Namita Rao - Rao Dermatology

The Pros and Cons of Cosmetic Lip Injections

Full, plump lips are as high in demand as thick, defined brows, but while makeup can help your brows, it doesn’t do much for your lips.

Sure, there are loads of YouTube videos claiming to make your lips bigger in minutes, but the instant solutions you’ll find with a quick internet search won’t last more than a few hours (most of which involve irritants). Enter cosmetic lip injections.

Arguably the most sought after cosmetic treatment, lip injections offer a natural, immediate change to your face. But lip injections aren’t just for those seeking an Angelina Jolie or Kylie Jenner look, they’re also the perfect solution for smoothing out wrinkles around your mouth. Plus, the change is immediate, and the results last up to six months.

However, any kind of cosmetic procedure should be thoughtfully considered, so here are the pros and cons of cosmetic lip injections.

PROS

1. Quick and Immediate with No Downtime
While you’ll start with a consultation appointment to discuss your goals and concerns with your dermatologist, the actual lip injection appointment only takes 30 minutes tops. Cosmetic lip injections are a non-invasive procedure that’s mildly uncomfortable. We start with a topical or local anesthetic to numb and then use a fine needle to make precise injections based on the proportion, symmetry, volume, borders, contours, and shape you’ve decided on. And the results are immediate – while you’ll have some swelling the first day, within 24-48 hours it will be gone. The best part is the recovery time: you can continue on with your day right after the treatment, so you don’t need to go home and hide your face while you recoup.

2. Natural and Subtle
When done properly and with precision, cosmetic lip injections are a subtle, natural change to your appearance. You can plump up both lips or just one and can choose what areas you’d like to change. The difference in size and shape won’t be drastic but can be adjusted over time through follow up treatments. That said, you’ll notice the change yourself, but others likely won’t be able to pinpoint what’s changed about your face aside from looking more youthful. Plus, you’re lips won’t feel any different than they did before – injections don’t desensitize your lips or make them feel differently when you kiss.

3. Temporary and Tailored
Because lip injections are made of either natural or synthetic hyaluronic acid, your body will eventually absorb them (which is why follow up treatments are a must to maintain your look). But this isn’t necessarily bad because it allows you to adjust the look, expand on it, or lose it altogether. If you want more fulness in your bottom lip after your first treatment, that can be done. If you want to gradually plump them up more overall, that can be done. And if you don’t like your new lips, they will eventually return to their natural state. If you want them back now, we can use an eraser enzyme to dissolve the filler in minutes.

CONS

1. Temporary and Cost
While being a temporary treatment is a pro in some ways, it’s a con in others. Because your body absorbs hyaluronic acid, you must repeat the procedure every three to four months to maintain your look. Unfortunately, cosmetic treatments are never cheap, so fillers can range from $500 – $2,000 depending on the course of treatment – but it’s still far less expensive than lip implants or going under the knife for augmentation.

2. Potential for Allergic Reactions and Side Effects
As with any kind of injection, there is a slight possibility of an allergic reaction, though it’s unlikely with lip injections because they use fillers that are already in your body (hyaluronic acid). Side effects, when they occur, are only temporary and may include swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness, and bleeding at the injection site. If you suffer from cold sores, it might trigger an attack. The rarer, but more serious, side effects may include lumps, lip asymmetry, scarring, tissue loss (if injected into a blood vessel), and infection. Typically, these side effects are minimized when the procedure is performed by a dermatologist that specializes in cosmetics.

3. Preparation
To increase effectiveness and decrease the side effects, there are pre-procedure restrictions you should follow. For example, you should avoid any activity that increases blood flow to your face (like a massage, facial, or strenuous exercise). Also, beginning 10 days before your treatment, stay away from medication and supplements that thin your blood (i.e. painkillers, fish oil, vitamin E). If you suffer from cold sores, you’ll want to take preventative meds a couple of days before your treatment.

Want to talk it through with an expert? Contact us today for your free consultation.

