Getting Under the Skin of Beauty

Welcome. I'm Tina Alster, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to talk with you about looking your best. I live in Georgetown, love this unique village, and am excited to see the launch of TheGeorgetownDish. The Face of Georgetown is beautiful, and it's no accident. Attractive skin requires care and investment. Go to Beverly Hills or the upper east side of Manhattan, and you'll see it: where there are resources brought to bear, complexions look better. In this column, we'll examine some of the techniques that lead to beautiful skin. Maybe you were born with it, but many of us were not. As we age, many of us need to take action to keep skin looking healthy and young. There is nothing quite like the glow of beautiful skin. Now, science has given us a variety of tools to enhance natural beauty. Let's talk for a moment about face lifts. Believe it or not, the first facelifts were performed in the early 1900s! Today, technology allows us to be less invasive and produce much better, longer-lasting results. Dr. T's Prescription: One of my (many) mottos is “get started early and go often.” It is far better (and easier from a recovery standpoint) to undergo several smaller procedures than to undergo a large surgical face or necklift. There are so many noninvasive treatment options that can be applied alone or together to improve not only how one looks, but how one feels….and NO ONE needs to know except you. One of the biggest mistakes many people make is to wait until things get really bad (lots of sagging/wrinkling) before consideration is given to treatment. Then EVERYONE knows what has been done (and you’ve had to look less than your best for a lot longer than necessary before getting a “fix”). What's stopping you from looking your best? Please post your questions and thoughts below. Dr.Tina Alster is the founding director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and a clinical professor at Georgetown University Medical Center.