Get this from the pros: “These days, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect your skin to get better as you age — no matter what the date on your driver’s license,” says Dr. Ranella Hirsch, president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery and a cosmetic dermatologist in Cambridge, Mass.

There are many “secrets” to good looking skin for you 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. Dr. Hirsch published a very good decade-by-decade skin care guide on MSNBC today. Strongly recommended read. It is an excellent blend of skin care recommendations and professional laser treatments.

All basic recommendations are very good and applicable to many. However, the true secret to your healthy and young looks is knowing what will actually work on your skin. It’s hard to figure it out without a little help from an aesthetic professional, and an educated consumer can get a lot more from a visit to an aesthetic laser clinic.

Regular skin care may be beneficial in the long run. You can spend thousands on latest cosmeceuticals and medical grade creams and lotions. Provided you can afford the expense and the time needed to follow the regimen you may have great skin well into your 50s. Bear in mind though, sun exposure may ruin months of hard work and patience in a few minutes.

Sun avoidance and sun protection are by far the most important factors determining health and looks of your skin. Everything else is secondary.

Light-based and radio frequency based technologies offer a totally different level to skin care. There are many safe and non-invasive lasers, intense pulse light and LED machines, which will make a big difference in providing a real skin texture improvement, new collagen formation, skin tightening and plumping.

More about aesthetic lasers and skin.

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A growing number of physicians are supplementing their traditional practices – and incomes – with cosmetic and aesthetic procedures such as Botox injections, laser facials, laser hair removal, spider vein removal and, in some cases, cosmetic surgery, – writes Wichita Health Care Examiner Andi Atwater.

Traditionally the domain of plastic surgeons and dermatologists, the business of beauty is booming among “non-core” physicians whose certifications and practices include family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and ophthalmology.

Physicians who become successful in the field of medical aesthetics are typically the ones who are forward looking, passionate about anti-aging and with a good business sense. A small treatment room, focus on a few procedures and a little marketing to their existing customer base is all they need to start doing what they like and add significant revenue to the practice.

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Aesthetic and anti-aging medicine, cosmetic dermatology, minimally invasive skin rejuvenation are among the most recent and dynamically growing fields of medicine. Dermal fillers, laser hair treatments, laser skin resurfacing, body contouring and laser assisted liposuctionare quickly becoming a standard offering at many forward-looking medical practices. These treatments are no longer part of the close captioned realm of plastic and cosmetic surgeons. OB/GYNs, family practitioners, internists and dentists are moving in the field expanding the availability of aesthetic services and increasing customers’ awareness.

Here is a good panel of doctors talking about cosmetic dermatology.

Botox and dermal fillers are household terms these days and people are no longer shy to talk about it. In fact, according to survey statistics released today by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), nearly 9 out of 10 respondents (87 percent) openly discuss their dermal filler treatments with others, and 7 out of 10 (70 percent) receive support from the people they told.

This trend shows that aesthetic injectable treatments continue to evolve into mainstream and widely accepted options for the everyday use. Survey results found that the typical aesthetic injectable patient is a married, working mother between 41-55 years of age with a household income of under $100,000. The survey also found that women receiving aesthetic injectable treatments are health-conscious and philanthropy minded, with the majority incorporating exercise (95 percent) and healthy eating habits (78 percent) into their lives, and many volunteering with charitable organizations that matter to them (32 percent).

In addition, nearly seven out of 10 respondents believe that BOTOX® Cosmetic (72 percent) and hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (65 percent) are important parts of their aesthetic routine. “Most people have great success with BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers; however, we need to make patients aware that even though injectables are not ’surgery,’ their administration is a medical procedure with risks that depend on the training and experience of the clinician, the clinical setting and the technique used,” says Laurie Casas, MD involved in the survey.

Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers ranked as the third most popular procedure performed last year. The most common injectable dermal fillers are Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra, Zyderm and Zyplast, and Bio-Alcamid.

Dermal fillers are being used to reduce or eliminate wrinkles, raise scar depressions, enhance lips, and replace soft-tissue volume loss.

Types of Dermal Fillers

Several classes of dermal fillers are marketed in the United States today. They include:

• collagen based fillers (i.e. Zyplast and Cosmoderm),
• hyaluronic acid based fillers (i.e. Restylane and Hylaform), and
• calcium hydroxyl apatite fillers such as Radiesse.

New promising dermal fillers are in development that will offer superior capabilities in the future.