3 Ways to Slow the Appearance of Aging

Aging is an inevitable reality of life. You can’t live on this planet rife with UV rays, harsh winds, varying humidity levels, and chemicals – never mind the things we do to ourselves (like smoking and drinking) – and escape unscathed. Even when we wear an SPF 30 every day of our lives and avoid the sun like a vampire, eat healthy, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy skin care regimen, we’re still going to age – it’s part of life.

But if your aging skin is stressing you out and hurting your self-esteem, we can help. From wrinkles to age spots, from melasma to gauntness, from uneven skin tones to acne scars, we can expertly and subtly reduce the signs of aging with non-invasive dermatological procedures like these:

1. Chemical Peels
One of the surest ways to improve aging skin is with a chemical peel which removes the outer layer of your worn and damaged skin (the stratum corneum), replacing it with the new, smoother skin beneath. Best done in the colder months to ensure your new skin won’t suffer sun damage afterward, a chemical peel can treat age spots, crow’s feet, hyperpigmentation, melasma, scars, sagging skin, and wrinkles. While laser treatments became more popular in the 2000s, chemical peels are making a comeback for both effectiveness and affordability. At Rao Dermatology, we use SkinCeutical’s medical grade skin care products to for our chemical peels which also exfoliate your skin and stimulate collagen production to give you a youthful glow, reduce pore size, improve acne, and even out tone and pigmentation.

2. Microdermabrasion
Another way to slow the signs of aging is with microdermabrasion. Considered one of the easiest, quickest, and safest anti-aging methods, microdermabrasion mechanically exfoliates your skin using a diamond tipped wand to polish and remove dead skin cells. Not only does is soften fine lines and wrinkles, but it also smooths your skin’s texture, reduces the appearance of shallow scars, minimizes pores and age spots – all of which promote collagen production which makes your skin fuller and more youthful. Plus, it opens the skin to allow serums and skin care products to better penetrate and treat the skin. Often achieving dramatic results, microdermabrasion works best in a series of treatments and it’s a great procedure for those with sensitive skin.

3. Dermal Fillers
One of the easiest ways to reverse aging, dermal fillers can fix most of your face’s signs of aging from fine lines to deep creases, more obvious scars, thin lips, and the dreaded hollowness under our eyes, in our temples, and cheeks. What dermal fillers do is replaces the lost hyaluronic acid in our skin to add volume and “fill in” gaunt areas. A minimally invasive procedure, dermal fillers can restore your youthfulness instantly.

Depending on your goals and your skin, you may benefit from a combination of these treatments. Our team at Rao Dermatology can create a treatment plan tailored to suit your goals, skin, and budget. Contact us today for your free consultation by filling in the form below.

5 Things You Need to Know About Laser Resurfacing

Despite our best efforts, our skin will age. Sometimes our skin is damaged from acne, chicken pocks, or other scars, sometimes it’s damaged from too many summers without sunscreen or too much time in tanning beds, sometimes it’s damaged from smoking or drinking, but whatever the cause, laser skin resurfacing (also known as a laser peel or ablative laser resurfacing) can help.

A non-invasive, non-surgical treatment, laser skin resurfacing precisely removes skin layer by layer, allowing new skin cells to form which results in a tighter, more youthful appearance. It can reduce wrinkles, eliminate age spots, minimize scarring, and balance skin tone, but there are some key elements to consider when looking into laser skin resurfacing. Here’s what you need to know:

1. It’s Considered Non-invasive, but That’s Not a Guarantee That It Won’t Hurt

Non-invasive means that the body isn’t cut into – it’s not a surgery. And while non-invasive procedures tend to be only mildly uncomfortable, everyone has a different tolerance and threshold for pain. With laser skin resurfacings, it’s usually described as feeling like a rubber band snap against your skin – it stings, but it’s tolerable. The type of laser, location, and depth can also affect how uncomfortable the procedure is. With deeper treatments, we tend to use local anaesthetic or sedation, but more often than not, a topical numbing cream does the trick. Tenderness after the procedure is a given so we may recommend treatment for pain.

