Does Botox Really Work?

Category Archives: Kay Dermatology, Inc

Botox has been one of the most effective ways to remove wrinkles. Many people had already tested that the treatment was more than best when they had it. But for you, who may try it the first time, does Botox work?

The only solution to knowing the answer is trying to understand more from it. So today, Kay Dermatology will guide you through everything about the “needs” of Botox. How can it help you with your wrinkles and other aging concerns? 

Check out this blog post for more details! 

Does Botox Work?

Yes, Botox works. It is commonly a drug that doctors have used for years to treat wrinkles and lines on the face. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum makes a poison called Botox. 

There are a few others, like Dysport and Xeomin. Botox is the most common name for botulinum toxin because it was the first one that could be injected.

Most of the time, doctors use Botox to make wrinkles on the face look less noticeable. But getting a Botox shot can help with other problems, like:

  • Severe underarm sweating (hyperhidrosis)
  • Cervical dystonia is a neurological condition that causes painful muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders.
  • Not being able to stop blinking (blepharospasm)
  • Eyes that don’t look in the same direction (strabismus)
  • Frequent headaches
  • Overactive bladder

The Process

Botox stops nerves from telling muscles what to do. The power that was injected can’t contract. This causes wrinkles to soften and relax.

Botox is most often used to treat frown lines, crow’s feet, and lines on the forehead. Sun damage and gravity don’t cause wrinkles so Botox won’t help with those.

It doesn’t take long to get Botox. You won’t need to be put to sleep. Botox is injected into specific muscles with a small needle, which doesn’t hurt much.

Most of the time, it takes 7 to 14 days to work. At least a week before the procedure, it’s best not to drink alcohol. Stop taking aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs two weeks before your treatment. This will help keep you from getting bruises.

Only rub the area where you got the Botox for 24 hours so you don’t spread it to another site. Your doctor may also tell you to stay standing for 4 hours after the shots and to stop exercising for a day.

How Long Will Botox Keep Working?

Botox will have effects that last between 3 and 6 months. As the muscles slowly move again, the lines and wrinkles return and must be treated similarly. 

Most of the time, lines and wrinkles look less deep as time goes on because the muscles are getting smaller.

The Benefits Of This Treatment

Botox is an injectable made by Allergan that makes frown lines, forehead lines, crow’s feet, and other signs of aging, stress, and overused muscles look better. When this natural, pure protein is injected in tiny amounts, it calms down the overactive muscles that cause wrinkles on the face. 

As we said, Botox has been used to treat more than a million people worldwide for more than 11 years. Botox is a safe and effective treatment, and the FDA has given it the okay for cosmetic use.

Treatment is easy and does not involve surgery. There is no need for anesthesia, but we will use a cream that will numb the area. 

Botox is injected into the skin in the places that need to be treated. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes. 

Botox Side Effects

After getting Botox, you might have some short-term side effects. Some of these could be:

  • Bruising. This side effect happens most often, and it will go away.
  • Headaches. Most of the time, these are rare and last between 24 and 48 hours.
  • Eyelid drooping. Only a few people get this, and it usually goes away in 3 weeks. It often happens when the Botox moves around, so don’t rub the area.
  • Crooked smile or drooling
  • Dry eyes or a lot of tears
  • Mild pain or swelling at the site of the injection
  • Flu-like symptoms or a general unwell feeling
  • Upset stomach
  • Numbness
  • Weakness in the muscles close by

The Candidate For Botox

Botox shouldn’t be used by women who are pregnant or nursing or by people who have a disease that affects the nerves. 

Check with a doctor first because Botox doesn’t work for all wrinkles. If you’re allergic to the protein in cow’s milk, you shouldn’t get Botox shots.

Treatment Recovery

Botox injections have few side effects, but some people might experience slight swelling in the treated area. 

After a Botox treatment, the area takes 5–10 days to get softer. The effects last 3–5 months or longer if you do maintenance treatments as recommended. 

When that time is up, maintenance treatment should be done again. Over time, patients will need to come in less often as they stop contracting their frown lines and other facial muscles.

Care Instructions After Botox

Botox aftercare aims to help the treatment work as well as possible. It can also reduce the chance of getting bruises and having them spread to other places.

