Now that summer is here, many of us will be participating in our favorite summer hobbies(or passions).   For me, one of my favorite activities is golf- especially when I get a chance to play with my boys.  Since I know many people enjoy this hobby, I wanted to discuss the  importance of protecting our skin from the sun while enjoying this great game.  Here are some helpful tips.

First, a hat or cap is very helpful in protecting the face from the ultraviolet light.  Large brims work the best.  Many of these hats now have UV protectant in the fabric which is an added benefit for the scalp.  Second, sunglasses with a good UV protectant are very helpful in protecting the eyelid skin from the sun,  My eye doctor colleagues also remind me that this helps reduce cataract formation as well.  Third, use a good broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB(at least SPF 15) rays before you start your round and reapply at the turn.  Most golfers hate slippery or sticky clubs;therefore, I have found that the gel based  or powder sunscreens  avoid this problem. Fourth, consider UV protectant clothing.  There has been a significant improvement in this clothing the last few years. It works well and is rather stylish.  Fifth, consider playing your rounds earlier in the morning or during the evening to avoid the peak sun intensity. Sixth, if you develop an area on your skin that you are concerned about- get it evaluated.

Have fun golfing!

May is melanoma awareness month for the American Academy of Dermatology.  This has been a very successful effort to help increase the public's awareness of skin cancer and its recognition.  Skin cancer is epidemic in the United States.  One in five Americans will develop skin cancer sometime in their lives.  The good news is that most skin cancers are curable if caught early and treated.

As a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, I will be participating in a free skin cancer screening clinic.  This will take place at Refine Dermatique on Thursday May 27th, 2010 from 1pm-5pm.  Appointments are required and limited.  Appointments can be made by calling 763 420-7546,

We are experiencing beautiful spring weather.  I just wanted to make a quick reminder about wearing sunscreen.   It will not only reduce your risk of skin cancer but will decrease your chances of photodamage and wrinkles.  It should be an essential part of your daily routine.  Long term- your skin will thank you for it.

A common problem that we see at Refine is "brown spots" on the face, neck and hands.  The first step is to evaluate the lesions.  These often are lentigos or melasma ( benign lesions) which are caused by sun exposure . For some women hormones play a role.  However, these should be evaluated first clinically by a trained person to make sure they are not cancerous or precancerous lesions.  Once they are determined to be benign lesions one can embark on treatment options.

The most critical part of the treatment regimen is daily sun protection.  One can then possibly utilize topical agents to help with the process.  We have found the topical vitamin A agents and some of the bleaching agents to be helpful.  We have found that Broadband Light (BBL) therapy to be very effective in lighten these areas. This is a laser like device that has a filter that can be utilized to selectively target the color brown. It is a nonablative procedure with no down time. We generally do a series of treatments to obtain best results. For deeper pigment, we can utilize ablative laser devices (Microlaserpeel & profractional)  to lighten the areas.

This past week I saw a patient in follow up from St. Cloud.  She had started Latisse(bimatoprost opth solution) approximately 3 months ago.  She had marked improvement of her eyelashes.  She was very happy with the improvement.  We expect her to continue to do well.  The mechanism of action appears to be the way this product affects the growth phase(anagen) of the hair cycle.

This patient is very typical of our clients' results. All of clients so far have marked improvement.  Results generally take 8-12 weeks.  Most of our clients are then able to decrease the amount of product they are using.  We have found that it is very important to use this product correctly to minimize side effects and maximize results.  If you decide to try Latisse, make sure you  get proper instruction on how to use the product.

This past week there were several articles in the news reconfirming the effectiveness of topical vitamin A products on the skin.
These recent studies reconfirmed that topical A products are very effective in improving texture, fine wrinkling, and pigmentary changes.  Many of these  changes are secondary to photodamage on the skin.

These studies reconfirm what dermatologists have known for years. These products are excellent in helping the skin have a better more youthful experience.  They work at helping the skin lay  down new collagen and elastic tissue which is responsible for these positive changes.  Personally, I think they are extremely important in a skin care regimen, I rank it almost as important as daily sunscreen.

The biggest drawback to using vitam A preparations is that they can be drying.  However, I have found that with using the right strength for your skin  and with the proper education on how to use it , a majority of people can use it without difficulty.  We carry the Vivant line of Vitamin A products which was created by Dr. James Fulton (co-creator of Retin A).

This past week I saw a gentleman in followup for his rosacea.  What has bothered him the most has been the significant redness along his face.  It has been very bothersome for him and has affected some of his public speaking because he is embarrassed by it.  We started him on a gentle cleanser, daily photoprotection, and a topical agent at night.  In addition, we started him on BBL treatments for the facial blood vessels.  After starting this regimen, and having 3  BBL treatments he is significantly better.  The redness has improved dramatically and he is not embarrassed to do his public speaking.  We cannot cure rosacea, but for many we can improve it significantly.  It is very gratifying when we can make a difference.

This week in my general dermatology practice I saw a woman in her mid 40's that had a skin cancer on her cheek. We removed it and she will do well. The interesting point;however, is that the area had been present  for 8 years.  It had been bleeding and growing for  several years.  Because of the delay in getting it evaluated, it had grown to a significant  size and was much more complicated to remove and repair .  It this would have been seen years before it would have been a much simpler and easier treatment for this patient.

If you have an area  on your skin that is changing and /or won't heal, I urge you to get it evaluated.  Skin cancers generally are very treatable and curable;however, the earlier they are diagnosed and treated the better. Even better- if you have had alot of sun ,get a baseline skin exam.  There are many things now that can be done to help photodamaged skin and reduce your risk of skin cancers.

We really try hard at Refine Dermatique to minimize discomfort with our procedures. We are always looking for new products or techniques to help us in this quest. Very recently, Allergan came out with their new product Juvederm XC.  This product incorporates a preservative-free local anesthetic(lidocaine) into the syringe. This helps alleviate discomfort with the local dermal filler injections. 

We have already had 2 weeks experience with this new product. We can tell you that our clients are giving it the thumbs up. It really works well and we are excited that it will make these injections even easier for patients.

The other day after finishing a laser procedure on a genteman from the Twin Cities, I reminded him to wear his sunscreen.  He looked at me a little perplexed and said " It is winter, are you kidding?"   I informed him that I was not kidding. It is true that the sun intensity is less here in the wintertime;however, it is still important to protect your skin from the sun in the winter. Sun damage is cumulative. If you are not careful in the winter, you are adding to that cumulative damage.  Over time this cumulative sun damage will increase your risk for skin cancers and precancerous lesions.  At Refine Dermatique, we spend most of our efforts combatting the effects of photodamge that cause pigmentary changes, wrinkling, texture changes, as well as loss of radiance of the skin.  We feel very strongly that daily sunprotection will be worth your time and efforts.