Laser & Skin Care Procedures

Clients can select from 4 recommended facial skin care systems depending on their needs. Once a basic program has been initiated it will then be adjusted according to the patient’s skin type to obtain maximal skin beauty. There are a variety of supplemental agents which can be used to “fine tune” facial skin. Those patients who follow guidelines and stick with their programs will be rewarded with improved facial skin appearance. Ideal skin is fresh looking, uniform in color, plump, free of facial veins or redness, has minimal lines/wrinkles, has small pores, is smooth in texture and glows. All nice looking skin begins with an appropriate basic topical regimen.

This injectable liquid is a wonderful advance in minimally invasive facial skin rejuvenation. It is extremely popular in this country and can powerfully smooth away lines and wrinkles making faces look friendlier, fresher, and younger.
Zones of injection on the face include the forehead, between the eyebrows (glabella), smile lines and Crow’s feet around the eyes, lip lines and furrows around the mouth. Botox can be injected so at to shape the eyebrows raising them in some areas and lowering them in others. It can be used to improve the smile and help turn the corners of the mouth up to produce a more attractive and younger smile. Microbotox can be used to rejuvenate skin. Neck muscle folds or bands can be improved with botox injections. Migraine headaches are often very successfully treated with botox. For patients who suffer from excessive underarm sweating botox can provide significant relief lasting a year or more.

Botox effects typically last 4-6 months and then repeat treatment is required. For some patients the effects of botox last longer between injections with repeated usage. No topical anesthesia is required and there is no down time.

In recent years this area of facial skin rejuvenation has exploded. When combined with botox stunning improvements in facial appearance are possible.

Soft tissue fillers are gel-like substances that are injected just beneath the surface of the skin and sometimes under the skin using a very small needle and syringe. They are primarily used to treat the lower face. They are amazingly effective at smoothing out deep wrinkles and lines including the nasolabial folds and marionette lines around the mouth. They dramatically improve lip appearance by plumping them up. Each patient can decide for themselves what degree of fullness they desire from subtle to very full. Fillers can also be injected around the eyes to correct hollowing and aging or into the brows to lift and plump them. Results typically last 6 months to several years depending on the injection site. There are new fillers being introduced now that can give 5 year results. Undoubtedly, more and better fillers will become available soon providing an ever increasing diversity of choice for patients.

Fillers are very powerful and very popular. Everyone wants to look youthful, sexy, and energized and this is a very effective tool in achieving that look.

Topical/local anesthesia may be used for comfort purposes. There is generally minimal to no down time.

Fat can be injected into the face, hands, buttocks , and virtually any site where hollowing or depressions occur. This can be done with patients awake under local anesthesia.

The most common injection site is the face. Most aging faces lose volume over time. This can result in a gaunt or prematurely aged face especially in women. Fat injections help to restore fullness to the face as seen in people in their teens and early twenties.

Zones for injection include the forehead, brow, upper and lower eyelids, cheeks, lips, and along the lower jaw to help camouflage jowls. Most patients should anticipate that they will need more than one fat grafting session as only a percentage of the fat survives with each fill.

This procedure requires local anesthesia. Down time is likely to be 1-2 weeks.

This treatment lightly and painlessly abrades the outer layers of the skin. It gives skin a fresh look with a shinier and cleaner appearance. It can help with skin color irregularities. It works best when combined with a good daily topical skin care program.

For more substantial results it can be combined with glycolic acid facial peels which helps to improve skin appearance in a different but complimentary way.

No anesthesia of any kind is required and there is no down time. We recommend a package of 6 treatments performed 1 week apart. This is one of the most popular non-invasive skin care treatments worldwide.

Traditional Dermabrasion

This cosmetic skin treatment has been around for many years. It involves “sanding” of the skin to help eliminate lines and wrinkles and to give skin a smoother, tighter, fresher look. It can help to treat splotchy skin color and damage caused by the sun. Although this is a simple technology it is still very reliable and easy to perform.

Zones of treatment include the whole face. It is particularly helpful with reduction or elimination of lines around the mouth. Local anesthesia is required and can be supplemented with topical anesthesia as well. Downtime depends on the depth of treatment but typically new skin has developed by 7-10 days. Skin will be pink for a minimum of 4-6 weeks requiring the use of makeup.

