September 26th, 2013

Tattoo removal is a convenient outpatient procedure used to eliminate tattoos that are no longer wanted. By breaking down the tattoo ink with laser treatment during a series of appointments, tattoo removal clinics enable the body to get rid of the tattoo on its own. Below is more about tattoo removal along with its limitations and ways to prepare for the procedure.

The Process of Tattoo Removal

Before treatment begins, Austin dermatology specialists clean the area of treatment and take pictures to keep track of results. The area is numbed, then a laser is applied in short bursts to break down the ink. Treatment time can vary depending on the type and amount of ink and the body’s ability to remove the pigment. However, most tattoos require between three and seven sessions, which are spaced anywhere from four to seven weeks apart to give the body time to eliminate the broken-down ink. Some tattoos can take as many as 20 or more sessions. After each treatment, antibiotic ointment is applied and bandages are placed over the area.

Limitations of Tattoo Removal

Although treatment at a reputable Austin tattoo removal clinic can usually eliminate tattoos completely, some tattoos are more resistant and may remain barely visible. Changes in the skin’s natural pigmentation and texture may occur, but these issues often return to normal over time. Following post-treatment instructions, such as protecting the treated area from sun exposure and not scratching the area, is key to having the best possible outcome.

Preparing for Tattoo Removal

Before pursuing treatment, consultation with a dermatologist is essential to determine how easily unwanted tattoos can be removed. Surgical removal is possible for some small areas that cannot be treated with laser removal, but surgery may not be an option for larger tattoos. For two to three days preceding the laser removal, the skin to be treated should be shielded from the sun to prevent excessive burning during treatment. Soft, loose-fitting clothing should be worn to the appointment to maximize comfort afterwards. Over-the-counter pain medications other than aspirin can be taken for prevention of pain. To support optimal healing, smoking should be avoided for about four weeks before and after each treatment session.

After each appointment, the staff gives instructions for helping the skin heal. Following these instructions is often the most important factor in ensuring the effectiveness of treatment and preventing long-term scarring. For tattoo removal and skin care Austin residents can depend on, Four Points Dermatology is an excellent choice.

September 24th, 2013

Although sun-kissed skin might look attractive, tanning your skin is not healthy. Exposing your skin to the sun does not just put you at risk of skin cancer; it can also damage your skin and make it look older. It is important to recognize the early signs of sun damaged skin. The sooner you recognize sun damaged skin, the sooner you can visit your Austin dermatologist and treat it.

Dry Skin

Dry skin is one of the most common signs of sun damaged skin. If your skin appears very dry and flaky, it is likely has been damaged from the sun. It is important to change your skin care routine if your skin is that dry. You should use a very heavy moisturizer that contains glycerin, pyroglutamic acid or lactic acid. You should also avoid taking hot baths and showers for a while because they can make your skin even drier.

Sunburn

Sunburn is another sign of sun damaged skin. If you get a mild sunburn (first-degree burn), it will be red and a little painful. If you get a severe sunburn (second- or third-degree burn), you may experience nausea, dizziness and blisters. One of the best ways to treat a sunburn is to apply a cold compress to your skin. It will remove some of the heat, making your skin feel better. You can also apply some Aloe Vera gel to your sunburned skin.

Freckles

Freckles are small, light brown spots that are normally caused by sun damage. They can appear anywhere on your body including your face, arms and legs. There are several ways to get rid of freckles including bleaching creams, laser treatment and chemical peels. These treatments can reduce the appearance of freckles on the skin.

Wrinkles 

More than 80% of the signs of skin aging in adults are the result of the tans they had as teens before the age of 18. That’s because over time, the sun’s ultraviolet light damages the fibers in the skin called elastin. When the elastin your skin breaks down, the skin begins to sag, stretch, and lose its elasticity.

As you can see, there are several early signs of sun damaged skin. If your skin shows any of these symptoms, you need to start taking better care of your skin. The first thing you should do is make an appointment to see a dermatologist at Four Points Dermatology. Your doctor will examine your skin and see how bad the damage is. Austin dermatology will provide the best care for you sun damaged skin so that it looks healthy again.

