Face - Rao Dermatology

Frown Line Treatments

Make Frown Lines Disappear

Frown lines are the result of gathering or knitting the tissue between the eyebrows into a fold. They are caused by the repeated action of underlying muscles associated with facial expression.

Years of squinting and frowning tend to leave deep wrinkles in the skin between the eyebrows and on the bridge of the nose, across the forehead and at the corners of the eyes.

BOTOX® can be used to treat frown lines and prevent the muscles from contracting and deepening the lines. In order to treat already existing wrinkles, fillers can be used in combination with BOTOX®

Frown Lines

Frown Lines form over time. Repeated movement of the facial skin by the muscles creates frown lines between the eyebrows.

Frown Lines are not only age related. Frown lines are dynamic they happen because of the way a person’s face moves. Because frown lines are created by facial movements such as frowning or squinting, they may develop even in younger adults.

The muscles above and between the eyebrows contract and tighten, and can cause wrinkles. Forehead or frown lines can present a frequent problem for both men and women as the year’s rolls by. As we age, our skin starts to lose tightness and cannot return to the same place it was in our younger days.

What Causes Frown Lines

Frown lines are primarily caused by aging. As you age, your skin loses elasticity and doesn’t easily return to its original shape.

Other things that contribute to having frown lines are:

Genetics. Your DNA determines whether you have the type of skin that is resilient and can delay lines or the type of skin that is more prone to lines and wrinkles.
Sunlight. The UV rays in sunlight break down the elastin and collagen in your skin, making you more susceptible to the formation of lines.
Repeated expressions. If there is a facial expression that you often make (like frowning, smiling, squinting or furrowing your eyebrows), you may be more likely to get frown lines.
Stress. This can cause facial tension, which can lead to repeated facial expression, which can lead to frown lines.
Smoking. The repeated motion of smoking a cigarette or cigar can cause frown lines around the mouth. The tobacco smoke inhaled causes wrinkles and lines due to a narrowing of the blood vessels, which then deliver less oxygenated blood to those tissues.

How We Can Help Smooth Out Forehead Lines

We offer several effective ways to reduce frown lines:

Neuromodulators

By injecting neuromodulators (botulinum toxin type A) beneath the surface of your skin, we can reduce the muscle contractions in your face, ultimately smoothing those creases and softening those lines, helping to bring back your youthful skin.

Dermal Fillers

We use both natural and synthetic fillers at Rao Dermatology that produce superior results in combination with our doctors’ skill, technique, experience, and training.

Offering Juvederm®, Restylane®, Revanesse, and RADIESSE® dermal fillers, our doctors will assess your skin and recommend the filler best suited to your skin and risk tolerance.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

PRP is an injectable therapy that uses your own blood platelets to rejuvenate your skin. By drawing your blood and spinning it down, we then inject the platelets into your skin to improve texture, links, and wrinkles.

By placing it deeper into areas like your frown lines, PRP can stimulate other cells to create fuller, healthier-looking skin. Because PRP uses your own cells and tissues, the side effects are significantly lower than neuromodulators or dermal fillers.

Changes to the skin with PRP are gradual and continue for three to six months, and it lasts for about two years.

If you want to book a free consultation to learn more about how we can help smooth out your forehead and frown lines then please fill in the form below.

Eczema & Atopic Dermatitis Treatment

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Banish Itchy Skin

The terms “eczema” or “dermatitis” are used to describe a group of skin conditions characterized by inflamed skin. Eczema can be red, blistering, oozing, scaly, brownish, or thickened and usually itches.

Eczema shows up most often on the face, hands, feet, wrists and the back of the knees (though it can appear in other areas). The affected skin often appears dry, thick and even scaly.

The most common symptom is intense itchiness. Occasionally the skin will start itching even before the rash surfaces.

Eczema or atopic dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin condition, where the skin thickens and roughens. It is typically itchy, and sometimes can be extremely itchy, creating a scratch-itch cycle that perpetuates the skin lesions.

