STAYING YOUNG
NATURALLY
Noninvasive procedures turn back the clock
By SHARON ALMIRALL
Looking good and feeling well are two sides of the same coin. We are pleased to be complimented when a longtime friend says, “You are looking so great — what’s going on in your life?” It’s also especially nice to feel a sense of inner happiness that makes us glad to be enjoying life, because we’ve all experienced the stress, the pain and the sadness that sometimes surface on our faces.
It is the subtle interplay of psychological, spiritual and physical effects that interests Dr. James Howton, D.O., medical director at Radiant Clinic of Colorado, who looks at such things as what sorts of issues we’re dealing with when consulting with new patients.
Though it’s typical in an office setting for professionals not to spend much time asking questions, says Dr. Howton, he likes to know where a patient is on all fronts. He explains, “I like to know how the patient is defining staying young or being healthy. Does this person have a model for her treatment? Most treatment for disease has been disease-centered, but there is no model for being young or staying healthy. The plan should be purposeful. Does this person have a plan? A model should be flexible and allow for individuality.”
Gregory Buford, M.D., of Body by Buford agrees that individuality is important: “People want to look good but look like themselves. Their goal is not to look like someone else but to look like themselves. Many want to look rested — to have that post-vacation look.”
What motivates us to improve our looks? It could be an upcoming school or family reunion — or maybe it is simply time to refresh one’s appearance.
As Dr. Buford says, “Many times a person, man or woman, wants to see old friends and leave them asking, ‘Did she or didn’t she?’ They don’t want to achieve an overly dramatic change.”
In Denver, it’s especially common for people to have noninvasive beauty work done, according to some doctors. For men and women, there’s a new product called Sculptra™, something that’s been used in Europe for many years. “More and more people use it for cosmetic rejuvenation. Women use it for the lower jaw line — the results are very gradual. The less people notice it, the better it is. But if you see pictures of before and after, the results are very dramatic,” says Dr. Buford.
At Park Avenue Medical Aesthetics, Sculptra is also used. This FDA-approved treatment can correct the effects of loss of fat beneath the skin that can result in sunken cheeks, indentations or hollow eyes. Park Avenue’s Web site says that Sculptra offers a gradual increase in skin thickness that improves the appearance of sunken areas. Sculptra is injected just below the surface of the skin in the area of fat loss. Park Avenue also uses Restylane and Juvederm, which are both injectable fillers.
Areas such as the lips, smile lines and chin creases can be filled in with Restylane. Juvederm is a gel that is injected into the skin and can lift and add volume to areas that are treated. The products range in cost from $575 for Restylane to $1,400 for one treatment of Sculptra.
At Park Avenue Medical Aesthetics, patients who take advantage of nonsurgical skin care programs can “look forward to gaining self-confidence and a sense of well-being from looking, feeling and functioning at their best.” Skin care is offered as a method for improving a woman’s appearance without surgery. Microdermabrasion, peels, laser services and special products are available.
Denver has its own unique characteristics regarding skin. The result of too much time in the sun can be damaged skin. In this area, where people are subject to the sun, NIA is a good solution. “It’s so popular we can’t keep it on the shelf,” says Dr. Buford. It’s a home care regimen that’s affordable and simple to use. It must be purchased through a physician’s office, but that is better, says Dr. Buford, since a licensed aesthetician matches your skin type and what’s right for it.
Dr. Jerry Popham of Park Avenue also offers NIA 24™ products.
At the Denver Center for Plastic Surgery, the goal of treatment is to enhance a person’s natural beauty. “With new technology it is exciting that more women can take advantage of treatments that are affordable, helping to restore a more youthful appearance,” says Dr. David Broadway. “The newest procedures improve upon what aging gradually takes from us, such as the uplift of our lips or the elasticity of our skin. There are so many noninvasive procedures that are effective and have minimal recovery time. Women aren’t aware how easy it can be to look years younger without paying a fortune. To be part of these advances is really something to be excited about.”
Many skin care solutions are offered at the Broadway Center. Kim Russ, the aesthetician at Broadway Center Skin Essentials, says consultations involve looking at the patient’s skin and then developing a plan. Within the plan, many different products can be used both for anti-aging and protection.
Lasers are the No.1 technique used for skin improvement, Russ says. Microdermabrasion is a technique employed to sand the face down a little bit. Chemical peels are utilized, too, and completely natural enzymes are used for the peel. Some peels are intended to correct 20 years of skin damage. Lasers are used to stimulate collagen. Skin resurfacing is also a technique used to improve skin. The clinic has a Botox discount on Mondays.
Hormones are also an area of concern for women as they age. Women begin to experience a loss of hormones during the aging process that results in a loss of bone density and skin elasticity. There are many products that claim to counteract the loss of hormones, but the results aren’t always immediately obvious, according to Dr. Howton. In addition to hormones, vitamins and minerals play a role in a woman’s health.
“Today, we can measure vitamins. We can look at certain minerals and see where the individual is with vitamins and mineral content,” explains Dr. Howton. “Most recommended allowances are applicable to a general population. In Denver, for example, a person may need more antioxidants. But you need to measure to find out.
“One of the things we started measuring a few years ago is the deficiency of vitamin D. I find it interesting that people in Denver often have a shortage of this. The assumption is that people should be getting enough vitamin D from their exposure to the sun. Another one is iodine. The assumption is that people get enough iodine from our salt, but some people may use sea salt. It’s better to give a person iodine than to treat thyroid problems,” says Dr.Howton.
Dr. Buford says in his practice he does a lot of minimal, noninvasive procedures. He talks about the No. 1 noninvasive procedure being Botox. In 2006, there were 3.2 million injections. Dr. Buford describes the second most common noninvasive procedure as the use of products that fill in fine lines, lips and other areas. There were 1.8 million such procedures in 2006.
As popular as these products and services are, specialists in the business of helping women achieve a young and vital look recommend good planning. As Dr. Howton says, “We can do these things to treat the skin, but it feels like it has more integrity if we treat the whole person.”
