Botox™ Cosmetic
Botox™ Cosmetic is a spectacular product, a purified protein used to remarkably and temporarily reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles. It is most commonly used to remove frown lines (those lines between the eyebrows), and can also greatly minimize forehead lines and crow's feet. Muscles surrounding your eyes tighten multiple times during the day. The tightening of these muscles eventually leaves creases or wrinkles on the skin. Injecting small doses of Botox™ Cosmetic directly into these muscles using a tiny needle allows the muscles to relax, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Patients usually experience very little to no discomfort during the procedure. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes and most patients can return to their daily activities immediately after treatment. Wrinkles will not return for a period of three to five months following treatment. If you continue Botox™ Cosmetic treatments regularly, its effectiveness may actually increase, potentially lengthening the time between treatments.
Botox™ Cosmetic can also be used to treat excess sweating, particularly in the armpits and on the hands and feet. Many patients have a genetic tendency to sweat excessively. The glands that secrete perspiration can be selectively and effectively prevented from functioning, thereby greatly decreasing sweat.
Restylane
Restylane is an extremely popular, FDA approved "filler" that fills in lines, especially around the nose and mouth. Restylane is a safe and effective product, containing hyaluronic acid, which is a normal component in our skin. As you age, the hyaluronic acid in your skin diminishes, leaving the skin thin, sagging and prone to wrinkles. Restylane can plump up areas that have sagged, restoring the beautiful facial contours of your youth. Results last from 6 to 9 months. This procedure takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes, and most patients can resume normal activities the following day.
Radiesse (Radiance)
Radiesse is another type of "filler" that is used most popularly to fill in the deep lines that can form that extend from the sides of the nose to the sides of the mouth - the so called "smile lines". It is also used to reduce lines on the upper lip, to diminish blemishes like acne scars, and to restore the natural contours of the cheeks. It is unique among treatments to enhance the face. It is composed of calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres in an aqueous gel, which is a completely synthetic compound that is compatible with the body. Because no animal or human tissues are involved, allergy testing is not required. Calcium is a natural substance already in the body. In fact, the basic element in Radiesse has been safely used by the medical profession for more than 25 years. Radiesse is FDA-approved for soft tissue marking in any anatomical location, vocal cord injection and oral/maxillofacial augmentation. FDA approval for facial implant is pending. Internationally, Radiesse has received approval for facial implant and treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
When injected, the crème-like texture of Radiesse feels soft and natural. Most importantly, Radiesse has been shown to persist for a year or more. It is gradually replaced by the body's own tissue, and slowly dissolves away over several years. This procedure is done simply in the office, taking approximately 20 to 30 minutes. It can cause minor swelling but you are likely able to return to work the next day.
Juvederm
A new way to erase lines is here! What makes Juvederm different? The makers of Juvederm assert that this hyaluronic acid gel is more highly cross-linked which may promote its duration for up to 6 months or longer. Also, it is of a superior smooth consistency, allowing a natural look to wrinkle correction. Juvederm smooths out folds that look like parentheses along the side or your nose and mouth, plumps up and enhances lips, corrects vertical lip lines, and lessens hollowing under the eyes.
Cosmoderm / Cosmoplast (Collagen)
Wrinkles develop for a variety of reasons including aging, sun damage, and facial expressions. "Fillers" can plump up the skin, filling in some of these depressions. Wrinkles around the mouth and connecting the nose and the corners of the mouth are particularly well suited for improvement with these fillers. Lips can also be plumped by fillers. Acne scars can be greatly improved as well. This first filler to become extremely popular was collagen. It is derived from either cow or human skin and is purified and injected into the skin to replace natural collagen that is lost as we age. This procedure can be done simply in the office, taking approximately 15 to 30 minutes. It can cause minor swelling for a few hours and most people are able to go back to work or function in society the next day.
Sculptra
As we age, not only do we see the effects of gravity, causing droopiness in our skin, but we also lose fat, or fullness, particularly in our face and hands. This may lead to sunken cheeks, hollowed-out eyes, and increased visibility of veins in the hands. Sculptra is called a "volumizer", because is can successfully return volume to areas that are now lacking. It is presently approved by the FDA to correct signs of facial fat loss for those people with human immunodeficiency virus. When injected into the skin, Sculptra fills in, or adds volume to the skin and creates a more natural facial appearance for those who have lost fat beneath the skin. It is an alternative to fat injections, when a surgeon removes fat from one area of the body and injects it into another.