What Causes Eczema

It’s still not known exactly what causes eczema. The most common type of eczema – atopic dermatitis – resembles an allergy. But the skin irritation, which is more often seen in children rather than adults, is not an allergic reaction.

It is currently believed that that eczema is caused by a combination of factors that include:

Genetics
Abnormal function of the immune system
Environment
Activities that may cause skin to be more sensitive
Defects in the skin barrier that allow moisture out and germs in

In eczema, the immune system is “overreactive” and hastens the production of new skin, thereby creating the patchy, thickened appearance, characteristic of eczema.

Certain food or environmental allergens may trigger a hyperreactive response from the immune system, which then presents on the skin. It is important to determine if and to what degree these triggers are contributing to your eczema.

Some people may have “flare-ups” of the itchy rash in response to certain substances or conditions. For some, coming into contact with rough or coarse materials may cause the skin to become itchy. For others, feeling too hot or too cold, exposure to certain household products like soap or detergent, or coming into contact with animal dander may cause an outbreak. Upper respiratory infections or colds may also be triggers. Stress may cause the condition to worse

Different Types Of Eczema

There are several different types of eczema. Unfortunate patients may have more than one type at a time. Here are the main types of eczema with a description of their characteristics.

Atopic Dermatitis – The most common form of eczema, atopic dermatitis is chronic and inflammatory. Atopic dermatitis is related to asthma and hay fever, but it is not an allergy. Still, the immune system overreacting to irritants, whether inside or outside the body, is behind the chronic flare-ups. The symptoms listed above are for atopic dermatitis.

Contact Dermatitis – When a person with contact dermatitis touches irritating substances or allergens, his or her skin becomes inflamed, causing it to burn, itch, and become red. Irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis are the most common forms.

Dyshidrotic Eczema – This form of eczema produces small, itchy blisters on the edges of the fingers, toes, palms, and soles of the feet. Twice as prevalent in women as men, dyshidrotic eczema may be triggered by stress, allergies, moist hands and feet, or exposure to nickel in jewelry, cobalt in metal objects and some paints, or chromium salts in cement, leather, paint, and other products.

Neurodermatitis – This form of eczema starts with an itchy patch of skin. These occur in commonly scratched areas, and scratching then makes the areas more irritated and itchy. This itch-scratch cycle causes the affected skin to become thick and leathery. Neurodermatitis occurs in areas that can be reached and scratched: the head, neck, wrists, forearms, ankles, vulva, scrotum, and anus. Treatment success depends on the patient being able to resist the urge to rub or itch the affected areas, but this can be difficult as the itching can be intense.

Nummular Dermatitis – This form of eczema looks much different than other more common forms. Patients with nummular dermatitis develop coin-shaped spots on their skin. These spots can be very itchy and difficult to treat. It is thought that nummular dermatitis can be triggered by insect bites, reactions to skin inflammation, or dry skin in the winter.

Seborrheic Dermatitis – Another chronic form of eczema, seborrheic dermatitis appears on areas of the body where there are a lot of oil-producing sebaceous glands, such as the upper back, scalp, and the nose. This form of eczema is common in infants and is known colloquially as “cradle cap.” In adults, it also commonly appears on the scalp. Symptoms may range from dry flakes (dandruff) to yellow, greasy scales with reddened skin. It’s thought that hormones play a role in this form of eczema.

Stasis Dermatitis – Also known as venous eczema, this occurs when the patient has a problem with blood flow in the veins and pressure develops. This pressure can cause fluid to leak out of the veins and into the skin, resulting in stasis dermatitis. This usually occurs in the lower legs. Symptoms include swelling around the ankles, redness, scaling, itching, and pain.

How We Treat Eczema

After checking your skin, discussing your symptoms, your health history, and your family history of eczema or allergies, Dr. Rao will be able to tell if it’s eczema. From there, treatment options may depend on the severity of your inflammation, and what type of eczema you have. Please fill in the form below to book your consultation.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

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Seborrheic Dermatitis: Symptoms & Treatments

Seborrheic dermatitis, a type of skin condition that most often causes facial dryness and scalp itchiness, affects millions of children and adults in Canada.

