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Laser hair removal is a popular and cost-effective way to achieve long-term relief from unwanted hair. While the benefits are substantial, some people report experiencing discomfort during the procedure. Here’s a detailed look at how to make the process more comfortable to help you achieve the best results with minimal pain.

Understanding Laser Hair Removal and Its Sensation

Laser hair removal involves using highly concentrated light energy to heat hair follicles, destroying them to prevent future growth. The sensation during treatment is often compared to the snap of a rubber band against the skin. While some find this tolerable, others may experience more discomfort depending on their skin type, hair density, and the area being treated. Understanding the process can mentally prepare you for what to expect, reducing anxiety and perceived pain.

The Importance of Pre-treatment Preparation

Proper preparation not only improves the results achieved but can also help to reduce the potential for discomfort. The following steps are recommended before each treatment session:

• Wear sunscreen for several weeks before treatment to minimize skin tanning and increase the contrast between your skin color and hair follicles. This helps enhance the efficiency of the laser hair removal process.
• Shave the area 24 hours before a session to reduce the risk of burns and irritation. Shaving allows the laser to focus on individual hair follicles and not on any hair growth above.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol for at least 24 hours beforehand. Both are known to increase skin sensitivity by dehydrating the body. Help staying hydrated before treatment by drinking water.
• Taking over-the-counter pain relief medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen shortly beforehand can help to reduce discomfort during the procedure. Your practitioner may have more specific advice.

Numbing Creams Before Treatment

Practitioners typically apply lidocaine-based numbing creams shortly before sessions – these can help significantly in reducing discomfort and possible pain sensation for sensitive patients.

Cooling Techniques During Treatment

Many practitioners also make use of skin cooling devices during each laser treatment. These can consist of cool air directed onto the treated area, or sometimes the direct application of a cooling pad before, during, or immediately after each laser pulse. It’s also common to apply cold compresses after treatment. These techniques are generally considered very effective.

Post-Treatment Care for Reduced Irritation

To promote healing and reduce the chance of irritation or infection post-treatment, it’s wise to follow these steps:

• Apply aloe vera gel. This helps calm any redness or irritation and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Avoid hot showers and minimize direct sun exposure for at least 24 hours. Both can contribute to increased irritation and discomfort. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen as advised by your practitioner.
• Continue to apply moisturizer. Keeping skin hydrated is important to promote healing and minimize dryness, which in turn contributes to itching and general irritation. Avoid scratching your skin, too!

Contact Your Laser Skin Care Today

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in performing laser hair removal. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Dermal fillers have become a go-to solution for those looking for a fast, effective way to enhance their appearance with minimal inconvenience or downtime. But recently, some patients are opting to reverse the effects of previously applied fillers, and reapply them in order to achieve improved results. This is far from being a widespread trend, but there are some circumstances where doing this can provide the best path forward.

What Reasons Might Lead to Wanting to Reverse a Filler?

The success of a dermal filler procedure, like any other cosmetic procedure, is largely dependent on the skill and experience of the practitioner performing it. Sometimes, unfortunately, we’re confronted with sub-optimal results created by practitioners (both amateur and professional) that don’t conform to the patient’s expectations.

There are, however, other reasons why reapplying dermal fillers might be necessary – perhaps the procedure created asymmetrical or otherwise unnatural-looking results, or perhaps the patient has developed more realistic expectations for what the procedure can achieve and regrets over-enthusiastic previous application of fillers. The patient may also choose a more aggressive approach to the filler application, which involves using a higher volume of filler or targeting multiple areas to achieve more dramatic and noticeable results in a shorter time frame.

Even when skillfully applied, in some circumstances, fillers can migrate away from the intended application area over time, either due to unusual muscle movements, unique physiological circumstances, or even over-enthusiastic post-treatment massaging of treated areas by the patient.

Seeking a More Natural Appearance

Some individuals who opt to dissolve their fillers do so because they feel their original results were too pronounced or not as natural as they had hoped. This is not necessarily caused by errors made by the practitioner who first performed their procedure. It’s also quite common for a patient’s expectations to shift, as they become accustomed to their new physical appearance, and hope for further improvements.

Adjusting to Current Aesthetic Goals

Although dermal fillers don’t last forever, some patients may have had regular touch-ups or experienced filler procedures that lasted longer than anticipated. As a result, they might find that their initial goals have changed over time. What once looked flattering may no longer align with their current aesthetic preferences. Dissolving and refilling can help them adapt to a more modern or subtle look.

