That’s why we went to the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual summer meeting—to bring you the newest advances in skin care. Here, four skin fixes to ask your derm about. If you have acne… Ask about Absorica “In order to optimally absorb acne medication, you need to take it with a fatty meal,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, Prevention advisor, and director of the meeting session, Acne, Rosacea and Other Common Dermatoses: Can We Do Better? This medicine gives you a comparable level of absorption—without needing to take it with food. If you have rosacea… Ask about laser therapy While rosacea is usually associated with red bumps and flare-ups, there’s also what’s called, “background redness.” (That flushed look that never seems to go away.) The solution: Combine laser therapy with your topical and oral treatments to attack rosacea from all angles, and ask your derm about medicines for background redness that are currently in development. If you have varicose veins… Ask about endovenous laser ablation Long gone are the days of painful vein stripping, which require weeks of recovery. Endovenous ablation heats up the vein with a laser or radiofrequency wave, causing it to collapse and disintegrate. The best part? You’re ready to go back to work within a couple days. If you have…skin! Ask about the signs of non-melanoma skin cancer It’s not as obvious as you think: Fiona O’Reilly Zwald, MD, and assistant professor of dermatology at Emory University explained that basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are on the rise in people over 40-years-old. And almost half of people who live to 65-years-old will have either cancer at least once, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Dermatologists worry that people aren’t taking these forms of skin cancer seriously. Yes, they’re not as deadly as melanoma, but early detection is crucial. If caught soon, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas can even be treated topically, Dr. Zwald explained. As in, without going under the knife—even more incentive to see your derm at the first sight of a questionable mole. More from Prevention: Decode Suspicious Moles Your Guide To Smooth Summer Ready Legs
