Laser Lipo, Varicose Vein Removal, Spider Vein Treatment, Vein Center St. Louis, MO

Ask the Doctor is a blog where Dr. Thomas Wright, MD answers your questions with his blog posts and your comments to this blog.

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What can I do to help with the side effects of this condition?

Any scar can be hard to treat. Some peels and bleaching agents can be helpful to lighten the scar.

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How can I tell if spots on my face are Sun Spots or something else?

Most likely theses spots are sun spots. There are flat, darker than your normal skin color. They will vary in size. They won’t have any scaling. Borders are round. They are uniform in color.
Ones to be concerned about:
1. Irregular borders
2. Within the same spot there is an area that is much darker
3. Sudden change is color or size or shape

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There are many variables that determine how many sessions one needs. Here are some of them:
1. Type of laser
2. Patient tolerance to treatments – if one can’t tolerate a higher setting then it will take many more sessions.
3. Individual response to laser
4. Skin color – the darker the skin the more conservatice you will have to be to avoid burns
5. Color of Hair – the darker the hair, the more the laser will the the hair follicle.
6. Skill of operator
7. Area of the body – facial hairs are usually less stubborn, pubic areas require more
8. Gender – males often will need more treatments
It is always best to get a consultation to have at least an estimate of the number of treatments. It is a must ask for the type of laser, the experience of the center and the person who will perform your treatments. If can take anywhere to 5 to 10 treatments to get to 75-95% permanent hair removal.

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The corners of my mouth look turned down, like I’m frowning or unhappy, when I am not showing any expression. Can lip injections help turn the corners of my mouth up?

Both dermal fillers and Botox can flatten the corners of your lips and get rid of the down-turned mouth.

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The freckles on my face have multiplied and have now formed what looks like a very large freckle, while I was pregnant and didn’t go away. What is this and is there anything I can do?

What you are describing sounds like melasma which is an unique pigment condition that is hormone driven. Melasma once activated is unfortunately not curable and can only be controlled. Lasers such as the Fraxel refine can be beneficial up to a certain point but they do run the risk of increasing the pigment. You can try Cosmalan which bleaches the pigment or other bleaching agents that contain Hydroquinone.

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The tiny probe that touches the skin is only 0.002 to 0.003 inches and is micro-insulated to protect the surrounding tissue.

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The Veinwave has been widely used outside the USA for rosacea, but has not yet been cleared by the FDA for this. The European physicians find the Veinwave is very successful at removing the symptoms of rosacea (removing the vascular areas), but not actually curing the disease. The number of treatment sessions depends on the severity of the disease state.

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For the vessels that were correctly treated, the body’s processes it as unwanted debris and it eventually dissolves/fades away (like a bruise). Your health, metabolism and other factors will dictate how long this takes. Although the coapted vessels are gone forever, this does not prevent new ones from forming.

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Absolutely! Some of the best results come from treating the mattes that were caused by sclerotherapy injections or similar treatments. The tiny vessels are difficult to treat with lasers and other technologies, but the Veinwave provides a very high level of patient satisfaction.

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Absolutely! Some of the vest results come from treating the mattes that were caused by sclerotherapy injections or similar treatments. The tiny vessels are difficult to treat with lasers and other technologies, but the Veinwave provides a very high level of patient satisfaction.

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Is is never necessary to wear any compression garments.

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Most vessels almost completely disappear immediately after treatment. Some people have a response that resembles a “cat-scratch” – with pinkness which will quickly subside. The tiny “mirco-scabs” will flake away over the next few days. In some cases, they may appear darker after treatment. This will dissolve by the same process (and over the same time) as a bruise resolving. In patients who have a history of strong flushing or histamine reactions, the doctor may use a topical steroid.

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Because the Veinwave is not using photocoagulation (such as laser/light-based energy), the patient may immediately return to normal activity, including normal sun exposure. While you can apply makeup over the treated area, it is recommended that you do so lightly to enable the skin to breathe and recover.

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Some patients have a mild discomfort, but it is very tolerable – especailly compared to electrolysis, laser, or intense pulsed light treatments. It is not necessary to use any anesthetic needed for the Veinwave procedures. In fact, it is advised NOT to use anesthetics because they can cause undesired vasodilation (widening of the vessels).

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The Veinwave system uses an important collection of proprietary technologies to effectively thermocoagulate telangiectasia and spider veins. The process causes the blood vessels to heat up to a point where the vessel walls collapse. (This is similar to sucking the air out of a drinking straw and then gluing the inside together.)

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