Dr. Marina Peredo shares tips on skin treatments from age 20 to 60 and beyond.

EN VOGUE|TIMELESS BEAUTY MARINA PEREDO is a board-certified dermatologist with over 25 years of experience and has been labeled a “super-doctor” by the New York Times, as well as a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly. She believes that dermatologists can have a direct impact on a person’s confidence, and she brings her concept of aesthetic artistry to a whole new level at her modern practice, Skinfluence, in Manhattan.

Downtown: Can you explain the aging process of the face?

Marina Peredo: The contour of the face changes and causes shadow patterns to develop. Your triangle of youth begins to invert as your features begin to drop. Dependent on your genetics and lifestyle, people will age very differently, and these changes can go from drastic to nonexistent.

DT: What are your thoughts on aging beautifully?

MP: I believe that anyone can age beautifully when proper care is taken. In my opinion, facial beauty is derived from seven criteria: facial shape, forehead height, eyebrow shape, eye size and inter-eye distance, nose shape, length and height of lips, and skin clarity, texture, and color. These features require constant maintenance to be properly maintained.

DT: When you say maintenance, what does this entail?

MP: Maintenance can be anything from applying sunscreen before leaving the house to getting laser treatments, which can help prevent skin cancer in the future. If you’re investing in skin treatments and not applying sunscreen, you’re not truly helping your skin.

DT: How would you suggest women and men in their 20’s take care of their skin and help enhance the youthfulness of their skin?

MP: During your 20’s and even your early

30’s, one of your skin-care concerns may be breakouts. But, keeping your skin hydrated and protecting your skin from the sun will prevent your skin from aging quickly. Protection from sun damage is the ultimate preventative anti-aging technique and is incredibly easy to work into your daily routine.

DT: When we reach our 40’s and 50’s, what do you suggest?

MP: Combination therapy is key to whole-body rejuvenation. Most often, fillers, volumizers, and toxins are combined with radiofrequency, lasers, or ultrasound to improve skin laxity and age-related volume loss.

DT: We hear that facelifts are not as required as they were 10 years ago. In your 60 and 70’s, do you recommend a full facelift?

MP: In your 60’s and 70’s patients may benefit from a facelift. How you’ve maintained your skin in your younger years will determine whether you need to invest in a full or mini facelift. At any age, proper skin-care can and will be costly, so make sure you are going to a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon before you consider getting a procedure done.

DT: Give us one tip that many people do not know to help us age gracefully?

MP: Sunblock, sunblock, sunblock. Also, invest in a good skincare at a young age.

DT: What do you love about your job?
MP: Making women feel great about how they look, which is an amazing confidence builder!

Dr. Marina I. Peredo, M.D., F.A.A.D, is a board-certified dermatologist with 20+ years of experience. She is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Peredo strives to bring out the beauty that is already present, by employing a less is more philosophy, and stressing the importance of consistent skincare.

Skinfluence New York
Dr. Marina Peredo
212-754 -6363

Quick fixes will have you looking your best for the summer when you have no time for downtime. Keep in mind that treatments are individualized, so a fix that’s great in one instance may not be appropriate for someone with a similar—though not identical—problem. All treatments should be performed by a well-trained, experienced, board-certified physician—plastic surgeon, dermatologist, facial plastic surgeon or occuloplastic surgeon—with a refined aesthetic eye and an evolved skill set to produce a natural appearance artistically.

LOOKING JOWLY

QUICK FIX: HYALURONIC ACID. With a social engagement just around the corner and no time for bruising to heal, the quick fix is a Hyaluronic Acid filler such as Juvederm or Perlane. Alternatives such as Radiesse, calcium- based filler which is more likely to cause bruising, or Sculptra, an injectable that requires two to three treatments, would not be appropriate “quick fixes.”

LOOKING ANGRY OR SAD

QUICKEST FIX: DYSPORT. Sagging brows can make you look sad or angry and hide the beauty of the upper eyelid. Botox, Dysport and Xeomin are all forms of botulinum toxin and are referred to as neuromodulators. Injected in a similar manner as you would to soften the frown lines and crows’ feet, you can elevate and reshape the brows, eliminating the sad or tired appearance. While not yet household names, Dysport and Xeomin are FDA approved, and they have the same core structure as Botox. Dysport has the most rapid onset of action, often within 48 hours.

DARK CIRCLES

THE FIX: RESTYLANE OR PERLANE. A hallmark of youth is a blending of the lower lid and cheek. As we age, the cheek descends, and the lid-cheek junction becomes distinct, often with a depression or deep semicircle—a “tear trough.” Filling the tear trough with either Restylane or Perlane minimizes the prominence of the lid-cheek junction and gives the illusion that the cheek has been elevated, which effects shadows and makes dark circles appear less prominent. There may be noticeable bruising after the treatment that may be difficult to camouflage and can last up to a week—so the fix is not so quick.

ROSACEA

QUICK FIX: MIRVASO. Rosacea is a skin disease that causes redness of the cheeks, chin and forehead. In warm weather, the tiny blood vessels that make the skin red dilate, making the redness more prominent. Spicy foods and alcohol are also triggers that make there redness worse. While there are laser treatments that can help diminish the redness, there has never been a truly effective treatment until now-Mirvaso (brimonidine) topical gel. The gel is applied once a day to the affected areas and begins to take its effect minimizing redness in as little as 30 minutes. It has a maximum effect of six to twelve hours.

By Dr. Michael C. Bruck

You can find Full Body Rejuvenation in the Beauty section of DOWNTOWN’s Summer 2014 edition. Read all the tips by Dr. Michael C. Bruck for safe and young skin, in our latest issue, now on newsstands. Subscribe to DOWNTOWN Magazine for home delivery by clicking here.