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How Does Exercise Help Your Skin?

April 13, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Next time you need to motivate yourself to go to the gym, just remember how good breaking a sweat is for your entire body. Exercise improves your appearance as well as your mental and physical health in many ways. Along with making you stronger by toning up your muscles and allowing you to shed those extra pounds gained over the holidays, one of the other lesser-known benefits of exercising regularly is getting a clearer, more youthful looking, more radiant complexion. We can’t solely depend on fillers and BOTOX^® from Los Angeles-area physicians to make our skin look its best. It’s also important to ensure that our skin is healthy from the inside out through healthy lifestyle choices. After all, no number of expensive products and treatments that hide wrinkles on the surface can make up for perpetually malnourished, unhealthy skin on a cellular level.

If your skin has been breaking out in adult acne or is looking dull and sallow, try to get more physically active. Whether you’re into standard treadmill jogging, stationary bike work, or prefer a sport, yoga, or martial art, anything physical activity that you can do consistently will be helpful. Continue reading to find out some of the main benefits your next run or strength training session could have for your face:

Improves Blood Circulation

Exercise raises your heart rate, meaning that there’s better blood circulation to the skin. It not only enables oxygen and nourishment to be delivered to the skin, but also stimulates skin cell turnover and collagen generation—not to mention: Better circulation gives your skin that desirable post-workout glow.

Clears Your Pores

When your pores dilate and open more during the process sweating, trapped oil and impurities are released, similar to what would happen during a good facial. Regularly flushing out the debris makes breakouts less likely.

Helps You Manage Stress

Chronic stress is known to worsen persistent skin conditions like eczema and acne. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that put you in a better mood and reduce levels of stress hormones. Exercising regularly can also help you to sleep better, which is a way of controlling stress.

Want to explore different treatment options that can complement a healthy lifestyle? For more details on injectables and skin resurfacing treatments, discuss your goals with our Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills team. Submit a contact form, or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to schedule a consultation.

How Can You Tell When Your Skin is Dehydrated?

April 6, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

In-office treatments, like microneedling and PRP at our Los Angeles-based practice, are popular methods for revitalizing skin that has lost its glow. For patients who want to be sure they are caring for their skin between sessions, there are also lifestyle changes anyone can make to improve their skin quality from the inside out.

There are many reasons why your complexion might be looking more wrinkled or dull than usual, but one explanation could be that your skin is simply thirsty. Although the weather transitions from the winter months to spring and summer aren’t as extreme and intense in Los Angeles as they are in other cities and states, the often dry and windy weather can leave you with chapped lips and flaky, dehydrated skin.

Not getting enough water is not only bad for other areas of the body—leading to dizziness, constipation, and worse—but it can also have a negative impact on the quality of your skin. Dehydration is different from simply having a dry skin type. When your skin is dehydrated, this means that it is physically lacking the water it needs to do its job well. Here are some of the most common skin-related symptoms associated with this condition:

Flushing and redness
Dry or cracked skin and lips
A dull complexion
More noticeable lines and wrinkles
Not sweating much after intense workouts
Rough and flaky skin
An itchy or flaky scalp
Dry eyes
Skin on the arm and stomach that takes a long time to snap back to its normal shape when you pinch it
Skin on the cheeks that looks wrinkled when you pinch it
Cold and clammy skin
It takes longer than two seconds for blood to return to your nail beds when you pinch them
Dark circles and a sunken appearance around the eyes

The most effective way to combat dehydrated skin is to make sure you’re getting the recommended eight glasses of water per day. Limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine you’re consuming, get enough sleep at night, and replenish your fluids during and after workouts. Exfoliating more often to remove dead skin and including serums in your skin routine will also be beneficial.

Get more skincare advice—and consider having microneedling and PRP at Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills during the winter months—to revitalize the appearance of your skin. Request a consultation by calling us at 310.246.0495 or write to us directly to start planning your procedure.

Can You “Undo” Fillers if You Don’t Like Your Results?

March 1, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

We all look forward to the firm, smooth, and youthful appearance our skin can have after getting fillers like JUVÉDERM^® ULTRA. Our Los Angeles-based team of physicians knows, however, that not everyone is 100 percent sold on their ultimate appearance.