September 19th, 2013

Laser hair removal procedures have become increasingly popular among men in recent years. More men are beginning to learn the benefits of laser hair removal and now understand that this procedure is not exclusively for women. Whether a man wants to remove a large amount of body hair or just a little hair from a few places, the laser equipment used in hair removal can be adjusted to accommodate anyone’s desires.

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal offers a more effective alternative to shaving, waxing or plucking. The powerful lasers that are used are able to remove unwanted hair permanently while giving men the smooth physique they have always wanted. Removing hair with lasers is also often less painful than other hair removal methods. This procedure can additionally be done quickly over the course of multiple sessions. Given the permanent results, laser hair removal also saves men the time and money of having to buy razors, waxing kits and other hair removal devices on a regular basis.

The Process of Removing Hair by Laser Therapy

Men who wish to undergo laser hair removal treatments can visit a clinic that specializes in this type of therapy. The technician who administers the laser treatments will first trim down any long hairs so that they are easier to remove. A soothing cooling gel is applied to the skin in order to avoid any burning or irritation during the process. The technician then uses a handheld device to administer small pulses of light to the areas where unwanted hair growth is present. After the process is complete, additional cooling gel or ice packs are applied to further soothe the skin. It generally takes anywhere from three to five laser therapy sessions for hair to be permanently removed.

The popularity of laser hair removal among men will likely continue to grow over the coming years. Men who are interested in scheduling a laser hair removal session can contact Four Points Dermatology for reliable service. A qualified dermatologist can answer all questions and provide more information on the benefits of male hair removal.

September 16th, 2013

In the Western Hemisphere, summer is quickly fading into a memory. However, there are still some sunny days left before the snow comes. In view of this, many people are doing whatever they can to take advantage of their fun in the sun. They need to take steps to protect their skin from sun damage. In order to do this, many people use sunscreen and they get advice from doctors who work at an Austin dermatology clinic. When people buy their bottles of sunscreen, they will see that they have labels on them with the letters SPF and then a number. The vast majority of people do not understand what these SPF ratings mean and how they relate to sun protection.

For starters, the term SPF stands for sun protection factor. This means that the SPF number is an indicator of the amount of protection sun block provides from the sun or more specifically from the ultraviolet rays that come from the sun. It is these ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn. Sunburn is extremely dangerous. While it is true that everyone needs a little bit of sun in order to get vitamin D, if their skin gets tan, this means that their skin is damaged. If their skin gets sunburned, this means that they are putting themselves at risk for cancer. Individuals can consult the doctors who work at Four Points Dermatology clinic for information about sunburns and sun protection. This is a high quality office that provides Austin skin care advice and treatments.

To understand the SPF labels on sunscreen a person should think about the following scenario. If an individual would get sunburned after being outside for just five minutes without any protection, a sunscreen with SPF 30 protection would provide them with 30 times the amount of protection that they would get without any sunscreen. It means that they would have approximately 150 minutes or 2 1/2 hours of protection against the sun. There helps a person to see the difference between a high and low level SPF sunscreen.

It is recommended that sunscreen be replied once every hour to areas where the sunscreen has been wiped away. This is more important than applying a sunscreen with a higher SPF rating. SPF numbers are not an exact science. They just give a estimate time of protection. The results of using sunscreen are going to vary from person to person and skin type to skin type. Sunscreen has the best effect if it is applied at least 30 minutes prior to sun exposure.

September 12th, 2013

There’s no denying the importance in taking good care of one’s skin. As one gets older, the skin becomes one of the most predictable signs of age and poor skin can add years on to one’s appearance. While many may initially think of women when thinking of good skin care, it’s equally as important for men.

Cleanse Daily 

One of the most vital aspects of male skin care is clean skin. Washing one’s face twice a day is absolutely imperative in warding off acne, removing dirt and oil, exfoliating, and will even contribute to a closer shave. Hot water is ideal because it not only opens up the pores for a deeper clean, but also assists in a less painful shaving experience because it softens the coarse facial hair that is often stubborn and difficult to remove entirely.

