The sun – the source of energy for life on earth – also emits potentially dangerous rays that damage our skin
Ultraviolet light is essential to life on earth – but it can also kill. Emitted by the sun, ultraviolet light warms the earth, is used by plants to store energy as carbohydrate molecules (which also releases life-giving oxygen as a waste product) and enables our bodies to produce vitamin D, an essential mineral for our health. However, ultraviolet light also has a dark side, causing damage to our cells that can lead to premature skin aging and cancer.
Summer has finally arrived, so it’s definitely time for hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. Have you ever stood in the aisle at the drugstore facing row upon row of sunscreen, not knowing how to choose one from the next? Let’s see if we can make your next purchase a little simpler.
It’s only skin deep, but melanoma is a potentially deadly spot caused by exposure to ultraviolet light from either the sun or artificial light sources. There will be 6,000 new cases of melanoma in Canada this year, and another 1,050 people are predicted to die from this cancer. In North America, someone dies from melanoma every hour.
This week I had a patient in for a consult. She was a young girl, mid-twenties, with darker skin. She had decided to purchase one of those hand held devices that apparently is a laser for permanent hair reduction. Well the first thing I thought was, “poor girl just wasted a few hundred dollars on a useless machine.”
When one understands what it takes to make a laser powerful enough to destroy a hair root without destroying the skin, the complexities involved in absorbing a specific target without collateral damage, do you really think you are going to be able to purchase such a device online?
A medical esthetician goes to school to learn how to remove hair with lasers, just like a doctor, dentist or lawyer has to learn how to do their job. To assume you can just purchase a machine that can destroy a target found in the dermis of the skin without any training or background knowledge is kind of, well, uneducated (to put it nicely). Each laser has a different wavelength, which means what it is attracted to is different at each wavelength. Not only that, but certain more shallow wavelengths can only be used safely on light skin, and absolutely without a tan.
So, this patient showed me her legs. What surprised me the most were the red bar lines going up her shin from the knee to the base of the foot. Of course the device wasn’t appropriate for her skin type, but how was she to know? I was surprised that it was strong enough to cause burns all the way up her legs, but then I realized that it wasn’t about how strong the device was, it was about how shallow the wavelength was. Her hair won’t be destroyed, it didn’t penetrate deep enough. But, there is a definite possibility she will be scarred, if not permanently, then at least for a long time.
I have seen these devices or other ones saying they treat acne, brown spots or redness, stimulate collagen and tone the skin. They are popping up on sites like Beyond The Rack, Gilt, and EBay amongst others. I have known patients to purchase chemical peels online and come in scarred. And I have had patients buy their Skin Medica or SkinCeuticals products via some “beauty discount” sites. In every case so far, the product they purchased was not only fake but wasn’t even similar, with exception to the packaging. One of my patients purchased Skin Medica Redness Relief and was so proud to tell me she bought it online for a great discount. When she brought it in to show me, it was a cream (of what, who knows?). The real product is consistent with an ointment, nothing like what she got. Big disappointment!
Buyer beware! Medical Grade Lasers are hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase. You will not get the same results with a $300 home device, ever. Doing your own chemical peels is an invitation to burn yourself, and buying medical grade products online is rolling the dice. Find a clinic that you trust, a medical esthetician who has your best interests in mind, and don’t take stupid chances.
If you want a bargain, go to an outlet mall for clothing or shoes. Don’t discount shop when it comes to your health and beauty. You may just get what you paid for.
~ Sheri Roselle, Medical Esthetician at Toronto Dermatology Centre
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I remember when Groupon and the like started popping up all over the place. I thought “oh my, what is this going to do to the esthetics industry?” At first, it was easy to just go about normal business, catering to those who were inclined to go to the best clinics choosing quality over bargain hunting. But within a year, it was almost impossible to stand up to the intensity with which the Groupon coupon craze had infested itself upon our industry.