Most of the time, on the day you get Botox, you should:

  • Move your face around gently.
  • Rest the rest of the day and keep your heart rate regular.
  • Don’t touch, rub, or put physical pressure on the area.
  • don’t touch the treated area
  • You can also use the tips below to take care of yourself after getting Botox.

Botox injections do not need any time to heal. You won’t have to miss work or school because of it. You can go right back to what you were doing before.

Also, if you work out every day, wait at least 24 hours before you work out again. Your doctor might tell you to wait a few days. When you work out, your blood flow goes up. 

This could cause the toxin to get into places it shouldn’t and make it less effective at the injection site. It also makes you more likely to get hurt. Exercise also makes your muscles tighter, which may cause the toxin less powerful.

Lastly, if you got Botox on your face, you should wait 24 hours before putting on makeup. You could spread the toxin by rubbing the skin while putting on makeup.

Botox & Your Insurance

Most patients send queries about this matter. But you must know that when Botox is used for looks, insurance doesn’t cover it. Still, check with your insurance company to find out what’s covered.

Schedule Botox Treatment Today

Kay Dermatology is always here to help and serve you with your skin concerns. Contact us at 818.238.2350 to schedule an appointment. We also have services like Dermal Fillers, Kybella, and Dysport, which you may enjoy! 

What is Psoriasis Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
the man on the arm and abdomen spots psoriasis

Psoriasis is one of the medical skin conditions that tremendously damage your look. Still, most people gloss over this condition when they encounter it as one of a treatment’s targeted issues. This post will discuss the details of psoriasis – what it looks like, its causes, how to diagnose it, how to treat it, and how to prevent it.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic, genetic, and non-contagious skin condition. Patches of thickly red skin with silvery scales are signs of psoriasis. Patches can appear everywhere but are most frequently observed on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, cheeks, palms, and soles of the feet (fingernails, toenails, and mouth). Plaque psoriasis is the most prevalent type of psoriasis.

Cells rapidly accumulate on the skin’s surface due to psoriasis, resulting in thick, silvery scales and painfully itchy, dry, and red regions. You may have periods when your psoriasis symptoms ease or go into remission, alternating with times when your psoriasis worsens.

There are different types of psoriasis, among which are:

  • Plaque psoriasis
  • Guttate psoriasis
  • Inverse psoriasis
  • Pustular psoriasis

Plaque Psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis, the most prevalent type of psoriasis, results in scale-covered, dry, elevated skin patches (plaques). They typically appear on the scalp, lower back, elbows, and knees. Depending on the skin tone, the patches have different colors.

The afflicted skin may heal with temporary color changes (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) on brown or black skin. The plaques can develop anywhere on your body, including the soft tissue inside your mouth and genitalia, and they can itch or even be painful. In severe situations, your joint-area skin could break open and bleed.

Guttate Psoriasis

Guttate psoriasis is most common in those under 30 and is typically brought on by a bacterial infection like strep throat. Small, water-drop-shaped lesions on your scalp, arms, legs, and trunk are its telltale sign. The lesions aren’t as thick as usual plaques and are covered in fine scales.

If you have persistent respiratory infections, you may experience a single outbreak that resolves on its own, or you may experience repeated bouts.

Inverse Psoriasis

Inverse psoriasis mainly impacts the groin, buttocks, and breast skin folds. Particularly in overweight people, it results in smooth areas of irritated skin that get worse with friction and perspiration. Fungi may bring on this kind of psoriasis.

Pustular Psoriasis

Pustular psoriasis may manifest as large patches or as more localized lesions on your hands, feet, or fingertips. Usually, it spreads quickly, and a few hours after your skin turns red and painful, pus-filled blisters start to appear. The blisters may recur every few days or weeks, but they usually dry out within a day or two.

Fever, chills, intense itching, and exhaustion can also be symptoms of generalized pustular psoriasis.

Psoriasis Symptoms

Common psoriasis symptoms and indicators include:

  • A patchy rash that appears very differently on each individual, ranging from little areas of dandruff-like scaling to significant eruptions over a large portion of the body
  • Variable-colored rashes with a preference for purple hues with a gray scale on brown or black skin and pink or red with a silver scale on white skin
  • Tiny scaling marks (commonly seen in children)
  • Bruising skin that is dry and cracked
  • Soreness, burning, or itching
  • Recurring rashes that peak for a few weeks or months before going away

Psoriasis Causes

Psoriasis doesn’t have a clear cause. However, according to researchers, genetics and environmental factors are considered to be involved. 