Fine-Tuning for Balance

Even when a filler treatment is well done, facial proportions can change slightly over time. Aging, shifts in skin elasticity, and natural volume loss can all affect how fillers look a year or two after treatment. By dissolving and refilling, patients can fine-tune their appearance to maintain a harmonious, balanced look that matches their evolving facial structure.

How Can Fillers Be Reversed?

Fortunately, the vast majority of dermal filler products are based on hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body. Another product, hyaluronidase, is an enzyme that dissolves existing hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, leading to their rapid re-absorption into the body. This allows us to easily and safely reverse the effects of a previous dermal filler procedure, after which fresh filler can be applied.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in applying dermal fillers, as well as in modifying the results of prior procedures. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Combining different but complementary procedures has been shown to be a highly effective way to reduce wrinkles and achieve a youthful appearance. Using procedures that each use different approaches can allow one to address multiple aspects of aging simultaneously, leading to superior, longer-lasting results.

Why Combine Treatments?

Combining treatments like Botox, fillers, and laser resurfacing offers a holistic approach to wrinkle reduction by addressing multiple factors that may contribute to the problem. Botox can be used to smooth dynamic wrinkles by relaxing facial muscles, while dermal fillers restore lost volume, and laser resurfacing or chemical peels can improve skin texture and tone. In this way, results can be achieved that are greater than the sum of the individual treatments.

Key Combination Therapies

• Botox and Fillers: This highly popular combination addresses both dynamic wrinkles and lost volume. Botox relaxes wrinkle-causing muscles, while fillers add volume to areas with thinning skin, creating a smoother, more youthful appearance.
• Laser Resurfacing and Chemical Peels: Ideal for deep wrinkles and pigmentation issues, this combination reduces fine lines and reveals fresher, younger skin. Laser resurfacing improves texture, while chemical peels remove dead skin cells.
• Skinvive by Juvéderm: A new addition to anti-aging treatments, Skinvive by Juvéderm enhances skin hydration and elasticity. When combined with other treatments like fillers or laser therapy, it significantly improves skin quality, resulting in a smoother, more radiant complexion.

Advantages of Combination Treatments

The primary benefit of combining multiple anti-aging treatments is the potential to achieve more comprehensive and effective results. By addressing multiple signs of aging simultaneously, these therapies can create a synergistic effect, leading to faster, more noticeable improvements. Attacking problems simultaneously from multiple directions can create noticeably superior results.

A secondary benefit is the reduction in overall recovery time. Instead of undergoing multiple treatments over extended periods, patients can combine them into fewer sessions, minimizing downtime. This is particularly appealing to those with busy lifestyles who want to see results while minimizing interruptions to their daily routines. Combining treatments can often lead to longer-lasting results, as each procedure enhances and supports the effects of the others.

Strategic Timing for Optimal Results

Applying multiple overlapped treatments effectively is not necessarily simple to achieve. The schedule will have to take many different factors into account – treatments may need to be spaced out or sequenced in a particular order to allow the skin to recover and respond effectively, while it may also be advantageous to perform some procedures in a particular order. For this reason, you will want to ensure that your provider is experienced in overlapping different procedures in this way. An inexperienced or under-trained practitioner can very easily create results that are worse than the sum of the parts. You don’t want to be a guinea pig while your practitioner learns what combinations work or don’t work together.

Creating a Customized Plan

You’ll want to discuss the best way to combine benefits from multiple procedures with your provider. They should be ready to work with you to create a customized plan, taking into account your particular needs and desires, while also ensuring that your individual situation (including your genetic background and medical history) is taken into account.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience performing multiple, overlapping procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Facial contouring and slimming have become increasingly popular, with Botox injections offering a highly effective and non-surgical solution. Here are three ways that Botox can be used to help achieve a better defined and slimmer facial profile.

Jawline Slimming

Botox can be injected into the masseter muscles, which are responsible for chewing. Overdeveloped masseter muscles can create a wider, more square jawline. By relaxing these muscles using Botox, the muscles will gradually become smaller, resulting in a slimmer, more V-shaped jawline. This technique is especially beneficial for individuals seeking to soften a square jaw or reduce the appearance of a heavy lower face.

Results typically start to become noticeable in 1 week, with full effects taking around 2 weeks.

The reduction in the size of the masseter muscles needed to achieve the desired results will not have any effect on your ability to eat or speak – masseter muscles are extremely powerful, among the strongest muscles in the body.

Cheek Contouring

Botox can also be used to achieve subtle cheek contouring. By targeting specific muscles, Botox can help lift and define the cheekbones, creating a more sculpted look. This technique can be used to enhance the natural contours of the face, contributing to a slimmer appearance.

