January 21, 2008 - Numbers Tell More Than Your Age
The Environment Causes 90% of Your Skin's Damage
DENVER, CO - Maybe you’ve got mom’s nose and dad’s smile, but medical science has proven that you have only a 10% chance of inheriting mom or dad’s good skin genetics. The truth of the matter is that 90% of one’s aging skin is caused by the environment—sun-damage, antioxidants from smoking and other abuses.
Because medical science has only recently focused on anti-aging concerns, chances are that if you’re over 30, you suffered damage to your skin because you weren’t informed. Even though the information and products (SPF 30 or 50) have been available for the last few decades, it could be that you weren’t religious about using them either. That means you’re at risk for your skin to look significantly older than it could if you’d just followed your physician’s precautionary warnings (or that of Great Aunt Mable who was always ahead of her time!)
To understand what skin rejuvenation techniques work today, Dr. Nicolette Picerno, with offices in Denver and Lone Tree, Colorado, explains to patients that as we age, our skin loses moisture and elasticity. Fat redistributes itself, muscles and skin become more lax, and bones actually start to resorb. Wrinkles [rhytids] are the first signs of this aging process. Skin folds or "bags" indicate the damage is even more advances.
As we age, says Dr. Picerno, the top layer of the skin (stratum corneum), which is a layer of dead skin cells, builds up and thickens. When this happens, our skin can develop a sallow look and small "expression lines" can begin to show. In addition, there is a gradual breakdown of the collagen and elastic fibers in the deeper layers of the skin. Sun exposure or "photoaging" can dramatically increase the breakdown of elastic tissues and lead to increased skin wrinkling.
The Harmony Laser using Advanced Flourescent Technology can address skin pigmentation irregularities, including "spider veins," age spots and freckles. Commercially known as the “FotoFacial,” this device evens out skin tone, giving a new clarity to your complexion without any downtime or discomfort.
To treat laxity in the skin, the near-infrared Skin Tightening handpiece provides collagen stimulation to enhance skin remodeling. This module targets collagen fibers with deep dermal heating, while sparing the epidermis. There’s no pain–unusual for a skin tightening procedure as many other devices on the market today cause significant pain while attempting to achieve the same thing.
With these three technologies, the Harmony Laser rejuvenates by treating the four aspects of skin aging: color, texture, tone and laxity. Best results are achieved through a combination of treatments that Dr. Picerno recommends including:
- 2 Advanced Fluorescent technology treatments
- 3 Pixel treatments
- 5 Skin Tightening treatments
Because more than one treatment can be performed at once, the total number of sessions is usually five. The sessions are all in-office and the results over just one season show a remarkable improvement, turning back the clock sometimes an entire decade.
Following treatment, Dr. Picerno recommends cosmeceuticals, prescription-based cosmetics and skincare lines available in her office for daily skincare regimes.
Nicolette Picerno, MD, is one of only three double-board certified facial plastic surgeon in the State of Colorado. Denver-based, she specializes in minimally-invasive mini-facelifts, mid-facelifts, forehead lifts, neck lifts, facial fat transfer, Contour Thread lifts, the Weekend Facelift and eye lifts. She performs traditional full facelifts plus non-invasive treatments including injectable fillers like Restylane® and the latest filler on the market called Juvéderm™, as well as wrinkle-smoothing Botox® and laser Dr. Nicolette Picerno can be reached at 303-744-2300. Her website is www.nicolettepicernomd.com.