What if you want improvement in your skin, but have no time off?

Dr. Irwin
February 24, 2022
I am 52, have great skin but have lines around my mouth and cheeks. I don't want to do filler or sculptra. Co2 was recommended but I run my own retail business and can't take 7 days off for the recovery. They suggested Morpheous 8 as an option. 3 treatments spaced apart. What are your thoughts. I have heard from some that it doesn't actually do much and they didn't see a difference. It is expensive and an investment and I want to make sure I am getting the best bang for the buck. Can you help? Thanks, Lauren

No time off? I’m sympathetic to this: Busy schedules at work, the relentless pace of American life, raising children, staying in touch with friends, family and current events. I’m hearing you say that you’ve looked at some of the options on the web and talked to friends.

But gotta say….we also don’t want to waste our precious time and money on unrealistic hope and marketing hype. In my opinion, at age 52, 3 lighter (no downtown) treatments of above won’t get you the results you are hoping for.

Here are 3 ideas for those with no time, but some money to improve your skin:

  1.  Find a doctor you trust to help you.  Okay this is super important, and sometimes means researching and traveling to another city or state. No doctor bats 100%,  but botched jobs, complications, permanent scars or contour problems, etc. can cause so much heartache, loss of self esteem, time and money. It’s just not worth it to make decisions based solely on “web research;” especially with  your face. Please don’t do Groupon specials or pay too much attention to websites. Ask your doctors, trusted friends and relatives and see who are the most highly recommended cosmetic derms or plastic surgeons in your area. You want them to be in practice at least for 5 years.
  2.  Make trade offs.  I know we all want a magic wand,  but there just isn’t one! If you really can’t take any time off at all, reconsider injectable fillers and Botox/dysport. Everyone over 40-45 has some volume loss that is contributing to the aging face, and lasers can’t correct that. Tightening skin whether with lasers, radiofrequency or a surgical facelift won’t correct volume loss. Fat transfer with a facelift doesn’t always last, can’t be corrected easily, and can be lumpy. Our office and most others work very hard to prevent bruising and make injectables a no downtown procedure as much as possible.
  3. Intelligent planning. If what will benefit you the most, requires 4-7 days off from work, is there a way to plan this in future? It’s better to wait and get the right things done with the results you want, then to rush and find yourself having to correct problems. That takes more time. Many expert offices are combining procedures on the same day if you chose to fly in or are driving from a distance. For example, a patient of ours last week combined CO2 around the eyes with a Profoud Level 3 (about 600 pulses of radiofrequency) in one visit with about 6-7 days of downtown. Fillers and Botox can often be combined with a laser treatment the same day. You’ll need an expert to guide you. Sometimes consultations can be done over telemedicine.

Hope this helps,

Brandith Irwin, MD

 

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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