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Get Softer, Smoother Skin with Dermabrasion
If you’re looking for a way to achieve softer, smoother skin, dermabrasion may be the answer. Dermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure that can correct dull, rough, scarred, and blemished skin by improving its texture and appearance. Here is what you need to know about this procedure and how dermabrasion could benefit you.
More » Next Page »12 Skin Problems Laser Skin Treatment Can Address
The Denver area is known for its beautiful nature setting, and most Denver locals love spending hours outside. But Denver is one of the sunniest cities in America, which means your skin is more likely to become damaged by the sun and environmental exposure. Laser skin treatment with the Cutera® xeo® laser can treat an incredible range of skin damage symptoms and offers vital rejuvenation for your skin.
More » Next Page »When At-Home Skin Care Isn’t Enough
At-home skin care is incredibly important. But no matter how faithful you are about cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and protecting, age will eventually catch up to you. When at-home skin care isn’t enough, it’s time to step up to the next level. Dr. Mouchantat and Clarified Complexions have a wide range of skin rejuvenation treatments that can help you maintain a youthful, healthy glow.
Hand Rejuvenation 101
Wrinkles, brown spots, and veins are common signs of aging in the hands, but correcting these lines and blemishes presents significant challenges to plastic surgeons. Hands are marvellous structures with numerous bones, tendons, muscles, and joints, which all need to work together. However, as a recent article in the New York Times points out, it seems that new techniques for hand rejuvenation are being developed.
The Challenges of Hand Rejuvenation
“The hands are a hot new area. Now that we have the face so well treated, we’re looking at the hands, neck and décolleté.” – Dr. Neil S. SadickThere are several challenges that prevent hand rejuvenation surgery from being a viable option. According to New York dermatologist Dr. Neil S. Sadick, the removal of skin on the hands would result in significant scarring and poor healing. The hand, with its many moving parts, presents too many dangers of complications.
“You’d have to literally take a scissors and separate the tissue, and you might interfere with some of the tendons.” – Dr. John F. FarellaBotox is another common method of resolving wrinkles in the face, but is poorly suited for use in the hands. Since it works by inhibiting targeted muscles and allowing other muscles to stretch, it is highly effective for facial wrinkles, but would limit the function of the hand.
Non-Surgical Hand Rejuvenation Methods
Other techniques have emerged as possible approaches to the problem of hand rejuvenation. Some surgeons use fat grafting and laser treatments to increase volume and remove blemishes. Other surgeons, such as Dr. Keith Marcus, have begun advertising a “hand lift.” By using dermal fillers, a plastic surgeon can rejuvenate the hands by adding volume and reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles. The effects of this technique last about a year and can be renewed with further treatments. Next Page »Rival Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Filler Gets FDA Approval
The FDA has approved a new hyaluronic acid dermal filler produced by Merz Aesthetics, according to empr.com.
The new hyaluronic acid dermal filler, which is called Belotero Balance, has been approved to treat moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. This includes nasolabial folds, the lines that run from your nose to the edges of your mouth.
Belotero Balance joins Merz Aesthetics family of non-surgical injectables, including Radiesse. Radiesse is a popular filler comprised of calcium-based microspheres in a water gel that works to restore lost volume in the face. Though its uses are similar to Belotero Balance, the new hyaluronic acid dermal filler works differently.
Like similar hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, Restylane and Juvederm, Belotero Balance works to restore lost volume to your skin by increasing its hydration. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring hydrating component in your skin and these dermal fillers work to mimic it. When injected into the skin beneath the site of a wrinkle, a hyaluronic acid dermal filler provides a sort of scaffolding for depressed areas of skin, supporting them and improving the appearance of youth on the face.
To test the effectiveness of Belotero Balance, it was compared in a split-face study with a collagen-based filler. Using a scale that rates wrinkle severity, Belotero Balance was shown to provide a greater reduction in the appearance of nasolabial folds over 24 weeks. In fact, at the six-month mark, Belotero Balance still showed a greater correction of the wrinkles than its counterpart.
To learn more about your hyaluronic acid dermal filler options in Denver, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
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UK Plastic Surgery Tax to Be Implemented?
UK plastic surgeons are worried that a new tax on plastic surgery could have a negative impact, according to WebMD.
Currently in the UK, a plastic surgery tax only exists on non-surgical treatments like Botox, fillers and laser treatments, a fact that plastic surgeons take no issue with. (In the UK, a VAT tax or “Value Added Tax” is somewhat similar to sales tax in the US in that consumers must pay it on top of the price for a good or elective service.)
Lawmakers in the UK, though, may soon examining whether a plastic surgery tax should apply to elective cosmetic surgeries, like breast augmentation. In the US, patients already pay sales tax on elective plastic surgeries, but not medically-necessary procedures, which are often billed through insurance.
