The campaign is intended to educate women on the impact of small appearance changes, providing tips on how to keep your look fresh with non-invasive treatments like Juvederm injectable gel.

Become a fan of Juvederm on Facebook to receive Dayna’s tips on health, fitness and how you can maintain your best appearance.

1: Get yourself a series of microdermabrasion treatments to soften those fine lines and wrinkles, minimize sunspots, stimulate collagen production and give your face a youthful glow. Go every 2 weeks or so for a quick session and you can maintain that healthy complexion.

2. Commit to using sun block to protect your skincare investment. Obagi makes a great sunblock that won’t clog pores, make the skin feel greasy or cause unwanted breakouts. To prevent premature aging, blotchy skin and decrease your risk of skin cancer, use it regularly according the directions.

3. See a professional aesthetician for instruction on how to use the right skin care products in the proper order at the proper times. Don’t buy every trendy, shiny new skin care product that comes along. Instead, simplify and do the right thing: one aesthetician, one set of products chosen just for your particular skin, and one place to return to for periodic facials and replenishing of products. We call that skin care monogamy.

5. Get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep can contribute to dark rings under your eyes, more pimples, ashy skin and a bad attitude.

6. Join the herd of new gym members who make the same resolution each year: start an exercise regimen and do it 5 times a week. Better yet, get outside and walk or run or swim or mix it up and do all three. Vary your routine and work your body from head-to-toe.

7. Take your daily multivitamin and calcium supplements before the expiration dates elapse. While you’re at it, drink plenty of water.

8. Share these resolutions with at least two strong, honest, and supportive close friends or family members so that you can be held accountable for your actions and decisions in 2010. Send them a link to this post!

9. Quit smoking, going to tanning salons and engaging in other high risk behaviors that take a toll on your face, not to mention shorten your life. You have gifts and abilities that need to be exercised; stop sabotaging your true potential.

10. Celebrate all the changes you have made by remembering how fortunate you are to be alive and to have effective ways of optimizing your health, happiness and appearance.

Happy New Year!

As the warmer weather is upon us and we wear less clothing, it’s time to reveal the skin that has been hidden under our clothes all winter and spring.  Is that a frightening thought? Don’t despair: we’re with you on this – you don’t need stretch marks to ruin your summer. 

Here are some simple solutions to get your skin in warm weather shape, so you too can be comfortable enough to enjoy all the warm weather activities.

Laser Resurfacing has become more precise in recent years and can reduce the appearance of stretch marks after a series of treatments.  The laser zaps the top layer of skin and stimulates collagen production deep within the skin’s layers. This helps remove uneven skin tone, scars and other skin problems on the skin’s surface, restoring it to a much healthier appearance.

Fractional Non-ablative Laser Most doctors agree that once stretch marks are white, a fractional non-ablative laser is a very effective treatment. It feels like rubber band snaps on the skin, your doctor will either recommend prescription-strength ibuprofen, acetaminophen and/or topical anesthetic. Most patients will need 4 or 5 treatments, every six to eight weeks. You can expect to improve the texture of stretch marks by nearly 50% after completing a series of treatments. 

Microdermabrasion Treatments are another effective method for treating stretch marks. This procedure buffs away the top layer of skin and also stimulates collagen production. Most patients need between 3-6 treatments to see a noticeable difference, but it is still cost effective and the results are pretty stellar.

Prescription Retinoids are the only topical products that have been demonstrated to be effective for treating and improving stretch marks in the early stages. For red stretch marks, a retinoid cream applied daily for six months has been shown to improve the appearance by about 14%. For white stretch marks, color will not be restored but a prescription strength retinoic cream can help even out texture. As always, talk directly to your doctor about the benefits, the method of use and any risks. For example, you shouldn’t be using retinoids while either pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Other non-invasive skin treatments, such as chemical peels and/or prescription topicals used in combination with microdermabrasion treatments, can help improve the texture and tone of your skin. Consult with us further about skin care and stretch mark removal treatments, so you can get that body ready for this summer’s season.

If your skin is in need of rejuvenation, a few microdermabrasion treatments each year can make a big difference.  Microdermabrasion removes the top layer of skin to reveal a fresh, healthy layer underneath. We use a crystal-free device combined with a therapeutic agent.  It’s an easy procedure that can reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and even some forms of skin damage.  If you use skin products (we carry medical grade), it can increase penetration, so your daily skin care regimen is more effective.  For many patients, this combination of at-home skin care and microdermabrasion is all it takes to achieve smoother, more silky looking skin. 

If you exhibit age spots, zap them away with a Fraxel laser! The procedure can rejuvenate the skin, while eradicating age/sun spots that have appeared over time.

Sunscreen is important any time of year, but especially during these hot summer months. Choosing the right sunscreen for your face – one that addresses your skin type and skin conditions – is not always easy.  Use a sunscreen every day. For days spent mostly indoors, use a foundation with an SPF15 or higher. For outdoors you want at least an SPF45 that is waterproof or water-resistant.

The right sunscreen can prevent sun damage, skin problems, and even skin cancer.  Harmful UV rays can damage skin cells deep within the skin’s surface, making your cells vulnerable to toxins (free-radicals) in the environment. 

Let us help you maintain the health of your skin. Come visit us to find out which treatment will work best for you; then look forward to looking hot all summer long!

What optometrists labeled a ‘complication’ or side effect of using prostaglandins was “hypertrichosis,” a condition characterized by darkening, thickening, and lengthening of the eyelashes.   

