Category: Science

Botox: A Cure for the Sweats

It’s the last of summer weather and along with the pool, ocean, rivers and streams comes heat, humidity…. and sweating.

Fear not! Among the many magical properties of Botox, add the treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis, commonly referred to as “sweaty armpits”.

It’s true: Botox very efficiently reduces the smell and volume of underarm sweating- much more efficiently than deodorant. It’s also extremely long-lasting: between 6-12 months of relief. Most people request treatment at the beginning of summer and go an entire year before filling up again.

I have been an early adopter of Botox treatments, and now am happy to include this very effective option along with all the wonderful Botox benefits of facial rejuvenation. Will it make your armpits look younger? I doubt it, but let’s find out!

Please feel free to call or email us for more information.

Because you deserve to know.

Best,

Dr. Koplin

Revelations about Sunscreen

The simple formula is: SUN = AGING + CANCER

Sunscreen is a necessity to preserve the youthfulness of your skin.  If you want to be in the sun- then you must protect yourself from its negative effects.

From the beginning, sunscreens have been made from chemicals which block the damaging Ultraviolet rays of the sun.  They also sting when they get in your eyes.  The stronger the block (SPF), the more oily they get.

Now there is word from the FDA that the chemical components of sunscreen can enter the bloodstream at levels significantly higher previously thought.  And it’s unknown whether there are any harmful health effects.  What does this mean?  Chemical sunscreen may be bad for you, and particularly bad for children.

But there are alternatives.  Mineral sunscreens are made from Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide.  They block UV rays mechanically via the nanoparticles of the two mineral compounds.  They don’t sting when they get in your eyes.  They’re not greasy- in fact, they have a wonderfully soft texture at all strengths.  And they are not absorbed into the bloodstream.

Is this a no-brainer?  I think so.  Check out the mineral sunscreen options such as TiZo- they are great!

I also have my own packaging in a cool and convenient pump bottle available at my office.

Come in and try the samples in the waiting room, talk with us about it and enjoy a cup of coffee while you’re at it.

Because you deserve to know.

Best,

Dr. Koplin

September 24, 2019

Coffee with Cica and Caroline


IMPORTANT NEWS: COFFEE WITH CICA AND CAROLINE

To my wonderful and loyal patients,

Cica Huston-Fleiner, who has been my surgical coordinator and wizard-of-everything in my office, has elected to choose a more leisurely pace for her life. As I can’t really disagree, I have reluctantly accepted her resignation and am wishing her the very best as she and her husband Kenny prepare to retire and enjoy the benefits of a lifetime of successful work. They have sold their home here and plan to move to a lovely abode in La Quinta next month.

You might all imagine, and you would be correct, that I am excited for her and sad for myself, as our entire office will miss her smile, charm, wisdom and expertise. Fortunately for me, Cica has already reached out to find a most wonderful and talented person to replace her. Caroline Alexander has her own history of running extremely successful plastic surgery offices, and does so with a similar Cica-like smile and wise demeanor.

As the two of them transition over the next month, all of us at the office celebrate the wonderful history that Cica has given us and are already missing her (even thought she hasn’t left yet!) We would like to invite all of you who have known and loved Cica to join with us in the process. If you are in the neighborhood, in the mood and have the time we would love to see you all and I know that Cica would love to give you a hug. Share a cup of fresh coffee with her. Introduce yourself to Caroline and get to know her. Drop by, or call, or send her an email or all of the above so that we can all remind Cica how important she has been in our lives, how much we love her and how much we will miss her.

Thank you for listening, and the coffee’s on me.

Dr. Koplin

July 31, 2019

How Men See Colors

Guys, how often are you being corrected on your descriptions of things? I’d say I’m pretty good at the spoken and written word…. except where it comes to describing colors.

Men see in one-word colors: blue, purple, yellow, green…… you know what I mean. “That Ferrari is red.” “Look at that crazy blue shirt!”

Women? Holy cow, you need a book—or an app—to describe anything, and it is never a single-word color. I just looked up and found at least thirty shades of blue, ranging from Celeste to Midnight Blue. At least as many purple shades from Amethyst to Violet, and even more yellow—from Acacia to Yellow Rose. Just look at any photo of plants or trees to see the literally hundreds of shades of green. Guess what? Each one has its own name! And Shades of Grey- we know at least fifty (lol)!

