Dramatic Results
BY MARY RAFFETTO
Click image to view
Unquestionably, the most popular treatments today are Botox and the injectable “fillers.” Surgeons consider these non-invasive – but some patients feel otherwise. Regardless, they offer truly dramatic, practically instant results, and are considered to have “zero downtime.”
Lasers, dermabrasion and acid peels also give outstanding results and can be administered from the mildest of applications to the strongest, depending on the needs of the patient. But Dr. Hugh Vu, a Stockton-based, board-certified (by the American Board of Plastic Surgery) plastic surgeon cautions, “The less invasive the procedure, the less dramatic the result.”
The newer lasers cause what Dr. Vu calls “minimal collateral damage” to the surrounding skin cells because they are highly specific. Dr. Robert Gray, also a board-certified* plastic surgeon, adds, “The deeper I treat the skin, the more I prefer a laser – it’s more precise, and it’s safer.”
Laser resurfacing takes off the damaged surface of the skin, revealing the deeper, more youthful layers below. Dr. Gray finds the best result is achieved by combining the fractionated deeper erbium laser with a light or shallow erbium laser, and likens it to “treating the sheet and the mattress beneath it.” For wrinkle removal, this combination gives you the best of both worlds and entails about 5 days’ recovery, and 2 or 3 visits, producing results that he calls “amazing.”
Many practitioners offer an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) photofacial in which a series of painless laser treatments remove age-related brown spots and broken capillaries. IPL is unique in that it can be used all over the body. This, too, usually requires zero downtime and yields “huge results.”
When it comes to the health and beauty of our skin, who better to consult than an actual dermatologist? Under the watchful eye of Dr. Clinton Prescott, a board-certified dermatologist, Central Valley Dermatology Laser and Skin Care Centers provide a full array of skin care products and treatments, from laser removal of hair, veins and wrinkles to Botox and injectable fillers, facials, permanent makeup, microdermabrasion, acid peels, and every form of rejuvenation in between. The CVD office in Manteca offers lasers specifically for black and darker complexions.
As for topical potions, it’s a big, big world out there. The top performers seem to be the retinols – which come in prescription and milder over-the-counter strengths.
SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 got rave reviews, and is available on Amazon.com. Sephora, a leading retailer in skincare and beauty treatments, carries some of the newest innovations. Alex Kambanaos, Sephora Pro Beauty Team Expert, recommends proper cleansing before all else, and likes the Clarisonic Skincare Brush, which uses sonic micro-massage technology. Alex says the Clarisonic is “proven to deep-clean your skin, allowing serums and moisturizers to better penetrate.” Next she recommends applying Dr. Brandt’s Lines No More for its collagen-stimulating formula. Dr. Brandt’s product line also includes Microdermabrasion Body, a take-home kit exclusive to Sephora, which corrects winter-dry skin by polishing and softening with exfoliating aluminum oxide crystals – the same found in many doctors’ office treatments.
Lucky for us there are so many choices available. No matter which treatment you pursue, please do your homework – read as much as you can, and ask questions of a variety of professionals to be sure that the technician you choose is truly qualified.
Resourceful websites: CVDerm.com, Futurederm.com, Graysurgery.com, Sephora.com, Thedermblog.com, and Vuplasticsurgery.com
Lasers, dermabrasion and acid peels also give outstanding results and can be administered from the mildest of applications to the strongest, depending on the needs of the patient. But Dr. Hugh Vu, a Stockton-based, board-certified (by the American Board of Plastic Surgery) plastic surgeon cautions, “The less invasive the procedure, the less dramatic the result.”
The newer lasers cause what Dr. Vu calls “minimal collateral damage” to the surrounding skin cells because they are highly specific. Dr. Robert Gray, also a board-certified* plastic surgeon, adds, “The deeper I treat the skin, the more I prefer a laser – it’s more precise, and it’s safer.”
Laser resurfacing takes off the damaged surface of the skin, revealing the deeper, more youthful layers below. Dr. Gray finds the best result is achieved by combining the fractionated deeper erbium laser with a light or shallow erbium laser, and likens it to “treating the sheet and the mattress beneath it.” For wrinkle removal, this combination gives you the best of both worlds and entails about 5 days’ recovery, and 2 or 3 visits, producing results that he calls “amazing.”
Many practitioners offer an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) photofacial in which a series of painless laser treatments remove age-related brown spots and broken capillaries. IPL is unique in that it can be used all over the body. This, too, usually requires zero downtime and yields “huge results.”
When it comes to the health and beauty of our skin, who better to consult than an actual dermatologist? Under the watchful eye of Dr. Clinton Prescott, a board-certified dermatologist, Central Valley Dermatology Laser and Skin Care Centers provide a full array of skin care products and treatments, from laser removal of hair, veins and wrinkles to Botox and injectable fillers, facials, permanent makeup, microdermabrasion, acid peels, and every form of rejuvenation in between. The CVD office in Manteca offers lasers specifically for black and darker complexions.
As for topical potions, it’s a big, big world out there. The top performers seem to be the retinols – which come in prescription and milder over-the-counter strengths.
SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 got rave reviews, and is available on Amazon.com. Sephora, a leading retailer in skincare and beauty treatments, carries some of the newest innovations. Alex Kambanaos, Sephora Pro Beauty Team Expert, recommends proper cleansing before all else, and likes the Clarisonic Skincare Brush, which uses sonic micro-massage technology. Alex says the Clarisonic is “proven to deep-clean your skin, allowing serums and moisturizers to better penetrate.” Next she recommends applying Dr. Brandt’s Lines No More for its collagen-stimulating formula. Dr. Brandt’s product line also includes Microdermabrasion Body, a take-home kit exclusive to Sephora, which corrects winter-dry skin by polishing and softening with exfoliating aluminum oxide crystals – the same found in many doctors’ office treatments.
Lucky for us there are so many choices available. No matter which treatment you pursue, please do your homework – read as much as you can, and ask questions of a variety of professionals to be sure that the technician you choose is truly qualified.
Resourceful websites: CVDerm.com, Futurederm.com, Graysurgery.com, Sephora.com, Thedermblog.com, and Vuplasticsurgery.com