Moisturize With Pre-Shave and After-Shave Lotion 

Everyday, billions of males wake up and begin their day with a morning shave, making pre-shave and after-shave lotions critical components of male skin care. Not only is their skin irritated from harsh blades gliding against their skin, but also from poor quality skin care. Therefore, taking the time to apply pre-shave lotion can prevent skin irritations, like razor burn, redness, dryness, sensitivity, and more. Applying pre-shave lotion will prepare your skin for the potentially skin damaging impacts shaving can induce. Pre-shave lotions are generally comprised of natural oils like clove oil, castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil, aloe, and more. Applying after-shave lotion is equally as important as pre-shave cream because it adds the extra moisture needed for harsh weather conditions like the sun’s harmful rays, wind, and more

Visit a Dermatologist

Another key ingredient in good male skin care is visiting a dermatologist annually. Going to the dermatologist regularly will not only allow for monitoring and prevention of skin tags, moles, and possibly skin cancer, but will also allow for an overall improvement of male skin care. Respectable, professional dermatologists, like those found at Four Points Dermatology, offer the best Austin dermatology and optimal results in attaining not only quality Austin skin care, but high quality male skin care in general.

Conclusion 

Clearly, practicing good male skin care can be simple and effective. By simply cleansing one’s face daily, applying pre-shave and after-shave lotion, and visiting a quality dermatologist regularly, remarkable benefits will certainly be obtained.

September 10th, 2013

Clogged Pores

Many acne conditions are easy to treat at home with great products from Four Points Dermatology in Austin, Texas. Pimples develop from a combination of dead cells, oil and bacteria that collect in the skin’s tiny pores. Individuals of any age can have acne but teenagers are especially prone to having this condition due to changes in hormones. During puberty, production of oil from glands increases leading to pores plugged with bacteria and debris. Without proper cleansing, inflammation from the bacteria causes a papule filled with pus. Many individuals get a few pimples on various locations of the face or body.

Destroy Bacteria

However, there are people who have severe or chronic acne over larger areas of the body or face. Finding a skin care Austin, Texas professional with knowledge of various skin types is essential for treating acne. A specialist can offer advice on home treatments that will assist with curing the acne. Keeping the skin clean is an essential way to prevent pimples from occurring. A solid or liquid cleanser for acne must assist with destroying bacteria while reducing skin oiliness. There are numerous antibacterial soaps especially designed for eliminating bacteria from the skin’s pores.

Scrubbing Agents

Scrubs with granules are an alternative to cleansers and soaps for treating acne. The tiny granules enter the skin’s pores to remove the plugs of debris that lead to papules. At the same time, a scrubbing agent can help reduce the oils that seep from the oil glands. Cleansing scrubs are available for acne that occurs on either the face or body. Facial scrubbing products tend to have milder ingredients than body scrubs. In addition to body scrubs, there are foaming cleansers suitable for washing the skin that often contain ingredients created to treat acne.

Blemish Creams

Austin dermatology offices have physicians who specialize in treating skin conditions such as acne. Individuals visiting a dermatologist can purchase products to use at home to treat acne round-the-clock. An individual with acne often needs to cleanse facial and body skin several times a day to eliminate bacteria. Many individuals also like to use astringent toners to remove oil and bacteria from the skin. Daily application of ointments on blemishes is also necessary to dry pimples and reduce inflammation. A blemish cream or ointment in a skin tone matching format is an excellent way to cover discolorations from acne.

August 5th, 2013

Anyone who’s suffered through a bout of hives know that they’re an utter misery. They arise from ingesting something to which the person is allergic, brushing up against something like poison ivy or oak or being stung by an insect. Some people suffer from hives after taking a new medication. A rare type of hives happens when the body attacks its own mast cells, which then release histamines that can bring on hives. Other types of hives occur when a sensitive person has their skin scratched and a welt is raised where the scratch was. Another type of hives is called cholinergic urticaria. This is where tiny, itchy bumps erupt over the skin. This usually happens after exercise and is gone quickly. Hives can also be triggered by water, cold and exposure to the sun.

Generally, hives are acute or ordinary or chronic. Ordinary hives usually go away after about a month and a half to two months. Chronic hives last longer than this. Austin hives treatment can be had at Four Points dermatology in Austin, Texas.

