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Sir Isaac Newton proved it when that infamous apple fell from the tree and onto his head: Gravity is responsible for making things fall. Unfortunately, this also applies to several aspects of our face, including the brow. When the brow begins to grow heavy and the upper eyelid starts to droop, it can create all sorts of aesthetic and functional issues:

You look angry, when you’re not.
You look tired, when you’re not.
Your eyelids feel heavy and uncomfortable.
Your vision is impeded.

While a surgical brow lift may be necessary for significantly heavy brows and drooping eyelids, thankfully, there is a non-surgical solution. It’s called the Botox brow lift. Dr. Davis was recently interviewed on CBS Philly for giving Flyer’s legend Bernie Parent’s eyebrows a non-surgical lift with Botox. His complaint? Drooping eyelid skin was affecting his vision. He got enough of a lift with Botox to improve his eyesight and make him a very happy patient.

Here’s how the Botox brow lift works:

We know that Botox paralyzes muscles. There are muscles in the brow area that pull the eyebrows up (elevators) and pull the eyebrows down (depressors). These muscles can affect brow position. By strategically injecting the depressors (the ones that pull the brow down), you can create a lift of a few millimeters, which is enough to make a noticeable difference and make the eyes appear wider and hence more youthful and alert.

Is the non-surgical brow lift right for you? You’ll never know if you don’t come in… Call today to schedule your next appointment with Dr. Davis! 856.424.1700

Believe it or not, it’s planning season for the holidays, and we’re not talking about your annual cookie party. The fact is, if you’ve been thinking about enhancing some aspect of your face or body and want to be ready by the holidays, you need to plan now. To take the guesswork out of it, we’ve gathered our best advice right here, especially for you. Simply take these 3 steps and you’ll be ready to put your best face forward by the winter holidays.

1. Consider Your Goals
Most people want to look as young as they feel, look more attractive or feel more confident. Who wouldn’t? Every face and body is unique, and so is every treatment plan. Smoothing away wrinkles and lifting the brow to open the eyes or the corners of the mouth can make tired or angry faces look rested and cheerful. Reshaping a nose, jawline or body contour can boost confidence. You may just want to look refreshed overall. Whatever your goals, we can help design a plan to get you there.

2. Set Up Your Consult ASAP
Figuring out what treatments will help you achieve your goals is the second step — and that’s precisely what we do during a consult. The sooner you schedule your consultation, the more options you’ll have given the 2 months (or so) we have until parties, dinners and travel begin! And not to worry if you have a specific event or date that you need to be fully recovered by. We’ll take recovery time and the timing for results into consideration when helping you plan treatments.

3. Book Your Treatments
During the months leading up to the holidays, the schedule fills up fast. So whether you’re coming in to consult for something new, or you’re simply a repeat patient planning for your regular injectable treatments, be sure to schedule your appointment well in advance.

Ready? Schedule yours today! 865.424.1700

5 Reasons lip enhancement may be right for you!

Whether you’re looking for attitude, kissability or just a little enhancement, this season’s latest aesthetic trend is all about the lips. And with the recent FDA approval of dermal filler Juvéderm Ultra XC for lip enhancement, now you can have results for up to 1 year — twice as long as other approved fillers for the lips! Ultimately, however, the question everyone has to ask is, is lip enhancement right for me? Here are 5 facts to help you decide:

Men and women get lip injections for a variety of reasons; some simply want fuller lips, while others may want to restore age-related volume loss. Lip injections can even be used to tweak the shape of the lips too (think: cupid’s bow).

You don’t have to go all out. You can pick and choose the areas of the lips that you want to enhance, whether it’s both, just the bottom or the top — whatever you decide (with a little professional guidance) that will compliment you best.

You will see results almost immediately, though there will be some initial swelling. Give yourself at least 24 hours for that to dissipate, but also don’t make big plans for at least a week in case you experience bruising.

Juvéderm Ultra XC has lidocaine to make treatment comfortable. You may feel the first pinch, but the sting that accompanies fillers without lidocaine? Practically nonexistent!

HA fillers come with an insurance of sorts — if you don’t like your results, we can reverse them with hyaluronidase to erase the filler completely.

Did we mention that Juvéderm Ultra XC lasts for up to 1 year? Until now, HA fillers approved for lip enhancement only lasted 4 to 6 months. Juvéderm Ultra XC is an injectable hyaluronic acid (HA) gel filler that is also approved for treating wrinkles and folds and adding volume to the face.