On the off-chance things don’t turn out the way you want them to after an injection session, wherever you might get one, what can you do next? Most patients are happy with the results from their filler treatments, but even when you have injections from the most skilled and qualified injector, individual factors related to circumstances, anatomy, and other unique elements can impact the results.

If you change your mind about wanting to keep the look that fillers provide and want to reverse the effects, there are some effective solutions available. With that in mind, in this post, we outline some things patients should be aware of before having facial fillers:

Give It Time

First of all, know that some slight swelling is to be expected after getting an injection—and that when you’re focusing all of your attention on such a small and specific area, even slight swelling can seem like a big deal! Keep in mind that the results you see in the mirror in the day or two after your treatment session will “settle” a bit in the days to follow. Experienced injectors know how to administer your product of choice so that the ultimate results are what you will be happy with.

Fillers Are Temporary

Though the results can be long lasting, fillers are still designed to only temporarily alter the appearance of your face. The effects from many hyaluronic acid fillers last anywhere from six months to two years, depending on what type of filler you’ve chosen and where it’s been injected. The effects of collagen-stimulating injectables like RADIESSE^® can last for a year or more, with the volume added from the gel giving way to natural collagen built over time by the skin itself. In the worst-case scenario, your fillers will be gradually metabolized, and even collagen breaks down over time.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Are “Reversible”

If you simply still aren’t happy, the good news is that hyaluronic acid molecules can be easily, naturally, and quickly dissolved with an enzyme known as hyaluronidase. That means you won’t have to wait months for unwanted results to go away. The hyaluronidase starts working as soon as it’s injected and gradually reduces the filler until it is completely gone within around two weeks.

There Are Options for Handing Other Fillers

Steroid injections can help to mitigate the results of with longer-lasting collagen stimulators like RADIESSE^®. Also additional fillers can be placed in strategic areas to improve the appearance of a specific feature.

Learn about your options for reversing facial fillers like JUVÉDERM^® ULTRA in Los Angeles or talk about other aesthetic procedures available from Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills. Submit a contact form or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to schedule a consultation.

What Are the Two Main Types of Wrinkles?

February 18, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

No two body types are exactly alike, and the same goes for the way signs of aging manifest in the skin. That includes the types of wrinkles we have. Some people might start to see the beginning hints of wrinkles starting in their teens, while others might see the first noticeable lines appear in their 40s. Wrinkles—those lines or folds on the otherwise smooth surface of your skin, which are also known by the medical term “rhytids”—aren’t all the same either. There are different subtypes of wrinkles, and some treatments are more effective for certain types than others. BOTOX^® from our Los Angeles-based team, for example, doesn’t work the same way as facial fillers or other minimally invasive treatments. If you’re unsure about what kind of treatment you need for your skin type, one of our board-certified dermatologists (Dr. Derek Jones, for example, served as an investigator on the FDA crow’s feet trial) can evaluate your skin to help you make the right choice.

Here are some of the basic categories into which wrinkles can be grouped.

Dynamic Wrinkles

Whenever our face changes during expressions or when we’re talking, eating, or conveying emotions, the skin is pulled by the contracting facial muscles attached to it. Youthful skin just bounces back to its normal resting position, but over time, the constant facial movements and loss of elasticity cause it to form deeper wrinkles that are noticeable when your face is mobile. These are called dynamic wrinkles—and they can eventually become some ingrained as to be visible when your face is at rest, too. Expression lines such as crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead wrinkles are common types of dynamic wrinkles.

Static Wrinkles

The other main group of facial wrinkles is static wrinkles, which are grooves not linked directly to muscle activity and visible even when the face is at rest. These wrinkles come from collagen and hyaluronic acid loss due to aging, gravity, lifestyle choices, cumulative sun exposure, and other toxins or aggressors from the environment. They usually form on the middle and lower part of the face. Examples include tiny creases on the cheeks and neck from sun damage (known as elastic wrinkles) and fine, parallel lines that develop due to collagen loss (called atrophic crinkling rhytids).

