EWG’s 2012 Sunscreen Guide

With summer quickly approaching it is crucial for the appearance and health of your skin to invest in a quality sunscreen!  Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases an annual report regarding the safety and efficacy of a variety of sunscreens and recently published their latest report.

One of my favorite sunscreens by Aubrey Organics (pictured right) made EWG’s list of Top Sunscreens 2012.

Browse EWG’s best and worst-rated sunscreens or enter your brand into the search box and see where it stands!

http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/

Response- Facial Hair: A lifelong struggle

Response- Facial Hair: A lifelong struggle

This is a great video I found on youtube about a woman’s struggle with PCOS and her experiences with laser hair removal.

 

Non-Ablative Skin Tightening with the 1064-nm Nd:YAG Laser

How It Works:

The 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser that revolutionized hair removal for dark-skinned individuals is also used to achieve non-ablative skin rejuvenation and wrinkle reduction.  The laser emits an intense beam of light to the dermal (bottom) layer of the skin to stimulate collagen, and over several treatments spaced one month apart can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Clinical Findings:

Weng et al. 2011 have demonstrated that non-ablative lasers including the 1064-nm Nd:YAG stimulate collagen synthesis in cultured skin fibroblasts (cells responsible for synthesizing collagen), possibly due to improved antioxidant capacity which reduces oxidative stress [1]. After performing a series of laser skin rejuvenation treatments on 50 subjects Tanaka et al. 2001 found that subjects experienced improvement in pore size, skin texture, and the appearance of wrinkles after treatment with a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser and that results persisted 90 days post treatment [2].  Similarly, Wattanakrai et al. 2010 found that treatment with a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser reduced pore size and pore counts, improved skin texture and lightened pigmented spots [3]. 

Professional & Personal Experiences:

I’ve been performing and receiving laser skin tightening with Candela’s GentleYAG for 10 years and my experiences are consistent with the results listed above.  I typically recommend an initial series of 5 to 6 treatments spaced 1 month apart.  Results such as  reduced pore size, more uniform skin tone and reduction in fine lines and wrinkles become apparent around 60 days following the first treatment.  Because as we continue to age the body makes less and less collagen, maintenance treatments roughly every 6 months are necessary to maintain results. As with all non-surgical procedures, you cannot expect surgical results.  This procedure is best suited for those with realistic expectations and mild to moderate sagging/wrinkling. 

Before/After Photos [4]:

References

[1] Weng Y et al.  Investigation of irradiation by different nonablative lasers on primary cultured skin fibroblasts.  Clin Exp Dermatol. 2011; 36(6): 655-660.

[2] Tanaka Y, Matsuo K, Yazuriha S. Objective assessment of skin rejuvenation using near-infrared 1064-nm neodymium: YAG laser in Asians. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2011; 4: 123-130.

[3] Wattanakrai P, Rojhirunsakool S, Pootongkam, S. Split-faced comparison of long-pulse-duration neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) 1,064-nm laser alone and combination long-pulse and q-switched Nd:YAG 1,064-nm laser with carbon photoenhancer lotion for treatment of enlarged pores in Asian women. Dermatol Surg. 2010; 36:1672-1680.

[4] http://www.candelalaser.com/products/index.cfm?task=gentleyag accessed 4/17/2012.