Photoaging, or sun damage, happens when the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays or artificial UV lights cause the skin to age prematurely. You may develop deepening wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, and sunspots (skin discoloration). While non-surgical treatments may improve some skin changes caused by sun damage, severe photoaging may require facial plastic surgery to restore a youthful appearance. July is UV Safety Month, and our board-certified plastic surgeon wants you to understand how UV light ages you and what you can do to reverse those changes.

How UV Light Ages Skin Tissue

Excess sun exposure causes a sunburn that may itch or peel in the short-term but carries much more severe (and dire) consequences long-term, such as loose skin and skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation alters the DNA in your skin tissues, causing premature aging, skin discoloration, and other changes.

UVA light is a type of solar radiation that reaches through the superficial skin layers (epidermis) to the deeper skin tissues (dermis), damaging collagen and elastin fibers, epidermal cells, and tiny blood vessels called capillaries. That damage causes your skin to lose its supple, taut structure. UVB is another type of solar radiation that damages the epidermis, leading to photoaging and precancerous cells (actinic keratoses).

UV damage is cumulative and happens daily, not just when you go to the beach or an outdoor event. Those minutes spent sitting by a window on your commute or weeding your garden add up.

Treating Sun Damage with Plastic Surgery

Non-surgical methods may improve some photoaging, but the loss of skin elasticity and collagen lead to severe signs of aging, such as jowling, drooping eyelids, and loose neck skin. These aesthetic changes are best addressed with facial plastic surgery. These procedures can counteract photoaging and restore a younger appearance.

1. Facelift

Sun damage shows up on the face and neck first. Facelift addresses skin laxity in the lower half of the face by removing loose skin, rearranging underlying muscles, and removing or redistributing displaced fat for a more youthful facial contour.

2. Neck Lift

The neck region is just as delicate, thin, and exposed to UV rays as the face, but many people forget to care for their necks when they apply sunscreen and skincare products. The skin on the neck experiences sun damage at the same pace as the face or faster in some cases. Neck lift removes excess fat that may appear as Venus rings around the neck, excises loose skin, and tightens the platysma muscle that causes vertical neck banding.

3. Eyelid Surgery

The delicate eye area is also vulnerable to photoaging. Blepharoplasty removes loose skin to address drooping eyelids and can also address crow’s feet wrinkles, under-eye bags, and other age-related eyelid concerns.

Dr. Ary Krau is a well-known plastic surgeon in Miami and nationwide for his natural-looking results and media appearances. As a former reconstructive surgery instructor at the University of Miami, he has extensive experience in intricate facial procedures. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon who can help you turn back years of photoaging to look like a younger “you.”

Schedule a consultation with Dr. Krau in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, by calling (305) 861-6881.

The post 3 Face Procedures to Improve Skin Damage from Sun Exposure appeared first on Ary Krau MD.

When asked about the biggest beauty trends of 2019, here’s what Dr. Krau had to say.

Top Makeup Trends

“Your lips but better”: Walk into any Sephora and you will be greeted by rows and rows of red, pink or berry-colored lipsticks. But in 2019, beauty enthusiasts eschewed bright shades, instead buzzing about the perfect “your lips but better” shade — a natural looking color that ever-so-slightly enhances your natural lip color.

A luminous body glow: A fresh-faced glow will always be on-trend. But in 2019, beauty lovers embraced a head-to-toe glow, similar to what you see on celebrities hitting the red carpet. The look is easily achieved with products like shimmering body lotions or balms.

Full, natural-looking brows: Painted-on, product-heavy eyebrows were on their way out in 2019, making way for fuller, natural-looking brows. Think perfectly imperfect brows that are fluffy in front and mildly groomed at the tail.

Top Skin Care Trends

Clean skin care products: This year more companies entered the “clean beauty” space, offering products free from harmful irritants or questionable ingredients. Offerings from brands like Drunk Elephant and Farmacy were particularly popular.

Men’s personal care products: Women are not the only ones who want to look and feel attractive, and personal care companies like Jack Black and Kiehl’s now offer more products aimed specifically at men’s skin care needs.

Most Popular Professional Treatments

Microneedling: Few professional treatments created a buzz in 2019 like microneedling, which uses a needle-tipped, pen-like device to create miniscule punctures in the skin. This process stimulates the production of new collagen and elastin to improve a range of conditions including fine lines, wrinkles, acne scarring, uneven skin texture and brown spots.

