Is Indoor Suntanning Good For You?

A recent full-page ad in a New York newspaper by the tanning industry has claimed that the adverse effects of indoor sun tanning as it relates to increasing your risks of melanoma skin cancer are overstated. Furthermore, they claim that indoor tanning is actually beneficial as it produces vitamin D levels due to ultraviolet light exposure.
Having seen many patients in my plastic surgery practice that are regular users of tanning beds, I can assure you that it certainly is not beneficial as it relates to aging of the skin. But this issue aside, some of these other claims require further inspection. Some UV light exposure is certainly not unhealthy, but it is the amount of exposure that is important. You can get all the UV light your skin needs for adequate vitamin D levels in a few minutes of tanning bed exposure. I suspect that most tanning bed users use it far beyond that. Furthermore, the most common skin cancer is not melanoma, but basal cell and squamous cell. These more common types of skin cancer, while far less aggressive than melanoma, far outnumber melanoma and ultimately still require some form of medical treatment, often surgical excision. No mention is made of tannng bed effects on these more frequent skin cancers. All skin cancers are the result of skin type susceptibility and ultraviolet light exposure. It is difficult to imagine that 'excessive' tanning bed exposure does not have the same effects as outdoor sun exposure. Ultraviolet light, regardless of the source, is still....ultraviolet light.
Like all things in life, moderation is the key. Reasonable tanning bed expoure at time intervals of 5 - 10 minutes a few times a week probably has no significant deleterious effects on your risk of skin cancer or excessive skin aging.
Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/
http://www.ologyspa.com/
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Botox and Injectable Fillers

A week doesn't go by without a patient asking me to....Botox their lips....or fill up their forehead lines. Apparently, a perception remains that all that comes out of a 30 gauge needle is the same. Despite tremendous advertising and information availale on the net, not everyone yet knows as much as we think. This is understandable as about half of the new patients that I see...have never been in any type of a cosmetic facility before short of a hair salon or dayspa.
The concept of dynamic vs static wrinkling is a good basis to explain to new patients the difference. Botox is to help with dynamic wrinkling (lines and folds that appears from facial expression), injectable fillers are to help with static lines and folds (but not small wrinkles). Or to put it in practical perspective, the majority of Botox is done around the eyes and forehead (north face) and the majority of injectable fillers is done around the lips and mouth area. (south face)

Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/
http://www.ologyspa.com/
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Dr Barry Eppley Discusses Medical Skin Care -Understanding the Basics

As a plastic surgeon, I see many patients for facial surgery who often ask about their skin care. Or more specifically, what can they do to improve their skin either before or after surgery. Skin care is a very bewildering world for all patients with ten of thousands of products available in stores and on-line as well as cosmeceutical ads which have no boundaries to claims given that they are retail beauty products and not FDA-sanctioned pharmaceuticals. Where does the patient start and how do they work their way through the skin care maze.
First and foremost, like all things in medicine, a diagnosis has to be made. You can't very well select the right treatment if you don't have a working diagnosis as to the skin problems. THis can be done in two ways; being evaluated by a very experienced aesthetician who has a lot of medical experience (i.e., working in a doctor's office preferably a plastic surgeon or dermatologist) and/or getting a Visia skin complexion analysis. Like a CAT scan for your skin, this computerized digital skin analysis system evaluates everything from wrinkles, pore size, to the amount of sun damage...and documents it photographically. This provides not onlya set of diagnoses for the skin but also becomes a reference from which to judge the results of any future treatments.
From a product and treatment standpoint, there are only 5 things you can do to your skin...that's it! All skin care products and even more invasive skin treatments attempt to address one or all of them..but there is nothing more you can do topically. These five functions include: cleanse, hydrate, protect, exfoliate, and stimulate. The collective effects of all of these are smoother, tighter skin. If all five functions are achieved in a skin care program, then the best results can be obtained. If only one or two of these product functions are done, then the skin results will be less. Simplistically, a cleanser is needed morning and night, a daytime moisturizer/sunscreen protectant, and noctural regimens of exfoliation (e.g., AHA, lactic acids, Retin-A) alternating with stimulants (e.g., Vitamin C and peptides) comprise a basic program. The hardest regimen is to figure out the best nocturnal regimen of exfoliation and stimulation. Working with an aesthetician here can be really helpful. Many product lines today already have it laid out for you in kits or steps. As you can see, thre is no good reason for more than 5 to 7 skin care products, if they are properly selected and monitored. And the good news is....it is no more expensive to get a good medical line than buying that big jar of hope sold over the counter at the department or drug store by someone who has no idea, really, about comprehensive skin care.
The key today in medical skin care is....simplify, get focused products, and monitor the results and how you react to them. If you then mix in some regular microdermabrasions and light chemical peels....with a little Botox or injectable fillers if needed...you are on your way to better-looking skin with a more likely good return on your investment.
Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/
http://www.ologyspa.com/
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Ology Spa, Dr Barry Eppley, Andrea Bradley-Stutz and Flickr

Photographs of Clarian North Medical Center in Carmel Indiana, Clarian West Medical Center in Avon Indiana, and the Ology Spa facilities at both hospitals have been posted for viewing on the photo website, Flickr. (http://www.flickr.com/drbarryeppley) Photographs of Dr Barry Eppley, Andrea Bradley-Stutz, practice and skin care product logos have also been posted.

