Question: My family has a long history of skin cancer.  I have heard or read somewhere that chemical peels may remove pre-cancerous skin growth.  Would this be a good procedure for me to start having on a routine basis?

Answer: I am not aware of any study that has proven that repeated chemical peels can reduce a patient’s incidence of skin cancer, but it is certainly true that if a patient has multiple precancerous lesions on their face that a chemical or laser peel can get rid of those precancerous lesions.  Ultimately, it is really sun protection that is going to reduce someone’s risk of future skin cancers, but I certainly would agree with performing routine skin treatments such as chemical peels or light laser peels or even microdermabrasion in conjunction with good skin care and excellent sun protection so that your skin is as healthy as it can be throughout your life.

No Comments »

Question: My doctor offers either fraxel or pixel laser resurfacing. What is the difference between the two? Is one better for treating acne scars?

Answer: A Fraxel laser uses what is called subablative energy, which means that it heats up small tunnels in the tissue but does not destroy any tissue, whereas a pixel laser uses an Erbium laser and actually vaporizes some of this tissue and then requires a phase of healing.  In my opinion, the more damage that is done, the more the significant the improvement is on the skin condition and at the Quintessa Aesthetic Center, we actually have a ProFractional Laser by Sciton, which is an extremely powerful fractionated Erbium laser that can be used to provide incredible improvements in deep acne scarring when performed in a series of treatments.  Ultimately, I think seeking out someone with extensive experience treating acne scarring would be your best bet.   

No Comments »

Question: I have a tattoo on my foot that I’m now reconsidering. Getting the tattoo was very painful. Can I expect it to be as painful to remove it? Is this done with some kind of laser treatment?

Answer: Yes, tattoo removal is usually performed with lasers and the type of laser is dependent on the color of the tattoo.  Certain colors such as yellows and greens can be rather difficult to remove, but the darker colors and reds can typically be removed very successfully with the appropriate laser.  I would recommend seeking out someone who specializes in tattoo removal.

No Comments »

Question: I had sclerotherapy in the past to remove some spider veins. I’ve since developed new ones and would like to know if there are any other, gentler treatments available.

Answer: Sclerotherapy certainly works excellent and, depending on the injector, can be a rather easy or a more difficult procedure to recover from.  Laser treatments for spider veins tend to be relatively simple to recover from and very tolerable by the patient and you may want to seek out a facility that can perform this in this manner.  Ultimately, it would be nice to go to a facility that has a variety of options for your particular concerns so that you can choose the best option for your particular problem and one that fits your lifestyle and finances.   

No Comments »

Question: I recently heard of a vein treatment that uses radio frequency energy. Is this a good treatment?

Answer: There are vein treatments that use radio frequency energy that is administered through a catheter to heat up the vein from the inside.  I am not aware of any external devices that can use radio frequency to treat veins.  There are, however, lasers that can be used to treat smaller visible veins of the face and legs and even broadband light can be used successfully for fine vessels as well. 

No Comments »