BAXT CosMedical Plastic Surgery Paramus New Jersey Dermatology NJ

Sunscreens

cosmedical — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:55:21 +0000

I love commenting on the New York Times. That is where so many people get their health care information. Yesterday, they had a big picture of a sunburned young woman, and a long article about sunscreens. Sunburns increase the risk for skin cancer. Sun rays cause pigment, wrinkles and premature aging of the skin as well as skin cancer.

Sunscreens can be so confusing. We often see burns even when people are using sunscreens and here are where we find the pitfalls–

1. expired sunscreens-make sure your sunscreen is up to date

2. lack of reapplication-make sure you reapply every 2 hours, or more if in the water or wind or sweating

3. not using enough-apply liberally-grease it up! most people only put on a tiny bit, which doesn’t work well.

Other sunscreen advice–make sure its broad spectrum UVA/UVB coverage and at least an SPF 30 or higher for summertime use. There is a smaller difference between 30 and 45 than between 15 and 30, but the higher you go, the better the protection, as long as it is a good quality sunscreen. Look for good ingredients such as Mexoryl, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide or Parsol 1789/Avobenzone.

I find many people burn with spray sunscreens-not sure why. Either the sunscreens don’t work as well, or people don’t apply them properly. Personally, I stay away from the sprays. On hairy surfaces, people sometimes like gel based sunscreens better. Those are fine, but they don’t last in the water as well. Also, anything that says waterproof or sweatproof is not correct. There is no such thing as waterproof or sweatproof. All sunscreens need to be reapplied.

Sun safety also includes- seeking shade, wearing a hat preferably with a broad brim since a baseball cap only shields the upper face, wearing protective clothing, and trying to stay out of the brightest rays from 10-4 if possible.

Enjoy your summer!

Rebecca Baxt, MD, FAAD

Office Experience/Quality of Care

cosmedical — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:41:26 +0000

Yesterday, the New York Times front page had a very unflattering article in my opinion about dermatologists who have two separate waiting rooms and separate staff for medical versus cosmetic patients. I can’t imagine such a system, but I guess it does exist. We have one recently redone waiting room which our patients enjoy. We have one staff, one phone number, one set of examination rooms, etc. We treat our patients all the same-with respect and kindness–the same way we would want to be treated at a doctor’s office. We encourage people to make follow-up appointments whether they are in our office for medical or cosmetic reasons. We see medical and cosmetic as one unit–hence our name–cosmedical! We offer our cosmetic patients skin cancer screenings, and if medical patients want to discuss cosmetic treatments, we give them the information that they need. We treat people as human beings, not as one type of patient or another. We know that you will have a great experience in our office! That is why most of our new patients are referred by our current patients, and we appreciate that. We are always willing to accept criticism, and we are certainly not perfect in running our office-sometimes there are emergencies and we run behind, etc, but we do our best everyday to serve our patient population. We hope to see you soon.

Melanoma and Sunscreen

cosmedical — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:33:21 +0000

Again, the New York Times hits on some very important topics, and they usually do it well! 7/22/08 articles in the science section mention that Melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer, is increasing at a rapid rate in young women. This may be due to increased tanning with ultraviolet lights in the tanning beds, and increased tanning behavior in the sun. Many young women still think tan is beautiful. Unfortunately, ultraviolet sun rays cause skin cancer. Melanoma skin cancer kills people. It is so very sad to have a young healthy person die because of a mostly preventable disease. It can usually be cured if it is caught early enough. Yearly skin cancer screenings by a Board Certified Dermatologist are what we recommend. For people at higher risk with light skin and a lot of sun damage, or with family histories of skin cancer and lots of moles, we see these patients more often. We take photos in our office to document what a mole looks like so we can see if it changes and needs a biopsy. We have a full selection of excellent sunscreens for protection that we recommend.

The New York Times also talked about sunscreens. The only problem with sunscreens that we see is that people don’t use them enough, or often enough, or a large enough amount. People put a small amount on once or twice a day and think that it is adequate. The sunscreen does help prevent them from burning, so they are able to stay out in the sun for a longer amount of time. This pattern does not help them. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied at least every 2 hours, more often if you are sweating a lot or swimming. Sunscreen should be applied liberally. I find that people who use spray sunscreens tend to get burned more often–either the people don’t apply it properly, or the sunscreens don’t work as well as a rub on sunscreen. We recommend at least an spf 30, higher for people with skin cancer or severe sun damage. There are lots of good sunscreens out there so buy them, use them liberally and frequently. Also, use a hat, wear protective clothing, and try to stay out of the strongest rays in the middle of the day if possible. Seek shade. Do the best you can, and make sure you get a skin cancer screening. Two patients yesterday gave me big hugs thanking me for saving their lives by picking up a melanoma early before it spread. We hope to see you soon.