 Allergan offered the topical prostaglandin Lumigan in 2001, a drug that contained the active ingredient bimatoprost. Two important precursors to Latisse occurred after the FDA gave clearance for Lumigan.

Jan Marini Skin Research Inc had over $2 million worth of product seized by the Food and Drug Administration.  The product, Age Intervention Eyelash, evidently contained bimatoprost, which was unapproved for cosmetic use at the time. Allergan later filed a patent infringement suit against Jan Marini and several other companies that had tried to market bimatoprost in their eyelash enhancing drugs.

Some doctors started prescribing Lumigan off-label to enhance eyelashes.  Knowing the desirable side effects it could produce. But Lumigan wasn’t formulated for cosmetic use and many believed more research was needed to confirm the safety of topical prostaglandins for cosmetic use.  

Clinical trials and further research is exactly what Alllergan Inc did.  In one early study, 278 healthy adults with minimal to moderate eyelash prominence applied bimatoprost or a placebo to their lash line.  The results were favorable; researchers observed that the average patient’s eyelashes were 25 percent longer, 106 percent fuller, and 18 percent darker, while only 3.6 percent experienced itchy eyes and redness, and only 2.9 percent experienced skin hyperpigmentation.  

Latisse received FDA approval late last year for the treatment of ‘inadequate’ eyelashes.  Allergan now owns the patent on use of bimatoprost for eyelash enhancement.

For more information on Latisse in California, contact us.

Here is a recent segment from the television program, The Doctors featuring Allergan’s new eyelash enhancement drug, Latisse.  Dermatologist Jessica Wu explains the benefits and demonstrates an application of the drug.

Like a certain glaucoma drug that uses bimatoprost, Latisse can give you “crazy long spidery lashes” in just 4 months. You apply Latisse to the base of the upper eyelashes once each night “just like liquid eyeliner.” The results should yield lashes that are 25 percent longer and 100 percent thicker!

See the video for before & after photos; they are quite impressive! If you are interested in learning more about Latisse in San Francisco, call or email our office.

Allergan Inc. sponsored a Hollywood charity event last month, with Brooke Shields, Mandy Moore, Marisa Tomei, and other big name celebrities in attendance, supporting the new Latisse Wishes campaign. The effort will raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation and generate interest in the new eyelash enhancement drug. A $500,000 initial contribution to Make-A-Wish was announced at the event.

Latisse is Allergan’s latest eyelash enhancing drug, the first drug to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypotrichosis (inadequate eyelashes). When applied to the base of the upper eyelids, Latisse stimulates the growth of thicker, darker lashes.

Beauty expert and participant, Anastasia Soare, enthusiastically expressed her support, saying “I constantly work to help make women’s beauty wishes come true, and now we can help children’s wishes come true through the LATISSE™ Wishes campaign.”

It isn’t a mere coincidence that the Make-A-Wish foundation was chosen as a beneficiary for Allergan’s campaign; the superstitious tradition of “blowing on an eyelash to make a wish come true” provides a clever marketing strategy, now backed by philanthropy.

Allergan is encouraging consumers to help by visiting www.Latisse.com and registering their support. From now until the end of the year, the company will donate 5 dollars for each new registration, up to one million dollars.

Latisse is now available at our office in San Francisco; give us a call for more information.

Spots are common, and that’s one reason we carry the Obagi® therapeutic skin care line.  Many consumers are aware of Obagi, but not everyone knows that it is the top skin care line sold exclusively to physicians. Obagi® has gained a solid reputation for effectiveness with its Nu Derm® System (also known as Corrective and Enhance®) which smoothes out fine lines, fades brown spots and can correct other skin imperfections in just a few months.

During the aging process, dark spots and uneven skin tone often appear on a person’s face.  A ‘mask’ may even form over the cheek and nose area, especially after pregnancy or use of birth control. Obagi Clear™ contains prescription strength hydroquinone to correct discoloration and equalize skin tones.  Hydroquinone is used for its “fading” properties, which proactively correct the early signs of skin damage by regulating the cell production responsible for its pigment.

Obagi skin care products are far more effective than any over-the-counter product, so they are by prescription.  They are specially formulated to achieve a desired end and they get visibly dramatic results!  Obagi® is considered a medical grade skin care program so speaking with a physician like Dr. Maddali is necessary before purchasing.

There’s no reason to delay treatment any longer. If you want to fade those dark spots on your face, chest and hands with Clear™ or if you’re interested in other Obagi® products, give us a call at (415) 771-7710 or request a consultation here. You’ll look better and feel so much better about your one and only face.

If you have a friend or family member who suffers from pigmentation problems, have them get in touch with us. This type of problem, when untreated, can worsen and lead to spots that are more difficult to cover up.  Many who have struggled with these problems know this firsthand.

Author and ASPS surgeon Bahman Guyuron says, “we looked at identical twins because they are genetically programmed to age exactly the same, and in doing so, we essentially discovered that when it comes to your face, it is possible to cheat your biological clock.”

Participating subjects were photographed, surveyed, and members of an independent panel then analyzed the data.  The results yielded some interesting conclusions about lifestyle/environmental factors and their effect on facial aging.

Results provided by the panel revealed that subjects over 40 who were heavier than their identical counterpart actually exhibited a more youthful (facial) appearance. Dr. Guyuron speculates that this finding provides some scientific basis to support facial rejuvenation through volume restoration – i.e. the correction of facial lipoatrophy with dermal fillers like Radiesse or Juvederm.

The study also revealed that a higher perceived age difference was found in divorced subjects and those who had used antidepressants.