When it comes to professional skin care, it’s great to have options. But sometimes knowing which procedure to have can be confusing. It can be difficult to know whether you should have a chemical peel, microdermabrasion or laser resurfacing when you’re struggling with certain skin issues such as acne, sun damage or rosacea.
If you have one or more of those skin problems, it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right tool for the right condition. Here’s some basic guidance:
Do you have oily skin and/or acne?
In most cases, microdermabrasion is best solution for these problems. That’s because:
- The exfoliating tip can clean off dead skin cells
- The vacuum-like suction helps clean out pores and oil plugs
- It can help temporarily reduce oil
(If you have very inflamed or cystic acne, check with your doctor before having microdermabrasion.)
Do you have sun damage?
In most cases, laser treatments (such as fractional skin rejuvenation) are best for improving the effects of sun damage. Sun can cause everything from small, brown spots on your skin to fine lines and wrinkles. Severe sun damage can cause your skin to look blotchy and even leathery.
If you’re under age 40 and don’t have much sun damage, a series of light chemical peels (glycolic or beta hydroxyl) or microdermabrasion can improve the appearance of your skin. IPL/photorejuvenation treatments can also give you more even skin tone by removing brown spots, small red veins and blotches. IPL can also stimulate collagen production to further rejuvenate your skin.
Do you have red veins with flushing across your cheeks?
These symptoms could indicate you have a skin condition called rosacea, which should be diagnosed by your doctor. There are many topical and oral prescriptions that can help get it under control, usually in a couple of months. Once your rosacea is being managed, IPL treatments can help reduce redness and flushing and get rid of some veins.
Do you want to get started?
Find out more about the many skin rejuvenation procedures that our medical esthetician offers by calling today: 610.527.4833.
Botox has been in use as a wrinkle relaxer long enough that it’s one of the most recognizable words in the English language. And whether you’ve used Botox or not, you’ve probably heard of it, or know someone who has used it. And the use of the product has grown to include treatment for everything from migraine headaches to overactive bladder.
Injectable fillers have also been changing and improving over the past few decades, offering us noticeable and more natural results. Their popularity has continued to grow as we seek ways to achieve a more youthful appearance non-surgically.
So it’s not unusual for our patients to make an appointment for Botox and filler at the same time. And a new study is reporting that treating the same areas with Botox can extend filler results.
Botox could give fillers another advantage
Or maybe it’s that fillers are giving Botox another advantage! Earlier this year a study was presented in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). It showed evidence that Botox can help prolong the effects of hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Juvederm and Restylane.
Filler results can benefit from simultaneous Botox injections
By using Botox in conjunction with popular hyaluronic fillers, your youthful results could last much longer than if you had filler injections alone. Hyaluronic acid fillers usually last about from 12 to 18 months. In the study, adding Botox to that treatment provided much longer-lasting results.
How it works
Hyaluronic acid is the primary building block for collagen and elastin production, and Botox slows down the breakdown of the filler. That means you could enjoy the results of your injections over a longer period of time.
A winning combination
Combining Botox with hyaluronic acid filler injections could become the new normal when it comes to achieving the best outcomes. You may already be experiencing advantages, as many of the areas treated with fillers and Botox already overlap.
We’ll keep you updated
Studies continue to examine the effects of Botox and hyaluronic fillers, and we stay on top of them so our patients can achieve the best outcomes possible. Call for your appointment today: 610.527.4833
Reduction mammoplasty can seem like a miracle solution for some women. The surgery can reduce breast size and reshape them so they are in proportion with the rest of the body. The procedure can help the entire body look better, along with the breasts. But that’s only a small part of the story.
Relieving years of pain and embarrassment
One of the most common reasons that women come to us interested in breast reduction surgery is that their overly large breasts cause them physical and emotional discomfort – even pain. Here are some of the conditions we see:
• Breasts so large and heavy that they cause neck, back and/or shoulder pain
• Heavy breasts with nipples that point downward
• One breast significantly larger than the other
• Constant skin rashes and irritation due to breast size and sagging
• Deep, painful shoulder grooves caused by bra straps
• Breasts so large that they cause embarrassment and unwanted attention
• Breasts so larger they cause difficulty breathing
Each woman is unique
Our breast reduction patients share many of the same concerns, but for many different reasons. Some have found that their breasts have grown to an uncomfortable size due to having children; others are overweight and find exercising difficult. Oftentimes, overly large or disproportionate breasts run in families, just as other body traits are passed down from your mother and grandmother.
The triple benefits of breast reduction
Few plastic surgery procedures can offer physical, emotional and aesthetic improvements, all at the same time. Many of our patients report back to us that they wish they hadn’t waited so long to achieve the outcomes that are possible with breast reduction surgery, including:
• Relief of back, shoulder and neck pain
• Better proportion
• Firmer breasts
• Ability to exercise and enjoy it
• Improved appearance in clothes
• Improved confidence
Things to consider
At a consultation appointment, we will talk to you about your expectations for the outcome of reduction surgery and what is possible given your unique needs. Make yours today by calling: 610.527.4833. Some of our patients who achieve the best results are done having children and breastfeeding and at a stable weight.
