In my practice we start with prescription antiperspirants which are beneficial if used correctly. There’s also a machine that utilizes a technology called iontophoresis which is totally painless. It is not really understood how it works but it uses an electric current and ions to minimize sweating. Another more expensive option is Botox injections which last 6 to 7 months. Whatever option you choose, if you have excessive sweating no one needs to know. There are safe and effective treatments available.

Besides urging my patients to trade in the convertible, I always point out that it is very easy to get sunburned while driving in a car. As this recent New York Times column discusses, sun rays penetrate through car windows and damage skin. This doesn’t just apply to the face, but to those unprotected hands on the steering wheel and the arm resting on the window. So apply that sunscreen!

The potential for allergic reactions is so great, in fact, that anybody who is even mildly allergic should think long and hard before getting inked. That includes people with asthma.

Tattoos don’t age well. With the years, they blur and the colors run. This is a big problem with permanent makeup, because who wants to be stuck with bleary-looking eyes and smudged lips? Permanent makeup can be removed, but it is a lengthy and expensive process which entails repeated laser treatments.

Having said all this, I do recognize that there are valid reasons for tattoos. In fact, we actually do them in my office for breast reconstruction patients who get their nipples tattooed, people who have alopecia and have lost their eyebrows, and even patients with Parkinson’s or rheumatoid arthritis, who cannot use their hands well enough to apply makeup. The results are very good and the patients are always grateful. But the difference is that these tattoos are done in a physician’s office under sterile conditions.

Whether you get a tattoo or permanent makeup, please think it through carefully and weigh the risks. And always have it done by someone who is well-trained, certified and recommended by a doctor.

Just minutes after “Fat: If You Can’t Burn It, Freeze It” aired on Good Morning America, the phones in my office started ringing and haven’t stopped since. I just heard from the producer, who told me the link to my segment had the heaviest trafiic of all the program’s website. Apparently, people are very interested in new ways to get rid of fat!

Same thing happened with “ Deep Fat Freeze” on Nightline. The calls and emails continued until very late last night. It wasn’t just new patients calling in to make appointments; many old patients who had moved away called me, and it was lovely to reconnect with them.

There are good reasons why Thermage and coolsculpting (Zeltiq) are the most popular procedures in my office: they really work and they are truly ground-breaking. Again and again I have patients who come in just to do their faces with Thermage or cool sculpt their waist, only to come back a couple of months later, so delighted with their results they want their entire bodies done!

Barbara, the schoolteacher featured in the program, cannot believe how Cool Sculpting shaped her body. And all she had to do was lie there for an hour, sipping tea and watching a movie while the fat freezing machine went to work.

There is a basic equation in dermatology: more facial movements equal more wrinkles. That’s just a fact of life. Botox eliminates wrinkles by paralyzing the muscles. People with facial paralysis tend to have fewer wrinkles because they cannot move their faces. With Bell’s palsy, which affects only one side of the face, there are far fewer wrinkles on the affected side, which is proof positive that it is the movement of facial muscles that creates wrinkles. In my practice I’ve noticed that patients who have very expressive faces or who smile a lot come in more often for filler injections – that’s because the constant facial movements break down the filler more quickly. Not that this means you should walk around with a somber face!

So this latest fad is completely bogus, and will actually create more wrinkles. It always astonishes me that people can believe something that is so blatantly false – or promote it as true.

Nightline came to my office twice to film a long (by TV standards) segment on cool sculpting by Zeltiq, a fat-blasting technique that can truly re-shape bodies without having to resort to plastic surgery. I will be on the lead segment Wednesday night at 11:30. I was highly flattered to hear from the producers that they had saved it for sweeps week, because they liked the way it came out so much!

UPDATE: My segments on Good Morning America and Nightline were canceled at the last minute because of the events unfolding in Egypt. The producers tell me they will probably be shown next week (they think). I will post the exact dates and times as soon as I know for certain.

First of all, I think it’s part of a doctor’s duties to be persuasive when it comes to patient care. I try to make a full-body check part of every new patient’s protocol. If they tell me they’re too stressed or too busy, I ask to them to schedule another time. And if they tell me they’re only here for a cosmetic procedure, I remind them it’s not only free, it may save their lives. Of course, if they still refuse I can’t force them, but I wish people understood how necessary it is. Seriously, better to feel slightly embarrassed than to end up dead from a melanoma.

I do understand that patients may feel reluctant, so my staff and I try to make it as comfortable and as painless as we can. Patients are asked to get into cloth gowns, so they are never completely naked, which seems to make a big difference for many people. I make sure that the exam room is warm and I check the patient from head to toe quickly but thoroughly. Usually it’s five minutes or less; sometimes we take photographs so we can document suspicious moles for later check ups.

One last comment: a full-body scan should only be performed by a board certified dermatologist, because family practitioners and internists do not have the training to recognize subtle changes and early lesions.

Laser hair removal: Self tanners are a problem, too. In my practice, we either get rid the fake tan (very easy to do with hair dye remover) or wait a week until the last trace of the self tanner is gone. I have to say, though, that what is going to make the biggest difference is the use of the right laser. No matter how pale your legs are, if the wrong laser is used you are not going to be happy with the result. On very fair-skinned patients, I recommend the Prowave laser, and for any skin darker than porcelain fair – even if it’s just a slight tinge of olive – I use the Cool Glide.

Spider veins: Personally, I find that they can be done at any time – no need to wait until winter. I use a laser to zap them, with minimal or no bruising.

Chapped lips: I could not agree more with the recommendation to use Aquaphor! One of the most effective and least expensive remedies.

Brown spot removal: No need to make special arrangement to schedule this, either, because you can have them done without any unsightly scabs. I use a Medlite laser that fades the spot without damaging the skin. It may take several treatments, but the great news is that there is no scabbing – in fact, there’s no sign of the procedure at all, just a gradual fading. I’ve treated TV actors who get their spots done just before going to shoot their program, and nobody, not even the camera, can tell.

The public would never guess from the absolute perfection they see on magazine covers, but a lot of models suffer from acne. Their pores are clogged by all that application and re-application of makeup. And a lot of that makeup is thick and oily, which only makes matters worse. I tell my patients to carry their own oil-free foundation to runways and shoots whenever they can.

One odd fact I’ve noticed: it’s not uncommon to see models with very sparse eyelashes or irritated eyelids. That’s because fake eyelashes are an occupational hazard. It’s not easy for a model to tell a makeup artist that she doesn’t want to use the inch-long eyelashes that complete the look, so most of the time a model doesn’t have much of a choice. Still, I always tell them to try growing their own hyper-long lashes instead by using Latisse or over-the counter alternatives like RapidLash and Revitalash.

http://endlessbeauty.com/articles/skincare-secrets-models