It’s the end of the summer and that means it’s time to get back to your beauty routine. Not sure where to start? We’ve put together this checklist to help guide you through the recommended steps you should take to maintain your skin’s health and beauty!

Step 1: Skin Screening

While most of us are primarily concerned with improving how our skin looks after months of sun exposure (dehydrated, fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration), the first step to taking care of your skin is a skin cancer screening. Here’s why:

• UV exposure from the sun is directly linked to all forms of skin cancer.
• 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer during their lifetime.
• 2 million of us are diagnosed with one or more forms of skin cancer every year, including actinic keratosis (AK), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma.

Need more motivation? We didn’t think so.

Step 2: Erase the Damage

No one wants fine lines, wrinkles and sun spots—all characteristic signs of sun damage. But if you spend time in the sun (especially during the summer months), chances are you not only have these signs of premature aging, but they become more apparent with each passing year. Thankfully, you don’t have to live with sun damaged skin. Two great skin rejuvenating options include:

• A chemical peel on view My Botox LA Med Spa page or series of chemical peels, which can literally be used to scrub away the dead skin cells that contribute to the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and superficial skin discolorations. The result? Smooth, clear, glowing skin!
• For those deeper, more stubborn age spots, sun spots and freckles, we recommend a series of IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments. IPL can also be used to treat broken capillaries on the face.

Step 3: Support Your Skin

A key component to beautiful skin is good daily skin care. At a minimum, use a full-spectrum SPF every day (not just during the summer months) and a nightly retinol to continue to enhance skin cell turnover and keep your skin fresh and glowing.

Your Skin Repair Checklist:

✓ Skin Cancer Screening
✓ Chemical Peel, IPL
✓ SPF, Retinol

Call today to schedule your skin cancer screening and to plan your treatment course with our skin experts for full skin rejuvenation! 856.424.1700

If you want to preserve youthful skin and reduce your risk for skin cancer, the sun is out and sunless tanning is in… So what’s with the sunburn art trend?

We all know how dangerous sun exposure is. One of the biggest skin commandments is to wear your broad-spectrum 30+ SPF every day—even in the frigid winter months. So when Dr. Davis says that gradual tanning is safer than sunburn art, it’s time to sit up and take notice of what’s become the season’s biggest high-risk trend.

The process of creating sunburn art is fairly straightforward. You cover up a portion of the skin with sunblock or a stencil to protect only a select portion from sun exposure, then you allow the sun to burn the rest of your skin. Most of us have experienced an unwanted sunburn or two over the years. Is sunburn art really all that dangerous?

“The repetitive nature is what I’m concerned about,” Dr. Davis told NJ.com. “If you go out one time and get sunburned it will heal.” When the skin is burned frequently, however, he points out that it can contract and scar and lead to the development of skin cancer.

“You don’t know what your genetic makeup is,” Dr. Davis explained to writer Kelly Roncace. “And when we talk about skin cancer and melanoma, no one knows how many hours you have to be exposed to develop the disease.”

The take-home message here? Do your skin a long-term favor: Skip the sunburn and cover ALL your skin with SPF. Your future self will thank you.

The full story is available on NJ.com.

Kybella vs Liposuction for Double Chins

Double chin woes? If you do a Google search, you’ll see that not only is the double chin somewhat of a national obsession, but tons of “experts” have lots of advice for how to exercise that extra fat and skin away.

Don’t be fooled.

No amount of exercising is going to create the definition you’re looking for. In fact, until recently there was only one way to get rid of a double chin — liposuction, a surgical procedure. Today, however, we have another option in Kybella, the new FDA-approved injectable treatment that literally dissolves away unwanted double-chin fat. The only question is, Kybella or Liposuction — what’s the difference, and which is right for you?

Q: What’s the difference between liposuction and Kybella?

Dr. Davis: Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a thin tube called a cannula inserted through a small incision under the chin to remove excess fat. Stitches are used to close the incision.

Kybella is a non-surgical treatment that uses a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown and absorption of fat. Kybella is injected under the chin and breaks down fat cells without harming other skin cells in the area.

Q: How many treatments do I need to see results?

Dr. Davis: On the upside, liposuction is a 1-time treatment, but it’s a surgical procedure that requires more investment by patients in terms of downtime and cost. With Kybella, many patients see results in 2 to 4 treatments, although you may need up to 6 treatments.