Want to meet up with our physicians to discuss wrinkle treatments like BOTOX^®? Contact Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills to get any questions you have about neuromodulators or other cosmetic procedures answered. Fill out a contact form, or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to request a consultation.

Which Facial Fillers Should You Try First?

February 12, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Starting to notice the early signs of deeper wrinkles and creases on your face, such as nasolabial folds next to your nose and the mouth? Dermal fillers are many Los Angeles area patients’ preferred treatment option to address these signs of aging. The soft, gel-like fillers volumize and lift skin to give it a smoother texture.

The next question you might be asking yourself is what type will work best on the specific kinds of wrinkles you have. The world of facial fillers can seem confusing—and maybe even a little overwhelming at first—due to the number of options available. It’s important to note that not all fillers are made the same. Each of the popular brands is formulated in a unique way and has its own, unique uses. Some of the most well-known fillers, like JUVEDERM^®—for which Dr. Derek Jones served as Principal or Lead Investigator in multiple clinical trials that led to FDA approvals—are also part of a larger collection, and each subtype has different applications. To simplify things, we can start by dividing fillers into two main categories: hyaluronic acid fillers and biostimulating fillers.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers

Your skin retains a supple, dewy appearance when it’s young and healthy because it contains significant hyaluronic acid. This is a substance that maintains skin hydration by absorbing and retaining large amounts of water. Many fillers, including JUVEDERM^®, Restylane^®, and BELOTERO^® are made with hyaluronic acid as their base.

These are ideal fillers for people who are trying volumizing injectables for the first time, as the results are temporary and eventually metabolized by the body. If you don’t like the way your face or lips look after getting hyaluronic acid filler injections, you can have the results reversed by your injector, who will use a special formula that dissolves the gel. Most patients start off using hyaluronic acid fillers.

Biostimulating Fillers

Collagen is another key ingredient in your skin that helps it maintain its strength and elasticity. Biostimulating fillers like RADIESSE^®, which is filled with calcium hydroxyapatite gel microspheres, not only give the skin a plumper appearance right away, but they also continue to promote the skin’s own production of collagen to gradually improve its structure and appearance. The results from biostimulating fillers last longer and are better for adding definition to contours or addressing pronounced facial volume loss due to the increase in collagen production.

If you’re new to dermal fillers, our dermatologists at Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills can provide tips for optimizing your results and answer any of your questions. Fill out a contact form online, or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to start planning your treatment.

How to Get a Beach Body in Three Months

February 11, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Don’t wait too late to get started if you’re planning to flaunt your beach body this summer. Sculpting what you consider to be the ideal swimsuit body takes time. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day! Unfortunately, you can’t get started on a new diet and workout regime a week before you hit the beach and expect to see drastic changes. Body sculpting treatments also sometimes take plenty of time to work. The various options we offer at Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills complement a healthy, active lifestyle, optimize the results you get from exercise, and can address other areas of the skin and body that you’ve been unable to improve on your own. This winter and spring, you can combine different techniques depending on the areas you want to target. CoolSculpting^® addresses Los Angeles patients’ unwanted fat, whereas laser skin resurfacing gives the skin a more even, radiant quality. Continue reading to see what you can do to look your most beach-ready this year.

Freeze Your Fat

CoolSculpting^® works best on those small, tricky areas of below-the-skin fat that many people are left with, even when they’re relatively slim. We’re talking about love handles or a rounded stomach. These stubborn fat deposits that typically “stick around” due to genetics make are more resistant to exercise, holding out against both diets and even strenuous workouts. As a body sculpting treatment, CoolSculpting^® works gradually to metabolize fat, usually taking around four to six months for the full results to appear. A single session can get rid of up to 25 percent of the fat in a specific location.

Zap Your Unwanted Body Hair

Want to show off ideally smooth skin? It takes just two to three weeks for laser hair removal to destroy hair on the face, legs, underarms, and other areas. While multiple sessions are generally required to get the best results, the ultimately bare skin can last for years.

Give Your Skin a Refreshed Look

Laser skin resurfacing treatments might be exactly what you need if the skin on your face or body is dull, blotchy, wrinkled or sun damaged. These treatments encourage the generation of new collagen to rebuild the skin.

