Congratulations on your decision to go back to work!  You have a lot to contribute.  But let’s face it, it is a competitive, youth-obsessed world out there.  They need your skills but there is such a premium on youth that more experienced executives can be passed over.  There is no question that cosmetic treatments and surgeries can enhance your appearance and enhance your competitive advantage in the workplace.  These improvements will boost your self-confidence and allow you to project energy and authority.  So let’s consider a few ways you can make your transition back into the work world as smooth as possible.

We cannot prescribe a set of procedures or lifestyle changes that everyone returning to work should follow.  You won’t find a “blue plate special” here with a prescription for all readers to get a Beverly Hills facelift with the works.  Minimally invasive services like BOTOX, Restylane, and facial liposuction can make a world of difference with little or no surgery.  What may be right for someone else is not necessarily ideal or even desirable for you.   Regardless of your career path, your treatment needs will depend on your unique circumstances, physical features, medical history, and personal goals.  What we can suggest are some good ways to decide what to do next.

Determine Your Goals

Think about your goals as you return to work.  You want to improve your looks, and this can take many forms.  Ask yourself what specifically you want to improve about your looks and how you want this to impact your professional life.  For example, you may want to look healthy and vibrant; improving your diet, work out routine, and making changes like finally quitting smoking can help you look trim and improve your health.  You may want to convey personal style that can fit into a serious corporate environment; in this case you could change your wardrobe by adding some new suits that flatter you and command respect.  You may wish to look energetic and youthful; correcting wrinkles and restoring your face’s youthful beauty through cosmetic treatment may help you to feel confident and help others recognize that you have a lot to offer.  You don’t want to look as if you are unhealthy, cannot dress the part, or are about to fall asleep from fatigue or stress.

There are many effective ways to improve your looks, and you’ll likely want to pick a combination of image-enhancing changes.  This could mean that you need to hit the gym and switch to a makeup that better matches your complexion.  It may mean that you need to lose ten pounds, have your teeth professionally bleached, throw out the slacks that no longer convey your personal message, and correct the dark circles under your eyes with Restylane.  Think about what you need to improve, and start there.

Cosmetic procedures are an important option for many who seek a more professional appearance and increased confidence.  Many find that others view them as more capable because they don’t look exhausted, aged, or upset from the toll that age, gravity, stress, and sun damage take over time.  Depending on your situation, a facelift may balance your features, BOTOX may erase worry lines, a chemical peel may rejuvenate your skin, or an eyelid surgery may correct ptosis.  The only way to know for sure is to consult with one of the best cosmetic surgeons.

Transitioning to Your Professional Face

Many people find that, as they return to work, looking forward to the upcoming changes gives them the motivation and drive they need in order to meet their appearance-oriented goals.  You might discover new motivation to make healthy changes in your eating habits, find a fantastic outfit for interviews, and begin a cosmetic treatment plan soon so you are ready to make a great first impression.  Whatever the best options are for you, we advise you to apply your motivation and enthusiasm into both your job preparations and your professional look.  Make taking care of your appearance and your health a regular part of your new lifestyle.

There are many cosmetic treatment options that require little-to-no downtime, and you can often return to work the next day or take a long weekend.  This depends on the procedure, your healing, and your treatment plan.  Dr. Steinsapir focuses on minimally invasive procedures that give you the most benefit for the least downtime.  He aims to have you in social situations as quickly as possible, with a swift recovery time and natural results.  For example, many who choose facial liposuction with Dr. Steinsapir have it on a Thursday and return to the office on Monday, and nobody is even aware that they had surgery; they just assume that their colleague is losing weight and feeling brighter.  On the other hand, if you are seeking a facelift – perhaps the single most powerful facial surgery for improving one’s appearance – you may need to allow adequate recovery time, depending on the procedure, your job, and your facelift recovery.  In these cases, it is wise to consider seeking treatment today so you can be ready to go back to work at the end of your healing period.

Consult with the Best

Dr. Steinsapir practices medicine at both UCLA and in West Los Angeles, where he specializes in facial cosmetic surgery and oculofacial plastic surgery.  Because of his specialization in minimally invasive facial procedures that emphasize fast recovery and natural results, Dr. Steinsapir has an exceptional understanding of the complex ways each part of the face influences and interacts with the other parts, enabling him to customize each treatment for the individual.  He has extensive experience in treatment and research, as well as a prestigious educational background at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, The University of Chicago, Jules Stein Eye Institute, and other fellowship training.  Dr. Steinsapir is a forward-thinking leader in facial cosmetic treatments who has developed Deepfill Restylane and the patent-pending Microdroplet BOTOX procedures.  If you want to add more confidence to your career decisions, contact us today to see how a consultation with one of the best professional cosmetic surgeons can help you attain your best professional appearance.