Research suggests that emotional stress, skin injuries, infections, and specific medications might trigger the disease. Although not everyone with psoriasis has a family history of the ailment, some people are born with a genetic propensity and are predisposed to the condition.

According to more research, the illness is caused by aberrant white blood cells in the bloodstream, which cause inflammation. Skin cells grow more quickly than usual in psoriasis, which is thought to be an immune system issue. Infection-fighting cells accidentally attack healthy skin cells.

If the patient has type II diabetes mellitus, this inflammation may also be linked to cardiovascular and rheumatic conditions.

Psoriasis Diagnosis

Your doctor will inquire about your health and look at your skin, hair, and nails. Then, your medical professional could take a little skin sample (biopsy) for microscopic analysis. This thorough examination helps rule out other conditions and identify the type of psoriasis.

Psoriasis Treatment

Topical medications or laser phototherapy are both options for treating psoriasis. 

Laser Phototherapy

Psoriasis is safely and successfully treated with the laser. A handpiece that lies directly on the patient’s skin allows the medical professional to provide a highly focused, high dosage of UV light to psoriatic lesions. It successfully treats individuals with mild to moderate ailments and is excellent for getting to difficult-to-treat areas, including knees, elbows, and the scalp.

A UVB light box could be used as a further treatment. The skin is regularly exposed to ultraviolet light under a doctor’s supervision as part of this light therapy. UVB reaches the skin and decreases the formation of damaged skin cells.

Laser phototherapy is FDA-approved, and most insurance companies pay for the treatment.

Topical Medication

To treat moderate forms of psoriasis, topical medications like anthralin, coal tar, vitamin A and vitamin D derivatives, and steroids may be used. However, these medications are frequently combined with light therapy and medications like retinoids and antimetabolite medications to treat advanced psoriasis. 

Most treatments last between five and seven minutes, twice weekly, for several weeks. Most patients experience clearance after six to ten treatments, and they discover that results often last four to six months. Even though psoriasis is seldom cured, suitable treatment can bring about partial or complete remissions that last very long. 

Effective psoriasis therapy involves regular check-ups and assessments. Oral medicines may be necessary for severe psoriasis.

One of the more recent treatments, known as “biologics,” is now frequently used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis. These are injected every other week or even less often. Most psoriasis lesions can be safely cleared with these more recent treatments. 

As a precaution, regular blood tests and Tb testing are necessary. An even more recent procedure utilizes the Otezla tablet. Your dermatologist must thoroughly assess the condition of your psoriasis before they can recommend the course of treatment that will work best for you.

Psoriasis Prevention

Regular moisturizing, avoiding too much sun, taking care of your body to stave off infections, reducing emotional and physical stress, and keeping an eye on any prescription medications for potential side effects are the best ways to prevent the formation of psoriasis.

Seek Psoriasis Treatment with Kay Dermatology

Kay Dermatology offers thorough psoriasis evaluation and treatment. If you want a consultation, contact Kay Dermatology at 818-238-2350 or use our online contact form.

Among the many treatment options for pigmentation, the Diolite laser is the Kay Dermatology recommended procedure. Why? Find out the many benefits of this revolutionary treatment for pigmentation.

What is the Diolite Laser?

A specific type of diode laser frequently employed in treating skin lesions, including vascular and pigmented lesions, is known as a “diolite laser,” a word primarily used in cosmetic surgery. 

A diolite laser operates by burning the skin lesions’ constituent cells until they are killed while sparing the surrounding tissue. This laser therapy is beneficial for treating liver spots, sun spots, spider veins, and age spots since it may target specific tissues while sparing surrounding areas. 

Other types of lasers are also used for this purpose, and some of them can provide more noticeable effects, but they frequently harm the skin more, take longer to heal, and have higher risks of side effects.

What Can Diolite Laser Treat?

The Diolite 532 – the device Kay Dermatology uses – is a cutting-edge compact laser system for treating vascular and pigmented skin lesions, such as freckles, telangiectasia, rosacea, cherry angiomas, port wine stains, lentigines, dermatosis papulosis nigra, keratoses, and spider angiomas.