Much of our focus for anti-aging treatments is on the face. And with all the laser peels, chemical peels, dermal fillers and Botox treatments available these days, it’s getting easier to improve the appearance of your face, keeping it looking refreshed and more youthful. But maybe we don’t realize that there are some other areas that give away our age – perhaps even more quickly than the face.
Your neck
Saggy skin on your neck can start appearing fairly early. Retinol can help improve the appearance of the skin on your neck, but a surgical neck lift can be the best option once you need excess skin removed and the area tightened.
Your hands
Our hands take a lot of abuse, including exposure to sun and constant drying from frequent hot water washings. Don’t forget your hands when you apply your daily sunscreen. Non-surgical treatments can improve the appearance of the skin on your hands and filler injections can help them appear more plump and youthful.
Your chest
The skin on your chest and décolletage can develop deep lines and sun damage spots that can also give away your age. Wear sunscreen on your face, neck and chest every day. IPL and other types of laser and chemical peels can help improve the appearance of the skin on your chest.
Your lips
If you smoke, you might already be noticing vertical lines above and below your lips. Smoking breaks down collagen every time you purse your lips to take a puff. So stop smoking or don’t ever start. But the development of lip lines can happen as a normal part of aging, especially if you’ve had a lot of sun exposure and if they run in your family. Over the years, those deep lines can become more noticeable than your lips themselves. Dermal fillers and laser and chemical peels can help reduce the appearance of lip lines.
Show your neck, hands, chest and lips some love
Make an appointment today to discuss your concerns and the procedures that can work best for you. Call today: 610.527.4833.
Well, it’s not exactly that men are talking to each other about their cosmetic procedures at the gym or in line at the grocery store. But surveys and statistics are doing the talking for them. Men are having procedures, more than ever before.
Of course men are having cosmetic procedures
They’ve seen the results women (and other men) have been getting, and they like what they’re seeing. Cosmetic plastic surgery was never intended to be for women only, and men are increasingly choosing to have their own versions of nips and tucks.
Survey says
A majority of men having cosmetic plastic surgery say that they are doing it to stay vital in the workforce, either to keep their existing jobs or to land new one. But they’re also having procedures because they want how they look to better reflect how good they feel.
In fact, recent statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that male plastic surgery is what caused the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States to grow. The rise is likely driven by:
• The aging of “ageless” baby boomers
• The improving economy since the recession of 2008-9
• Improved but still sluggish employment
• Older men trying to appear younger
• Younger men trying to look better
• Growing public awareness of certain physical issues unique to men that can be improved with plastic surgery
Men are not only having non-invasive procedures in record numbers, such as Botox and other injectables, but a growing number are also having facelifts and liposuction.
Because we know you’re interested, here’s what the men are up to:
Top 5 minimally invasive procedures
• Botox
• Laser hair removal
• Microdermabrasion
• Chemical peels
• Fillers
Top 6 surgical procedures
• Nose jobs
• Eyelid lifts
• Liposuction
• Breast reduction
• Hair transplants
• Facelifts for men
Just like women, every man has his own unique issues and reasons for having cosmetic procedures for the face and body. If you’re ready to talk about yours (or if you know a man who should be), call for a consultation appointment today: 610.527.4833.
If losing weight was the New Year’s resolution you kept throughout 2015, you may be ready to celebrate the hard work you put in over this past year. If you hit your weight loss goal, or close to it, that likely means you’re eating a healthier diet, including lots of lean protein, fruits, and leafy green vegetables – and hopefully not consuming soda or other sugary drinks anymore. Congratulations! You should be kicking off 2016 feeling, and looking, pretty darn great! Wait, you’re not?
Great weight loss doesn’t always look so great on your skin
Whether your weight loss is the result of a slow and steady lifestyle makeover or a quicker reduction due to gastric by-pass surgery, either way, your skin might not be fitting your body as well as it used to. It can feel disappointing and even make you angry when you discover that when you lose that unhealthy excess weight, you lose your skin tone along with it.
Here are the two most effective ways to improve the appearance of loose skin that can be the result of serious weight loss:
- Add some weight
Of course we don’t mean gain back the pounds you worked to hard to shed. Instead, gain some muscle weight by lifting weights. Gaining muscle doesn’t remove your extra skin, but muscles can fill up some of the space left by weight loss and help you appear tighter.
- Start light, get heavy
Heavier weights will help you achieve muscle more quickly. The key is to go at a pace that can help you avoid injury. There are plenty of weight lifting apps and many effective plans are available free online. If your wallet can take it, hire a personal trainer for a few months until you become familiar with proper lifting form and technique.
- Get rid of excess skin surgically
If you’ve tried weight lifting and don’t really see any results, it might be time to make an appointment with a skilled and trusted plastic surgeon to see what can be done. Call for your appointment today: 610.527.4833.
Some time around our thirties, many of us start to notice that our lips don’t look the same as they did in our teens and 20s. That’s because they may have begun to lose volume. But at this stage of life, many of us believe we’re committed to “aging naturally.” We still look plenty young enough. So what if we have to give up those unforgiving matte shade of lipstick!
