There are so many products and procedures available for aging skin that it is easy to get confused. Just remember that over the counter products cannot do what prescription strength products can do (no matter what the companies claim).
Many people are troubled by the facial wrinkles/lines that form from aging, sun damage, frowning, squinting, and smiling. BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA), Dysport®(abobotulinumtoxinA), and Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA) are prescription medicines that are injected into the muscles responsible for the wrinkles/lines. There, they block signals from the nerves to the muscles.
BBL (BroadBand Light) innovative light technology sets new standards for the treatment of skin conditions associated with aging, rosacea, active life-styles and sun damage. BBL light energy allows treatment of “splotchy skin.” It can help with ruddiness, tiny background broken blood vessels, splotchy brown pigment, and dull lifeless skin. This therapy can be used on the face, neck, chest, and arms.
Unsightly spots on the skin bother people of all ages. Spots may be a freckles or lentigines (called liver spots or age spots or sun spots). These are flat and vary in size and color (light to dark brown). They usually appear on the areas most exposed to the sun. If these spots are bothersome cosmetically, they can be removed with lasers for very reasonable fees.
DOT Therapy with the SmartXide DOT fractional carbon dioxide laser offers the ultimate in skin rejuvenation in just one to two hours for most treatments. DOT Therapy is ideal for the treatment of skin aging, sun damage, brown spots, age spots, freckles, fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity/texture, precancerous changes, and acne scars.
Lasers can be used to remove tattoos. Specific wavelengths of light pass through the skin but are absorbed by the tattoo ink. The rapid absorption of light energy causes the tattoo ink to destruct after which it is removed by the body. Multiple treatments are needed, and some colors are easier to remove than others.
Telangiectasia are small visible dilated blood vessels near the surface of the skin. They are often referred to as “broken blood vessels” or “spider veins” although they are actually capillaries. They can develop in men and women especially in sun exposed areas (nose, cheeks, side of the neck, chest, and chin).
Our office uses the Derma Genesis microdermabrasion system, the most powerful and clinically effective system on the market today. Medical microdermabrasion uses medical grade crystals that are vacuumed across the surface of the skin at high speed, using a closed loop system and hand piece. The crystals exfoliate the skin, exposing a softer and smoother layer of skin to replace the exfoliated skin.
Spider veins, known medically as telangiectasia, are dilated skin capillaries. While they may be red (arterial capillaries) or blue (venous capillaries), most people have both types. The microinjection technique (sclerotherapy) is still considered the treatment of choice for leg spider veins.