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The Home of Expert Advice for Skin Care

Skinlibrary.com is an online medical resource addressing various concerns, issues and questions pertaining to the overall skin health with information on Dermatology, Dermatological Conditions, Skin Treatments, Skin Care Products, tips on Sun Protection, and even an inside look at Celebrity Skin.

Discover how to improve common skin conditions like Adult Acne, Dry Skin, Enlarged Pores, Aging Skin, Brown Spots, Rosacea, Sun Damage and Wrinkles with Dermatological Treatments and cosmetic procedures like Botox®, Thermage, lasers and much more.

At Skinlibrary we look forward to assisting you in optimizing your skin’s health and appearance.

About Skinlibrary:

The Skinlibrary network of dermatology, medical and health experts was founded to assist the pursuit for healthy skin with each expert offering unique advice, insight and knowledge in a certain aspect of the dynamic of healthy skin. It provides comprehensive information for the public, for dermatology patients, researchers, physicians and media about the skin, its care and various skin conditions and treatments.

All content is reviewed by an independent Board of Dermatology Advisors to ensure that the information is accurate, unbiased and current. This information is not intended to replace a consultation with your own dermatologist or physician.

Skinlibrary.com...The Science of Perfecting Skin™

Six Inches: A Good Size for a Sun-Hat Brim

You think your little hat actually protects your face from the sun? If it looks like either of the two hats on the right side of the above Gap image, you might want to be careful about going into the UVA/UVB light.

You need convincing? Have someone take a bunch of digi photos of you in your hat in the sun. Is your face fully shaded when you stroll the city sidewalks? Is your décolleté protected, and, if you have short hair, is the back of your neck?

Size matters when it comes to the brim of a good sun hat. Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett told me years ago that six inches is the size to go for; a girl doesn’t forget that kind of information. When I spotted the second-from-the-left number in the above photo, I knew I’d found a keeper: the Albertus Swanepoel khaki wide brim hat ($44.50 CAN/$39.50 US). It’s part of the grouping the designer (that’s him) did for Gap’s limited-edition CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collection, which launched early last week.

Don’t fret if you can’t get your hands on exactly that hat — Gap also has a gathered sun hat with a brim about as wide if not wider. Yes, bigger than six inches. Because, of course, bigger is better.

Oh hey, if you’re thinking now would be a good time to win some sunscreen and sunglasses, pop by Canadian Beauty to enter Henna’s Neutrogena Sun Giveaway.

Written by Janine Falcon from the imabeautygeek.com

Middle Ground - Reveal trim, toned abs just in time for summer

You’ve got your eye on a chic little bikini to wear on the beach this summer—but like many women, you’ve got a little extra padding in the stomach region. Blame it on Mom and Dad. “Women often genetically have a pot-belly in the lower abdomen,” says Dr. Robert Thompson, a Vancouver-based plastic surgeon. It’s also hard to maintain your midriff post-pregnancy. “After a baby, women may lose fat, but they can be left with lax skin, especially around the belly button,” says Dr. Lisa Kellett, a dermatologist at DLK on Avenue in Toronto. But there are solutions, including tried-and true tummy tuck and liposuction procedures, as well as less invasive treatments like Thermage and UltraShape. Here’s how to show off your flat abs—fast!

Tuck in
If you’ve had a baby or lost weight and have loose skin, you may be a candidate for a tummy tuck. Also known as abdominoplasty, the procedure is typically done under general anesthetic. The surgeon makes an incision at the bikini line to remove the extra fat and skin and tightens the muscles in the abdominal wall via sutures. Partial tummy tucks involve the removal of fat deposits below the navel; in a full tummy tuck procedure (which takes two to three hours) more incisions are required and your belly button is relocated because it needs to be separated from the underlying tissue. After the procedure, the doctor places one or two tiny, tube-like drains in the upper and lower abdomen to remove excess fluid; they'll be removed after three to seven days. Healing takes up to one month, although you can resume light activity after two weeks. Costs range from $6,000 to $10,000, depending on the extent of fat removal and muscle tightening required. Expect permanent results, as long as you maintain a healthy body weight.

Smooth move
Smooth Move Got a potbelly or love handles that just aren’t responding to exercise? Liposuction may be the answer. Performed under local anesthetic, it involves the removal of fat via suction through tiny incisions. You’ll need an assessment by an accredited surgeon to determine if you’re a good candidate (most of your abdominal fat should be above the abdominal muscles). According to Thompson, if most of the fat is under the muscle, liposuction may not offer good results. “If someone is slightly overweight, sometimes they’re disappointed because only a portion [of the fat] is above the muscle,” he says. Healing time takes about two weeks and the cost can range from $3,000 to $6,000. Results are permanent if you maintain a normal weight.

