Wow ...
 

Mark S. Barlow, M.D., P.A.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
2060 Space Park Drive, Suite 310
Nassau Bay, Texas 77058
Voice (281) 333-8999
Fax (281) 333-8989
My background:
First I’ve been asked to tell you a little about me, then a little about skin, and finally why I only
recommend Mary Kay to my patients.
My name is Mark Barlow, M.D., and I am a board certified plastic surgeon as well as a scientist.
I received my B.S. with Honors in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on structural dynamics
from the University of Texas at Austin. I received my Masters in Science from M.I.T. in
Aeronautics and Astronautics, again with a concentration on structural dynamics. I had always
known I wanted to be a doctor of medicine but I wanted a strong engineering foundation first.
I made a strategic decision to switch my Sc.D. research to materials science, specifically
biomaterial science and the structural components of skin. Professor Yannas had already worked
with a team of scientists from M.I.T and a group of surgeons from the Massachusetts General
Hospital and Shriners Burns Institute to create an artificial dermis. Another world-renowned
team from Harvard, led by Professor Howard Green, the Chairman of Cellular and Molecular
Biology, had already developed a cultured epithelial layer to act as an epidermis. Scientists
around the world, including renowned pathologist, Carolyn Compton, M.D., Ph.D., had already
been researching and isolating cytokines. Cytokines are simply genes; however, the focus was
on wound healing and controlling the expression and suppression of cytokines to perfectly
regenerate skin. The focus of my Sc.D. research was to improve these technologies (if possible)
and, more importantly, to bring them together. So, with legendary mentors on my degree
committee such as Professor Ioannis Yannas, Ph.D., Dennis Orgill, M.D., Sc.D., Nicholas
O’Connor, M.D., Carolyn Compton, M.D., Ph.D., and Professor Howard Green, Sc.D., I
manufactured an artificial biopolymer dermis, improved a method for culturing epithelial cells,
brought the two together and continued to isolate and study cytokines to one day create perfectly
regenerated skin. This research was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, the
Division of Plastic Surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard), Shriners Burns
Institute (Harvard and MIT), and Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard). The clinical
(human studies) research was conducted in a multi-center study with collaborators and patients
from every major burn hospital in the United States. We are still not able to mimic in utero
scarless healing but I am hopeful that we will see it in our lifetime; burn victims will no longer
have to suffer the incredible disfigurement that they do now. Suffice it to say that given my
unique experience I have been approached over and over again to create a skin care line bearing
my name.
Next, I moved to the Houston where I received my Medical Doctorate from University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston. It was there that I was asked to participate in a unique
program designed by the former Dean of the Medical School who had since become the liaison
between the Medial School and the School of Public Health. This program was designed around
evidence-based medicine. During this course, I learned to critically analyze and assess research
techniques and results. Study design and implementation were the foundation of the technique.
A poorly designed or executed study will yield results of no value. During my research at
Harvard and M.I.T., I was used to the highest standards of research and our papers were
submitted only to the most prestigious in our field. Unfortunately, there is no peer-review
available for advertising claims. Eager to put all of my training together, I completed an
integrated general surgery and plastic surgery residency program at the University of Texas
Medical Branch in Galveston.
Finally, with over two decades of combined research, clinical, and surgical experience, I now
practice cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in the Clear Lake area of Houston, Texas. I
continue to have an active clinical role in academic medicine through teaching, training and
mentoring high school health occupation students (HOSA), pre-medical college students,
medical students, nursing students, and surgical residents. I have a passion for passing along my
knowledge and practice philosophy to the next generation of healers.
I am president of the medical staff of Cornerstone Hospital Group of Houston, where I also serve
as Director of Wound Care. I am on staff at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, Triumph
Hospital, and CHRISTUS St. John Hospital. I serve as the plastic surgery section leader on the
Surgical Executive Committee at Clear Lake Regional Hospital. I continue to treat patients with
chronic wounds and burns. This is the less glamorous and less profitable side of plastic surgery.
I believe that because I am willing to render the care that most plastic surgeons turn away, I am
blessed with a profitable cosmetic practice. I am a member of the Texas Medical Association
and I have served as a member on several committees (Council on Legislation, Student Loan
Committee, and the Council on Health Care Organizations). I am a member of TEXPAC, the
political branch of the Texas Medical Association, whose sole mission is to advocate legislation
on behalf of physicians and their patients. I am also a member of the American Medical
Association as well as a member of the Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American
Society of Plastic Surgeons.