Chemical Peel Before and After Photo

While many people greatly benefit from different types of chemical peel, including an acne facial peel, not everyone is a good candidate for the chemical peel.  For example, certain skin types are sometimes not compatible with chemical peels, and certain medications are not either.  Unfortunately, if you’ve had recent Accutane treatment, a chemical peel that might be a great fit for you under normal circumstances may need to be postponed.

Why can’t I have a chemical peel during Accutane treatment?

Accutane, also called isotrentinoin, is a highly effective medication that controls severe acne.  It effects the oil glands and stem cells in the skin while inhibiting angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).  Accutane has long term effects, including some of the above as well as inhibited healing of the skin.  Medical reports associate Accutane use with increased scaring after facial treatments, as Accutane delays healing this increases the risk abnormal healing after a chemical peel.

Since there is evidence that these healing inhibitions can be long-lasting even after Accutane treatments have been completed, we recommend that you wait twelve to twenty-four months to pursue a chemical peel treatment.  The chemical peel is a profound procedure that works because of the skin’s ability to heal itself while improving epithelial covering.  When performed by an expert specialist, the results are truly astounding, but if you’ve had Accutane treatment within the last two years then you may heal with scaring while people without a history of Accutane treatmet will not scar.  Accutane and chemical peels should never be undergone at the same time, even though both are excellent options for the right people.  Due to your increased risk of scarring, you should always wait after Accutane treatment before considering any facial procedure that has the potential to create scarring.  It’s a good idea to wait two years after treatment to get your facial peel, and be sure to consult your dermatologist and inform the doctor who will perform the chemical peel of your complete medical history, including Accutane use.  If we examine laser resurfacing vs chemical peels, we find that the risk that laser treatments may result in scars is at least as high as the risk of chemical peel scars, with the added risk of changes in skin texture and discoloration.  The best thing you can do right now is take excellent care of your skin, follow your doctor’s advice, and wait a couple years until after you have complete Accutane treatment, and then seek out a consultation from a master chemical peeler.

Consult with a Physician Who Cares

Chemical peels help to open up pores and can reduce acne, but you must be sure to not use a chemical peel with an incompatible treatment.  Dr. Steinsapir performs expert chemical peels in Los Angeles and always prefers to err on the side of caution rather than risk scarring.  That is why he will ask you about your medical history, including Accutane treatment, and advise you to consult with your dermatologist too before proceeding with a chemical peel.  If enough time has passed, you may be an excellent candidate for a chemical peel or another treatment like Fotofacial in Los Angeles, depending on what you and your cosmetic doctor decide is your best option.

We invite you to a no-risk consultation with Dr. Steinsapir.  He’ll help you understand how chemical peels work and if you are a good candidate for one.  Dr. Steinsapir has an extensive background in chemical peeling combined with practical experience, and he is esteemed as having both the medical and artistic vision needed to masterfully perform a chemical peel.  Call us today to learn more about how Dr. Steinsapir can help you.

Chemical Peel Before and After Photo

Wear Sunscreen

Minimizing sun exposure is the singlemost important and effective measure you can take to prevent your skin from looking aged.  In face, about 90% of the changes we see that we associate with aging skin are caused from photodamage.  Preventing photodamaged skin is not just about looking younger, either; it is about improving your health and preventing dangerous conditions like skin cancer.

While it can be glamorous to visit the tanning salon in a convertible, understand that both the sun and tanning salons expose you to harmful ultraviolet (UV) light, which causes the bulk of photodamage for most people with aging skin.  It can take some years for the effects to add up to visible damage, which is why it’s just as important to wear sunscreen when your skin still has the glow of youth as it is later in life.

Many people with sun-damaged skin benefit from a Photofacial (also called Fotofacial) or a chemical peel to correct problems like dark spots, fine facial lines, deep furrows and creases, loss of youthful skin elasticity, and changes in the skin’s overall coloration.

Wearing sunscreen isn’t going to reverse sun damage on face overnight or replace a cosmetic facial treatment if you are to the point where you need treatment, but it will prevent a lot of problems down the line and make your treatment last longer.  Whether you are absolutely satisfied with beautiful skin, you need too see a cosmetic surgeon in Los Angeles to treat aging skin, or you have recently had treatment, you should be wearing sunscreen to protect your skin from aging faster and developing serious health problems.  Sunscreen is for everyone.