It can be tricky to recognize or diagnose seborrheic dermatitis because the skin reactions it triggers mimic those caused by similar conditions like psoriasis, other forms of eczema or even allergic reactions.

Seborrheic dermatitis commonly affects adults between the ages of 30-60 and infants under 3 months.

What Is Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is defined as a chronic, recurrent, inflammatory skin condition characterized by erythema and skin flaking. It’s actually a form of eczema and is also known as seborrheic eczema.

It usually causes symptoms like itching, skin dryness or oiliness, and other common changes in skin texture, such as scalp dandruff. Unlike many people assume, seborrheic dermatitis is not contagious.

When an adolescent or adult has seborrheic dermatitis, symptoms can come and go for the rest of their life. Very few cases will clear up without treatment. Flare-ups come without warning, often triggered by cold, dry weather or periods of stress.

The parts of the body most likely to develop itchiness and other symptoms include:

Face – dryness, and redness usually form on the forehead near the skin folds, eyebrows and front hairline
Scalp – dandruff is regarded as a mild, noninflammatory form of seborrheic dermatitis. More than half of patients with this condition develop symptoms on the scalp.
Ears
Upper chest
Back
Near the neck or collarbone
Any bodyfold, such as near the groin

What Causes Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Doctors don’t know the exact cause of seborrheic dermatitis. It appears that many factors work together to cause this inflammatory skin condition, including genes, yeast that is normally present on our skin, living in a cold, dry climate, stress and a person’s overall health.
Seborrheic dermatitis is not contagious. It is not caused by a lack of hygiene and it is not an allergic reaction. Although this condition can be uncomfortable and even embarrassing, it is not harmful to your health.

Psoriasis Vs. Seborrheic Dermatitis

Psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis can look similar. Some people may have both of these skin conditions, but the two disorders have some key differences.

Both of these skin conditions may affect the scalp, which is why they are often confused.

One of the major differences between seborrheic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis is their appearance. Scalp psoriasis appears powdery and has a silver sheen, whereas seborrheic dermatitis is more likely to appear yellow and greasy.

What Treatments Are Effective For Seborrheic Dermatitis?

While there is no cure for seborrheic dermatitis, the right treatment can ease symptoms and make flare-ups more manageable. The best type of treatment for each patient will vary based on age and where symptoms occur most often.

After checking your skin, discussing your symptoms, your health history, and your family history with seborrheic dermatitis, Dr. Rao will be able to determine the right course of treatment.

Book Your Consultation Today

Our team is committed to working with you to develop a synergistic approach for enhancing your skin’s health. Dr. Rao has extensive experience and expertise in skin care treatments in Edmonton. Book your consultation with us today!

Psoriasis Treatments

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Treat The Symptoms Of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a recurring autoimmune disorder characterized by red, flaky patches on the skin.

Even though it affects your skin, psoriasis actually begins deep inside your body in your immune system.

It comes from your T cells, a type of white blood cell. T cells are designed to protect the body from infection and disease. When these cells mistakenly become active and set off other immune responses, it can lead to psoriasis symptoms.

Even though there’s no cure, many treatments exist to ease the symptoms of psoriasis.

Approximately 1 million Canadians are affected by psoriasis. Psoriasis is a persistent skin disorder characterized by red, thickened areas with silvery scales, most often on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back.

The outbreaks, severity, and the chronic nature of psoriasis can make it debilitating and embarrassing for those who have the condition. It is not contagious. It can affect both men and women and usually shows up in early adolescent years. Psoriasis is often mistaken for other skin conditions such as dandruff, eczema and seborrheic dermatitis.

Types Of Psoriasis

There are several common types of psoriasis, including plaque psoriasis (the most common type), guttate psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, nail psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It is a chronic condition that may feature periods of flare up and remission. The elbows, knees and scalp are the most common areas to be affected, however, psoriasis can present anywhere on the body

Plaque Psoriasis
Plaque psoriasis, or psoriasis vulgaris, is the most common form of psoriasis. An estimated 80 percent of people with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis. It’s characterized by thick red patches of skin, often with a silver or white scaly layer.

