Category
Scar Revision
July 2, 2023
I Have a Terrible Scar: Can You Help?
While some scars fade naturally over time, the right treatment approach can accelerate the process for bothersome scars you’d like to minimize or improve more quickly. Learn about our advanced scar revision techniques here. A scar is an enduring mark left on the skin following chronic damage, acute trauma, a surgical incision, or a skin-affecting illness. These distinct marks form as part of the healing process as your injured epidermal and dermal layers rebuild their tissues, repair abnormal gaps, and restore optimal health. Scars form in various ways, shapes, and sizes, depending on the nature and severity of the skin damage that leads to their development. While many become less prominent over time, most don’t fade completely. Luckily, our team at Colorado Skin and Vein can help. Here, David Verebelyi, MD, RVT, and Christina Jordan, FNP, CANS, discuss how scars form and offer five scar revision treatment options that can make unwanted scars less noticeable. Scar formation basics Scar formation is part of the healing process after your skin is injured. It develops as skin tissue actively repairs itself, increasing collagen production to grow new, fresh tissue that pulls the wound together and effectively closes any gaps. Scars can result from: Accidental trauma (i.e., burn, cut) An incision from surgical treatment A chronic skin condition (i.e., acne) An acute illness (i.e., chickenpox) A scar can form on any area of your body. Its final composition largely depends on where it is, the damage that caused it, and your age and nutritional status. Most people develop at least one scar throughout their lives. Various types of scars Scar tissue consists of collagen, the protein that gives your skin its structure, strength, and resilience. Still, scars can vary greatly — some are minor, flat, and nearly invisible, while others are large, raised, tight, or painful. Let’s take a closer look at common scar types: Fine-line scars Normal, fine-line scars typically develop as a minor cut or surgical incision heals. They initially form as a raised line but tend to flatten and fade over time. While early fine-line scars can be itchy, they aren’t usually painful. Keloid scars These raised scars form when excessive collagen production at the site of an injury leads to an overgrowth of epidermal tissue, both over and beyond the initial wound. Itchy, tight, and sometimes painful keloid scars grow after the skin damage has healed. They can feel restrictive, especially if they’re near a joint. Hypertrophic scars Hypertrophic scars are like keloid scars, apart from the fact that they don’t extend beyond the boundary of the original wound and tend to improve gradually after an initial, early period of thickening. Pitted scars When your healing skin produces too little collagen, it can form depressed scars or small indentations along the surface of your skin. Also known as atrophic “ice pick” scars, pitted scars are common after severe acne breakouts or chickenpox lesions. Scar revision solutions While many scars fade naturally over time, the correct treatment approach can accelerate the process for bothersome scars you’d like to minimize or improve more quickly. At Colorado Skin and Vein, we can treat various scar types with our advanced scar revision techniques. Depending on your needs, we may recommend the following: Steroid injections A series of steroid injections can help soften raised keloid and hypertrophic scars and reduce their overall thickness. This treatment is often a preparatory step for laser therapy. Pulsed dye laser Pulsed dye laser treatments can minimize raised or discolored scars, which painlessly breaks down excess scar tissue and triggers renewed collagen and elastin remodeling for fresh, healthy skin. CryoShape™ Some keloid and hypertrophic scars may respond best to CryoShape, a minimally invasive treatment using targeted liquid nitrogen injections to freeze raised scars from the inside out, destroying the excess tissue and preventing its recurrence. Subcision release Subcision uses precise needle insertion to break up the contracted dermal tissues that create pitted scar indentations. By releasing the scar tissue from its sunken position, this technique smooths out pitted scars and improves the appearance of your skin. CO2 laser therapy CO2 laser therapy uses columns of controlled energy to break up scar tissue and pigmented cells, helping to minimize the appearance of pitted and discolored scars. This laser treatment also triggers fresh collagen and elastin for smoother, healthier skin. Improve your scar today Whether your unwanted scar is uncomfortable, unsightly, or both, we can help. To learn more about the scar revision options at Colorado Skin and Vein in Englewood, Colorado, call or click online and schedule a visit today. We serve patients throughout Denver, including Centennial, Parker, Highland Ranch, and Lone Tree, Colorado communities.
September 29, 2022
How Much Does Kybella Cost?