Guess what—there is a scientific basis to this! In a 2012 Brooklyn College study, women really did excel in discerning shades of blue, yellow and green. The biological reason seems to be how testosterone (or lack of) affects neuron development in the brain’s visual cortex.

Evolution at work? Women, as gatherers, may have become better adapted to recognizing close-at-hand, static objects such as wild berries. Men, on the other hand, have been found to have “significantly greater sensitivity for fine detail and for rapidly moving stimuli”. This means that men—who were the hunters—could “detect possible predators or prey from afar and also identify and categorize these objects more easily.”

Whew! That makes a lot of sense to me (I’ll write about this in another blog), and now I don’t feel so bad!

I have lovely pink fabric gowns in my office, which are much nicer than the blue paper ones I used to have. But I just found out the gowns aren’t pink—they are Dusty Rose! I bet even those old paper gowns were more Aero than blue. But I can see a dusty deer at 300 yards!!

Why Does Food That’s Bad for You Taste So Good?

I recently came upon a beautifully written article on a subject that has nagged at my brain for quite some time.

Why does food that’s bad for you taste so good?

The author’s premise is that there is an evolutionary survival basis for meats and sugars that protected the caveman in addition to the healthy foods they ate.  Meat provided protein, vitamins and minerals for a long slow burn of strength and energy.  But there was also the need for quick burning energy:  “Evolution made us neurotic about filling the tank with high-octane foods that pack the most energy per gram swallowed.”  Our early ancestors also didn’t live long enough to suffer the negative effect of atherosclerosis caused by fatty foods and diabetes caused by raw sugars.  In fact, there were very few raw sugars available then—perhaps sugar cane—and the rest were found in healthy berries and fruits.  But they did need immediate energy to run away from those saber-tooth tigers!  Then they likely needed salt replacement from all the sweating and stress of a near-death experience.

Let’s take a look at my fabulous young granddaughters.  One is being raised vegetarian, and both of my daughters are very careful to feed their children in as healthy a way as possible.  They love fruit, they love vegetables, live a very healthy lifestyle and do not crave junk food.

On the other hand, they don’t really know about junk food…. yet.

What happens when you introduce a child to cookies, chips and candy?  Remember what their face looked like the first time they tasted ice cream?  Know anyone who nibbles on a Cheeto and then says, “Thanks, one is enough for me”?

I don’t know why God does this.  I don’t think Darwin can fully explain it.  There is just something inexplicably delicious about sugar, salt and fried foods that is not found in Brussel sprouts, cauliflower or kale.

If God could have a do-over, would this be the one?  Maybe, but I think Gallagher was right when he said that noses were designed wrong.  Why put something so drippy upside down above your mouth?

PRP Facial Injections a.k.a. “Vampire Facials” Exposed

A procedure that started as a way to speed up healing for sports injuries is beginning to gain popularity as a facial. Claimed benefits of the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) Facial Injections include reducing the prominence of scars, wrinkles, sun damage, and dark circles. Supposedly, your skin will be tighter and more radiant after undergoing the procedure. Yet, rigorous scientific studies on this popular “Vampire Facial” procedure find that it is no more effective than injecting saltwater into your face.  

Kim Kardashian popularized PRP Facials a couple of years ago and gave them their informal name, the “Vampire Facial.” First of all, the procedure does not even require a certified surgeon. The operation can be done in spas by dermatologists and estheticians. The process begins by drawing a couple of vials of blood from the arm of the patient. The blood is centrifuged to separate the platelets from the rest of the blood. A local anesthetic is applied to the face, and the platelets are shot into the face via mini injection holes. Commonly, PRP Injections are paired with microneedling, a tactic in which fine needles puncture the skin, stimulating cells to create more collagen and producing a youthful look. These facials are not FDA approved because technically, the patient is not getting injected with drugs, but their own blood. 

While many specialists say patients will recover from Vampire Facials in just one day, many find that their skin has not fully recovered even five days later. Bruising (especially under the eyes), burning, intense itching, swelling, dryness, puffiness, and redness are results of the “facial” that can continue for up to a week after the procedure (1). Many claim the results are long-lasting (up to two years) but at the same time, they encourage a regimen of monthly treatments for three to four months and after that, on an annual or biannual basis. If treatments are so long-lasting, why would they need to be performed every month and every year? 