Results from this procedure usually start to show within 1 week, with optimal results by around 2 weeks.

Neck and Jowl Tightening

Injecting Botox into the platysma muscle in the neck can help to tighten sagging skin and reduce jowls. This technique helps to refine the neck and lower face, providing a more contoured and youthful profile. By smoothing the neck area and reducing the prominence of jowls, the overall facial structure will appear slimmer and more defined.

Results from this procedure usually start to show within 1 week, with optimal results by 2 weeks.

Benefits of Using Botox for Facial Contouring and Slimming

Botox offers a non-invasive alternative to surgical procedures for facial contouring and slimming, with minimal downtime and reduced risk. The procedure is relatively quick, often completed within 15-30 minutes. The effects of Botox develop gradually, allowing for a natural transition to a slimmer face without sudden changes in your appearance.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in performing Botox procedures. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Dermal fillers are a popular choice for those looking to enhance their appearance without the costs, discomfort, and complications of undergoing surgery. But it will quickly become apparent to anyone looking at available dermal filler products, there are a very large number of different formulations available, each with different characteristics.

This blog will summarize the main differences between different dermal fillers, as well as the length of results you can expect from some of the most popular products.

Main Factors Influencing Filler Longevity

We can identify the main factors that come into play when determining how long you might expect the results of a dermal filler procedure to last. A person’s metabolism, level of physical activity, and even their genetic background can also influence filler longevity.

Concentration

The primary ingredient of all dermal fillers is hyaluronic acid (HA). The concentration of HA used varies widely; products with higher concentrations generally have higher viscosity, and resist break-down or absorption longer than lower-concentration products.

Viscosity

Viscosity plays the primary role in determining where any dermal filler will provide the best results. Viscosity is increased by using various technologies to give the filler more long-range firmness. Some fillers use cross-linked polymers, while others use more sophisticated combinations of high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid formulations to achieve similar results.

High-viscosity fillers are thicker and more gel-like, they can be used in areas that need more structural strength, such as filling in sunken cheeks. Low-viscosity fillers are smoother and more liquid. they are used to fill fine lines and delicate facial areas. They are also more prone to absorption by the body, and therefore typically give results for shorter lengths of time.

Particle Size

The size of particles making up the filler can also be controlled; here, larger particles tend to be used when the long-range structure is desirable, and smaller particles result in a less viscous filler more suited to delicate areas.

Juvederm Family Fillers

Juvederm is one of two popular sources of dermal fillers, with a large number of different filler products and formulations. These are the principal differences:

• Juvederm Voluma is intended for use, adding volume to the cheeks. It’s one of the longer-lasting fillers, giving results lasting up to two years.
• Juvederm Ultra is used for lip enhancement and treating nasolabial folds. Its smoothed consistency typically gives results lasting around one year.
• Juvederm Vollure is used to treat moderate to severe wrinkles and folds. It provides a balance between smoothness and thickness; results last around a year and a half.
• Juvederm Volbella is used for lip augmentation, and to treat fine lines. Results are typically up to one year.

Restylane Family Fillers

The other main dermal filler family is Restylane, offering fillers with these characteristics:

• Restylane Defyne and Refyne are used to treat deeper lines and wrinkles. Results last for up to one year.
• Restylane Lyft is used mainly for cheek augmentation; results last for up to one year.
• Restylane Silk is used for delicate wrinkle treatment around the mouth. Results last for around ten months.
• Restylane Kysse is formulated for lip augmentation. Results last for up to nine months.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in performing dermal filler procedures. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

There is a huge variation in how different people smile—not only in the degree to which their faces become animated but also in the amount of teeth and gum exposed. In some cases, smiling reveals a significant portion of the gum area, commonly referred to as a gummy smile.

If you’re happy with the way you smile, all’s well and good. However, Botox can offer a simple, effective, and non-surgical solution for those who wish they didn’t show so much of their gum area. Correcting one’s smile with Botox can help create a more balanced and confident appearance, significantly improving self-confidence.

Causes of Gummy Smiles

Understanding the cause of a gummy smile is essential when evaluating how Botox can help. Gummy smiles can result from hyperactive upper lip muscles, which cause the upper lip to rise too high and reveal more gum tissue. Other common causes include having an unusually short upper lip, excessive gum tissue growth, or simply having a particular combination of genetic factors that control one’s lip shape, gum size, and jaw structure.

How Can Botox Help?

Botox, or Botulinum toxin, works by blocking (fully or partially) nerve signals that cause muscles to contract.

