Total Body Surgical Blog

Last week we talked about treatment of facial redness, facial veins, and rosacea as a cause.  Most of these treatments involve some type of light therapy or laser treatments.  The laser is used to close visible veins on the face and at the base of the nose.  It works by damaging the lining of the vein, it ceases to function, and your body eventually gets rid of it.  Of course, some new veins may appear with time and may require further treatment. 

 just a reminder..

For the redness associated with aging and, or rosacea, we use IPL (intense pulsed light).  The intensity of the pulse of light also targets the red pigment in the smaller capillaries of the skin of the face, causing them to close.  After a short time, the redness is much less.  In many cases, we will use the laser and IPL at the same time, closing the larger, visible veins with the laser and the generalized redness with IPL.  The IPL treatments also can target "age" spots on the face, or areas of Melasma (mask of pregnancy or pigmented areas).

 melasma   age spots

These areas are caused by Ultraviolet light (sun) exposure and hormonal changes.  This is why we recommend not tanning your face!!!, or use sun screen on your face and re-apply often.

OK, after this reminder of what we are trying to address with the laser...what is, and why do you need "pre-treatment"?  First of all, we want the treatments to be as effective as possible.  If you pre-treat the skin, the dead layer or stratum corneum is not as thick and the light used penetrates better.  This, of course, gives a better result.  The other problems that can occur with light therapy are:

-hyperpigmentation:  in other words, the skin cells that produce the pigment in the first place can respond by making more....not what we're looking for.

-hypopigmentation:  loss of skin color.  The pigment cell stop working and the skin becomes too light.

-persistant redness:  redness of the skin after treatment that can hang on for months.

Of course the percentage of people that have any one of the three of these happen is very low, however, we want to decrease the risk as much as possible.  How do we do this?....by pre-treating the skin of course.

What we, and most others, use is a combination of a retinol compound, and a fading agent.  Retinol compounds are derivatives of vitamin A.  (retinol, retin-a, tretinoin, etc.)  There are chemical differences between them, but the end result is to compact or thin the outer, dead layer of skin and stimulate the live, basal layer to turn over quicker and thicken.  They also retard the degradation of collagen and slow down the darker pigment cells that create dark spots.  All retinols will also dry the skin to some extent and decrease oil production.  These effects are great for acne and for some forms of rosacea.  The other product we use is a hydroquinone.  Hydroquinone works by inhibiting an enzyme in the melanocyte (the cell in the skin that produces pigment) that is critical in forming the melanin or dark pigment.  By stopping this pigment production before any light treatment, we can decrease the likelihood of hyperpigmentation as a problem.  The continued use, after laser or light therapy, of hydroquinone keeps the age spots and, or melasma from returning.

Of course, pre-treatment does not guarantee that any one, or all, of the problems that can occur will be prevented.  But pre-treatment does greatly lower the chances.  The darker the skin, i.e., ethinic skin, the greater the chance of problems with or without treatment.

At Total Body Surgical, we use the Obagi line of skin care products for pre-treatment and maintenance.  It is medical grade (prescription grade) and works very well even if laser or light therapy is not used.  Our pricing is great and we start people on the travel size products so they don't buy large amounts to start with.  If your skin cannot tolerate it, (very unusual) or if you don't like it, you have not made a huge investment.

So come see us for facial pigment issues, rosacea, or acne.  We have the experience and equipment to help you.  Cosmetic consultations are complimentary so call 918-786-7780 or 1-877-weight-0.

New blogs starting after the new year.

Let's hope 2012 will be a great one and that things actually do "change".

Look for some of the same offers this year AND some new ones.

Thank you all for making our year a very good start here in Grove.

For the last installment on veins in this series let's discuss the pesky spider vein.  These veins are very common and can be unsightly.  I probably hear more complaints about spider veins than any other vein problems.  They can occur in young women, old women, and every age in between.  The cause of these veins which occur superficially in the skin is usually hereditary and they are aggravated by standing for long periods.  They can occur alone or may be associated with a bigger underlying vein issue.  The reason they enlarge and become visible is increased venous pressure.  Good news is, when these veins occur, they can be treated. At Total Body Surgical, we have a number of methods for treatment.  First, if the problem is extensive, we go out of our way to ensure that the cause is not just a symptom of an underlying bigger vein problem.  At the Total Body Surgical Vein Center we use ultrasound to make sure the larger veins are healthy.  If the spider veins are limited, or if the larger venous system is healthy, we then focus on the cosmetic treatment of the spider veins themselves.  Dr Swetnam usually uses sclerotherapy to eliminate them.  This is a minor procedure that is performed in the office.  It is fairly quick and with minimal discomfort.  A solution is injected into the spider vein that causes inflammation of the lining of the vein, eventually causing your body to remove it so that it can no longer function, or be seen.   This may take a few treatments and requires the wearing of compression stockings for about 2 weeks after injection and avoidance of strenuous exercise and hot tubs for that time as well.  In some instances, some brownish discoloration can occur around the site that usually resolves.  Some ulceration of the skin can also occur which heals well but can cause some minor scarring.  If the larger veins are diseased and the spider veins are injected, they will recur.  If we do a diagnostic ultrasound that shows the larger veins are not functioning, we treat those first with laser closure.  This stops the pressure and then allows us to treat the smaller veins with sclerotherapy successfully.I also use the Vein Light to isolate the "reticular" or connecting veins that feed the spider vein.  This allows me to see what is feeding the group of spider veins and inject it as well. 

