Blog

Lip fillers are a very popular way to change the appearance of one’s lips, typically by increasing their fullness. As with all cosmetic procedures, it’s wise to do your homework first, by researching the pros and cons associated with the procedure.

Here is our list of things you should pay special attention to before deciding to go ahead with the procedure.

1. Lip fillers are made from hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid-based products have many advantages – they typically last longer, and their effects can be reversed if necessary.

2. Perhaps the hardest thing is deciding how far to go in enhancing your lips. We’d council being conservative – it’s important to maintain a natural look.

3. Your doctor should be prepared to recommend the exact filler that will give you the best results. If you choose wisely, your doctor will have a wealth of experience to draw upon and will give you valuable advice on how to get the best results while still looking natural.

4. Your body will slowly absorb the filler, but the benefits should last from six months to a year or more. Thinner people absorb fillers faster.

5. It’s best to plan on enhancing your lips gradually, over several sessions. This is especially true if you want to go from naturally thin lips to a very full look.

6. To prepare for the procedure avoid taking aspirin, fish oil, multivitamins, vitamin E, or anti-inflammatory drugs the week before your procedure. They will thin your blood and increase the chances of bruising after the procedure. Likewise avoiding alcohol or coffee the day before and after the procedure will minimize the chance of swelling. You should also avoid exercising the day of the procedure.

7. If you’re prone to cold sores, take preventive medication two days before the procedure as the filler injections could trigger cold sores.

8. The procedure is very quick, normally less than 30 minutes. Although lip fillers contain numbing agents you should prepare for some discomfort, as the upper lip is a very sensitive area.

9. Some bruising and swelling after the procedure is natural. Applying ice can help. After around 24 to 48 hours you should see the final results. Once any swelling has subsided your lips should feel like normal again.

10. Check your doctor’s experience and reputation before deciding on where to have the procedure done. Your lips are a very sensitive area with many blood vessels, so choosing someone with solid experience is a must.

Los Angeles Lip Fillers

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.

“Unwanted” facial hair describes a wide range of situations, including stray hairs. Typically, the most unwelcome facial hairs are the dark, coarse hairs that often appear on the chin as we age. They can be caused by hereditary factors, some medications, or by elevated levels of male hormones.

Causes of Unwanted Facial Hair

Hereditary factors are responsible for increased chances of excess hair and some people just have more hair than others. Excess levels of male hormones can be caused by several medical conditions, including ovarian and adrenal gland tumors. They can also be due to the medications you take, especially drugs that contain hormones (such as anabolic steroids), and drugs intended to boost hair growth (like Rogaine). More often, however, they are simply caused by the normal hormonal fluctuations and changes that our bodies undergo as we age. For most people, sooner or later, unwanted facial hair is simply a fact of life.

Laser Hair Treatment Options

Regardless of the level of hair growth that you regard as excessive, several treatment options are available:

– The traditional methods of shaving, plucking, threading, waxing, and depilatory creams.

Depending on your skin type these solutions may be more or less attractive. They often come with downsides – pain and redness from plucking, threading, and waxing. Irritation from depilatory creams, and cuts or razor burn from shaving.

– Laser hair removal is a highly effective way to remove unwanted hair. Although a single treatment won’t permanently stop the hair growth, after a few treatments unwanted hair can be greatly reduced or eliminated. The laser works by applying heat to the hair root (“follicle”), which kills it.

Laser hair removal can now be used on patients with any skin tone or hair color. Although the laser pulse is not totally painless, modern techniques incorporate cooling and anesthetic sprays that greatly reduce the discomfort.

Los Angeles Facial Hair Removal

Our office will be happy to schedule a consultation to discuss your particular situation and to recommend the best way for you to tackle unwanted facial hair.

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.

Spider veins are the smaller cousins of varicose veins – they are twisty, fine, red, purple, or blue blood vessels that can be seen through the skin, usually on the face or legs. Unlike varicose veins they don’t cause the skin surface to bulge – although they don’t typically pose a health problem in themselves, they can be equally distressing. They typically form a spider’s web-like pattern, and up to 60% of adults will eventually suffer from them.

What Causes Spider Veins?

Healthy veins transfer blood to the heart and contain one-way valves that allow blood to flow in one direction. Spider veins are formed when problems with these valves cause blood to pool inside the veins. This causes blood vessel walls to weaken, which can result in the twisty patterns that are characteristic of spider veins.

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from spider veins, as are people who spend much of their time at work standing up. Age, being overweight, pregnancy, trauma, and surgery also increase the risk of developing spider veins. There is also a genetic component, meaning that some people are just more likely to suffer from them.

If you want to decrease the risk of developing spider veins, the following methods are recommended:

-Stay active by walking regularly and keeping your weight under control.