We use 3 different peeling agents. They are glycolic acid, TCA (Tri-Chloroacetic-Acid), and croton oil. These are used for facial skin rejuvenation purposes. With aging, sun exposure, and lifestyle related issues facial skin simply begins to look worse. Chemical peels help to improve color, texture, lines and wrinkles, pore size, rough or weather beaten looking skin, dry or oily skin, sun damaged skin, and sagging skin.

Chemical peels work by removing the outer layers of skin. They can be done superficially or stronger agents may be used to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin. The degree of skin improvement depends on the depth of the peel and the individual skin being treated. Treatments may be single or multiple.

These treatments work best when combined with long term use of topical skin improving agents. In addition, the use of botox and soft tissue fillers is highly recommended in order to maximize facial appearance. This can represent a good alternative to more invasive treatments such as a facelift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, etc.

An RN performs the glycolic peels but Dr. Payne performs the TCA and croton oil peels. Results can sometimes approach those seen with medium to deep laser resurfacing. Topical/local anesthesia is used. Downtime is usually 1-2 weeks depending on the depth of the peel. Makeup is used to camouflage redness for the first 1-2 months after treatment.

Treatments include TCA and croton oil peels. These are chemicals that are painted onto the skin which then cause the outer layers of the skin to separate and “peel off” with new skin growing in from underneath. The deeper the peel the more potential for correction of skin problems.

Medium depth peels will tend to help mostly with pigment irregularities and rough or splotchy looking skin. Deeper peels will help to correct lines and wrinkles. Chemical peels are generally applied to the whole face with some areas being “peeled” to a deeper level than others. Smoothing of lines around the lips and mouth can be very dramatic. The face simply looks fresher and more youthful after a peel taking years off of appearance. Patients look more rested and the healthy skin glows resulting in patient satisfaction. Faces are pre-treated prior to the peel with topical agents and then patients use a long term topical skin care program after the peel to help maintain results and make further improvements.

Peels are done using topical and/or local anesthesia. Downtime depends on the depth of the treatment but typically new skin has developed by 7-10 days. Skin will be pink for a minimum of 4-6 weeks requiring the use of makeup.

This is also known as Broad Band Light Therapy or FotoFacial Therapy. Intense pulsed light is one of the more effective and popular treatments in the world of laser and light therapy. It is similar to a laser but rather than deliver a single wavelength of light to the skin it provides a spectrum of selected light which can be modified to treat different problems and to achieve different goals. This light therapy technology corrects skin pigmentation irregularities (splotchy color) as well as skin redness and visible fine blood vessels. Uniform skin color with even pigmentation and elimination of unwanted redness makes skin look fresh and young. We include the use of a YAG laser at no extra charge to help clean up any persistent vessels at the completion of the FotoFacial for greater patient satisfaction.

Treatment zones include the face, neck, chest, arms and other areas. Results can be stunningly dramatic with fabulous improvement in the appearance of sun damaged skin. This treatment may also help to eliminate unwanted hair.

Topical anesthesia may be helpful. Downtime is 1-3 days depending on skin type and what is being done. It is recommended that people have 3-5 treatments about 4 weeks apart for best results.

ERbium and CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing including Light, Medium and Deep Depths

These 2 types of lasers are considered to be the “heavy hitters” in terms of ablative skin resurfacing lasers. They deliver a beam of concentrated light to the skin resulting in vaporization of the superficial layers of the skin at a very precise thickness. The skin subsequently heals and in the process a number of things happen. At a more superficial level of penetration pigment irregularities and sun damaged skin are corrected resulting in fresher looking skin with more uniform color and correction of fine lines. At deeper levels of penetration fine to medium lines are eliminated and deep lines are improved. Skin tightening will occur with deeper laser treatments. The skin will also improve in terms of color, texture, and freshness making faces look healthier, younger, and more energetic.

It is important to understand that these more aggressive lasers are the gold standard to which all other skin improving treatments are compared. For maximum skin correction these are the top treatment options. Medium to deep chemical peels can achieve similar results but can be more difficult to control in terms of depth of penetration and precision resulting in greater risk. Patients who have a lot of sun damage to their skin with aging and other issues negatively impacting their skin appearance will need these kinds of treatments to really see significant results. Most of the less invasive skin treatments will simply not give much correction in patients who have lined, weathered, sun damaged skin.

These treatments are done under general anesthesia as a single procedure. Down time is 7-10 days while new skin regenerates. Skin will be red-pink for 1-2 months after treatment during which time most clients wear makeup. Results can be stunning!