Shape shift
If invasive surgery isn’t for you, consider body contouring, which dissolves fat and tightens the skin without injuring the skin or requiring any downtime. UltraShape uses focused ultrasound waves to liquefy fat, and is ideal for people who are fit but have stubborn areas that don’t respond to diet and exercise. Results are subtle. “It’s not for weight loss,” says Kellett. “When you look in the mirror you can’t see it, but your clothes [will] start to fit better.” Expect to lose up to one pant size. It usually takes three treatments to see results (which are permanent); each session costs about $600.

Tight spot
For some, fat isn’t the issue—it’s loose skin. If your belly shape hasn’t bounced back after baby, you might want to try Thermage, which stimulates collagen production via radiofrequency energy, resulting in tighter skin. Although you’ll be sedated during treatment and will need a ride home afterwards, there’s no downtime involved. You'll see results after just one treatment. “Expect to be smaller in circumference and tighter overall,” says Kellett. The cost varies depending on the size of the treatment area, but is usually about $2,500 for one session. Results are permanent, although the treatment won't prevent normal skin aging.

THIGHS, BUTT & STOMACH - INNOVATION: The UltraShape

Call it what you will: orange-peel skin, dimples, cottage cheese… the fact is, most women of a certain age develop areas of cellulite and fat that no diet or amount of exercise seems to diminish. With descriptors like “non-invasive,” painless,” “safe” and “effective,” UltraShape’s ultrasound technology can help eradicate those unwanted fat cells (a.k.a. cellulite).

How does it work? While you lie down, a therapist holds an ultrasound paddle against your chosen body part. The machine liquefies the fat from the cells, sending it to the liver to be absorbed and/or excreted. Typically, three one-to-three hour sessions over about two months are recommended, resulting in a loss of up to nine centimeters of body mass and with it, reduced cellulite.

“Take the stomach or love handles. You know, the muffin top,” says dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett of DLK on Avenue in Toronto. “That would cost about $600 and up per treatment, and three treatments are standard. “We’ve had some patients who’ve had one treatment and have lost one pant size.” Granted, the UltraShape doesn’t guarantee you’ll never pinch an inch again, since the body’s accumulation of fat is a never-ending cycle, and the system doesn’t work on smaller areas like arms and neck, but the results are immediate and no downtime is required.

Recent technological advances have made the procedure more efficient: the machine now emits 50 per cent more ultrasonic pulses, reducing treatment time. News flash: There are whisperings of innovative fat-busting treatments waiting on the horizon, like LipoSonix, a high-frequency ultrasound already available in Europe, and ProLipo Plus, a minimally invasive, high-powered laser currently used in the U.S. Stay tuned –rumour has it both systems are being evaluated by Health Canada and may be available in clinics soon.

From FASHION Magazine, Summer 2009

althealth: Wart resisters - Uproot unpleasant plantars with vit C powder and banana peels

I think I might have a plantar wart. It’s this little lump about the size of a pinhead on the bottom of my foot that I keep picking out (TMI?), and then it leaves a little hole that eventually fills up to become a little lump again.

Mine’s teeny.

But those things can get pretty big, and they can cluster. Also, they grow roots (shudder) that go deep into layers of tissue.

Plantar warts are cause by human papillomavirus and are a pain to get rid of. And there’s no one treatment that works for everyone.

Some advocate duct tape. (It works on everything else.) You wear it over the wart for several days and then apparently, it can be scraped up. Other folks recommend apple cider vinegar, but they’re probably the same people who recommend it for everything.

What the experts say

“I’d look at nutrition, exercise, emotional health and suggest Chinese medicine: acupuncture and herbs. Local treatments can include hydrotherapy (hot foot baths), application of vitamin C powder and vitamin E oil twice a day, and taping banana peel directly onto the plantar wart and changing it twice daily. Other supportive supplements for skin health can include omega-3 oils, vitamins A, C, E and B complex.” VANESSA LEE, naturopathic doctor, Toronto.

