Both microdermabrasion and the chemical peel are popular treatments for exfoliating and revitalizing the skin, so how do you choose the right treatment?
First of all, you won’t need to choose if you see a qualified dermatologist or aeshthetician; they will recommend the best treatment. Your physician might ask how much time you have to allow healing after the treatment. If you’re anticipating an important social event like a wedding or vacation, then microdermabrasion is probably the best.
The depth of exfoliation is very precise with microdermabrasion, so you’re less likely to experience side effects like redness or swelling. The typical healing time with microdermabrasion is also very short – usually 3 days at the most.
Chemical peels come in many different formulas, from light to deep. But the healing time for most chemical peels is slightly longer than with microdermabrasion. If you can spare a week to let the skin heal, go for the chemical peel.
Sometimes an aesthetician will recommend doing both. If done carefully, a light chemical peel such as AHA or salicylic acid can work in combination with microdermabrasion. Just make sure you choose an aesthetician or surgeon that has experience combining these treatments.
The proposed tax on elective cosmetic procedures is generating lots of buzz lately. Some say it will be bad for the economy, discriminatory because women purchase more of these services, and too complicated to be effective; others say it’s necessary and could “nudge” skilled surgeons toward general medicine, where they may be needed.
Is that fitness routine of yours doing the trick? Or is your body still carrying some stubborn areas of fat?  These days, getting the body you want often requires more than just sweating to the oldies; it requires some smart technology and a good surgeon.  At Dr. Carney’s office, we perform Tumescent liposuction to help our patients in Minnesota slim down.
People who get liposuction are not necessarily overweight – many are actually in decent shape! The problem is, a shift occurs at a certain age that affects weight fluctuations. Whether you bike or run around the lakes or do yoga and pilates at the YMCA, unrelenting dimples, bumps and bulging areas might still show. Those saddlebags on the outer thigh often don’t respond to exercise or diet.
The Tumescent technique is still considered the gold standard by many physicians because it is the safest and least traumatic; some even use the suctioned fat as a filler for wrinkles or to augment lips.
Please remember that ultimately, the most important liposuction tool is the operator. Contact the office of Dr. Carney to learn more about how liposuction can target and slim down those problem areas.
We posted yesterday about minimally invasive treatments gaining popularity, so perhaps we should go into depth about exactly which procedures have been doing well recently.
Fraxel Restore treatments have been offered in our practice since 2006. Patients have given us positive feedback, describing younger, smoother skin. Â The feedback about improvement to acne-scarred skin has also been overwhelmingly positive. Treatment pricing has become more competitive over time, so Fraxel is now quite cost-effective.
Other cost effective treatments include Fotofacials or IPL. They provide excellent results, they’re easy on the pocketbook, and quick to satisfy patient concerns about uneven pigmentation, sun damage, and mottled skin. IPL is safe to use on the face, neck, chest, back, arms, etc. When you use an effective skin care regimen, it’s possible to maintain your refreshed look, and it’s a great way to protect your investment.
The tried and true chemical peel is still a favorite, even as other physicians try to reinvent the wheel with laser technology. Dr. Carney uses this treatment to resurface lines, moderate to deep wrinkles, and acne scars, correct uneven pigmentation, and perform skin tightening, with results lasting 5-10 years or longer. Chemical peels are making a comeback now as patients find high tech laser treatments associated with high price tags, along with results that sometimes don‚Äôt meet their expectations.
Our RN injection specialist, Yone Tierney, brought a wealth of experience from New York to Skin Speaks, providing Sculptra treatments to our cosmetic patients. Originally, Sculptra was FDA approved for treating facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in patients with HIV, but 70-90% of its use has been for cosmetic applications. This wrinkle filler offers 2-3 years correction by volumizing, which greatly restores a youthful and natural look. It lifts the face, improves the jawline, the mid-face, hollows and circles under and around the eyes, and plumps up the cheeks.
Dr. Carney and his staff plan to further elaborate and answer questions on these procedures with an upcoming event, so contact us for more information.
Permanent makeup is quickly becoming the procedure of choice for enhancing your looks on a budget.
Permanent makeup artists create the illusion of bold features; for example, by embedding colored pigment into the skin to create perfectly shaped eyebrows, enhancing the eyelids with permanent eyeliner, or creating the illusion of fuller, younger-looking lips by filling them in with a shade of pink or red.
The procedure creates a subtler look than a traditional tattoo and allows many people to enhance the vibrancy of facial features that have diminished over time.
For pure convenience, permanent makeup shortens the daily ritual of applying makeup before work or other social functions. Patients say they especially love it in the summer months because it is waterproof, so their eyes still look attractive and vibrant after activities like swimming or exercising.
To minimize risks, you should always choose a physician with several years of experience in permanent makeup application. Ask to see photos of other patients who received the same treatment, or talk to former patients if possible.Permanent makeup only requires a topical anesthetic. Healing can take up to two weeks depending on the type of tattoo. Permanent Makeup is in-demand so call one of our Minnesota offices today to find out more about the permanent makeover.  Also, see our permanent makeup web page for before & after photos!
Entertainment Tonight on May 5, 2009 talked about Hollywood’s hottest trend in cosmetic surgery procedures – being awake for a face lift under local anesthesia!
Dr. Patrick S. Carney, Board Certified Dermatologist and Fellowship Trained Cosmetic Surgeon in Mpls./St. Paul has been successfully providing his facelift/local lift‚ in his office using only local anesthesia for 16 of his 21 years in practice.
Benefit to the patient: less cost and less risk.
Hundreds of patients initially pursued Dr. Carney due to a fear of general anesthesia and many more currently are attracted to eliminating the additional expenses of an anesthesiologist and surgery suite fee.
Dr. Carney is finding that what appeared to be a niche years ago in his practice, is becoming a much more attractive option for today’s patient and that a surgeon working on a patient who is awake during any procedure has the responsibility to perform even more flawlessly.
General anesthesia, overnight stays, drainage tubes, etc. often result in increased recovery time, another concern of patients choosing surgery today. The very busy lives and work schedules of patients‚ today do not lend well to lengthy recovery times.
For more information on Dr. Patrick Carney’s local lift and other surgery procedures provided under local anesthesia, call 952.435.6565. Consultations are complimentary. Financing options are available.
In a speech last summer at the historic Chautauqua Institution, bioethics professor Arthur Caplan argued for increased medical research for the pursuit of anti-aging and surgical enhancement.
With the healthcare system being less than perfect in the United States, it is difficult to pursue these goals. Caplan acknowledges this as the first priority, but also has to defend the pursuit against another problem; the overly “puritanical” view of many people.
In the first few minutes of his speech, Caplan recalls a story about a woman who had received harsh criticism for getting a facelift. A younger female counterpart said of her, “that’s terrible, you should simply accept the changes [of aging] as they come.” The story served as a model example of that misguided puritanical view of many people today.
In his deep philosophical argument, Caplan rejects the puritanical view and presents many reasons why we should use medical technology to pursue new discoveries in the science of stem cells. He suggest that if we push for adequate funding and defeat the misguided morality of the “new puritans,” it may be possible for us to achieve methods of whole-body anti aging, through the regenerative capacities of stem cells.
revitalizing the skin, so how do you choose the right treatment?
Is that fitness routine of yours doing the trick? Or is your body still carrying some stubborn areas of fat?  These days, getting the body you want often requires more than just sweating to the oldies; it requires some smart technology and a good surgeon.  At Dr. Carney’s office, we perform 
