- My skin is rough and dull and has these brown patches. What can I do about this?
- What can I do about these wrinkles around my eyes?
- Does the fat come back after liposuction? Doesn't the skin hang loose after the fat is removed?
- What products should I use for my face?
- What can I do about leg veins?
- What kind of lasers do you use? What are they for?
- Does liposuction hurt?
- What can I do about my thinning hair?
- What do you recommend for blackheads?
- I've heard that anything over a SPF 15 is not effective. Is that true?
1. The cause of the most common cosmetic complaints (dull, patchy skin, pigmentation, fine wrinkling) is sun damage. Most of us have had enough sun exposure in our lifetimes to cause sun damage-related problems that can range from dry skin to skin cancer. Fortunately, there are solutions to most of these concerns.
For cosmetic complaints, the first recommendation is to use appropriate skin products and preparations, either over the counter or prescription. We often recommend products containing effective ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids (such as glycolic acid), vitamin A and vitamin C derivations, and moisturizing components. Proper protection against the sun is also very important! Another highly effective treatment is one of a series of facial "peels" that are designed to combat pre-cancerous skin cells, encourage the skin to exfoliate, reduce acne breakouts, reduce fine wrinkling, and bring a brighter, fresher, smoother appearance to the skin. Lasers are also used for resurfacing lines, wrinkles, scars, and sun-damaged skin.
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2. Wrinkles, crow's feet, laugh lines, and frown lines are caused by sun damage, the repetitive contractions of the underlying muscle, and loss of elasticity in the skin. Some fine wrinkling can be improved by the use of certain skin products, especially those containing alpha-hydroxy acids and vitamin A. Treating the underlying muscle is also highly effective. This is done by a treatment called Botox injections. Botox relaxes the contraction of these fine muscles, which then allows the overlying skin to smooth out and gives your face a more relaxed, more youthful appearance. Certain lasers are also used to resurface these wrinkles The Erbium laser is used to remove layers of skin by vaporization, which allows the skin to heal quickly and stimulates the production of fresh collagen, "erasing" those lines.
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3. Humans only produce fat cells in infancy and during puberty. Weight gain and loss thereafter and the accompanying size changes involve expanding or reducing the size of the fat cells, not the number of fat cells. When fat cells are removed during liposuction, therefore, new fat cells will not be created to take their place If a patient maintains more or less, the same weight, the fat will not "come back". As an example, if you have always put weight on your hips first, liposuction will remove much of that fat pad and give a new contour to that area. If you experience a large weight gain (in excess of 20 pounds or so), the fat will not reappear on your hips as it had before but will be more diffusely distributed on your body.
People often also ask if they will have to have loose skin surgically removed after liposuction. With the tumescent liposuction technique, the skin retracts and assumes the new contour of the newly-reduced area and is not loose or hanging. Aided by the compression garment that liposuction patients wear after the procedure, the skin shrinks quickly with no changes in texture or sensation.
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4. The answer to this question obviously depends on what you concerns are about your face and if there are any medical or cosmetic conditions you wish to treat. In general, however, your dermatologist can recommend specific products, either over the counter or by prescription, to suit your needs. Here at the Center, we carry some products that we have found to be safe and effective for treating a variety of skin concerns
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5. Unsightly veins on the legs, called spider or varicose veins, can be treated in a variety of ways. They appear in both men and women, but more frequently in women. Hormones, puberty, pregnancy, and hormone replacement therapy all play a role in their development. One method of treatment is by injection, called sclerotherapy. A solution, usually saline solution, is injected into the veins with a tiny needle. Over a period of weeks, this solution causes the vein to become irritated and close up, but causes no pain or irritation to the patient. Patients need to weara medical grade compression stockings for several days after injection which will greatly aid in the success of the procedure. Injection is usually most effective when done in a series of 2 to 4 treatments, spaced at a minimum of 4 weeks apart.
Another method of treating spider veins is by laser. A pulsed-dye laser is used on the smallest of spider veins, those too small for injection. It works by destroying the vein without damaging or cutting through the skin. The veins heal and fade within a few weeks. This laser treatment, too, is most effective when done in a series of treatments.
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6. Here at the Center we have several state-of-the-art lasers, all designed for a variety of uses. Lasers (which stand for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) work by producing an intense beam of bright light that travels in one direction. The newest lasers are remarkably precise and selective, allowing treatment results and safety levels not previously available.
The Erbium laser is for skin resurfacing. It is designed to remove or noticeably decrease wrinkles and to improve the overall color and texture of the skin. It is used also to achieve an improved cosmetic result on scars and to resurface aged or sun damaged skin. It is a newer and improved version of the carbon dioxide or CO2 laser.
The Sclero-laser Plus, or pulsed-dye laser, is used to treat vascular (vein) lesions. Conditions treated by this laser include facial or leg spider veins, port wine stains, warts, scars, stretch marks, and rosacea. This laser treats the lesions by passing through the skin, leaving the The HGM laser is also used for broken blood vessels, as well as sunspots and birthmarks. It can target small individual vessel and is also a procedure that is most effective when done in a series.
The LightSheer diode hair removal laser is used to remove unwanted hair. This is the only hair removal laser allow by the FDA to claim "permanent reduction." The light emitted by the laser is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. The laser vaporizes the pigment, disabling several follicles at a time to eliminate or significantly impede the hair's regrowth. This procedure should be done at least three times to achieve the best results.
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7. No! Tumescent liposuction involves some procedures and sensations that may feel unusual, but not painful. A small amount of numbing solution is injected into the incision site, and then saline solution mixed with local numbing solution is injected, or tumesced, into the area in which the liposuction is to be done. Most patients describe that part of the procedure as a "different" or strange feeling, but not painful. After the numbing has taken effect, the doctor extricates the fat with a suction tube called a cannula, which is very thin. Usually, the patient does not feel this part much or at all – some patients have even fallen asleep at this point! Some soreness is to be expected the day after the procedure, which is usually gone after a few days.
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8. Some products are available over the counter or by prescription, mostly topical preparations like Rogaine. Hair can also be surgically implanted by hair transplantation. Small clusters of hair follicles, just two or three together, are removed from the back of the head and transplanted to the front or top. Hair from the back and sides of the head is genetically less likely to fall out, so by transplanting that hair to areas that are thinning out, it will take hold, grow and stay there.
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9. Pores on the skin, called "sebaceous follicles", can become clogged and blocked with oil, dirt, makeup, or other debris, and become darkened. These are commonly known as blackheads.
Blackheads can stay as a blocked pore or can become inflamed into a pimple. Topical products can be very effective in preventing pores from becoming blocked, as can glycolic skin treatments.
Another effective treatment is micro-dermabrasion or Dermapeel. Aluminum oxide crystals are sprayed on the skin in a gentle "sandblasting" and then vacuumed up, leaving the skin soft and smooth. The vacuum is particularly helpful in loosening blackheads.
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10. A sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 means that you can stay in the sun without burning 15 times longer than if you applied no sun protection at all. Higher levels of SPF may not have incrementally higher percentages of sun protection, but are still more effective at protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. A good sunscreen must protect against UVA and UVB rays and have some percentage of a total block ingredient. A sunscreen that is also waterproof, water-resistant, rubproof, or sweatproof is also helpful in making your sun protection effective.
Remember, there is no such thing as a "safe" tan. All tanning is a result of sun exposure, and all sun exposure results in the cumulative effects of aged skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and perhaps even skin cancer.
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