SKINNY THE
SPRING 2014
refreshed BEAUTY Suzanne Bruce & Associates Dermatology
DOES YOUR SKINCARE REGIMEN CONTAIN G.R.A.S.S.? - SEE BACK PAGE
Where’d You Get Those Eyes?
What’s New by Suzanne Bruce, MD
Welcome to The Skinny – our magazine devoted to giving you all the inside information to keep your skin healthy and beautiful. Springtime is here, and I love this time of year! It’s a time of transformation full of possibility. In our spring Skinny, we present you with several new ways to transform and refresh your skin’s health and beauty. First, clearing up acne and improving the appearance of acne scars can change the lives and boost the self-confidence of teenagers and adults alike. Acne and acne scars are two of the more frequent conditions we treat. See how our arsenal of acne-fighting treatments can help you. With bathing suit season on its way, we show the transformation that can be accomplished to get you ready with CoolSculpting® – freezing away fat in a non-invasive, no downtime treatment. Then, waking up tired eyes without surgery has never been easier or faster. Finally learn how to successfully navigate the skincare aisle through technology and knowledge. Also, don’t miss Micropen™ - it’s one of our newest facial rejuvenation treatments, and it’s getting glowing reviews. Find out why on the back page. Thanks to all our loyal patients and to all our new clients at our Katy location. We are here to serve you and provide the latest in medical and cosmetic treatments. We look forward to seeing you soon to get you ready for summer.
Acne and Acne Scars by Syed O. Ali, MD
In Houston, summer equals HOT! With the heat of summer, many people unfortunately experience unwelcome acne flares. In our clinics and our research centers, we’ve been helping teenagers and adults beat acne for 17 years. We have the experience to help cure your acne and help erase the marks left behind in the form of dark spots and scarring. Ultimately, leaving you with the clear and smoother skin you are looking for. Our dermatologists are specialists in developing a tailored skin care regimen and treatment plan for you to look your best all year long. The first step is always clearing the skin of any active acne and guiding you on how to stay clear. Once the acne is gone, we have the latest technologies that can start smoothing out scarring and clearing any discoloration that is left. Often times combining several different treatments yield the best results. Our technologies and treatments can include mild spa treatments to no-downtime procedures like CoolBreeze™ (acne and acne scars) and Ultherapy® (acne scars) to more aggressive non-ablative fractionated lasers like Fraxel® and ResurFX™ for smoothing the skin. Fillers can also be very helpful for acne scars by lifting up deeper defects that laser/ultrasound treatments cannot improve.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and an under-eye innovation have greatly improved our ability to treat tiredlooking eyes without surgery. First, last fall the FDA approved the treatment of crow’s feet wrinkles with BOTOX® Cosmetic. We have been treating crow’s feet with Botox “off label” for quite some time, but getting official FDA approval means a carefully done scientific study proved Botox is safe and effective to use for this area. Treating both the frown lines between the eyebrows and crow’s feet can result in a beautiful lift of the brow that opens up the eyes and reduces hooding of the upper lids. To complement the brow lift and crow’s feet reductions, we now have a breakthrough new noninvasive treatment to reduce the appearance of under-eye bags within an hour. This innovative at-home treatment is called Neotensil™. It is a simple, two-step system that creates a flexible, breathable invisible film on skin that compresses and supports the under-eye area. The tightening and smoothing of the under-eye area lasts up to 16 hours. The home kit contains 50 applications. I had the treatment at the spring American Academy of Dermatology meeting, and the results were dramatic. Want to try Neotensil to see how your undereye bags will respond? Call our office to arrange a single treatment. It can also be added to many of our cosmetic treatments like Botox. You will love the instant gratification provided by this revolutionary new product. It’s like Spanx® for the eyes.
[This 25 year-old woman was troubled by her acne scarring on her cheeks. After picture shows 7 months after her Fraxel® treatment. This is an untouched photo of an actual patient of Suzanne Bruce and Associates.]
BEFORE
AFTER
Take, for example, the patient in the before and after pictures. We started managing her active acne with topical and oral medications; then we followed up with a combination of Fraxel and Ultherapy which uses focused ultrasound therapy. The photographs show a complete resolution of her active acne and a significant reduction in scarring. While this is only one example, we have multiple different treatment plans that depend on age and severity. If you suffer from acne or acne scarring, know that there are solutions out there. Schedule a consultation so we can tailor a unique therapy for your skin needs.
by Suzanne Bruce, MD
Shaping Up for Summer with Coolsculpting® by Jennifer Peterson, MD
It’s nearly bathing suit season, and to help you look your best this summer, we recommend CoolSculpting®. CoolSculpting is a noninvasive device used for body contouring and sculpting. This means no surgery, anesthesia or downtime is required to create effective fat reduction. The procedure is best for treating small areas of fatty tissue, which are resistant to diet and exercise or for patients who are not interested in surgical procedures. CoolSculpting uses an applicator with 2 cold plates to selectively target fatty tissue, while sparing the surrounding skin tissue. This cold exposure causes a low-grade inflammation within the fat cells called cryolipolysis. Ultimately, cryolipolysis results in a slow destruction of approximately 20% of the treated fat cells over the next 4 months. The most common areas we treat include the abdomen, flanks (“muffin top”), hips, thighs, arms, back, and along the bra fat area. We understand that not all bodies are created the same, so our practitioners will develop a customized plan for you. At your consult, one of our practitioners will evaluate your tissue to make sure it will be amendable to the procedure. The entire procedure takes 1 hour to perform per area treated, and patients often enjoy reading a book, working on their laptop, or playing with their tablets during the procedure. Over the next 2 months patients see a gradual improvement in body contours. For further improvement, a second treatment can be performed 6-8 weeks later. Because your time is valuable, we have 2 CoolSculpting machines at each location, which allows us to treat 2 areas simultaneously and gets you through in half the time. Let us look at a real CoolSculpting case. Here we see our patient before and 2 months after treatment of her lower abdomen and the flanks. This procedure took 2 hours to complete. In the after photo at
AFTER
BEFORE
[This 39 year-old woman was troubled by bulge on her lower abdomen and the bulges on her hip area (flanks). After picture shows 2 months after her CoolSculpting® treatment of the lower abdomen and flanks. This is an untouched photo of an actual patient of Suzanne Bruce and Associates.]
