General

Dermabrasion is a terrific procedure to help reduce scarring. It is probably best after 8 weeks, but you can see improvements even months or years later. That said, in my office we do not perform dermabrasion but laser skin resurfacing with a carbon dioxide laser. The advantage of laser skin resurfacing over dermabrasion is that the physician can see the exact layers that he is going to on your skin. With traditional dermabrasion, it is like sandpaper going over your skin, where there can be bleeding making it difficult for the doctor to see the exact layer they are going to. We have had great success with laser skin resurfacing for scarring due to chicken pox and/or acne as well.

Without examining your sister it is impossible to state, but the skin can become red after the procedure and does become dry where the top layers flake off. At my office though, we don’t allow your skin to fully dry. We do give you moisturizers and different ointments to use right after the procedure so that the skin should not become very itchy or dry. Your skin will flake, you may or may not see this occur, but as this occurs you are getting regeneration of the deeper layers of the skin.

There are actually many different options for the worry lines within the forehead itself. Without examining you, it is impossible to say what the best treatment is but a facelift does not affect the forehead in anyway. The facelift is for the lower face. The forehead lift that I use is done endoscopic- that's a small camera through micro-incisions. I use this camera to help see the attachment for the muscles that bring down the brow so I can relax these muscles and then lift the brow. You may find though, that you may do best with Botox which can help to decrease those worry lines as well.

Physicians have known for some time, that Botox can be used to treat migraines. Patients who are coming in for either blepharospasm or to treat wrinkles, who also were affected by migraines, have been telling their physicians for years that their migraines were diminished or greatly alleviated after Botox. The FDA recently has approved Botox for migraine usage.

The advantage of the transconjunctival blepharoplasty is that there is no skin incision. Because of this, no stitches are necessary which avoids a skin scar. I further improve upon the traditional transconjunctival blepharoplasty by not using a scalpel either and use a carbon dioxide laser. The advantage of the laser is it helps to stop bleeding at the same time and because of that there is less swelling and less black and blue discoloration. PLUS, the laser can also be used on the skin to resurface or smooth the skin. In comparison to a traditional blepharoplasty, my patient's claim they are able to get back to their regular activities faster, more due to the use of the laser since there is less swelling and less black and blue discoloration. That said, not everyone heals as quickly and some may take just as much time as with a traditional transconjunctival blepharoplasty.