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Top 6 Antiaging Breakthroughs

Dozens of beauty products have hit the market, but do any of them truly deliver? WebMD asks the experts to separate the science from the hype.

By Colette Bouchez
WebMD the Magazine – Feature
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD
Source: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/top-6-antiaging-breakthroughs

Wanting to look young is not exactly a new idea — the search for the fountain of youth has been going on for centuries. And while this past year didn’t deliver the perfect elixir, the year did introduce some scientifically solid, significant advances in anti-aging skin care. To home in on what can truly make a difference in your skin, WebMD asked medical experts to evaluate the cream of the crop.

Antiaging Breakthrough No. 1: Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing

The antiaging breakthrough of the decade, according to many doctors, is a skin-resurfacing treatment known as CO2 fractional laser therapy. Combining the effectiveness of traditional carbon dioxide lasers — long thought to be the gold standard in wrinkle removal — with a new application technique, it delivers powerful results without the traditionally harsh side effects.

“Essentially, you are getting all the benefits of laser resurfacing, still the best way to remove wrinkles, but you’re getting it without the downtime and without the horrendous complication rate,” says David Goldberg, MD, director of Skin Laser and Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey and clinical professor of dermatology at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

How does it work? The natural aging process, combined with exposure to sun and pollution, destroys collagen — the main protein of connective tissue that keeps skin plump and line-free. Laser resurfacing uses beamlets of energy light to bore tiny holes in the skin, which works to put the body’s natural collagen production on fast-forward. Here’s what’s new: Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing does this in a way that prevents damage to the top layer of skin, offering maximum results with minimal recovery time.

While laser resurfacing doesn’t come cheap — the procedure will cost you about $5,000 — it is quick, accomplished in one or two sessions, with about four days downtime. Goldberg says effects are thought to last eight to 10 years.

According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, patients with darker complexions may be at risk for pigmentation loss with any laser surgery. Common minor side effects for fractional laser resurfacing include redness and swelling that lasts about two days.

Check out CO2 Laser Facial Resurfacing at New England Cosmetic Surgery Today!

Fatman Goes Slim! How Howie Cut Pork

Published: December 26, 2010

If you think I still look bad now, you should see the before photos. We’d have run a pre-op picture except for the fact that this is a family newspaper. I mean, I’ve gotten used to being called “fat bastard.” But by the fall when I looked in the mirror, I was always thinking of a certain old wrestler. The one named Haystacks Calhoun.

So last month I had what is called “tumescent liposuction.” The fat cells were literally sucked out of my gut and “love handles.”

It’s not an instant change. The fat cells were gone, but they were replaced by a saline solution, which drains slowly, very slowly. When I came home that afternoon from Dr. Steve Margolis’ office, I weighed seven pounds more than before the operation. Six weeks later, I’m down 10 pounds as the solution drains.

I’m glad I did it, because my gut is gone. The pain was minimal. I had the four-hour procedure on a Friday and was back at work the next Monday (wearing sweatpants). I have a book tour starting in late April, and by then, I should be looking, well, not fat.

At this point, I must acknowledge that I am a guy who has made great sport of fatties. It was me who put the Fat in Fat Matt Amorello. I described Jane Swift as a whale of a candidate. I dubbed the late House Speaker George Keverian “D-Papa Gino’s,” called Ted Kennedy “Fat Boy” and have implored state Sen. Dick Moore to “put down the gravy bowl, for God’s sake.”

But I always took it, too. I admitted to taking fen phen (truly a miracle drug and I miss it greatly). If somebody called into my radio show and said I had more chins than a Chinese phone book, I let it go through.

And yes, I got my liposuction for free. That’s the way radio works. Another one of my nicknames is “George Graft,” so you know where I stand on that issue. As the late Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards put it, I didn’t take no vows of poverty. But some offers never tempted me — ship cruises, for instance. Or liposuction.

But one day last summer I ran into a woman I hadn’t seen for awhile. She looked . . . different. OK, her figure was a whole lot better than I’d ever noticed. A couple of weeks later a radio salesguy asked me about a doctor from New England Cosmetic Surgery in Concord who was offering liposuction. I was giving him the brush-off when the salesman mentioned that Dr. Margolis had done the procedure on the woman I knew.

“Get me his phone number!” I said. “How soon can I have it done?”

Then my wife had the procedure. Already she can fit into jeans she hadn’t worn since she was in her 20s. Having three kids in three years will do that to your figure, she tells me.

One of her friends texted her, “I hear you and Howie are going L.A.” But if you can improve your appearance, why not do it? Is it somehow more noble to buy clothes two or three sizes too large to cover up your flab?

I still wear my same T-shirts to the gym – “Body by Ben & Jerry” and “I Beat Anorexia.” I’m not trying to put anything over on anybody here, because it wouldn’t work, any more than John Kerry denying that he’s ever taken Botox.

OK, so I look a little better. And when you see me at the book signings in April, I’ll look even better. All you haters, get over it. Now, does anybody know where I can get me some free hair transplants?