Lasers are now used extensively by dermatologists to help with aging skin. There are over 50 types of lasers used in dermatology. One type is the ruby laser, which uses a rod made of man-made ruby. Carbon dioxide laser or the Erbium Yag laser are also used. The Erbium Yag is often preferred to the carbon dioxide laser because it’s thought to be safer and gentler. Another laser is the Alexandrite laser.
Peels
Age spots and wrinkles can be reduced through peels. This is a resurfacing procedure that removes the epidermis, or the top layer of the skin. The epidermis grows back relatively quickly and will grow back without a lot of the wrinkles and blotches that have accumulated over the years. Peels can be light, medium or deep and applied through three methods. One is chemical peeling, which involves painting the face with an acid or a harsh phenol to take off the layers of skin. With dermabrasion, the dermatologist uses a scouring instrument to rub off the upper layer of skin. Another peel is done by high pulsed beam lasers. Anesthesia is needed for these procedures
Botox
Botox, or botulinin toxin, is another treatment used by Miami dermatologists. It is, indeed, an extremely diluted version of the bacteria that causes food poisoning. There are a few types of botox, but all of them work by basically paralyzing some of the muscles that cause wrinkling and trenches in the skin. Some forms of botox work better on some wrinkles than others, like the marionette lines beside the mouth, crow’s feet, or the frown lines between the eyebrows.
Dermatologists in Miami administer botox by injection directly to the site of the problem, and it might take up to ten days for the nerves that control the muscles to become temporarily inactive. Some people fear that they will lose all expression in their face along with their wrinkles, but there are so many facial muscles that contribute to expression that this is unlikely. The paralysis lasts about four months before another treatment is needed, and some patients find that with each dosage the interval between needing another treatment lengthens.