Filler seems like something other (older) people do
In your early- to mid-30s, you might still be thinking you aren’t, and never will be, interested in any cosmetic procedures, even if they’re non-invasive. You might feel that facial and lip fillers are for a much older crowd, and a lot of the results you’ve seen on TV and in magazines are overdone and not attractive.
Then a few more years go by, and for many reasons, you realize that you are developing thin lips, and they’re having a negative affect on the appearance of your entire face. Could it be time?
A friend your same age confesses she’s had lip filler
And she looks great! You want your lips to look great, too, and more like they did when you were younger. If you’re still not quite ready, make an appointment for a consultation to learn more about the products and techniques that bring your lips back to life, such as:
Juvéderm and Restylane
These hyaluronic acid-based fillers are two of the most popular options for our patients of all ages, and their effects can last between seven and nine months.
Belotero
Also a hyaluronic acid filler, the results it produces are considered subtler than Juvederm or Restylane. It’s often used to plump up fine vertical lip lines, and lasts about three to six months.
Fat Injections
This is a more permanent, and more serious, solution that involves removing unwanted fat from your body and injecting it into your lips
Start small
You can start with a few injections to see how you tolerate the procedure, and if you like the results. Call us today: 610.527.4833.
There are a lot of facial rejuvenation procedures out there these days. Many can achieve similar effects, but use different methods, Most are designed to produce specific results based on the condition of your skin, and they make work best for certain skin issues and even certain areas.
Each skin resurfacing procedure usually has its own unique features, and many people use trial and error to discover their “personal favorites.” You might even have yours, or you might be overwhelmed by all the choices, which grow and change as new techniques and technologies become available. We would like to make it easier for you!
Turn to a trusted skin care expert
You can always schedule a consultation with us to learn more about the many effective procedures we offer for skin resurfacing and any other cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure, and we can help you decide on the one (or ones) that can help you meet your goals for your skin and appearance. Simply call us today for an appointment: 610.527.4833.
Keep reading to learn more right now
One of the aesthetic skin care services that is popular at Claytor/Noone Plastic Surgery Institute is fractional skin resurfacing.
How does fractional resurfacing work?
It uses micro-beams to treat microscopic columns of skin with penetrating heat. You can expect visible improvement with minimal down time.
What does fractional skin resurfacing do?
- It can improve skin texture.
- It can improve skin tone.
- It can provide a noticeable lightening of brown spots.
- It can improve the appearance of wrinkles.
- It can provide skin tightening.
- It can improve the appearance of scars.
What is a fractional procedure best for?
It can be used on delicate areas such as:
- The face
- The neck
- The chest
How do you care for the treated area?
It’s important to take careful care of your skin while it’s healing:
- Rinse several times a day with cool water.
- Avoid using soaps and perfumes.
- Change ointment or any dressing as instructed by your doctor.
- Avoid sun exposure.
- After peeling has stopped, use sunscreen every day.
- Don’t miss follow-up visits to your doctor.
Dr. Claytor’s first week in Bangladesh with Rotoplast began with clinic day. Families arrived from near and far to be evaluated for surgery and as the first day of surgery arrived, the air was filled with hope and excitement. Children are put at ease by the incredible Rotoplast staff. Since a picture’s worth a thousand words, enjoy the photos and the smiles!
Dr. Claytor with medical student in Sylhet, Bangladesh
Before & After Gallery
Dr. Brannon Claytor uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.
Some individuals have breast issues that go far beyond size – whether their breasts are too small or too big. It’s estimated that only about one to five percent of people who undergo breast surgery do it for this reason, and if you don’t have this condition, it’s likely you may never have heard of tuberous or constricted breasts. But for women (and men) who are born with this genetically linked problem, it’s almost always embarrassing and emotionally painful.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but sometime during puberty the breasts fail to develop fully and normally. The physical features of tuberous breasts include:
- A smaller than usual base
- Breast tissue that pushes forward and sometimes down
- Where the breast attaches to the chest wall is often higher than normal
- The areolas are usually quite large
- There is often little breast tissue
- There’s wide spacing between the breasts
- The breasts are tube-shaped
Tuberous breasts are not just small or underdeveloped breasts. Their appearance is not only unusual, but the functionality is affected in that most women with the condition can’t breastfeed. This is due to the fact that in many tuberous breast cases the milk glands are not developed enough to produce milk.
Most of us would agree that any deformity of the breasts has the ability to create self-esteem issues, and the psychological effects of tuberous breasts can be extreme. Although the appearance can range from mild to severe, most patients are greatly impacted.
In order for a plastic surgeon to improve the appearance of tuberous breasts, it requires a procedure beyond inserting implants. The surgery can require internal incisions in order to release the characteristic constricted tissue and expand the base width of the breast. And the breast pocket may need to be enlarged to hold the implant. Studies have shown that even when the surgical results aren’t perfect, the psychological results are profound.
If you are living with tuberous breasts (or if you know someone who is), please schedule a consultation to see what can be done to improve their appearance — and possibly change your life. Call us today: 610.527.4833.