A new hair serum I’m carrying in the office can also be used to increase beard coverage in men. It’s called 150k Hair Follicle Serum by DefenAge.
A new clinical study shows that the Defensin-containing serum caused a significant improvement in beard coverage. Study participants experienced an increase in visible beard density up to 36% after 3 months of using the serum.
Defensins are the difference in DefenAge Skincare. Defensins are anti-aging molecules that naturally awaken dormant cells.
Dr. Golomb is widely considered one of the best dermatologists in Hallandale Beach and regularly welcomes patients seeking treatment for hair loss from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami Beach, Golden Beach, Pembroke Pines, and Hollywood, Fl.
·Skin Care·Comments Off on Simplifying Skincare for Men
Some great skincare advice for men from DefenAge…
A man’s skin care routine doesn’t need to be complicated or confusing. Many guys steer clear of a skin care routine for these reasons. But, if you care about the common concerns that most men do—wrinkles, dullness, sun damage, or acne—building an effective regimen is an important step in meeting your skin care goals. A men’s skincare kit can address your various needs. Here’s one simple routine that, if done consistently, can pay off in the way your skin looks and feels over time.
DefenAge men’s skincare kit – available at Dermatology Boutique
Face Cleanser
Ditch the soap if that’s been in your repertoire over the years. Soap is extremely drying and strips your skin of its natural oils and protective barrier. A high-quality face cleanser will practically melt away dirt, sweat, excess oils, environmental stressors, and any other debris on the surface of your skin. A product with prebiotics will keep your skin’s natural barrier healthy and intact. Your skin should be left feeling hydrated and soft, not tight or squeaky clean. A great skin care routine always starts with an effective face cleanser.
Moisturizing Cream
Moisturizers help the skin stay hydrated, but your skin shouldn’t feel greasy when wearing one. The best moisturizers won’t have an off-putting smell either. Choosing a fragrance-free formula is important. A great product will absorb into your skin and you shouldn’t feel like you’re even wearing a moisturizer. With consistent use, your skin can look brighter and feel firmer. The overall tone and texture of your skin can also appear smoother and more even.
Serum
This is like a shot of goodness for your skin. The best serums are potent and designed to absorb effectively into your skin, imparting all the beneficial active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. A high-quality serum can help minimize the look of fine lines and wrinkles, revive the skin’s natural moisture barrier, improve the look of visible firmness, and minimize the appearance of skin discolorations. With an anti aging cream and powerful serum, you’re well on your way to great-looking skin.
Exfoliating Mask
If you have two minutes to spare, you can do a weekly exfoliating mask. It’s really that easy—and it makes a huge difference for the overall look of your skin. A great formula can help renew your skin and remove dead skin cells that linger on the surface. The best exfoliating face mask will gently polish and refine the look of your skin with ingredients such as ultrafine sugar crystals and papaya, pumpkin, and pomegranate enzymes, which are natural exfoliators.
Those are the basic products that will help transform your skin, so that it appears smoother, more youthful, and healthier. If you’ve been looking for an ideal way to visibly improve exhausted-looking or damaged skin, start here.
About DefenAge
DefenAge, a premier skin care line with exclusive use of defensin molecules, is known for its award-winning and age-repairing products. Products are formulated to visually improve the look of aging skin for both men and women, including men’s skin care kits. DefenAge’s dermatologist recommended skin care products include the Clinical Power Trio: 8-in-1 BioSerum, 24/7 Barrier Balance Cream, and 2-Minute Reveal Masque. Proprietary use of Age-Repair Defensins is technology that wakes up dormant cells to make brand-new, healthy cells. Improve the appearance of visible skin’s density, fine lines and wrinkles, texture, and tone with DefenAge’s line, including eye cream, cleanser, exfoliating mask, serum, moisturizer, and more. Products are made in the U.S.A. and are available at my office, Dermatology Boutique.
·COVID-19·Comments Off on The tragedy of misinformation
Allure magazine wrote a good article about all the misinformation out there about dermal fillers and the COVID-19 vaccine.
I think it is a tragedy that many filler patients refused to get vaccinated because of the misleading reports in the news media. Some reporting caused panic, confusion and concerns that were out of proportion to the actual, rare events that resolved quickly.
Yes, there have been a few, rare reactions to the COVID vaccine in filler patients, but these types of reactions are not new, nor are they unique to the COVID vaccine.