“People pick up the virus when they are at a point of weakness in their health or if they have an open wound or sore, You can get warts around pools, from sharing shoes, gym locker rooms or from getting pedicures. Don’t go barefoot. There’s a homeopathic remedy called dulcamara that helps beat down the virus from the inside out. Oral vitamin A is helpful for boosting the immune system. Topical treatments all have salicylic acid and sometimes liquid nitrogen. Surgical therapy cuts the wart out. Warts on your hands are more superficial.” ROBERT CHELIN, podiatrist, Toronto.

“Treatments that remove the wart do not remove the root cause. Classical homeopathic prescribing, selecting the indicated remedy specific to the individual, stimulates the body to heal itself. A case example: a six year old had a plantar wart that was not responding to medical treatments. Three mornings after she took her constitutional remedy, she plucked the wart out of her foot, tendrils and all, and proudly presented this to her mother.” ZORANA ROSE, naturopathic doctor, Toronto.

“You can transmit the virus from the feet the hand or to other people. If you’re going to do anything to a wart, put some gloves on first. If it doesn’t go away with self treatment, you should see a dermatologist. It may need to be biopsied. There is a type of skin cancer that can mimic a wart. The virus is not at the top of the wart. It’s underneath. You want to remove all the dead skin cells that sit on top so that when you do the treatment you get the virus.” DR. LISA KELLETT, dermatologist, Toronto

“Plantar warts are a form of dampness and phlegm, which is the product of a sluggish digestive system. Warts are not a particularly powerful virus. They’re often part of a larger pattern sometimes associated with snoring or weight gain, chronic colds and flus. We look at a person’s nutrition and exercise and suggest acupuncture and herbs.” KALEB MONTGOMERY, practitioner of Chinese medicine, Toronto.

From NOW Magazine, May 28 - June 3, 2009 - Written by Elizabeth Bromstein

RIPPLE EFFECT - THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO MIRACLE JEANS AND SPANX, CELLULITE-BUSTING PRODUCTS ATTACK THE FAT

“LIKE A SWIFT MIGRATING FISH, THE WORD CELLULITE HAS SUDDENLY CROSSED THE ATLANTIC.”

In April 1968, Vogue made what’s documented as the earliest editorial reference to the dreaded dimple, pointing to a growing awareness of the genetic affliction. Today, it’s no new phenomenon. And the truth is that most women – and a handful of men – will develop cellulite at some point in their lives.

In addition to genes, your skin’s thickness, diet smoking and lifestyle are factors. With age, adipocytes (cells designed to store fats) can enlarge, pushing against tissues beneath the skin. The result is a dimpled, puckered appearance commonly noticed in the thighs, buttocks, abdomen and sometimes even the arms. Unfortunately, admits Toronto-based dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett, it’s a plague to which no mere mortal is immune.

While existing skin depressions are typically there to stay, evading new lumps and bumps is always an option, so Kellett advises, “Exercise, maintain a healthy body weight and consume a well-balanced diet.” Also, laser treatments, which use lymphatic drainage to improve the appearance of cellulite, and injectables such as lipodissolve, are on the menu at medical spas through the country. They are, however, pricey and can be limited in their effectiveness.

Fortunately, topical at-home options available in droves. Packed with diuretic agents and toning plant derivatives, these formulas won’t have a Polyfilla effect, but they can make temporary improvements to the surface of the skin. To maximize firming and toning benefits, be sure to follow instructions with precision.

From Zoomer Magazine, text by Jessica Green - June 2009

Ask A Derm - Is mineral makeup good for my skin?

Question: Is mineral makeup good for my skin?

Answer: “There is no evidence to support the claim that mineral make up is any better for your skin or that it allows your skin to ‘breathe’ more than conventional makeup,” says Dr. Lisa Kellett of DLK on Avenue “The term ‘mineral makeup’ is not regulated, thus it’s a case of ‘Buyer beware.’ However, mineral products that contain titanium dioxide can double as an effective sunblock. Look for one that offers SPF 30.”

From ELLE Canada - May 2009

VEINS, VEINS GO AWAY - What are Varicose Veins?

What are Varicose Veins?
Arteries carry blood to the body and veins carry blood back to the heart; capillaries connect arteries and veins. When capillaries weaken, blood can pool in the veins, making them bulge.

Causes
Although varicose veins are hereditary, increased pressure in the legs from standing for long periods of time, obesity and heat can make them look and feel worse.

Treatment
They can be treated with sclerotherapy, in which a salt-dextrose solution is injected into the veins, causing them to shrink. Support tights inverted Yoga postures and a healthy weight can help prevent or mitigate varicose veins.

Text by Dr. Lisa Kellett

From Homemakers Magazine, June 2009