Diminishing the Appearance of Acne Scars

October 10th, 2019 Posted in Acne Scar Treatment
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Most teenagers and young adults have bouts of acne breakouts. In some cases, these breakouts are so severe they can leave scars behind on the skin. Years after these acne flair ups, the skin can still have a pitted appearance or red marks from past pimples. If you have acne scars that are detracting from the beauty of your skin, there are treatments to remove discolorations and smooth the skin to diminish the appearance of acne scars.

Whenever damage to the skin occurs, it can leave a scar. When the skin heals, scar tissue is created. For acne, this can leave red, white or discolored spots where large pimples occurred and even a dent in the skin. To remove these scars, specialized treatments are needed to remove old skin cells and heal the skin.

Options for Treating Acne Scars

There are a few different options for diminishing acne scars. Resurfacing the skin and dermal abrasion are often recommended to remove scarred skin cells. Nourishment and rejuvenation of the new skin cells can also help fade acne scars. Some effective cosmetic treatments that can help improve the skin and reduce acne scars include:

  • Laser resurfacing
  • Chemical peels
  • RF (radio frequency) resurfacing
  • Dermal abrasion
  • Microneedling with PRP therapy
  • Dermal fillers for filling deep acne scars

These procedures can be used independently or in a combination. A facial plastic surgeon can evaluate your skin and determine the best treatment to fade your acne scars. Many of these treatments also enhance the overall health and beauty of the skin. Laser treatments can be especially effective for both treating acne breakouts and removing leftover scars.

If you have acne scars, consider the options available to improve the appearance of your skin. Visit a facial plastic surgeon to explore treatments available to fade away those old acne scars.

Posted on behalf of:
Beverly Hills Center for Plastic & Laser Surgery
120 South Spalding Drive #236
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 288-0641

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Fight the Signs of Aging with Dermabrasion Procedures

October 9th, 2018 Posted in Skin Rejuvenation
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The skin changes as you get older, both in appearance and in biological makeup. Exposure to UV rays can damage the skin, causing the tone, texture and color to change. Plus, the skin loses elasticity as collagen production wanes, creating lines, wrinkles and sagging of the skin. One of the ways to fight the signs of aging skin is with dermabrasion procedures that offer rejuvenation for sun damaged and aged skin.

What Is Dermabrasion?

To help rejuvenate aging skin, dermabrasion removes skin cells from the surface to allow for new skin cell growth for younger, healthier appearing skin. This is a very refined, non-invasive procedure that scrapes the old skin cells away. It can be done surgically or with specialized tools that slough off the skin cells with a rotating mechanism. This procedure must be carefully performed to ensure the skin is not damaged and that only the top skin cells are removed; it is best performed at a medical clinic that specializes in cosmetic procedures, such as plastic surgery clinic.

Once the damaged skin cells are removed, the skin heals and can reveal a smoother, healthier appearance. Some of the issues that are effectively treated by dermabrasion include:

  • Fine lines and wrinkles
  • Rough textured skin
  • Scarred skin from incisions or acne
  • Uneven skin tone

The dermabrasion procedure can also stimulate collagen production naturally in aging skin. Collagen is used to heal skin, so when skin cells are removed, the skin needs to make more to facilitate healing. This can help improve elasticity and youthfulness in the new skin cells that are formed after the procedure.

If you want younger looking skin, discuss dermabrasion with your local facial plastic surgeon. It is one of many non-invasive cosmetic treatments available through plastic surgeons for improved skin appearance.

Posted on behalf of:
Kami Parsa, M.D.
Oculoplastic Surgery
465 N Roxbury Dr. Suite 1011
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 777-8880

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When Skin Damage Goes Too Far: When to See a Plastic Surgeon

July 20th, 2018 Posted in Laser Skin Rejuvenation
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The skin is a living organ of the body, changing and rejuvenating throughout your life. It has an amazing ability to repair itself, even when cut, burned or removed. However, it is not trauma that causes the most damage to skin. The elements -sun, wind and water – are the hardest on the skin and can do the most damage, leaving it looking aged and tired.

Skin damage comes in many forms. Sunspots, discolorations, redness, wrinkles and rough texture can all be caused from exposure to the elements. Sun can be the most detrimental, with risks of cancer from too much exposure. However, if you are most concerned with aesthetic changes in your skin from damage, there are remedies available.