2. Not Everyone Is a Good Candidate

The best way to find out if laser skin resurfacing is the right treatment for you is through a consultation with our dermatological team, but there are some issues that may preclude you from treatment. For example, if you’re prone to cold sores or acne, treatment may trigger a flare up. Also, medications and supplements can interfere with the healing process (that includes smoking) and some medications (like aspirin) can increase bleeding after your procedure. Some chronic health conditions can also have a negative impact on results and healing, so be sure to fully disclose your medical history to your doctor. Lastly, be sure to discuss your goals with your dermatologist, laser skin resurfacing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for skin problems. For example, it’s not the most effective treatment for stretch marks, deep wrinkles, or sagging skin.

3. Timing is Everything

Laser-treated skin is extremely sensitive to the sun exposure for up to a year after the procedure, so it’s best to go under the laser in the fall and winter months when there is less sunlight and you spend more time inside. And whether or not you receive laser skin resurfacing, it’s always best to wear a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or higher every day to protect against melanoma and prevent sun damage.

4. It’s a Medical Procedure, Not a Spa Treatment

And with all medical procedures, laser skin resurfacing should be performed by an expert – in this case, a dermatologist. Don’t be lured by deals and brand names, choose a highly-trained and certified professional who has the training, experience, and education to perform laser treatments.

5. Treatments are Customized

Laser skin resurfacing can be done using a variety of lasers that provide different results and treat different issues. Depending on your skin issues, your dermatologist will choose laser treatments specific to your goals, but here are few commonly used lasers:

CO2 Lasers: Used for deeper skin irregularities like scars, warts, and deep wrinkles.
Fractional Lasers: Used to precisely treat small areas like age spots and melasma.
Pulsed-Dye Lasers: Used to treat redness, hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, and rosacea.
Erbium Lasers: Used to encourage collagen production and to treat fine lines, skin laxity, and age spots.

As with most cosmetic procedures, one treatment isn’t a lifetime cure-all for your skin ailments. In a lot of cases, one laser treatment can address your concerns, but more often than not, a series of treatments will give you the lasting results you want. Depending on the type of laser you go with (ablative or non-ablative), you can have zero downtime or you may experience some rawness for a few weeks.

Interested in laser treatments to improve your skin? Contact us today for a free consultation.

Look Great with Our Treatments this Season

The holidays are all about indulgence: lavish turkey dinners with creamy mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans; hot cocoa with Irish cream or rum and eggnog; hordes of holiday treats like chocolate crinkles, butter arts, sugar cookies, and snickerdoodles; and, of course, an abundance of gifts.

So why not indulge in yourself this holiday season with cosmetic treatments that will enhance your looks and help you to look and feel your best for those holiday parties and get-togethers. And if spoiling yourself isn’t altruistic enough for you, gift your loved ones with cosmetic treatments they’ve been fantasizing about but hesitant to try, like these four fan favourites:

1. Dermal Fillers
Winter is hard on the skin, it dries it out causing flakes, itchiness, new lines, and a lacklustre appearance which is why the holidays are the perfect time for dermal fillers. If you’re looking in the mirror and finding that you’ve aged overnight, dermal fillers can help increase elasticity and fullness with no downtime. From fine lines, undereye hollows, scars, and gauntness, dermal fillers plump these worn areas up, resulting in a more youthful appearance immediately. Cost-effective and minimally invasive, dermal fillers can be natural or synthetic and are injected directly into the skin using fine needles for minimal discomfort. The results are instantaneous and can last from two months to two years, depending on your skin. Follow up treatments can help maintain your youthful visage. At Rao Dermatology, we use both natural and synthetic fillers selected by our doctors to produce superior results: Juvederm®, Restylane®, Revanesse, and RADIESSE®.

2. Medical Facials
Everyone loves a facial – they’re the ultimate luxury in pampering. But what medical facials do that spa facials don’t is give real results. Administered by medical aesthetician are trained in advanced skin care and work with your dermatologist to customize your treatment plan, medical facials include an analysis of your skin issues in order to tailor the treatment to your needs. They go beyond the skin’s surface and use medical grade products that produce long-lasting results. Medical facials can make you look more youthful, minimize acne scarring, reduce discolouration, encourage collagen stimulation, improve circulation, and exfoliate and remove toxins. Working at the cellular instead of surface level, medical facials provide instant results.

3. Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty
More commonly known as a “nose job,” rhinoplasties are typically done surgically, but we can reshape your nose without going under the knife. Not only that, but non-surgical rhinoplasties are minimally invasive with no downtime in addition to being a quick procedure. So how do we do it? Well, we carefully and accurately inject hyaluronic (dermal) fillers to correct imperfections, straighten noses, and build up the nasal bridge. A non-surgical rhinoplasty can lift a droopy tip, narrow a bulbous tip, smooth out bumps, create more symmetry, or create a nose bridge – it’s so effective that it’s becoming increasingly popular. Plus, it’s a subtler change to your appearance, it’s less expensive, and it bypasses surgical side effects like scarring and loosening cartilage.

4. Lip Injections
We all want fuller lips and we can achieve them with lip injections. Dermal fillers and/or Botox offer natural, soft, perfectly shaped lips with no downtime. Whether you’ve always had thin lips, they’ve gotten thinner with age, or smoking and sun damage have made them lose their fullness, lip injections can give you a subtle and instantaneous enhancement that will make your lips much more luscious. But don’t worry, at Rao Dermatology, we don’t do “trout pouts” – we use your lip’s natural shape to add the right amount of volume and definition.

So this holiday season, give the gift of youth – to yourself or a loved one with a cosmetic treatment at Rao Dermatology.

The Best Lunchtime Cosmetic Treatments

Gone are the days of pricey surgeries with long recovery times to treat cosmetic issues – in fact, medical and cosmetic advances today allow you to instantly rejuvenate your appearance with zero downtime.

Between pollution, sun exposure, sleep deprivation, and poor food choices, our bodies (especially our skin) can take a beating, so aside from drinking plenty of water, exercising, getting a good night’s sleep, and ditching bad habits (e.g. tanning, smoking, drinking alcohol), you can turn back time or reshape your body at Rao Dermatology on your lunch break!

With that in mind, here are our suggestions for the best lunchtime cosmetic procedures and treatments.

Microdermabrasion

Our skin has two primary layers: epidermis (the surface) and dermis (beneath the skin). But our epidermis itself has five layers, the most exterior being the stratum corneum. Originally thought to be merely an inert, protective sheath, the stratum corneum is actually a complex structure that’s responsible for how our skin looks. This is where microdermabrasion comes in: it’s a specialized dermatological procedure that treats this outermost layer of your skin (going any deeper could potentially damage your skin), think fine lines, acne scarring, age spots, blackheads, uneven textures, wrinkles, and melasma.

A gentle exfoliation technique, it uses a diamond tipped wand to loosen and remove dead skin cells while also stimulating collagen production. A non-chemical, non-invasive procedure (it doesn’t hurt), microdermabrasion is dubbed the “lunchtime facelift” because it’s quick and you can go right back to daily life with minimal impact (you just need to stay out of the sun for a while). Microdermabrasion also works well in tandem with other treatments like chemical peels and it’s a great treatment for “bacne” and stretch marks.

Microneedling

Justifiably, needle and skin might not be two words (or realities) you like pairing together, but the dermal roller microneedling system doesn’t actually hurt (okay, it might be mildly uncomfortable, but we use numbing cream to help with that) since it uses tiny, fine needles on a 5”-6” roller to create microscopic, controlled injuries that produce collagen and elastin to improve your skin’s texture and suppleness. For this reason, it’s called a “collagen induction therapy.”

The injuries, or channels, the roller makes heal quickly and the new collagen production plumps up the skin – this procedure is often coupled with PRP (platelet rich plasma). Many dermatologist favour microneedling for its versatility because it’s effective for all skin tones (it doesn’t trigger hyperpigmentation), it helps with wrinkles and loose skin, acne scarring, and it can even stimulate hair growth. The treatment takes about 20-30 minutes and you can resume your regular routine immediately afterwards with the only aftereffects being some redness and tenderness (like a raw feeling).

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

While it’s known as the “Vampire Facelift,” and the concept of blood therapy might send your thoughts spiraling back to the days of bloodletting, PRP is actually a minimally invasive procedure that uses your own blood to promote collagen production and tissue regeneration.

