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Dermandlaser Skin Scoop - June 2010

Its June already Last month was Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month and this month June 7-12 is

National Sun Safety Week If you think you can forget about protecting your skin from the sun think

again Lori Wrightington our Certified Laser

Technician and MediSpa Manager has written a great

article about continuing cosmetic and laser treatments

in the summer months June is also Acne Awareness Month Read Rebecca Becky Repaires informative

article on acne causes and myths First take a look at Dr Schlesingers feature story on earlobe repair Is your ear piercing torn and unsightly Do you have a scar or keloid on your earlobe We can help

Dont forget our June Specials Theyre at the bottom of the newsletter

E-mail karadermandlasercom with any stories or

suggestions for next months newsletter

Earlobe Repair Piercings and Keloids

By Todd E Schlesinger MD FAAD

Ever thought that those spit earlobes from the time

your earring was pulled too hard (ow) could not be

fixed Had you thought you had to live with unsightly nodules on your ears Well you donrsquot

There are several common problems that affect the

earlobe and outer ear The most common two are split earlobe and keloid or nodular scar I will address the split earlobe first Split earlobe usually results from some kind of trauma Usually it is when an earring is pulled forcefully sometimes from getting

caught on a piece of clothing What results is either an unusually long or loose hole in the earlobe or a

complete split to the edge Thankfully with experience this problem is easily repaired Typically I will remove the affected skin including the hole and

suture the underlying tissue together in the most

cosmetically attractive way possible

Once the area has healed for six weeks a new

piercing can be placed In the case of a complete split the affected sides of the split are removed and

the resulting edges are sutured together in such a way

as to prevent a notch at the margin This technique can be likened to a lock and key fitting together Again six weeks should be allowed before re-

piercing Re-piercing can be done here in our office in

a sterile manner

For earlobe and outer ear keloids the situation is

more complicated We have to be able to remove the keloid and prevent it from coming back Therersquos

always a risk that a keloid will come back the same or

bigger when removed To combat this problem we use cortisone or sometimes other agents that are

mixed with the medicine we use to numb the area with

before removal After the surgical removal of the keloid and the stitches are out we perform a series of

follow-up injections that are quite reliable in

preventing the return of the majority of keloids Some keloids require a complicated repair of the

remaining tissue due to their size or location If you wanted to re-pierce your ear the same procedure of

injections would have to be done or you would face a

higher risk of a new keloid forming there

BEFORE

AFTER

(Actual Patient Photos)

I like to perform these two operations as they have a

high rate of success and patient satisfaction If you happen to have either of these two problems or any

other problem involving your skin hair or nails

please donrsquot hesitate to contact us to see how we can

help

Acne Awareness Month Causes Myths and Cures

by Rebecca L Repare PA-C

June is here Which means school is out vacation time and fun in the sun But did you know that June is National Acne Awareness Month Why do we need a National Acne Awareness Month Acne affects 60-70 of Americans making it Americarsquos most common

disease The problem is there are many myths out there about acne and a lot of ineffective treatments

The exact underlying cause of acne is unknown but

we do know that genetics play a major role We also know the 4 main contributing factors that form the

acne comedones (or bumps) The main factors include excess dead skin cells excess oil production

P acnes bacteria and inflammation Hormonal fluctuations usually are the initial trigger for excess

dead skin cell production and excess oil production P acnes bacteria is found on the skin and in the acne

lesions Buildup of this bacteria triggers an inflammatory response Inflammation is your bodyrsquos

response to try to get rid of things that it feels does

not need to be there Like calling in an army to fight off an intruder many different factors rush in The actual process of the formation of an acne lesion

happens when excessive dead skin cells mix with the

excess oil on the skin and creates a plug in pores The P acnes bacteria builds up within that plug and

your bodyrsquos defenses rush in to try to get rid of that

plug and bacteria Inflammation causes the lesion to become red and tender

BEFORE

AFTER

(Actual Patient Photos) Because we are all individuals each person with acne

has more or less of each contributing factor which

causes their type of acne For example not everyone has the same inflammatory system so not everyone

necessarily has red and sore bumps Therefore appropriate treatment for acne should be customized

for each individual At DLCC we aim to treat each of

the 4 individual contributing factors to greatly reduce

the acne lesions

Now that you understand the main causes of acne

letrsquos discuss some of the myths and why they are

myths

1) ldquoOnly teenagers get acnerdquo or ldquoI am too old for

thisrdquo According to an article in Cutis magazine 12 of

women and 5 of men at age 25 have acne and by

age 45 5 of both men and women still have acne If you think about the above mentioned causes

hormones contribute to 2 of the 4 factors Even if you are not going through puberty stress and diet can

greatly affect hormonal levels

2) ldquoMy acne always gets better in the sunrdquo Sunlight

may either improve or worsen acne In any case the sun exposure will age the skin faster and make any

dark ldquoleftoverrdquo acne marks darker The sun is damaging to your skin cells and if a lesion is healing

from a recent breakout the sun is even more

damaging to the healing cells

3) ldquoAll I need is an antibiotic to clear up my acnerdquo Antibiotics only address 2 of the 4 problems that

cause acne You need topical medications as well to help treat the remaining causes Some people donrsquot need antibiotics Long term antibiotic use can cause additional problems so most providers will only

