Wrinkles, lines and discoloration are just some of the skin woes that can detract from your looks.
The causes and cures to those problems may be linked to your genetic makeup.
A new camera system that can give a view of skin that is beyond what doctors can actually see, usually superficial.
This may be one reason why certain causes of problems, like acne, have not been discovered.
That's where genetic research comes in. Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann has been improving the skin of her patients since 1997. She believes that the key to problems like acne, scarring and aging is not superficial.
"Over the years I've kept a list of names of people who, for some reason, don't age very much. They smoke cigarettes, they lay in the sun and they don't do anything I tell them to do, but their skin looks great. Obviously that's genetic, and I want to find that gene," said Baumann.
Finding these genetics could lead to new anti-aging therapies.
Health
After plastic surgery, there is always excess skin that is removed and usually discarded. Surgeons working for the Cosmetic Medicine Research Institute will get permission from patients to use that skin for genetic testing. They are also enlisting plastic surgeons to donate their patients' leftover skin to a new genetic skin bank to allow for further testing.
"It's just a great way for everybody to get involved in the future of medicine and genetic anti-aging," said Head and Neck Surgeon, Dr. Lisa Grunebaum.
