Many people think that when they want to look better they should consult a plastic surgeon. However, plastic surgeons want to fill up their surgery schedule and are more interested in performing surgery. Instead of surgery there are many minimally invasive ways of looking better that have fewer risks of side effects.
There are some lasers that are so gentle that there is no downtime or peeling skin. Laser Genesis is a laser treatment that has been shown in clinical studies to shrink the size of pores and make skin looker better without causing any downtime. There is only a gentle sensation of heat and minimal redness on the skin that only lasts about an hour.
Many people do chemical peels to improve the quality of skin. However, people can often have an allergic reaction to some of these chemicals. These chemicals often give off vapors that people breathe for a long period of time and these might not be very good for us in the long run. Lasers, on the other hand can do a better job of peeling the skin. Pearl is a laser that kills off a small layer of cells on the outer surface of the skin allowing better, healthier, tighter skin to the surface. This laser peel is a lot safer, less painful and more effective than chemical peels.
Lasers also able to remove sun spots which are a common problems in Florida. Limelight is a second generation IPL (Intense Pulse Light) treatment that does not cause any peeling skin or downtime but is able to remove sun spots. The dark spots turn darker and flake off within a couple of weeks.
Tightening skin is another function that lasers can do very well. We use a laser called Pearl Fractional that pokes holes in the skin and allows better, tighter skin to come to the surface.
There is also a new machine called infini that uses tiny needles that penetrate under the skin and build radiofrequency heat under the skin. This helps to tighten the skin without causing as much peeling skin and down time as some other lasers.
Many people use different creams that promise to remove lines and make skin look younger. Unfortunately, these creams rarely make much of a difference. Fillers on the other hand help to fill in lines and make a huge difference immediately. Most fillers are made of hyaluronic acid which is collagen and this not only helps to fill in areas that have lost collagen but also help to stimulate one’s own collagen. Combining fillers and Botox makes the biggest difference in terms of reducing lines and wrinkles.
For people who have excessive fat under the chin, there is a new treatment called Kybella that is injected under the skin and helps to kill fat cells. For getting rid of fat in the belly area, in place of a tummy tuck, there is coolsculpting that is a non invasive way to kill fat cells.
So, before you go and consult a plastic surgeon who will probably want to do surgery, consider less invasive options. There are many laser treatments, procedures and injectable medications that can help people look better. We spend much more time helping patients with these non invasive options than plastic surgeons do and in many cases get much better results.
