10 Things I Learned
It was a fun and engaging event where Dr. Kellett and her team doled out expert advice on the latest and most effective ways to treat and fend off the signs of aging on our skin without surgery. Here were the ten most talked-about skincare topics of the night:
- Fixing uneven features. Any sort of asymmetry in the face can be corrected instantly with judicious use of Botox and fillers.
- Removing sunspots. Brown spots caused by UV damage are often treated at non-medical facilities with Intense Pulse Light (IPL), but not all IPL machines are the same. Some spa-grade IPL devices can be as weak as a lightbulb. At DLK on Avenue, brown spots are mostly treated with the Lumenis One (IPL) machine, which lifts pigment to the surface of the skin and breaks it apart. But treatment doesn’t stop there: An at-home maintenance program consisting of daily use of a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 plus a high quality vitamin C serum are encouraged to ward off new spots.
- Removing moles. You never want a mole removed with a laser because it might be cancerous, and the only way to find out is to send the removed mole to a lab. When you burn a cancerous mole off with a laser, the cancerous roots are still in tact and it could grow back. Dr. Kellett is apparently a beloved mole removal expert in Toronto, praised for her swift and clean shave-it-off technique combined with electrodessication (a heated needle) that promotes fast and smooth healing. She removes moles, raised or flat, this way. After the procedure, the excised mole is sent to a lab for screening and Dr. Kellett will personally call you with the results.
- Non-surgical eye lifts. Droopy eyelids can be lifted with Botox and Thermage, radio-frequency heat that tightens skin and bolsters collagen and elastin production. Combination treatments are best for sagging facial skin. Thermage was described by the rep as being able to reverse your skin to how it was about 5 years ago. Unlike the short term effects of Botox (3 months, boo.) Thermage results can last up to 3 years (hence the price, starts at $2500).
- Lifting fleshy jowls. The lower part of the neck that sags with age can also be tightened with Thermage. One Thermage treatment includes the neck area.
- Removing milia. Often mistaken for whiteheads, milia are actually keratin-filled cysts (not a clogged pore) and they are the result of using makeup or a cream that is too rich for your skin. Sometimes milia can be smoothed out with Diamond Peels (microdermabrasion) but deeply-rooted millium may need Dr. Kellett’s touch. She literally burns the hard bump off using an electric needle (electrodessication). The same technique is used to remove skin tags.
- Signs of melanoma. If a spot on your skin feels rough like sandpaper for more than a week, it could be skin cancer. Get it checked by a derm, as soon as possible. The old way to treat a suspect spot was to freeze it off with liquid nitrogen but today light-assisted Photodynamic Therapy is the better way because it also treats precancerous cells that have not yet surfaced as visible spots.
- Treating acne scars. Acne-induced divots can be dramatically improved with very little downtime using certain lasers such as the ProFractional laser, which ablates the top layer of scarred skin and travels deeply to break down damaged collage and produce new collagen, resulting scar tissue that is softer and lighter looking.
- Ridding redness. Conditions such as rosacea and broken capillaries can minimized with just one ResurFX treatment, a combination of medical-grade IPL and resurfacing laser. Due to the laser, acne scars can also be targeted.
- Pre-event glow. Achieving camera-ready skin when you’re just a few days shy before a big event is possible with the SilkPeel, a diamond-tipped microdermabrasion to slough off dead skin cells combined with dermal infusion of brightening serums. Not only will your skin glow for weeks, but it will get healthier too from the shuttle of vitamins and antioxidants during the treatment. I had one done two days before my wedding and three weeks later my skin still looked fresh.
And here’s a bonus lesson, which I didn’t include in the list because it’s obvious BUT people are always surprised when they are reminded of it: Wear sunscreen every day to prevent the signs of aging and to lower your risk of skin cancer. For those still skeptical of the ‘chemicals’ in sunblock causing cancer, the scientific evidence is this: There are no incidences of confirmed sunscreen-induced cancers however there are many confirmed from non-use. So slop this on or spray this on, whatever you do, wear SPF every day. The team at DLK preach it daily, and seriously, when you see each of their complexions in person, you’ll be a believer, and hop on the DLK train too. She’ll never steer you wrong!
To view more photos from the event, visit their Facebook page here.
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