Photo Credit: beautyinthebag.com
MEET DR. BRUCE ROBINSON: BOARD CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST
Dr. Bruce Robinson, a native New Yorker, specializes in adult and pediatric dermatology, dermatologic surgery, cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery. His belief in relationship medicine and personalized attention for his patients has made him a trusted expert among clients and colleagues alike. He is a national spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology and a fellow of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.
In addition to running a successful practice, Dr. Robinson dedicates his time to community service and volunteers teaching medical students and medical and dermatology residents. A believer in ‘giving back,’ a portion of the revenue of his practice and sales of his JAS Just Amazing Skincare line is donated to the AAD sponsored Camp Discovery, a six-week summer camp experience for kids living with severe skin disorders.
BITB spoke with Dr. Robinson about his passion for his career and the future of aesthetics.
1. Who / what inspired you to select the field of aesthetics?
I was inspired to specialize in Dermatology and Aesthetics by my mother who always looked her best and set the bar high for beauty.  When I was young, her radiant look included a full head of auburn hair in an elegant up do that framed her wrinkle free skin and youthful, blemish-free glow.  By the time I was in medical school her natural signs of maturation began to appear — lines on her forehead and sides of her eyes, brown spots from her days using a sun reflector, and the loss of the natural volume in her facial skin that led to deeper lines we now call furrows.  My mother’s ‘big’ personality offset her diminutive stature — at 5 foot 2 she took care of all that she had.  So when the aging process caught up to her, she shared her concerns that helped guide my career.  She was always eager to find out what was new and quizzed me about how she could maintain and improve her skin despite the march of time. So, from the birth of Botox to treat her mother worry lines, filler to treat her furrows, Fraxel for her brown/sun spots, Ultherapy for skin tightening of her cheek jowls and lax skin on her neck and now Sculpsure to permanently dissolve unwanted fat, she clearly looks like herself accompanied by her ever vivacious personality and retains her incredibly youthful appearance and glamour.
2. What are the most effective treatments for a woman who wants to maintain healthy, beautiful skin in her 20s/30s-40s/50 plus/etc?
One of the most rewarding experiences for me as a dermatologist is to design a treatment plan that is tailored to a patient’s needs, which helps to ensure and maintain the health, vibrancy and youthfulness of the skin.  Few things are more gratifying than when a patient, seen by me in their 20’s or 30’s, returns to tell me that all their friends had to start Botox, fillers and other cosmetic procedures at a much younger age because they did not have the following guidance which I insisted on for them:
To maintain beautiful, vibrant skin for women in their 20’s-30’s, use quality sunscreen and a topical high-quality retinol.  The backbone to any anti-aging therapy is a daily sunscreen which should be at a minimum SPF of 30 or greater, contain Zinc Oxide, and ideally be water resistant for at least 40 minutes or 80 minutes when engaging in non-stop outdoor activities for longer periods of time.  There is no such thing as waterproof – you must reapply!  Reducing the cumulative amount of sun in one’s lifetime and avoiding sunburns are the most important actions to prevent premature aging and skin cancer.  Elta’s Chemical Free SPF 41 tinted sunscreen is my favorite for daily usage.  The JAS Just Amazing Skincare Anti-Aging Retinol delivers a topical vitamin A derivative that has been shown in over 40 years of medical research to prevent wrinkles, brown spots, shrink pore size and possibly prevent precancerous growths. JAS Facial Brightening Cream has Kojic Acid, a natural botanical, that lightens brown marks and helps prevent new ones.  It works especially well to prevent brown marks from acne.
Light chemical peels with up to 99% buffered glycolic acid offer a no-downtime solution for evening out skin texture, lightening brown spots, decreasing pore size and the general brightening of the skin.  Gone are the days of peeling red skin after a chemical peel.  Buffered peels are comfortable – at most a light tingle – and require no pre or post-treatment.  Now called “the lunchtime peelâ€, one can literally have a peel and return to work with and glow, yet nobody will know that you had anything done.  Depending on genetics and amount of sun exposure, forehead wrinkles can appear as early as your 20’s and 30’s.  So Botox can provide a very natural appearance and helps prevent these lines from becoming deeper.  Today’s techniques can assure women a natural, rested appearance. At our practice, we evaluate patients results two weeks after receiving Botox (it takes approximately two weeks for the Botox to reach its full effect) as we want to ensure the highest level of satisfaction.
For women in their 40’s to 50’s the signs of aging become more prevalent.  By this time Botox and fillers (such as Radiesse and Juvederm) provide for the maintenance of a youthful appearance.  What was once an indulgence has now become part of a healthy lifestyle like going to the gym, eating healthy, and meditative relaxation.  Both Botox and fillers have been proven safe, effective and longer lasting.  Women who have had children find that, despite diet and exercise, they cannot seem to lose that roll of belly fat, love handles or excess fat in their thighs or the rolls over their bra strap.  SculpSure is a non-invasive 25-minute laser treatment that permanently destroys up to 24% of the fat cells with no downtime.  So you can go run, spin and go right back to the gym immediately following treatment. A repeat 25-minute session is recommended 4-6 weeks after the initial treatment for total results.  Another common complaint in this age group is hanging skin on face (jowls), wrinkling of the V-of the chest (the decolte) and sagging skin on the neck. For many of these issues, surgery was the only answer, especially for the treatment of the neck. Now Ultherapy (ultrasound skin tightening) can tighten these areas with a 30-40 minute treatment that is long-lasting and requires no pre or post-treatment care. Within 3 months the client begins to see lifting of the skin on the neck, elevation and partial or complete elimination of the jowls and the disappearance of the lines on the chest.
3. What innovative or new treatments are coming soon?
Dermatologic innovations will continue to focus on treatments that require a minimal amount of time to perform and no pre or post-treatment with little or no downtime. We will continue to see more developments in the area of body contouring as more treatments areas are officially approved.  The use of hyaluronidase for the treatment of raised scars and laser treatment for the improvement and resolution of stretch marks is very exciting.  There are even promising treatments on the horizon for loss of pigment and hair.  Our medical practice monitors and evaluates patient treatments on an ongoing basis to deliver the most contemporary options for our clients.
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