Cosmetic Laser and Skin Surgery Procedures
Skin Rejuvenation and Laser Peels
Dr. Gardner designs each skin rejuvenation procedure with the patient’s specific needs and goals in mind. Rejuvenation procedures can reduce brown spots, facial veins and capillaries, rosacea redness, and wrinkles. Under topical numbing cream, Dr. Gardner starts the procedure by treating benign and precancerous lesions with liquid nitrogen or electric needle, and then uses multiple laser modalities to treat all brown spots or vessels that are visible under bright LED light with magnification. Finally, the laser rejuvenation treatment uses Nd:Yag and Switched KTP green light lasers to activate collagen growth in order to firm the skin and reduce fine line wrinkles. The entire procedure takes 45 minutes and is relatively painless. There is little or no down-time, with many patients saying they got compliments on their appearance the same day!
We also offer Erbium laser peels that can be very mild (the ‘lunchtime peel”) or more aggressive, if you don’t mind a few days of flaking and peeling. Peels improve pore size, skin quality, and give the skin that youthful glow. Peels are generally not recommended for those with rosacea. A laser peel only takes 30 minutes under topical anesthetic cream and is painless.
Rosacea and Acne Treatments
Rosacea is an autoimmune reaction that causes your immune system to react against your skin, causing capillary growth, redness, and tender bumps. Adult and teenage acne is caused by oil gland dysfunction, often due to hormonal changes. Rosacea and acne can be healed and the cosmetic appearance improved with KTP and Nd:Yag combination laser treatments. Often, medications are also prescribed to address the underlying causes and triggers, and speeds the healing process.
Laser-Assisted Liposuction for Body-Sculpting
Using Cutera’s Smart-LipoTM laser-liposuction system, Dr. Gardner has performed many hundreds of laser-assisted liposuction procedures under local tumescent anesthesia since 2008. Also known as “body-sculpting,” these procedures permanently remove fat to improve the contour of your figure. The most common areas of concern for patients are abdomen, flanks, thighs, jowls and neck, and bloops of fat above and below the bra strap. Laser-assisted liposuction is performed under tumescent anesthesia floated under the skin into the fat layer to be treated. When you a completely numb, the procedure begins with liquifying the fatty area with a fiber optic Nd:Yag laser. Then the fat is carefully and precisely removed through very small instruments by liposuction. Finally, the skin above the area is tightened by treating the underside with the fiber optic laser. Compression garments are applied and the small openings close in a day without stitches. Please call for an in-person consult to tell us your “pet peeves” and we will measure the area and give you a price quote.
Laser Hair Reduction
Dr. Gardner utilizes three different Nd:Yag laser machines depending on the area you want to permanently remove hair. Darker, thicker hairs are more easily destroyed with laser technology, as they more efficiently absorb the laser energy. Areas such as bikini line, “Brazilian,” back, legs, “unibrow,” underarms, and chin and face are commonly treated. Call for a price quote. Most patients require three to eight treatments to reach their goal.
Botox for Wrinkle Control
Dr. Gardner has is a careful and precise injector of Botox. This is necessary for consistent and symmetric results. He believes in using Botox with laser and filler modalities to get the most natural and beautiful result. Too much Botox is obvious and looks fake. Too much filler also looks strange and unnatural. Laser alone may not reach the patient’s goals. But all three together address all the underlying reasons for an aged look: loss of collagen, loss of volume, and excessive muscle movement reinforcing and deepening unwanted worry and frown lines. BOTOX® Cosmetic is safely used to relax the muscles that create frown lines, forehead wrinkles. “crows feet” around the eyes, and wrinkles on the nose and around the mouth. BOTOX® Cosmetic has also been approved for tension headaches due to muscle spasm in the forehead and neck.
The beneficial effects of BOTOX® Cosmetic can be seen within 3 to 7 days. The procedure is very well tolerated, and we reduce the chance of bruising with ice and avoidance of anti-inflammatory medications the week before. Patients can resume normal activities after 4 hours.
Fillers
Dr. Gardner is careful to select products and procedures that he feels are effective, safe, and have minimal discomfort or down-time. He feels he can accomplish all the patient’s goals by using various Juvederm® and Radiesse® options.
Radiesse® is the next generation filler for wrinkle correction. It lasts up to two years is the has the added benefit of stimulating new collagen growth through a unique calcium-based microsphere technology. These spheres are mixed in a gel carrier and, after a complete block with local anesthesia, are injected with a technique called “linear threading.”
The results are immediate. Over time, the calcium micro-spheres are broken down and reabsorbed completely by the body. New, natural collagen remains and keeps you from going back to “square one.”
Although Juvederm® Ultra, Ultra Plus, and Voluma are excellent hyaluronic acid products for fine lines, naso-labial folds, cheeks, and lip augmentation, Radiesse® is more dramatic in its ability to reduce lines around the nose and mouth, including nasolabial folds and marionette lines. It is especially good for lifting the cheeks and mid-face and restoring the youthful position of the cheekbones. Hyper-diluted Radiesse® is very effective at improving thin, saggy skin of the face and neck. Results are immediate with continued improvement over many months. Please learn more about Radiesse® at www.radiesse.com. Also, learn more about Juvederm products at Juvederm.com.