One of the most effective ways to stay younger longer is through a defined chin and jawline. Unfortunately, a double chin isn’t easily exercised away, and diet only goes so far if the double chin is genetic. Colorado Skin & Vein understands how big a role a person’s face shape and profile plays in their confidence. If you’ve got a double chin, we can help. *Individual Results May Vary. How Does Kybella® Work? Kybella® is one of the only FDA-approved nonsurgical treatments to correct submental fullness or the dreaded double chin. The body naturally produces deoxycholic acid to break down dietary fat as a daily function. Kybella® is synthetic deoxycholic acid that, when injected into the submental area, can improve the appearance of a double chin, no matter how severe. It safely breaks down the membranes of submental fat cells and the body filters them out through the normal metabolic process. We are born with a fairly static number of fat cells, and throughout our lives, those fat cells grow and shrink in size, not number. Once Kybella® has targeted the fat in your double chin and your body has metabolized it, it’s gone, and it’s likely not coming back. Some fat cushion will remain, and it will fill in the gaps left by the metabolized cells, so there are no bumps or lumpy places. Just your jawline: smooth, prominent, and proud without excess fat to rob you of youth and confidence. Am I a Good Candidate? Are you tired of living with a melted jawline resulting in a double chin? Then you may be an ideal patient to receive Kybella®, which is well tolerated by even the most sensitive of patients. Schedule a consultation with Colorado Skin & Vein to learn more. REQUEST A CONSULTATION Simply fill out the form on this page, and one of our highly trained staff members at Colorado Skin & Vein will reach out to your promptly to schedule your appointment. REQUEST A CONSULTATION Treatment, Recovery, and Results Your Kybella® treatment is as simple as a series of injections in the submental area. No incisions, no bandages, and virtually no downtime. The treatment is performed in the Colorado Skin & Vein offices and takes less than 30 minutes. You may experience mild swelling and tenderness, but these resolve within a week or two. Most people require between 2 and 4 Kybella® treatments to reach their aesthetic goals, but results are visible 4-6 weeks following the very first treatment. Improvement continues throughout the treatment process, peaking between 3-6 months. It takes time for the body to process the changes, but when the fat cells are gone, they’re really, truly gone. How Much Does Kybella Cost? The cost of Kybella® depends quite a lot on your geographical location and the expertise of your chosen practitioner. At Colorado Skin & Vein, our injection specialists maximize your treatment through careful, precise placement while also ensuring you get the most out of each injection to minimize the number of vials you may need. The average price of Kybella® is between $1,200-$1,800 per session. A pleasing face shape is one of the features that can redirect attention from other facial flaws like fine lines and wrinkles, so let the Colorado Skin & Vein team, under the guidance of Dr. David Verebelyi, give you the jawline and defined chin you’ve always wanted. You can now do it without surgery, without going under risky anesthesia, and without a lengthy recovery. Just a few injections and your double chin will melt away. Call us for more information today! “I have been a patient with CO Skin & Vein for many years. I continue to return due to their excellence in their care and results. I highly recommend them to anyone seeing cosmetic work.” DL Take the First Step – Request A Consultation To request your complimentary consultation with us, please call (303) 683-3235 or fill out our online contact form today. Colorado Skin & Vein serves Englewood and the greater Denver, CO area.
September 29, 2022
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Scars
Injuries and surgeries can leave scars that are constant reminders of experiences you’d probably rather forget. If you have unsightly scars in prominent locations, consider scar revision. With the right customized scar revision treatments, we can minimize your scars, soften their appearance, and in some cases, even eliminate them to improve your skin tone and texture. Scar Revision Treatments Scars are a buildup of excess collagen in the skin due to an overactive healing response from when the skin was first damaged. Some scars are red or purple, some are raised, and some are depressed. Scar revision treatments can treat the damaged skin and make it look more like the healthy skin around it. At Colorado Skin & Vein, we use multiple treatment modalities to get the best results for scar revision. These include: Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP): Blood can be drawn from a vein in your arm and then processed to isolate and concentrate the platelet-rich plasma. PRP contains growth factors that stimulate healing and collagen production. This treatment can be used on depressed scars, acne scars, post-surgical scars, and many others. CO2 Fractional Skin Resurfacing: Laser energy leaves microscopic wounds in the scar tissue with bridges of healthy tissue around them. The laser energy stimulates new collagen formation to replace the scar tissue with natural-looking skin. It can also help normalize pigmentation. This treatment is used to improve the texture and volume of scars to create a smoother and more natural skin appearance. CryoShape™: The scar tissue is frozen from the inside out through a needle connected to a handpiece. The body removes the destroyed tissue, and the surrounding healthy skin is undamaged. This treatment is used on discolored scars and thick, raised scars such as keloid scars. It can soften and improve their appearance. It can also significantly reduce the volume of the scar and normalize the color of the skin. Cryotherapy: A quick and minimally invasive procedure freezes the scar tissue with liquid nitrogen, cutting off its blood supply and causing cellular destruction. The raised tissue then falls off. This treatment is used mainly on smaller keloid scars and may be followed by another scar revision treatment. Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL): A concentrated beam of light helps decrease excess collagen and redness in hypertrophic scars. This light energy creates smoother and more evenly colored skin. Subcision: A small needle is used to break up scar bands underneath the skin that pull the scar down. This treatment is used on depressed scars and evens out the height of the skin. Steroid Injections: Steroids and other factors are injected weekly over four to eight weeks to reduce scar thickness. This treatment is used on raised and keloid scars and is commonly used in conjunction with the Pulsed Dye Laser. Most of these scar treatments are used in varying combinations to achieve the best results. As an example, steroid injections may be combined with PDL to first reduce scar thickness and then improve its coloring and texture. Scars caused by injuries, surgeries, acne, and even burns respond well to these treatments, especially when multiple techniques are combined. At Colorado Skin & Vein, we use all of these scar treatments to help people like you get rid of unwanted scars. Every treatment is customized for the most effective results in the minimization and erasure of scar tissue. To request a consultation, please call us at 303-683-3235 or contact us online today.
