Meet Dr. Jennifer Chwalek
Dr. Chwalek is a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, as well as a trained yoga and meditation instructor. She graduated from Vassar College with honors and received her medical degree and residency training from the University of Maryland, where she was elected to the national medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha. Following medical school, she spent a year researching hair loss at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Chwalek is a Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center where she teaches the latest cosmetic and surgical techniques to dermatology residents and fellows.
She is particularly interested in women’s health and regenerative medicine and how lifestyle factors interact with genes, hormones, and circadian rhythms to affect health and skin aging. She has written about how mind-body therapies such as yoga can attenuate the aging process.
Understanding the Menopausal Transition
All people age throughout their lives as a result of both genetics and external factors like UV exposure and smoking, along with internal factors such as sleep, stress, and diet. Women, in particular, especially around the time of perimenopause/menopause, experience accelerated aging.
Perimenopause and menopause are stages in a woman’s life that mark the transition away from her reproductive years. Perimenopause is the phase leading up to menopause, usually starting in a woman’s 40s, though it can begin earlier. During this time, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen, and menstrual periods can become irregular. Menopause is officially diagnosed when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, signaling the end of her reproductive years.
Declines in estrogen not only result in typical perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings which can impact mental health, irregular periods, and vaginal dryness, but it can also contribute to increased hair loss, skin wrinkling, laxity, dryness, and higher risks of UV aging, including skin cancer.
During this time, women also become more susceptible to the ill effects of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause sleep disturbances that disrupt the skin barrier and further increase skin inflammation and aging. Increases in cortisol, as well as simultaneous decreases in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, can contribute to menopause symptoms such as weight gain and muscle loss. Optimizing these hormones with a combination of lifestyle modifications and a consistent skin care treatment plan can ensure women age both healthy and gracefully.
With vast expertise in women’s health and cosmetic procedures, Dr. Chwalek seamlessly blends her extensive medical training with cutting-edge techniques to deliver customized and effective results for all her patients, including women experiencing mild menopausal symptoms. Dr. Chwalek, and our team at UnionDerm specialize in cosmetic treatments that rejuvenate women’s skin and address specific age-related concern for healthy aging, including:
Volume Loss & Skin Laxity
In the first few years following menopause, women lose around 30% of their collagen. Biostimulatory fillers such as Radiesse and Sculptra, which are particular types of filler that stimulate the body’s natural collagen production, can help offset the volume loss and laxity that occurs during this time. Dr. Chwalek has been injecting biostimulatory fillers for over 15 years and uses these in conjunction with a variety of energy-based devices such as Ultherapy and Thermage to address skin laxity.
Sun Damage/Skin Cancer Prevention
Laser resurfacing is a powerful tool for treating sun spots and wrinkles and rejuvenating the appearance of aged skin. Fractional laser resurfacing can promote significant collagen production. In addition, newer research suggests laser resurfacing can be used to mitigate the risk of skin cancer while restoring the youthfulness of the skin. Dr. Chwalek has worked with numerous laser resurfacing devices over the years such as Fraxel Repair and Fraxel Restore DUAL, and has been asked to speak about laser resurfacing at national meetings. She co-led a cosmetic complication course specifically focusing on lasers for a number of years at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Hair Loss
Hair loss and thinning are common symptoms of menopause, which is caused by considerable hormonal changes in the body. During her training, Dr. Chwalek spent a year at the University of California San Francisco with one of the most preeminent hair loss specialists, Vera Price, where she researched and treated hundreds of patients with a variety of hair loss conditions. She continues to combine the latest medical treatments with bioregenerative therapies such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) to treat hair loss.
Body Contouring
As women age, their body composition often shifts, and this is especially true during menopause. The reduction in estrogen during the first stages of menopause can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. At UnionDerm, we offer several non-invasive treatment options for addressing areas of unwanted fat. Treatments such as CoolSculpting and truSculpt iD can be used to target small areas of increased fat. Our newer generation of electrical muscle stimulation devices (Accufit, Pure Impact) also address improving muscle tone by increasing muscle thickness. When combined with diet and exercise, these can be effective therapies for reducing fat thickness and improving muscle tone.
Schedule a Consultation
If you are experiencing changes associated with menopause transition, our team at UnionDerm is here to help you feel more like yourself again. Dr. Chwalek sees patients managing menopause symptoms at our two New York City locations: Union Square and Central Park. If you are interested in being treated by Dr. Chwalek, please book a consultation.
