How to Prepare: Chemical Peel

To protect your health and find out what results you want, a dermatologist always offers a consultation before performing a chemical peel. To help you get the most benefit from this consultation, dermatologists recommends that you:

• Ask questions.
• Gather important information before your consultation.

This page tells you what to ask and what information to gather.

Questions to ask before getting a chemical peel 

You should ask the following questions before getting a chemical peel:

• Will a board-certified dermatologist perform the chemical peel?
• What will I need to do before and after the peel to get the best results?
• What results can I expect?
• What are the potential side effects?
• Do I have a higher risk for any complications?
• Will I have downtime?
• May I see before-and-after photos or speak with patients you treated with a chemical peel?
• How much will the treatment cost?

During the consultation, your dermatologist also can tell you whether another treatment would be a better option for you. You may find that your dermatologist recommends using more than one treatment. Results from many research studies show that combining treatments can lead to better, longer-lasting results. 

Information to tell your dermatologist before getting a chemical peel

Before you get a chemical peel, be sure to tell your dermatologist the following information:

• If you are taking or have ever taken isotretinoin, a medicine prescribed for severe acne. 
• All other medicines you take. Be sure your dermatologist knows about antibiotics, acne medicines, and over the counter medicine.  
• If you frequently get cold sores or have had cold sores in the past.
• If your skin scars easily.
• All surgeries and cosmetic treatments you have had.

Don’t omit anything — even if it seems unimportant.

For more information visit. http://bit.ly/1wdYD1Q

Eczema: Tips to help your child feel better

Juvederm Voluma is here.

Cosmetic treatments not just for women

While the majority of cosmetic patients are women, it has also been found that more men are becoming increasingly interested in aesthetics treatments as well. The reason men are now seeking treatment is because they now can find exactly what they are looking for: non-surgical, no-downtime, procedures with gradual results and little or no pain.

The treatment that men seek do not differ much from the treatment that women seek. There are several treatment options that men prefer when they decide to have some aesthetic treatment.

One of the most popular treatments for men as well as women is injectables. Age, sun exposure and lifestyle can all take a toll on our skin, but luckily we can turn to neuromodulators and fillers for an easy fix. Neuromodulators work to relax the muscles that cause wrinkles, while fillers – such as Juvederm, Juvederm Voluma, Radiesse, Restylane and Sculptra – help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, folds and volume loss. All injectable treatments are quick and easy with very subtle results.  

There is also the options of skin tightening and body contouring. Various non-invasive procedures can help. For skin tightening, ultrasound therapy and laser resurfacing can tighten tone and lift loose skin on most parts of the body including the jowls, neck, eyebrows, abdomen, arms and thighs.

Men typically have more sun damage than women because of their carefree nature when it comes to sun protection. Skin resurfacing devices such as lasers treat texture, discoloration, brown spots, fine lines, redness and pores, leaving patients with a smoother, more rejuvenated complexion.

Women and men both can agree that shaving is not a task that we all look forward to. One of the most practical luxuries for men is laser hair removal, which not only helps to reduce excessive body hair but also eliminates painful ingrown hair.

We offer most of these treatments in our office. Contact us and schedule your free consultation.

Find the full article:American Academy of Dermatology

Illegal fillers on the rise.

A simple Google search for “cheap cosmetic fillers” will show you results of many pages advertising fillers for half the price of any trusted certified professional.  The pages advertise cosmetic fillers that are sent to you and easy to use. Behind the “cheap” fillers is a dangerous lie that is costing more than expected.

The San Francisco Gate reported a story of a woman who bought inexpensive cosmetic fillers from the Internet and asked a friend to inject them. When the delivery arrived the box was post marked from Brazil. As soon as the woman was injected she felt a burning sensation in her cheeks. It took the women four months to repair the damage that the fillers had done and left her permanent scars from the draining of the supposed fillers.

