This entry was originally written as an e-newsletter exclusively for our subscribers on January 25, 2008.  The following information is posted here just as it was before.  As always, feel free to contact us with any questions, or post any comments (within reason) you may have:

One of the most common questions I receive from many of my patients is, “How can I get rid of those dark circles under my eyes?”.  This question is common all year round, but especially in the winter when the skin surrounding the eyes becomes more pale, making the dark circles appear even more prominent as a result.

These dark circles make the face look older and generally detract from your overall appearance.  Needless to say, they also make the eyes look more tired.  However, despite common thinking, dark circles do not result from lack of sleep.  They are really caused by extra blood vessels that develop beneath the thinner skin of the area under the eyes.

Vitamin K Creme, with its beneficial effects on blood vessels, can effectively diminish the dark circles by constricting the blood vessels and making them less visible.  I recommend applying Vitamin K Creme under the eyes twice a day.  Doing this can result in visible improvement within just two to three weeks.  Once the areas look better to your satisfaction, one application a day (usually at bedtime) is sufficient to maintain the noticeably healthier skin.

I hope thie information helps you, your family, and your friends.  As always, be sure to check out our website for more helpful information on this and other skin care concerns and solutions.  Thank you as always for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Dr. John Burke

This entry was originally written as an e-newsletter exclusively for our subscribers on January 9, 2008.  There were some references to the previous holiday season and New Years Day that have been removed and updated for sake of relevance, but the remaining information is posted just as it was before.  As always, feel free to contact us with any questions, or post any comments (within reason) you may have:

Winter Skin 

This past winter has been pretty harsh on all my patients.  The newer, most common worry among many of my patients was either how quickly they could dig their cars out of the snow, or how safe they would be while driving.  With those important issues being on everyone’s minds, keeping one’s skin healthy and glowing tends to be the last thing everyone thinks about.  However, epidermal health is particularly important even during the winter.   Because of the coldness of the surrounding air (particularly in Maine), the top level of your skin dries out more quickly, making your skin texture rough and itchy. 

There are two steps to combat this rough winter skin, no matter how cold it gets:  1.) The first step is to exfoliate on a regular basis, at least once a week and even up to three times a week for people with very dry skin.  2.)  The second step is to moisturize.  When older dry skin is exfoliated regularly, moisturizers are absorbed more easily treating and preventing dryness.

As the weather gets colder and humidity gets lower, water becomes even more important to your skin’s health.  Hence, you need to drink more water in the winter.  Also, increasing external humidity will help greatly, especially using a humidifier in your bedroom at night. 

Finally, the sun can still damage your skin in the winter, whether you’re outside or while driving.  It’s therefore important that you wear your facial sunblock every day and reapply it if you are going to be outside for prolonged periods of time such as while skiing or snowmobiling. 

Using these techniques, your skin will feel smoother and less itchy.  You will look better and prevent future damage.  As always, our website carries all the dermatologist-developed products I recommend.  Feel free to check these products out for yourself, and be sure to contact our offices with any questions you may have.  Thanks again for your time, and have a safe and happy winter. 

Sincerely,

Dr. John Burke

This entry was originally written as an e-newsletter exclusively for our subscribers on November 21, 2007, shortly before Thanksgiving.  There were some previous references to Thanksgiving which have since been removed for the sake of relevance.  However, all the information about acne on this post remains the same.  As always, feel free to contact us with any questions, or post any comments (within reason) you may have:

The Dirt on Acne 

All my patients who have or had teenagers (myself included) know about the problems acne causes.  Acne is indeed an extremely common skin condition.  Approximately 90% of all adolescents experience acne outbreaks at some point in their lives, as do 25% of all adults.

Young men and women get acne in equal numbers, but young men tend to have more severe & longer-lasting cases.  Acne in women tends to be more “hormonal” with outbreaks related to their menstrual cycle.  Hormonal changes can cause acne in women who are in their 30’s and 40’s.  Here at the offices of Maine Laser Skin Care, I have seen and still see many patients with emotional & physical scars from acne.

Acne is caused by inflammation in pores of oil-producing or sebaceous glands after skin cells do not shed properly and plug up pores.  This plugging allows oil to back up & skin bacteria to infect the oil leading to inflammation.  In short, this inflammation creates pimples or “zits”.

Unfortunately, acne is not easy to treat.  Traditional therapies attempt to treat either the plugged pores, the oil production, or the bacteria.  Over $1.4 billion is spent each year in the U.S. on acne medication and treatments.  Not all treatments work on everyone, and treament needs to be individualized.

In my practice, I often see patients who have used many common treatments including antibiotics.  I find that combinations of topical medication & light-based laser therapy works best in combating difficult-to-treat acne on teenagers’ and adults’ skin.  I would be glad to consult with anyone about specific acne treatments up to and including FDA-approved laser protocols.  Check out our website for more products including our acne spot treatments and kits.  Each product is specially design to compat specific acne problems each.  Thank you very much, and as always we encourage feedback!