These 2 types of lasers are considered to be the “heavy hitters” in terms of ablative skin resurfacing lasers. They deliver a beam of concentrated light to the skin resulting in vaporization of the superficial layers of the skin at a very precise thickness. The skin subsequently heals and in the process a number of things happen. At a more superficial level of penetration pigment irregularities and sun damaged skin are corrected resulting in fresher looking skin with more uniform color and correction of fine lines. At deeper levels of penetration fine to medium lines are eliminated and deep lines are improved. Skin tightening will occur with deeper laser treatments. The skin will also improve in terms of color, texture, and freshness making faces look healthier, younger, and more energetic.

It is important to understand that these more aggressive lasers are the gold standard to which all other skin improving treatments are compared. For maximum skin correction these are the top treatment options. Medium to deep chemical peels can achieve similar results but can be more difficult to control in terms of depth of penetration and precision resulting in greater risk. Patients who have a lot of sun damage to their skin with aging and other issues negatively impacting their skin appearance will need these kinds of treatments to really see significant results. Most of the less invasive skin treatments will simply not give much correction in patients who have lined, weathered, sun damaged skin.

These treatments are done under general anesthesia as a single procedure. Down time is 7-10 days while new skin regenerates. Skin will be red-pink for 1-2 months after treatment during which time most clients wear makeup. Results can be stunning!

Fine needles are used to inject a schlerosing solution into spider veins and larger reticular veins. These agents then cause the blood vessels to clot. This makes the vein “disappear”.

Many women have unsightly leg blood vessels. These smaller dilated blood vessels are relatively easy to treat. For the new patient, a series of injections is needed (usually 3-5 about one month apart) to get the majority of the leg vessels treated. After that it is recommended that patients be seen every 12-18 months for regular touchup to maintain their results. These treatments are simple to perform, relatively inexpensive, and require no anesthesia or down time.

Legs which are free of unsightly blood vessels always look better. Patients have more confidence in dresses, shorts, or a swimsuit. This treatment has high patient satisfaction associated with it.

The laser beam of light targets the hair follicle which results in destruction or damage of that structure. This means some of the hair in the targeted zone will disappear, some will shrink to finer less visible hairs, and some will survive.

A series of 3-6 treatments is usually recommended for optimal hair elimination/reduction. These are usually done 4-6 weeks apart. No anesthesia is required and there is no downtime. The treatments work best on darker colored hair. If the hair color is white, gray, or light red the treatments are less effective. Any color of skin may be treated and it is recommended that the skin not be tanned at the time of treatment.

Laser hair elimination/reduction is one of the most effective and popular treatments in the field of laser medicine. Any part of the body can be treated including the face, neck, chest, breast, armpits, abdomen, arms, legs, and bikini areas. These treatments have stood the test of time and represent a very good alternative to properly selected patients with unwanted body hair. There is high patient satisfaction seen with this option in laser medicine.

This package of treatments emphasizes a global approach to improvement of the eyes with the goal being maximum correction without the need for surgery.

Eyes are the part of the face that dominate appearance. As people age the eyes start to look tired or sad or convey the wrong message that the person is angry or perplexed or experiencing some other negative emotion. When the eyes are made to look their best this can really light up a person’s face and give them a look of youthfulness, energy, and optimism.

Patient’s are started on a comprehensive daily topical skin care program. This is considered critical for long term nice looking facial skin. Botox is used to eliminate smile lines and crow’s feet at the outside of the eyes. It can be used to shape eyebrows as well so as to properly frame the eyes. Soft tissue fillers are used to plump up lines and fill depressions on the upper and lower eyelids. Lasers or chemical peels are used to smooth skin and correct splotchy color. They help to give skin a fresh, healthy, youthful glow.

Most of these treatments require no anesthesia. There is minimal to no downtime except for laser or chemical peel treatments where 5-7 days of healing is required and most women find it helpful to wear makeup for 4-6 weeks to camouflage pink skin.

This package of treatments emphasizes a global approach to improvement to the lips and mouth and surrounding structures without the need for surgery.

As people age they develop common changes around the mouth. These include lip lines (more common on the upper lip), lines around the mouth including the nasolabial folds and marionette lines, deflation of the lips, relaxation of the skin of the lower face falling down around the mouth as well as skin related issues such as color or texture abnormalities. The two most dynamic parts of the face are the eyes and mouth. Whenever these areas can be made to look good the entire face is improved.