Earlier I posted a video of the CO2 CoolPeel laser treatment to reduce the festoons under my eyes. Now with these photos, you see what I looked like pre and post-procedure.
Festoons appear below the “eye bags” as a mound or bump around the cheekbones. Or, a festoon could be sagging skin or folds of skin above the cheek.
I was red immediately after the laser treatment, but the CoolPeel has less downtime and less redness than older technology CO2 lasers. The CoolPeel’s new technology delivers energy more precisely, without a lot of thermal damage to the skin, so recovery is faster.
The laser can be set to mild, moderate or aggressive and the downtime increases with the intensity of the treatment.
The treatment I had was moderate and addresses fine lines, superficial wrinkles, dark circles and festoons. The cost for this treatment under the eyes is $850. The downtime is 3 to 5 days. You can begin wearing makeup in 2 to 3 days.
Laser resurfacing with a CO2 laser encourages the skin’s natural healing process and revitalizes the area by creating better support in the skin. It also tightens the skin by “shrinking” tissue.
My CoolPeel CO2 laser can be customized to your unique needs — it is powerful, fast and gives fabulous results. After your treatment, your skin will look smoother, tighter, fresher and more youthful.
·Skin Cancer·Comments Off on Mohs Surgery Before and After
Immediately after Mohs surgery.
Mohs Provides Higher Cure Rate for Skin Cancer
I performed Mohs surgery and then did a skin graft on this patient. She had basal cell cancer on her ear.
Mohs surgery is a precise technique to remove skin cancers layer by layer resulting in a higher cure rate than standard excision or radiation therapy.
For example, basal cell carcinomas have a 97 to 99% cure rate.
Mohs also allows me to limit the size of removal and conserve normal skin to minimize scarring. After removal, I treat the wound in a manner to promote good healing and preserve cosmetic results.
The Mohs procedure can be as short as one hour as in the case of this patient, or it can take several hours depending on the number of layers and type of repair, like a skin graft. This patient’s skin graft took an additional hour.
This photo was taken 11 days after her Mohs surgery and skin graft.
I became very interested in Mohs during my residency and training at the University of Miami, and then later during my dermatopathology fellowship at Roger Williams Hospital at Boston University. A dermatopathologist diagnoses skin disorders under a microscope.
Removing a tumor and examining the tissue immediately after removal was a natural for me because of my sub-specialty as a dermatopathologist.
Designed by Frederic E. Mohs, M.D., the surgery excises not only the visible tumor but also any “roots” that may have extended beneath the surface of the skin.
This procedure is most commonly used for the treatment of basal and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common types of skin cancer, although it can also be used to treat melanoma and other types of cancer.
Mohs surgery is often recommended for recurring cancer because its results are so thorough.
My patient 3 1/2 months after Mohs and her skin graft. Her face mask is pulling the top of her ear forward in this photo.
It is ideal for treating cancer in cosmetically and functionally prominent areas such as the nose, eyelids, lips, hairline, ears, hands and feet.
Compared to other skin cancer treatments, Mohs surgery has a very high success rate. As I mentioned, basal cell carcinomas have a 97 to 99% cure rate, while squamous cell carcinomas are cured 94% of the time.
Get The Help you Need From a Triple-Board Certified Mohs Surgeon
Dr. Cynthia Golomb is a board certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon and dermatopathologist. Dr. Golomb has practiced general and cosmetic dermatology for over 20 years. Request a consultation today by calling 855-465-6621 to schedule your appointment.
Dr. Golomb regularly welcomes patients from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami Beach, Pembroke Pines, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood, Florida, for Mohs surgery.
·In the News·Comments Off on Natural Does Not Necessarily Mean Safe
I’m a believer in science and clinical trials when deciding on what to recommend to patients for skincare and of course, pharmaceutical treatments.
But right now there’s a lot of money and social media influence spent on convincing you that some ingredients in skincare products are harmful.
What’s interesting is that the alternatives pushed by the clean beauty movement often result in skin irritation, infections or allergic reactions.
As you’ll see from this editorial in JAMA Dermatology, many useful and safe ingredients have been “demonized” without any scientific evidence.
Beware of marketing terms like “natural” and “clean” and look for clinical trials that demonstrate the results of the product and show the vast majority of testers did not have adverse reactions.
You can read the editorial from JAMA Dermatology here.