Telangiectasias, which are facial spider veins brought on by dilated capillaries or arterioles,

Cherry angiomas are red, barely elevated lesions.

Spider angiomas are red, slightly elevated lesions that resemble spiders.

Flat, dark blotches on the skin called lentigines can develop on the skin after prolonged sun exposure.

Keratosis: Mildly raised pigmented lesions on the face and back of the hands.

Brownish skin patches, known as freckles, are typical among people with pale skin.

Minor black marks called Dermatosis Papulosis Nigra are more common in people of Asian or African origin.

Vascular and pigmented lesions can be treated without harm with Diolite Laser. The treatment can also remove skin tags and UV damage.

How Does Diolite Laser Work?

Similar to how a light-emitting diode, or LED, light creates its light, a diolite laser produces a laser using a semiconducting material, as other diode lasers do. Diode lasers can be used for various industrial, scientific, and medical applications, such as bar-code scanners, CD drives, and dental equipment. Different types of diode lasers emit distinct kinds of light with different qualities.

A diolite laser employs a particular wavelength, pulse length, and pulse energy to ensure that only the type of tissue intended for treatment absorbs its light.

An instrument similar to a pen is held in hand and pointed toward the skin, lightly contacting the areas that need to be treated with the diolite laser’s powerful beam of light. Then, the laser light’s heat disintegrates abnormal blood vessels and pigment cells. Before receiving treatment, a local anesthetic cream may be given, and most patients only feel a little discomfort.

A small amount of swelling or redness may develop after diolite laser therapy, although more severe side effects are rare.

Who are Suitable Candidates?

The Diolite Laser can help patients with vascular or pigmented lesions on their nose, cheeks, chin, or other parts of the face. Lighter skin tones have the best chances of getting the most out of the treatment since their natural skin color looks vastly different from lesions. The device’s targeting system won’t find it challenging to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy skin tissues.

If you want to know if this treatment is the best choice for you, schedule a consultation at our clinic.

What to Expect During and After the Diolite Laser Treatment

Most patients do not need an anesthetic during treatment, but a topical anesthetic can be used if necessary. Patients must wear treatment goggles to shield their eyes from the laser light throughout the operation. The total treatment time will change based on how many regions are treated.

After the Treatment

Redness may develop after non-invasive therapy, although it usually goes away within a few hours. Additionally, there may be some edema, which will go away in 1-2 days. There is no downtime connected with the procedure, although it is advised that patients avoid exposure to direct sunlight while the healing process is taking place.

For the right vascular or pigmented lesions, the diolite laser works great. One session should result in clearing 60–65% of the lesions. Depending on the quantity of lesions present and the target decrease, 1-2 sessions are advised.

The effects will be better if the pigmented lesions are darker. Vascular lesions respond to treatment in 10–14 days, while pigmented lesions do so in 2–3 weeks.

You can resume everyday activities with only a slight redness in the treatment area right after the procedure.

Diolite Laser Aftercare

There is very little postoperative care required. During the healing phase, we might instruct you to avoid exposure to the sun and put an anti-bacterial ointment on the treated region for a short while.

Use a mild cleanser and wash as usual, but don’t scrub. The skin around the treatment region might be tender and more sensitive; scrubbing may do harm. A mild cleanser and gentle washing will keep your skin clean without damaging your skin.

To lessen crusting, use Vaseline. Vaseline is effective for maintaining moisture locked in the skin. It will prevent your skin from drying and flaking.

You can use Polysporin antibiotic ointment and a bandage if a blister bursts or starts to drain.

Consistently apply sunscreen to prevent burning, rashes, and color changes in treated areas.

Why Kay Dermatology Recommends Diolite Laser for Pigmentation

Diolite Laser is the best treatment for pigmentation for many reasons. It is quick, easy, and convenient. It produces long-lasting results with only minimal potential side effects.

It helps treat many pigmentation problems and other skin issues. It is guaranteed to be safe and effective. The diolite laser treatment is the best answer for your skin pigmentation problems.

Get the diolite laser treatment by consulting and contacting Kay Dermatology today. Our telephone number is 818-238-2350; you can also reach us by filling out our contact form. Our address is 201 S. Buena Vista, Ste. 420, Burbank, CA 91505.

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