Raise your hand if you wait until the last minute to take care of tasks. Yep, we are guilty too. With the internet, overnight shipping and instant gratification at every corner, the idea of planning ahead really has lost its appeal.
There are still a few things in life that we need to plan ahead of time. Prepping for a surgery, for example, can take months including the recovery time. So what about this coming Valentine’s Day? Do you still have time for a quick treatment or two? It is probably too late to schedule surgery now and be recovered in time for the romantic holiday, but facial injections or laser treatments are still a great idea. Here are your options:
Botox/Dysport: Relax the wrinkles between your eyebrows, on your forehead and around those pesky crow’s feet. On average your results will take 4-5 days to appear and will last 3-4 months. But don’t wait until the last minute, come see us by February 7th.
Juvederm, Restylane: Erase those smile lines and give a sexy plump to your lips at least 2 weeks before the big day. Your final result will be evident within 5-7 days of treatment and will last 6-9 months. We can stretch this one to February 2nd.
Skin Rejuvenation: Even out skin tone; erase light acne scars and brown spots; improve your skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines with a laser treatment. Our laser treatments (in order to get great results) do require a bit of downtime (3-4 days), but if you’re willing to commit you’re going to be very happy with your results. See us by February 2nd to be ready for your valentine.
Dr. Franckle sees patients on Tuesday afternoons and all day Thursdays.
Only a couple days left before Valentine’s Day – be ready with an appointment!
With advanced technologies at our figure tips, surgery is not always the best option for a patient. Laser treatments can accomplish much of what you are looking for with less downtime, no surgery and no needles.
What are you looking to treat?
Freckles/Skin Texture: Microdermabrasion and chemical peels are popular treatments because they can improve the look of your skin without a prolonged healing process. What if we told you that a laser treatment could accomplish everything microdermabrasion can with additional benefits? Fine lines, mild acne scars, freckles, skin tone and texture can all be improved with a series of MicroLaserPeels. With each treatment the laser will partially ablate the skin’s surface, stimulating new skin cells to grow.
The average patient will need 2-3 treatments, 2-3 weeks apart and healing time is generally 2-3 days. (Just remember 2-3!) As your skin heals it will look and feel like you have a sunburn, with some redness and flaking of dead skin cells.
Wrinkles: The number one treatment for wrinkles these days is an injectable; either Botox or a dermal filler. But some of us don’t feel comfortable with the idea of needles around our face, so what other options do we have? The Profile Contour Laser uses a focused laser light to remove thin layers of the skin’s surface, heating up the underneath layers and stimulating new skin cell growth. Dead cells are replaced with new, healthy cells reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Again there is some healing time associated with the treatment, especially when deeper wrinkles are being addressed. 5-7 days of redness and sloughing can occur.
Rosacea/Broken Capillaries: Rosacea is a chronic condition that requires several different approaches for optimal control. Lasers are one effective treatment in removing the redness due to overgrowth of small surface capillaries. During the treatment you will feel a hot sensation as the laser pulses are absorbed into the unwanted vessels, heating them and destroying them. Lasers have been a great supplement to the traditional treatments used, although additional treatments may be necessary. That will be determined by Dr. Franckle during your consultation. The good news is this treatment has virtually no downtime.
You can’t turn the page of a magazine these days without seeing some mention of Botox. It is one of the most popular treatments in my practice and in some ways one of the most misunderstood. Many patients think Botox will erase all of the wrinkles on your face. For some areas it will help, but for others, an injectable filler or fat grafting may be the best option. But we are getting ahead of ourselves let’s keep our attention on the treatment at hand: Botox.
First things first…What IS Botox?
Botox is a botulinum toxin, which sounds scary, but without getting too techincal, it is a natural occuring protein used in medications. Botox Cosmetic uses a very small dose of botulinum toxin injected directly into certain facial muscles to block nerve impulses, reducing muscle activity.
Let’s make that even easier to understand: remember when you were a child and your parents told you to stop making funny faces or your face will stick that way? Well that is what is happening to certain muscles on your face. When those muscles contract the skin folds, causing temporary wrinkles. After years of contracting those muscles, that overlying skin does not bounce back to where it should be. Instead, those skin folds (wrinkles) become a permanent fix on your face. Botox injected into those muscles will reduce the contractions and in turn temporarily prevent those skin folds from forming.
Great! So, where can I use it?
Botox is FDA approved to temporarily treat the wrinkles in the glabellar area (between your eyebrows). The forehead and crow’s feet are two other popular areas.
How many treatments will I need?
It is important to know that Botox is not a permanent solution. Botox injections temporarily reduce muscle activity. Most patients will come to see me every 3-4 months.
And what about cost?
This may not be the answer you are looking for but every patient is going to be different. Botox is sold by the unit and different patients require different amounts. Your best bet is to visit my office for a consultation. When I see you in person I can let you know how many units you will need. Just so you have a general idea, I would say treatments generally range from $300-$450.
