I always recommend that patients be evaluated by a board certified dermatologist in order to correctly diagnose the "dark spot" and make sure that it is not cancerous. Once we have established that it is not a cancerous lesion, we can proceed with a number of medical treatments. Over the counter, serums and creams typically do not work well to remove dark spots.We recommend patient start with a prescription lightening cream (with hydroquinone, vitamin A and mild steroid) and apply it for 3 months. If there is still no improvement, then the next step involves chemical peels and/or IPL or other lasers.
A fellowship trained Mohs surgeon is a dermatologist who has undergone an extra year of training to perform a specialized skin cancer removal technique called Mohs surgery. This is a technique which has the highest cure rate of any skin cancer removal procedure. Mohs surgeons are also trained in reconstructive techniques to make the site as aesthetically pleasing as possible post surgery, many of these techniques are the same techniques employed by plastic surgeons, however, Mohs surgeons are not technically plastic surgeons.
Typically you need to wait at least a week or until the skin is fully healed before applying makeup to a post surgical site.
Juvederm! Juvederm is a clear product which is great for acne scars whereas radiesse is white. With acne scars you need a product that allows for the flexibility to be placed both deep and superficial which juvederm can. Since it's clear it yields a far better result than radiesse. You should expect results to last about one year.
there are really 2 main areas which are injected in the lip region. one area is the cutaneous lip (which i would call the skin colored part of the lip) and restylane is used to try to soften the lines around the mouth. the trick is to put a small amount in - if you put too much you risk getting the dreaded "duck" lips. another area which is often injected is in the mucosal lip (or the red part of the lip). the key here is to respect the lip anatomy so as to keep the lip looking like a lip rather than a sausage (for lack of a better analogy). as well, there are ethnic variations in lips. the typical caucasian lip height should be 2/3 the height of the lower lip. asian and african american lips tend to be fuller on the top lip - with a ratio closer to 1:1.
