Everything You Wish You Knew When You Were Younger....

As I sat by the pool last week at the resort my family and I enjoyed during the Spring Break from school, I saw many young and middle aged people who had obvious physical evidence of  irreversible (without surgery) damage to their appearance (and health)- or who, through the actions they were engaging in, were going to (almost inevitably) experience these adverse effects over time.

It is a great irony to me that the time period in our lives when we can do the most to assure long life, good health over that life, and minimization of the appearance of aging, is the time period when we are the absolute least likely to care about the future.

As a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, I know how likely it is that most of these people (mostly women) will eventually be deeply concerned about the decline in their appearance related to these activities, and how much regret they will express and feel over the bad habits of their youth. I had a recurring thought...

It reminded me of the day in medical school that my pathology professor showed us all a pair of human lungs taken from the body of a long time smoker, next to lungs from a non-smoker. The black color, small size, generally ill appearance, and stark contrast compared to the healthy, pink, fluffy appearance of the healthy lungs has been an image that enters my mind every time I have been around a smoker, or even thought about trying a cigarette.

If women better understood the changes in their health and appearance that would inevitably result (to varying degrees) from their poor choices, wouldn't at least some of them alter their behaviors?

And while it is true that I make my living restoring many of these women to an attractive and natural appearance, the truth is that I am not overly concerned that I am somehow diminishing my pool of prospective patients, because I know that most people would rather have fun now and pay the piper later...

Nonetheless, for those women who do care and have the "third little pig" (who built the brick house) in you, here is at least some of the education you wish someone had given you before you damaged yourself in your youth... Please share this information with the young people in your life- hopefully it will affect at least a few of them positively over the course of their lives.

1. All carcinogens (cancer causing influences) will have a greater effect on younger people than on older people, and their effect will also be related to the intensity of the exposure. This means that smoking, the sun, and exposure to chemicals are all particularly dangerous to young people, because of the fact that these young people have cells that are still dividing actively- they are still growing. Damage to the DNA of a younger person is likely to not only affect the cells experiencing the DNA damage, but all cells that eventually come from those cells as the person grows.

2. Here's the thing- for the same reasons that poor choices raise the risk of cancer more the younger you are, they are also more damaging to your overall health and appearance. Let's take smoking as an example... Cigarettes causes long term damage to the small blood vessels of the body- in the heart, this explains smokers' increased risk of heart attacks; in the brain, the increased risk of stroke. What many people don't understand, though, is that the small blood vessels in the skin and subcutaneous tissues are also affected, and that these effects will usually be seen before something as dramatic as a heart attack occurs. When the small blood vessels of the skin are damaged, the decreased blood flow results in a dull, dry appearance, with diminished production of the skin oils and sebum the skin needs to stay young and healthy. Collagen and elastin production also suffer, leading to an increase in wrinkles. We all know what older smokers look like, right?

Bottom Line- Don't smoke. And the younger you are, the greater the risks...

3. I used smoking as a starting example because it is easiest to follow, as most of us have grown up in the post- American Lung Society push to reduce smoking... The effects of sun worshipping, drinking to excess, and poor control of your nutrition are all more likely to cause you irreversible problems when you engage in them in your youth.

4. Let's talk about weight control- because I think most of us know at this point that we should avoid excess sun exposure and wear sun screen. Hopefully, most of us parents also understand that protecting and teaching our kids about the dangers of the sun is even more important (again, because of their youth). What I know most people do not understand, however, is that once skin has been stretched beyond a certain point, it will never again achieve that tight, thick, smooth appearance and character youthful people enjoy. And while this may be a relatively minor concern of all those related to the epidemic of youth obesity in the US, it is nonetheless a fact that it adversely affects the health and happiness of those affected for the remainder of their lives.. The truth is that stretch marks cannot be cured once they have occurred, and that the lost skin elasticity that they represent cannot ever be restored- not by lasers. radio frequency, potions or lotions, or even surgery. Surgery can removed some of the stretch marks, and can address the excess of skin- but the poor quality of the skin that remains will still be poor. It really bothered me that so many pre-teen and teen-aged young women are already developing stretch marks and loose skin because of their lifestyle choices- or worse, because of those of their parents...

Bottom line- teach your young people the importance of living a healthy balanced lifestyle by helping them understand the consequences of their choices. It may be hard for a younger person to understand diabetes or future heart attack risks, but most young people will understand how unfavorable it is to have to deal with loose, stretch marked skin-and the social implications of the appearance of same- especially when it could have been prevented.

Over the next few months, we'll revisit this from time to time- send me your thoughts and questions so I can better help you stay healthy and happy.

www.drarmandosoto.com