You probably have a lot going on now. But I’ll bet you will be even busier this Fall and Winter! With that in mind let’s talk about the timing of your cosmetic services, because timing matters for best results.
Now is Good
Some cosmetic treatments look good immediately – three cheers for instant gratification! If you have run out of time, or just want to feel better now, here are the services that will do just that.
- Cutera for small veins – using the Cutera Excel V laser we can get rid of tiny veins on your face and legs (or almost anywhere), and the veins disappear right in front of your eyes. If you are fed up with clusters of small red or blue veins, let’s just get rid of them – now!
- HydraFacial – clear and decongest your skin with a HydraFacial and you’ll leave with the softest, smoothest – dare I say “glowiest” – skin you’ve had in a long time. Treatments vary between 30 – 50 minutes and you can add dermaplaning to get rid of fine vellus hair.
2 Weeks Works Too
Many treatments stimulate a response in your skin or body and therefore need a bit of time to show results. These are a few treatments that give amazing results if you can wait 1 - 2 weeks.
- Fillers – in the hands of our resident artist, Dr. Cyndi, fillers can be downright magical. She prides herself in facial sculpting that restores the best of your facial features without looking over done or puffy. With 2 - 3 syringes she can fill in hollows, soften deep folds, lessen jowls, and restore the apple of your cheeks. While you do see results immediately, we recommend allowing two weeks for any swelling or bruising to resolve. Both bromelain capsules and Cutera Excel V are available to address bruising.
- Toxins – Botox and Dysport are well-loved for their ability to lessen wrinkles and lines around the eyes and in the forehead. But did you know that a skilled injector like Dr. Cyndi uses Botox or Dysport to create a subtle brow lift, to lessen downturns at the corners of your mouth (called a Nefertiti lift), and to smooth out rough textured skin on your chin? Most toxins take 10 - 14 days to reach full effectiveness and bruising is rare.
- Peels – many peels require 10 days to complete the treatment and peel cycle. Depending on the depth of the peel you may experience only mild flaking, or a full-on peel. Our esthetician will work with you to determine the peel that best suits your needs. P.S. We often recommend a HydraFacial post-peel to clean up any residual cells and debris while cleansing and plumping your new skin.
- BBL (Broad Band Light) – BBL is a very bright light that we pulse onto your skin to target red and brown spots. These darker pigmented spots absorb the light energy and are destroyed at a cellular level. Within 3 - 7 days spots take on a coffee-grounds appearance which naturally flakes off over 1 - 2 weeks revealing even-toned skin. BBL is commonly used on the face, neck, chest, and hands, but can be used almost anywhere on the body.
1 to 3 Months, But Worth the Wait
Because many of our most significant procedures rely on your body to create collagen, elastin, and new blood vessels, they can take 1 - 3 months to see results. The good news is that collagen and elastin formation have “staying power” and are not metabolized like toxins or fillers. That doesn’t mean the changes are permanent. Since we continue to experience age and environmental changes, we can’t stop the clock, we can only push back time. Even surgery cannot offer a permanent result and only re-sets the clock, aging and environmental factors continue to have their effect.
- Halo laser – the Halo laser is a true favorite for skin improvement. It has two lasers that work at the same time to remove a percentage of surface skin cells while also creating channels that run deeper into the skin. This combination of treatments has much faster healing rates (5 - 7 days) with less pain and no pigment demarcation. By removing a percentage of surface cells, your body heals itself with plump, healthy new cells. By removing cores of skin, your body heals by creating collagen and elastin. This combination gives the well-known “Halo glow” to skin after about one week. At 6 - 12 weeks collagen formation is at its peak giving you firm, smooth, even-toned skin.
- Ellacor Micro-Coring – this newest of technologies is FDA-cleared to treat moderate-to-severe lines and folds. With a series of two treatments, between 14% - 18% of excess skin on the lower face and jawline is removed. Results include: decreased jowling, better-defined jawline and lessening of sagging skin under the chin. Ellacor uses two pathways to achieve results: 1) removing excess skin using small hollow needles, and 2) increasing collagen and elastin in the remaining healing skin. Ellacor requires 5 - 7 days of social downtime and pin-dots may have residual pinkness for up to 30 days. Results become apparent 6-12weeks post - Ellacor. (Note: we recommend a second Ellacor procedure at 4 - 6 weeks for maximum results.)
- Sofwave – applying a new twist on older ultrasound technology, Sofwave uses parallel beams of ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen formation deep in the skin, but above the fat layer. This lifts the tissue – think brow lift, lower face lift, or chin lift. By protecting the fat layer, patients maintain their own healthy fat – lessening the need for fillers as a replacement for lost fat. Sofwave ultrasound beams deliver heat energy to skin stimulating collagen formation and strengthening existing collagen strands and linkages. Ultrasound beams spread the energy (and multiply the result), as opposed to older models of therapy that create pin-points of energy. Sofwave has zero downtime since all treatment occurs under the skin surface. Like other collagen-and-elastin-creating therapies, results are seen at 6 - 12 weeks.
- Laser Resurfacing – by removing microns of the skin surface, laser re-surfacing greatly diminishes fine lines, dark spots, and the crepey appearance of skin. Laser resurfacing allows patients with multiple concerns to undergo one treatment with remarkable results. With 2 - 3 weeks of social downtime, laser resurfacing is one of our more significant procedures. And while performed on the full face, it is often performed on just the area around the mouth to drastically diminish “smokers lines” or expression lines. Swelling and redness take a few weeks to resolve as the skin’s surface heals and fresh new skin cells are brought to the surface. New skin must be protected from the sun for 1 - 2 months.
- Sculptra – although it is an injectable, Sculptra is not like other fillers. Made of a biocompatible and biodegradable material, it is injected into the deeper layers of tissue to add new structure to sunken or flattened facial contours. Your body engulfs the Sculptra molecule with masses of collagen while the Sculptra molecule dissolves, similar to dissolving suture material. Changes from Sculptra take longer to appear than from fillers, but those changes also last longer. Most Sculptra patients start with 3 - 6 vials injected over 2 - 3 months and then “top off” annually with 1 - 2 vials to maintain their results.
While this is not a complete list of our service, we hope it helps you decide which treatments you prefer and how they fit into your schedule. Always remember that we offer complimentary cosmetic consultations and have many Before and After pictures. Please click to schedule online or call us at 239-529-DERM(3376). We hope to see you soon!
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