While many people are happy to resort to injectables or cosmetic surgery to look younger, there are those of us who prefer less invasive methods. Good skincare products, lots of water, exercise and healthy eating can go a long way towards enhancing a youthful appearance, but there are plenty of non-surgical options through services offered by medi-spas and cosmetic surgeons. These non-invasive treatments can help retain smooth, youthful skin but they don’t go far in correcting any damage brought on by age and time.
Prasad Medi-Spa, in Garden City, is the medi-spa attached to the practice of Dr. Amiya Prasad. It not only offers excellent medical spa treatments, but also provides support services to Dr. Prasad’s patients. I visited recently to try a fairly new treatment called Pelleve. On Long Island, this treatment is almost exclusively provided here. They are the experts; the manufacturer of the Pelleve machine (which uses radiofrequency to stimulate and remodel the collagens in the dermis to create tightening) brings technicians to Dr. Prasad’s offices to train them.
After examining my face, Dr. Prasad decided a treatment around my eyes would be a great choice and left me in the capable hands of Barbara, his medical aesthetician. She explained, “It sort of fools the skin into thinking it’s 21 again.” When we are younger, we produce collagen quickly. As we get older, that process slows down greatly.
Barbara applied a nutritional conductive gel around my eyes and then used the wand (like a large ball point pen) to make over my eye area. Once it reached the desired temperature, she made “one pass per decade” of my age around the entire eye area, from between the eyes, around the brow bone and down under the eyes.
There were a few moments I felt a strong sting from the heat, but for the most part, it was quite bearable. And the promise of immediate results was kept. When I sat up and Barbara handed me a mirror after the first eye was done, I saw a slight tightening and lift. As the day wore on, my eyes appeared fresher than they had in some time. The results are supposed to be permanent; the more treatments you receive, the more your results increase.
{ad-beautyplaces}Dr. Prasad has seen more dramatic results with Pelleve than other methods. “When I investigated Pelleve, I was concerned that this might be a repetition of the Thermage experience,” he said. “I personally observed another facial cosmetic surgeon use it with very good results and found that in my hands, I was able to satisfy my patients concerns about their skin”.
Dr. Alexander Covey of East End Laser Care in Southampton would disagree. He considers Thermage the “gold standard.” Dr. Covey has been working with Thermage since 2003, one year after it was introduced, and in 2009, he upgraded to Thermage CPT (comfort pulse technology).
“I favor Thermage because it has a longer track record than other non-invasive skin tightening technologies and I think it gives the best and longest lasting results,” said Dr. Covey, who also has offices in Center Moriches and Manhattan and was the first cosmetic surgeon to be fully trained and certified to perform the Lips by Thermage CPT procedure.
According to East End Laser Care’s website, Thermage uses “controlled radio frequency energy to tighten tissue and collagen. Thermage CPT causes the collagen to tighten…thereby reducing skin laxity and wrinkles.”
Thermage is FDA-approved for both face and body; as it is newer, Pelleve is currently only FDA-approved for the face. Both treatments require no downtime at all.
For more dramatic results, some consider CO2 Laser resurfacing. This treatment also tightens the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, but it can eliminate sun-damaged skin and age spots and diminish acne scarring, as well.
Dr. James Marotta of Marotta Facial Plastic Surgery in Smithtown offers Total Fx Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing. After extensive research into laser resurfacing, Dr. Marotta chose the Total Fx for several reasons.
“The laser is six times more powerful than any other CO2 laser available,” he said. “This power translates into deeper skin penetration, less pain, and greater results.”
After a consultation, this treatment can be customized to your particular needs. It may treat a range of issues from the superficial (sunspots) to the deep (skin folds) in just one session. Depending on the level of treatment, downtime is fairly minimal, ranging from four to seven days, with post-treatment application of compresses and ointment required.
Total Fx is done in Dr. Marotta’s office in an hour or less, and anesthetic cream and oral sedatives can be administered, as there is some discomfort. The results are quite substantial judging from the before and after photos on his website.
We have an abundance of talented, leading edge specialists here on Long Island, but no matter what procedure you choose, be sure to do your research to find a treatment that fits your needs and lifestyle and a doctor with whom you feel comfortable.