Cosmetic Treatment
Does your skin have fine lines? Age spots? Acne scars or other issues you’d like to clear up? Cosmetic treatments may help improve the look and feel of your skin. Some use heat to trigger collagen production. Others fill in wrinkles or work like sandpaper to smooth imperfections. These treatments are less invasive than surgery. They often need little recovery time, but their cost and how well they work varies. There is one thing the following treatments do have in common: Their popularity is rising.
Chemical Peel
Chemical peels are cosmetic treatments that can be applied to the face, hands, and neck. They’re used to improve the appearance or feel of the skin. During this procedure, chemical solutions will be applied to the area being treated, which causes the skin to exfoliate and eventually peel off. Once this happens, the new skin underneath is often smoother, appears less wrinkled, and may have less damage.
There are several reasons people may get chemical peels. They may be trying to treat a variety of things, including:
- Wrinkles and fine lines
- Sun damage
- Hyperpigmentation
- Scars
- Uneven skin tone or redness
Botox Injections
Botox injections are noted primarily for the ability to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles. They’re also used to treat conditions such as neck spasms (cervical dystonia), excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), an overactive bladder, and lazy eye. Botox injections may also help prevent chronic migraines.
Botox injections block certain chemical signals from nerves, mostly signals that cause muscles to contract. The most common use of these injections is to temporarily relax the facial muscles that cause wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes. Botox injections are also used to treat conditions that affect how the body functions.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
If aging, acne, or too much time in the sun has left your face with blotches, scars, wrinkles, or lines, laser skin resurfacing may help your skin look younger and healthier.
Laser skin resurfacing removes skin layer by layer with precision. The new skin cells that form during healing give the skin a tighter, younger-looking surface. The procedure can be done alone or with other cosmetic surgeries on the face.
Dermabrasion
This is a surgical procedure to treat scars and winkles. Doctors perform it in an office or clinic. You will have a local anesthetic to numb the skin. Your doctor will use a wire brush or device to scrape away the top layer of skin. The depth of the procedure depends on the severity of the skin problems. Side effects include redness, swelling, burning and pain. To treat deep scars or wrinkles, your doctor may do the procedure in stages, or you may need more than one treatment. Only a specially trained plastic surgeons and dermatologists should do dermabrasion.
Laser Hair Removal
This common procedure is generally safe for any part of the body, including the face. It works best on light skin with dark hair. Darker hair absorbs more laser light. Lighter skin lets more of the laser light into the hair follicle. Many factors determine the laser strength and how many treatments you need. These include your skin type, hair thickness and color, and the size and location of the treatment area. Hair loss is permanent after 3 to 8 sessions for most people.