Massage Therapy and Plastic Surgery

With an increasing number of people undergoing cosmetic surgery (over 11 million people underwent some form of plastic surgery in 2007 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons), plastic surgeons are looking for additional methods to enhance the patient’s experience and facilitate their recovery. Massage therapy is one therapeutic approach that can be a valuable aid in a patient’s postoperative recovery. Massage therapy can help reduce swelling and tightness, improve circulation, and hasten elimination of bruising from the surgical site.

I have embraced the use of massage therapy since my hospital-based spa, Ology in Indianapolis, opened its first location in 2004. Having regular access to massage therapy has allowed me to integrate it as part of many patient’s postoperative care regimens. Massage can improve a more rapid return of lymphatic outflow from the surgery site, which reduces swelling and the clearance of bruising faster. This is most valuable in body surgery such as liposuction and tummy tucks. However, it can also be useful afte facial surgery, even if the surgery site is not directly massaged. I usually have my patients begin massage sessions no sooner than 3 weeks after surgery and have a patient undergo them once a week for 4 to 6 weeks. While some patients may initially fear that massages may be too ‘rough’, they quickly find out that a gentle touch technique is used and they start to see its benefits immediately after the first session.

The integration of a touch form of therapy, such as massage, after the trauma of surgery has a great psychological benefit as well. It provides a compassionate and tender form of therapy while the patient is in the healing state. It reflects well on the practice and the plastic surgeon. Some patients after getting postoperative massage therapy become regular massage patients thereafter.
Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/
http://www.ologyspa.com/
Clarian North Medical Center, Clarian North, Carmel, Indian
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Dr Barry Eppley achieves Platinum status as an Expert Ezine Author

Dr Barry Eppley, board-certified plastic surgeon of Indianapolis, has achieved platinum status as an Ezine Author Expert. Ezine Articles (http://www.ezinearticles.com/) is an internet website company that facilitates the connection of authors and electronic publications for web publishing. Each article submission is individually screened for grammar and content and, if acceptable, approved, posted, and submitted for publication. Ezine Articles covers hundreds of subject categories. Dr. Eppley published frequently on Health and Beauty as well as Skin Care topics.

Dr Barry Eppley Discusses The Benefits Of A Combined Plastic Surgery-Spa Facility In A Hospital

Beginning in December 2004 at Clarian West Medical Center in Avon Indiana and beginning in December 2005 at Clarian North Medical Center in Carmel Indiana, OLOGY opened its doors as one of the first hospital-based spa facilities in the country. The objective of OLOGY was to provide comprehensive medical, aesthetic and spa services to hospital patients and employees in addition to providing spa and medical services to community residents.
After several years of operation, the decision to locate OLOGY in a hospital was a sound one. It was part of our concept to bring aesthetic and spa services to a traditional medical setting in a hospital, creating a custom-designed environment with the design of a tranquil, healing sanctuary with curved lines and all-natural materials. OLOGY’s philosophy remains a combination of Eastern Ayurvedic spa treatments with Western medicine. Providing a holistic approach to spa services, guests receive century-old therapies, such as Shirodara and vichy shower hydrotherapy, massage therapy and facials, and the most modern laser therapies, injections and plastic surgery procedures. Additionally, OLOGY offers numerous scientifically-proven skin care products. Treatments and services offered at OLOGY have been shown to have health benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced stress, decreased healing times, less pain and decreased medication dependency. Other benefits include improving the skin’s health and anti-aging enhancements. OLOGY adheres to hospital standards of care and sterilization of tools and instruments at every level.

“With OLOGY we integrated relaxation, healing and aesthetic therapies into a traditional medical setting, without the typical medical office décor,” says Dr. Barry Eppley, Co-Founder and Plastic Surgeon. “We wanted to create an environment with services that are beneficial to the healthy guest as well as the hospital patient,” Dr. Eppley continues. Dr. Eppley's private plastic surgery practice is based inside OLOGY where there has been good synergy and cross-fertilization between spa patients and plastic surgery patients. In addition, some hospital patients, particularly Ob-Gyn patients, receive treatments while they are in the hospital. Patients benefit from massage and relaxation therapy provided at the bedside. Treatments are customized to the medical needs of patients, such as massage for pain relief, insomnia or prenatal/postpartum issues.