Laser skin resurfacing is the gold standard treatment for skin rejuvenation to reduce the visible effects of photoaging and chronological aging.  It works by vaporizing the targeted damage, stimulating the growth of healthy new skin and promoting collagen production for long-term tissue remodeling. The result is smoother, line and blemish free texture, and firmer and tighter skin.

The laser targets fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and even precancerous lesions. It refines the skin’s surface and helps minimize signs of sun damage and aging. Plus, it stimulates collagen production from within. As your body generates new collagen, fine lines and wrinkles will smooth, and your skin will tighten which helps improve the appearance of sagging skin.

How it works

The fractional laser creates microscopic columns of thermal energy to treat only a fraction of the skin, which enables a shorter recovery. The untreated skin kick-starts the wound healing process, and new collagen while minimizing side effects and downtime.

The fractional CO2 laser is an ablative laser which means it removes the thin outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and heats the underlying skin called the dermis which is how collagen production is stimulated.

Non-ablative lasers do not treat the outer skin layer so there is virtually no downtime. Non- ablative lasers include YAG lasers, and Erbium lasers that use infrared energy. These lasers

increase collagen production with minimal discomfort, downtime and recovery.

Fractional Laser Resurfacing is an effective procedure to treat the face, neck, chest, arms and top of the hands for these conditions:

• Deep and fine lines and wrinkles

• Sun damage

• Age spots, freckles, liver spots, brown spots (lentigines)

• Blotchiness and uneven coloration

• Dullness and texture problems

• Crepey skin

• Acne scars, traumatic scars and old surgical scars

• Precancerous lesions

• Warts, moles and other benign skin growths

• Skin laxity – loose skin through the growth of new collagen

• Enlarged pores

• Upper eyelid wrinkles and crepiness and crow’s feet

• Fine lines around the mouth

• Frown lines

• Stretch marks

• It will NOT treat dilated blood vessels, rosacea, and vascular lesions including dilated blood vessels. For that you need IPL.

• For sagging skin, the treatment is a non-ablative laser for collagen production, radiofrequency or ultrasound energy, cold, heat, or surgical excision.

Am I a good candidate?

You may not be a good candidate if

• You have an autoimmune disease or weak immune system

• You have taken acne medication isotretinoin in the year before the procedure

• You tend to scar easily

• You have a darker skin tone

• You are pregnant or breast feeding.

• You smoke, as it can impact your healing and cause complications

While people with darker skin tones are not good candidates for ablative laser resurfacing; nonablative laser resurfacing is safe and effective to stimulate collagen production for tighter and smoother the skin.  They can be combined with IPL treatments to improve skin tone and texture and remove pigmentation problems, colored spots and discolorations.

The procedure

Laser skin resurfacing is an office procedure using topical anesthetic to numb the skin and reduce pain and discomfort. Minor sedation may be offered. After the procedure your face will be covered with a bandage. Pain and discomfort will be treated with pain medication for a short time. You will receive complete instructions about post procedure care.

Recovery

Posttreatment care is essential to reduce the risk of complications. Dr. Hashemi will recommend topical medications to support wound healing. The skin will scab, and peel and the new skin will be raw and uncomfortable. Wearing sun screen daily will protect the new healthy skin from damage. It can take two to three weeks for the new skin to heal completely, but it may remain red for months. As you heal and new collagen is produced the skin will tighten and smooth improving fine lines and wrinkles,

Laser skin resurfacing requires the expertise of a highly trained and experienced cosmetic surgeon. In the right hands laser skin resurfacing can dramatically improve your skin; but, in the wrong hands it can cause permanent damage and scarring. Contact Dr. Pantea Hashmi at The Sacramento Skin Clinic to schedule a consultation today.

Contact Dr. Pantea Hashemi at The Sacramento Skin Clinic to schedule a consultation and discover all your options for aesthetic enhancements. 

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatments

What is Intense Pulsed Light?

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment is often referred to as photorejuvenation or a photofacial. It is excellent to erase sun damage, dilated blood vessels called spider veins (red spots), irregular pigmentation and uneven skin tone and texture on the face, neck and chest, forearms and hands.

IPL is a noninvasive and nonsurgical treatment, and so gentle that it can be used in combination with other superficial treatments like chemical peels to remove dead skin cells and reveal young healthy skin. IPL treatments also smooth fine lines and wrinkles, shrink enlarged pores, and treat rosacea and melasma. IPL is not a laser.

How does it work?

Intense pulsed light penetrates the skin to heat the sub-surface layers of skin called the dermis, without damaging the top layer of skin called the epidermis. The gentle pulses of intense, optimized light target underlying pigment deposits. The hyperpigmented cells absorb the light, which breaks up the excess pigment that comes to the surface and sloughs off a few days after treatment. Additionally, the heat enhances the production of collagen, which over time fills out lines and wrinkles and roughness.

What does IPL treat?