Autologous (your own) fat is also used as a dermal filler. Your surgeon can take fat from one area (where you do not want it) and inject it into another (where you want it, such as facial wrinkles, or any other area with a loss of volume). This procedure is called lipoinjection or lipografting.

Injection of fillers usually requires the use of either a topical numbing cream or a local injection of numbing medication. Then, using a small needle, the dermal filler is injected into each wrinkle or scar that requires treatment. Some mild burning and stinging is normal and quickly resolves.

The results can last from three months to five years, depending on the filler being used. Collagen provides the shortest duration with effects lasting anywhere from three to six months. Restylane tends to last a bit longer with effects lasting from six months to one year. Radiesse can provide results that last greater than 3 years.

Dermal Fillers and Lasers

These two are very compatible. In fact, if your aesthetic physician is trained and has lasers, he or she can enhance your results dramatically by doing a combination treatment, which may stimulate the growth of new collagen and improve the skin texture. Typically IPL or laser photo rejuvenation (photo facial) is done as a separate procedure. An advanced aesthetic clinic will be able to offer a dermal filler-laser treatment combination in one seating.

Bad economy continues to cause growth in aesthetic medicine: the use of Botox and anti-wrinkle dermal fillers is on the rise, and physicians are looking for extra income by offering non-invasive treatments. Many patients are looking for inexpensive alternatives to cosmetic surgeries and good deals. But cheap may not work in this field.

We hear from many aesthetic physicians that diluting Botox vials and dermal fillers to save costs has become a wide spread practice among non-medical providers advertising prices below the actual cost. This is a bad way to save money for patients and an extremely dangerous way for providers to cut costs.

Bad treatments and improper use of botulinum toxin (Botox, BTXA, Dysport, Myobloc, Neurobloc and Xeomin) and dermal fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra, Zyderm and Zyplast, Bio-Alcamid, etc., can lead to exaggerated or droopy arches, uneven brows, drop of the lip, impaired speech, drooling or worse. A Botox party or a deep discount at a spa may cost double or triple to repair a cheap injection.

Watch this news report from Texas about the dangers of dermal fillers.

Aesthetic medicine experts are sure of this. Manufacturers are hoping for this. Consumers at large are beginning to realize this. The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery has produced another confirmation that THIS is happening.

“Cosmetic-surgery technology is advancing at the speed of light. As we learn more about the cosmetic uses for lasers, the more patients benefit from effective results and quicker recovery time. It is an exciting time for both cosmetic-surgery patients and physicians.” – says Patrick McMenamin, M.D., president of the AACS.

Cosmetic surgeons have seen a huge increase in patients opting for laser resurfacing. Over the past three years, the number of men undergoing the procedure has increased 456 percent, females, 215 percent.

Cosmetic surgeons have seen a 29 percent increase in their female clientele over the past year. Despite economic woes, women are continuing to invest in their appearances.

The top three most frequently performed cosmetic-surgery procedures are: liposuction, blepharoplasty and breast augmentation.

The most popular noninvasive procedures are Botox injections, laser hair removal and treatment with hyaluronic-acid fillers.

If you think that looking old is a downer this post and the article that prompted it is for you. However, if this advice makes you feel like you are the second sex, the discussion may also be interesting for you. Argument is useful in these cases, especially when it is online and anonymous.

Charla Krupp, who wrote the essential 2008 bestseller “How Not to Look Old”, says appearing younger and hip is even more important in tough economic times. “When I wrote [my book] I cared about women staying in their jobs longer. Now that everybody is being let go, women need to have a competitive edge.”

That doesn’t just mean working harder – it means not looking dated. “No one wants to work with old ladies!” exclaims Krupp, appearing anything but in her chic print dress with her glowing skin. “It’s not like you’re trying to look like you’re 20 years old,” she says. “You just want to look fresh, current and ageless. You want to look modern.” You definitely don’t want to look what she calls OL (Old Lady).

Apparently inspired by Charla, Lois Draegin wrote an article in MSN Lifestyle today, which sparkled an interesting debate.

My personal favorite tips are:

• Don’t wear reading glasses on a chain around your neck.
• Don’t use think pink lipstick.
• Groom your eyebrows.
• Buy new bras.
• Skip plastic surgery.

I can certainly see why the article caused some anger in the comments. In addition to many other controversial statements, Krupp’s advice may cost over $5,000 to start with, and most of the components will last you for a day. Not a very smart investment!

LaserOffers.com Advice

Laser photorejuvenation (3-4 sessions at $250-300 each) will deliver a much more profound effect on your face, looks and self esteem, which will last years. Read the article and tell us what you think.