For many patients, the idea of injecting a foreign filler in their body is scary, so PRP offers comparable results using your body’s own resources. In PRP, your blood is drawn, placed in a centrifuge that separates the platelets and serum from blood cells, which are then enriched with platelets and growth factors to create a solution that improves tone, tightens your skin, and works incredibly well for scarring, restoration, under eye hollows, and hair loss – among other benefits and applications like sports injuries, chronic pain, and accelerated healing. The procedure itself is only about 20-30 minutes and like the others noted above, you can return to your regular activities immediately afterwards.

truSculpt

But what about lunchtime treatments for the rest of my body, you ask? How do you eliminate pesky, troublesome body fat without liposuction? Well, truSculpt can help. A procedure that uses radiofrequency (RF) energy treatment, truSculpt is a nonsurgical body contouring treatment that reduces the appearance of both fat and cellulite. Basically, radiofrequency applies deep, controlled heat to the skin’s fatty layers to tighten and boost circulation so that the lymphatic system drains its fat deposits. Offering improved skin tone and reduced cellulite, truSculpt works best for those with normal BMIs with localized excess fat and healthy lifestyles – it’s not a weight loss procedure.

Looking to enhance your appearance without taking time off work? Try one of these lunchtime procedures – book your consultation today by filling the form below.

What Are Age Spots and How Can They Be Treated?

Age spots – the flat spots of brown, gray, or black that show up on your skin, typically as you age – go by many names: age spots, sun spots, solar lentigo (“lentil-shaped spots”), senile freckles, lentigo senilis (the clinical, Latin term), and liver spots. But despite its names, age spots are age spots (not to be confused with melasma).

But what exactly are they?

We know finding weird spots on your skin can be scary – especially when you don’t know what they are – but age spots are typically harmless. Very similar to freckles (hence the name senile freckles/lentigo senilis), age spots are flat, they don’t have a texture because they’re just a discolouration and they don’t hurt. Usually oval shaped, they tend to cluster together on your hands, face, shoulders, arms, upper chest, and back – all the places that get the most sun (or UV exposure like in a tanning bed).

Age spots are not skin cancer, but they can look similar, so if you’ve got a new and unusually shaped spot on your skin, get checked out by a dermatologist.

Is it just age that causes them or can I prevent them?

Both the names age spots and liver spots are misnomers – neither your age nor your liver cause these spots. While they tend to come with age, they’re not caused by age, they’re caused by repeated sun exposure – that’s right, the older you get, the more you’ve been exposed to the sun, which is why they’re called age spots (it’s correlation not causation).

UV exposure amps up melanin production and age spots are the accumulation of melanin concentrated on the skin – basically an excess of skin pigment. Anyone can get age spots, but it occurs more often in people over 40 years old, people with pale skin, and people with a history of UV exposure (the sun or tanning beds). Total prevention is virtually impossible, but you can reduce your risk of getting age spots by wearing sunscreen daily with UVA and UVB protection with a minimum 15 SPF (even in winter), staying out of the sun during the strongest hours (10am – 3pm), wearing sun-safe clothing, and allowing sunscreen at least 30 minutes to absorb before heading outside or into a pool.

If it doesn’t hurt, do I need to treat it?

Treating age spots is 100% a personal choice though many seek treatment so they can feel good about themselves – no one likes have brown spots – especially on their faces. Treatment can boost your self-esteem, improve the health of your skin, and make you less self-conscious. Generally, most people feel treatment is worth it.

What kind of treatments work for age spots?

At Rao Dermatology, we have a number of treatments that work well for age spots, but we customize our treatments to suit your specific skin needs rather than just one concern. Some of the most effective treatments we offer are chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and laser facials. Depending on your goals, your skin, and your budget, our team can create a treatment plan tailored specifically for you.

Our Top 4 Post-Summer Cosmetic Treatments

We all know the sun wreaks havoc on our skin, so as we creep into shorter days and cooler weather, the summer may have given your skin a beating, leaving it dry, sun-damaged, rough, flat, or wrinkled. If your skin looks and feels lacklustre and parched, these skin rejuvenation treatments will restore its youthfulness and radiance, making you feel like a brand-new person as you face the cold season head-on.

