How Does Your Skin Measure Up?

How Does Your Skin Measure Up?

The New VISIA™ Imaging System Profiles Skin Damage With Computer Analysis

Reston, VA Remember those wonderful summers of long, lazy days spent poolside when you were a teenager? Remember the fun Caribbean vacation when you were 25? Remember the family ski trip when you were 30? Well, your skin remembers! Your skin remembers all the time spent commuting in the car and the after school practices you attended. Your skin remembers the time spent outdoors mowing the lawn and walking the dog. Accumulated sun damage adds up on your skin, and 90% of the skin’s aging comes from the sun’s rays.

Now you can actually view the extent of the damage in your own “complexion profile” with the VISIA™ Imaging System. The service is provided in high-end skincare salons and doctor’s offices. The system uses a computer program generating digitally scanned images. The images show a variety of conditions, of which sun damage is only one example. Why would you want to subject your skin to such scrutiny in the first place? Knowledge is power; once you know what problems your skin is facing, you can take measures to fix them, or at least prevent them from getting worse.

At The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Reston, Virginia, their Medical Aesthetique provides clinical skincare services under the supervision of their three board certified plastic surgeons. Often, patients receive skincare services from the Aesthetique for conditions that cosmetic surgery wouldn’t improve, such as acne treatments, photo rejuvenation for sun damage and overall skincare services. “Having the VISIA™ Imaging system in place is an invaluable tool for providing foolproof skin analysis and involving the patient in the overall treatment plan and home regimen,” says medical aesthetician Wendy Canzanese. Results are tracked with the system too, allowing the patient to see improvement at a level beyond just looking for results in the mirror.

The VISIA™ system measures wrinkles, textures, pores and pigmentation and compares an individual’s skin with others of the same sex, age and ethnicity. Using the system is fast and easy; the skin is cleansed and the patient sits in the imaging booth where the digital photographs are taken under natural and ultra-violet light. The image is analyzed with a computer program and a unique complexion profile is created. Surface and subsurface skin conditions are recorded in the report, and easy to read graphs indicate areas for improvement and comparison to other peer groups. The skin’s future aging can be simulated in the photographs, as well as the results of Botox treatments.

Beyond the alarming damage that the sun can do in terms of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation is the very real concern of skin cancer. The VISIA™ photographs are taken of the left side of the patient’s face – this is the side where sun damage is most prevalent. This fact confirms that time spent driving in your car adds to your accumulated sun damage and that windows are no real protection! Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers – melanoma represents 4% of the skin cancers in the U.S. but accounts for 75% of skin cancer deaths. In 1935, the risk of melanoma in Americans was 1 in 1,500. Today it is 1 in 71. Additionally, 70% of adults in the U.S. do not use any sun protection, even in the summer months. Seeing the results of a lifetime’s accumulation of sun damage on a computer screen is a very real reminder of the threat skin cancer poses and a great way to encourage regular sunscreen use.

After reviewing the VISIA™ results, patients at The Austin-Weston Center can better participate in planning for skincare services in the Aesthetique, such as Broad Band Light treatments (BBL), microdermabrasion, chemical peels or clinical facials. BBL is used to treat many skin conditions including veins and blemishes, as well as to lighten age spots and dark patches from sun exposure and reduce wrinkles. BBL also performs laser hair removal comfortably, quickly and safely. Once the patient has undergone their skincare treatments they are again photographed in the VISIA™ booth so that the results can be measured. Using this technology allows aestheticians and patients to have a completely objective means for tracking the progress of the work, in quantitative measures with no human error.

The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery is now the largest free standing facility in the area with three nationally respected surgeons on board, Dr. George Weston, Dr. Byron Poindexter and Dr. Robert Sigal. The Austin-Weston Center invites interested parties to come in for a complimentary consultation on any of their surgical procedures or come for a complimentary VISIA™ session. Call 703-893-6168 or visit their website at: www.austin-weston.com.