These patches often appear on the:

elbows
knees
lower back
scalp

Guttate Psoriasis
Guttate psoriasis appears in small red spots on the skin. It’s the second most common type, affecting 10 percent of people with psoriasis. Most of the time it starts during childhood or young adulthood.

The spots are small, separate, and drop-shaped. They often appear on the torso and limbs, but they can also appear on your face and scalp. Spots are usually not as thick as plaque psoriasis, but they can develop into plaque psoriasis over time.

Flexural Psoriasis
Flexural or inverse psoriasis often appears in skinfolds, such as under the breasts or in the armpits or groin area. This type of psoriasis is red and often shiny and smooth.

The sweat and moisture from skinfolds keeps this form of psoriasis from shedding skin scales. Sometimes it’s misdiagnosed as a fungal or bacterial infection. The skin-on-skin contact can make inverse psoriasis very uncomfortable.

Pustular Psoriasis
Pustular psoriasis is a severe form of psoriasis. It develops fast in the form of many white pustules surrounded by red skin.

Pustular psoriasis may affect isolated areas of the body, like the hands and feet, or cover most of the skin’s surface. These pustules can also join together and form scaling.

What Causes Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is caused by an overactive immune system and is thought to be a genetic disease that is triggered by environmental factors. In a process called cell turnover, skin cells that grow deep in the skin rise to the surface. Normally this process takes about a month, but in people with psoriasis it happens in days because the cells rise too fast.

Book Your Free Psoriasis Consultation Today

We are on the cutting edge as far as understanding all the medical treatment options as well as the more natural treatment options for psoriasis. Our individual psoriasis treatment is based on a patient’s health, age, lifestyle, and the severity of the psoriasis. Dr. Rao will evaluate your psoriasis on an individual basis and give you the optimal treatment plan for you.

Age Spots: How to Make Them Go Away

You don’t need to be “old” to have age spots. While these dark spots do tend to sprout up as you get older, if you spent lots of time in the sun, they can reveal themselves much earlier. Age spots can make you feel self-conscious, but thankfully, there’s much you can do to get rid of them.

Age spots are a result of the body producing excess melanin. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, the body produces extra melanin to protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. The more melanin produced, the darker the skin becomes. Age spots appear when excess melanin in the skin becomes clumped together.

Where Age Spots Appear

Age spots usually appear in areas of skin that are commonly exposed to the sun, including the:

face
backs of the hands
shoulders
back
arms
tops of the feet

Age spots can develop singly or in clusters. They vary in size and may range from 0.2–2.0 centimeters in diameter. Age spots tend to form in people aged 40 and over, though they can also develop in younger people who frequently get sunburns or use tanning beds.

Our Age Spot Treatments

We offer a number of different treatment types of age and liver spots that might be right for you including:

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy

IPL is a photorejuvination treatment that focuses primarily on irregular pigmentation, sun damage, and discolouration or brown spots on the surface of the skin or face. A broad spectrum of light is transmitted through a small, smooth, transparent handpiece which is gently placed over the skin. Cut-off filters in the handpiece change the wavelength range allowing it to be optimized for different applications and skin types.

The light penetrates the tissue and is absorbed by either the blood when treating vascular lesions or the melanin when treating pigmented lesions damaging them. The body’s natural processes then remove the injured tissue giving the skin a more even and youthful appearance.

You’ll need to have a few follow-up treatments but you should see those age spots fade away in the next few weeks or months.

Microdermabrasion

Think of this treatment as being like sandpaper to the surface of your skin. The procedure at our state of the art Edmonton clinic polishes the skin and removes dead skin cells which are then vacuumed up into a filter. The skin is left soft and supple while stimulating the regeneration of new thicker firmer skin.

Our Microdermabrasion procedures are most effective when they are performed as a series of treatments. However, even one treatment can make a huge difference in skin texture and appearance. It provides a full resurfacing effect, so your skin appears younger-looking, softer and more luminous.

