VOL UME 21 • N UMBER 5 JANUARY 2014
Ways to preserve youthful skin— INSIDE
without cosmetic surgery Doctor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . 2
� Goal setting and your health
Pet ownership . . . . . . . . . . 3
You can’t turn back the clock, but you can minimize the appearance of Find out why caring for a pet may be
wrinkles and other signs of aging with these noninvasive techniques. good for you.
Medicines to prevent breast
A ge isn’t kind to skin. cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Why many women aren’t taking
Years of accumu- advantage of these drugs.
lated sun exposure leave
their mark in the form of Do you need a statin? . . . . 5
fi ne lines, wrinkles, and New recommendations may make
more women eligible for cholesterol-
discoloration. By the time
Image: American Society of Plastic Surgeons
lowering drugs.
you reach your 60s or 70s,
much of the damage has Navigating the Affordable
already been done, but Care Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
that damage isn’t indelible. What the rollout means to you.
“There are a lot of Research we’re watching . . 8
things you can do about � Diet and exercise help relieve knee
the changes that time, osteoarthritis.
aging, and sun exposure � Walking linked to lower breast
have brought about,” says Neuromodulators such as Botox and Dysport reduce the appearance of cancer risk.
Dr. Kenneth Arndt, clini- wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes. � Women may need fewer bone
cal professor of dermatology at Harvard- Smooth and fill density screenings.
affi liated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical The most common skin rejuvenation tools Dr.
Center and medical editor of the Harvard Arndt uses on his patients are dermal fillers FIVE THINGS TO
Medical School Special Health Report, Skin and neuromodulators. DO THIS MONTH
Care and Repair (www.health.harvard.edu/ � Neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin)
SCR).
The first step is to slow the pace of fur-
are injections to relax the muscles that create
the appearance of wrinkles when you smile, 1 Set goals. Take small,
incremental steps to achieve
them. (page 2)
ther damage by staying out of the sun and by frown, or laugh. “These products diminish
wearing adequate sun protection whenever
you are outside. That means completely cov-
the frown lines and forehead lines and some-
times the crow’s feet, and they do it well, re- 2 Walk the dog. Getting out with
your pet is good for your health.
(page 3)
ering exposed skin with an SPF30 or higher liably, and safely. People are almost always
sunscreen and wearing sun-protective cloth- happy with the results,” Dr. Arndt says.
ing, wraparound sunglasses, and a wide- � Dermal fillers are injections that plump up
brimmed hat that shields your face, neck, sagging areas of skin. They’re sometimes
3 Know your breast cancer
risks. Ask your doctor whether
you qualify for preventive drugs.
and ears. called “liquid facelifts,” because they can (page 4)
create a more youthful look without the
Time erasers
To minimize wrinkles and age spots that
downtime and risks associated with cos-
metic surgery. Dermal fillers are often used
4 Review your health coverage.
You might find a better deal.
(page 6)
have already etched themselves into your to soften the “laugh lines” that run from the
skin, Dr. Arndt suggests the following non-
surgical cosmetic techniques.
side of the nose down to the mouth.
continued on p.7 ▶▶
5 Relieve achy knees. Diet plus
exercise help. (page 8)
Youthful skin lagen production, reduces the look Microdermabrasion uses tiny exfo-
(continued from page 1)
of sun damage and brown spots and liating crystals to buff off the top layer
Often the two treatments are used minimizes wrinkles. Side effects are of skin and reveal the smoother surface
together. Neuromodulators diminish usually mild, but there may be some below. Although the technique is differ-
frown lines, while fillers plump up the redness afterward. ent from a chemical peel, the results are
appearance of the lower similar, according to
face, cheeks, chin, and Who should you see for cosmetic techniques? Dr. Arndt. The cost is
laugh lines. Combining the around $100.
Although both dermatologists and medspa technicians can perform many
two enhances and prolongs cosmetic treatments, some medspa estheticians are not well-trained in Mild laser resurfac-
their effects. Dr. Arndt says these procedures. Make sure the profes- ing (Clear + Brilliant)
both techniques are safe, sional you choose is experienced in the is a gentler version
with very few side effects. treatment you’re planning to have. of fractional laser re-
Botox and similar injec- surfacing. It involves
tions may cause a little smaller areas of skin,
bruise at the injection site and the beam is less
Images: Thinkstock
or a slight heaviness of intense, so there’s less
the brow, but these effects downtime and discom-
are temporary. Fillers also fort afterward than
may cause some slight, with a traditional laser
temporary bruising. Also resurfacing procedure.
remember that the effects Microdermabrasion The cost ranges from
of these treatments are $200 to $500, depend-
temporary. To keep seeing ing on the area of skin
results, you’ll need to re- Botox treated.
turn for repeat sessions—
Botox two or three times Where to go
a year, and fillers once or Most of these tech-
twice a year. niques are available at
both dermatologists’ of-
Rejuvenate fices and “medspas”—
For skin discoloration, nonmedical facilities
including freckles, age that offer a range of
spots, and liver spots, Dr. cosmetic services. Well-
Arndt recommends la- trained estheticians can
Chemical peel Fractional laser treatment
ser resurfacing or pulsed perform some of these
light therapy. procedures. However,
Fractional laser resurfacing aims very Less costly options Dr. Arndt cautions, “In some spas and
small beams of high-energy light at the The treatments listed above can be similar offices, people who are not well
skin to smooth and tighten the surface pricey—Botox injections range from trained do some of the treatments. That’s
and stimulate the development of col- $300 to $700 per session, and fractional where it gets dangerous.”
lagen—the protein that gives skin its laser resurfacing can exceed $1,000. If In October, a study in JAMA Derma-
elasticity. Because fractional laser re- you don’t want to invest quite as much tology found that the percentage of law-
surfacing works only on fractions of the money, consider these options: suits from skin laser surgery performed
larger areas treated at a time, redness is Chemical peels use chemicals such by nonphysicians more than doubled
minimized and healing is quick. How- as glycolic acid to strip away the outer from 2008 to 2011, calling into ques-
ever, you may have some itching and layer of damaged skin. “They’re reason- tion the safety of some medspas. If you
swelling in the treated area. ably mild,” Dr. Arndt says. “The skin is do decide to see an esthetician instead
Pulsed light therapy exposes the left refreshed, a little pink, and shiny.” of a dermatologist, make sure the prac-
skin to intense broadband wavelengths A glycolic acid peel can cost as little as titioner is licensed in your state and is
of light energy—unlike the laser, which $80, but it needs to be repeated every certified by the National Coalition of Es-
emits one specific wavelength. Th is few weeks or months to continue show- theticians, Manufacturers/Distributors
technique, which also stimulates col- ing an effect. and Associations (NCEA).
www.health.harvard.edu January 2014 | Harvard Women’s Health Watch | 7