Q: How long does each treatment take?

Dr. Davis: Liposuction is a 1- to 2-hour procedure. Each Kybella treatment session is typically 15 to 20 minutes.

Q: What is recovery like with Kybella compared to liposuction? Can I return to work the same day?

Dr. Davis: The beauty of Kybella is that downtime is minimal. You should plan to take the rest of the day off to recover after your first Kybella treatment, but for subsequent treatments you should be able to return to work the same day.

Because liposuction is a surgical procedure, you can expect to take up to one week off of work for recovery before returning to work and up to two weeks to return to all normal activities.

Q: What are the side effects of each treatment?

Dr. Davis: The most common side effects of Kybella are swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness and formation of areas of hardness around the treatment area. Side effects are similar for liposuction. You can expect swelling, bruising, pain, numbness and redness under the chin for several days after treatment.

Ready to learn more about Kybella? Call us today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Davis to find out if Kybella is right for you!

There’s a very good reason most of us wait till the cooler, darker months for bigger skin fixes — no one wants to hide inside to heal and protect during the warm summer months that beckon us to play outdoors! While you may not be planning a surgical lift or laser skin resurfacing treatment in the coming months, there are some things you can (and should!) do to take care of your skin during the summertime to achieve and maintain perfectly hydrated, clear and glowing skin.

Keep Pores Clear

Whether you’re prone to acne or not, essential summertime skin care for every skin type includes taking extra steps to keep pores clear in hot and humid weather. Neglect your skin and you’ll face visibly larger pores, the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and oil production. Your best bet? Up your exfoliation to slough away dead skin cells, encourage cell growth and enhance circulation.

DIY solution:
Simple. If you’re already exfoliating once a week at home, make it twice! Just be sure to space these apart by 3 to 4 days.

In-office solution:
For the best results, we recommend jumpstarting your summertime skin care routine with a professional microdermabrasion treatment, followed by regular weekly exfoliation you can do at home. Also consider a superficial chemical peel twice every summer to clear and tighten the pores while reducing skin shininess.

An Even Complexion
The sun is strongest during the summer months and can lead to unwanted hyperpigmentation, or dark splotches, on the face. Known by many names — melasma, mask of pregnancy, freckles, sun spots — you want to do your best to prevent or, at the very least, minimize, these skin imperfections by wearing a full-spectrum sunscreen every day. You’ll want to make sure to reapply every 3 to 4 hours. If you’re at the beach and in the water, reapply every 2 hours.

DIY solution:
Pick up a full-spectrum sunscreen at your local drugstore. Be sure it’s at least an SPF 15 and is sweat and water resistant.

In-office solution:
Pick up one of our medical-grade sunscreens for elegant full-spectrum coverage. Stop in today for the perfect summer duo gift pack: Neova lightly tinted sunscreen + DNA repair!

Calm the Red
If you tend to get flushed during the warmer months, it’s a good idea to take active measures to cool off the skin. If you’re a chronic flusher, you could develop permanently dilated capillaries, which would require professional skin care treatments down the road. (And we all know that the best treatment is prevention!)

DIY solution:
Apply an ice water-soaked facecloth to your neck to cool the blood that’s traveling to the face. This will naturally reduce redness.

In-office solution:
Try our Refreshing Mini-Facial to cleanse, hydrate, and calm your skin.

Stave Off Wrinkles
If you’re looking for a little more to rejuvenate your skin this summer, this is the perfect time to begin or maintain the wrinkle smoothing and tightening results that injectables and radio frequency (RF) energy treatments deliver.

Injectables
Botox or Dysport smooth away fine lines and wrinkles and can be used to elevate the eyebrows for a rested, youthful appearance. We can restore youthful contours and fill deeper lines with dermal fillers, utilizing the European method of artistically recreating your own individual features. Products are uniquely selected for each area of the face to achieve a look as individual as you are.

RF energy
Our Advanced Radio Frequency Facial, not only delivers skin tightening but also minimizes the signs of sun exposure and inflammation.

Say Goodbye to Cellulite
There’s no reason to hide under shorts and coverups any more. Today’s cellulite treatments deliver real results! BodyFX for cellulite reduction has even passed the test on the popular show The Doctors.

Yes, we know one or more of these treatments is just what you’ve been looking for to look great and feel even better. Call today to book your next appointment: 856.424.1700