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Solstice Day Spa Named "Business of the Year" in Cape Cod
The Solstice Day Spa in Cape Cod, MA, has been named “Business of the Year” by the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce. Solstice also was voted Best Day Spa 2006 by both Cape Cod Life magazine and Cape Cod View magazine. 508-775-7400, solsticedayspa@aol.com
Spas Give Shopping Malls a Face-lift
Amy Andrade had been thinking about Botox for a while. So when she spotted a spa-like "cosmedical" clinic in an upscale mall in Dallas, she was immediately interested.
When she learned the clinic was connected with one of Texas' leading medical institutions, she was sold.
She had Botox injected into her 32-year-old forehead and near her eyes to smooth out infinitesimal wrinkles.
"It was great. I felt like I was getting a facial," said the furniture showroom manager.
Medical spas like the one at Dallas' NorthPark Center are booming. The number in the United States has jumped to about 2,500 this year from 50 in 2002, when Botox injections won federal approval.
Such spas offer minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as injections of Botox, which relaxes facial muscles to make lines fade, and fillers like Restylane, which add volume.
Not all medical spas have ties with a major medical institution like the Klinger Advanced Aesthetics Cosmedical Center, Spa and Salon, which has teamed up with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Some "cosmedical" clinics don't even require their practitioners to be plastic surgeons or dermatologists.
Dr. Richard A. D'Amico of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said the procedures may look like simple injections, but serious complications could result if someone isn't properly trained.
And Kate Parsons, director of the Center for Ethics at Webster University in St. Louis, said she is worried that as such services become more widely available, people will be less inclined to examine why they want to look younger.
"I guess my concern is that we're not examining that as much as we could be," Parsons said. "It is becoming increasingly accepted as one more option among the array of cosmetics and fashion."
By Jamie Stengel, Associated Press, December 18, 2006
Maly's Opens 100th Location
Maly’s newly opened location in Los Gates, CA, is the salon product distributor’s 100th store. The company marked this occasion by offering special promotions and giveaways at every location during the week of the Los Gates store’s opening. 408-356-3281
Furlong Named YG Labōratories President, COO
Dr. Patrick Furlong has joined YG Labōratories as the company's new president and chief operating officer. Additionally, Rebecca James Gadberry and Robert James are now co-CEO's of the company. James will also serve as chief financial officer, and Gadberry will become company chairman. 800-999-4569, info@yglabs.com
Carbon Dioxide Laser Can Be Safe for Neck Resurfacing
When it comes to treating the aging face, patients have their pick of numerous laser therapies for successful skin rejuvenation. But finding an effective treatment for the delicate skin of the neck can often be a real pain in the neck. Now, a retrospective review presented in a recent issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, the journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, finds that a skilled practitioner can successfully resurface an aging and photodamaged neck using the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser if a series of treatment parameters are strictly followed.
In her article entitled “Safe and Effective Carbon Dioxide Laser Skin Resurfacing of the Neck,” laser expert Suzanne D. Kilmer, MD, of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern California, Sacramento, CA, outlines three key components essential to effective laser resurfacing of the neck with the CO2 laser that she and her colleagues have used to safely treat more than 1,000 patients over the past 10 years.
“We have found that for the CO2 laser to work safely and effectively on the neck, 1) the skin has to be sufficiently hydrated with a pre-operative topical anesthesia; 2) the laser has to be administered at a low density with only a single pass; and 3) the treated epidermis must not be wiped following the procedure,” explains Dr. Kilmer. “These three ingredients, in a sense, make up the ‘recipe’ for how to safely use the CO2 laser for neck resurfacing. And like all recipes, every step must be followed and all the ingredients must be added properly for the end result to turn out right.”
In order to adequately hydrate the skin prior to the laser procedure, Dr. Kilmer recommends that patients wash their entire face and neck with hot water and then immediately apply a thick layer—like frosting on a cake—of the topical anesthesia EMLA. The area is then sealed using a plastic wrap, and this process is repeated 45 minutes before the procedure. Dr. Kilmer notes that proper hydration is critical, as it “plumps up” the skin and creates a protective buffer against the laser that also aids in absorbing the laser’s energy.
During a typical laser skin resurfacing of the face with the CO2 laser, the epidermis is completely removed. For neck resurfacing, the laser energy is lowered so the epidermis is not removed and stays intact. This low density coupled with a single pass of the laser creates less trauma and less wounding on the neck. Dr. Kilmer points out that while the face would normally be wiped to remove the epidermal debris following the procedure, it is important not to wipe the treated epidermis from the neck because it serves as a natural dressing that protects the skin and aids in the healing process.
“Most of our patients that undergo CO2 laser skin resurfacing on their face also get their neck done at the same time,” says Dr. Kilmer. “Performing both procedures helps to blend the results, eliminating the noticeable line of demarcation that usually occurs when the neck is left untreated.”
