With a steady stream of advances comes a broader range of options for a host of cosmetic procedures. Two of the more popular facial treatments at Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery, for example, tend to appeal to different kinds of people, but they both yield great improvements in both the texture and the pigment of the skin. So which one’s right for you? Let’s take a closer look at them.
Look years younger in 24 hours
HALO is fast becoming the future of laser resurfacing. The treatment itself is virtually painless and the recovery time is minimal.
This is how it works: Ablative fractional resurfacing is a well-established treatment that vaporizes aged tissue with less thermal injury. But the recovery time and side effects can be mild to moderate. By contrast, non-ablative fractional resurfacing causes thermal injury, but the side effects and recovery time are fairly minimal. HALO is hybrid of both, maximizing the desired results while minimizing the recovery time.
HALO’s been shown to effectively improve the appearance of lots of common skin conditions, like wrinkles, discoloration, and looseness, that can result from long-term sun exposure, an active lifestyle, and the basic wear and tear of everyday life.
Patients treated with HALO have seen powerful results in just one to two treatments, while older technology would have required five to six for the same degree of improvement. In most cases, only a topical anesthetic is used, and patients can apply makeup within 24 hours of their procedures.
Essentially, come in for the treatment on a Friday and be back in the office Monday, turning everyone’s heads.
Calling all early adapters
The platelet-rich plasma facial is a bit more invasive than HALO, but the potential benefits far outweigh the minimal discomfort for those early adapters who’ve come to swear by it.
Platelet-rich plasma isn’t brand-new concept, but we are just beginning to appreciate its full power as a rejuvenator and all the ways it can be applied. I’ve come to think of it as the gateway to learning about the body’s true rejuvenating abilities.
Google platelet-rich plasma facial and you’re going to come up with a bunch of entries about the “vampire facial.” Don’t be scared away. It’s just a nickname that grew out of the blood we draw for the procedure, which is harmless. Here’s a quick overview: We draw blood from your arm, separate the platelets from the red blood cells in a centrifuge, then inject the platelets into your skin via microneedling. In other words, I’ll run a needle pen over your face while squirting the platelets into the tiny injection holes.
A couple of things are going on there. First, the platelets are high in growth hormone. Second, the microneedling stimulates the skin to regenerate. Together, the procedure is meant to aid cell turnover. In plain English, you’ll like you’ve had a facelift, but you won’t have to suffer through the same extensive downtime.
If you Google vampire facial, you’ll find a lot of accounts that suggest you’ll be back to your normal lifestyle the next day. In my experience it varies from patient to patient, but it generally runs a bit longer than it does with the HALO. Despite what it sounds like, though, you shouldn’t feel more than a pin prick.
In a couple of years, we may be laughing at how over-the-top this all sounds. Research is just beginning to support all the reasons that, theoretically, this should be your go-to facial treatment.
To learn more about Cosmetic Plastic Surgery procedures offered by Dr. Davis at Davis CPS, please contact us or call 856.424.1700.