Sincerely,
Dr. John Burke

The following announcement was sent to our e-newsletter subscribers on October 19, 2007.  Although we labeled the e-mail as “Part I”, we haven’t written a Part II to this series just yet.  However, that will be added to our blog within the next few weeks:

Rosacea- Part I 

My next several posts are going to deal with a common, but difficult to treat, chronic skin condition called Rosacea.  Over 14 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of Rosacea, most of whom are between ages 30 and 60.  Women tend to have more Rosacea than men, although men tend to have more serious and disfiguring cases.

Signs of Rosacea include reddened areas with visible blood vessels and often pimples (like acne) over the cheeks, nose and chin.  In early cases, the redness comes and goes.  But as Rosacea gets worse, the redness also increases and results in noticeable permanent “broken blood vessels”.

Nobody knows what causes Rosacea, although one theory is that skin bacteria can start the process of skin damage and redness.  There are certain factors that can trigger more symptoms.  These “triggers” include hot or cold temperatures, wind, hot drinks, exercise, spicy food, alcohol (especially red wine), and menopause.

Prevention is of the utmost importance in controlling the embarrassing redness and flushing that comes with Rosacea.  I recommend the following Maine Laser Skin Care products for preventative treatment:

1. Daily use, (even in winter) of a sunscreen with at least SPF-30.  I highly recommend the Replenishing Sunblock SPF-36, which is available to buy on our website.
2. Vitamin K applied to the skin also improves skin healing to damage and reduces blood vessel formation.  I recommend Vitamin K Creme applied to reddened areas after washing, which is also available on our website.

In a future post, I will discuss treatments for this common and embarrassing problem of Rosacea.  If you know anyone who has this condition, feel free to cut and paste this information and send it their way.  Of course, it would also help if you told them that Dr. Burke wrote it and not you.

Furthermore, if you have specific questions concerning Rosacea or other skin conditions, visit our website where you can find all this information and more, or call (207) 873-2158.  Thanks again for reading this, and feel free to contact us with any pressing questions at all.

Sincerely,

Dr. John Burke

The following entry was sent to members of our mailing list on August 31, 2007.  Since we have since attracted more subscribers, this information will be new to many of you readers, especially with summer right around the corner.   Some of the information has been either extracted or updated for sake of relevance, but the general health information remains the same and will perhaps always be relevant.

With all that said, here is Maine Laser Skin Care’s first official blog entry.  Of course, we welcome your questions and comments.

The Sun Is Not Your Friend

Many of the skin problems that I treat at Maine Laser Skin Care are a direct result of long-term sun damage. Despite the short-term warming feeling of the sun (and for that matter, tanning beds) on your skin, the sun is not your friend.

The sun damage effects on your skin are the cumulative effect of all the sun exposure over your life. That’s why sunburns and/or tanning as you get older cause more bad effects. Even though it seems that “they (e.g. veins, spots, wrinkles) just suddenly appeared”, you have been damaging your skin for years leading up to the cosmetic appearance of damage.

While I can certainly treat and improve the appearance of your damaged skin, I strongly advocate protection of your skin to slow or prevent skin damage. Good sunblock is the key. A good sunblock should protect against the effects of UVA and UVB rays.

The SPF number on sunblock only tells you how much UVB is blocked. Why is UVA important? Because UVA is the cause of skin cancer and most skin aging changes. UVA is also present year-round and in all climates. If there is daylight, even on cloudy days, you are exposed to UVA and its damaging effects on your skin.

For that reason, Maine Laser Skin care recommends our Replenishing Sunblock which is not only SPF 36, but also provides superior UVA protection for your skin compared to other products tested.

.

Average UVA Protection

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            84.90%                          80.00%                           79.30% 

Replenishing Sunblock   Antheilos SX Memoryl     Neutrogena Ultra

            SPF 36                      SPF 15 Cream                  Sheer SPF 45

 Protect your skin daily all year long. Make daily sunblock part of your daily skin care routine. As with all the products I recommend, Replenishing Sunblock can be ordered on our website. Also, Replenishing Sunblock is on sale for the month of April, so stop by our office in Vassalboro, or (for those of you without access to HTML) visit the following page to get this product at an unbeatable price:

http://www.mainelaserskincare.com/shop/product.php?productid=32&cat=10&page=1

And before I forget, welcome to our e-newsletter, which will be send to you at least once a month.  This newsletter will discuss vital skin care topics for your information and education.  I also welcome you to forward this and other relevant messages to any friends and family who may be interested in skin care.  Thank you very much for choosing Maine Laser Skin Care for all your dermatological needs. 

Welcome, readers, to Maine Laser Skin Care’s official blog, which we will be updating on a regular basis.  This blog will contain useful information on keeping your skin healthy, and will consist of past and present essays that we send to our subscribers every month.

 For our new subscribers, this blog is an excellent opportunity for you to catch up with pertinent newsletters that had been previously e-mailed.  And of course, once we send out future newsletters, they will be posted right on here.  Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletters if you haven’t done so already.

 Thanks again for reading this, and of course, more posts are coming very soon.

 Sincerely,

Dr. John Burke