Posts

Anti-aging neck treatments

/478 Comments/in , /by

Neck wrinkles, also known as “necklace lines” or “tech neck,” are a common sign of aging. These wrinkles and lines can appear due to a variety of factors, including sun damage, natural aging, and repetitive movements, like looking down at a phone or computer screen. Improve not remove is the name of the game with these necklace-like creases.

Fortunately, there are several treatments available to help reduce the appearance of neck wrinkles.

  1. Moisturize: Keeping the skin on your neck well-hydrated is essential in reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

  2. SPF: Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every day and cover your neck with a scarf or clothing when outside.
  3. Retinoids: Retinoids are a type of vitamin A that can help increase collagen production, which can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
  4. Chemical peels: Chemical peels are a cosmetic treatment that can help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. A chemical solution is applied to the skin, which causes the top layer to peel off, revealing smoother, younger-looking skin underneath.

  5. Botox: Neuromodulators, like Jeuveau and Botox, are commonly used off-label in the neck. Being muscle relaxers, these toxins work best on hyperactive bands that surface when the platysma contracts. If you see a band fluctuating in appearance during dynamic movement-speaking, smiling, laughing, frowning, we can place a neuromodulator throughout the band to relax it. If the platysma is clearly lax, loose, and wavy, adding toxin is not going to make those neck bands go away.

  6. Laser resurfacing: Laser resurfacing is a non- invasive method to treat fine lines and wrinkles. We offer Aerolase laser in our office to help stimulate collagen production and reduce the appearance of neck wrinkles.

  7. Vivace Microneedling Radio-frequency : A lot of the neck crepiness comes from weakening of the dermis. With Microneedling Radiofrequency (Vivace), we create micro-injuries into the dermis, tricking the fibroblast cells to go through a healing phase and produce more collagen, which makes the dermal layer thicker and stronger for less visible crepiness.

  8. Exilis Ultra: In more severe cases of neck wrinkling, Exilis Ultra is used to target the deeper fibers of collagen that swim through the subcutaneous terrain, from the dermis down to above the muscle. Exilis Ultra delivers both Radiofrequency and Ultrasound energy for skin tightening effect. Thermage, Softwave and Ultherapy are few other modalities for skin tightening.
  9. Dermal fillers: Dermal fillers can be used to add volume to the skin on your neck and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Fillers like hyaluronic acid ( Restylane, Versa, RHA Redensity) can help plump up the skin, giving it a more youthful appearance. Horizontal neck lines truly feel like scar tissue when you get in there with a needle and injecting into these fine crevices can offer a subcision-like effect, freeing things up a bit to smooth the skin. There can be a fair amount of bruising along the length of the lines when going this route.

  10. Sculptra and Radiesse: When the skin of the neck gets crinkled and suddenly lacks snap, the goal is to increase protein production to thicken things up. The so-called biostimulatory injectables, Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) and Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite), when sufficiently diluted, can jumpstart collagen and elastin synthesis in the area of injection.

At Brandywine Med Spa we offer a customized approach to your unique skin care needs and offer complimentary consultations to offer a treatment plan for you.

Dark circles and hollowness under the eyes

/26 Comments/in /by

Dark circles can occur due to shadows created from volume loss (from changes in eyelid skin, subcutaneous fat, deep fat & bony eye socket) and skin pigmentation (which can be hereditary, vascular, post inflammatory or mixed).

Tear trough fillers visibly improve the darkness arising from the shadows of volume loss, however skin pigmentation of ethnic dark circles stays and is very difficult to correct completetly.  With proper skin care pigmentation can resolve slowly.

We love to use Restylane, RHA 2 dermal filler and Belotero balance for this delicate area of the eye. Under-correction is in this area is better than over-correction so the results look more natural.

Protecting the eyes with

good SPF and treating the pigmentation with topical eye serums like Alastin A-luminate can gradually improve the dark circles in 6-12 months.

One of the commonest reasons patients request to see us is to have “tear trough fillers” to look “fresher” or “less tired”

PRF or platelet rich fibrin is another injectable treatment to improve dark circles and build collagen naturally in that area. PRF contains platelets, white blood cells, fibrin and stem cells. Platelets excrete growth factors slowly that increase the collagen production, tighten skin and rejuvenate texture of the skin.

We recommend 2-3 sessions spaced 3-4 months apart.

What is indirect treatment of the tear trough? By your mid-30s the anterior cheek starts to deflate, which makes the lower eyelid appear hollow, as it drops into the cheek. Subtle mid-face volume restoration improves the sunken appearance of the eyes!

At Brandywine med spa we like to incorporate combination treatments. Our multi-modal approach using energy based treatments (Vivace and Exilis) along with injectables are ideal for patients who do not want to undergo a face lift and are seeking natural visible results, with minimal downtime..

Vivace is the newest generation of radio frequency microneedling that stimulates the natural production of collagen and is shown to be effective in alleviating facial wrinkles, fine lines, and tightening and toning the area.

We combine the treatment with the newest breakthrough in numbing cream, treatment serum and recovery care to create an optimal patient experience.

Exilis Ultra delivers radiofrequency and ultrasound energy to precisely target, tighten and tone the skin.

Everyone is different, but the collagen you make is your own and continues accelerated production over three months. Most patients undergo 2 to 4 treatments of Exilis, scheduled 7 to 10 days apart. It takes about 15-30 minutes to do the procedure.

Both these treatments have minimal to no downtime. Most people go out within hours after the treatment with no make up at all.

The combination of a dermal filler to improve hollowness under the eyes along with some skin tightening treatments helps to rejuvenate this area.

Vivace Radiofréquency Microneedling

/107 Comments/in /by

Vivace Radiofrequency (RF) is a minimally-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment that stimulates the natural production of collagen. Vivace RF treatment is a step up from traditional Microneedling treatment. Vivace allows for a more accurate needle insertion for highly customized treatment. It is an ideal treatment for tightening and firming the skin and to improve debilitating acne scars and stretch marks.

 

One of our favorite treatments with this device is non-surgical eyelid lifting and tightening. It also helps to improve eye bags and skin laxity underneath the eye area. The red LED light stimulates collagen and blue LED light is used in patients suffering from acne to kill bacteria and it also improves acne scars.

The Vivace RF Mironeedling device was built to improve contouring and tightening for the face, neck, hands and body.

The Vivace device features gold plated steel micro-pins that are able to penetrate deeper into the skin for even better results than traditional microneedling. These longer needles allow the RF energy to be administered at different depths, depending on your specific needs. The RF energy heats up the underlying tissue to kick-start collagen production. The results are amazing with minimal downtime.

The actual treatment session takes less than an hour and most patients report little to no pain. A compounded topical numbing cream is applied to the face prior to the procedure. After the procedure is done, PRP (Platelet rich plasma) that is derived from your own blood can be applied topically as well. PRP contains growth factors which can help to reduce wrinkles, plump up sagging skin, improve complexion and minimize acne scarring.

Vivace produces microchannels in the skin that allows to fully absorb healing serums. These channels stay open for few hours so we ask that you avoid make-up as well strenuous activity, swimming, and steam rooms/saunas during this time. After this time frame you’re good to go!

We recommend a series of three treatments spaced four to six weeks apart for the best possible results.