Sculptra is composed of poly-L-lactic acid, a synthetic material that has been widely used for many years in suture material for surgical procedures. It is not made from human or animal sources and does not require a skin test. Poly-L-lactic acid is biocompatible (does not harm the body) and biodegradeable (able to be broken down and eliminated by the body). Patients with severe facial fat loss may require 3-6 sessions, spaced 5 weeks apart. The effects of Sculptra may last 2-4 years. However, the results are not immediate but gradual and depend on your own collagen to gradually thicken and add fullness to the area treated. This procedure is performed as a simple office procedure taking approximately 30 minutes. You are swollen in the area treated for 1 to 3 days, but can cover any minor bruising with make-up and are certainly still able to return to work.
Microdermabrasion
With microdermabrasion, you can experience soft, rejuvenated skin. Using tiny crystals, this procedure safely and gently removes the outer dead layers of skin, leaving the underlying skin smooth and refreshed. Microdermabrasion can also help diminish large unsightly pores and helps to soften fine lines, scars, and acne blemishes. The best part about microdermabrasion may be that there is no downtime. You can be right back to work or play.
Chemical Peels
At SkinPhysicians & Surgeons we perform superficial and medium depth chemical peels.
Superficial peels use either glycolic or salicylic acid, or Jessner's solution to help minimize fine wrinkles, lighten brown spots, even out skin tone, improve skin texture, and reduce acne blemished. Referred to as "lunchtime peels" many people can resume normal daily activities immediately following treatment.
Medium depth peels are performed using tricholacetic acid. It produces more dramatic results but there is some downtime; for approximately five to seven days after the procedure, your skin will be peeling. You will keep the areas well moisturized and are instructed to try not to peel off the skin prematurely.
Deep chemical peels At SkinPhysicians & Surgeons, we do not perform deep chemical peels, but instead perform a more predictable and superior option: CO2 laser resurfacing.
Sclerotherapy / Leg vein removal
Sclerotherapy remains the "gold standard" for treatment of spider veins, most commonly on the legs. It involves the near painless injections of a detergent or irritant, that causes small spider veins to collapse and no longer fill with blood. After the procedure, you wear compression panty hose for a week, which will aid in keeping the small blood vessels compressed so they don't fill again with blood. These blood vessels are not important in supplying blood to your lower extremities, they are only present to annoy us! We can provide you with compression pantyhose during your office visit, available at the same cost to us.
Click here for Sclerotherapy Pre and Post Treatment information.
Threadlift™ (Contour Threadlift)
The 30 to 60 minute facelift is a simple, office-based, outpatient non-surgical facelift procedure. The Contour threads are approved by the FDA for use in a minimally invasive way, under local anesthesia, to elevate and reposition the sagging tissues of the brows, cheeks, jowls, and neck. This procedure gives mild to moderate improvement of facial contours; it does not match the effects that a true facelift may provide. However, the advantages are minimal downtime (1 to 5 days), minimal discomfort, the avoidance of general anesthesia, and no extensive excisions or sutures. The ideal patient is one for whom it is too early for a facelift. He/she is not interested in undergoing a more extensive procedure like a traditional facelift, and seeks a procedure that can refreshed and rejuvenate there appearance. Results last from 1-4 years.
Who is a good candidate?
Good candidates are those patients who are starting to see some droopiness of the brow, cheeks, jowls and/or neck and would like to see a lift effect, BUT, do not want the risk, scars, or recovery of a real browlift, facelift, or necklift operation. The ThreadLift™ procedure can achieve 20 - 50% of what a real invasive surgical procedure can deliver. Good candidates must have realistic expectations and be prepared to follow the postoperative recovery protocol and must be accepting of the risks.
Poor candidates include those patients with unrealistic expectations, have uncontrolled medical illnesses that affect would healing, are grossly overweight (with heavy faces) or are excessively thin, loose skin.
Does the Threadlift™ hurt and are there any risks?
The ThreadLift™ is most often performed under local anesthesia. If the entire brow, cheek, jowl and neck are being treated with the Threadlift™, then it may be more tolerable experience when performed under twilight sedation, as well as local anesthesia The procedure usually takes less than one hour to perform and patients leave the clinic within one hour.
Like any procedure using a needle, there is the risk of excessive bruising and swelling, but most patients look presentable in makeup the neck day. Your ThreadLift™ physician will discuss the rare risks that can occur, such as visible or palpable threads, infection or rejection and how these complications are managed. A ThreadLift™ performed by a certified ThreadLift™ physician has a complication rate much less than 1% and, when they occur, the complications are manageable. In the rare circumstances that a thread might be reactive, or infected, the thread can be removed.
What must I do early on, following my Threadlift™?
Following a ThreadLift™ procedure, there are some practical instructions and care that must be followed to avoid traumatizing or dislodging the threads from their supportive locations in the deep fat of the face and neck. Some of these reasonable post-ThreadLift™ instructions include avoidance of forceful facial rubbing or trauma, sleeping on your back, minimal facial animations, avoidance of excessive mouth opening. After 3 weeks, there are no more restrictions.
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