Monthly Archives: July 2017
Don’t Forget Those Hands
You may have taken care to keep your face and body looking youthful, but the telltale signs of aging happen in places that we might forget. Hands, even though we use them and see them all of the time, are one of the most overlooked spots for cosmetic treatment. Because they are so active and exposed to the elements, and because the skin is so delicate, hands are prone to sun damage, wrinkles and discoloration. Often, they can make you look older than you are.
There are a number of effective techniques that can help rejuvenate your hands, improving the quality and texture of your skin, while decreasing the wrinkling and prominent veins. If you’ve noticed prominent veins and tendons because of volume loss, or wrinkly and thin skin, or age spots, we have several techniques that can help.
First, injectable fillers may be used in various locations on the hands to plump and reshape sagging or loose skin. For fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, sun damage or irregular pigmentation, we offer non invasive treatments like Fraxel DUAL and Thermage CPT.
Mid-summer may be an optimal time for these quick and easy hand rejuvenation treatments. Call our office for a complimentary consultation, and we’ll devise a plan just for you.
See you soon.
Neck News
For many of you, the neck is a body area that you’d like to improve. Because the skin is so delicate, it’s prone to changes in tautness, smoothness and color, particularly as we age.
Some of you may notice little lines or bands that run horizontally around the neck or vertical cords (platysmal bands) that become prominent. Also, when collagen and elastin decrease over time, the skin on your neck may sag and look crepey. Changes in color may include brown spots and pigmentation, particularly on the decolletage, the chest area. Or, you may see red, blotchy or wrinkly skin, most often due to excessive exposure to the sun.
At home, remember to moisturize and use SPF and retinol products, as you would on your face. If you are still not happy, come see us. We have many ways to help your neck look beautiful and more youthful. Here are a few:
Infini: This radio frequency microneedling treatment tightens the neck and jowls and reduces crepiness, too.
Thermage CPT: This tightens skin on the neck and jowls, non-invasively. It’s often called a “Thermal Lift” treatment, and it’s highly effective for many areas of the body.
Exilis Elite: Another thermal treatment, Exilis Elite tightens skin on the neck and jowls and reduces fat, non-invasively.
Fraxel Repair: This laser treatment resurfaces and tightens the skin on the neck and jowls and reduces crepiness and hyperpigmentation (brown spots). It is the procedure of choice for deep lines, hard-to-erase lip lines, pronounced photodamage, sagging face and neck skin, facial wrinkles and discolorations, age-related/sun-damaged rough skin texture, acne and surgical scars.
SmartLipo Triplex: This laser procedure permanently removes fat by destroying fat cells, removing them and tightening the skin. It is effective for large areas of the body as well as smaller ones, like the neck.
Kybella: This series of injections dissolves submental fat permanently and causes some skin contraction, too. Once fat cells are destroyed, they can no longer store or accumulate fat, so re-treatment is not expected.
Call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll devise an individual treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
The Skin Cycle: What You Can Expect, Decade by Decade
Your skin has a natural plan. With each year that passes, it undergoes assorted stressors, some that it has experienced before and some that are brand new. And it reacts to these changing stimuli in different ways, subtle and not-so. Unfortunately, while you may not feel any older, your skin has another story to tell. Aging plays tricks on its delicate composition. But do not despair–you have strategies at your disposal for warding off the first signs of attack. The trick: know what’s coming and take as many precautions as possible.
Here is what you can expect:
In Your 20s and 30s: Get ready. Hormonal changes may happen during this time, causing adult acne. We can treat it, though, with our Pulsed Dye Laser. Also, you may notice hints of wrinkles (yes, they begin early) and pigmentation. Botox and Dysport will help minimize lines, keeping them from setting and deepening. Catching them early is more effective than waiting until they are extreme. Fraxel DUAL and IPL will help reduce discoloration, brown spots and freckling.
In Your 40s: Your skin may begin to lose its luster, appearing dull and rough. Also, age spots may appear since the skin can’t repair itself as quickly or as completely as it used to. You may notice, too, that your skin doesn’t glow as much, since skin cell shedding begins to slow down. But, we can brighten and smooth out your skin with Clear+Brilliant, Fraxel DUAL and Fraxel Repair laser treatments. Your skin tone will look even, and wrinkles and pores will diminish. During your 40s, wrinkles may be deeper than they were before. Dermal fillers such as Restylane, Restylane Lyft, Restylane Silk, Voluma, Juvederm, Belotero and Radiesse, and neurotoxins, such as Botox and Dysport, are effective in reducing the appearance of these lines and folds.
In Your 50s and 60s: Subtle lines may have turned into deep wrinkles and previously taut skin may have begun to sag. Declining collagen and elastin levels cause your skin to become thinner and more fragile. As the underlying skin structure is less supported, the skin falls down and droops. We have many laser treatments that can work wonders to resurface skin and stimulate collagen production, which will help lift up and plump your skin, nonsurgically. The treatments will also help to brighten and lighten any discoloration caused by sun exposure or simple aging.
At all times of your life, remember to do what you can to preserve your skin’s natural beauty. Wear plenty of sunscreen (and not only in the summer), avoid the sun as much as possible, steer clear of smoking and cleanse and moisturize often.
Call our office for a complimentary consultation. We’ll help you look your most natural youthful best.
See you soon.
The Pre-Lipo Quiz
I hear from a lot of you who are considering body sculpting treatments that losing weight is difficult, no matter what strategies you try. Often, you’ll tell me that you exercise routinely and watch your calories but still can’t drop even five extra pounds. For those of you are experiencing a metabolism that is slowing down with age or decline in hormones, losing pounds is especially hard, most notably for women, who store more fat than men do.
If you’re thinking about body contouring, here are a few good questions to ask yourself as you decide. Count how many you can answer with a “yes.”
- Do you watch your portion size, eating small amounts more frequently?
- Do you make sure to eat breakfast?
- Do you graze instead of eating three large meals a day?
- Do you avoid eating late at night?
- Do you avoid refined grains such as white bread and crackers?
- Do you avoid hidden sugars and fats?
- Do you avoid processed foods that contain MSG, sodium nitrate and other risky food additives?
- Do you include weight training with your cardio workouts?
- Do you do resistance exercises to build muscle?
- Do you mix up the types of workouts that you do?
- Are you sleeping from 6 to 8 hours a day?
If you’ve answered “yes” to all or most of these questions, you are doing everything right. But if you still are having trouble losing weight, and you do not have an underlying medical condition that is causing the weight retention, you could be a good candidate for SmartLipo, a body sculpting procedure.
Call our office to set up a complimentary consultation. We’ll talk with you about your personal experience and offer ways in which we can help. Meantime, keep up the good work, and we’ll see you soon.
The Most Desirable Lips
It’s not hard to notice a beautiful pair of lips. You just recognize them when you see them. But what, exactly, makes them so attractive?
Earlier this year, a study published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery analyzed how lip surface area and top-to-bottom ratio impacted people’s opinion of overall beauty. Researchers showed focus groups a photograph that they then adjusted and found that lips with a 53.5 percent increase in surface area and a 1 to 2 ratio of upper to lower lip were considered the most attractive. Also, lips that made up about 10 percent of the lower third of the face were also deemed to be the most beautiful.
We, of course, when boosting your lip volume, don’t follow any sort of formula. We look at your face and lips and determine the best balance and most natural-looking solution. Using state-of-the-art fillers such as Restylane and Volbella, we add fullness that you may have lost over time, restoring your appearance to its former youthful look.
If you are interested in plumping your lips or minimizing folds and wrinkles in the lip area, call our office for a complimentary consultation. We’ll explain your options and devise a treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