Dermal fillers: Dermal fillers have been popular for years, but injectors are continuing to find versatile ways to use these products. In addition to smoothing out wrinkles and facial folds, fillers are now commonly used to add definition and contour to the cheeks or plump up hollow-looking temples.

Hydrafacial: Millions of people experienced the benefits of the Hydrafacial in 2019. The facial, which uses a special device that cleanses the skin and infuses it with hydrating serums, helps create a brighter and clearer complexion.

Achieve Your Beauty Goals in 2020

Dr. Krau’s passion is helping patients look and feel their best. If you want to enjoy a more radiant appearance in 2020, he can help. Contact our practice today to request a consultation with Dr. Krau to discuss your personal beauty goals.

The post Top Beauty Trends of 2019 appeared first on Ary Krau MD.

Sleeping and Wrinkles

During sleep, especially sleeping on the stomach or side, gravity can cause what is known as facial compression, which in turn can cause wrinkles and possibly skin stretching. Sleep wrinkles are actually different from expression wrinkles in terms of their origin, location and directionality. In fact, researchers believe that sleep wrinkles are different enough from “regular” wrinkles that a wrinkle classification system should be created.

The facial distortion created by the forces from sleep contributes to the overall aging of the face. Sensitive facial tissue is prone to stretching from physical reactions known as shear compression and tensile mechanical force. The overall result is that sleep wrinkles are less predictable and inherently different from facial wrinkles.

Treating Wrinkles with Botox

One option for dealing with sleep wrinkles is to undergo Botox treatment. Botox involves targeted injections of a protein derived from the Botulism toxin that has the ability to freeze and paralyze certain muscles. The injections temporarily relax the facial muscles in a specific area and the overlying wrinkles become less noticeable. The effects of Botox can be seen within a week of treatment and last up to six months, at which point repeat treatment is needed.

Treating Wrinkles with Juvederm

Juvederm is an injectable dermal filler used to smooth moderate to severe facial wrinkles. Juvederm is particularly well suited for several common types of wrinkles, including:

• Crow’s feet (wrinkles around the corners of the eyes)
• Nasolabial folds (deep folds between the cheek and nose)
• Marionette lines (wrinkles between the nose and the outer corners of the mouth)

Dr. Krau looks forward to discussing sleep-related wrinkles and the possible solutions with you. Please call (305) 861-6881 to schedule an appointment with the doctor.

The post What Happens to Your Skin as You Sleep appeared first on Ary Krau MD.

Here, Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Ary Krau discusses some common makeup mistakes that might be aging you. He also shares possible solutions.

Your lipstick calls attention to lip or laugh lines.

Bright or dark lipstick shades can call attention to lines around the mouth. Also, as the border of the lips softens with age, lipstick can bleed or smear around the mouth.

Solutions: Lip liner pencils can help define the edges of the lips, and a softer shade of lipstick is typically more flattering. A more effective solution is to enhance the lips and smooth creases around the mouth with an injectable dermal filler product.

Foundation or powder settles into your wrinkles.

Using a heavy hand to apply foundation or powder can cause the product to settle into wrinkles and fine lines. The effect is even worse if the product doesn’t match your skin tone.

Solutions: Check with a professional makeup artist to ensure your face products suit the color and tone of your skin. Use a tiny bit of moisturizer to sheer out the foundation. Treatment with Dr. Krau can also help smooth your face’s “canvas” so your makeup goes on more smoothly. He can use Botox or injectable filler to fill in forehead creases, lines between the eyebrows and nasolabial folds.

Your concealer makes the skin look dry and cracked.

Concealer is a tricky product. It should minimize the appearance of dark circles or brown spots, but it often makes the skin look dry and cracked, highlighting the problematic areas.

Solutions: Use a “luminizing” product, which should make the skin look radiant. And, talk to Dr. Krau about a treatment for brown spots. Fraxel laser skin resurfacing can lighten brown spots for an even skin tone.

Eyeliner draws attention to your droopy eyelids.

Eyeliner should define the eyes and enhance their beauty, but it isn’t very helpful to aged, droopy eyelids. Also, many women apply liner to the lower lids only, making them look smaller and “bottom-heavy.”

Solutions: Use a soft eyeliner pencil on both the upper and lower lids. Or, for an even subtler result, use a dark eye shadow applied with an angled brush. If you have significant sagging in your lower or upper eyelids, ask Dr. Krau to explain how eyelid surgery can help.

Look Like a Younger Version of Yourself

For more information about any of the anti-aging procedures mentioned in this post, please contact Dr. Krau and schedule a consultation. Call (305) 861-6881 to make an appointment with the doctor.

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