The women story is not unique; there are several stories of women becoming blind after a non-physician injected the patients in an artery. There are also several reports of women having severe allergic reaction to injections. Many women don’t realize that when they are purchasing unapproved fillers from the Internet from foreign countries they are doing so illegally.

A visit to a licensed dermatologist to perform procedures like Restylane may cost from about $600 to $700 per syringe. Doctors will use multiple syringes sending a visiting to $1,200 or more.

Doctor recommends not purchasing any filler online.

For more information visit SF Gate.

Wrinkles be gone!

Our offices offers a full range of services designed to smooth away wrinkles and enhance the lips, including Restylane®, Artefill®, and Radiesse™ injections.

Lip Enhancement and Wrinkle Removal

Both permanent and temporary enlargements are offered through various injectables substances introduced comfortably under topical or local anesthesia. There are a variety of fillers that can erase the effects of aging by filling marionette lines, smile lines, forehead lines, crow’s feet, and other skin depressions.

Radiesse is composed of calcium hydroxylapatite, a naturally occurring component found in bone and teeth that appears to have no risk of allergy when used as an implant.  The procedure is performed with a small gauge needle injection after the application of a topical anesthetic cream. You'll begin to notice results on the day of the procedure, and effects typically last 1 to 2 years.

BOTOX® Cosmetic, a natural, purified protein that relaxes muscles, is also used to treat an aging neck. This injection dramatically eliminates deep frown and forehead lines and crow’s feet lines. Results last several months. There’s no recovery time and you can get back to work or participate in other activities immediately!

Artefill® is used to treat deep wrinkles, depressions under the eyes, depressed acne scars, and chicken pox scars. It can permanently eliminate unsightly lines and wrinkles, leaving the skin looking younger, radiant, and revitalized. Effects look extremely natural. Unlike prior approaches, such as collagen injections, the area is not overcorrected (not raised up much above flat skin level) The area injected is raised by the bovine collagen, which then disappears over 1-3 months. As this collagen (temporary) is disappearing, more or less simultaneously the patient’s (permanent) collagen is being produced to replace it

Juvéderm Juvéderm is a smooth consistency gel made of hyaluronic acid-a naturally occurring substance in your skin that helps to add volume and hydration for lip augmentation and facial expression lines. Studies show superior results of Juvéderm compared to collagen-based dermal filler. In addition, Juvéderm injectable gel is the first FDA-approved hyaluronic acid dermal filler that is proven to be safe and effective for persons of color.

Consumers satisfied with wrinkle-relaxers and body contouring.

A survey conducted by the ASDA found that consumers are most satisfied with wrinkle-relaxers, soft-tissue fillers and body sculpting treatments.

All three treatment categories received satisfaction ratings of 90 percent or above for the second straight year. And the ranks of those who declared themselves “extremely satisfied” increased significantly in all three groups.

Wrinkle-relaxers – Botox, Dysport and Xeomin – to soften facial lines and crow’s feet are at the top of consumers’ satisfaction list. Next are soft-tissue fillers – Belotero, Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane and Sculptra – which smooth wrinkles and folds and add facial volume.

Satisfaction also is high with body sculpting. Options include tumescent liposuction, performed in an office setting under local anesthesia; cryolipolysis, also known as “fat-freezing;” laserlipolysis to remove localized, stubborn pockets of fat; and other non-invasive treatments – using focused ultrasound and/or radiofrequency – for fat and cellulite.
ASDS President Mitchel P. Goldman said body sculpting is popular “because it works so well.” The average liposuction patient in his multi-dermatologic surgeon practice has 2.3 procedures within two to three years. “Once they see how easy it
is – downtime is a few days, typically – and that the results are so good, they want it done on a different part of their body,” he said.
The procedures with the highest satisfaction ratings reflect the top reasons consumers say they turn to cosmetic procedures: to look “as young as I feel or better for my age,” to appear more attractive and to feel more confident.

 Find full article: bit.ly/1so2GWA