Some plastic surgeons in the UK are beginning to speak out against a possible review in the application of VAT, which may cause patients to have to pay a plastic surgery tax when they previously did not need to.
Current laws regarding VAT tax stipulate that procedures are tax exempt when the “protection, maintenance or restoration” of health is the main goal. A handful of plastic surgeons argue that changing any of these tax laws could put many patient’s surgical desires in a gray area.
Former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Dr. Douglas McGeorge says the common image of plastic surgery is mega-celebrities casually undergoing elective procedures. Rather, he argues, it is members of the general public who choose plastic surgery to improve small aspects of themselves for a positive result.
McGeorge uses the image of an older worker undergoing facial rejuvenation to help make themselves more competitive in the workplace. He sees the difficulty in distinguishing between what is a functional improvement and what is purely cosmetic.
In response to the worry of some plastic surgeons regarding a new plastic surgery tax, the UK government says they currently have no plans to revise the VAT for cosmetic surgeries.
“Medical treatment for purely aesthetic reasons has been, and continues to be, liable to VAT at the standard rate,” it said in a statement.
To learn more about options for financing your plastic surgery in Denver, please contact plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
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Topical Botox Research Yields Positive Findings
(229/365) Daily injection by Sarah G..., on Flickr
Brow Lift Technique: Less Really Can Be More
Performing a brow lift where the brow is only lifted minimally may yield the best results for some patients.
Using special brow lift techniques, plastic surgeons are able to help a patient appear younger and open an eye area that may suffer from a descending brow. Rather than fully lifting the brow to a higher position, your surgeon may only lift part of the brow for an ideal result, as discussed in Cosmetic Surgery Times.
One way a brow lift is sometimes performed is by unilaterally lifting the entire brow, but this may not be the ideal brow lift technique. In fact, in some cases, it may make the patient appear older and create a hollow appearance above the eyes, which may later need to be corrected.
Rather, the brow should ideally be lifted in a minimal manner, which can still create a dramatically younger-looking visage. In the case of plastic surgery, oftentimes less is more.
Instead of focusing on how high the brow should be after surgery, the shape of the brow overall may be more important. In the past, what was considered a beautifully shaped brow was different than it is today. At one point, a downturned brow was desirable, and later a more upturned brow.
Today’s ideal is somewhere in the middle, where the brow is lower near the center of the face, higher near the end and with a peak above the iris of the eye.
If you struggle with a descending brow but may not yet desire one of these brow lift techniques, Botox may be used to treat some types of brow deformities. Botox works by paralyzing the muscle at the treatment site, allowing the skin and brow to relax in a more natural position.
To learn more about brow lift techniques or how your plastic surgeon may use Botox to treat an aged-looking brow, we encourage you to join our mailing list.
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Most Sunscreen Users Not Fully Able to Properly Prevent Sunburns
Those who apply sunscreen regularly when in the sun to prevent sunburns may not quite be doing enough to protect their skin, according to a new study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Sunscreen, the study found, was the most popular form of sun protection chosen by the 3,000 Caucasian adults who participated. In fact, 30% of those studied said they applied sunscreen when out in the sun for longer than one hour. Seeking shade was the second most popular form of sun protection with protective clothing options also being listed.
Startling is the fact that those who said they regularly apply sunscreen were at a 23% higher risk of sunburns, compared to those who rarely apply it.
While avoiding the sun, especially midday when its rays are strongest, is the best way to prevent sunburns and sun damage, applying the appropriate amount of sunscreen is key. For each body part that is exposed, like the legs or arms, a golf ball sized glob of sunscreen should be applied. This should be done half an hour before going outside so it has a chance to absorb and then be reapplied at least every two hours. If you get wet, sunscreen should be applied every 60 to 90 minutes.
People who say they regularly apply sunscreen are often likely not applying it correctly or often enough. Sunscreen should absorb at least 2mm for every square centimeter of skin. When reapplying, those who participated in a Brazilian study only used a quarter of what would be necessary for protection.
Though appropriate sunscreen application can help to prevent sunburn, other forms of protection, though less popular, may guard your skin better. Staying in the shade on sunny days is a prime form of protection from sun damage and burns, as is wearing a hat and clothing that does not leave your legs or arms exposed.
Proper sun protection, whether it comes in the form of correct sunscreen application or avoiding the sun’s rays in another manner, is important. Not only can it guard against the signs of premature aging like wrinkles and age spots, but it can prevent sunburns. Though sunburns may be uncomfortable for several days, in the long-term, they can increase your risk for skin cancer.
To learn more about products to protect your skin and prevent sunburns, as well as non-surgical treatments to correct sun damage, we encourage you to contact us or join our mailing list.
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Plastic Surgery: Debbie Harry Sees Lasting Benefits
Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry sees plastic surgery as important and appreciates the benefits she still sees as a result of a facelift in the 90s, she told Showbiz Spy.
