Austin Dermatologists

Juvederm Swelling

I had my lips injected today with juvederm and am wondering if appearance is due to swelling. My lower lip in the corner area on one side is fuller than the other side. I don't know if this could be just swelling or if perhaps I was injected with too much too far into the corner. My question is within 8 hrs after injections would I have a good picture of evenness of my lips or due to swelling is it hard to tell. Thank you.

Restoring natural volume to the face has been a great advance in facial rejuvenation. Purified gels, such as Juvederm, are used to restore this volume and are often used in the mid and lower face. A very common side effect with lip injections is swelling which may last for hours or a few days. During this recovery time, the lips may appear uneven. If this unevenness does not improve after one week, I would consult with your injecting physician to reevaluate the product placement.

Miriam Hanson, MD

Austin Dermatologist

What Treatments Will Address Red Scars After Shaving Moles?

Hello, About three months ago I had a couple moles removed from my stomach via the shaving method (i.e., no stitches). I'm hoping to minimize the current redness as best as possible before summer comes and I'm at the beach. I'm guessing it's too soon to resort to excising the scars, so I'm wondering what some good workarounds might be (laser treatment/s?). I'll be visiting my dermatologist for an opinion, but I'm interested in your thoughts, too. Thanks,

While a scar is part of nature's healing process, some scars are cosmetically unpleasing and may arise in an area that you find unattractive. Advances in dermatology offer some amazing treatments to revise the appearance of scars. I find the best treatment for removing redness is with a pulse dye laser or an IPL system. These devices use wavelengths of light that penetrate the skin and heat the surrounding tissues. The treatment then leads to improved discoloration and promotion of new collagen and elastin around the scar site.

Miriam Hanson, MD

Austin Dermatologist

Is a Punch Biopsy Enough for a Severe Dysplastic Mole?

I had a mole shave biopsied and the result stated severely abnormal - recommend removing slightly more. Dermatologist said I needed to set up a punch biopsy. I went in and had this done and I think he removed it with 3mm margins. Im extremely concerned because after researching I have learned that severely atypical moles should be treated like melanoma in situ and be excised with 5 mm margins. Im concerned that it was not an excision and just a punch biospy as well. Should I be worried?

Dysplastic nevi are atypical "funny looking" moles that are often categorized as having mild, moderate or severe atypia. They are generally larger and darker than other moles and have irregular or indistinct borders. When an abnormal mole is identified, a shave or punch biopsy is often performed for diagnosis. If the dysplastic nevus is classifed as severe, I often recommend a 5mm clear margin. In my experience, it is often difficult to clinically and pathologically distinguish these lesions from melanoma in situ.

Miriam Hanson, MD

Austin Dermatologist