Joseph Cleaver, MD

A great combination approach to tightening loose tummy skin after cool sculpting for example is a non invasive non surgical combination Plasma Pen to tighten skin and PDO threads to lift sagging skin.  PDO threads will be reabsorbed in 3 to 6 months leaving skin with lifted and with more supporting collagen.  Plasma Pen a technology that builds more longer lasting type one collagen will tighten skin and is not just for facial procedures such as brow lift and tightening jowls, but can also tighten and contour arms, legs, abdominal skin, neck hands to mention a few.  I am the first physician to bring Plasma pen to Dallas TX, and have performed hundreds of procedures, so be sure to seek a well qualified medical doctor with superior training and experience.




Hope that helps 

Dr Joe

Hi Melanotan or afamelanotide or the commercial name Scenesse is FDA approved for the treatment of Vitiligo in the form of a pellet therapy.  

It can create a tan on 100% of your body.  It has been approved in Europe for 5 years.

Would have to be off label use fro general tanning 

Some compounding pharmacies are compounding the injectable under FDA supervision.

So it is available  

Hope that helps

Using threads to contour and lift can create dramatic results without surgery by lifting been few millimeters of skin, in addition to the ongoing tightening that results from the new collagen stimulated by the threads when placed at the correct depth in the skin.  Not all patients will benefit from threads.  That said, not all patients will benefit from botox or fillers or laser etc.  A well trained medical doctor with experience is qualified to choose and design the best approach to improving the patients outcomes and results.  Some patients may need more aggressive interventions and surgery to lift and remove excess skin for successful results.  Therefore, the well trained physician will screen and choose the patient appropriately that is best suited for a PDO thread procedure.  




Think of it this way, if your have significant heavy skin of the lower face for example and would have to tighten say 10mm, surgery may be a better option, in contrast to if you only need to lift your skin 3 mm to improve lines and and wrinkles then threads may be an excellent option 

Hope that helps!

DR Joe

Hi

If you want to achieve better healthier skin with smaller pores, treat sun spots, lessen fine lines and lift the brow, I would recommend that RF microneedling as an effective in treating all these skin health concerns.  This procedure can be done in conjunction with PRP, natural brightening agents, growth factors for skin tightening and line reduction. 

Hope that helps,




Dr Joe

Hi,

That is a great question.  The answer depends on age, skin type, current health of skin, are you prone to scarring,  and what area of the body you are derma rolling.

But more importantly,  per the FDA, a micro needling device that is greater than the 0.5mm is a medical device that should be used by a trained medical professional only during procedures.  The 0.5mm is specifically used for home use and any greater length needles are designed to be used during medical procedures as you can cause more damage than good.

So, what area of the body are you using the dermaroller.  Face, scalp other areas.? I will get to scalp and hair growth last.

THE ONLY HOME USE INDICATION FOR DERMAROLLING  is to open up the skin barrier to increase delivery of a serum or medication to the lower layers of the skin, using a 0.5 mm derma roller works well and is all you need.  Once or twice a week with light to moderate pressure as tolerated ok for scalp or extremities.  If you are rolling face, keep the derma rolling to once a week. 

To specifically answer your concerns about stimulating hair growth and scalp you can treat to improve topical penetration and delivery, 0.5 mm works well and the needles should not be deep enough to injure the hair follicle which can cause shedding and damage to the follicle.  If you want to stimulate stem cells in the scalp to increase hair growth, then needling to a greater depth is important.  BUT, the last answer and use of greater depth needles is RESERVED for MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.  

Bottom line is YES, any length greater than 0.5 mm runs greater risk of causing damage to skin when used in untrained hands.  Recommend you see a well trained medical professional in aesthetics, dermarolling and skin rejuvenation.

Hope that helps without ambiguity

Dr Joe