September 29, 2022
Battle Of The Cellulite Treatments: Cellfina™ Versus Cellulaze™
As a provider who has been working with the skin for over 15 years, one of the most common questions I get from my patients is how to permanently treat cellulite. For years, cellulite creams, mesotherapy, and procedures like Vanquish were used with minimal to no effectiveness. In fact, up until about three years ago, the single best therapy I could recommend was regular deep tissue massage. Over the last few years, a couple of procedures have actually started to amass some real clinical data. The two that have shown the most promise are Cellfina™ and Cellulaze™, so today I will compare the two. What Do They Do? Let’s start with what the procedures actually do. Both Cellfina™ and Cellulaze™ target the vertical bands of connective tissue that pull the skin down from below, which causes cellulite dimples. The theory is that when these bands are interrupted, the tension on the skin is released, resulting in smoother skin on the surface. However, the method for releasing these bands is significantly different between the two devices, so let’s take some time to discuss the how of each procedure. Cellfina™ Cellfina™ uses mechanical release to create smooth, cellulite-free skin. This means that there is no heat, no laser, and no chemical; the bands are simply, physically cut. During the Cellfina™ procedure, local numbing is used over the area that is being treated. A tiny blade, less than 2mm, is then used to focally cut these bands at a consistent depth, usually set to 6mm. The procedure only releases the bands under the dimple, so there is no sagging in the surrounding skin. The Cellfina™ procedure usually takes about 45 minutes, and patients are back to regular activities within 24 to 48 hours. Cellulaze™ The Cellulaze™ procedure, in contrast, uses a directional firing laser to disrupt the tissue bands in question. This involves numbing larger areas of skin and treating the entire area. There is no fixed depth gauge, so achieving a consistent depth is up to the provider and introduces significant variation in the procedure. The laser creates some heat, which may help with tightening tissue (this tightening has been shown in studies with Smartlipo™ but not necessarily Cellulaze™), but in some cases, causes damage to the delicate vascular beds in the superficial skin, which can leave permanent discoloration on the skin (Erythema Ab Igne-like conditions). The procedure usually takes one to two hours. Patients can typically return to their normal activities within the first week. Which One Is “Worth It”? Two of the most important factors when comparing these two procedures are the clinical results and patient satisfaction. This is where the results start to show a clear winner. A quick check on RealSelf shows that the “Worth It” rating for Cellfina™ is almost 90 percent, while the Cellulaze™ rating is only about 56 percent. These results are also reflected in the treatment’s clinical data, which have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The Cellfina™ procedure has shown patient satisfaction scores over 90 percent. Cellfina™ has shown 90 percent patient satisfaction even after three years, indicating that it is likely permanent. The cost of either procedure normally ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 depending on geographic location and the size of the area to be treated. If you are interested in learning more about Cellfina™, please call 303-683-3235 to schedule your consultation or fill out our online contact form.
September 29, 2022
Three Types Of Aging
As we age, we accumulate knowledge and experiences that can enrich our lives. Unfortunately, the passage of time also takes a toll on our bodies. Many people are aware of some of the causes that accelerate aging, such as exposure to the sun and other harmful elements, and the results of aging, such as wrinkled skin and weakened bodies. However, many people don’t consider how aging works within our bodies. Aging can be defined as the gradual changes in an organism that harm the body’s ability to function. These significant changes occur at the cellular level, and Aubrey de Grey, a Cambridge researcher and theoretician on the study of aging, has identified the seven classes of aging damage in the body. Here are three types of cellular changes that are likely to reveal your age. 1. Cell Loss and Shrinking Tissue Cell division is a process by which the cells divide and create new, healthy cells to replace cells that are worn out. Over time, cell division slows down, and old cells die faster than new cells are able to be produced. This causes the body’s tissues to shrink and weaken, and just one of the many effects of this is reduced volume in the face as the connective tissues that support the structure of the skin deteriorate. Exercise can help improve cell functioning and division. A TIME Magazine article, “How Exercise Works at the Cellular Level,” explains the findings of two studies that suggest how exercise is beneficial to the body’s cells. If you have wrinkles and fine lines as a result of lost facial volume, Dr. Verebelyi offers injectable fillers to plump the skin and improve these signs of aging. 2. Too Many Cells (Cellular Senescence) Cellular senescence is when cells reach the point that they can no longer divide but refuse to die. When this happens, there is no room for the healthy cells to divide and create new cells. To remove damaged cells and reveal healthy, beautiful skin, Colorado Skin & Vein offers a variety of treatments, such as dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and CO2 Fractional Skin Resurfacing. 3. Extracellular Protein Cross-Links Sometimes there are too many cross-linking proteins between cells in a tissue, causing rigidity and a loss of elasticity in the tissue. When this occurs in the arteries it can lead to high blood pressure, and when this occurs in the skin it can lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Extracellular protein cross-links are also seen in the process of wound repair when collagen (a protein) cross-links to form scar tissue. If you are experiencing skin laxity and wrinkles, injectable fillers and neurotoxins and Ulthera skin tightening can help restore a more youthful appearance. Scars can also be improved with injectable fillers or scar revision treatment. Dr. Verebelyi’s practice offers numerous treatments to improve signs of aging so that you can look as young as you feel! For more information, please call (303) 683-3235 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your consultation.
