How do I use LMX Numbing Cream?
LMX is numbing cream we use to make skin treatments more comfortable.
We sell it at the front desk for patient convenience. It is best applied generously
and repeatedly starting one hour prior to your procedure and repeated after 30
minutes. If it can be used, covering the cream with plastic wrap can be very
helpful in increasing effectiveness. For more detailed information download
our LMX information sheet. Download
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What
is BOTOX® Cosmetic?
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a simple, nonsurgical, physician-administered
treatment that can temporarily smooth moderate to severe frown lines between
the brows in people from 18 to 65 years of age. It is the only treatment of its
type approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: What causes
frown lines between the brows?
The lines that appear between your brows actually result from muscle movement
and the passage of time. Two muscles are largely responsible for frown lines
between the brows. When those muscles contract they draw the brows together.
As the skin becomes less elastic over time, repeated frowning can result in those
moderate to severe lines between the brows.
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: What are the common side
effects?
The most common side effects following injection include temporary eyelid droop
and nausea.
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: How
does it work?
Frown lines are caused by overactive facial muscles. BOTOX® Cosmetic is intramuscular,
blocking the chemicals that cause facial muscles to contract, thereby relaxing
them.
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: What is treatment like?
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a quick and minimally invasive procedure. No anesthesia is
required, although you may choose to numb the area with numbing cream prior to
your visit. Dr. Kandula makes a few tiny injections into the muscles that cause
the frown lines. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes, and there
is no downtime afterward. Discomfort is minimal and brief.
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: How soon
will I see a difference?
You can expect to see results within days after your treatment. The appearance
of the area between your brows may continue to improve for up to a week.
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BOTOX® Cosmetic: What kind
of results can I expect?
Your own results will vary - be sure to talk to Dr. Kandula about what you can
expect. Visible results have been shown to last up to 4 months, and after that
you may be ready for a follow-up treatment.
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What
is Restylane®?
Restylane is an injectable gel that can be administered by Dr. Kandula. Restylane
enhances your natural looks by restoring your skin’s volume, creating softness
and revitalizing your appearance.
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Restylane®: What
are the benefits?
Restylane® can instantly soften telltale aging lines or improve your looks by
enhancing your natural features, such as your cheeks or lips. Restylane® restores
volume, improves skin elasticity, and smooths lines and imperfections.
Restylane® is long lasting but not permanent.
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Restylane®: How does it
work?
Restylane®
is a crystal-clear gel produced biotechnologically using stabilized, nonanimal
hyaluronic acid and water. The hyaluronic acid is a tissue-friendly substance
closely resembling the hyaluronic acid that occurs naturally in the body. By
replenishing nature’s supply of hyaluronic acid,
Restylane® revitalizes and plumps up the skin, instantly diminishing the appearance
of lines and giving a softer look.
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Restylane®: What is treatment
like?
Restylane® is injected into the skin in small amounts using a very fine needle.
The gel provides hydration and structure and gives natural volume to smooth away
the appearance of lines, enhance facial shape, or create fuller lips. Some people
may experience the treatment as a mild discomfort. A local anesthetic cream is
often used. The treatment is very quick and often takes less than 30 minutes.
No skin test is required because Restylane does not contain any animal-derived
ingredients. However, 5-7 days prior to your procedure, you should refrain from
taking aspirin, ibuprofin, napersin and other aspirin dirivities. Vitamin E and
blood thinners should also be avoided. Arnica taken orally can help minimize
bruising. Arnica can be found at your local nutrition store.
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Restylane®: What areas can
be treated?
Restylane® treatments can be used to smooth out facial lines, create fuller lips
and shape facial contours, such as cheeks and chin. It is a subtle approach to
enhancing looks naturally. The most common areas treated are: from the nose to
the angle of the mouth (the nasolabial folds), lips (enhancement), cheeks and
chin (shaping), back of the hands, décolletage, face (skin rejuvenation)
and between the eyebrows (the glabellar lines)
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Restylane®: What are the
common side effects?
Some common injection-related reactions might occur after a Restylane® injection;
they typically resolve spontaneously within one or two days after injection.
These reactions include redness, swelling, pain, itching, bruising or tenderness
at the injection site. Inflammatory reactions may last for up to two weeks in
rare cases. After a lip enhancement, your lips may be swollen for several days.
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Restylane®:
How soon will I see a difference?
The treatment benefits can normally be seen instantly and Restylane® does
not affect facial expression.
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Restylane®:
What kind of results can I expect?
The effects of Restylane® are long lasting but not permanent. Duration
depends on many factors, such as skin type, lifestyle, age, the degree of perfection
demanded by the patient.
