Seborrheic keratoses... Or what I like call "Wisdom spots"

Written by Dr. Wendy Myers

If you are over the age of 30 and have had a skin check with me, you may have heard me use the term "wisdom spot." What I am actually referring to are common lesions called seborrheic keratoses. Seborrheic keratoses or SKs are common benign skin lesions that often start developing in patients in their thirties, and continue to form as we age. I often like to joke with my patients that these are markers of their wisdom and maturity, as most patients do not want to hear that they are due to aging.

Patients often confuse SKs with "moles", but they are not. SKs are made of keratinocytes and not melanocytes which comprise true moles or nevi. They can develop on any part of the body except the palms and soles and can appear in many different ways: skin toned, pigmented, flat, or even quite raised, often resembling warts. 

The good news I always try to reinforce with my patients is that they are benign and require no treatment. They can be removed for cosmetic reasons or if they become irritated, inflamed, or itchy. There are various ways that this can be done in the office including cryotherapy (freezing lesion with very cold spray that results in the lesions peeling off), curettage (scraping lesion off after local anesthesia), or electrocautery (electric needle to burn lesion off, often with curettage).  Therapies are often determined by the size and location of the lesion. Treatment areas often heal well, but may hyper or hypo- pigmentation as a result. 

Top Female Dermatological Concerns

By Dr. Wendy Myers

At Windsor dermatology, we see women of all ages with concerns often varying by age group. While many of these are applicable to all age groups, there is a particular focus in these age brackets and a variety of treatment options available.

In Your 20s: Acne

Women in their 20s often come in seeking treatment of acne, although unfortunately acne can affect many age ranges.

In Your 30s and 40s: Skin Cancer Concerns and Pregnancy Changes

Often in the 30s and 40s, there is increasing awareness and concern regarding prevention of photodamage, early detection of skin cancer, as well as pregnancy related changes. Pregnancy can bring many changes that are most commonly due to hormonal fluctuations. There is an increase in pigmentation, often seen on the face as melasma, or the body, commonly on the breasts or abdomen. Increased vascularity is frequent as well, presenting with small blood vessels on the skin called telangectasia, or varicose veins involving the legs. Common skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis may also change during pregnancy. Lastly, specific rashes, one called PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy) can develop later in pregnancy that often can improve after delivery, but need to be monitored.

In Your 50s and Beyond: Repairing Skin Damage

As women progress into their 50s and later, concerns turn more to repair of sun damage already obtained as well as reversal of signs of aging. Cumulative effects of repeated sun exposure also become more prevalent and need treatment including actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the most deadly, melanoma. The unifying goal of all of female patients though is achieving and maintaining healthy skin, at any age.

While women are very proactive about seeking help for their skin, male patients are also becoming more aware of the importance of skin health and protection. Windsor Dermatology is composed of an all Board-certified staff of physicians able to assist patients with all dermatologic needs and concerns.

Stop by our booth at next weekend’s Head to Toe Women’s Expo, Saturday, May 11 starting at 9:00 am at Robbinsville High School in Robbinsville, New Jersey. More details are available at www.mercercountywoman.com/.

How to Look 10 Years Younger

Teresa Zawada, Licensed Aesthetician

It’s an era of youth. People are not only looking younger but are feeling younger—and decades seem to now be going in reverse. 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30 and communities are now being built for the “active adult.”  With such an increase in liveliness, Baby Boomers are more open to techniques to look on the outside how they feel on the inside.

The truth is some of us are too nonchalant about our skin routines, and after that, we accumulate enough damage on our skin that we will spend endless hours on dwelling on in the mirror in our later years.  Although prevention is the best way to keep yourself looking ten years younger than you actually are, let’s focus on the majority of people who are now looking for a fix later in life. 

The Value of Vitamin A and Sunscreen

Beginning in your 30s, the years of building sand castles without sunscreen, or taking a few trips here and there to the tanning salon “just to get a base tan,” have markedly diminished your skin’s collagen and elastin production.  Fine lines, crow’s feet and lines that linger after your done smiling are more noticeable.  This may be THE tell-tale sign of age.  If you want to address all those concerns at once, use a topical Vitamin A at least three times a week, gradually increasing up to nightly, depending on skin sensitivity and response. Benefits will include: 

·       -  An increase in cell turnover leading to an improvement in skin tone and texture

·        - Plumper skin contributed to the stimulation of collagen and elastin

·        - A reduction of fine lines.  

After a couple months usage, coupled with a sunscreen in the morning, you’ve now eliminated about four years.

Combatting Age Spots

Another tell-tale sign of aging are spots. Freckles are cute when we’re five years old, but not many of us appreciate an uneven sheen of dark areas when we get older. It’s worth it to take a trip to the dermatologist to be prescribed a topical hydroquinone, or a more natural kojic acid (available without a prescription), which can lift and erase areas that have been hyperpigmented over the years.  

If a more aggressive treatment is needed, lasers can be used over the entire face or just in the areas affected.  Lasers would also be beneficial for any unsightly broken blood vessels that are unaffected by topical treatments, or even for a full face refresher, keeping in mind that a potential week recovery is necessary for the skin with many laser treatments.

Pump Up the Volume

Loss of volume is another unfortunate side effect of aging.  Because no topical cream can actually plump the skin like a filler can, talk to your doctor about the fillers Juvéderm® or Restylane® for instant gratification for naso-labial folds, marionette lines and to plump up a thinning lip.  Unlike fillers that add volume, the ever popular BOTOX® cosmetic is a subtle treatment that relaxes the lines between the brows, forehead and Crow’s Feet areas—almost instantly erasing years from your face. 

Beauty Inside and Out

Lastly and very importantly, remember that the skin can reflect internal processes.  A glass of water every morning with a fresh squeezed organic lemon in it will stimulate the body, boost the immune system, help clear skin and give your body (skin included) a dose of healthy Vitamin C.

If you have specific questions about skin care, please post them on Windsor Dermatology’s Facebook page, or call (609) 443-4500 to schedule a consultation.