– Additional exercises targeting your leg muscles will help.

– If you have to stand still for extended periods, periodically stretch your leg muscles to help promote blood circulation.

– Limit the level of salt in your diet to reduce water retention.

– Regularly rest with your legs raised to the level of your heart (or higher). This helps promote healthy blood circulation by stopping blood from pooling in the legs.

– Excessive sun exposure can also contribute to worsening the appearance of spider veins, so wearing sunblock and avoiding too much sun will also help.

If you’ve started to develop spider veins, Sclerotherapy and Laser Vein Therapy are both effective treatment options that can reduce or eliminate spider veins in the vast majority of cases.

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.

We certainly don’t want to presume to tell you that you need a laser or chemical peel treatment, but if you’re thinking about choosing either, we collected three reasons why the New Year is a particularly good time to follow-up.

1. Laser treatments and chemical peels are both effective ways to rejuvenate your appearance and give rapid results. Many people start the New Year off by making resolutions to eat a healthier diet or exercise more. It can be tough to keep to these types of long-term plans when you don’t necessarily see any benefits for a while. However, the feeling of well-being and confidence from getting either laser treatments or chemical peels can give you the motivation to carry on and stick to your resolutions.

2.  It’s strongly recommended to avoid strong sunlight before, during, and especially after laser treatments and chemical peels, while your skin heals, and any inflammation goes down. Winter time is therefore the ideal time of year to plan these treatments. During winter, the damaging UV rays are weaker, there are fewer hours of sunlight in the day, and we typically stay indoors for longer periods. We also wear more clothing in the winter, which in turn provides more protection. These factors, taken together, can be especially helpful when you have a series of treatments, and you may need to avoid direct sunshine over an extended period. Several skin conditions, such as hyperpigmentation, are exacerbated during the summer months. Winter is a perfect time to take care of problems that are caused by excess sun exposure.

3. Dry skin typically is worse during the winter months. Getting a chemical peel in the winter helps to remove the dead skin layers, which in turn increases your skin’s ability to absorb winter skin care products such as moisturizers. Rather than disrupting your skin care routine, a chemical peel can actually enhance your ability to treat dry skin.

Skin Rejuvenation at Your Laser Skin Care

Perhaps the best argument is this: take good care of your complexion during the cooler months and you’ll be better prepared to enjoy the sun by the time the warmer summer months come along.  In moderation, of course!

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.

Given the relatively large number of available injectable fillers, it’s not surprising that the best choice of filler largely depends on what exactly you’re trying to accomplish. Fillers can be used to fill in lines and wrinkles, they can add volume to areas that appear sunken, enhance lips, and they can also assist in firming up loose or sagging skin. The major fillers are described below, together with their primary usages.

Restylane Product Family

Restylane is the trade name of a family of injectable fillers, all containing hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the body; it plays important roles in making body cartilage resilient, and lubricating the movement of muscle tissue, but it’s also a major skin component, contributing to the healthy appearance of skin and accelerating the repair of damaged tissue.

The various members of the Restylane family can be used individually or in combination. They combat age effects and wrinkles by restoring volume to the skin, but each contains different particle sizes and therefore addresses different problems. Restylane Silk’s fine particles are designed to control fine wrinkles, Restylane’s medium particles are used to combat moderate to severe wrinkles and skin folds, while Restylane Lyft’s larger particles can be used to fight severe wrinkles, and fill larger depressed areas.

Restylane products are typically used under the eyes, in the folds of the nose, around the mouth and lips, in the jowl area, as well as helping to create fuller lips. Restylane Lyft is also FDA-approved for restoring lost volume on the hands.

The Restylane Refyne and Restylane Defyne products are specially adapted for use on areas of the face that are dynamic, where their added elasticity results in more natural facial expressions.

Because hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the body, it dissolves naturally over time. The benefits of Restylane treatments typically last between six and nine months, while a series of injections can last for up to 18 months.

Restylane Lyft used to be known as “Perlane”; it was rebranded when it received FDA approval for use in adding volume to sunken cheeks.

Juvederm Product Family

Several hyaluronic acid-based injectable gel products are marketed under the Juvederm family name. They perform similar functions to the Restylane product family, with the main characteristics summarized below.

Juvederm Voluma (also known as just “Voluma”) allows the contours of the face to be enhanced and is also FDA-approved for adding volume to hollowed-out cheeks. The hyaluronic acid used in Juvederm Voluma is modified to create a more resilient filler; this allows the product to also provide a degree of lift to sagging areas, and results in benefits lasting over six months, sometimes up to two years.

Juvederm Ultra is used to treat moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, and creates a very smooth effect, resulting in a very natural look. This product has a softer consistency and is ideally suited to augmenting the lips. It’s also adapted for use on areas with especially thin skin, such as around the lips and eyes. Benefits last for at least four to six months, and sometimes up to a year.

