Health & Beauty Black Belts: Dr. Garth Fisher -The Future’s So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades and SPF 30

Warmer weather, longer days and the opportunity to dress in more revealing attire, all combine to make this seasonal rite of passage a perennial opportunity to direct attention to looking good,' says Dr. Garth Fisher.

Keep safe from the sun and harmful UV damage this summer with some useful tips and background information from the doctor himself.

‘The healthy glow from a suntan can have dangerous repercussions. Sun damaged skin is best treated by prevention. Natural aging is commonly characterized by a thinning of the skin and a deepening of the normal facial expression lines. As the skin ages, it becomes more fragile and crinkles (thin fine wrinkles) appear. Unlike natural aging, photo-aging is distinguished by coarse wrinkles, dry and rough skin, abundant freckling, loss of firmness and skin discoloration. Habitual tanning or unprotected outdoor activity severely damages the elastic fibers below the surface of the skin, causing it to appear tight and leathery. At the same time, the skin loses its ability to bounce back from stretching and deep, dry wrinkles develop.

The best prevention for photo-aging is a comprehensive sun safety program that includes the use of sunscreens, wearing protective clothing and hats, and seeking shade whenever possible. Facial peels and more recently developed laser treatments can have a profound effect on sun damaged skin. UV-A protection is better with a higher SPF (30 or greater). Cosmeceuticals are the fastest-growing segment of the natural personal care industry. Cosmeceuticals represent a sort of marriage between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Like cosmetics, cosmeceuticals are topically applied, but they contain ingredients that influence the biological function of the skin. Cosmeceuticals improve appearance, but they do so by delivering nutrients necessary for healthy skin. The industry is challenged to provide convincing evidence of the clinical effectiveness of many of these compounds however certain scientifically substantiated ingredients such as retinol, antioxidants and growth factor peptides have yielded promising clinical and histological supportive evidence to assist in the anti-aging process.

Today, deep chemical peels have mostly been replaced with laser resurfacing treatments. The laser system provides a more controlled and elegant procedure. Newer fractional resurfacing devices provide even more effective treatments. The laser allows for a control of penetration or depth that simply was not available in previous chemical procedures. Recovery and healing is shorter with laser procedures than deeper chemical peels.'

Thanks Dr. Fisher! And as a fair skinned girl, I will be toting around my Ray-Ban wayfarers, Peter Thomas Roth sunscreen and a straw hat to keep my skin protected this summer.

Dr. Garth Fisher is a renowned plastic surgeon who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and based in Beverly Hills. As the first doctor selected for ABC's hit "Extreme Makeover" series, Dr. Fisher is the plastic surgeon who started the phenomenon and specializes in aesthetic/cosmetic plastic surgery of the face, nose, and breast.