Chemical Peel

A chemical peel is a skin treatment which is used to improve and smooth out the surface of the facial skin. A chemical solution is used to remove top layers of skin which allows the dead surface skin to peel off. The peeling process leads to new skin growth which is usually smoother, healthier and less wrinkled compared to the old skin.

With all of these treatments, it’s important to keep out of the sun. After you’ve healed, you must take proper care of your skin when you go outdoors or you’ll wind up with more age spots. Use broad spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreen with an SPF of 30 to 50, even on days you’re not spending sitting by the pool or luxuriating on the beach to keep yourself protected.

Want to know which of these treatments for age spots is right for you? Come in for a consultation and we’ll let you know! You can book using the form below.

Botox® For Migraines

Migraines are severe headaches that can create nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. Any type of anxiety, stress, exposure to light, caffeine, alcohol, hunger, or hormonal changes (ie. during pregnancy and peri-menstrual), and sleeplessness can prompt this type of unrelenting headache.

The good news is that Botox® is now approved by Health Canada to help counteract chronic migraine headaches. However, it is important to choose the appropriate migraine treatment depending on the frequency and severity of the headache.

Chronic migraine sufferers encounter many symptoms which include:

Intense, sometimes throbbing or pulsing headache pain
Nausea and/or vomiting when headaches occur
Sensitivity to light and/or sound that increases the pain
Aggravated by routine physical activity, e.g. walking or climbing stairs

Because sufferers have lived with these type of severe headaches for so long, it is challenging for many of them to remember what not having a headache feels like.

Even during their good days, sufferers are often worried about when that next migraine will strike. As a result many chronic migraine sufferers are affected socially and may also deal with depression, anxiety and other chronic pain.

The discovery of BOTOX® for the use of migraines came about accidentally as patients who happened to suffer from migraines noticed that their migraines improved after cosmetic BOTOX® injections to reduce brow and forehead wrinkles

The Benefits Of Botox® For Migraines

Botox® for migraines offers the following benefits:

Botox® has been proven in clinical studies to reduce the number of days patients suffer migraines
Treatment is minimally invasive and discomfort during the procedure is minimal
Botox® may offer long-lasting results, with patients able to go 12 weeks between treatments

What to Expect

Patients can expect symptom relief within two to three weeks. To achieve the maximum benefits, many patients require a series of treatment sessions. BOTOX® has been in use since 1989, so it has an excellent safety record.

BOTOX® is capable of preventing migraines before they start. There are acute treatments for migraines, but they’re designed to be used after the headache has started.

Treatment with BOTOX® is different because it prevents migraines before they occur. To enjoy ongoing relief from chronic migraines, you’ll likely need injections every 12 weeks. On average, the treatment is capable of preventing up to nine headache days per month.

Book Your Consultation Today

If you are suffering from excessive migraines we invite you to attend a free consultation with Dr. Rao and the Rao Dermatology team to see how effective Botox® treatments can be to help you find migraine relief. Fill in the form below to book your consultation today.

Enlarged Facial Pores

Many people associate large pores with the teenage acne years, for many, however, enlarged pores along with excess oil continues long into adulthood.

Where ever there is skin, there are pores. These tiny openings are responsible for secreting perspiration and/or oil to either keep the body cool (perspiration) or lubricated (oil). Although it is impossible to count, it is estimated the average person has over 1 Million pores.

What Causes Enlarged Pores

When you are young, your skin is plump and tight. The strength of the skin’s cellular matrix pushes tightly against pores, cinching their openings, which makes them seem smaller. As you age, the proteins responsible for keeping your skin taught and firm, collagen and elastin, begin to break down. This natural break down of collagen and elastin can cause all sorts of havoc on our complexion. Wrinkles, fine lines, and loose, sagging skin are the most recognized consequences of aging. But the breakdown of fortifying proteins also allows gravity to have a stronger pull on your skin’s surface, essentially distending your pores, stretching them out into a more noticeable, oval-shaped gape.