- Facial lines and
facial shaping: follow-up treatment is usually needed after 6-12 months
- Lip enhancement:
follow-up treatment is normally needed in about 6 months
- Skin rejuvenation and
deep hydration: after the initial intense treatment of 3 treatment sessions every
2-3 weeks, follow-up sessions are normally recommended around every 6 month
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What is Radiesse®?
Radiesse® is a safe, FDA-approved dermal filler that restores a natural, youthful
look and lasts longer than the former leading filler. This convenient treatment
fills and corrects smile lines, nasolabial folds and wrinkles around the nose
and mouth.
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Radiesse®: How does it work?
Radiesse® works with your body, below the skin's surface. Tiny calcium-based
microspheres form a "scaffold" to support and stimulate the growth of your own
collagen. Over time, the microspheres gradually break down and are safely and
naturally absorbed by your body. Radiesse® does more than just temporarily fill-in
facial folds and wrinkles - it rebuilds your skin's foundation and restores your
youthful look. Treatments are long lasting but are not permanent.
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Radiesse®: What is treatment like?
Radiesse® is injected into the skin through a simple and safe procedure.
With the use of a local anesthetic, Radiesse® treatments have little to no
downtime, with most patients returning to normal activities soon after treatment.
For more information, download
our "What To Expect" information sheet and also Post-Treatment
Care instructions.
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Radiesse®: How many treatments will I
need?
Many patients will achieve their desired result after just one visit. Because
Radiesse® is a longer-term cosmetic enhancement, Dr. Kandula may schedule a follow-up
visit, where a touch-up treatment may be recommended.
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Radiesse®: What are the common side effects?
Normal, injection-related reations, such as mild irritation, swelling, itching,
bruising or tenderness at the injection site may occur. These conditions typically
resolve on their own.
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Radiesse®: How soon will I see a difference?
What kind of results can I expect?
The results are immediate. Radiesse® typically lasts a year or more. Since results
may vary, please be sure to discuss your expectations with Dr. Kandula.
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What is Juvéderm™?
Juvéderm™ is smooth gel filler injected under your skin to instantly
smooth out those wrinkles and folds. Juvéderm™ injectable gel is used most effectively
for those wrinkles and folds in the lower third of your face, like your "laugh
lines," "smile lines" or "parentheses" (nasolabial folds),
or "marionette lines" (oral commissures).
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Juvéderm™: How
does it work?
Juvéderm™ is a "next-generation" filler. It is made from
hyaluronic acid—a naturally occurring substance in your skin that helps
to hydrate and add volume. Hyaluronic acid may diminish with age, contributing
to the formation of wrinkles and folds. Juvéderm™ injectable gel
works to correct this by restoring hyaluronic acid in your skin, helping to smooth
wrinkles and folds.
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Juvéderm™: What is treatment
like?
Although anesthesia is not required, you may use numbing cream on the area to
be treated.
Dr. Kandula
eases Juvéderm™ under the skin using a fine needle to fill the
soft tissue of the dermis—the dense inner layer of skin beneath the epidermis—to
add volume and diminish wrinkles and folds. Following the injection, Dr. Kandula
may gently massage the treated areas. The procedure is quick and easy and usually
takes only about 15 minutes. Prior to your procedure, you should
refrain from taking aspirin, ibuprofin, napersin and other aspirin dirivities
for at least 5-7 days. Also, Vitamin E and blood thinners should also be avoided.
Arnica taken orally can help minimize bruising. Arnica can be found at your local
nutrition store.
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Juvéderm™: What are the common
side effects?
After the treatment, some temporary injection-related reactions may occur, including
redness, pain, firmness, swelling, and bumps. Studies have shown that these are
usually mild to moderate in nature and clear up on their own in 7 days or less.
If you experience swelling at the injection site, you can apply an ice pack for
a brief period.
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Juvéderm™:
How soon will I see a difference? What
kind of results can I expect?
You should see an immediate improvement in the treatment areas. Most patients
need one treatment to achieve optimal wrinkle smoothing, and the results last
up to 6 months or more. However, results may vary and correction is temporary.
Supplemental “touch up” treatments may be required to achieve and
maintain optimal results.
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What is ArteFill®?
ArteFill® permanently smooths out your wrinkles and folds. Artefill is the
first and only FDA-approved cosmetic filler which lasts 5 years or longer*!
ArteFill® is a gel filler consisting of millions of synthetic microspheres
(polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA) suspended in purified bovine collagen. ArteFill® also
contains the local anesthetic lidocaine to reduce discomfort during injection.
*Studies indicate Artefill lasts at least 5 years and is probably permanent.
If you do not desire a permanent implant, Juvéderm™, Radiesse® or
Restylane® may be preferable.