Find out more about how cosmetic procedures like CoolSculpting^®, laser hair removal, and skin resurfacing treatments work. Our Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills team is available to answer any questions you have and help you develop customized plans for your goals. Fill out a contact form or call us directly at 310-246-0495 to request a consultation.

3 Simple Ways to Winter-Proof Your Skin

February 6, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Although we don’t have to deal with snow or freezing temperatures in Beverly Hills, locals’ skin can often become dehydrated when the winter months come around and humidity levels drop in Los Angeles. Our dermatology team at Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills sees plenty of patients who have common skin issues after the holiday season, such as chapped lips, itching, irritation, redness, chafing, and breakouts of acne, eczema, and psoriasis. During the holidays, we also tend to be more stressed and busier than usual, causing us to get less sleep. We indulge more in alcohol and sugary treats—both factors that can contribute to skin issues. Here are some basic tips that we recommend for soothing your skin in the typically dry, mild weather of a Southern California winter:

Moisturize

The water in your skin evaporates more quickly in dry air, leaving it tight, uncomfortable, and lined. Moisturizing your face and body at least twice a day is crucial during the winter to protect the skin barrier, even if you have oily skin. You can also use serums to give your skin an extra hydration boost.

It’s better to moisturize while your skin is still damp each time you have a shower and then another time during the day, such as before bedtime. Switch to a thick, cream moisturizer that nourishes the skin. Search for products that are high in ceramides, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid to keep your skin supple.

Take Shorter, Cooler Showers

A hot shower is relaxing, but hotter water unfortunately strips the skin of its natural oils and can harm the skin barrier. Try sticking to lukewarm water and shorter showers. Shorter should be easier if you don’t turn up the heat during the colder months!

Drink Up

It might seem to go without saying, but don’t forget about getting eight glasses of water or more per day, especially if you work out often. You can’t depend completely on topical products to fend off dry skin. It’s also important to stay internally hydrated. Drink a sufficient amount of water and other fluids, along with eating water-rich foods.

If your skin is chronically dry and irritated, talk to our specialists at Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills to learn more about what could be causing the issue and which treatment options are available. Contact us online to request a consultation, or give us a call at 310-246-0495.

Is There Any Way to Extend the Lifespan of BOTOX® Treatments?

January 12, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt that BOTOX^® and its wrinkle-diminishing abilities are popular. Fans of the temporary treatment enjoy its benefits, but may wish that their youthful look lasted for more than a few months. The reality is that eventually the wrinkles and creases will return. There’s no way of getting around the fact that to maintain the effects of this treatment, you’ll need to get regular treatments. Your age, your skin firmness, the severity of your wrinkles, the area targeted for injections, the amount of product used, and other factors will determine how long your results last. Nevertheless, there are some techniques that patients choosing BOTOX^® from our Los Angeles-area dermatologists can employ to prolong its lifespan.

This advice comes from a team with experience. The physicians at Skin Care & Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills have collectively performed tens of thousands of procedures, and Dr. Derek Jones personally worked as an investigator on the FDA trial that led to an approval for BOTOX^® to treat crow’s feet.

Have Multiple Treatments

People who are getting BOTOX^® for the first time sometimes notice that the results don’t last as long as they want them to. Some injectors believe that your muscles need to become conditioned to BOTOX^® and that using it in more frequent intervals makes it last for a longer duration between treatments. This may be because your muscles become smaller when they aren’t being used as much. People who have neuromodulator treatments can find that they need less of the injectable to get the same outcome over time.

Take Supplements

There is some thought that regularly taking zinc and collagen supplements can make BOTOX^® results last longer between appointments.

Protect Your Skin

Unprotected, chronic exposure to UV rays from sunlight is one of the leading causes of premature aging. There’s little point in going to the effort of having an injectable treatment if you’re going to allow your skin to be damaged by sun exposure after, so be sure to use a broad-spectrum, high-SPF sunscreen on your face each day, spend less time in the sun, and shield your skin with sunglasses or hats.

Cleanse and Moisturize

BOTOX^® will give your skin the extra boost it needs to look smooth and soft, but it’s not a replacement for a good skincare routine to fend off wrinkles. Remember that lines always look more pronounced on dry skin, so keep it moisturized.