Drink Lots of Water?

Hydrated skin looks healthier and younger. However, there is absolutely no evidence that drinking eight glasses of water a day actually hydrates the skin in a meaningful way.  Some say that drinking lots of water keeps nutrients moving through your body and toxins moving out.   But really this is more popular nonsense than actual science-so don’t drive yourself nuts polluting the earth with empty plastic bottles that once held fancy water from France.  Often the best daily approach is to use a good facial moisturizer to help hydrate the outer layers of the skin.  These products don’t need to cost hundreds of dollars to make a difference.  The fancy products that get touted on the talk shows are often no better than the $30 moisturizer from the drug store so don’t spend $300 for a moisturizer from the department store; that just is not worth it!

Eat a Healthy Diet

This should be a no-brainer, but the way we eat shows up in our skin.   However for the most part we get all the vitamins we need from our over able diets.  So unless you are living on cigarettes and potato chips, taking tons of vitamin supplements will not help you in the same way that a truly healthy lifestyle will.  Your skin especially needs essential fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6.  You can find this in foods like walnuts, fish, and flax seed oil.  However, there is no need to do this in excess and your current diet probably contains all of the essential oils your skin needs.

Whenever possible, opt for whole wheat grains over “white” breads.  Eat fruits and vegetables, nonsaturated fats, and low-fat dairy products.  Balance is key.  Use common sense and the advice of your doctor or dietitian.  Your whole body will feel better.

Improving the way you eat is not going to give you a facelift if you need one; it will, however, help you feel good and protect your skin from rapid aging.

Quit Smoking

Our skin contains natural enzymes that constantly repair our skin.  Although they can’t stop our skin from aging, they keep it healthier for much longer by fixing damaged skin every day.  Cigarettes contains dangerous free radicals and toxins that destroy these enzymes that work to repair our skin, and smoke products also destroy elastin and collagen, which keeps our skin young and healthy.  If you are a smoker, remember that everytime you smoke you are speeding up the aging process in your skin.

Please stop smoking.  Your health will benefit in countless ways, and the state of your skin will stabilize and stop aging at such a rapid rate.  We’re not saying that it will be easy, but there are a lot of great resources out there to help you quit.  Be sure to set a date for when you’ll be smoke-free.  This will help make your goal a reality.

Control Your Acne

Some people are naturally more proned to acne than others.  While there is some debate about what exactly causes acne, we all know that it doesn’t look good and can leave behind permanent scars.  Consult a dermatologist to help get your acne under control.  This will help to keep your skin young and prevent acne pits and scars from developing.  Your dermatologist will be able to help you assess the best treatment plan.  Dr. Steinsapir may be able to help you with a chemical peel to treat acne if you are a good candidate for this safe procedure.

Please note that Accutane, a powerful treatment, is not compatible with most cosmetic procedures as it impairs your ability to heal.  This can be a great treatment for some, so talk to your dermatologist about your options.  Do be aware that you won’t be able to have many cosmetic procedures for a year or two after you end your Accutane treatment, so be absolutely sure to disclose any history of Accutane treatment with your cosmetic surgeon before pursuing further treatment.

Take Time to Destress

Stress shows up in our skin, often contributing to lines and creases in the face.  Gravity, stress, and age all take their toll on our skin.  Be sure to find time to relax and get enough sleep in addition to the guidelines above.  You’ll look and feel better!

Consult with an Expert

You don’t have to care for your skin without help.  Your regular doctor, dermatologist, and cosmetic surgeon can all educate you about how to keep youthful skin and how to treat problems of aging skin.  Dr. Steinsapir specializes in facial cosmetic procedures in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, including keeping facial skin young, through minimally-invasive treatments that provide natural results.  Call us today to schedule your individualized consultation with Dr. Steinsapir, who can answer your questions about how to both treat and prevent aging skin.

Chemical Peel Before and After Photo

When Do I Need a Chemical Peel?

Your doctor will go over this with you at your consultation.  Some general indications are:

•    acne with or without scaring
•    dark spots that have developed over time
•    aging skin from sun exposure
•    intrinsic skin aging
•    fine lines
•    creases and deep furrows
•    loss of skin elasticity
•    scaly dry skin with irregular brown spots
•    premalignant lesions
•    an overall yellowish hue to the skin due to chronic sun damage

Some patients may benefit from other procedures, like a facelift or facial filler, which can only be determined by an experienced surgeon at an individual consultation.