prescribe them for short periods of time When the antibiotics stop their effects stop which is another

reason that topical medications are important

4) ldquoIf you just wash your face you will not get

acnerdquo Obviously from what you already read dirt on

the skin has very little or nothing to do with acne In fact too much scrubbing or washing may result in

more inflammation

Most importantly if you have acne that is not

improving with over the counter products come in for

an office visit so that we can help you get on the best

program for your skin And be patient you skin goes through cycles every 6 weeks It may take 1-2 cycles

or more for the acne to clear

June Specials

Buy One Get One FREEFacials and

Vibradermabrasions

DLCC Dazzlers20 OFF glominerals makeup

Happy Fathers Day

June 20

Remember Dad this month

Pamper him with

Buy-One-Get-One-Free Facials

during the month of June or

20 off Clarisonic Skin Care

Brushes June 14-18

Product of the Month

Clarisonic Skin Care

Brush

Clarisonic is a professional skin

care brush that is an innovative

choice for deeper skin cleaning and

exfoliating

Great gift idea for Fathers Day The Clarisonic will make Dads

whiskers stand up to reduce

razorburn and ingrown hairs

20 off June 14-18

Laser Lessons

Continuing Cosmetic

Treatments in the Summer

by Lori J WrightingtonCertified Laser Technician

MediSpa Manager

I often hear from patients ldquoIs it

okay to continue my laser

treatments during the summerrdquo the answer is definitely ldquoYesrdquo In

fact it is important with most

treatment plans to keep a regular

appointment schedule to ensure

the most positive results

When we see patients during a

cosmetic consultation and are

discussing treatment options with

lasers peels or other modalities

one of the most important pre and

post care instructions is to limit sun

exposure The reason being is to

achieve the best results we prefer

to treat the skin pigment in the

most natural state to ensure

safety maximum results and

patient satisfaction When patients

hear this especially in the summer

months a red flag usually goes up

in their mind I always hear ldquoMaybe I should wait until the fall I

am on the boat or at the pool with

the kids It is hard to stay insiderdquo We understand all of these

concerns However contrary to popular belief the patient can

continue to have their treatments

during the summer months Patients can continue to enjoy the

pool boating fishing and all the

summer fun by following some

important rules

First and foremost always apply

sunscreen A good rule of thumb is to apply every two hours with a

product containing Zinc Oxide and

Titanium Dioxide with at least a 30

SPF Always wear a hat with a large

brim to cover the face neck and

ears If other body parts are being treated apply and reapply

sunscreen to those areas When scheduling appointments be sure

to let any tan fade for at least 10

to 14 days prior to treatments This also applies to self tanners

lotions and spray tanning Again to

ensure best results the skin

should be treated at its most

natural pigment

Patients are treated all summer

long at DLCC and very seldom do

we have to reschedule due to a

tan In fact most patients find it

easy to stay compliant We find

that the savvy patient is also the

smart patient and realizes that

following pre and post care

instructions are important and good

for their skin

Dr Schlesinger will be appearing on

Lowcountry Live on Wednesday

June 9 Turn on Channel 4 to hear him talk about sun safety

Skin Screening Success

The third annual Roper Saint

Francis Healthcare Free Skin

Screening was held on May 19

Dr Schlesinger and Rebecca

Repaire PA-C along with eight

other providers successfully

screened over 200 participants If you missed it call to make an

office appointment We offer free skin screenings through July

843-556-8886

Buzz About Becky

Our own Becky Repaire PA-C was

featured on the new website

thecharlestonchickscom She was interviewed about Melanoma

awareness and what to expect

during a skin screening Check it

out

Can Sunscreen Be

Dangerous

The Environmental Working Group

(EWG) recently said that the

chemicals found in sunscreen can

actually cause cancer The EWG report talked about studies of two

chemicals retinyl palmitate

(Vitamin A) and oxybenzone

These substances were applied and

tested on rats in much greater

amounts than humans would ever

use on their skin The Food and

Drug Administration (FDA)

contested the claims due to

evidence that rats are much more

likely to develop skin cancer than

humans and the two should not be

compared to each other

The other problem is that Vitamin A

compounds are commonly used

topically to reduce skin cancer risk

and have proven anti-cancer

properties and promote the

normalization of sun-damaged skin

cells via their action on DNA

receptors

Our conclusion sunscreen still

works Wear it on all exposed areas cover up as much as

possible reapply regularly and

minimize sun exposure to reduce

your risk of skin cancer

Read more here

Fight Childhood Obesity

with Fun and Play

The Bees Landing Recreational

Center is now open in West

Ashley Their ergonomically correct playground encourages children to

use strength and balance to

navigate through the many

complex structures Some studies

have linked an increase in outdoor

activity with a decrease in childhood

weight problems

The playground was built mostly

through volunteer efforts Read more about the playgrounds

construction here

Like us on

Follow us on

Thank you for providing your email address on your first visit We hope you enjoy our new monthly newsletters and other email-based services If you would like additional information please contact our office by calling 8 4 3-5 5 6-8886 or visit our website at wwwdermandlasercom

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Our mailing address isDermatology and Laser Center of Charleston PA2093 Henry Tecklenburg DriveSt 300Charleston S C 2 9 4 1 4

Add us to your address book

Copyright (C) 2009 Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston PA All rights reserved

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