After the biological factors comes the environmental factors that make pores look bigger. While the loss of collagen and elastin are unavoidable with age, there are many external elements that can speed up and intensify the rate of collagen and elastin breakdown. The biggest culprit? The sun. UV radiation has been shown to damage collagen production, a condition that’s often referred to as photoaging. Other lifestyle choices that damage collagen, such as smoking will enlarge the appearance of pores.

How To Minimize Pores

Cleanse Your Face
Clogged pores or an oily complexion can make pores look larger. Cleansing twice daily can unclog pores, prevent clogged pores, and reduce oiliness. When cleansing your face, you’ll want to:

Use warm water. Hot water can irritate your skin, causing pores to look larger.

Gently wash your face. Scrubbing can irritate your skin, causing inflammation. When skin is inflamed, pores tend to be more noticeable.
Find a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser. Again, you want to do everything you can to stop irritating your skin and stop clogging your pores.

Chemical Peels
With our chemical peel treatments, you can begin your journey to healthier, more youthful-looking skin with our advanced, non-surgical cosmetic Skinceutical treatments

Intense Pulse Light (IPL)
Intense Pulse Light treatment is a photorejuvination treatment that focuses primarily on irregular pigmentation, sun damage, and discolouration or brown spots on the surface of the skin or face. A broad spectrum of light is transmitted through a small, smooth, transparent handpiece which is gently placed over the skin.

Cut-off filters in the handpiece change the wavelength range allowing it to be optimized for different applications and skin types. The light penetrates the tissue and is absorbed by either the blood when treating vascular lesions or the melanin when treating pigmented lesions damaging them. The body’s natural processes then remove the injured tissue giving the skin a more even and youthful appearance.

Sciton Profractional Laser
The Sciton Profractional procedure is designed to rejuvenate your complexion and treat a variety of skin conditions related to your skin’s quality. The laser can efficiently improve the health of your skin by making microscopic perforations in the tissue, which stimulate your body’s natural healing process.

As a result, new collagen begins to grow, which can ultimately cause a tightening effect. Unlike other types of laser skin resurfacing, ProFractional™ only treats a small area of the skin that is being targeted. By doing so, the problem areas can be corrected without the need for a long recovery period. As collagen continues to grow over the course of several months, the overall look and feel of your skin can gradually improve.

Book Your Free Consultation Now

Our team is committed to working with you to develop a synergistic approach for enhancing your skin’s health. Dr. Rao has extensive experience and expertise in large pore treatments in Edmonton.
During his consultation with you, he will address your specific needs and goals and answer any questions or concerns you may have about the procedure. In addition, he will make recommendations as to the best treatment plan for achieving your desired results. Use the form below to book now.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

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Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatments

Laser resurfacing is an effective treatment to reduce facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, such as blemishes or acne scars.

The technique directs short, concentrated pulsating beams of light at irregular skin, precisely removing skin layer by layer. This popular procedure is also called lasabrasion, laser peel, or laser vaporization

What Is Laser Skin Resurfacing

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. First, lets take a look at why wrinkles and lines occur.

Why Lines & Wrinkles Occur

Lines and wrinkles are among the most well-known signs of aging. They develop when the skin begins to get loose. Wrinkles then form because of the resulting slack in the skin. All this happens because of a reduction of a protein in the skin called collagen. It helps give the skin fullness and keep it tight. The body naturally produces it, but not always in the same quantities.

As you age, the amount of collagen produced in your skin begins to drop off. Less collagen means the tightness of the skin that was present earlier will be reduced. When you see those crow’s feet next to your eyes or those wrinkles around your mouth, it is the lack of collagen that caused them.

Another sign of aging is the presence of sunspots on the skin. While many people refer to them as age spots, they are caused more by exposure to the sun than by the simple passage of time.

As a way of protecting itself against the harmful UV rays emitted by the sun, the skin will produce more melanin in response to sun exposure. Since melanin is what produces pigment in the skin, more of it leads to darker skin in the form of a tan. However, when this process is repeated over time, the melanin will start to concentrate in spots throughout the skin. When this happens, there will be no smooth, even tone to the skin. Instead, dark spots will be scattered across its surface

How Does Skin Resurfacing Help Get Rid Of Fine Lines & Wrinkles

Laser skin resurfacing can be done using a variety of lasers that provide different results and treats 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.