• Sun-induced skin changes including red pigmented lesions, spider veins, and freckles.
• Liver spots also called age spots or lentigines found on the hands and face and other areas frequently exposed to the sun. They are common in people over age 60.
• Melasma – hyperpigmentation on the face that appears during pregnancy or with use of oral contraceptives. It is caused by hormone changes.
• Rosacea- facial redness, flushing and visible blood vessels. It is a chronic condition that usually begins around age 30 and flares up and remits. It is usually found on the cheeks, nose, chin and forehead.  It develops into a ruddy complexion with visible blood vessels. It is trigger by the sun, stress, hot weather, alcohol and more. The cause is not known.
• Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation – excess pigment caused by a skin condition like acne, infection, allergic reaction, injuries and trauma.
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Enlarged pores
• Rough skin texture
• Splotchy uneven skin tone and rough texture
• Acne scarring and hyperpigmentation after acne
• Acne – treats moderate to severe inflammatory acne to clear pimples and active inflammation.  The high intensity pulsed light reduces the growth of bacteria and eliminates inflammation in oil glands.
• Unwanted hair on the face, neck, chest body
• IPL is very versatile and can improve the appearance of many of the most common skin conditions, with little to no downtime and recovery.

The Procedure

Before treatment, a layer of cold gel is applied to numb the skin and improve comfort during the procedure. You will wear dark glasses to protect your eyes. Then, an applicator is placed on the skin and delivers the intense pulsed light to the areas to be treated. As it works, the skin absorbs the light energy and heats up causing a snapping sensation as if a rubber band is being snapped against your skin. The entire procedure can take up to 30 minutes. There may be some short-term tenderness and redness.

Most patients experience a few days of redness like a slight sun burn. Some brown spots may appear darker for a few days or look like coffee grounds that flake off within 3-5 days. You can apply makeup immediately after IPL treatment if necessary.

It is imperative that the area being treated is not tanned 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the day of the procedure.  Afterwards, it is important to protect your skin from the sun using a sunscreen daily. You should use a gentle skin cleanser and moisturizer for about a week, and then you can resume your normal skin care routine.

During your consultation with Dr. Pantea Hashemi, she will review your medical history, examine your skin and listen to your aesthetic goals and expectations and discuss options to address your goals. Most patients see the best results after a series of 3-6 IPL treatments about one month apart. IPL is safe and effective but unsuitable for pregnant women, people on blood thinner, people who are susceptible to keloid scarring.

Contact Dr. Pantea Hashemi at The Sacramento Skin Clinic to schedule a consultation and discover all your options for aesthetic enhancements.

Lip Augmentation (Restylane® Kysse, Juvederm Volbella®)

Our lips are a significant portion of our overall aesthetic appearance. With age our lips become thinner, retract, lose volume and become less well-defined due to a gradual loss of collagen and elastin. The loss of elasticity creates vertical lip lines and the lips lose color. Lip movements also change with age. The smile narrows vertically and widens horizontally. 

Historically some of these changes were addressed with surgery. However, today we have hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers that are biodegradable and are formulated specifically to address aging changes including loss of volume, color and elasticity.  

Restylane Kysse with lidocaine and Juvederm Volbella XC with lidocaine are two HA fillers designed specifically for use in lip augmentation. They plump the lips to smooth wrinkles and volumize the lips.

Juvederm Volbella XC

In addition to fuller lips, lip augmentation with Juvederm Volbella XC can correct those lipstick lines that cause lipstick to bleed into the surrounding skin. This HA filler uses a special technology that creates the ability to mold the lips for a natural-looking result. Treatment results last about one year. 

Restylane Kysse

Restylane Kysse is the first lip filler designed with new technology that maintains flexible lip movements for the full range of expression. Results are rejuvenating. The treatment is proven to last up to a year. This hyaluronic acid injectable filler also diminishes upper lip lines (lipstick lines) and enhances lip texture and color. Augmentation can improve your smile too!

Lip Augmentation

The goal of treatment is to enhance and improve the natural lips and avoid overtreating that creates an artificial or unnatural appearance or changes in natural lip movements including smiling. 

Aesthetic lip augmentation is challenging and requires technical and aesthetic skill because the lips are a 3D structure including height, width, projection, angles and curvatures. 

Both of the HA fillers contain lidocaine to improve comfort during the procedure. Additionally, based on your preference Dr. Hashemi can apply topical anesthetics and or nerve blocks to reduce injection pain.

The filler is injected directly into and around the lips using very fine needles to temporarily plump the lips and smooth the vertical lip lines around the mouth. The procedure can take up to 30 minutes.

Common side effects are mild and include swelling, tenderness, temporary firmness, bruising, and redness. Bruising and swelling should resolve within a few days. Other side effects can last between a few days and two weeks. Overcorrection is easily corrected by injection of a substance called hyaluronidase, a substance that dissolves HA fillers when the product is unevenly distributed. It does not remove all of the filler. 

Your aesthetic consultation

During your consultation with Dr. Pantea Hashemi, she will review your medical history as well as any conditions that would make treatment unsafe or inappropriate. If you are pregnant, have allergies to HA or lidocaine, or inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea, or bleeding disorders you may not be a good candidate.

Dr. Hashemi will study your facial expressions at rest and in motion and evaluate your lips and facial symmetries. She will recommend the best filler for your goals. She will take before and after photos. Before your procedure she will explain everything and provide complete post-procedure guidelines including avoiding strenuous activities, extreme cold or heat, and sun exposure for 24 hours.  

Contact Dr. Hashemi at Sacramento Skin Clinic to schedule a consultation.