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December Holiday Newsletter

We first want to extend very warm holiday wishes to you and your family this year! And we want to thank you, our patients, for making our practice thrive. You are the reason we enjoy our work so much.

Many thanks to everyone who attended our Evening of Beauty in November.  It was officially our most successful event with incredible attendance and great fun.  We always look forward to spending the evening with you!


December Specials

The month of December is always a busy one but
we hope you can make it in to enjoy the spirit of the season!

Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center Gift Cards:

Buy a $100 Gift Card and receive a $10 Gift Card for Free
Buy a $200 Gift Card and receive a $20 Gift Card for Free
Buy a $300 Gift Card and receive a $30 Gift Card for Free

For every additional $100 you add to a Gift Card or in additional Gift Cards,
you will receive $10 more on yours!

15% off Laser Hair Removal Packages (if pre-paid by December 31, 2012)

Buy One SkinMedica Essential Serum and receive a TNS Ultimate Daily Moisturizer with SPF 20 Free!

Buy a Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic or Phloretin CF or AGE Interrupter and receive a .05 or 1.0 Retinol Free!

Buy $150 Obagi products and receive the new Hydrate moisturizer for Free!

Buy Two 5mL Latisse kits and receive a 3mL kit for Free!

Buy a Clarisonic Mia 2 or a PRO Face & Body and receive a Brush Head Free!

 

Special Guest Day & 15% off All Products

Thursday, December 13:         Niya Montez from Colorescience

 

To Help You Stuff Those Stockings...

15% off All Products December 20th and December 21st

 

What's New At Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center?

Now you can review Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center with just a few clicks!
Visit our new review website: WE HEART YOUR FEEDBACK

Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center now offers Ultherapy for permanent Sweat Reduction.

Each treatment session will involve use of ultrasound technology, Ultherapy performed in two and if needed, three separate sessions.  The procedure involves numbing the underarm areas with local anesthesia followed by application of the Ulthera hand piece on affected areas.   Each underarm site takes approximately 20 minutes to perform for a total of approximately one hour per full treatment session if you include the time it takes to numb up the treatment areas.  For the month of January, we are offering an introductory special of $1750 per session for the first two sessions and if needed, a third session will be $1000.

A recent study demonstrated only mild side effects following treatment including occasional bruising and mild tenderness.  Patients showed an impressive 73% reduction in sweat production 90 days even after their first treatment session.  Please give us a call at 206-859-5777 to schedule your Ultherapy and kiss your sweat goodbye!

 

Winter Wonderland

For winter skincare, despite the cold and sometimes grey weather remember to continue to wear your daily sunscreen.  Moisturizing is
critical this time of year as is exfoliating dead skin so you can maintain your glow. We have several wonderful sunscreens, moisturizers and exfoliants from SkinMedica, Skin Ceuticals and Obagi.  A great time for Peels as well! Finally, keep eating a diet full of antioxidants and keep exercising.  Your skin health is a mirror of your internal health.

Have a joyous season!



Lasers for Stretch Marks

Dr Reichel, I am interested in treatment for white stretch marks. I heard that a CO2 laser is the gold standard for treatment. What is the difference between the Fraxel Repair, Fraxel Restore, and the Total FX lasers? Also, I understand that the dermis is made of 70% collagen, what is the other 30% made of?

MW

Dear MW,
Both the Fraxel Repair and the Total FX lasers are ablative fractional CO2 lasers. Fraxel Restore is a non-ablative fractional Erbium laser.
Sadly, once they turn white, stretch marks are very hard to treat (with anything). They are best treated when they are new, and are still red. I have very good luck treating red stretch marks with the Vbeam Perfecta laser (pulsed dye laser). It takes a series of treatments, but can basically make the stretch marks 80% better.
For white stretch marks, what I always recommend, is doing a “test patch”. We choose an area that is a couple of inches in size, and do either one or maybe two fractional CO2 treatments. I use the Lumenis Total FX CO2 laser. For me, I consider this laser to be the gold standard for CO2 lasers. CO2 lasers are more risky when you are treating areas that are off of the face (the face has a lot of sebaceous glands – which makes healing much easier). Since stretch marks are off of the face, you have to turn the energy down. That is why we often need to treat them more than once. The other option is to use the Fraxel Restore laser. I do a series of 4 treatments on the test patch. I would say that about 30% of patients feel that there is enough improvement to treat larger areas. So, as I said, it is hard to treat white stretch marks. I make the test treatments very affordable, and I will bundle the payment into the cost of the whole treatment if a patient decides to go on to treat a larger area. I have had very good luck with treating other types of scars with the Fraxel Restore (surgical, injury, acne).
About the dermis: The dermis is the 2nd layer of skin. It provides pliability and elasticity. The main cell type in the dermis is called a fibroblast. Fibroblasts make the matrix of the dermis. Collagen accounts for 75% of the dermis. Elastin, 5%. The rest is Hyaluronic acid, cells, vessels, nerves and hair follicles.

About the lasers: Fraxel Restore and Fraxel Repair. Fraxel Repair and Total FX are fractional CO2 lasers. Fraxel Restore is a fractional Erbium laser. Both Fraxels are made by Solta (originally made by Reliant). Ablative lasers (CO2) completely destroy the tissue that is treated (the skin literally goes "up in smoke"). However, since they are "fractionated", they only treat a percentage of the area. This is done by laying down columns of laser light, rather than a "sheet" of laser light.
Fraxel Restore causes coagulation, rather than ablation. So, while it also knocks out tiny columns of skin, the top layer is left intact. If you were to look at a biopsy of skin after treatment with the Fraxel Restore, you would see columns of dead tissue surrounded by areas of live tissue. The live tissue begins to regenerate the dead tissue columns - making new collagen, elastin, and new cells. This regeneration process is what causes visible improvement in texture, lines, and pigment.

Jennifer Reichel MD
Director, Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center
pacificderm.wpengine.com

11011 Meridian Avenue N Suite 102
Seattle WA 98133
phone: 206-859-5777

Treating Acne Scars with Dr. Reichel

I'm currently suffering from acne scars on my cheeks.I've undergone 2 treatments with fraxel laser but am still not satisfied with the result. Can you give me your opinion?

 

Hi MB,

Thank you for your question.

Treating Acne scars can be difficult, and definitely requires some persistence. I would be so happy to see you to evaluate your cheeks, give you my opinion, and help make a plan for you.

The Fraxel Restore resurfacing laser is a great laser for acne scarring on the face. It does take more than one treatment. I tell most patients that it will be at least a series of 4 treatments.  I have some patients that we have done 8 or more Fraxel treatments for acne scarring. Other options can include chemical peels, or other resurfacing lasers (such as the fractional CO2 laser). I usually reserve chemical peels for patients with mild scarring that are willing to come in every 2-3 months for treatment. The chemical peels that we use here at Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center are superficial to medium depth.

The fractional CO2 laser (Total FX by Lumenis) can be a great option for acne scarring, but there is increased risk if you have a darker skin type. There is also more down-time with the CO2 laser.

For some patients, we will also do filler (such as Restylane) under the scars to help decrease the depth of the scars.

Again – I would be very happy to see you. Please schedule a consultation – 206-859-5777.
Thank you.

Jennifer Reichel MD
Director, Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center
11011 Meridian Avenue N Ste 102
Seattle, WA 98133
ph 206.859.5777

 


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