One must also be aware of the effect of relaxing a facial muscle on one’s facial expression.  Although wrinkles may go away, expression may be changed.  For example, some people have excess skin laxity in their foreheads and keep their forehead muscles working constantly to keep their eyebrows from covering their eyes.  If the forehead were weakened in that area, then the eyebrows could fall and cause vision to be obstructed.  Only a brow lift would be helpful in such a case.

Skin vitality is also important.  Wrinkles formed from dynamic muscle action don’t disappear immediately.  The skin remodels itself to smooth out wrinkles over time, but this action depends on the health and age of the skin.  For instance, one would expect that a 35 year old with forehead wrinkles would probably see more improvement with Botox than a 65 year old.

When getting Botox or Dysport for the first time, it is very important to go over the cosmetic goals, as well as the risks and benefits.  Realistic expectations are key to being satisfied with this procedure.

The bill has cleared a senate committee and is likely to pass through the legislature.  The Governor vetoed a similar measure last year, however.  The bill is supported by the Alliance of Professional Tattooists and Association of Professional Piercers.

Aside from simply letting the hair grow out, the main solution for the problem of ingrown hairs is laser hair removal.  Not only are the vast majority of hairs permanently destroyed, the few that remain tend to be wispy and less able to become ingrown.  The hyperpigmentation and inflammation that occur in such areas also gradually disappear as the ingrown hair problem is resolved.  Laser hair removal typically takes 6 treatments for satisfactory clearance but probably fewer are necessary to greatly reduce the tendency to get ingrown hairs.

If you are interested in laser hair removal, please call or email us for a free consultation.

Although scars cannot be completely erased by any procedure, Fraxel does a good job of making them less protuberant, smaller, and less obvious.  If you have a scar that troubles you, come in for a free consultation to see if Fraxel is right for you

One alternative that we are currently investigating is the possibility of using fractional laser, i.e. Fraxel, to burn away tattoo pigment without causing scarring.  This is not available for treatment yet, but could possibly be in the future if results are positive.

The non-caustic category of tattoo removal creams is purported to work by unverified mechanisms.  So-called “fading ingredients” are said to somehow specifically fade the tattoo ink yet leave the rest of the skin unaffected.  From a mechanistic standpoint, it’s not clear or conceivable how such a chemical would work.  Tattoo inks are composed from a wide variety of chemicals  within each individual ink brand and there are multiple brands to choose from for each color.  There cannot be one chemical that could react with all these different tattoo inks.  Furthermore, there are no published scientific studies in the medical literature to support such claims.

To date, the only FDA-approved treatment for tattoo removal is laser.  Other methods, such as glycolic acid or salabrasion may work, but the scarring they cause can far outweigh the original disadvantages of the tattoo.  Less aggressive tattoo fading creams have yet to show clinical effectiveness in peer-reviewed scientific journals.  A search of the Pubmed database for “tattoo removal cream” yields nothing related to what is advertised on the internet.  So until new research shows otherwise, only laser tattoo removal can reliably remove tattoos with minimal scarring.

In an effort to offer the most effective available treatments for acne, we are now offering  Tazarotene (aka Tazorac), a retinoic acid, and clindamycin topical antibiotic to our patients.  Retinoic acids, such as Tazarotene, are highly effective for the treatment of acne by increasing skin cell turnover and decreasing the sebaceous production that leads to acne.  Thus, fewer blackheads and whiteheads are formed.   Bacterial colonization of sebaceous secretions leads to inflammation and the pustular or papular aspect of acne.  By killing  the acne bacteria, topical antibiotics reduce and prevent acne flare-ups.  You can find more information on tazarotene and clindamycin on our skin care products page.

For the residual damage caused by acne, such as pitted scars, Fraxel is a highly-effective treatment.  Over several treatments, acne scars are flattened and shrunk.  Chemical peels, such as Vi Peel, and skin lightening creams are also effective for the hyperpigmentation associated with previously inflamed acne lesions. ]]> http://www.tattoomdla.com/new-acne-treatments-at-tattoo-mdcls/feed/