1. Chemical Peels

The best time of year to have a chemical peel is during the cooler months (October to March) because you’re guaranteed to minimize sun damage with shorter days, giving your skin more protection and optimal healing time. If you need multiple treatments, you’ll also have lots of time in between without risking too much sun exposure. Plus, it’s much easier to stay inside when it’s miserable outside (just curl up and binge on some Netflix after your procedure).

A chemical peel can repair post-summer skin damage from pigment changes to wrinkles and fine lines, all while enhancing your skin’s texture and clarity. But the benefit doesn’t stop there, a chemical peel at Rao Dermatology uses SkinCeutical’s medical grade skin care products to exfoliate your skin and stimulate collagen production to keep your skin glowing and radiant while also brightening your complexion, reducing the size of your pores, improving acne, and evening out your pigmentation.

2. Microdermabrasion
Between the sun, water (salt or chlorine), wind (think boating, waterskiing, or even just sitting outside all day), and air conditioning, the summer can ravage your face! A fantastic way to bring it back to its former glory is with microdermabrasion, a non-invasive skin resurfacing treatment that’s safe, easy, quick, and painless. Microdermabrasion is a specialized clinical exfoliation technique that uses a diamond-tipped wand to blow teeny tiny air-driven diamond crystals over your skin that removes the lop layer of skin while also vacuuming it up. The procedure cleanses, abrades, and exfoliates and takes about 30 minutes, ultimately stimulating collagen production and increasing cell turnover. Plus, microdermabrasion can lessen (or eliminate) scars and give you cleaner pores free from acne and blackheads.

3. Intense Pulse Light
You might think light is a strange treatment for skin damage from sunlight, but Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatments are perfect for reversing ultraviolet damage and aging. IPL is a non- ablative (doesn’t cause injury) procedure that uses infrared light to rejuvenate the skin and stimulate collagen production. Improving skin tone and texture from photo damage and vascular conditions (think rosacea), IPL is a great treatment for red and brown spots as well as tiny veins.

Different filters treat different skin conditions, so IPL can be adjusted to suit your unique skin concerns.

4. Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
An injectable treatment that uses your own blood platelets to stimulate new cell growth, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is lauded for its ability to restore your face’s volume while also improving overall complexion and texture. The high concentrations of growth factors and proteins stimulate capillary formation, collagen production, and tissue repair, making it the ideal balm to your damaged summer skin. Unlike the other treatments noted above, PRP not only makes your skin look more refreshed, but it also plumps it up, filling in cheek indents and under-
eye hollows to give you a more youthful visage.

Want to give your skin the best possible fall refresh, try a combination of these treatments to give you the best possible results. Take advantage of the coming cold to pamper yourself, contact us today for your free consultation and our team will devise a treatment plan just for you.

What You Need to Know About Melasma

Melasma is common skin problem that many people don’t know about and don’t realize they have. Manifesting as dark patches (brown and gray-brown) on your cheeks, nose, forehead, chin, and above your upper lip (and sometimes on your neck or forearms – think places that get a ton of sun exposure), melasma is a visible skin problem, rather than an uncomfortable one.

And while it doesn’t hurt or irritate you physically, no one likes having brown splotches randomly (and suddenly out of nowhere) on their face!

Who gets it and why?

People with darker skin tones and who tan easily are more susceptible to melasma as well as thosewhose family members have it. The specific cause of melasma is unknown; however, it’s thought that the people with melasma’s melanocytes (cells that cause pigmentation) are overactive. But even though we don’t know the exact cause, we do know melasma’s triggers:

The Sun: As with most skin problems, sun damage plays a significant role. In this case, UV rays stimulate melanocytes which means that even minimal exposure can bring it back and explains why it recurs.

Your Hormones: With melasma, it seems that hormones are the likely culprit since womentend to get it more than men (only 10% of sufferers are men) and it often comes hand in hand with pregnancy. When pregnant women get it, it’s called chloasma (the mask of pregnancy). But, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapies can also bring it on.