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ArteFill®: How does it work?
ArteFill® is injected directly beneath the wrinkle to add
a permanent support structure and smoothen the area. The synthetic PMMA microspheres
in ArteFill® are "non-resorbable," which means they are not absorbed
into the body or metabolized, allowing ArteFill® to last significantly longer
than other injectable fillers. The microspheres stimulate the body to generate
its own natural collagen to encapsulate each individual microsphere, resulting
in 80% of the patient's collagen and 20% microspheres (by volume) to permanently
fill in the wrinkle.
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ArteFill®: What is treatment like?
Thirty days before treatment, Dr. Kandula will administer a simple allergy skin
test for sensitivity to bovine collagen. Prior to your procedure, you should
refrain from taking aspirin, ibuprofin, napersin and other aspirin dirivities
for at least 5-7 days. Also, Vitamin E and blood thinners should also be avoided.
The treatments are typically performed three to six weeks apart. Before receiving
ArteFill, you may first try a temporary filler to confirm your desired result.
Treatments typically last 10-20 minutes and are usually painless, although patients
may use a numbing cream if they choose. Depending on the areas treated, more
than one syringe may be needed to create the best look possible and/or two treatment
sessions may be necessary to achieve full wrinkle correction. Arnica taken orally
can help minimize bruising. Arnica can be found at your local nutrition store.
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ArteFill®: What are the common side effects?
After injection, some common, temporary, injection-related reactions might occur:
tenderness, redness, itching, bruising, bumps, pain or swelling. If any of these
occur, they typically resolve within a few days. We recommend planning your treatments
at least one week before any special events. Rare potential side effects of all
dermal fillers may be lumps, abscesses and granulomas, which are usually treatable.
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ArteFill®: How soon will
I see a difference? What kind of results can I expect?
Results are immediate and visible with minimal downtime after the procedure.
Enhancements are recommended 1-3 months after your treatment to “fine-tune” your
results. Studies indicate Artefill lasts at least 5 years and is probably permanent.
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How
Does StarLux® Fractional Skin Resurfacing System
Work?
The Palomar Lux1540 fractional laser hand piece delivers light in an array
a narrow, focused "microbeams," to create columns of coagulation (heat)
within the skin. The heated tissue within the columns initiates a natural healing
process that forms new, healthy tissue. This results in a fresher, more youthful
skin tone and texture.
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StarLux® Fractional
Skin Resurfacing: What areas can I have treated?
StarLux fractional treatments
can be applied to most areas of the body, including the face, chest, arms, and
hands.
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StarLux® Fractional
Skin Resurfacing: What is treatment like?
By delivering light
as individual pulses of microbeams, the Lux1540 protects the skin from the
overheating that can result the other resurfacing treatments. In addition, the
Lux1540 features built-in cooling of the skin, so you feel only minor discomfort
during the treatment. Additionally, topical anesthetic, such as a numbing cream,
may be used for additional comfort.
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StarLux® Fractional
Skin Resurfacing: What should I expect after treatment?
You may experience redness,
wants, swelling, or tightness in the treated area, which typically fades within
in a few hours of treatment. The skin may often have a pinkish hue for 5-7 days.
Generally, you can receive a treatment and go back to work or to other activities
without any recovery time. Because the light pulses are confined to narrow columns
in the skin, much of the skin is left unaffected and there is a quick healing
process. Most people notice positive changes in skin tone and texture within
a few days. A series of treatments at 3-6 week intervals may be required to achieve
the desired results.
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Palomar
RejuveLux™ Photofacial: How does
it work?
The Palomar RejuveLux™ handpiece emits pulses of light into the skin. The
light is absorbed by the pigment in the sunspots and the blood in visible vessels,
and converted to heat. The heat dissolves the cells that create the pigment and
shrinks the vessels.
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Palomar RejuveLux™ Photofacial:
What areas can be treated?
Any area, except directly around the eyes. The face, neck, chest, arms, back
and legs can all be treated.
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Palomar RejuveLux™ Photofacial:
What conditions can be treated?
Sun damage, sunspots, rosacea and spider veins can all be treated with the Palomar
RejuveLux™ Photofacial.
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Palomar
RejuveLux™ Photofacial:
What is treatment like?
Dr. Kandula will move the handpiece over your skin, pulsing it all the while.
Each pulse will send a beam of light through your skin. A flashing light, an
audible tone and a mild sensation on the skin will tell you when the handpiece
is being pulsed. A topical anesthetic, such as a numbing cream, may be used
for additional comfort.
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Palomar RejuveLux™ Photofacial:
What kind of results can I expect?
