When’s the last time you visited the dermatologist for a skin exam? If your answer is “never”, you might want to book an appointment soon in light of new research.

According to a recent study recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology, patients who visit a dermatologist even once prior to their melanoma diagnosis have less severe melanomas than those who do not.

Michelle Cheng, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and her colleagues collected data from 387 adult patients who had been newly diagnosed with melanoma. The team presented their findings at an American Academy of Dermatology meeting.

“Our data support that patients who have had even a single dermatology visit are more likely to be diagnosed with a thinner melanoma and have a better prognosis than patients without a history of a past dermatologic examination,” they said.

If a patient visited a dermatology clinic for a professional skin exam before the actual diagnosis, they were 37% less likely to have invasive melanoma.

That same skin exam was also associated with a 25% reduction in lesion thickness at the diagnosis.

The results of the study are clear: proactively scheduling a visit to the dermatologist’s office will increase chances of a thinner melanoma and a better prognosis.

If you are concerned about your health and need to schedule a professional skin exam, contact Zimmet Vein & Dermatology today to get started.

The standing desk is officially “in” right now. And while naysayers claimed the standing desk trend was a fad that would quickly pass, research continues to expose the health risks of sitting all day at work.

Not only are standing desks not a fad, they’re not new at all. A glance back at history shows that a number of regular folk as well as luminaries like Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Ernest Hemingway stood at their desks.

More recently, news outlets like the New York Times, Men’s Health and the Daily Mail have also been looking into the matter, as well as countless bloggers. The conclusion is roundly the same across the board: It’s not great to sit all day. In fact, it is significantly increasing your chances of health problems and even an earlier death.

This is what sitting all day does to your body:

• Switches off the electrical activity in your legs
• Drops metabolism down to burning a single calorie per minute (you burn more chewing a piece of gum)
• Enzymes that break down fat decrease by 90 percent
• Good cholesterol drops by 20 percent
• Insulin effectiveness drops by 24 percent
• Shortens hip flexors
• Weakens glutes and hamstrings, affecting your standing posture

Sitting all day at work also increases chances of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and heart attacks. These effects apply to those who exercise as well. Research has unfortunately concluded that even regular exercise after work does not negate the effects of sitting at a desk all day, regardless of the workout’s intensity.

Ready to switch to a standing desk? Not so fast. Human beings were not meant to sit all day — but they weren’t meant to stand all day either.  Standing all day contributes to:

• Sore feet
• Swollen legs
• Varicose veins
• Lower back pain
• Increased chances of carotid atherosclerosis, a degenerative disease of the arteries

Researchers agree that a healthy mix of sitting, standing and moving throughout the day is the way to achieve maximum health benefits while on the job. Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics research program at Cornell University, advises people to sit at a desk with proper posture for twenty minutes, then to stand up and move for two minutes and repeat. Or, if you do switch to a standing desk, be sure to move around and sit every so often as well.

Zimmet Vein & Dermatology is Austin’s premiere vein care facility. If you have been struggling with varicose veins or spider veins, please review our treatments page or feel free to contact our office today to find out how you can regain your vein health.

On its website, The American Academy of Dermatology lists 69 different skin disorders that affect both children and adults. The list includes diseases that range from everyday irritations like acne and dandruff to severe skin diseases like melanoma and shingles.

As we age, we hope to put pesky skin problems behind us, preferring to focus on more cosmetic issues like wrinkle reduction. But according to the AAD, 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. is suffering from a skin disorder.

