Time
is responsible for making us face a number of injustices. Fighting to keep that soft, fresh, youthful glow in
our skin is one. But cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michael Weinberg has the secret that will indicate what your skin’s
future health will be. The key, he whispers in a confidential tone, is comparing the skin on your face to the
skin located on the inside of your upper arm.
“It’s a good little trick I tell my patients,” says Weinberg, a plastic surgeon whose
expertise has landed him numerous appearances on the reality television show Skin Deep and more recently on
Plastic Makes Perfect. Off screen, he works with patients out of his two private surgical clinics, the
Toronto Plastic Surgery Clinic in Yorkville and the renowned Mississauga Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Clinic.
Weinberg is also the current chief of plastic surgery at Trillium Health Centre.
The skin on the inside of your arm, he shares, is a marker of what a person’s skin looks
like without sun damage and aging. The greater the difference between that and the skin elsewhere, the
greater the sun damage and consequent aging your skin has suffered. With the many skin treatment options
available, preventing damage should be a big focus, says Weinberg.
The wrong treatment choice for one’s skin type could also worsen the problem, he adds.
“Rather than the newest and latest, what you want to do is trust the long-tried and well-proven treatments
out there,” says the doctor. In other words, put safety before innovation.
Conversely, Weinberg also says when starting to explore your skin care options there are
many, and chosen with care some newer treatments are worth consideration when recommended by an expert. “You
don’t have to be a prisoner of your body,” he says. “There are a lot of options out there; some aren’t for
everyone, but sometimes, you can do something about the aging process.” Weinberg describes the array of
choices as a cosmetic ladder. At the bottom step are cosmetic creams, followed by facials, microdermabrasion
and peels, laser treatments, Botox and injectable fillers, and lastly, surgery.
Apart from lifestyle choices, he says one of the biggest mistakes patients often make is
coming in for treatments that are too aggressive for their skin, such as asking the doctor for a facelift
when their skin problems may be resolved with injectables or another less invasive option.
“Think of it the same way as if you’re renovating your house,” says Weinberg, on
selecting the right treatment for oneself. “You wouldn’t put a new roof on if the inside needs to be painted
first.” Weinberg adds that since there are a lot of patients who may not know what they want (or what to ask
for), he starts them off from the very beginning. First step on his checklist is to eat well and make sure
you are drinking enough water. He calls these tips natural steps, as they can be applied to anyone at
anytime. “A well-balanced diet, along with good hydration would do it,” he says.
After diet, exercise and avoiding smoking, Weinberg notes the next big factor is being
cautious about sun exposure. “If you had to choose only one cream for your face,” he advises, “it would have
to be sunscreen, with a broad spectrum — 35 UVA/UVB or up.”
However, if it is not applied properly, an SPF 35 sunscreen lotion can act like a 12,
warns the doctor. To avoid this, Weinberg says applying a thick, even layer at least 30 minutes before
stepping out is crucial, as is reapplication.
The unpleasant side effects of too much sun have a profound impact on the skin, such as
premature skin aging and skin cancer. Exposure to ultraviolet light, UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for
90 per cent of the symptoms of premature skin aging, says Weinberg. Both UVA and UVB radiation can cause skin
damage including wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, and lowered immunity against infection, aging skin disorders
and cancer.
It’s also advised to use an anti-aging eye cream if you are age 30 or above. Using this
can help plump the skin under the eyes. Since the skin under the eyes is the first area of skin that loses
its plumpness as we age, it’s important this is not ignored. Eye cream also prevents and conceals fine lines
in the eye area.
No
matter what concerns one may encounter with their skin health, Weinberg says it is never too early or too
late to start fighting back.
“It’s unfortunate, but age does make you look older,” he says. “But the sooner the
problems are recognized, the sooner the patient can start prevention.” •