The Truth about PRP  

Claim: PRP Facials are regenerative because your platelets accelerate healing and vitality. 

The Truth:  This statement is more marketing than biology. Cell survival and interaction with parent cells are scientifically relevant, but insufficiently understood elements of platelets in their function of healing and revitalizing tissue (2). There are not reliable studies showing that platelets are useful in healing tissue. PRP’s original function as a sports injury therapy has still not been proven effective. Doctors say they’re still not sure if it helps with chronic or acute injuries. Studies show that PRP may be more effective when compared to cortisol injections, but its results do not hold when compared to placebos.  

Claim: More platelets means more healing.  

The Truth: Dosage is critical with many medicines. Routinely, higher dosage is worse for health. There is no evidence that increased platelets will speed up healing.  

Claim: PRP is a natural treatment; it’s safe and healthy because there’s nothing foreign going into your body.  

The Truth: There are lots of things in your body that are not beneficial to be extracted, increased in potency, and then returned to your system. Many hormones are part of the same healing process as platelets, but having too many will harm you. 

Following the logic that having more of something natural is better, you would think that having more red blood cells is healthier, to give an example. Red blood cells are essential to life and provide vitality and healing. Yet hemochromatosis is a disease—an excess of iron—caused by the presence of too many red blood cells. In this case, absorbing too much is a problem, not a benefit. 

On top of that, injecting materials into muscles is not unequivocally harmless. There’s conflicting evidence about PRP being myotoxic, meaning poisonous to muscles (3).   

Skin infections can also occur between multiple PRP Facial sessions, with a higher risk posed to those with sensitive skin. 

Claim: Studies have shown that PRP is effective. 

The Truth: The only good news is coming from isolated or scientifically flawed studies.  

Reliable, randomized controlled trials are largely inconclusive. “The observed trend towards benefit with PRP use still remains questionable” (4). The first rigorous study testing the effectiveness of platelet injections finds they are no more effective than injecting saltwater (5). 

If you’re looking for a safe, effective, and natural facial rejuvenation with lasting results, consider Natural Fat Transfer with NanoStem Serum (NSS) instead. A serum is created from your body’s own fat cells and injected into the skin to improve skin quality, tone, and complexion. The procedure does not involve any incisions or surgery and has a quick recovery time with permanent results. The process of extracting, concentrating and administering these fat-derived stem cells has been proven in medical studies to have beneficial effects (6). There is minimal risk for negative effects of using fat as a filler because no one is allergic to their own fat. While the same logic is argued for a patient’s own platelets with PRP, the effects of platelets must be investigated further, whereas it’s clear in the scientific community that using fat as a filler is successful for adding cushioning under the skin (6). NanoStem Serum is cost effective, safe, and has the added benefit of moving unwanted fat from one part of the body to a place you do want it. Read more or watch a video from Dr. Koplin.

 

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Sources 

1. Maria Del Russo, “The Cold, Bloody, (Kind of Disgusting) Truth About Vampire Facials,” http://www.refinery29.com/2016/10/128208/prp-treatment-vampire-facelift-review, October 31, 2016. 

2. Vogel S M Gawaz, “Platelets in tissue repair: control of apoptosis and interactions with regenerative cells.” Blood 122, no. 15 (October 2013):2550–4. PubMed #23963043. 

3. “Myotoxicity of Injections for Acute Muscle Injuries: A Systematic Review.” Sports Medicine 44, no. 7 (July 2014): 943-956, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0186-6.  

4. Dhillon RS, Schwarz EM, and Maloney MD, “Platelet-rich plasma therapy—future or trend?”, Arthritis Res Ther. 14, no. 4 (August 2012):219, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22894643.  

5. Gina Kolata, “Popular Blood Therapy May Not Work,” New York Times, (New York, NY), January 12, 2010.  

6. George KH Li, Joseph HP Chung, Lawrence HL Lieu, Velda LY Chow, Gregory Ian SK Lau, and Richie CL Chan, “Fat grafting: A safe and effective treatment of craniofacial depression,” Surgical Practice 19, no. 2 (May 2015):75-81, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1744-1633.12114/abstract.