Who doesn’t love a listicle? Particularly a smash-hit one like Leah Kate’s “10 Things I Hate About You” (or the iconic movie of the same name!). Likewise, Dr Vanessa Lapiner counts down her top 10 things your dermatologist wishes you wouldn’t do.
1. Getting your moles burned off
Please do not allow medically untrained aestheticians to treat your moles! Without a proper diagnosis using a dermatoscope, this could prove life-threatening. I’ve seen patients who have had a so-called beauty spot or pimple lasered off at a medi-spa – but they were skin cancers that later reoccurred at much more advanced malignancies. Rather get cosmetically bothersome marks checked out by your dermatologist first to see whether they can be safely removed. As a rule, even benign-appearing moles get sent away for pathology testing – safety first!
2. Using Melanotan ‘tanning injections’ or nasal spray to get a sunless tan
Melanotan II is an unlicensed and largely untested form of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which causes pigmentation (tanning) of human skin.
Melanotan II has been reported to cause a wide range of potentially serious side effects. Warnings against its use have been issued from the US, UK, and several other countries – as well as by CANSA here in SA – and yet the lure of a sunless tan is still tempting many of my patients into using it.
Because Melanotan II stimulates the melanocytes (the cells making up our moles), the big concern is that, over the long term, it may increase the risk of melanoma. Other side effects include dangerous breakdown of your muscle cells (rhabdomyolysis) as well as encephalopathy. Please steer clear of it – it’s not worth it!
3. Letting inexperienced aesthetic practitioners inject into danger zones
Don’t entrust someone with your face because they are more affordable!
If the person administering fillers is untrained and injects into danger zones, there’s a risk of damage, infection, or injecting filler into arteries and blocking them – leading to tissue death, scarring, or even vision loss. This is why it’s so important to see a registered medical professional who understands the anatomy of the face, knows the areas to avoid, and, if necessary, can respond appropriately should these rare and potentially devastating complications occur.
4. Having “B-tox” parties
If the thought of being able to sip cocktails with friends and getting your botulinum toxin done, too, sounds like a win-win, then listen up! Please remember that aesthetic treatments are medical procedures: not something to be included with your mani/pedi at a pamper party! It needs to be done in a sterile environment, preferably in a medical practice, and there should not be any drinking involved: in fact – alcohol interferes with blood clotting, so you’re asking for more bruising!
5. Having deep resurfacing treatments with an active cold sore
The most common infection post-laser resurfacing is a flare-up of the herpes virus, which causes cold sores. Laser resurfacing has been shown to cause recurrences in 2.2% of patients, so all our laser resurfacing patients receive antiviral medication (and antibiotics) before their treatments to reduce this risk. A herpes outbreak on a newly lasered face (i.e. with a very compromised skin barrier) can cause permanent scarring.
6. Having fillers when you have a sinus infection or have had dental procedures in the past two weeks
Having fillers with an active infection is a no-go. I understand the temptation of still going to an appointment that has been booked months before, but don’t.
Why? Because even a low-grade infection can contaminate your fillers, resulting in biofilms, which can become an absolute nightmare down the line. Bacteria present in these biofilms can remain dormant for a long time and emerge from their biofilm following activation by a trigger like dentistry work, leading to inflammation, granulomas, or abscesses. Tender nodules develop under the skin, which can persist for months and cause great anxiety.
7. Not following post-care instructions after a procedure or treatment
We want you to have the best result possible! Unnecessary pain and complications like infection will be minimised if your aftercare instructions are followed carefully. Common sense will often dictate what you should or shouldn’t do after a procedure or treatment, but if you have any questions, please contact your dermatologist to clarify. Following an excision, our scar is our signature, so we’re never happy if you go surfing and end up tearing your sutures open. Also, sun exposure after laser treatments causes pigmentation. Our aftercare instructions are there to make sure that you have the best aesthetic outcome possible.
8. Expecting instantaneous miracles with your treatment plan
I love instant gratification – but you need to give your new treatment time to work. A new acne treatment protocol needs at least eight weeks to work; give three months for pigmentation and six months for any new anti-ageing products. Most ingredients require at least a cell turnover rate period of around 4-6 weeks before you start seeing maximum efficacy. When you’re looking at healthy ageing benefits, then 3-6 months is a more realistic time period for the production and remodelling of collagen in the dermis. Don’t jump from product to product or go from feast (too many products and functional actives triggering inflammation) to famine (skin minimalism and skin detox) expecting to see results.
9. Justifying tanning to either ‘get some vitamin D’ or to get a ‘baseline tan for safety’
Any tan is a sign of DNA damage. The skin’s production of melanin (which darkens the skin) is a protective response once this DNA damage has been detected. The logic that a tan is protective is majorly flawed: damaging your skin to provide the tiny increased level of protection (around an equivalent SPF of only 3-4!) that a baseline tan would provide is unwise.
Regarding the vitamin D argument, studies prove that sunscreen use has minimal impact on vitamin D levels, with most South Africans getting enough UVB for vitamin D synthesis through incidental sun exposure. Also, the body can only produce a limited amount of vitamin D at a time. Extended periods of time in the sun do not increase your vitamin D levels, but they do increase your skin cancer risk. If you’re deficient, supplement!
10. Delaying treatment for acne until it is severe enough to cause scarring
Acne is normal and physiological in teens, as it happens in 85% of cases. But this doesn’t make it any less devastating psychologically. The truth is that acne is far easier (and cheaper!) to treat than acne scarring. If you are not having any luck in clearing your acne, then please seek expert advice from your dermatologist.
So, there you have it… “10 Things Dermatologists Hate”. Catchy – I think we could have a hit on our hands!
MBChB, MSc Med (Cell Biology), FC Derm (SA).
Dr Vanessa Lapineris a dermatologist based in Cape Town with key interests in integrative dermatology, mole mapping and dermo-cosmetology.Her research interests include pigmentation disorders, the gut: brain: skin axis, nutrition as a therapeutic tool in dermatologic disease management,healthy skin metabolomicsand cosmeceutical formulation technologies. She is the founder of TASH360, South Africa’s first integrative dermatology centre offering cutting-edge technologies and advanced diagnostic testing, as well as root4:high-performance, results-driven skincare and nutraceuticals marrying advanced science and safety. She is an active member of the DSSA, the SASDS,the VSSA and the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society.
Click here to get an online consultation with Dr Vanessa Lapiner via the Dr. Derma Platform, Africa's LargestOnline Dermatology Provider.