Dinkes Adam - The new natural : your ultimate guide to cutting-edge age reversal

To my father, Harry, for his unwavering support, and to Sydney, my beautiful daughter, whose wisdom is beyond her years and who inspires me every day.

Let the beauty of what we love be what we do.
Rumi

(Ages 0 to 80)

(Ages 30 to 80)

(Ages 40 to 80)

E ver look in the mirror and wish your skin were tighter or more youthful looking? Ever wish you could replace lost volume in your cheeks? Ever dream of eliminating acne scars or those dark circles under your eyes? Ever fantasize about melting, freezing, or sonically blasting your love handles or potbelly into oblivion? Well, you can! The last few years have seen a giant leap in the advancement of revolutionary cosmetic anti-aging procedures, and these beauty treatments and technologies are being tested for safety and efficacy in my offices as we speak. Ever wish there was some cream or serum that could thicken and tighten your skin, even help you stimulate new hair growth? Through stem cells and other forms of cell therapy, its already happening, and in the coming years, further advancements will utterly transform the way we look at aging and at beauty.

Youth is a constant work in progress. But the good news is that there has been exponential progress in the tools and science that can address every aspect of visible aging, whether its wrinkles, sagging, volume loss, hair loss, veins, discoloration, or stubborn pockets of body fat that are even harder to eliminate the older we get. What technology can do today, and the results it will be able to achieve tomorrow, is nothing short of miraculous.

My own discoveries in anti-aging and cosmetic treatments stem from my fascination with technology and science. Many of the treatments we use for aesthetic purposes today started out as protocols for medical conditions. Botox, for example, was used to alleviate muscle spasms; lasers were developed to help stroke patients with facial paralysis; certain fillers were used to improve quality of life in AIDS patients suffering from facial wasting. But the more I studied how these treatments and technologies worked, the more potential I saw for skin health and beauty. Figuring out exactly how light sources and sound waves interact at different levels of the skins surface, heating and manipulating the structure of the cells, has opened up a world of possibilities beyond the traditional surgeons knife.

We are changing the paradigm of age prevention and reversal. Its no longer about having a face-lift. In fact, you may never have to go under the knife to look like your best version of yourself. There is a non-invasive revolution taking place, even in the field of plastic surgery. Scalpels are out; lasers and tiny cannulas are in. We are moving away from the artificial, surgical look. The technology has evolved to the point where you can look amazing at any age, with minimal downtime and almost no risk of side effects. You wont have to hide your age, because with so many new technologies to help you age gracefully, 40, 50, 60, and 70 are going to look great on you. And perfectlynatural.

Im probably a lot like you. Ill do whatever it takes to maintain my youth, as long as it doesnt involve too much pain or dramatically change the way I look. Very few of my patients have had face-lifts because they know they are not necessary if they take proper care of their skin. It doesnt matter if they have good genes or what their particular skin type happens to be. If you are fair-skinned, you dont have to accept wrinkles, freckles, discoloration, or any other signs of premature aging. The palest among us can look like Julianne Moore. It takes work. These patients take meticulous care of their skin, maintaining its elasticity and texture using only the best science-backed topical creams and turning to laser and radiofrequency technology, Botox and fillers, to stay on top of wrinkles and pigment as they occur. Im proud to say that the women who come through my practice almost never look done. Instead, they are living proof that it is possible to regenerate the skinto restore youthful elasticityto eliminate saggingto eradicate deep wrinklesto bring back the face that is the real you without resorting to traditional surgery.

This is not about looking perfect. The men and women I treat have no interest in looking as though they belong in Madame Tussauds wax museum. They enjoy having facial expressions. Instead, the goal is to generate and maintain a skin texture that is youthful, healthy, and smooth. The color and tone are even; the pores are virtually invisible. By the time they reach their sixth decade, they dont have the telltale eye bags or sagging jowls. They have been able to slow the march of time by using the most advanced cosmeceuticals and injectable fillers to stimulate their own collagen and strengthen the overall structure of their skin cells. They use every advantage at my disposalwhether its at the end of a needle or a laserto get that glow of youth.

Theres no single trick to looking younger than your real age. It should be a natural rejuvenation over time, using safe technology and scientifically tested topical solutions. As you would a vintage car, you can keep your exterior in mint condition with subtle detailing and continual maintenance.

In this book, Ill give you the same comprehensive menu of options for maintaining youth that I offer my patients: based on real, legitimate science. I do not promise instant gratification, the latest fads, or quick fixes. Plenty of skin doctors will boast, Younger skin in 8 weeks (or 5 minutes, 5 weeks). But these solutions are deceptive. Even a face-lift isnt one-stop shopping. The prevailing wisdom is that a face-lift will ultimately be cheaper than multiple non-invasive treatments over a lifetime, and by the numbers thats perfectly true. But a scalpel doesnt cure age spots or build volume. And after another 10 years most people need a second face-lift. Then comes the third nip and tuck. No matter how brilliant your surgeon might be, after a few too many surgeries your face will be pulled back so tight that you might not be able to blink. And theres no going back. You cant replace skin thats already been removed. That done look can never be undone.

Theres tremendous confusion out there when it comes to age reversal. Scientific advancements have reached a critical mass, but patients arent getting the information they need from existing books or the media. Industry jargon is all over the place, and new skin care products making inflated claims of efficacy are piling up on the shelves. We all hear about the new products and gadgets, but no one is emphasizing how they should be used, and the results can be disastrous. Its time to cut through the clutter. You deserve to know exactly what techniques, formulations, and technologies give the best results in a particular scenario.

It starts with solid, research-based science. Ive been a practicing dermatologist since the 1980s, and what technology can do today would have sounded like the stuff of science fiction back then. If I went back to the time I first opened my practice and told colleagues it was possible to remove fat nonsurgically, theyd laugh and call me crazy. But now patients are losing inches and reshaping their legs, hips, and stomachs without going under the knife. Even when I first suggested more than a decade ago that lasers could be used for hair removal and certain skin conditions, I was accused of being a mad scientist. But today the laser and light sources I helped develop have blossomed into a multibillion-dollar global industry.