Still, we at Toronto Dermatology Centre held our ground. We knew it was going to be hard to compete with the crazy bargains that were being offered, and yet we knew we had a lot more to offer. Using the top of the line lasers mixed with the best educated, most experienced medical estheticians, and under the guidance of world class dermatologists, we could give safe, effective and relatively painless results and peace of mind to our patients.
Besides, the numbers just weren’t adding up. How could companies offer ridiculous rates such as $99 unlimited laser hair removal for a year? At those rates, they wouldn’t even be able to pay their estheticians, let alone their overhead (and lasers typically cost over $100,000). There was no way around it, it just couldn’t work, not even with cheap “spa/salon lasers” and inexperienced staff. And then it started happening. People were showing up at our clinic, disillusioned with lasers, saying they didn’t work, or worse yet, they received burns and scars, or that their med spa or laser clinic had closed down and taken their money. And no doubt they weren’t getting the results they were looking for. While laser hair removal typically takes about 6 treatments at our clinic with minimal discomfort, we were hearing stories of patients on their 24th or 32nd treatment of “laser hair removal,” clearly using inferior spa/salon level lasers and not medical-grade lasers, and likely at the wrong settings. Would you go bargain hunting for eye surgery? Would you bargain hunt for a face lift? I certainly hope not.
For the past three, almost four years, Toronto Dermatology Centre has only grown and grown. We made it through the Groupon trend without succumbing to the peer pressure and that is probably why we are here today. So many companies lost their businesses by charging less than their daily output, and others suffered because of the competition. We were in a very fortunate place. Our dermatologists dealt with OHIP patients, and those patients knew to trust their specialists. They knew they would get top quality service, and at still very competitive pricing. And more importantly, they knew we were here to stay.
For whatever reason your current medical esthetics clinic is not working for you, whether it be because you aren’t getting the results you seek, are not enjoying the company of the staff or worse, that the place has closed its doors, we are here. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals. Because of that way of thinking, there is no doubt we will be here for many years to come.
~ Sheri Roselle, Medical Esthetician at Toronto Dermatology Centre
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Our very own dermatologist Dr. Anatoli Freiman is chair of the Canadian Dermatology Association’s Sun Protection Program and reviews sunscreens use for the summer. Check it out in “How to know which sunscreen to use this summer“.
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We’re sometimes asked whether this lesion or that lesion can be removed at our dermatology centre. The simple answer is that any lesion, lump or bump that you can see or feel in the skin can be removed by our award-winning dermatologists and plastic surgeons, making Toronto Dermatology Centre one of the most comprehensive dermatology and skincare clinics in the country.
There should be no uncertainty whether we can remove something, but if you want to email or call us just to check, that’s fine too.
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Many people still don’t know that at Toronto Dermatology Centre, we offer one of the most comprehensive skin cancer clinics in Canada. Our dermatologists provide full skin exams, examination of skin lesions by dermoscopy, and we have outstanding plastic surgeons for removing of skin cancers. Skin cancer is incredibly common, particularly the three main types: basal cell cancer (most common), squamous cell cancer, and melanoma (most deadly). While doctors most commonly discuss these three skin cancers, there are in fact many other skin cancers, pre-cancers and concerning lesions including Actinic keratoses, Merkel cell cancer, Bowen’s disease, Keratoacanthoma, Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and more which your dermatologist will screen you for. If you’re fair skin, or have lots of moles, or had many sunburns growing up, or have a personal or family history of skin cancer or tanning salon use, or are older than 50, make sure to have a dermatologist screen your spots on a regular basis.
Image Credit: http://www.livefitthrive.com/
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Dr. Barankin was recently quoted in “Clearing up the confusion about acne” which was published on the Skin Care Awareness website, as well as in the National Post. Dr. Barankin reviews in this article the causes of acne, the importance of proper treatment, and the issue of antibiotic resistance. Check it out: here.
When one understands what it takes to make a laser powerful enough to destroy a hair root without destroying the skin, the complexities involved in absorbing a specific target without collateral damage, do you really think you are going to be able to purchase such a device online?