During the procedure, the laser uses pulses of light delivered in a pre-selected pattern to treat the top layer of skin for resurfacing, while simultaneously sending heat to the deeper layers of skin to provide longer-term benefits. A natural protective dressing forms on the skin to minimize downtime during the restorative process. On day 3 or 4, this natural dressing will peel or slough off, leaving new, healthy, vibrant skin underneath.

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.

Book Your Skin Resurfacing Consultation Today

If you would like to know more about our laser skin resurfacing treatments please don’t hesitate to come in for a free consultation with Dr. Rao. He will assess your skin and make recommendations as to the best treatment plan for achieving your desired results. Use the form below to book now.

Traumatic Scar Treatment

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Effective Scar Treatments

When the body suffers a trauma, an injury, accident or burn, the skin reacts by forming a scar. These markings can be either subtle, or quite noticeable, causing one to feel self-conscious and socially shut down.

While it is true that a scar will never totally disappear, we have many methods available that can help improve a scar’s appearance.

Whenever your body undergoes trauma resulting in a wound, a scar happens. Scarring can result from practically anything that harms your skin including: chicken pox, lacerations, acne, sports injuries, tattoos, burns, trauma, accidents, piercings, vaccinations, bites, and surgery.

Abnormal scars can be raised, thick, depressed, uneven, vascular, darker (hyperpigmented), or paler (hypopigmented) than the adjacent skin. All of these characteristics allow the scar to stand out visually against the neighboring normal skin.

It is true that a scar will never totally disappear but happily, there are many methods available today that can help improve a scar’s appearance.

The Different Types Of Scars

There are three basic types of scars:

Atrophic scars
Keloid scars
Hypertrophic scars

Atrophic scars are typically the result of acne, and they are concave, dipping lower than the surface of the skin. Their depth can vary, and there are several scar revision options to treat them.

Both keloid and hypertrophic scars are convex and bulge upward from the skin’s surface. Hypertrophic scars are caused by the body’s overproduction of collagen and can take on a red, raised appearance. Keloid scars can continue to grow and surpass the original area of injury; they also carry a bigger threat of becoming overgrown.

At Rao Derm in Edmonton, we offer scar reduction and revision treatments to help clear up your skin once and for all. We have medical spa services as well as laser treatments that can address various parts of the skin, depending on the size and location of your scar.

Our Non Invasive Scar Reduction Treatments

Skin Treatments: Using microdermabrasion, chemical peels or dermal infusion can help boost the skin’s cell turnover to reduce scarring on the surface of the skin.

Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers are injectables that use either natural or synthetic hyaluronic acid to plump up your skin. In contrast to neuromodulators, dermal fillers create volume and fullness which achieve a natural, youthful appearance and fill in thin lips, hollows around the eyes, or gauntness in your temples.

The results with dermal fillers are instantaneous and long-lasting (three months to two years). We often use dermal fillers in combination with neuromodulators to achieve the best results since they each have different strengths.

Chemical Peels
With our chemical peel treatments, you can begin your journey to healthier, more youthful-looking skin with our advanced, non-surgical cosmetic Skinceutical treatments

Without downtime, these customized, medical-grade chemical peels exfoliate and stimulate the skin to improve a variety of conditions, including hyperpigmentation, acne, signs of fine lines and wrinkles, and many other concerns. At Rao Dermatology, we can improve the appearance of your skin with results that give off a smoother, more radiant glow.

Sciton Profractional
The Sciton Profractional procedure is designed to rejuvenate your complexion and treat a variety of skin conditions related to your skin’s quality. The laser can efficiently improve the health of your skin by making microscopic perforations in the tissue, which stimulate your body’s natural healing process.

Book Your Free Scar Treatment Consultation Today

Our team is committed to working with you to develop a synergistic approach for enhancing your skin’s health and reducing the signs of aging. Dr. Rao has extensive experience and expertise in scar treatments in Edmonton.

