Skin pro brings advice and new product to isles

Dr. Gregory Bays Brown is making the first of two 2013 trips to the islands this weekend, acknowledging that “business in Hawaii is very good.”

The strong sun and population of sun worshippers mean business is booming for brands like Brown’s RéVive Skincare that promise reprieve from the sun’s aging effects on skin.

The plastic surgeon will present free educational seminars and consultations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at Nordstrom. (For reservations: 953-6100, ext. 1901.)

Brown is a Harvard-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon who became disenchanted by the downside and limitations of invasive cosmetic procedures. While clients saw their excess skin removed and faces tightened, he found surgery did nothing to help restore skin to youthful suppleness.

To develop RéVive, Brown sought ingredients to help restore aging skin.

One product he will introduce during this visit is a volumizing eye serum that he said helps with volume loss around the eyes that exacerbates the look of wrinkles and puffiness.

“People talk about wrinkles all the time, but not all aging is so obvious. Volume loss is not so obvious. People may feel they look older but don’t know why,” Brown said by phone from his office in New York. “One of the things that happens when we age is we lose extracellular water, which is like mortar between the bundles of cells and collagen. We call it ground substance, complex forms of water that dries up with age.”

Once that happens, the skin sinks, causing puffiness under the eyes to look more prominent.

“That puff or bags are due to fat that herniates around the eyeball. It’s a part of aging, and everyone has it to some degree in their 40s, though some get it earlier. Ashley Judd probably had it when she was 22 years old,” said Brown, who can’t help but notice the results of surgery and age when he looks at stars on the big screen.

He said his eye serum helps replenish lost water by utilizing the keratinocype growth factor, which regulates cell survival.

“It’s not a quick fix,” Brown said, adding that individuals should see improvement in three to five months.

Brown retired from surgery a few years ago to devote himself to skin care and finds himself on something of a crusade against his former profession, although surgery remains a recourse for those who cannot face time’s toll.

“It’s great to delay the need for plastic surgery or at least decrease the magnitude of any surgical procedure ever wanted or needed,” he said. “Nobody ever needs surgery. I’m a firm believer that beauty is not only about classical aesthetics. Being happy and enjoying your life is part of it, and certainly living in Hawaii, the best anti-aging beauty cream you can have is a sunscreen.”