Which Chemical Peel Should I Get?

This depends on factors like the condition of your skin and what kinds of problems it has, your treatment goals, your skin color as classified by the clinical Fitzpatrick scale (which factors in how easily you sunburn), and other individual conditions.  To give you an idea of available chemical peels, here are some that are effective depending on the personal circumstances:

Alpha Hydroxy Agents

This peel is usually delivered in a series of treatments to improve mild brown spots and freshen the skin tone.  We derive alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) from fruit and dairy products, most commonly using glycolic acid to smooth the skin.  If your skin is suffering from discoloration and darkening from damage, skin bleachers combine synergistically with AHA to lighten the skin nicely.  Repeated treatments yield new collagen and elastin, which is thought to reduce skin sagging.  AHA can be used in an acne facial peel to improve your complexion, too.  Very low concentrations of about 2-15% are available over-the-counter, which generally are not concentrated enough to cause dramatic improvement on their own, but can be used as an effective at-home treatment in conjunction with stronger treatments from a cosmetic physician.

Jessner’s Solution

This balance of resorcinol, salicylic acid, and lactic acid is a mild treatment that can be combined with TCA to treat the skin more deeply.  When combined with TCA, which by itself is a mild to moderate peeling agent, Jessner’s Solution is a mild peel with increased skin effects.  Generally, those being treated with Jessner’s peel alone need frequent treatments (perhaps monthly) and would likely benefit from a stronger peel performed two or three times per year, which would create similar or better results.

Trichloroacetic Acid

Depending on your needs, your doctor can apply trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in any number of strengths to achieve your desired results.  Depending on the concentration strength, your doctor may administer a regional anesthesia and oral or intravenous sedation to ensure your complete comfort.  After TCA treatment, your skin will be fresher and smoother.  Generally the maximum concentration of TCA used is 35%.   TCA solutions of 50% are less predictable and can sometimes result in scaring.  The better option is to opt for an effective but less concentrated treatment that will provide predictable benefits without unwanted scars or use phenol which will safely peel deeper into the skin.  The exception to this is the so-called Cross method using 95% TCA for acne scar pits.

Phenol

This peel, when made into an 89% solution, creates a medium-deep chemical peel used to peel the face.  Phenol formula is remarkably effective at addressing problem lines, improving all but the deepest ones.  The tightening of the facial skin achieved with this treatment can, in some cases, rival facelift results without the need for surgery.  This peel can address sun damage, sun-spots, pre-malignant actinic keratosis, which left untreated can progress to in-situ squamous cell carcinomas. Since this agent is both strong and effective, your doctor must be cautious in its application.  Conservative applications are best because, when overdone, phenol can contribute to scaring, but in lower quantities it is a reliable, powerful treatment.  Very few patients require treatment of this depth on their whole face.  Instead, your doctor should use phenol to treat only small areas of the face where problems are most severe.  It may take 10 to 12 days to heal from a phenol peel while your skin rejuvenates.  Because the skin can stay red up to four to six months, some patients wear coverup and love their results, while many men find that this subtle hue readily blends into their complexion without concern.

Are Fruit Peels Safer Than Chemical Peels?

It’s important to understand that fruit peels are chemical peels, but milder and usually less effective than the chemical peels outlined above.  The word “chemical” scares a lot of people, but it’s important to understand that everything is a chemical, scientifically speaking, and chemical peels have a safe track record.  Fruit peels are generally made of mild alpha hydroxy acids and citric acids extracted from fruits.  Some may think it’s better simply because they hear the word “fruit” instead of “chemical,” but this peel is superficial with minimal benefits.

Should I Get the New Melange Peel?

This peel, which you receive at an office and then leave on for several hours at home, does receive a lot of internet hype.  There have been fantastic claims made about the Melange Peel. It is important to separate marketing hyperbole from reality: while you can expect mild improvement in skin tone, the real issue is do you get real value for what you have been asked to pay?

Expert Treatment

Chemical peels are not something a doctor can learn in a weekend seminar, but something a doctor must perfect by treating hundreds of faces.  The peel is an art form and your physician will assess the best peel or combination of peels for your unique situation.  Find a board certified surgeon with actual fellowship training in cosmetic surgery who has a long history performing facial peels for satisfied patients.

Dr. Steinsapir demonstrates his face peel expertise through years of experience, and his chemical peel before and after photos demonstrate his skill as both a cosmetic surgeon and an artist.  Call us today to schedule your consultation and find out which peel is most suitable to your needs.