aging skin

The development of new laser technologies is encouraging, especially the introduction of gentler tools that provide excellent results with less damage and downtime than original ablative lasers. While safe and effective, ablative lasers are harsh and indiscriminately remove layers of skin. The resulting wounds were at greater risk of infection and required a couple weeks of healing followed by months of redness. While these lasers generated good results for wrinkles, I searched for alternatives, as I would feel hesitant to undergo these types of procedures myself.

Many of my patients come to me for Botox® Cosmetic, a revolutionary enzyme that makes wrinkles virtually disappear. At very high doses, it is considered a toxin, but to treat wrinkles, a dilution 3 million times less than the toxic level is used. The Botox enzyme has been used safely and successfully since the 1980s for a number of conditions, including muscular disorders. Side effects do not occur frequently but could be potentially serious, including:

No trip to the Fountain of Youth necessary this holiday season when you know one of the main factors of aging skin, the sun.

Considering cosmetic dermatology? Take your time in learning about and evaluating procedures, especially those that make permanent changes. For example, I see many people who get permanent eyeliner-type tattoos and want to know how to get them removed 3 or 4 years later. Although some are delighted with permanent cosmetic procedures, ideally you should consider something that lasts at most 2 years. Most treatments that we offer last 6–12 months.