If a gummy smile is due to hyperactive muscles that elevate the upper lip too far, then injecting Botox into these specific muscles can limit the movement of the upper lip. This results in the reduction or elimination of gum exposure when smiling.

The Botox Procedure

The initial part of the Botox procedure is a thorough examination of the patient’s facial anatomy, the way that their facial muscles activate when smiling, and any significant medical history. The complex ways that these factors interact will allow an experienced practitioner to decide how effectively Botox can be used to resolve the problem.

Using Botox effectively also involves carefully checking that any problem is not over-corrected. The objective is not just to correct this one specific issue but to do so while ensuring that the patient’s smile remains balanced and natural-looking.

Once the practitioner has identified the specific locations where Botox is to be applied, as well as the amount of Botox to be used, the procedure can begin. After cleaning the area to be treated, a topical anesthetic is applied, and the procedure continues with the injection of Botox using very fine needles. The process normally takes no more than 15 minutes.

Time For Results to Develop

Initial results normally develop within 3 to 5 days, while the full results may take a week or two to develop.

Botox does not have a permanent effect – the actual duration of the benefits from a Botox treatment varies between patients, but typically lasts 3 or 4 months before a repeat procedure may be required. Future treatments can take into account how effectively the problem was treated, and fine-tune the approach if required.

Choosing a Practitioner

The way we smile is a very important part of the way we present ourselves to others. It’s extremely important that any treatment results in a natural-looking smile. The skill and experience of the practitioner are a vital part of accomplishing this; you should not assume that everyone performing Botox treatments is equally competent. It really pays to take the time to question practitioners and see examples of their work before deciding who is to perform the procedure for you.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in performing Botox procedures. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Botox is used very widely and can provide good results when administered by a qualified and experienced practitioner. Evaluating how well a treatment works is not just a matter of looking at the treated area to see if the skin is smooth and wrinkle-free; it also involves examining the entirety of the face to see if the results look natural. Looking natural can mean that the results look symmetrical, but it also means that the treated area does not unnaturally stand out from the rest of the face but is integrated harmoniously.

Experienced Botox practitioners will often recommend using Botox in more areas than just the primary region being treated. Bear in mind that the goal of Botox is not just to reduce wrinkles but to create a balanced, refreshed look. Here are some examples of why confining Botox treatments to a specific area may not always give the optimal results.

Treating Forehead Lines

Forehead lines are generally treated by applying Botox to the muscles responsible for raising and lowering the eyebrows. The Botox injections partially relax these muscles, and limit their range of motion.

However, if Botox is confined to the specific muscles linked to forehead wrinkles, the resulting effect can look quite unnatural. We generally use our forehead muscles in conjunction with other facial muscles, particularly those linked to the area between our eyebrows, which create vertical (glabellar) lines above the nose. Using Botox to treat the forehead without also treating the glabellar lines risks creating a sagging, heavy-looking brow area.

The solution is to treat the forehead muscles at the same time as the glabellar lines. It’s also important to avoid over-enthusiastic use of Botox. A slightly less smooth forehead is preferable if the result looks more natural.

Treating Crow’s Feet

Botox is often used to treat crow’s feet, the lines that form on the outsides of our eyes. But limiting Botox use to this area can result in the rest of the face looking unbalanced, and end up making the overall face look older, instead of the desired youthful appearance.

The solution is to avoid creating a contrast between the treated and adjacent untreated areas. Expanding treatment to include dermal fillers can create more integrated and cohesive improvements. By smoothing lines around the eyes and providing a subtle lift to the cheeks, the overall harmony of the face is enhanced.

Treating the Jawline

Botox is often used to slim the jawline by targeting the large masseter muscles used for chewing. Limiting treatment to these over-prominent muscles can sometimes create an unbalanced and unnatural appearance. Creating a well-defined jawline can draw attention to any sagging skin or wrinkles in the neck or chin areas.

In this case, extending Botox use to include any neck bands can provide a more aesthetic neck profile, and using dermal fillers on the chin area will improve the general contours of the lower face. Together these treatments complement each other and combine to create a more natural look to the face.

Choosing the Right Provider

Using Botox effectively requires a variety of quite different skills. It’s important to choose a medically qualified and experienced practitioner who can identify the precise anatomical elements connected to the area being treated. You also want someone with artistic flair and imagination to envision the changes that can result from any Botox injection, and ensure that these results combine to create natural, integrated improvements.

Using Botox effectively requires not only identifying the optimum places to inject it, but also using the correct amount to avoid totally immobilizing muscles, while leaving enough freedom of movement to allow normal facial expressions to be displayed.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and have extensive experience in performing Botox procedures. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.