Category: Fraxel DUAL
Love Yourself First
This Valentine’s Day, you may be thinking about the people in your life whom you love. But don’t forget about you.
Being happy with ourselves is a struggle for many of us. For all sorts of reasons, we often have a hard time embracing our strengths, accepting our imperfections and knowing what to do to feel and be our best selves.
I often wonder how we fit into this landscape. We improve physical imperfections. Some might say that people should be content with what they look like, without the extra help that we offer. Over the years, we’ve found that this extra help, when you request it on your own, goes a long way to help you feel better about yourselves. And we are happy about making you happy.
So, this Valentine’s Day, take some time for yourself. If we can help you do that, let us know.
This month is an optimal time to consider our favorite mid-winter treatments, including SmartLipo Triplex, Fraxel Dual and Repair, Kybella, Thermage CPT and Laser Hair Removal.
If you’d like to talk with us about how we can help you feel and look your most happy, call our office for a complimentary consultation. We’ll help you determine what is best for you.
Meantime, Happy Valentine’s Day, and see you soon.
Sparkle This Holiday Season
This week, as the holidays approach, you might want to think about a last-minute touch-up that will have you looking and feeling your most beautiful.
Dermal fillers and other wrinkle-reducing treatments, including Botox and Dysport, are speedy ways to give your appearance a subtle refresh. Safe and effective, these treatments smooth skin and add an indefinable sparkle to your overall appearance.
Also, now is an optimal time for scheduling procedures that are good to take care of during the winter. SmartLipo and Fraxel are just two that yield results that improve over time.
Meanwhile, we wish you and your families a beautiful holiday and a safe, peaceful and happy new year. My staff and I hope that you enjoy this time with the special people in your lives.
See you soon, and all best,
Dr. Covey
Uncover That Neck
Many of you tell me that you are happy to wear turtlenecks in the fall and winter–but maybe you don’t have to. Because the skin on the neck is so delicate, it’s prone to changes in tautness, smoothness and color, particularly as we age. There are many ways, though, that we can improve its appearance.
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.
There are some measures that you can take at home, such as moisturizing and using SPF and retinol products, as you would on your face. But 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 radiofrequency 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 Ultra 360: Another thermal treatment, Exilis Ultra 360 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.
So, if your neck is making you unhappy, call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll devise an individual treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
The Best Fall Fixes
Now that the temperatures have begun to drop and the sun is no longer at its height, it’s prime time for certain cosmetic treatments that do their best during the fall.
Here’s a run-down of the best treatments for right now:
Laser Hair Removal: This procedure works best on fair skin, so if you’ve become tanned in the summer and now notice a fade, you might consider scheduling an appointment.
The greater the contrast between a dark hair follicle and a paler skin tone, the easier it is for the laser to find the root of your hairs and remove them.
Fraxel Laser Resurfacing: After the treatment, which penetrates through the surface of your skin, you’ll need to avoid direct sun for a little while. So, autumn is a fine time for Fraxel. It may take a few days for your damaged skin to flake off, revealing a smoother blemish-free complexion. Fraxel will help improve summer’s damaging effects on your skin.
SmartLipo Triplex: You will see immediate improvement with SmartLipo Triplex, but it can take some time for optimal results to emerge. So, it’s best that all of this happens during the fall. You’ll be ready for beachwear, whether on a winter vacation to a warm locale or the local beach next summer.
Of course, your individual needs determine which procedures you choose, and when to have them. Call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll help you figure out the fall plan that serves you best.
See you soon.
Put Your Best Face Forward
Though the official start of autumn is not for another month, this week marks the end of summer for many of us. The post-Labor Day back-to-work, back-to-school mindset begins in earnest after next weekend and with it comes a little reflection on how the summer went.
Did it go too quickly? Did I relax enough? Not relax enough? Check off everything on my do-it-this-summer list?
If you spent some time on the beach, it may also be the time to assess how your skin handled the sun. You may be noticing a few more dark spots on your face and body–hyperpigmentation, we call it. Whether brown or black, large or small, these spots and freckles can appear anywhere, often on your face, chest, arms and hands. The sun’s UV rays can cause these marks to crop up, even after one day. Natural aging is also a culprit.
To reduce sunspots, freckles, age/liver spots, which are usually small and flat, we offer treatments of Fraxel Dual Laser, Intense Pulsed Light and Diolite.