While non-ablative laser treatment for skin rejuvenation has gained in popularity during the past few years, Dr. Kilmer notes that the CO2 laser produces longer-lasting results than its non-invasive counterparts and only a single treatment session is needed instead of a series of treatment sessions.
“As with any procedure, patients need to be informed of the potential risks, how much downtime is involved, and the importance of post-operative care before undergoing CO2 laser resurfacing,” adds Dr. Kilmer. “But for any single resurfacing treatment, the CO2 laser delivers the most overall improvement—hands down.”
Patients with a personal or immediate family history of vitiligo are not considered candidates for this procedure, as laser resurfacing can trigger depigmentation of the treated area consistent with this condition.
The Spa at L'Auberge de Sedona Opens
The Spa at L’Auberge de Sedona recently opened, and complements the romantic, secluded and naturally spectacular environment of this intimate creek-side retreat in Arizona. 800-420-1806
Skaná Spa Opens at Turning Stone
The 33,000-square-foot Skaná Spa, which offers soothing treatments and modern amenities combined with ancient American Indian healing traditions, celebrated its grand opening at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY. 800-771-7711
Trends in the Spa World
By: Melinda Taschetta-Millane
How to Maximize Your After-tax Dollars in 2006
By: William J. Lynott
Dermatologists Turn Focus to Ethnic Skin Conditions
Carlotta Aiken's cheeks are sprinkled with brown spots, just like her grandmother had.
"She lived to be 93," Mrs. Aiken tells Dr. Simon Yoo, who is using a laser to remove the spots, a benign skin condition called dermatosis papulosa nigra.
Mrs. Aiken, a 58-year-old art teacher, is a volunteer in a study at Northwestern University's Center for Ethnic Skin, and she is playing a small part in a growing movement.
At clinics and research centers in Chicago, New York, Washington, Detroit and Miami, dermatologists are developing better treatments for skin problems of people with dark skin. Some skin doctors concentrate their practices on blacks, Hispanics and Asians, people who previously were neglected by drug and cosmetic company research.
"I have African-American patients come to me frustrated that their previous dermatologists didn't understand their hair and scalp disorders and pigmentation problems," said Dr. Diane Jackson-Richards, who specializes in multicultural dermatology at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. "I treat all races of people, but I've seen over the years how I've been sought out by patients of color."
The nation's changing demographics drive the movement, said Dr. Rebat Halder, chairman of the Dermatology Department at Howard University Hospital.
"By midcentury, half the U.S. population will be of pigmented skins," Dr. Halder said. He edited the first comprehensive textbook on the dermatology of ethnic skin, which was published this year. Dermatology conferences are adding more ethnic skin sessions to their agendas, he said.
A growing number of blacks, Hispanics and Asians are entering dermatology, which also fuels the trend, said Dr. Victoria Holloway Barbosa, director of the six-year-old L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research in Chicago.
"It's long overdue," Dr. Barbosa said of the attention.
L'Oreal, the cosmetic company, sponsors an ethnic-skin research symposium with Howard University every other year, and funds its own research.
"We do both basic science research to understand specific differences in hair and skin and also talk directly to consumers to understand their common problems," Dr. Barbosa said.
Dark skin has many advantages, she said. Pigment protects the skin from the sun's damaging effects, and some research shows that darker skin is stronger structurally as well.
But dark skin can react differently than white skin to cosmetic treatments and medications. It is more prone to discoloration after injury, and more inclined to keloids, a type of scar that can be unsightly and sometimes itchy or painful.
A doctor unfamiliar with keloids might try to cut them out, which can cause them to return larger, said Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, director of ethnic skin care at the University of Miami Cosmetic Center.
"I see patients all the time who've had keloids cut out on their shoulders. The doctors didn't realize it wasn't the best choice," Dr. Woolery-Lloyd said.
Instead, she uses a series of steroid injections.
Women with dark skin sometimes develop melasma, also called "the mask of pregnancy," a darkening of the face related to hormones. Vitiligo, a disorder affecting pop star Michael Jackson, leads to white patches on the skin.
A type of scarring hair loss that starts at the crown of the head can affect black women. The Skin of Color Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York is conducting a study to compare common treatments for that type of hair loss, which used to be called "hot comb alopecia," but now is called "central centifugal cicatricial alopecia."
Researchers aren't sure of its cause. One theory holds that hair-processing techniques such as chemical relaxers and tight braiding may contribute, said Dr. Roopal Kundu, director of Northwestern University's center.
Dr. Kundu, who is Indian, said her heritage gave her "an innate curiosity about understanding the biological differences in hair, skin and nails in persons from India and also those with darker pigmented skins."
Dermatologists can improve the way they communicate with patients if they understand cultural grooming and hair styling practices, she said.
"For me, education is critical for all my patients," Dr. Kundu said. "I try to give handouts on everything I diagnose."
By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press, November 27, 2006