While there is not one official list of the most common skin disorders, there are five that are typically regarded as the most common:

1. Acne – No surprise here. This disorder that causes embarrassing pimples on the face, neck, back shoulders and chest affects over sixty percent of American adults. Hygiene is rarely the problem: hormone production, heredity and diet are more often the causes of adult acne.
2. Skin Cancer – One million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, making it the most common type of the life-threatening disease. The most frequent forms of skin cancer include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma .
3. Eczema – “Eczema” is a catch-all term to describe a number of non-contagious skin conditions that are characterized by red, dry, itchy, inflamed skin. Eczema typically affects elbows and hands.
4. Psoriasis – This is a chronic disease that develops when a person’s immune system sends erroneous signals that result in rapid skin cell growth. New skin grows in days rather than weeks, causing red or white scaly patches to appear on knees, elbows and scalp. Psoriasis can begin at any age, and is typically hereditary.
5. Rosacea – Rosacea is also a chronic condition that typically affects middle-aged, fair-skinned women. It is characterized by facial redness, flushing and visible blood vessels. Rosacea gets worse over time, and can also affect ocular health.

Skin is the body’s largest organ, so it should come as no surprise that suffering from a skin condition can have serious effects on overall health and quality of life. If a skin condition is disrupting your sense of well-being or appearance, contact Zimmet Vein & Dermatology today to find out how Dr. Zimmet and his team can help you.

Chemical peels enjoy popularity in the cosmetic dermatology world, and for good reason. Peels of various depths and strengths have demonstrated success in achieving a youthful glow for those that receive them. But many wonder how long the great results last.

Answering that question depends on what type of peel is received. Typically, the deeper the peel, the longer lasting the results will be.

Light peels (superficial, “lunchtime” peels) do not penetrate the skin as deeply and therefore produce results that are more temporary. A light peel, such as our Signature ZPeel, is perfect if you want to look refreshed and polished before an event — or really whenever you feel your skin needs a pick-me-up. Gentle solutions are used to achieve a brighter, smoother complexion, and there is no downtime. Bear in mind that light-depth peel results are cumulative, so the more you receive, the better your results will be.

Medium peels deliver more dramatic, long-lasting results than light peels or refreshers, but do demand downtime so skin can heal properly. Medium-depth peels use abrasive chemicals that penetrate deeper into the skin, reducing multiple signs of photoaging like fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and dull texture. It’s common for medium peels to result in peeling, crusting, swelling and redness for days (and possibly weeks) after the treatment. Results can last for a year or more, depending on how well you care for your skin afterwards.

The good news is that when you come in for a series of our SkinCeuticals Micropeels, you get the long-lasting results of a medium-depth peel without the messy recovery or extended downtime.  Each micropeel involves physical and chemical exfoliation followed by cryogenic therapy to address your skin imperfections. With each additional peel you will notice incremental improvement in your overall complexion. For the best results, it is recommended to come in for two series of 4-6 treatments over the course of one year.

Not sure what would be best for your skin? Ask one of our experienced aestheticians to help you assess your current skin condition as well as your goals for treatment. No matter what peel you choose, be sure to protect and nourish your new skin vigilantly to achieve the very best results.

Contact us today. Our number is (512) 485-7700.

March is Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month, but most Americans don’t know it. In fact, 74% have very little knowledge of this life-threatening condition, according to a national survey conducted by the American Public Health Association.

Even if it’s not well known, DVT is not a rare condition. Up to two million Americans are affected by DVT each year, and of those two million, approximately 200,000 die. That’s more than those that die from breast cancer and AIDS combined.

So what is deep-vein thrombosis? National DVT awareness spokesperson Melanie Bloom says that DVT occurs when “a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower limbs.” She goes on to say that a “complication of DVT, pulmonary embolism, can occur when a fragment of a blood clot breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the lungs, where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches.”

Pulmonary embolism is the primary complication of DVT, and its most dangerous one. When DVT leads to a pulmonary embolism, it can cause shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, coughing with blood and even death.

Risk factors for DVT are numerous, and half the time symptoms are “silent”, meaning they do not manifest. To educate yourself more about this condition, visit the website of The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis.

The best defense against developing a DVT-related pulmonary embolism is to talk to an experienced phlebologist like Dr. Zimmet who can personally assess your risk factors and current vein health. Deep-vein thrombosis is preventable and treatable when addressed promptly and accurately.

Contact our Austin office to schedule your appointment.