Every human being on earth has layers of hair covering their bodies, though certain genetic makeups can lead to more or less apparent hair. Many individuals with an excess amount of body hair find themselves struggling with low self-esteem as a result. Most commonly, hair removal is popular amongst women, and while it is true that unwanted body hair is incredibly stressful for women, men find themselves with excessively hairy areas as well.

Unwanted hair on specific body parts can become annoying for anyone to deal with, and popular removal methods seem outdated and are often painful.  Common forms of hair removal include shaving, plucking, and waxing, but these can all lead to skin irritation and are only temporary fixes for unwanted hair. Eventually, the hair grows back, and as you get older, the hair gets thicker and darker than before.

Laser hair removal has revolutionized the hair removal process by providing a long-term solution that leaves your skin as smooth and hair-free as possible for months or even years. Although laser hair removal was once reserved for light skin tones, technological advancements have improved outcomes for darker skin so it can now safely be used on anyone interested.

Is Laser Hair Removal Right for All Skin Tones?

Laser hair removal treatments target the melanin pigments inside hair follicles. People with darker skin naturally have more melanin, which once prevented them from safely receiving treatments. Now, laser technology can distinguish the two sources of melanin, more accurately targeting hair follicles on darker and lighter skin. As the laser targets melanin, it becomes heat energy, effectively destroying the hair follicle without destroying the surrounding tissue.

Who Is the Best Candidate for Laser Hair Removal?

Although all skin tones can now receive laser hair removal treatment, that does not mean everyone is a good candidate.

The ideal candidate has dark, coarse hair that is easy for the laser to detect and target. However, changes in technology can now treat all types of hair. Those with light-colored hair or darker skin may require artificial darkening for the treatment to be effective. The artificial darkening is only for the laser’s distinction and will fade after treatment.

What to Expect With Laser Hair Removal

In your initial consultation, you should be honest about your medical history, any conditions, or past procedures in order to avoid complications. New Image Plastic Surgery will walk you through the steps of the procedure, answering questions, and noting the pros and cons of this treatment. If you are approved as a candidate, you will discuss the number of sessions likely needed for your unique case and establish a treatment plan moving forward.

Before

Before your first laser session and the sessions that follow, there are a few activities you should avoid—stay out of the sun for at least a week before treatment and make sure to apply sunscreen regularly. You should also withgo any skin lighteners, alternative hair removal measures, and certain medications as they could cause complications. The day before your treatment you are encouraged to shave so the laser can better target the treatment area.

During

Generally, patients need between two and six sessions for lasting results. How often sessions occur depends on the area of treatment and pace of hair growth, but an average of 6 to 14 weeks between sessions is common. You’ll be required to wear specialized goggles during treatment in order to protect your eyesight. A small amount of discomfort is to be expected, but the sensation will be more warm than painful. The length of the process can vary, but rarely will a session exceed an hour—small treatment areas may only take a few minutes to complete.

After

Patients can continue their normal routine immediately after their procedure. There may be a little redness for a few hours, but any discomfort should be mild and will pass on its own. A cold compress can help minimize swelling. In order to protect your skin and maintain your results, it is recommended that you make sunscreen a part of your daily routine and avoid excessive sun exposure. Stay away from tanning beds for at least six weeks after your procedure.

Helpful Tips for People with Darker Skin Tones

With additional laser options, people with darker skin tones can now seek hair removal. However, those with darker skin still need to be cautious and consider the following tips:

  • Find a team with up-to-date knowledge
  • Discuss your concerns with skin tone in your consultation
  • Follow all pre-treatment instructions
  • Carefully follow all post-care instructions

The Best Option for All Skin Tones in San Antonio, TX

Patients in San Antonio, TX who are tired of unwanted body hair trust New Image Plastic Surgery to help them reach their goals. Our team has experts in laser hair removal, and our dedication to utilizing the latest technologies makes our treatments accessible to all. Our practice is passionate about helping you find true, long-lasting relief, so call New Image Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, Texas to schedule a consultation for the highest quality laser hair removal treatments.

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When you have concerns about imperfections in your skin and wish to correct them, you have a variety of options, but you may not know that Lutronic Ultra is one of those choices. As a versatile cosmetic treatment, it can help you achieve brighter, healthier skin that you can look forward to for a long time. It’s important to get all the facts about Lutronic Ultra if you are considering this treatment.