For much smaller areas I sometimes will use the YAG laser to close them.  This is relatively quick.  I also use the laser when treating facial veins.  These commonly occur around the base of the nose, on the cheeks and chin.  They are very common in people with rosacea. 

Treatment of spider veins is an ongoing process and should be maintained.  Most people with significant spider veins will eventually meet criteria for treatment of the larger veins that are the root of the problem.  Patients with facial veins will also need maintenance.

Next week....fungus amungus.....the newest treatment for toe nail fungus!!!

Keep an eye out for new specials for fall!!!!

Come see us at Total Body Surgical for Obagi products, Skinceuticals, Botox, Juvederm, and all laser services.  Coming soon....laser tattoo removal!!

918-786-7780

The next few weeks I will be covering, in this blog, my philosophy and approach to common skin problems.  I hope this will be helpful to some of you. As a cosmetic surgeon, we see these problems commonly.

For a good laugh with a little ring of truth. 

http://youtu.be/byTMPyzq7O8

What are the causes of skin damage, pigment issues and other skin problems?  The answer to that question is fairly complex.  We do know some of the answers but certainly do not know them all.  First of all.....exposure.

Have you ever seen a new car that was wrecked and then left out in the elements???  Over time, the paint becomes dull, faded, and if you rub it, it comes off on your finger.  This is called oxidation.  The same thing happens to our skin over time.  Elements in the air.... pollutants, and sun work on the skin from the outside making it less youthful.  The other factor that works on the skin is what we put IN our body.  To use the car analogy, if water gets into the metal under the paint, you get rust from the inside.

So, all analogies aside, our skin is effected by exposure and what we eat.  There are 3 or 4 main problems that people complain about related to their skin:  First is wrinkles...these are caused by the skin adapting, over time, to motion of the underlying muscle.  Add this to the aging process where our bodies produce less collagen (the substance that gives our skin strength) and less elastin (the substance that gives our skin elastic qualities).  This process goes on even when we remove all of the other variables unfortunately and actually has been proven to start in the late 20's age group which is not considered old to me.  These wrinkles are very predictable.  They occur between the eyes (the elevens), around the eyes (crows feet), across the forehead, and around the mouth.  They are created by frowning, squinting, pursing the lips, and elevating the brow.  The second problem people complain about are pigment issues....brown and red "spots".  These are caused by changes in pigment production and areas of blood vessel changes in the skin, usually related to UV (sun) exposure.  The third problem is "sagging" of the skin.  This is again related to loss of collagen and skin elasticity but is contributed to by loss of underlying support structures, i.e. facial fat.  The fourth problem people complain of is the developement of "lesions" or rough areas that may or may not be pre-cancerous.

In the next blogs I plan to cover these issues one by one and give you some ideas on how to deal with them.

Come see us at INTEGRIS Total Body Surgical for your skin care concearns.

Remember to check out our Breast augmentation and hair removal specials too!!!

http://www.totalbodysurgical.net/breast-aumentationact-now/Default.aspx?utm_campaign=Grand-on-GRAND&utm_source

-Laser services

 

Eyelashes....you don't have to go to these extremes!!! Forget false eyelashes, extensions, and mascara that makes you look like a horror movie actress at the end of the day. There are now products on the market that can make your lashes grow....and no it is not like Rogain, creating only fuzz. These products make your lashes grow in a matter of days. They get darker, longer and thicker, to impressive levels. Several companies are producing products that work. I will talk briefly about Latisse as it is the one most people know about. Latisse is the same medication that is used in Lumigan. Lumigan has been around for a long time as a treatment for glaucoma. It was noted that one of the side effects of Lumigan use was eyelash growth. We, in the Cosmetic industry, used to use Lumigan to lengthen eyelashes but we used the drops IN the eye. One of the side effects was a permanent change in eye color. This did not effect women with brown or black eyes and women with very blue eyes had little problem either. It is the women with blue eyes that have darker pigment mixed in and these are the people that may have darkening of the iris. Latisse is applied topically to the lashes and it seems to work just as well as the drops if not better. The nice thing is that the side effect of a darkening iris is still present but very rare as very little medicine actually gets in the eye. Once you begin to use the product, you will notice a change in your lashes within a week in most cases. You will see new lashes starting to grow and the old ones start to darken and become thicker. You will be amazed and love the results. Many girls actually have to trim them. It is truly one of those OMG products that WORKS!! Those of you that know me know that I refuse to promote something that does not work and this product does. There are other rival products being marketed right now but I have little experience with them. OBAGI has a new product that we are dying to try and there are several others. I will give you my recommendations after we gain some experience. We carry Latisse at our office and our daily price is $100.00. Our girls will teach you some tricks on how to extend the life of your purchase too. We can ship the product to you if you like and soon it will be availble through our on line store once we get it up and running. Come see us and don't forget our look Grand on Grand breast augmentation promotion through May: $3699. for saline and $4899. for silicone implants. www.totalbodysurgical.net 918-786-7780 Friend us on Facebook!!