Juvederm Ultra Plus is used to treat deeper lines and folds in the skin. Its benefits last a few months longer than the Juvederm Ultra product.

Sculptra Aesthetic

Sculptra contains a synthetic substance (poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA) that stimulates collagen production. It’s used to treat deep lines, creases, and folds, but is particularly effective at filling the hollowness caused by loss of fat beneath the skin. It can take up to three months for the benefits of a treatment to become fully apparent, but this also makes these improvements appear more natural. A Sculptra treatment can last up to two years, although one treatment a year is normally recommended to maintain the benefits.

Hopefully, this summary has answered more questions than it poses. Your Laser Skin Care happy to schedule a consultation, during which we’ll fully explain all the issues that surround the use of these fillers. Bear in mind that while all fillers are injections, not every injection is a filler. Some fillers (particularly Restylane) can be combined with Botox injections to prolong their benefits. Several of the Restylane and Juvederm products are also available in versions that incorporate a local anesthetic, for use on sensitive areas of the face.

We always recommend doing research before deciding on any course of treatment – it’s always wise to educate yourself on the various options and treatments available. This advice certainly applies when you’re thinking of having a laser treatment, and you have to decide both on the type of treatment to have, and the practitioner you want to perform it.

The following list covers the important questions that we suggest you get answers to:

How much experience does the practitioner have performing this type of treatment?

You should certainly ask each practitioner what their qualifications are, but don’t forget perhaps the most important factor: how long have they been performing the procedure you’re considering.

What types of laser equipment are used, and how safe are they?

Non-invasive laser treatments target skin layers beneath the surface and are inherently safe. Nevertheless, you should expect the practitioner to discuss any risks associated with the treatment with you.

Does this treatment require follow-up visits?

Depending on the treatment being performed, you may well find that individual laser sessions can only cover part of the area you want to be treated. In the case of laser hair removal, for example, hair follicles follow individual life-cycles, and only a certain percentage can be effectively treated in a single session. It’s good to know in advance approximately how many sessions will be needed, and how long you will have to wait between each session.

How soon should you expect to see results?

Be cautious of practitioners who promise immediate results – although some benefits may be visible right after a single treatment session, multiple sessions will often be needed, and it may take some time for all benefits to become apparent. It is of course natural to want to see improvements right after each treatment, but it’s also a good idea to set your expectations to a reasonable level.

What can you do to minimize possible side effects?

Laser treatments can leave you temporarily more vulnerable than normal to sun damage, so most practitioners strongly recommend the use of hydrating skin care products and sunblock after laser treatments.

What things should be avoided before and after each treatment?

Your practitioner should be prepared to provide you with a list of medications and procedures to avoid in the weeks leading up to each treatment, as well as a similar list of things to avoid the following treatment.

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.

Botox has been used to treat facial wrinkles and creases since the mid-1990’s and was officially approved by the FDA for use in these cases, back in 2002.

Botox has also been used to treat migraines, twitching eyes, and even depression.  These uses are not officially approved by the FDA, meaning that studies have not been performed to ensure that long-term usage of Botox in these cases is safe.

Botox for Jaw Pain

Botox has recently gained in popularity as a means of treating two new problems – inflammation of the joint that allows the jaw to open and close (“TMJ” or “TMD”), and cases where jaw muscles have become over-developed and too prominent.  Although these uses are also not officially approved, a single Botox treatment can be effective in treating these problems, thereby avoiding any risks associated with long-term repeated treatments.

TMJ/TMD can result in a multitude of symptoms, which can include severe discomfort when moving the jaw, difficulty chewing, tooth pain, as well as stress related migraine, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), headaches, dizziness, and even upper shoulder pain. TMJ/TMD can be temporary but may also last for several years.

Over-developed jaw muscles may be a direct result of TMJ/TMD, or can be caused simply by regularly grinding or clenching one’s teeth (even if this isn’t in itself painful).  They can also simply be part of your genetic family heritage. Over-developed jaw muscles can alter the shape of the lower part of the face, and create a squarer, more masculine looking jaw line.

In both cases Botox injections can offer long-term relief. They do this by relaxing and reducing the size of the large masseter muscles that you use when chewing – this can result in reduced pain and discomfort, as well as noticeable cosmetic changes after just a few weeks.

If you’re considering this treatment, we strongly recommend having a consultation with us, where we will be able to explain the full range of available treatment options, and let you choose the best course of treatment for your particular needs.

Your Laser Skin Care in Los Angeles specializes in Botox and Fillers injections, laser hair removal, vein therapy, chemical peels and IPL among many other services. Please call us at (323) 525-1516 or visit us online at www.yourlaserskincare.com to schedule a free consultation.