·COVID-19·Comments Off on Returning to Full-Service Appointments
I am happy to let you know that I have returned to full-service appointments. That includes cosmetic procedures and full-body skin checks. But things will be a bit different. See below. I look forward to seeing you soon!
·COVID-19·Comments Off on COVID-19 tips: wearing masks, gloves and a trick to keep your phone clean
On Earth Day I recorded this video to provide tips on safety for using masks and gloves, as well as a trick to protect your cell phone.
For example, use a paper towel, tissue or coffee filter to make your mask last longer. After your mask becomes damp from respiration, it is less effective.
While you are wearing your mask, or when taking it off, don’t touch the outside of your mask – that’s the contaminated side.
Many viruses like herpes simplex, chicken pox, measles, and now COVID-19, have prominent cutaneous physical findings.
Measles is a virus that is on the rise again in the United States because of decreased adherence to vaccination programs. Measles is spread by respiratory droplets and has a long incubation period of 10-12 days. Fever, conjunctivitis and malaise begin before the rash. The skin manifestations are red blotchy patches that typically start on the face around the ears, cheeks and neck then spread to involve the body. One key feature is called Koplik’s spots — tiny blue white dots inside the mouth.
Erythema infectiosum (Fifth disease)
One of the easiest viral rashes to identify is Erythema Infectiosum (Fifth Disease). It is caused by human parvovirus B19. After about the 10th day of asymptomatic infection, there is a mild fever, malaise and headache. The rash begins a few days later with a strikingly red raised patches over the cheeks (likened to slapped cheeks). It is followed by red patches over the buttocks, arms and legs. Adults have more symptoms like fever and not feeling well. When in doubt, antibody testing is very reliable. IgM, the initial antibodies, help me to confirm the case and last only a few months. Long term antibodies are the IgG and can last a lifetime.
Chicken Pox (Varicella) is caused by the same virus as Shingles (Herpes Zoster), a herpes virus (DNA virus) also spread by respiratory droplets. Interestingly the incubation period can be as long as 23 days for chicken pox. Again fever and malaise for a few days followed by crops of blisters predominately on the face and scalp. The rash is very itchy. Chicken pox can cause lots of complications like encephalitis and varicella pneumonia.
The second stage of chicken pox typically presents in adulthood, although children can get it also. There is no convincing evidence that shingles can be contracted from another individual. The virus is an opportunist and reactivates when an individual is immunosuppressed, or when a purely personal event allows the virus to resurrect. Most of you are aware that shingles follows one side of the body and corresponds to a dermatome (skin surface along a nerve branch). Shingles can be mild or extremely painful with complications like facial palsy, involvement of the eye and postherpetic long-lasting pain.
Herpes simplex, warts and molluscum contagiosum are other viral diseases of the skin. There are numerous others.
Hives
The most recent health care crisis with COVID-19 has brought us a variety of skin presentations. Reports are now storming the medical journals with skin rashes from COVID-19. Early reports suggest about 20% of patients have skin findings including generalized hives, small bruise-like rashes, frostbite-like changes in the fingers and toes and a red lacelike rash known by dermatologists as “livedo reticularis.”
Livedo reticularis
Rashes start at the onset of COVID-19 symptoms or shortly thereafter. The rashes most commonly affect the trunk with itch that was mild or absent and resolved after a few days. The earliest reports of frostbite or purple fingers and toes were most commonly seen in those who were critically ill. Now, the dermatologic registry is expanding and most COVID toes are reported in younger patients, 20-30, who are recovering.
I have not encountered skin findings of COVID-19 as of yet with any of my patients.
I hope and pray that one of the good things that comes out of this crisis is that more and more people will realize the necessity of vaccination to prevent the spread of disease in the community. More than ever, I have encountered parents who refuse to vaccinate their children because they believed propaganda that vaccines are pushed on us for big pharma to make profits. Now there are concerns that vaccination rates are dropping further as more kids are missing vaccines due to the pandemic.
One of my earliest childhood memories is receiving the polio vaccine as a child with all of my family. A heartfelt thanks to Jonas Salk, the physician that ended the terror of polio by developing the polio vaccine released on April 12, 1955. He was a viral expert recruited by my undergraduate alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. I attended pharmacy school classes in Salk Hall.
I have a very strong feeling about the importance of vaccination and I hope that this latest pandemic will help more people realize we need to vaccinate to prevent disease.
