What are women's worst skin habits?

MANILA, Philippines - Q: What would you say are the worst skin habits that women have now?

A: There is another side to the anti-aging coin, a somewhat alarming trend of both women and men, driven to start serious (and often very costly) surgical procedures at a younger and younger age. New fillers designed to plump up facial lines are being rushed to market and intensively advertised. Moreover, the use of neurotoxins (neuro-nerve — toxin — poison) that paralyze muscles to smooth out wrinkles and expression lines is also rampant.

When we lose muscle mass and tone, we lose the youthful contours of our face and body. We know that the ultimate weak muscle is one that is paralyzed, leading one to conclude that paralyzing the muscles in the face may not be the best strategy for achieving a youthful look during the ensuing years. While these products offer the quick fix, what will be the long-term result?

I believe that there will always be a place for a wide variety of procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, but I do not believe that the future of youthful-looking skin lies in an acceleration of invasive treatments, injectible fillers, neurotoxins or radical surgery

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The goal of a dermatologist

Q: Vogue named you “The best dermatologist of the United States” for your research. How have your investigations helped the dermatology world?

A: My goal has been to treat the underlying causes of skin problems, from aging to acne, rosacea, psoriasis, as well as wrinkled, sagging skin. To do this we need to not just address the symptoms but the actual cause. In my own case, I firmly believe (and many physicians and scientists now concur) that chronic sub-clinical inflammation is responsible for these diseases as well as an acceleration of the entire aging process. As a dermatologist, I treat the entire body both internally and externally with state of the art anti-inflammatory technology, much of which I began to research and patent decades ago and continue to do so to this day.

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How to erase spots of pigmentation

Q: Last year I changed my skin care regimen to include a retinol product. This caused some damage to my skin, leaving spots of pigmentation on my checks, as well as a brownish scar. What can I do?

A: It sounds as if this product may have caused a condition known as post--inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Try a skin care regimen that includes products containing natural anti-inflammatories, such as alpha lipoic acid or pycnogenol. Further, toner pads containing the powerful anti-inflammatory DMAE should help relieve this condition. Alpha hydroxy acid creams can also help to even out skin tone.

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Send your questions to N.V. Perricone, M.D. through lifestyle@philstar.net.ph