What Is Lutronic Ultra Laser Treatment?

Lutronic Ultra addresses a number of concerns pertaining to the skin. The Lutronic Ultra laser is a cosmetic procedure that is non-invasive. It uses a non-ablative thulium laser to treat skin issues like spots, freckles, and sun damage. When you receive this treatment, you can look forward to achieving new, healthy skin in the face, chest, and neck. The topmost layers of the skin are addressed but not damaged. The treatment penetrates deep layers to provide you with the best possible results. There’s minimal downtime, and you can quickly notice results such as tighter, brighter, and smoother skin, giving you a younger appearance.

What Skin Issues Can Lutronic Ultra Laser Address?

No two people have the exact same concerns about their skin. While one person might want to focus on improving the skin on their chest or neck, you might want to focus on your face– fortunately, Lutronic Ultra Laser can be used to treat the skin on all these areas. It can address common skin concerns like acne scarring, wrinkles, and fine lines, and lightened skin from stretch marks and pesky brown spots. However, it can also help to rebuild your skin to a healthier state and address larger concerns like precancerous lesions.

What Can You Expect During Your Treatment?

As a fast and simple cosmetic procedure that aims to rejuvenate any problem areas of your skin, Lutronic Ultra Laser can be done during your lunch break. Depending on the skin issues you wish to treat, you may have a varied experience. Generally, Lutronic Ultra Laser takes around 20 minutes. It gives you a warm sensation on the treated area and may make you appear flushed overnight. However, this resolves by the next day after your procedure. In most cases, the treatment is comfortable and does not involve any pain.

What Can You Expect Immediately After Treatment?

Lutronic Ultra involves minimal downtime, so you can quickly resume a slightly altered version of your regular routine. Everyone is different, however, so listen to the instructions Dr. Homas and Dr. Brostrom give you. Regardless of the length of your recovery, you’ll have mild redness similar to a sunburn in the beginning.

What Post-Care Routines Should You Adopt?

Along with mild redness, patients may experience a burning sensation for the first one to two hours following treatment. Sterile ice packs can provide safe, cool relief, but make sure they are clean and wrapped in gauze so water does not enter the affected area. After 24 hours, the treatment area should be gently moisturized with products approved by Dr. Homas and Dr. Brostrom daily for at least a week.

Retinol, AHA, and alcohol can complicate the recovery process, so please avoid cosmetics products with these ingredients– alcohol products can be used after one week with doctoral approval. Redness can be aggravated by intense exercise, alcohol, or anything that increases blood flow, so you should keep your activities light for the first week. For at least 20 days after treatment, you should wear SPF 30 sunscreen daily along with an umbrella, sun hat, or other sun-protection methods.

How Many Treatments Do You Need?

You can see results after just one Lutronic Ultra procedure. Depending on your skin issues and what you wish to achieve, you may need more. In many cases, three or more treatments annually are enough to help you retain your results.

Who Is a Good Candidate?

Generally, anyone can benefit from Lutronic Ultra treatment. If you have any skin concerns ranging from fine lines or wrinkles to sun damage to acne scarring, you are a good candidate. The procedure can address any skin color and can be done all year long.

Length of Results

Your results appear shortly after your treatment. Within three to six months, you will see even more out of your Lutronic Ultra procedure. You may need additional treatments throughout the years to retain your results. If you are in the San Antonio, Texas area and are interested in getting Lutronic Ultra, New Image Plastic Surgery offers the most comprehensive care. Dr. Homas and Dr. Brostrom will be dedicated to assisting you from initial contact to every appointment after. Schedule a consultation and see your skin transform.

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Have you been unhappy with the appearance of your nose for the longest time now? The good news is that surgeons have a solution for you: Rhinoplasty. Here, we’ll dig into some informative details that will help you understand the procedure better in case you have been considering it.

What is Rhinoplasty?

Also commonly referred to as a “nose job,” it is an invasive procedure aimed at reshaping the appearance of the nose. Some people go under the scalpel to correct functional problems of the nose. Cosmetic rhinoplasty specializes in enhancing your appearance by making subtle changes to the shape and size of the nose.