Other types of hyperpigmentation can emerge, too, at all times of year. These are due to different triggers, and we have treatments for all of them. Take a look below at which type you may have…
Melasma: Look for light to medium brown discoloration, usually on the cheeks, sides of your face, upper nose, forehead and lips. You may see splotchy patches in irregular sizes and shapes. Often, melasma appears when you are pregnant or have just gone through childbirth (it’s sometimes called “The Mask of Pregnancy”). A hormone surge during these times can cause the changes in your skin. Combined with excessive sun exposure, the effects may be pronounced.
Our treatment: Fraxel Dual Laser
PIH: Look for flat pink, red or brown spots on the face. If you’ve had inflammatory acne, you may be prone to this sort of hyperpigmentation.
Our treatment: Light salicylic acid chemical peels
Facial Blood Vessels: Vascular lesions, commonly called “spider veins” are extra blood vessels that are superficially located in the skin. Often, the skin of cheeks, chin and forehead appear red.
Our treatment: Diolite, IPL
Our best advice for minimizing spots is to stay clear of the sun and wear sunscreen–and more sunscreen–every time that you go out, even in the upcoming weeks and through the fall.
For a specialized treatment plan, call our office for a complimentary consultation.
What Do I Do With an Empty House? Come See Us
In the upcoming weeks, many of you will be sending your college kids back to campus, some of you for the first time. Whatever stage you find yourself in, the maiden launch or the latest of many, you’ll no doubt feel a mix of emotions. It is hard to see your children go, but that is, after all, what we want them to do.
Their independence gives you a bit more time to yourself, and why not direct your energies toward your own care and feeding. Moms are famous for living on the back burner. Now is a good time to ease yourself forward.
We offer many super-parent beauty treatments that are easy to accomplish, convenient and stress-free.
Here are a few conditions that you may be concerned about and treatments for helping you feel better about how you look:
• For unwanted fat: SmartLipo Triplex, Exilis Ultra 360
• For unwanted hair growth:Laser Hair Removal, IPL Hair Removal
• For loose skin: Infini, Thermage CPT, Exilis Ultra 360, Fraxel lasers, SmartLipo Triplex
• For brown spots: Fraxel DUAL laser, IPL (intense pulsed light), Diolite (KTP532) laser, chemical peels
• For cellulite: Cellulaze, Exilis Ultra 360
• For double chin: Kybella
Please call our office for a complimentary consultation. New seasons are a time for positive change, and we are ready to help you transform, physically and emotionally.
See you soon.
Sun Spots: Inevitable, but Reparable
No matter how religious you are about avoiding the sun, you’ve probably noticed a freckle or two by this point in the summer. Ultraviolet radiation has a way of seeping through hats and sunscreen, no matter how hard you try to cover up, and it’s a major cause of visible aging. Blotchy, uneven skin tone lends a weathered appearance, but we can help to restore the clear complexion of youth.
Using the most advanced treatments for all different kinds of pigmentation and skin types, we can decrease the appearance of sun spots easily and effectively. Here are a few tried-and-true methods:
Diolite
Lasers generate an intense beam of light that destroys the unwanted cells in the affected area, leaving only healthy cells behind. Diolite is gentle, precise and controlled. We can direct the light to the sun spot only, leaving your surrounding tissue intact.
Intense Pulsed Light
IPL is a breakthrough, age-defying photo-rejuvenation procedure that quickly, effectively, and non-invasively treats skin damage. Pulsed-light systems treat pigmentation very similarly to lasers. IPL is a versatile treatment that repairs imperfections including rosacea (facial inflammation), vascular lesions and acne scarring, in addition to freckling. It can be used on your face, neck, chest, hands, legs–almost anywhere–except for the delicate skin around your eyes. Photo-rejuvenation offers long-term results without any downtime, recovery time or chemicals.
Fraxel
Fraxel laser treatments offer the most advanced technology for improving skin’s radiance. Fraxel re:pair, Fraxel DUAL and Clear&Brilliant provide different levels of treatment, depending on your individual needs.
It may be a good time to think about sun spot treatment, with just a few weeks left of the summer season. Call our office for a complimentary consultation, and we’ll help you determine your best options.
See you soon.
The Fraxel Decision: Which is Right for You?
