Board certified dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and licensed estheticians can work with you to reduce the signs of aging and improve the health of your skin. Face treatments are popular because once done, the results can last for up to one month. Identify your skin type and consult your doctor before undergoing a facial procedure.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is used to treat a variety of skin conditions such as acne, stretch marks, age spots and wrinkles. This skin treatment gently buffs away dry and damaged skin using a microderm machine. The microderm machine emits a pressurized stream of crystals--made of aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, corundum, sodium chloride and magnesium oxide--to the skin's surface. This procedure eliminates black heads, shrinks large pores and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. The side effects of microdermabrasion are light dryness and flaking of the skin that can be cured by the use of any over-the- counter face moisturizer.
Chemical Peel
The Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery rates chemical peels as the most popular face treatment because 1.03 million peels were performed in the United States in 2007. Chemical peels use a solution made of glycolic or trichloroacetic acid and are used in different strengths, depending on the severity of your skin's condition. During your peel, a doctor will apply the chemical solution to your face that will peel away the outer layers of your skin. The chemical solution also works to stimulate cell regeneration of the new skin--you may experience a cool or warm sensation for the first 10 minutes. Although the procedure takes less than 20 minutes, two to three weeks of recovery may be necessary while new cells are healing.
Botox
Injected in small doses into specific muscles in the face, Botox blocks the chemical signals that causes muscles to contract. Overtime, Botox injections cause the muscles to relax and appear smooth and less wrinkled. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Botox treatments for people aged 18 to 65 for moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows. Botox is not a good treatment for lines around the mouth as these muscles must contract for eating and talking. The side effects of the injections are pain and redness at the injection side, flu-like symptoms and temporary facial weakness. Botox should only be performed by board certified dermatologists.
Rosacea Treatments
According to the National Rosacea Society, more than 16 million Americans are affected by undiagnosed rosacea. This skin condition is often disregarded as blushing, but left untreated can cause skin disorders and permanent scarring. The most common symptoms of rosacea are chronic redness, itching, swelling, bumps or spider like veins of the face, ears, neck or chest. Although not curable, there are treatments for rosacea that range from topical creams to laser intervention. Experts at the DocShop.com state that most dermatologists usually prescribe topical creams that are a mixture of zinc oxide, polyethylene glycol, manganesium sterate, iron oxide, sodium chloride and sulfur. The other option is laser resurfacing treatment that can be done on the entire face or just certain sections. This treatment removes deep scarring and refinishes the skin to diminish redness.
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