What is the Rhinoplasty Procedure Like?

As earlier stated, rhinoplasty is an invasive procedure normally performed on an outpatient basis by most cosmetic surgeons. Surgeries take different periods to complete depending on the complexity of the procedure and the type of rhinoplasty you wish to be performed. However, the standard rhinoplasty takes about one to three hours to complete.

Your cosmetic surgeon will administer anesthesia to numb your nose and make the procedure bearable. A nose job can either be performed as a closed procedure (incisions are tucked inside the nose) or an open process (incisions run across the columella). Your surgeon will then lift the soft tissues in the nose following along the incisions, providing adequate space to reshape the nose’s structure. Should you need additional cartilage grafting, your cosmetic surgeon will retrieve the extra cartilages from other areas of your body, such as the ears. After completing the surgery, the nasal tissues and skin will be re-draped, and the openings stitched together.

A well-done nose job will leave no marks from the incisions after a few months of healing. However, immediately after surgery, your wounds will be stitched and dressed to prevent infections. The results are immediate, although you might want to take a few days for the swelling and bruising to go down before revealing the results.

What Should You Expect from Recovery?

Patience is vital during recovery from rhinoplasty. Due to the swelling and bruising from the surgery, expect difficulty breathing, which gets better as you continue to heal. The first 24 hours will be uncomfortable. Your cosmetic surgeon should prescribe a pain killer for the pain. You may also try applying an ice pack to offer additional relief from the pain. After seven days, you may head back into the clinic for the cast or splints to be removed. The changes from the nose job will continue to shift gradually over time up to one year when you can enjoy full rhinoplasty results.

Schedule A Consultation

Have you been exploring rhinoplasty and the benefits it has to offer? You came to the right place. Call us today to book an appointment with Dr. Dallas Homas or Dr. Lisa Brostrom at New Image Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, TX.

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Hair loss can happen to both men and women. Thyroid conditions, serious health-related issues, hormones, and genetics can all cause hair to thin. Balding can be a particularly difficult experience for many. Whether blading or thinning, hair loss can cause a lot of self-esteem issues for those who experience it. To resolve this, hair transplants are a viable option for many. Hair transplants are a safe and effective way to help you feel more like yourself. At New Image Plastic Surgery, we offer the NeoGraft Hair Restoration.

The Benefits of NeoGraft Hair Restoration

There are many advantages to getting the NeoGraft treatment. By transplanting your hair from areas of suppleness, the hair growth provided is natural, the color is the same, and it can naturally start forming after 3 months. Since this method uses your natural hair, there is no reason it can’t be styled to the way you like it. Unlike toupees or wigs, there is no need to worry about the styling technique or the solidity of a hairpiece.

How Much Does This Cost?

The cost varies widely among patients. To have successful transplantation, small punch grafts are removed from the hair-bearing area of the scalp. This can then be cut into smaller grafts and relocated to the balding or thinning area. Usually, several sessions are advised depending on how many grafts are needed. The best way to know how much your NeoGraft Hair Restoration treatment will cost is to speak with Dr. Homas or Dr. Brostrom in person during a consultation.

Schedule Your Consultation

If you are tired of having blading or thinning hair, don’t live with it. Contact our office today to set up your consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeons. They can give you an estimated cost and lay out a treatment plan for you to get you back to looking and feeling great.

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Lip fillers are one way to create the temporary appearance of fuller lips. Several fillers are specially formulated for the enhancement of lips. They vary by the type of enhancement they offer and their longevity.

What To Know Before Getting Lip Fillers

Before scheduling a lip-filler appointment, consider your desired outcome. Do you want to have fuller lips or a more defined lip line? Maybe vertical lines around your mouth are your reason for seeking lip fillers.

Not All Fillers Are The Same

Before you can know whether a filler is right for you, it’s important to understand the choices available. Most fillers are made of hyaluronic acid. This injectable gel retains moisture in the skin and adds volume. Several different brands of hyaluronic acid fillers are available. The time between touchups varies with the specific filler. Since hyaluronic acid stimulates collagen production, some patients report repeat procedures have increased their time between touchups.

How long do lip fillers last?

