There are so many laser procedures available these days for facial rejuvenation and treatment of various skin conditions.  How do you know if IPL Photofacial or Fraxel is right for you?  IPL Photofacials are good for a number of things – sun spots, broken capillaries, and fine textural changes.  Fraxel is a more aggressive treatment that penetrates more deeply.  Fraxel can address all the things that IPL is good for, as well as more difficult issues, such as pitted acne scars, melasma, wrinkles, and scars.  Generally, if you are younger or have only early signs of sun damage, an IPL may be all that you need.  With additional aging or more severe sun damage, the increased efficacy of Fraxel may be a better value. Please peruse our Fraxel and IPL Photofacials pages for more information.  If you are interested in a procedure to improve facial color, texture, wrinkles, scars, etc., then it is best to come in for a free consultation to review the various options available and their risks and benefits.

Laser hair removal has come a long way from the early days of its development.  The early lasers used for laser hair removal could not be used on darker skin types due to the risk of burning and hyperpigmentation.   Today’s IPL’s and diode lasers, however, work safely on a much broader range of skin types and colors than in the past.  In general, the ideal candidate is still someone with lighter skin and relatively darker hair.  The darker hair absorbs more laser light than the surrounding lighter skin and is preferentially damaged by the laser light.  If you have darker skin, laser hair removal is still an option as long as your hair is darker in color than your skin.  The darkness of the skin does limit the energy that can be safely applied during each treatment, but a similar ultimate hair removal result may still be possible with a few additional treatments. If you have blond or white hair, or your skin is darker than your hair, then you are probably not a good candidate for laser hair removal.  Waxing or electrolysis may be a better option in that case.

Due to a policy change at Care Credit, TMD Medispa will continue to offer 0% Financing through Care Credit.  Care Credit allows qualified borrowers to get 0% financing and other low-interest financing for medical and cosmetic procedures.  We will continue to also offer MyMedicalLoan.com as well.  Please see our financing page for our current offering.

Juvederm and Radiesse are two dermal fillers that we use with great success at TMD Medispa.  When used properly, these substances provide lasting rejuvenation for thinned out lips, deep facial folds, and can fill in areas that have become hollowed out due to aging.  A well done filler is one that is injected so subtly and naturally that people would not know that anything had been injected.  They may guess that you “had something done” but not be sure what.  We’ve all seen those garish celebrities and newscasters with over-done facial fillers and plastic surgery.  Those are the kinds of unnatural  results that we notice and unfortunately give dermal fillers in general a bad name.  But rest assured – peruse our dermal fillers page and photos, and you will see that we strive to meet all your objectives and do it as naturally as possible.

These days, men want to look younger longer and are considering many options to help them do that.  One such option is Botox.  Botox is well-accepted for smoothing wrinkles arising from facial expression.  Specific muscles can be frozen, such as those that cause frowning or wrinkling of the brow.  The wrinkles treated with Botox generally fade with time.

Men are surprisingly apprehensive when they consider using Botox.  Although some men hold no preconceptions about it, Botox seems to be a “taboo” for many men, as if they were using make-up!  Nothing could be further from reality!  The amazing property of Botox is that it has no permanent side effects and leaves virtually no trace that it had been used, unlike lasers or surgery.  People may not even realize that anything was done at all, just that you look “somehow different.”
However, there are certain pitfalls specific to men when getting Botox.  First, Botox is not for everybody.  If your face is extensively aged and sun-damaged, with very deeply-set wrinkles, they may fade little or not at all.  The original elasticity and plasticity of the skin must still be present to some degree in order for Botox to have any benefit.  Men may be waiting much longer than women before considering Botox, and then it may not be as effective for them.  Botox has the most potential when it is used for mild wrinkles.  Then it can prevent the formation of much deeper wrinkles in the future.

Another pitfall to avoid is droopy eyebrows.  As one’s forehead sags, the eyebrows begin to encroach onto the eyelids.  This forces you to constantly raise your forehead to be able to see.  The eyebrows thus maintain their correct position at the expense of constantly wrinkling the forehead.   If a patient tries to take care of these forehead wrinkles with Botox alone, then the eyebrows may relax, drooping over the eyes.  This unsightly result is something that we take very seriously in preventing at TMD.  We counsel patients who have this potential problem that Botox without a surgical brow lift is probably not a good option for them.

When used in good candidates, whether men or women, Botox can shave many years from one’s appearance and even improve facial expression.  Botox should be approached with realistic expectations and without undue apprehension.

As of August, 31, 2009, we are switching to Mymedicalloan.com from Care Credit, to provide cosmetic and laser financing for our patients.   Mymedicalloan will provide the same level of service as CareCredit, if not better.  If you currently have a Care Credit balance, we urge you to consider using it at TMD prior to August 31.  You could buy store credit or charge up a gift card if you are not sure what you will want in the future