Your Skin Care Regime: Combine an irritating skin care product with sun exposure and/or pregnancy and melasma can worsen, which is a great reason to take good care of your skin with dermatologically approved products for daily advanced skin care like SkinCeuticals.

How is it diagnosed and treated?

As skilled skin experts, dermatologists can diagnose melasma on sight, but we may examine your skin using a Wood’s lamp to see how deeply it’s penetrating your skin. Even though we can typically diagnose immediately, melasma can also look like other skin conditions, so wemay need to perform a skin biopsy to confirm.

For some people, melasma fades without treatment when a trigger is removed (following pregnancy or going off birth control pills), but it’s not always the case. And even though treatment can eliminate your melasma, it tends to recur – especially if you’re not taking proper care to avoid sun damage or care for your skin. The best way to tackle melasma is with a combination of medical treatments, sun protection, and an advanced daily skin care regime.

Medical Treatments: There are many medical treatments you can try for melasma that vary based on your skin and your budget. Be sure to consult with an expert dermatologist because the wrong treatment can create new skin problems; treatments must be tailored to your specific skin.

Medical procedures: Depending on your specific skin, we may suggest laser or light-based treatments or medical facials like a chemical peel or microdermabrasion. Each of these interventions has its own unique benefits and may also aid in correcting other skin problems or concerns.

Medical grade topical treatments: A hydroquinone treatment can be a cream, lotion, gel, or liquid and works to lighten the skin. You may benefit most from azelaic acid, kojic acid, tretinoin, a corticosteroid, or a triple cream (combination of hydroquinone, tretinoin, and a corticosteroid).

Some of these topical treatments are over the counter, while others are prescriptions, but your dermatologist will recommend the best option for you.

Sun Protection: The number one treatment for melasma is sun protection. Because the sun is a major trigger, you should wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30, and zinc oxide or titanium dioxide on your face daily (even on cloudy days and even in the winter). Give the sunscreen 15 minutes to set in before going outside and reapply every couple of hours.
(While this is a good treatment for melasma, it’s just a good practice for your skin no matter what conditions or concerns you have). Also take care to shade your skin as much as possible with hats and clothing to give extra protection since sunscreen alone may not be enough.

Advanced Daily Skin Care Regime: Low-grade skin care products can irritate the skin, causing stinging or burning. A healthy regimen helps prevent skin concerns, treat skin problems, and maintain healthy skin. At Rao Dermatology, we use SkinCeuticals because it’s backed by science and they continually win awards for their pharmaceutical-grade products.

While it’s not necessarily a treatment, if you’re skin is sensitive or prone to melasma, try to avoid waxing. Waxing can cause inflammation and aggravate melasma, so ask us about other hair removal options that will work for you.

What can you expect from melasma treatment?

Melasma can be a stubborn condition, but with a dermatologist’s care and a few months of treatment, you should see improvement. To get the most out of your treatment though, take particular care to follow your dermatologist’s instructions. After it clears, you may need to continue maintenance therapy to prevent the melasma from recurring.

Fill in the form below now to schedule your free consultation.

Look Your Best With Our Natural Looking Lips Fillers

While we might prefer that people are drawn to our eyes, we smile and talk with our mouths, making our lips one of our face’s most noticeable features. Full, symmetrical, and defined lips exude youth and beauty in addition to making you feel more confident, more attractive, and more kissable.

If you’re lips need some plumping, lip fillers and augmentation offer natural, silky, perfectly shaped lips with little downtime. Whether you were born with thin lips, they’ve thinned with age, or smoking and sun damage have made them limp, we can provide you with a subtle, natural solution that will instantly make your lips more luscious.

At Rao Dermatology, we won’t overfill your lips giving you what’s known as a “trout pout,” rather we work with your lips’ natural shape and contours to add volume and definition that’s noticeable enough to enhance your appearance without making you look like Donatella Versace.

What to Expect
Minimally invasive, lip augmentation treatments (dermal fillers) take approximately 20-30 minutes. We use a topical or local anesthetic to reduce discomfort during the treatment, since fillers are injected into your lips using a fine needle. The results are instantaneous and last from three months to two years (depending on your skin and the filler – everyone is different so results vary).