  • Restylane and Juvederm are the best-known and most commonly used hyaluronic acid fillers. Both create full, natural-looking lips that last around six months.
  • Juvederm Volbella has a much thinner consistency than other hyaluronic acid fillers. This product is great for smoothing lip lines without adding fullness. Expect this treatment to last around twelve months.
  • Juvederm Vollure is the newest hyaluronic acid filler. While it’s longer-lasting than other fillers, it doesn’t plump the lips. Vollure creates a natural, lifted appearance that lasts around eighteen months.

Are lip fillers safe?

Because hyaluronic acid is made from a molecule found in the skin, allergic reactions are rare. Small lumps can happen if hyaluronic acid’s not injected deep enough, but are easily dissolved. Rarely, injectables can block a small blood vessel. Fortunately, this complication becomes apparent immediately and is easily remedied.

What To Expect At Your Procedure

Your doctor may apply a numbing cream to your lips. Depending on the filler, you could be given a skin test to rule out allergies. Should you react, you’ll be offered a different filler.

If you’d like to set up a lip filler consultation, Dr. Dallas Homas and Dr. Lisa Brostrom of New Image Plastic Surgery can help. They are both highly esteemed doctors who can help you achieve your desired look. 

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The unwanted pockets of fat and bulges that liposuction can eliminate can significantly improve the shape of your body. Liposuction is great for permanently removing fat from troubled areas but does nothing to address the loose skin that is left behind. Many past and prospective patients fear they will need to deal with this loose skin for the remainder of their lives. However, there are things you can do to remedy this situation.

The Liposuction Process

Unlike tummy tuck and body lift surgeries, liposuction does not remove the excess skin that may remain after fat removal. Liposuction is great at addressing the fat that is left behind after the patient has used diet and exercise to address the majority of their fat concerns. This makes liposuction best suited for smaller areas like hips or the back of the knees. Excess skin can be left behind when liposuction is used to address larger areas like the stomach, buttocks, and thighs.

Skin After Liposuction

As individuals grow larger, the skin stretches to accommodate the changes in their bodies. Removing fat with liposuction will not cause the skin to shrink. The skin elasticity of a liposuction patient is evaluated before the surgery is performed to predict the ability of the skin to reshape itself following the surgery. Healthy skin will have a better chance of shrinking into place after liposuction.

Improve The Elasticity of Your Skin

The time to worry about increasing collagen production and improving the elasticity of your skin is in the months leading up to the liposuction procedure. You should be willing to take the measures to make sure your skin is healthy if you are willing to spend the money necessary to undergo the liposuction procedure. You can add these activities to your daily activities to improve the quality of your skin.

  • Stay hydrated – Six to eight glasses of water a day are usually enough to boost the texture, tone, and elasticity of your skin.
  • Exercise – Regular exercise has been proven to help the body produce collagen and elastin.
  • Healthy eating – Including a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants will promote healthy skin. Your skin will be healthy and elastic if you give it the nutrition it needs.
  • Daily Care – You should clean and moisturize your skin on a daily basis. Regular exfoliation will eliminate dead cells in the skin and promote the growth of new cells.

Treatments That Boost Elasticity

There are skin rejuvenation techniques that may help eliminate sagging skin after liposuction surgery. You should discuss the safety and potential benefit of these treatments with your plastic surgeon.

Vaser Lipo As An Alternative

Vaser lipo is an ultrasonic treatment that can remove the fat you desire while encouraging the tightening of the skin. This is an excellent alternative for patients who worry about loose and sagging skin in the aftermath of their liposuction surgery. Vaser Lipo is a great alternative to traditional lipo procedures and can provide patients with the benefits they desire without the consequence of sagging skin.

Planning Your Strategy For Liposuction

You can take the first step to achieve the body image you desire by consulting with a skilled liposuction surgeon. Dr. Dallas W. Homas and Dr. Lisa Brostrom, of New Image Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, TX, are two examples of these skilled professionals and have a combined experience of over 30 years as surgeons in the U.S. Armed Forces. Dr. Homas and Dr. Brostrom have treated countless satisfied patients with a variety of cosmetic procedures in the San Antonio area.

Individuals in the San Antonio area can reach New Image Plastic Surgery by phone at (210) 988-9819. There is also an online contact form for individuals who wish to schedule a consultation online.

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