Vicky Hortman was surprised by what she recently discovered about her skin. As president of Gray & Creech Water Systems Inc., which supplies water-treatment and coffee systems to area businesses, she is on the road frequently, working with her company's sales representatives.
"My skin is exposed daily to the sun and the elements," she says. "I have always taken care of my skin and used products with sunscreen in them." When she first heard about a new technology that performs complexion analysis, she admits that she was skeptical but decided to give it a try.
"The experience was enlightening," she says. "I had the opportunity to really see what my skin looked like, up close and just underneath the surface, without makeup."
Fortunately, Hortman's skin showed no bacteria and few wrinkles. "But there was some sun damage you cannot see with the naked eye," she says. "Located just beneath my eye, it looked like a dark spot underneath the skin."
To help repair the area and prevent additional sun damage, Hortman will receive therapeutic skin-care treatments from Iatria Spa and Health Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. She will undergo another complexion analysis in several months to determine the results.
Skin Damage Begins Invisibly
It is no surprise that sun, tanning-bed exposure and smoking promote and exacerbate wrinkles and sun damage. But in many cases, the damage could have occurred during one's youth and cannot be changed. Early detection and preventive measures, along with a daily skin-care regimen, are essential.
Wrinkles, age spots, changes in pigmentation and loss of elasticity are signs of skin damage. In the early stages, they can be difficult to detect simply by examining your face in a mirror. Even pre-cancerous skin conditions can be difficult to see at first. People often do not become aware of bumps, patches or growths until they enlarge, significantly change color or feel rough or scaly to the touch.
In clinical trials, many dermatologists have expressed a preference for the images and algorithms of a technology called the TruVu Digital Imaging System, which detects sun damage and other skin problems invisible to the naked eye. One of the most advanced, state-of-the-art complexion analysis systems available, TruVu represents a multimilliondollar research-and-development investment by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. Iatria recently was selected by the company as one of five sites in the U.S. to host the patented TruVu system.
"We have spent many years developing this one-of-a-kind system, which will enhance Iatria Spa and Health Center's ability to provide therapeutic skin-care treatments that specifically address the needs of each client," says R. Scott Creighton, vice president of New Ventures and Alternative Channels.
Intended for cosmetic use, the TruVu system does not diagnose cancer, but its algorithms allow it to detect the significance of sun damage before problems such as discoloration or deep wrinkling can develop. It can predict conditions such as where acne might arise or whether wrinkles that are beginning to form might deteriorate into deeper wrinkles.
How the System Works
Through a series of five images of each client's face, the system reveals damaged conditions on and below the surface of the skin that generally are invisible. TruVu's sophisticated lens, filters and polarized florescent and ultraviolet lights highlight fine lines, redness, irritation, bacterial activity, clogged pores and the effects of sun damage beneath the skin's surface.
Images are displayed on the side of a device that looks like a small, spherical television set with a touch-screen keyboard. The process takes about 20 minutes. The images, which are stored within the computer, enable skin-care professionals to conduct in-depth analysis and track post-treatment improvements over a period of time.
By performing TruVu images before treatment begins, clients can establish a baseline and later see results of the preventive treatments they select. Aestheticians can place before and after images side by side for comparison, while a high technology fingerprint scanner ensures client privacy and access to data only by authorized skin-care professionals.
Prevention and Treatment
Dr. Margaret Boyse, a dermatologist at the Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Raleigh, says sunscreen can help reverse early sun damage. As a medically oriented spa, Iatria offers treatments ranging from the application of high-quality sunscreens, which block UVA and UVB light, to microdermabrasion and medical peels.
Glycolic-acid peels are the most effective method to fight the effects of sun-damaged skin. Glycolic-acid helps reduce sun spots, freckles and brown spots that often appear with age, and can be applied to the hands as well as the face.
Microdermabrasion can be performed on the face, hands or almost any part of the body. The process uses corundum crystals to aggressively exfoliate the dull layer of dead skin to smooth and retexturize. Wrinkle-reducing treatments include Botox, Restylane, Sculptra, IPL Skin Rejuvenation and wrinkle-fighting home care.
To avoid tanning, a safe, sunless treatment is available. Sunless tanning is endorsed by Miss Maryland, Brittany Lietz, who unknowingly achieved a damaging tan. She began using tanning beds when she was 17 years old and soon was tanning four to five times each week. Blonde and fair-skinned, she developed melanoma, the most virulent type of skin cancer. She was 20 years old.
After 25 surgeries, Lietz is a skin-cancer survivor who uses her status as a beauty pageant winner to raise public awareness about the dangers associated with overexposure to the sun. "There's nothing I can do to take back what happened to me, but I can prevent it from happening again," she says.
Source: Business Leader. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.