Plastic surgeons offer more than just surgical options for improving your appearance. When it comes to the skin, many offer a variety of non-surgical solutions. If your skin has changed in texture, color or firmness, there are treatments that can improve the surface of your skin. These treatments help the skin do what it does best – repair itself. Some of the options available include:

  • Laser skin therapy
  • Facial chemical peels
  • Dermabrasion
  • Skin resurfacing

These options all work in different ways to remove damaged skin cells and promote new skin growth. Oddly, with skin damage, a targeted cosmetic damaging of the skin can actually improve the appearance.

If your skin damage has gone too far and you want to explore options to bring back your healthier, more youthful skin, it is time to see a cosmetic surgeon. There are solutions to undo the skin damage and give you beautiful skin again.

Posted on behalf of:
Beverly Hills Center for Plastic & Laser Surgery
120 South Spalding Drive #236
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 288-0641

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Skin Resurfacing: One Goal, Many Options

March 7th, 2013 Posted in Laser Skin Rejuvenation
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Do you long for smoother, clearer, younger looking skin? Fortunately for you, the fountain of youth really does exist – to a degree – right in the offices of your local plastic surgeon.  Modern skin rejuvenation procedures can produce remarkable results, taking years off your appearance without the need for costly plastic surgery or long recovery times. 

There are a number of options available for skin rejuvenation, also called skin resurfacing. They fall into several groups: 

Superficial Peels –  Superficial peels include those using glycolic acid, lactic acid or salicylic acid. Such peels work by removing the very outer layer of the skin, allowing the newer, fresher cells to come to the surface. Some may experience redness and tingling during and immediately after the peel, but there is generally no down time associated with these types of peels. 

Medium/Deep Chemical Peels –  Jessner solution and TCA, or Trychloroacetic acid, are considered medium chemical peels, while a Phenol acid peel is considered the strongest. The results for these peels are more dramatic and longer lasting, but there is more down time. Phenol peels can take seven to 10 days for recovery, with swelling, redness and pain. Skin remains sensitive for awhile, and sunscreen is an absolute must. 

Traditional and Fractional Laser Therapy –  Laser resurfacing uses intense light to treat wrinkles, sun damage and other signs of aging. The two main types are CO2 and erbium. CO2 produces the most dramatic results, but also requires the longest healing times. Erbium tends to be more gentle and have a quicker recovery time. All forms of laser skin resurfacing produce a certain amount of redness and swelling. Healing can take a number of months, but the results can last for years. Laser therapy can be much more costly compared to other procedures, sometimes costing thousands of dollars. 

Dermabrasion –  With dermabrasion, the cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist uses a small rotating brush to remove the damaged outer layers of the skin. Swelling and bleeding can occur, and recovery can take weeks to several months. Lasers have largely replaced dermabrasion as a skin resurfacing technique, but dermabrasion is still used to treat targeted areas such as acne scars or small lines and wrinkles around the mouth.

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Facial Scar Revision

December 17th, 2010 Posted in Scar Revision
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If you have facial scarring that you would like to have treated, you should know that today’s facial plastic surgeons have a variety of facial scar revision tools and procedures available to help you. 

Perhaps you were injured in an accident, or you have scars from acne, disease, burns, or surgical intervention.  You may have been hesitant to make an appointment  or a scar revision because you think that having a scar revision is frivolous, but it has been shown that unsightly facial scars can substantially reduce a person’s self esteem and confidence level. 

An unsightly scar does not just affect how you look, it affects your mental health by negatively impacting how you believe others view you.  This affects how you interact with other people and can result in poor interpersonal and professional relationships. 

In addition, facial scars can interfere with the ability to form facial expressions and sometimes impair the functioning of facial features such as the lips, eyes, eyelids, nose and brows.

Scar tissue forms naturally as the skin heals from an injury or trauma.  Scars differ depending on the extent of the injury, the location, age of the patient, and the nature of the treatment of the wound.  The appropriate treatment differs depending on the nature and unique characteristics of the scar.  Treatments include dermabrasion, laser therapy, Z-Plasty, W-Plasty, excision, geometric broken line closure and skin grafts. 

Your facial plastic surgeon will be happy to discuss various procedures for reducing or minimizing the visibility of scar tissue.  While most patients are advised to wait 12 months from the date of an injury to seek a scar revision, you should schedule an initial consultation with your plastic surgeon as soon as possible after an injury.  In some cases, immediate intervention is needed to minimize future effects of scarring.

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