and Triple Color Violet are standouts.
[new peel]
The VI peel, when used on a regular basis (two to four times a year), promises (and delivers, based on multiple reviews) improvement in skin tone, texture and clarity, and a reduction or elimination of age spots, freckles and hyper-pigmentation. Over time, it softens lines and wrinkles, clears acne skin conditions, reduces acne scars and stimulates collagen. The peel contains TCA, tretinoic acid, salicylic acid, phenol, vitamin C and a mineral blend. Expect some minor irritation for a couple of days and some intense peeling, but users were very happy with it.
When combined with proper home care, it also has been effective for conditions like melasma and rosacea. It can be applied on the face,
eye area, chest, hands, arms and back. The VI Peel may be repeated as often as every two weeks initially, if necessary, for damaged and problematic skin. The company recommends using it four times a year for maintenance and to prevent further skin damage. When applied on the hands, arms and chest, it seems to be very effective in removing sunspots and wrinkles associated with sun damage. Reviewers warn that those areas peel differently and may take longer to peel than the face.
[juvederm for cheeks]
While several fillers have been available for some time to fill in moderate to severe wrinkles around the nose and mouth, there hasn’t been much in the way of a fairly permanent solution for hollow cheeks or the mid-face in general. According to the company, Juvéderm Voluma XC injectible gel is the first and only filler FDA-approved to add volume instantly to the cheek and chin area, and is rated to lift and restore contour for up to two years in adults.
Voluma is made of hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring, hydrating substance found in our skin, so it’s not perceived as a foreign body. We lose HA as we age, which causes our skin to lose structure and volume. While HA is used in other Juvederm products, the chains in Juvederm Voluma are shorter, making the material lower in weight and creating more lift. The particles are more uniform in size, and their oval shape make the substance easier to inject, lessening the chance of nodule formation. The increased cross-linking is what makes the product last longer.
[filler without needles]
The newest innovation in facial fillers is their delivery system. Developed in France, the microcannula is a very thin, blunt-tipped tube that is inserted under the skin and moved around to distribute the filler evenly. Depending on the size, it can be used for fat transfer and with most fillers (except Sculptra, which is too thick). No local anesthetic is required, and it has many advantages. Cosmetic surgeons who use it find virtually no bruising, considerably less pain and minimal downtime.
Part of the reason bruising and pain are reduced is because the blunt microcannula bounces off blood vessels instead of piercing them like a pointed needle would. There are also fewer entry points because the microcannula can move under the skin to reach more areas without another needle stick. Some practitioners find they can fill upper lip lines, lips, nasolabial folds, marionette lines and the lower cheek on one side of the face, all through the same entrance site. However, they caution that there is a learning curve before a surgeon becomes expert at using cannulas, so check with your doctor about his/her training and experience with microcannulas for facial filler.
By Mary Jo Blackwood, R.N., MPH