ARTWORK BY DIXIE FRIEND GAY
left, see how the bulge in her lower abdomen is flatter and more sculpted. Also, the flank areas now follow a smooth, flat contour that extends from the waist down to the hip area. Our patient was very satisfied with her results. She felt more confident in her summer clothes and swimwear.
We look forward to seeing you at our Katy/Cinco Ranch and Galleria area offices and developing a CoolSculpting plan to help you get summer ready!
Spring 2014
The Right Lotions, Potions and Serums by Brisa Contreras, Patient Care Coordinator
We have all purchased skincare products at some point and hoped for the best, not really knowing if they would really do what was intended or if they were even right for us. A good skincare regimen is a key part of our daily routine. The right combination of products protects our skin, and the real payoff comes from continued long-term use. Over time the benefits are preventative and restorative helping stop sun damage, improving pigmentation and blotchy skin and lessening the signs of skin aging, such as enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles, and dullness. To help deal with all the product confusion and avoid unnecessary expense, we came up with a program that helps tailor your regimen to suit your uniqueness AND provide efficacy at the same time. We call it Seeing Is Believing. Seeing Is Believing is a 90-day challenge that combines products that are stronger and more effective than what you can buy over the counter with high resolution photos (VISIA®) to show the quality of your skin and progress made during those 90 days. The photo system uses 8 special filters to score the state of your skin: wrinkles, texture, pore size, spots, brown spots, underlying damage, redness, and bacteria. If you use our hand-picked products for 90 days and follow your progress with visual proof, you will create a new habit that will improve your skin long-term. We select each product based on scientific research; in addition, we have had years of seeing our patients truly benefit from products with proven active ingredients. All of our regimens are built around a core guiding principle called G.R.A.S.S.. The acronym stands for Growth Factor (G), Retinols (R), Antioxidants (A), Specialty Products (S) and Sunscreen (S): each letter standing for an essential component of a successful regimen. By organizing our products along set categories, it is easier to build a regimen that has all the right elements for the desired outcome. In the last 3 years we have placed hundreds of people on the program with much success! If you haven’t come in for a free Seeing Is Believing consultation, we highly recommend that you do. Just the VISIA photography alone is an incredible experience that will have you understanding the condition of your skin as you have never before. Your consultation will help you navigate the many lotions, potions and serums available and come up with the right combination for you and your skin. Schedule your consultation today with one of our skincare experts – me, Heydy Hillis, Patricia Kornmann or Maria Antesoda, RN.
Micropen™ for softer, smoother skin by Maria Antesoda, RN
Micropen® is another new facial skin rejuvenation treatment in our Katy office, and our patients are giving it glowing reviews. We recommend this treatment for those with mild to moderate photodamage and early signs of skin aging. It uses automated tiny needles to create controlled micro-injuries in the skin. These small holes trigger your skin to heal the wounds by producing new collagen. This new collagen helps to thicken the dermis, filling in wrinkles and scars, and giving your skin a softer, smoother feel. Brown spots at the skin surface also lighten as the pigment gets extruded through the tiny holes as they heal. After the Micropen procedure, a light treatment is performed to enhance collagen building and speed healing followed by application of an antioxidant serum. To get optimal results, we recommend a series of 3 to 6 treatments. Each one takes about 30 minutes, and there is little to no downtime involved. Micropen can benefit all parts of the body: face, neck, décolleté, arms, hands, legs, abdomen and back. Visit our blog for more information and before and after pictures: blog.sba-skincare.com.
Upcoming Events! KATY LUNCH & LEARN
MAY 14
“Getting Rid of Wrinkles and Brown Spots ” 12PM - 1PM
GALLERIA SPECIAL EVENT
MAY 16
Enjoy amazing savings at our SkinMedica® Peel Event. Appointments Required
8AM - 5PM
KATY LUNCH & LEARN
MAY 22
JUN 19
RSVP
“Getting Ready for Summer featuring CoolSculpting® and Sclerotherapy ” 12PM - 1PM
KATY LUNCH & LEARN “Finding your perfect skincare regimen with G.R.A.S.S. ” 12PM - 1PM
If you would like to attend any of our upcoming events please RSVP to events@sba-skincare.com. You can find more information on our website at www.sba-skincare.com.
Syed O. Ali, MD I Suzanne Bruce, MD I C. William Doubleday, MD I Leigh Ellen Eubanks, MD I Tracy Katz, MD I Jennifer Peterson, MD I April Harrison, MPAS, PA-C Board Certified, American Board of Dermatology; Fellows, American Academy of Dermatology
1900 St. James Place, 6th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056 I 23510 Kingsland Blvd., 3rd Floor, Katy, Texas 77494 713.850.0240 I www.sba-skincare.com © 2014. Suzanne Bruce and Associates P.A. All rights reserved.