The Golden Rule of Skin Care: New Year New You

Happy New Year to you! I wanted to start off 2013 by providing you with information to help you make informed decisions about your skin health, and to introduce you to treatment options that you may or may not know about.  Over the next five weeks, I’ll go over the following “New Year New You” skin care topics

• Advice for the new year
• Professional skin care treatments
• Laser Treatments
• Dermal Fillers
• Cellulite

Today I want to start with some advice that is relevant for ANY type of procedure you might be interested in.  Let’s jump right in!

The golden (skin care) rule to live by  

Tweet this skin care tip

I have read some crazy things in chat rooms, forums, even in the comments section of my Facebook page, and I worry that people do things to their face out of desperation without fully understanding the risks involved.  Make this your year to fully educate yourself before paying good money for bad, or even dangerous treatments.

Where to collect skin care information?

If you are reading this online, then you are already just a few clicks away from an avalanche of great aesthetic information.  Listed below are some of my favorite, and most trusted sources of online information.  Nothing beats a conversation with your own doctor, or aesthetic professional, but researching skin care information before the meeting will help both of you determine your best treatment options. Spend a little bit of time familiarizing yourself with the links below, and bookmark this section/post so you can reference the links whenever you need them.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

WebMD

American Academy of Dermatology

Skin Inc.

Les Nouvelles Esthetiques & Spa

International Dermal Institute

Real Self

My Web Site & Blog(shameless, I know)

DermTV

What questions should I ask?

Once you’ve done your research, set an appointment with your Doctor or Esthetician to go over the different options for whatever skin care treatments you might be interested in.  Here is a suggested list of questions to ask.

1. Tell me everything you know, and have experienced with this treatment/procedure.
2. Are you certified by any licensing agency, professional organization, or educational institution to perform the treatments/procedures we are discussing?
3. Were you specifically trained in the field of (fill in the blank)?
4. Am I a good candidate for this treatment/procedure, and why?
5. What will be expected of me to get the best results? What will I need to do after the procedure to maintain the results?
6. Who will perform the procedure?
7. Have they been specifically trained in this procedure? May I see proof of training?
8. How many times have you done this treatment/procedure?
9. Where and how will you perform my procedure or treatment?
10. How long of a recovery period can I expect?
11. What are the risks and possible complications associated with my procedure? Please be specific and detailed.
12. How can I expect to look over time?
13. Do you have “after” photos I can look at for this procedure?*
14. What results are reasonable for me?
15. How much will this treatment cost in total (include procedure, medications, products, etc).

Print this list

This list should just get you started. Feel free to add any questions you wish.  Remember, this is your face, your skin, your body. You are the best advocate for you–do NOT let your Doctor, or skin care professional talk you into anything you are not well informed on, or comfortable with.

* Always ask for “After” pictures.  You should only be interested in what the skin looks like afterwards. When you look at “before” pictures, your mind automatically makes judgements and comparisons about the models skin. This inevitably sets you up for unrealistic expectations.  Just my two cents.

Second opinions

If your treatment is even slightly invasive, or something’s not feeling 100% right, get a second opinion. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks, this is about YOU!  Any provider that is truly confident in their abilities, will not be offended in any way when you get a second opinion.

Ok, enough soapboxing!  

What are you most interested in learning about in the New Year New You Series?