Skin Care and Lasers

SKIN CARE, LASERS AND THERMAGE

The skin is not only the body’s outer layer of protection from the environment, and the body’s largest “organ”, it is also the most visible component of one’s appearance.  Healthy, smooth, glowing skin free of lines, blemishes, spots, scars, dilated vessels and generalized redness is a goal of everyone.  And we speak not only of the face, but of the body as well.  Heredity, good nutrition and hydration play a role, but so do personal and environmental factors such as sun exposure, smoking, skin care routines and medical conditions.

Here at TriBeCa Plastic Surgery, we believe not only in surgical procedures and injectables, but also in good skin care routines. We carry products from several medically based skin care lines like Obagi, Jan Marini, Nia24, Juice Beauty, and IS Clinical.  Our knowledgeable staff can advise you on what products would be optimal for your skin. We also perform deep (TCA) and superficial (Glycolic and Salicylic Acid) chemical peels.  Superficial chemical peels are helpful for acne, large pores, dry skin and “dull” skin by removing the surface dead skin cells, shrinking pores and stimulating cell turnover and collagen production.  The skin looks a little pink after treatment, but there is usually no down-time needed. Deeper peels can reduce or eliminate pigmentation irregularities and smooth the skin.  These deeper peels require some down-time.

Light energy as delivered by lasers and broad band light (or BBL, similar to IPL) devices can treat a multitude of issues.  We have a Sciton Profile system, which combines several types of lasers and a broad band light component.  We can treat dilated facial vessels (“broken capillaries”); unwanted facial or bodily hair; brown spots of the face, hands and body; and tighten and resurface the skin.  Most laser/BBL procedures require more than one treatment to achieve the desired goal.  Mary, our P.A., has a good deal of laser experience and will be happy to see you to evaluate your concerns and formulate a treatment plan for you.

Thermage is a treatment similar to lasers, but uses radiofrequency energy to modify the collagen in skin to help to tighten and lift.  Thermage can be used to treat subtle looseness of the face and neck (jaw line, jowls, forehead and eye area) and some body parts as well, like the abdomen, knees, buttocks and thighs.  Thermage is most successful when used to treat skin just as it is beginning to become lax (loose) rather than on fully sagging skin.  Thermage is uncomfortable, and we generally administer oral medication and use topical numbing cream prior to treatment.  Results are not seen for 8-12 weeks.  Thermage can be repeated after about 6 months, if desired.