Dermatologist Brings Big City Expertise to Rural South Jersey
by Sarah Lerow
Special to the Sunbeam
Salem County residents can forget about having to travel significant distances to get the latest in dermatological services. These days, whether you need a mole removed, or a little nip and tuck, look no further than the Surgery Center of Salem County, adjacent to the Memorial Hospital of Salem County.
This facility allows local doctors to come in and perform surgeries that require the equipment and staff not always available in their offices. One such local physician, Ingrid P. Warmuth, M.D., provides a range of services including general dermatology, skin cancer treatments and cosmetic procedures. Since not all procedures—particularly the cosmetic—can be performed in her Elmer office, she utilizes the surgical center for same-day surgeries, allowing patients to have the surgery, recover and return home all in one day.
The German-born Dr. Warmuth has been working in South Jersey since 2001, and brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise. She came to Salem County from North Jersey where she worked after graduating from the University of Koln, Germany and completed her residency at the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Medical Center. She is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology.
One of the clearest advantages for Dr. Warmuth’s patients is that she provides a service that area residents often believe they have to drive an hour or more—to Philadelphia or Voorhees, for example—to receive. “Patients don’t have to drive miles and miles…It’s very convenient and I think that’s a big factor,” says Dr. Warmuth. Dr. Warmuth’s dermatological services can range from treatment of things like acne, warts, rashes, psoriasis, eczema, and contact dermatitis to skin cancer treatment and cosmetic procedures.
Her patients include men and woman of all ages, from infants with skin problems, to children with warts and rashes, to acne patients and people in their 90s afflicted with skin cancer. In fact, skin cancer related issues are one of the most common that Dr. Warmuth sees in South Jersey patients, and those patients are usually anywhere from 30 to 90 years old. “I think it’s because a lot of people around here are active outside. They’re fishing, out on farms or at the shore,” says Warmuth.
Cosmetic Procedures
She performs most skin cancer treatments in her office, but some of the cosmetic surgeries are performed more routinely at the Surgery Center. One such procedure is ablative resurfacing which uses a CO2 laser to remove a layer of skin for controlled exfoliation. Afterwards the skin needs to heal, and the patient requires some recovery time. “The results are very impressive,” says Warmuth. “It smoothes out the skin, removes blemishes and tightens up the tissue underneath it as well.” She adds that it has a very rejuvenating effect. The non-ablative, or non-wounding, resurfacing uses intense pulsed light and can be performed in her office. The treatment works beneath the surface skin layer and stimulates collagen production, resulting in toned and tightened skin, and can improve mild to moderate skin damage.
Dr. Warmuth also performs flaps—the transfer of adjacent skin tissue—and grafts, the surgical transplantations of skin to repair defects. For example, if Warmuth removed cancerous tissue from a patient’s nose, she can take skin from behind the ear and put it on the nose to repair the skin. The other service that Warmuth provides through the Surgery Center is liposuction which can be used to remove undesired fat from nearly all body areas, including but not limited to the face, neck, breast, arms, abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Cosmetic procedures that Dr. Warmuth offers in her office include Botox which is “for the inactivation of dynamic lines.” She adds that sometimes people look as though they have a permanent frown. Botox treatment helps them look more relaxed and refreshed. Botox is a purified toxin, that when injected in very tiny amounts into a specific muscle causes a local relaxation and weakness. It has been used since 1975 in neurology to treat muscle disorders like lazy eye, eye ticks and uncontrolled blinking. Because it has been in use for such a long period of time the medical field is confident it is safe. What’s more, the process doesn’t require any recovery time, as it’s just an injection.
What’s New in Cosmetic Procedures
The majority of her cosmetic procedure patients are female, though Dr. Warmuth says that she is beginning to see an increase in the number of men asking for microdermabrasion, retin-A, or for a recommendation regarding moisturizers and sunscreens. Part of what keeps Dr. Warmuth’s practice exciting is staying abreast of all the new developments. In February, she attended a conference that discussed the latest in laser therapy for everything from rejuvenation, skin tightening without down time, and removing spots. One such new development is in hyaluronic acid, a substance found naturally in the skin, cartilage, joints and the eyes. In skin tissue, hyaluronic acid fills the space between collagen and elastin fibers. In cosmetic surgery it’s used as filler, like collagen. The advantage is that it lasts three times longer than collagen.
Another new product, Sculptra, is currently approved for cosmetic use in Europe, and may eventually become available in the United States. It has historically been used for lipoatrophy, which is the loss of subcutaneous tissue in the face due to illness and medication. Similarly, as people age, they lose subcutaneous tissue structure, causing hollowed cheeks, jowls and wrinkles. According to Warmuth, the advantage of filler treatments, like Scupltra, is that they are much less drastic than a facelift. In fact, decreasing recovery time is really the driving factor behind the development of most new techniques. The aim of treatment should be non-aggressive, while still providing an improvement. According to Warmuth, the improvement needn’t be drastic, but simply give people a well-rested look. If it can be done in an half-an-hour office visit, that’s all the better.
Another advantage is that the less aggressive treatments usually cost quite a bit less, which is certainly a bonus given that health insurance does not cover cosmetic procedures unless they’ve resulted from illness. It all depends on what you want to improve. “Usually it’s relatively reasonable compared to something like a facelift,” says Warmuth.
The Warmuth Philosophy
Although Dr. Warmuth aims for a casual office atmosphere, she and her staff are committed to providing quality healthcare, and she considers the Surgery Center of Salem to be an important resource because it gives her the opportunity to provide more quality care locally. “I tell my staff that every patient who’s seen here, regardless of the issue they come for, needs help,” she says. “[The patients] are often very anxious if they are waiting for a body check and things like that, so you have to take that into consideration.” In short, the patient always comes first.
Dr. Warmuth’s office is located at 350 Front Street, # 2101, Elmer, N.J. She can be reached at (856) 358-1500. She belongs to several organizations and societies including the American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American Society for Liposuction Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery. She was also a recipient of the Walther Surgical Fellowship Residency Award at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, N.Y.