The gold standard of laser skin rejuvenation treatments, Fraxel is a state-of-the-art procedure for repairing skin. Whether you suffer from sun damage or the effects of aging and the environment, Fraxel lasers safely and effectively restore your skin. Pinpointing just the areas that need improvement, Fraxel will return your skin to its youthful radiance, texture and tone.
You have two options for treatment, Fraxel DUAL and Fraxel Repair.
Here is what each can do for you…
The Fraxel DUAL Laser provides moderate-level treatment for many skin conditions, including pigmentation, uneven tone, lines and acne scarring, poor texture and more, both on and off the face. It’s safe for use on all skin types, stimulating your body’s natural healing process as it resurfaces and restores damaged skin. There is no downtime, though you may need several treatments for optimal effects.
Fraxel Repair, a more aggressive approach than Fraxel DUAL, provides a higher level of treatment. It’s a great 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 scars and surgical scars. Fraxel Repair deeply penetrates the skin with carbon dioxide laser beams, which minimize wrinkles and discolorations and also tighten skin. Typically, just one treatment is necessary, yielding superior results. Old damaged skin is removed, allowing for new collagen formation. Recuperation time is more considerable than that of the DUAL.
With either treatment, your skin will emerge looking youthful, smooth and beautiful. Call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation, and we’ll help you determine which procedure is best for you.
See you soon.
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.
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 Defyne, Restylane Refyne, 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 treatments, such as Infini, 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.
Eyes: Windows to Your…Age
No one really wants to reveal his or her age. But there are places on our bodies that can give secrets away, namely, the eyes.
The skin surrounding your eyes is extremely delicate, making it susceptible to cosmetic problems that make you look older than you are. Also, because it moves so much during facial expression, lines and wrinkles form over time. Crow’s feet emerge on the outside of the eye and creases appear underneath the lash line, for instance. Add dark circles, hollowing, drooping lids and puffiness, and you will appear tired and worn. Perhaps you’ve tried creams that claim to tighten skin or cold tea bags and cucumbers that temporarily reduce fluid retention, but you are still not happy when you look into the mirror.
We offer a range of nonsurgical treatments that will help return a well-rested look to your eyes and ultimately, your face. Depending on your individual needs, we can craft a personal plan that will help you look refreshed and more youthful, with minimal downtime and recuperation.
Here are a few of our most popular eye treatments:
- Thermage CPT
- Botox
- Dysport
- Dermal fillers (Belotero, Juvederm, Restylane, Restylane Lyft)
- Fraxel Repair Laser
- Fraxel DUAL Laser
- Laser Wrinkle Reduction
- Clear & Brilliant
- Microdermabrasion
Come talk with us about how we can help. Call our office today to schedule your complimentary consultation. And meantime, keep applying that sunscreen.
See you soon.
Rescue Those Aging Eyes
So much of your appearance–how young or old, happy or sad, or refreshed or worn out–begins with your eyes. If you feel you’ve lost the sparkle that you used to have, you’ll be happy to know that we can help.
The delicate skin in this area is extremely thin and becomes thinner with time. Because it contains little subcutaneous fat, it is vulnerable to conditions such as dark circles, bags or swelling, hollowing, and drooping lids and brows. Also, it is especially sensitive to stress from facial movements such as laughing, squinting and frowning, repeated motions that contribute to the formation of lines and wrinkles such as crow’s feet.
Also, the thick collagen network that gives skin structural support begins to break down with time. Your body’s internal processes and external factors such as sun exposure increase the levels of enzymes that break down collagen.
What can help: We have a repertoire of nonsurgical treatments that are safe and effective. Here is a quick run-down:
Dermal fillers, such as Belotero, Juvederm, and Restylane will plump up crow’s feet, lines and wrinkles under the eye and hollowing that may result as we age.
Injectables such as Botox and Dysport will help minimize crow’s feet and lines caused by normal facial expression.
Lasers, including Fraxel Repair, Fraxel DUAL, Laser Wrinkle Reduction and Clear & Brilliant, will help add smoothness, glow and luminosity to the area around your eyes.
Finally, Microdermabrasion and GentleWaves Photomodulation are two more useful techniques for brightening your eyes by restoring vigor to the delicate skin surrounding them.
We’re confident that all of our treatments will help you look happy and younger and feel that way, too.
Call our office today to schedule your complimentary consultation. I’ll develop a treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
