The winter months can be tough on skin, leaving it dull and dry and often ignored under all of those layers. But the weather will be warming up soon (especially here in Austin), and the layers will come off. Don’t let shorts weather catch you off guard—prep your skin now for spring, and you’ll be able to show off fresh, glowing skin.

Slough Off Dry Skin
Exfoliate your body 2-3 times a week to get rid of layers of dead skin cells that make your skin look and feel rough. There are a number of products to choose from to help you do this. Loofahs, exfoliating gloves, body brushes and scrubs are all effective. You can even make your own sugar scrub by adding sugar to a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to make a paste. Exfoliate in the shower using circular motions. Tip: The homemade sugar scrub also works wonders on your lips—after all, they need TLC too!

Keep it Cool in the Shower
It’s difficult, but avoid hot showers. Instead use warm water, then end your shower with an as-cold-as-you-can-stand rinse. The cold water invigorates skin and will make you feel energized. Plus, it’s great for blood circulation and even helps hair look shiny and smooth. After you shower, gently pat yourself dry and apply your favorite lotion.

Don’t Forget Hands & Feet
Some parts need special attention. Hands and feet are extra dry and scaly from winter’s elements. At night before you go to bed, exfoliate both hands and feet. Get into bed and apply an overnight moisturizing cream, then slip on soft gloves and socks to maximize absorption. Leave the gloves and socks on while you sleep to wake up with extra-soft hands and feet.

Get a Tan (but lose the tanning bed)
It’s tempting to rely on a tanning bed to give you that base tan you want before baring arms and legs in spring weather—but just say no! Self-tanning is a better way to get a bronze glow, and it will help you save both money and your skin. It helps that self tanning products have come a long way in the last ten years. You can definitely find one in your price range that won’t turn you orange or streaky or leave you smelling like a burnt carrot. So choose your cream, lotion, gel or spray and get glowing! Just make sure to exfoliate beforehand to get an even application.

In all of your preparations for spring-ready skin, don’t forget about your face. If you want to get ahead of the beauty curve, try one of our popular peels and refreshers. Our experienced aestheticians can help you find just the right treatment to achieve a gorgeous, rejuvenated complexion.

Fill out the Contact Us form on the right, or just give us a call at (512) 485-7700. We look forward to hearing from you.

Leg vein issues plague a great number of American adults: as many as 1 in 3 adults complain of some form of venous insufficiency. And although most experience symptoms after turning 50, it’s not uncommon for younger individuals to have venous problems as well.

With it being so prevalent, you’ve likely heard the terms “varicose veins” and “spider veins”. The two are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are in fact distinct.

If you’re wondering which leg vein issue you have, then the following information should be helpful to you. Check your legs against the descriptions of both spider and varicose veins:

Spider Veins:

• Small, thin, branch-like veins
• Red, purple or blue in color
• Usually grouped/networked together in a fan-shaped pattern
• Visible just beneath the skin’s surface

Varicose Veins:

• Large, bulging, rope-like vein
• Blue, purple or flesh colored
• Typically singular
• Often swollen to the point of raising the skin’s surface

If you are concerned about either your spider veins or varicose veins (or both), it is recommended to schedule an appointment to get your veins evaluated. Dr. Zimmet employs duplex ultrasound technology to accurately evaluate your veins and determine the best treatment plan for your condition.

Find out more about the treatment options available, or contact us to schedule your initial appointment.

As a culture, our intake of milk and other dairy products has increased over the past 100 years—and so has our acne problem. The link between the two has been suggested for years, and now scientists and dermatologists have confirmed the fact.

A systematic review of 21 observational studies and six clinical trials revealed clear links between milk and acne. In two of these controlled trials, it was found that cow’s milk increased both the number of people who got acne as well as its degree of severity. Also alarming: the other large randomized prospective controlled trials found that people who had a higher sugar and glycemic intake (think breads, rices, cereals, flour products, etc.) also had significantly more acne.

Why does milk cause acne, though? Doesn’t it “do a body good”? Not really, unless you’re a calf. Cow milk was designed to grow calves. It is full of anabolic hormones including insulin and testosterone. In fact there are over 60 hormones in the average glass of milk, regardless of whether it is store-bought, organic or raw.

Dairy causes a spike in certain hormones and insulin levels that have clearly been shown to stimulate your skin to produce acne breakouts.

A 2010 Clinics in Dermatology paper confirmed this as well, stating that “The natural function of milk being to stimulate growth, it contains anabolic steroids as well as true growth hormones… [that] add to the potency of milk as a stimulant of acne.”

The confirmation of the link between milk and acne is good news for the over 17 million people in our country who suffer from acne, as it will help them take charge of the health of their skin and combat most pimples before they have a chance to begin.

Although dropping the milk habit is almost certain to improve one’s pimple problem, chronic acne might not disappear with a change in diet. See our acne treatments page to read about the treatment options we offer here at Zimmet Vein & Dermatology.

Zimmet Vein & Dermatology recently participated in a charity fundraising event for Dell Children’s Medical Center, and we’re happy to report it was a success!

The event raised over $15,000 for the new patient tower that’s currently under construction at the hospital site, and featured a silent auction. We look forward to hearing from the lucky person who went home with a treatment gift card from us!

The construction of the third patient tower is an exciting step for the city of Austin. The new tower will add 72 patient beds, raising the hospital’s total capacity to 248. It will also feature a comprehensive, long-term rehabilitation center—the first of its kind in Austin.