During his consultation with you, he will address your specific needs and goals and answer any questions or concerns you may have about the procedure. In addition, he will make recommendations as to the best treatment plan for achieving your desired results. Use the form below to book now.

Blotchy Skin Treatments

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Banish Blotchy Skin

Millions of men and women all over the world suffer from blotchy skin. These patches of red, and sometimes irritated or itchy, skin can appear anywhere on the body, but they are most commonly found on the arms, neck, and face.

These blotchy patches can be caused by a variety of factors, such as weather, genetics, allergies, or environmental conditions.

Luckily, there are ways to reduce the appearance of blotchy skin, including treatment options that are both efficient and non-invasive.

If you have blotchy skin, it might feel like it’s a challenge just to step outside your house without makeup on your face. Red and blotchy skin – especially the kind caused by rosacea, acne, and even acne scars – can cause self-esteem issues, making it hard for sufferers to experience a confident and social lifestyle.

What Is Blotchy Skin?

Blotchy skin is usually associated with red, sometimes irritated and itchy skin, as well as darker patches of skin that most commonly occur on the face, but also the neck and other parts of the body.

Broken capillaries, also known as telangiectasia, are more likely to occur if you have a dry, thin or sensitive skin or those suffering from skin conditions such as rosacea or acne. Commonly found on the nose and cheek areas, these capillaries sit very close to the surface of the skin, making them more noticeable. Both men and women can be affected, but due to hormonal shifts and pregnancy, women are more likely to develop this problem. It usually develops around child-bearing age and can worsen as we age.

What Causes Blotchy Skin?

There are a variety of possible causes of blotchy skin. Chemical skin irritants like the ones found in perfumes, dyes, and detergents can make blotches appear, as can the rubbing of rough fabric against the skin. Dust and animal dander are other examples of skin irritants.

Environmental factors like allergens in the air, extreme hot or cold, and strong winds are also major causes of skin blotches. Genetics, stress and hormones can also play a role in your skin having a blotchy appearance.

Fair skin shows redness and irritation more prominently than dark skin, so those with fairer skin are more susceptible to blotchiness. Women who are experiencing fluctuations in hormone levels are more prone to this issue. One’s genes can also make them more likely to experience it.

What Are Other Causes of Blotchy Skin?

Excessive alcohol consumption and excessive exercise can increase blood pressure, causing the capillaries to dilate and over time, causes these ‘broken capillaries.’

Smoking can cause oxidative stress so that insufficient oxygen reaches the tissues resulting in blocking of the blood vessel, which in turn leads to dilation of the capillaries.

Poor diets affect the body’s ability to regenerate itself. Excessive UV exposure and repeated sunburn break down collagen, making these vessels more visible.

Our Blotchy Skin Treatments

The team at Rao Dermatology provides advanced, medical grade treatments designed to enhance a smoother, firmer, and even-toned complexion. During your consultation at our Edmonton clinic, our skincare experts may recommend the following treatments for your blotchy skin issues:

Chemical Peels
With our chemical peel treatments, you can begin your journey to healthier, more youthful-looking skin with our advanced, non-surgical cosmetic Skinceutical treatments

Microdermabrasion
Turn back time with our Microdermabrasion diamond procedure. This advanced facial treatment encourages the production of collagen and elastin tissue, creating a firmer, more youthful facial contour. Your skin will feel and look smoother, more radiant and even.

What is Intense Pulse Light Treatment?
Intense Pulse Light treatment is a photo rejuvenation treatment that focuses primarily on irregular pigmentation, sun damage, and discoloration or brown spots on the surface of the skin or face. A broad spectrum of light is transmitted through a small, smooth, transparent handpiece which is gently placed over the skin.

The body’s natural processes then remove the injured tissue giving the skin a more even and youthful appearance.

Book Your Free Consultation Now

Our team is committed to working with you to develop a synergistic approach for enhancing your skin’s health. Dr. Rao has extensive experience and expertise in skin care treatments in Edmonton.