BOTOX^® is a quick and effective way of reducing facial wrinkles. Contact our team at Skin Care & Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills for more tips on optimizing the results from BOTOX^®. Submit a contact form, or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to request an appointment.

Which Aesthetic Treatments Work Best for Acne Scars?

January 5, 2021 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Acne lesions are often visible annoyances, but they can also sometimes be more significant, causing pain and even permanent scars. The inflammation associated with swollen cysts and large nodules often leaves marks in the skin, visible even after the breakouts resolve. This is because the lesions can damage both the skin and the underlying tissue. Scars occur when the body attempts to repair the harm by creating new collagen. Although there’s no way of predicting for sure whether you’ll end up with scars, people who delay treating inflammatory acne, people who are genetically inclined to developing scars, and people who tend to pick at their acne spots are more at risk. Acne scars on the face, chest, and back can cause feelings of insecurity and self-consciousness. Luckily, there are some treatments, including microneedling, laser skin resurfacing, and IPL (intense pulsed light), that Los Angeles-area patients can use to effectively fade these marks.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

Also referred to as a photofacial, IPL is a gentle light treatment that uses multiple wavelengths of energy to enhance the tone and texture of the skin while undoing damage. The heat causes unwanted cells to be removed, thereby reducing redness and creating a more uniform texture.

Laser Skin Resurfacing with Fraxel^®

Fraxel^® is one of the most effective laser options for improving the appearance of acne scars. It smooths out texture irregularities while reducing brown and red pigmentation caused by acne, using microscopic laser channels to encourage the growth of collagen and elastin.

Microneedling and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

If other methods haven’t helped, microneedling with or without PRP is another effective option for reducing acne scars. This treatment uses hundreds of fine needles to create microscopic injuries in the skin and induce new collagen production. Microneedling helps to break down the collagen bundles that lead to raised scars on the surface, and the new collagen that it creates gives you smoother skin while reducing any depressions. This treatment usually works better for depressed acne scars. When PRP is added topically, the platelet-rich plamsa’s healing abilities can further boost the skin’s efforts to repair itself.

Want a more even and balanced complexion? Start planning your intense pulsed light (IPL) session in Los Angeles or explore other options for fading acne scars from Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills. Request a consultation with us by submitting a contact form or give us a call at 310-246-0495.

How Many CoolSculpting® Sessions Do You Need to Optimize Results?

December 8, 2020 by nataliebirch Leave a Comment

Achieving a sculpted, lean figure is challenging if you’re stuck with some fatty problem areas, like a bulging stomach or love handles that won’t go away even with the strictest diet. If you’re hoping to create a more proportional physique, non-surgical fat reduction with CoolSculpting^® is a go-to treatment—and you won’t need to spend hours at the gym to get results. Some patients who have CoolSculpting^® at our Los Angeles-area Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills only require a single treatment session to see results, though many choose to have additional treatments to achieve their ideal contouring. The number of treatments you need often depends on your body type, how large of an area you’re hoping to address, and how much body fat you have to lose.

Fat reduction treatments are ideal for targeting trouble spots because they allow you to get rid of the unwanted fat cells for good in select areas while leaving the surrounding tissues intact and the rest of your body unaffected. CoolSculpting^® isn’t a weight loss procedure, but it does have the effect of reducing the volume of fat in specific areas by up to 20 percent, thereby taking inches off of certain features.

One of the drawbacks of CoolSculpting^® is that, although it has been proven to be effective and has a high satisfaction rate, it usually doesn’t achieve results that are as dramatic as surgical options. The changes tend to be more subtle and gradual, so patients may have to return over time for additional sessions to get the visible results they are seeking. Typically, with each subsequent treatment, the area will look increasingly slim and toned. As the treatment works gradually and your body needs time to metabolize the dead fat cells and allow the full results to become apparent, it’s better to space CoolSculpting^® sessions out with several months between them.

Is fat freezing with CoolSculpting^® something you’ve thought about? Still unsure whether it’s the right choice for you? To learn more about this and other cosmetic procedures we offer, contact Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills by submitting a contact form, or give us a call at 310-246-0495 to request an appointment.