August 19, 2022
Benefits Of Professional Laser Hair Removal
We all have unwanted hair that is a continual tedious process to remove. If you are fed up with tweezing, inconvenient wax appointments, and spending far too much on razor blades, creams, and lotions — it’s time to consider professional laser hair removal. From legs to underarms, full-body laser hair removal is the quick and permanent solution to hair removal that will save you money in the long run. How Does Laser Hair Removal Work? A certified technician does this multiple-session process. A session can be as short as a few minutes or take up to an hour. Through repeated exposure to the skin by Intense Pulsed Light (IPl), laser hair removal destroys the hair follicles in the skin, preventing further hair growth in multiple areas of the body. This treatment is effective on every hair type. The benefits of laser hair removal are increasing in popularity, and if you are tired of your current hair removal process, you should consider this option. Here’s why… Precise and Smooth Results Advanced technology allows for an impeccably precise process, making laser hair removal ideal for specific areas such as the upper lips, nose, or eyebrows. This treatment’s preciseness leaves you with perfectly smooth skin as the treatments are incredibly accurate and reduce irritation. Options for Any Area One misconception about professional laser hair removal is that for sensitive areas or thick hair, laser hair removal is not a valid option. This is not true. Technology has drastically changed over the years! We can now remove hair from even the most delicate areas with far less irritation than waxing or other methods. Even the coarsest or darkest of hairs can be removed with professional laser hair removal, and your options and treatment plan can be discussed with your technician. It’s Quick and Involves Minimal Pain Contrary to what people think, laser hair removal is far LESS painful than other hair removal methods. The sessions are fast and a relatively painless process. Unlike waxing, which rips the hair out of the follicle, the laser that runs across the skin has been described as slightly uncomfortable but comparable to the feeling of a rubber band snapping against the skin — so not too bad! For more sensitive areas such as the face or bikini line, laser treatments are far less painful, taking only a few moments. Prevents Ingrown Hairs Shaving and waxing are known to trigger the risk of ingrown hairs by removing hair at the surface level, causing irritation. Full body laser hair removal treatment completely eliminates this issue because it guarantees hair removal at the follicle level, which means there is ZERO chance for ingrown hairs. Eliminate Fast-Regrowth No matter how hard you try, shaving causes your hair to grow thicker, and regrowth is an annoying inconvenience even with waxing. Imagine enjoying smooth, razor bump-free skin all the time. No longer will you have to be inconvenienced by a last-minute shave or wax for an event. It’s a Long-term Solution Arguably the best benefit of professional laser hair removal, unlike waxing, creams, or shaving, laser hair removal is permanent. The process has been shown to remove over 75% of hair permanently. In rare cases, you may have to go in a few months later for touch-ups in tricky areas, but the results have shown that long-term, it is the best solution to hair removal. Saves You Money Even when you factor in your investment for each laser treatment you’ll need, the investment pays for itself in the long run! Think about it, 6-8 treatments OR years of expensive razors, waxing, shaving creams, hair removal creams, lotions to protect skin from razor rash, and even more skin care products on top of that? Once your treatments are finished you will never have to schedule another wax appointment or endure endless supplies again! Laser hair removal aftercare is a thing, but far less complex than most aftercare routines. You can expect to leave your appointment with a lotion or two. When you evaluate the benefits of laser hair removal you can’t afford NOT to get it. Imagine hair removal without the repeated cost and hassle — and once you’re done, you’re done! Colorado Skin & Vein is a leader for the past 16 years offering not only Professional Laser Hair Removal but Full Body, Face, Vein Treatments, Aesthetic Services, and Laser Medicine services. If you are in the in the Denver area request a consultation with one of our providers today.