Medical and esthetic professionals can help with many skin conditions and other problems. They are experts in dealing with conditions such as wrinkles or acne, and can help tighten skin, even out skin color, and smooth skin texture. Beyond diet and exercise, medical and esthetic professionals and medical esthetics school Chicago can help patients improve their appearance by eliminating fat from their bodies. These are a few of the treatments that are available:
Wrinkle fillers are used to add volume under the skin, take less than 30 minutes, can last up to a year, and cost much less than a traditional facelift. They do have a risk of allergic reaction, and the formation of tiny bumps under the skin that can be permanent, or a bluish skin discoloration may occur that can last for months. Severe reactions such as blindness or nerve paralysis have occurred.
Laser resurfacing is the direction of energy in short, concentrated beams of light at the top layer of skin, which causes the skin’s collagen-producing reaction, resulting in smoother skin. Fractionated CO2 or ultra pulse works well for fine lines or wrinkles around the eyes or mouth or acne scars, other scars, warts, and other skin imperfections, leaving minimal heat damage, but requires a two-week recovery period. Erbium laser resurfacing is used for moderately deep wrinkles, and is known to cause minimal damage to surrounding tissues. The recovery period is usually only one week, and this method is preferred for darker skin tones.
Chemical peel is the application of a chemical solution to the skin, removing several layers of skin. The deeper the peel, the more wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and skin growths are removed. Fair skinned patients are better candidates for chemical peels as darker skinned patients are more likely to have uneven skin tone after a peel. Medium and deep chemical peels require up to three weeks of recovery time, with the skin bandaged and covered with ointment. Light peels can be completed in approximately 20 minutes and require only 3-7 days of recovery.
Dermabrasion uses vacuum suction and a mild chemical to remove the top layer of skin cells, leaving fine lines, wrinkles, tattoos, acne scarring, problems caused by rosacea, and the early stages of skin cancer behind. Microdermabrasion removes only the dead layer of skin, with temporary improvement in skin condition.
Nonsurgical fat reduction treatments include CoolSculpting, which cools fat cells until they die without damaging nearby tissues. Recovery time is minimal, although temporary swelling and soreness occur. truSculpt uses radiofrequency technology to target fat cells, taking about an hour to perform, with a few treatments required to show results. Zerona is a cold laser which targets fat cells, causing stored fat to leak out into the cell, shrinking the fat cell itself. These treatments do not cause skin contracture, and only a 25% reduction in fat from the areas treated should be expected.