However, there will be swelling, so the way it looks will change slightly once the swelling dissipates 24-48 hours later. Avoiding alcohol and exercise for a day or two will speed up your recovery.
To maintain your new look, you’ll need follow up treatments since the filler will eventually be absorbed by your body, returning your lips to their former state.

The number and location of injections (upper lip, lower lip, philtrum) depend upon your unique lips. Proportion, symmetry, volume, borders, contours, and shape all impact your treatment, meaning lip augmentation is an art form requiring a fine balance and an expert hand. For some, lip fillers aren’t enough. If your lips are full and youthful, but your mouth and face are surrounded by wrinkles, you may need complementary treatments to make the change more natural and subtle.

We use two premium dermal fillers for lip augmentation – Restylane® Kysse and Belotero Intense – but our team will determine which filler is best for you at your consultation which you can book using the form below.

How We Can Help Treat Excessive Sweating

Sometimes you want to work up a sweat, it makes you feel energized, alive, and powerful. But if you’re sweating profusely and visibly on a date, at the office, in a job interview, or at a party, it’s just embarrassing. Imagine putting on a freshly pressed, crisp suit for a job interview only to arrive wrinkled and damp with sweat trickling down your jaw and dripping from your hands.

Sweating that much without strenuous exercise is called hyperhidrosis. While it’s normal to perspire when you’re warm, have a fever, exercise, or feel stressed, hyperhidrosis prevents your sweat glands from shutting off – some people sweat in air conditioning, while reading a book, or even while swimming because of this condition. And it’s not just embarrassing, it’s uncomfortable!

About 2-3% of people have hyperhidrosis which can be an unexplained disorder of its own (primary or focal hyperhidrosis) or sign of an underlying medical condition (secondary or generalized hyperhidrosis). Those with primary hyperhidrosis sweat about five times more than the average person and they sweat from their eccrine sweat glands (feet, hands, face, and underarms).

The cause for primary hyperhidrosis isn’t known, though there’s a familial connection and most people have had it since childhood. On the other hand, secondary hyperhidrosis stems from a medical condition or a medication and it happens all over the body rather than in concentrated areas, often during sleep (think waking up with soaked sheets).

A number of medications cause secondary hyperhidrosis in addition to pregnancy, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, menopause, obesity, lymphoma, Parkinson’s, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and infection. If you’re not sure which form you have, learn more here and keep track of your symptoms with this worksheet.

How do you treat hyperhidrosis?
Since secondary hyperhidrosis results from an existing condition or medication, addressing the underlying issue should alleviate the excessive sweating. And while primary hyperhidrosis is unexplained (it’s still being researched) it is treatable using neuromodulators and ThermiDry.

This neuromodulator (Botulinum toxin type A) is a safe and effective treatment for excessive sweating and can decrease sweating by up to 87% (up to 90% for hand sweating). It works by blocking the nerve signals that trigger sweating and can treat underarms, palms, foot soles, foreheads, scalps, and groins – almost every area responds to this treatment. Injections themselves take about 15 minutes and you’ll notice a decrease in sweating within 2-4 days with full effects noted within two weeks and lasting about a year (but every person is different, so results may vary). Repeated neuromodulators for hyperhidrosis results in long-lasting improvements and notable increases in quality of life, daily functioning, and job productivity.

ThermiDry is one of the world’s safest and most effective hyperhidrosis treatments and it’s a great alternative to neuromodulators (which can be costly if you don’t have coverage). A three-step
procedure, ThermiDry begins with a numbing cream followed by a sterile, numbing injection (saline, lidocaine, bicarbonate, and epinephrine) before injecting a radiofrequency probe. The probe uses electrically-generated heat energy to destroy glandular cells in the sweat glands and to target the glands’ nerves and muscles that trigger sweat production and secretion. By deactivating some of those glands, ThermiDry reduces sweating while still allowing the body to sweat to maintain body temperature.

At Rao Dermatology, we can safely and reliably reduce excessive sweating. Book a consultation with us today by filling in the contact form below.