Mara Weinstein Velez, M.D., FAAD is a board-certified dermatologist, and Director of Cosmetics and Laser Surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in Upstate New York. She completed a prestigious Laser, Cosmetic and Dermatologic Surgery fellowship at SkinCare Physicians in Boston, with clinical faculty from the Harvard and Yale Departments of Dermatology, and is one of the only Fellowship-trained Cosmetic and Laser Surgeons in Western NY.
Haute Beauty Editor Brooke Klaiman hosted a discussion with Dr. Mara Weinstein Velez, a representative of the Haute Beauty Network in Rochester, NY. The conversation took place inside a treatment room to perform Clear + Brilliant laser rejuvenation treatment combined with Botox for patient Sarah. Sarah deals with melasma and dark spots on her face. She came in 30-minutes before her treatment to apply a numbing cream to her face. Here is a breakdown of the two-part treatment that followed:
Treatment 1: Clear + Brilliant
Laser resurfacing and rejuvenation restores your skin’s youthful glow and improves the appearance of sun damage, acne scars, age spots, and wrinkles. Clear + Brilliant® uses energy delivered in the form of infrared light to exfoliate away layers of skin to reveal a smoother, clearer complexion. The fractionated, non-ablative laser promotes new collagen production to restore the skins texture & tone.
Prior to the start of the treatment, all who are present in the room must wear eye protection. As Sarah received her treatment Dr. Weinstein and Haute Beauty reviewed the downtime, treatment time and more.
Downtime: Immediately after the procedure, your skin will appear pink and in some, might appear swollen.. Post-treatment, the patient is given ice packets to use, but they are unnecessary most of the time. The following day a patient will feel roughness to the skin. Those are dead skin cells being eliminated from the skin post-treatment. Over time, the feeling of roughness will slough off. At heart, it is a glow, to no downtime procedure that will produce results three to four days after treatment.
Treatment Time: It’s one of those treatments you want to maintain. To get the best results, a patient should come in every month or four to six weeks, for a total of 4-6 treatments and then plan to maintain those results with quarterly treatments.
Treatment 2: Wrinkle Relaxer (Dysport)
Following the Clear + Brilliant®, Sarah embarked on her first-ever experience with injections to help relax wrinkles. In her office, Dr. Weinstein uses a few different types of wrinkle relaxers or neuromodulators including Botox, Dysport and Xeomin. As it was Sarah's first-time receiving injections, there are a few things Dr. Weinstein considers. Where are Sarah’s biggest concerns? What results is Sarah looking to achieve? Regardless, for first-time neuromodulator users who are looking to prevent etched frown lines or forehead lines, Dr. Weinstein will treat conservatively, calling it "baby Botox."
Side Effects: You can experience a bit of bruising, more commonly around the eyes. For Sarah, Dr. Weinstein injected Dysport into the frown lines and forehead. Although Sarah does not have etched lines, the goal is to prevent them from becoming more defined – another name for this concept is “prejuvenation.”
Treatment Time: When a patient comes back in two weeks, Dr. Weinstein will assess their residual movement and can be tweaked if necessary. A patient will always come in after two weeks, especially after their first treatment because it takes 10-14 days for the Botox to settle into the injection site.
Follow Dr. Weinstein on Instagram to learn more about non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
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