A short discussion about skin:
Now I want to write about skin.
When we are younger, our skin regenerates itself quickly. As
we age, that renewal process slows down. A good skin care routine can accelerate and mimic a
more youthful turnover/renewal process. When I talk about a comprehensive skin care program,
what I mean is a multi-step regimen that accomplishes specific goals and that the steps work
synergistically with each other. In other words, the steps all work together toward the ultimate
goal – in the case of skin care, healthier and more youthful-appearing skin.
Most physicians are not scientists. In medical school, my class (including those who would go
on to become dermatologists) received a one hour lecture on skin morphology (structure)
followed by a one hour anatomy lab related to skin and its structures. Most scientists who study
skin spend years in labs analyzing components of skin through animal and human studies. I am
both a physician and a scientist and my experience is quite unique.
What doctors look for when recommending a skin care product:
1. Products that are safe.
2. Products for multiple skin types.
3. Products that will help them create profits in their practice.
What I look for in a skin care regimen:
1. Cleanse – remove the dirt/debris
2. Exfoliate – strip away dead skin layers
3. Tone – pH balance the skin and help pores to appear smaller
4. Moisturize – restore the skin’s moisture balance
5. Protect – prevent ultraviolet-induced (UV) skin injury (SPF of 25 or greater)
6. Melanocyte control – prevent/reverse UV-related pigmentation irregularities
I consider this a comprehensive regimen that improves the renewal process of the skin. I also
want products that are specifically formulated to work together. I want a product with
formulations for multiple skin types (dry, normal, combination, and oily). I looked for a product
that had anti-aging benefits such as melanocyte control, free radical scavengers, amino acids
(building blocks for the proteins that form collagen), and moisturizers to restore hydration.
Please refer to the attached PowerPoint slides for my Mary Kay prescription for complete skin
care. This is a general prescription that I modify for my patients with specific challenges, e.g.
acne.

Why I recommend Mary Kay products to my patients:

When considering skin care products, I took a good, hard look. I not only pulled the inserts for
Mary Kay products (and others) but as a physician I was able to request and receive an
investigators brochure from the Research and Development Division of Mary Kay. I requested
this from many other companies as well. Some were willing to send this to me and some were
not; others required me to sign a confidentiality agreement. I could not possibly conduct a side
by side comparison of every skin care line on the market when a new line crops up every day. I
am obligated through confidentiality agreements not to discuss any of the privileged information.
First of all, my passion is surgery. I was not looking to spend the remainder of my career
creating a product line if one that met my patients’ needs already existed. Most of my patients
are ready for surgery or other minimally-invasive procedures like laser peels, Botox, and dermal
fillers. All of my patients needed improvement in some aspect of their skin. Nearly every
patient that comes to me asks me to recommend a skin care regimen. I wanted to give them the
best advise I could based on my unique experience and education. Mary Kay TimeWiseTM
Products help me to create a comprehensive skin care regimen with anti-aging benefits for
multiple skin types. I will not recommend products that can not deliver the promised results,
especially when they cost more. My patients were able to try the Mary Kay products before they
purchased them from an Independent Beauty Consultant with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Like me and my patients, these consultants want to build a life-long relationship with their
clients. I was impressed with their training and support for customer service. I knew that I
could trust my reputation and my patients with Mary Kay consultants.

A bit about the science behind Mary Kay products:
A double-blind randomized, controlled study is considered the gold standard in drug/intervention
effect research. This means that the person administering the drug or product does not know
what they are giving, the patient does not know what they are getting, and the reviewer/evaluator
does not know what intervention has been made. The results are then tabulated by a third
(independent) evaluator. When it is important, Mary Kay uses the gold standard for its studies.
Mary Kay research is conducted on large populations so there is adequate power to their studies.
Adequate power means that the study population is large enough to measure the expected
treatment effect. Many companies, including Mary Kay, conduct research panels where a
dermatologist knows what a patient is receiving and then evaluates the results. Then there are
marketing panels where members of a marketing firm sit around a table with volunteer or
compensated consumers who discuss what they like and dislike about a product. Many skin care
lines use this technique. You will recognize this as "4 out of 5 women noticed…” As a scientist,
I am impressed with the quality of research this multibillion-dollar company conducts on its
products.

I really like the Mary Kay behind the science:
45 years ago, Mary Kay Ash, the lady, believing in the untapped potential of women, built this
company to enrich the lives of women through the products and the career path. She advocated
Golden Rule behavior, and understood and supported how most women choose to prioritize their
lives: God first, family second, and career third. The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation exist
for two purposes: to wipe out cancers effecting women and to eradicate domestic violence. 90%
of my patients are women and many of them have suffered from either or both of these. Not
only do I respect these products on a scientific basis, but I respect this company on a humanistic
level. The packaging is made from recycled materials and downsized when possible. I do not
know who owns many of these other skin care companies but I now know many very committed
independent Mary Kay Consultants who own theirs. My patients and I enjoy the fact that our
dollars are spent in our community with local small businesswomen. We also like that these
self-employed women are enriching their own lives as well as ours.
Sincerely,
Mark S. Barlow, M.D.
The