Younger,
healthy skin is an important part of facial rejuvenation.
Plastic
surgery operations such as face-lifts are only one part
of recapturing a more youthful appearance. The surface of
the skin needs to be refreshed, removing fine wrinkles,
discoloration and age spots. The right combination of treatments
and products will leave the skin looking and feeling smoother,
softer, and younger.
Skin products and a skin care
program by one of our aestheticians (skin specialists) can be
provided on request. We offer medical grade product lines available
only in physicians' offices. These products contain various alph-hydroxy
acids such as glycolic or lactic acid. Newer products use Vitamin
C or A based acids. Examples of some of these companies include:
MD Forte, C-Esta, Jan Marini, Renova, Retin-A and Neostrata. These
product lines include various combinations of cleansers, exfoliants,
sun screens and mild acids to improve your skin. Our aesthetician
can perform facials and provide a customized skin care program
to let you obtain the best possible result.
Glycolic peels are very light
chemical peels done in the office by our skin specialist. Generally
a series of six peels is recommended. We suggest follow-up peels
every other month to maintain the best results. Skin care products
are used in between. These peels leave the skin with the appearance
of a sunburn for 2-4 days but does not restrict your normal activities.
Chemical peels in our office
generally refer to TCA peels (trichloroacetic acid). These are
stronger and deeper than the glycolic peels performed by our aesthetician.
The results are quicker and more effective for deeper lines. Small
areas can be treated without any anesthesia although larger peels
may require local or mild sedation. The superficial skin peels
off in 3-5 days leaving light red or pink skin which slowly returns
to normal over several weeks. These peels are done by the physicians
and will usually require some time off from work for recovery.
Laser peels are used for
deeper wrinkles and skin which show greater signs of sun damage
and aging. Lighter peels are done with Erbium lasers, however
most of the patients requiring skin rejuvenation are best treated
with CO2 lasers. See the section on laser peels for more detailed
information.
Wrinkle fillers can be used
to fill deeper lines, folds and creases of the skin. Examples
include: collagen, fat, gortex, and newer products such as softform,
autologen, alloderm and dermalogen.
Collagen is the most widely
know and used product. It is a substance made from cow (bovine)
protein. It comes from the company as Zyplast or Zyderm and lasts
approximately 2-4 months. Allergies are unusual but occur in about
every 3000 patients and therefore skin testing is required prior
to a treatment program. Benefits include it's simplicity of use.
Fat injections use the patient's
own fat. There are no allergies or "rejection" problems with this
method. Fat may be more permanent although this seems to vary
from site to site. With each treatment, the body will generally
retain a portion of the improvement and with time the results
becomes longer lasting. Each treatment is more involved than collagen
as we need to obtain fat from a body site under local anesthesia
and then prepare the fat cells prior to use.
Gortex is a synthetic material,
which has many medical uses which most recently includes facial
plastic surgery. It comes in strands and sheets which can be cut
and contoured. It is well accepted by the body with little rejection
problem. It is soft with the consistency of foam rubber. It is
placed under wrinkles and depressions to raise the skin. Corrections
are permanent.
Softform is a synthetic product
similar to gortex with similar characteristics.
Autologen is a human collagen
implant material made from your own skin. The patients skin may
be removed during a cosmetic procedure such as a facelift. It's
then sent to the company which processes the tissue and stores
it for later use. Tissue can also be obtained at a previous incision
site such as a C-section scar. The collagen can be stored for
up to one year.
Alloderm is preserved human
skin (dermis) which has been medically processed so that it is
accepted by the patient's body without rejection. Over time it
is replaced by the body's own collagen providing a "natural" permanent
result. This product is implanted under the skin with a similar
method used for gortex.
Dermalogen is an injectable
human substance obtained from donor tissue and processed by a
patented method to provide a product similar to dermis (the second
layer of the skin). Dermalogen may require two to three treatments
over a three-month period followed by less frequent treatments.
This product provides another alternative to collagen injections.
Botox is not a filler but
is actually a medication that can temporarily weakens muscles
which cause wrinkles. It is most commonly used for frown lines,
and smile lines (crow's feet). It is frequently used on the forehead
and neck. Treatments last 3-8 months but often two or three sessions
are needed early on to get a good baseline result similar to the
use of collagen. After that touch ups will require less medication
are longer intervals. Botox comes from Botulinum Toxin Type A,
a neuromuscular blocking agent that has been FDA approved since
l989 for the treatment of crossed-eyes, tics, spasms, and other
medical conditions. The cosmetic use is not FDA approved, however
it has been used widely since about 1990 with excellent results
and few complications. The results can be dramatic and may provide
the only alternative to surgery for many wrinkles and folds.
Younger,
healthy skin is an important part of facial rejuvenation.