Providing long term care will alleviate the burden of families who have had to travel to Houston or San Antonio in the past, and will better serve the specific needs of children suffering from debilitating diseases and injuries. Children who need to relearn daily life skills will be able to stay for weeks or months of therapy, and will even be provided with a classroom and teacher to help them stay on top of their schooling.

Other advancements include:

• An expanded bone, joint and spine program
• A respiratory unit for children and adolescents with severe asthma, cystic fibrosis and other pulmonary diseases
• More space for cardiology, orthopedics, neuroscience and other departments
• A family lounge equipped with a dedicated laundry area, kitchen and business center
• Expanded natural spaces and art exhibits

Construction is expected to finish in May of this year, and will result in 200 new jobs for our growing city.

Here at Zimmet Vein & Dermatology we’re so pleased that we were able to be a part of this fantastic fundraising event. We can’t wait to see the new tower when it’s finished and ready for use.

To learn more about Dell Children’s Medical Center and the services they provide for Austin’s children, visit the center’s website today.

According to a 2012 Harris Poll, one out of five Americans has a tattoo — but 14% of those people wish they could take back the ink. Until very recently, tattoo removal was unavoidably painful, time consuming and —even worse —incomplete. But new technology might change all of that.

Current tattoo removal generally relies on multiple lasers to remove different colors of ink. Because of the way colors absorb into the skin, lighter colors such as green, blue and yellow have traditionally been more difficult to remove than black ink. The pain involved in these treatments has been described as being snapped by a rubber band or being spattered with hot bacon grease. (Ouch!)

Current lasers send concentrated light energy in short-pulse bursts—in nanoseconds, to be exact. But a new laser called PicoSure™ is now on the market and promises to deliver that same energy in picoseconds—trillionths of a second.

The FDA-approved PicoSure laser erases tattoo ink more efficiently and cause less injury to surrounding tissue than current lasers, and appears to achieve significantly better results on lighter colored ink. On average, 94% clearance was achieved for blue and green ink. Because of the laser’s efficiency, only 2-4 treatments are normally required, instead of the 8-12 needed with current technology.

The good news doesn’t stop there, though. This new laser has also been FDA cleared to treat benign pigmented lesions such as moles, melasma and seborrhoeic keratosis.

The PicoSure device will be available to cosmetic dermatologists and plastic surgeons in the near future. Stay tuned for the latest information on this cutting edge technology as it becomes available.

Visited CultureMap Austin recently? If so, you might have seen a familiar name on the site… Dr. Zimmet himself has penned several articles in a new beauty series called You, Refined.  There you’ll find wise words about the secrets to firmer skin, how to get your legs in shape for summer, tips for men and more.

New to CultureMap Austin? Launched in the summer of 2011, CultureMap Austin describes itself as the city’s daily digital magazine—a publication that marries the reliability and polish of print with the up-to-the-minute reporting and analysis of social media. The online magazine delivers trending news and editorials arranged according to genre: events, art, food & drink, music, design, fitness & sports and lifestyle. The goal of CultureMap Austin is to keep you plugged in, enlightened and entertained about culturally relevant happenings in our fair city.

So if you haven’t visited yet, go for it! Join the conversation and be more in-the-know when it comes to everything Austin, including how to keep your skin and body looking great.

Zimmet Vein & Dermatology is proud to be an Austin original. Dr. Zimmet has been practicing dermatology here for over thirty years, and offers an array of body and skin treatments to help you look and feel your best. Want to schedule a consultation? Fill out the contact form to the right or call us at (512) 485-7700.

We are delighted and proud to announce Dr. Zimmet’s recent acceptance to the Best Vein Care online registry as a Premiere member. Registry membership is granted only to vein doctors who pass rigorous verification and assessment phases.

Best Vein Care was founded by six physician colleagues to establish needed standards for the venous community and to help patients access the highest quality vein care in their area. The organization’s mission is “to become the leading authoritative resource for evaluating vein centers & vein care physicians; thereby, providing an invaluable asset that will enable patients to make informed vein care choices.”

To make this happen, the center requires vein doctor candidates to apply in three phases:

First Phase:

Verification: Similar to the way a health care facility reviews staff applications, certified representatives verify the applicant’s education, training and experience. If cleared, applicants progress to the second phase.

Second Phase:

Self-Assessment: During this phase, physicians assess their own performance and identify strengths and possible areas of improvement (as compared to the Standards of Excellence.) This phase is facilitated by the Chief Verification Officer and other certified Best Vein Care representatives.

Site Visit: The physician and center are observed and rated on a 150-point system by certified BVC representatives.

Third Phase:

Recognition: When the validation, verification and assessment processes are completed, the findings are presented to the Physician Quality Committee. This committee places the final stamp of approval on the vein doctor’s practice as a “Center of Excellence”.

If a vein center exceeds quality standards above 100 points on the value system, that center is designated a “Preferred Center of Excellence.” Even more distinguished is the “Premiere Center of Excellence”, which achieves its title by exceeding quality standards above 125 points.

We’re not surprised that Zimmet Vein & Dermatology was deemed a Premiere Center of Excellence!

Dr. Zimmet is one of the only 26 vein doctors in the state of Texas recognized by this distinguished accrediting body. If you’re suffering from vein problems, contact our office today, knowing your vein health will be in the most competent hands.