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Question:
I used to have beautiful skin and those days are gone. My facial skin looks blemished all of the time. Will laser skin resurfacing even out the skin tone? Will it make my skin look younger?

Answer:
At Renu Med Spa and Plastic Surgery we use a few different modalities to help with facial skin discoloration and improving the overall appearance of your facial skin.  Our aestheticians will start you off with a microdermabrasion and chemical peel combination.  You will be prescribed a physician grade skin care regimen to maintain the results you will achieve with each facial treatment.  If your skin discoloration is deeper, you will be referred to our physicians assistant for either IPL (intense pulsed light) or Fraxel laser resurfacing.  The choice of laser facial skin treatments will depend upon the amount of skin discoloration and the degree of skin damage such as actinic keratosis or solar elastosis that is also present.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
What is the best treatment if you have really deep lines all over your face?

Answer:
If you truly have deep lines all over your face, it sounds as if you have a significant amount of damage to your skin.  Individuals with deep lines all over their face tend to have had a great deal of sun exposure over the course of their lifetime.  Fair skin and smoking also contribute to the exaggerated appearance of deep facial lines.  If that is the case, then a more aggressive skin resurfacing procedure will likely be necessary in order to rejuvenate your facial skin.  Laser resurfacing either with Fraxel laser or a combination of CO2 and Erbium non fractionated laser resurfacing will be necessary to treat the deep lines of your face.  Dermal fillers or autologous fat grafting may help to fill the face so that your face looks more plump and youthful but, it sounds like skin resurfacing is going to be necessary.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
I have a family history of skin cancer and get myself screened often. How effective is a chemical peel in removing pre-cancerous cells from one’s skin?

Answer:
A chemical peel can be helpful in removing pre cancerous skin lesions from your facial skin if they are relatively superficial. A deeper chemical peel would likely be necessary if your skin damage is more advanced. My choice of procedures to address pre cancerous skin lesions that may be abundant on your face and you do not recognize them is to use Photo Dynamic Therapy with Alpha Amino Levulonic Acid. I would be happy to discuss this procedure with you in more detail if you are interested.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
I would like dermabrasion of my upper chest. I have a lot of freckles from the sun, but worse, I have wrinkles that show at my cleavage. Will dermabrasion successfully remove the spots and wrinkles on my chest or would a different procedure be better?

Answer:
I would not suggest dermabrasion to your upper chest. Dermabrasion to this area will likely result in scarring as the skin is simply too thin to perform dermabrasion to this area safely. For your particular problem in this area, I would suggest other treatments. The Fraxel laser is an excellent treatment for this area. The procedure is safe and effective in reducing freckling, sun spots and fine lines and wrinkles in the upper chest and neck. IPL can also be used to help treat skin discoloration safely in this area. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion can be performed safely in the upper chest and neck to help maintain the smooth rejuvenated appearance you have achieved with Fraxel laser and IPL.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
Two days ago, I got a microdermabrasion treatment. I was told that there would be no downtime, but now my skin is red and puffy and horrible looking! Did something go wrong with my treatment to make my skin look so bad?

Answer:
The microdermabrasion treatments normally have no downtime and only some mild redness. It is possible that either your provider performed a chemical peel to your face at the same time as the microdermabrasion treatment or you are having a reaction to some of the skin care products your provider has given you following your microdermabrasion treatments. I would stop all products and call your provider as they may recommend either a hypoallergenic moisturizer or even a steroid if the swelling is profound.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
I’m 23, female, and I have pretty bad acne that isn’t getting better. I currently use Accutane to help control it. I’m thinking about getting microdermabrasion to further help keep it in check. I’m a little concerned though: Will the aluminum oxide used for microdermabrasion react badly with the Accutane?

Answer:
There are different machines for microdermabrasion. The use of Accutane for acne should make you cautious in undertaking any abrasive treatment to your skin. Microdermabrasion should pose no harm to yuur skin even with the use of Accutane. We do not use crystlal based microdermabrasion but rather small tips that act as a gentle sandpaper to your skin removing only the outer most layers of dead skin. There is absolutely no risk of interaction with this type of microdermabrasion and Accutane for acne.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
I’ve scheduled a microdermabrasion appointment for next week. Unfortunately, I just got the news that I’ll be presenting for a group of executives three days after that. Will I look normal after three days? Or should I reschedule my microdermabrasion appointment?

Answer:
You should have recovered without any evidence of treatment three days after having microdermabrasion. Good luck with the meeting! Hopefully someone will comment on how good your skin looks.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:
After 12 years of working in a nursery, my skin is not very happy with me. I’ve been looking into different skin resurfacing methods to help refresh it and I’m a little overwhelmed by all the choices. Microdermabrasion looks like it might be a good choice for me, but I don’t know. What are some of the advantages of microdermabrasion over other skin resurfacing methods?

Answer:
If you have never done anything to improve the appearance of your skin then microdermabrasion is a great introduction to skin care. There are numerous advantages of microdermabrasion to include, it is comfortable, it is effective in treating superficial skin changes, and there is really no associated recovery time. I would not consider microdermabrasion a true skin resurfacing technique and the results that you can get with microdermabrasion compared to more invasive skin resurfacing techniques will be less. However, if your only concern is superficial irregularities of your skin or mild skin discoloration, then microdermabrasion is the right procedure for you.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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