Rebecca Baxt, MD, FAAD

BOTOX-my thoughts

cosmedical — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:14:04 +0000

Botox is one of the miracle medications of this and last century. It was originally used years ago to help relax tightened muscles in patients with muscle conditions. Now we have Botox Cosmetic from Allergan, which is used for cosmetic correction of wrinkles on the face. It works great for lines between the eyebrows, forehead, crow’s feet, etc. We do use it around the mouth and also under the arms to reduce sweating. Botox changes patients lives. People who always looked angry and tired, now look happy and well rested. No one knows that they’ve had Botox injections. It can help people with migraines be headache free, though its not yet approved for headache treatment. People who have been embarrassed about sweating through their clothes daily, can now wear anything they want. It is one of the safest medications on the market. The press tends to report negatively on Botox because i think it sells stories. People are jealous of the great results patients get with Botox and then want to bring them down. Most of our patients are working people, who spend their hard earned money on self-maintenance such as Botox Cosmetic. It makes them look good, compete in the workplace, and best of all they feel good about themselves. It is done in a quick office visit with minimal discomfort. The main side effects are bruising and a headache. We have never had anything bad happen to any of our patients with Botox. As I said, it is one of the safest products on the market. The results can last anywhere from 2-6months, on average 3-4 months, depending on the area and amount injected. Results get better over time, so most of our patients require fewer units and less frequent injections after a few years of treatments. I tell people to look at it like getting your hair cut or going to an exercise class- budget it in as self-maintenance. We offer free Botox consultations so call us 201-265-1300 x5.

Dr. Rebecca Baxt

Restylane

cosmedical — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:00:04 +0000

RESTYLANE

As I often tell my patients “the body doesn’t read the book”.

Last month I saw one of my patients who had not been here for 2 years. She came in to have her Restylane redone ( after all they recommend every 6 months). We looked at her photos together (see link below- Section: Fillers - Restylane # 3 photo). She looked as good as the day we had injected her 2 years ago.

We have been using hyaluronic acids (Restylane) since 2004 when they were 1st FDA approved. We have been extremely happy with the cosmetic results and find especially in our younger patients long lasting results.

http://www.cosmedical.com/gallery/bcm-before_after.htm

Saida Baxt, MD

Dark Circles Under the Eyes

cosmedical — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:04:04 +0000

Another New York Times article on 6/12/08 reiterating what we always knew at Baxt Cosmedical NJ. There are thousands of under eye creams which claim to get rid of dark circles, but none of them are proven to work. We always try to help our patients by designing skin care programs that work for them at our office in Paramus, New Jersey. We see patients from all over the country, and especially all over the New York tri-state area. Many patients bring in bags of expensive and useless creams that have wasted their money and time. Let us tell you what really works, and what doesn’t work to improve your skin. Get an expert opinion.

Rebecca Baxt, MD

SmartLipo MPX

cosmedical — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:13:50 +0000

This is being written early summer of 2008. We just put ourselves on the list to be one of the first in the country to obtain the new SmartLipo MPX. At this point I believe the laser liposuction method known as Smartlipo has become the standard of care and quite well-known in the general medical community. We were the first ones in the state of New Jersey to have the technology and at this point probably have one of the largest series of treated patients. The new laser has two different wavelengths blended together and almost makes the original machine obsolete. The original Smart laser was designed for small areas where as the new technology is useful for large areas. Probably the single greatest advance is its ability to shrink skin to a degree that we could not even imagine using the original machine. This will increase the many patients that we would say “no” to in the past. Keep looking online and you will soon see a high volume of posts regarding this amazing new advance. Also watch our website www.smartliponewjersey.com for possible upcoming patient trials.

Don’t forget your sunscreen

cosmedical — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:16:09 +0000

I have seen so many patients in the office this month with sunburns because its May and they didn’t think it was time to use sunscreen yet. Sunscreen of at least a 30spf, broad spectrum covering uva and uvb rays, applied generously every 2 hours, or more if you are in the water or sweating a lot, is what we recommend. Many of our patients use a 60spf which is better than a 30spf. A hat helps so much in protecting the face from harmful rays. A broad brimmed hat is best to protect the whole face, but a baseball cap will help with the forehead, cheeks and nose. Put on sunscreen everyday, and keep some in your car or pocketbook, so there is no excuse for forgetting it! We have a sunscreen that works for any skin type for sale in our office. Sometimes its hard to find a good one at the supermarket, especially if you have rosacea or very sensitive skin or acne. Make sure you protect yourself and your skin from early aging, sun spots, wrinkles, and of course skin cancer. Skin cancer kills so many people, and its mostly preventable. We hope to see you soon for your skin check. And don’t forget your sunscreen.

Dr. Rebecca Baxt

Male Scarless Breast Reduction - Gynecomastia

cosmedical — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:40:58 +0000

Since we began with ”Scarless” male breast reduction about five years ago we have begun to attract patients from a very wide area. The technique itself for the Scarless gynecomastia operation involves the use of an instrument which will actually grind up the firm glandular tissue within the breast allowing it to be suctioned out as you would with the normal fat. We have occasion to use this only about 25% of our patients but in that patient group it avoids what can be an unsightly scar around the areaola. There is another larger patient group now with this applies and that is patients taking steroids or “food supplements” which contains steroids. This usually leads to development of heart glandular tissue which responds well to the Scarless approach. There is a short video on our website actually demonstrating the device itself.

Accent Skin Tightening Seminar

cosmedical — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:42:55 +0000

We are planning a free seminar, demonstrating the extraordinary capabilities of the new radiofrequency medical devise, ACCENT. This is the first successful and safe method we have seen for actually tightening skin without surgery. It will be held in our office on Wedesday June 4. If you are interested just call the office. seating is very limited.