Treatment includes getting patients started on a comprehensive daily topical skin care program for the face. Botox is used to treat lip lines and to shape the smile muscles. Soft tissue fillers are used to correct lines and wrinkles around the mouth and to plump up lips. Chemical peels or lasers are used to smooth skin and to improve color and texture. Fat can be injected into the lips and mouth to fill hollows, smooth out lines, and plump up lips. Each patient is evaluated individually and then recommendations are made accordingly.

Most of these treatments require no anesthesia . Downtime is minimal except for lasers, peels, and fat injections which require a week minimum for recovery. Makeup is helpful with these more invasive treatments for the first 4-6 weeks.

This combines the eye and lip/mouth packages to maximize facial presentation.

This may include a topical skin care regimen, botox to smooth away lines and improve the appearance of the smile, soft tissue fillers to correct wrinkles and plump and fill depressions or deflated zones of the face including the lips, lasers or chemical peels to improve the appearance of the skin and surgery on the eyelids (blepharoplasty) as well as a mini-face lift to dramatically create a more youthful look.

By combining non-invasive skin care methods with surgery a greater degree of improvement can be achieved. Improvement of skin appearance and skin related problems at the surface plus correcting deeper problems with surgery results in a fresher, younger looking, more energized patient. These results are more long lasting and will take years off a person’s face resulting in high patient satisfaction.

Each patient’s needs are analyzed individually then a treatment program is created and the process begins.

The surgery is done under local anesthesia with the option for intravenous sedation and will result in a minimum of 2-3 weeks downtime before swelling and bruising have resolved. Pain is minimal. Makeup can be helpful to camouflage the face for the first 4-6 weeks.

This includes treatment to the skin of the neck and upper chest using broad band light therapy for those patients with significant sun damage (skin which is discolored, splotchy and weather beaten) combined with mastopexy surgery for those women with drooping breasts. The surgery involves lifting the nipple areaolar complex to a more normal position and then removing excess skin to create a youthful, shapely, nice looking breast.

This surgery is done under local anesthesia with the option for intravenous sedation. It is reserved for women whose main problem is too much skin but otherwise they are happy with their size. More complicated breasts will require general anesthesia for surgical treatment.

The broad band light therapy skin treatment is performed using topical anesthesia and requires no down time. Recovery from the mastopexy surgery is fast. Most patients can resume exercising in a week following surgery.

This may include laser hair removal to sculpt the bikini area. Surgical treatment may include liposuction and/or mini-tummy tuck. Sometimes the abdominal muscles are tightened as well to help flatten the stomach.

Not all patients are eligible for a mini-tummy tuck. Some patients need a full tummy tuck which is more invasive and requires general anesthesia. Each patient is individually evaluated and their concerns are addressed. These treatments usually produce a high level of satisfaction. The main advantage of the mini-tummy tuck procedure is that the scar is shorter than the traditional tummy tuck. These scars are well tolerated and steadily fade as time passes. Excess skin and fat in the lower abdomen is removed and the rest of the abdomen is treated with liposuction if required. For those patients wanting tummy correction but not ready to commit to a full tummy tuck then the mini-tummy tuck may be a good option.

The surgery is done under local anesthesia with the option of intravenous sedation. If no muscle tightening is done the recovery is faster. Most patients can resume excercising within a week after surgery. Muscle tightening prolongs the recovery and exercising is not usually begun until 2-3 weeks after surgery.

Liposuction may be performed on any body part. The ideal patient for liposuction is someone who is at or near their ideal body weight with pockets of unwanted fat that do not respond to diet and exercise. Liposuction is not an alternative to diet and exercise and is not used as a treatment for obesity.

Zones which are easily treated with liposuction include the area under the chin and in the neck, arms, fat rolls under the arms, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, knees, lower legs and calves. These areas respond very nicely to liposuction and provide a high level of satisfaction to most patients.

Each patient is evaluated individually and a treatment plan is developed based on their individual needs.

This surgery is done under local anesthesia with the option for intravenous sedation. Large volume liposuction requires general anesthesia. The surgery is easy to perform and patients recover quickly. Most patients can resume exercising in the first week after treatment. Bruising is usually limited and swelling resolves quickly.

Unknown to many patients is the fact that botox is highly effective in treating many migraine headache sufferers. This benefit of botox was discovered several years ago and now there are many patients who have successfully achieved significant relief from this debilitating condition. Botox can eliminate or substantially reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches for a significant proportion of people.

Botox injections into the armpit area can help patients who suffer from excess underarm sweating. The effects of the botox can last a year or longer. For those patients with this condition the botox is highly effective and satisfying.