Immediately after treatment, you can expect a mild sunburn-like sensation, possibly
accompanied by some minor swelling. This usually lasts 2-24 hours, and can be
soothed with a cold gel or ice pack. Typically, several treatments will be necessary
to achieve complete clearance of sunspots, rosacea and vessels. Sunspots/Sun
Damage: The
sunspots will darken after treatment and be naturally shed from the skin within
1-2 weeks. Rosacea: Skin tone will be more normal, with less
pronounced redness within a week after treatment. Spider
Veins: Vessels may disappear
after treatment or they may appear darker and then fully or partially fade within
10-14 days.
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Palomar
LuxIR Fractional™ Skin
Tightening: How does it work?
The Palomar LuxIR Fractional™ handpiece delivers infrared
light deep into the dermis layer of the skin. This light causes soft tissue coagulation
which leads to remodeling of the collagen within the dermis. The remodeled collagen
fills in wrinkles and sagging, for overall skin tightening.
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Palomar LuxIR
Fractional™ Skin
Tightening: What areas can be treated?
Palomar LuxIR Fractional™ Skin Tightening offers an effective
method of tightening wrinkled and sagging skin on the face, abdomen, upper arms
and other areas.
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Palomar
LuxIR Fractional™ Skin
Tightening: What is treatment like?
Dr. Kandula will move the handpiece over your skin, pulsing it all the while.
Each pulse will send a beam of light through your skin. The LuxIR system uses
a 3-stage cooling process. It cools the skin before, during and after each light
pulse, so you feel little discomfort during treatment. A flashing light, an audible
tone and a mild sensation on the skin will tell you when the handpiece is being
pulsed. A topical anesthetic, such as a numbing cream, may be used for additional
comfort.
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Palomar
LuxIR Fractional™ Skin
Tightening: What kind of results can I expect?
You may experience lingering warmth, tightness or redness in the treated area,
which fades within a few hours or treatment. Because so much of the skin in unaffected
by the light pulses, there is a quick healing process. Generally, you can receive
a treatment and go back to work or other activities without any recovery time.
A series of treatments at 4-6 week intervals may be required to achieve the desired
result of smoother, tighter skin.
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What is melasma?
Melasma is a natural darkening of the skin cause by excessive
production of melanin - melanin is the pigment that causes
your skin to tan. That's why the sun, which increases melanin
production, usually makes melasma worse. Melasma only occurs
on the areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun. It can
be mild, moderate or severe.
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Who gets melasma?
Melasma is a common skin condition that occurs predominantly in women. In fact,
about 6 million women are estimated to have melasma. Anyone can have it, though
it seems to be more common in people with light brown skin, especially Hispanics
and Asians.
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Will melasma fade away?
Sometimes it does. If melasma does fade without treatment, the dark patches
can take a long time to lighten. Even if melasma fades after the delivery of
a baby, it can return with each future pregnancy. If you are taking birth control
pills and then stop, the discoloration may start to clear gradually.
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What treatments are available for melasma?
There are different prescription and over-the-counter products that can be used
alone or in combination to treat melasma. Tri-Luma® is a triple-combination
product that Dr. Kandula can prescribe to lighten moderate to severe malasma
quickly.
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What
is Tri-Luma® Cream?
Tri-Luma® Cream is a triple-combination cream used to treat moderate-to-severe
melasma. Dr. Kandula can help you determine if Tri-Luma® Cream is right for you.
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Tri-Luma® Cream:
What are the common side effects?
A very few patients may experience severe allergic reactions to Tri-Luma® Cream.
This includes people allergic to sulfites. They may bave trouble breathing or
severe asthma attacks, which can be life-threatening. While using Tri-Luma® Cream,
the skin may develop mild-to-moderate redness, peeling, burning, itching or dryness.
Dr. Kandula will discuss the benefits and side effects of Tri-Luma® Cream during
your consultation.
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Tri-Luma® Cream:
What kind of results can I expect?
Some patients had improvement of their melasma after only 4 weeks. In just 8
weeks, Tri-Luma® Cream will have a maximum effect on lightening moderate-to-severe
melasma. Everyone's skin is different and individual results may vary.
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How
do I use Tri-Luma® Cream?
Gently wash face with a mild cleanser. Do not use a washcloth to apply cleanser,
just your fingers. Rinse & pat dry. Apply Tri-Luma® Cream at night, at least
30 minutes before bedtime. Put a small pea-sized amount of Tri-Luma® Cream on
your fingertip. Apply a thing coat onto the discolored spots. Include about 1/2
inch of normal skin surrounding the affected area. Rub the medicine in lightly
and uniformly into the skin. The medicine should become invisible almost at once.
If you can still see it, you are using too much.
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