Hives happen when the poison that’s introduced in or on the body causes the blood vessels to dilate. This causes fluid to leak out of them into the skin in spots that then swell up and begin to itch violently. Scratching them, which admittedly brings relief, only irritates them and makes the hives even more severe.

Ordinary hives can appear for what looks like no reason at all. A patch of hives can appear on a certain place on the body then go away only to reappear on another area of the body. They may last from a few minutes to a few hours. The cycle can last up to two months, though most cases of ordinary hives are gone within six weeks.

Chronic hives are hives that can last from six weeks to years. The condition is challenging to treat even for Austin dermatology, because it’s difficult to find the exact cause of the hives. The patient might have to limit the types of food he or she eats for a while then reintroduce the food gradually to see if any one food is the cause of the hives. The patient will also need to give the dermatologist a detailed medical history so he or she can receive the proper skin care Austin.

April 4th, 2013

There are many benefits available to people that choose laser photorejuvenation for improving the quality of their skin. Four Points Dermatology is a medical office that provides high quality laser photorejuvenation to the residents living in Austin, Texas and the surrounding areas. IPL laser is an abbreviation for lasers that use an intense pulse light. The IPL helps dermatologists perform laser photorejuvenation and skin care treatments. This laser technology uses particular wavelengths of light in order to target different chromophores in the skin. These types of lasers are also helpful for people that need hair removal as well.

Laser resurfacing or rejuvenation can be a very effective corrective surgery for people that are dealing with physical, mental or emotional issues regarding wrinkles, sun damage to the skin, stretch marks, scars, spider veins and other unsightly topical conditions as well. This laser procedure can be extremely beneficial when combined with liposuction in order to remove excess wrinkles once the fat has already been removed. The laser rejuvenation can help to tighten the skin and smooth over the contours of the body. More often than not these days, a fractional laser is used, this helps protect the healthy skin, and promotes healthier and faster healing as well.

A 2004 Cornell study that was produced in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that IPL is a non-invasive way to rejuvenate the skin that has minimal adverse effects on the patient. These types of laser treatments enable the practitioner to cater the treatment specifically to the individual or for individual parts of the body. Laser photorejuvenation can be a very helpful procedure that a patient can have on the face or on the body. This type of laser corrective procedure is great for people that have sagging skin, brown spots, visible blood vessels or baggy eyelids as well.

This procedure is the perfect answer for people that want to look and feel younger without sacrificing other aspects of their health or beauty. This laser treatment can also be helpful for lightening, reducing red spots or age spots on the skin as well. The laser may also help to improve the texture of the skin slightly also. The photorejuvenation operation with the laser saves time, makes the procedure more comfortable, typically has better outcomes and requires less recovery time as well. It is clearly evident that laser photorejuvenation at Four Points Dermatology has several benefits for patients and practitioners as well.

March 22nd, 2013

Any portion of the body that is covered with skin, or an epidermal layer, can experience sunburn. This susceptibility includes the lips, ears, and the scalp. The lips are rarely covered during long exposure to the sun. They can become cracked and dehydrated much more easily than other parts of the skin. Sunburn and cracking often leads to bleeding due to the excess loss of moisture. In addition, childrens’ lips are in much more danger because the layers of skin are still in developmental stages. Lip sunburn as a result of prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays display a variety of symptoms. These include a burning sensation on the lips, itching, and cracked layers that are prone to bleeding. The lips will have a rough texture, and the damaged layers of skin will begin to peel.

There are a variety of treatments for this condition. The first thing to avoid is peeling off the damaged layers of skin right away. This action will cause bleeding to occur much more readily. Petroleum jelly provides excellent sunburn treatment because the vitamin E in the compound prevents any further drying of the tissue. Aloe Vera works well to treat sunburns on any area of the body as well. Preventive measures should also be considered before long hours of exposure to the sun. Many lipsticks for women contain SPF formulas. Lip balms for men and children are also useful. Hydration can play a large role in skin care. Drinking 8 to 12 glasses of water each day keeps the skin hydrated, making it less susceptible to damages from UV rays.

Extreme burns can result in the need to visit a dermatologist. Lips that have been severely burned will begin to swell and experience a change in color. The red hue often deepens to a purple shade. The change in the appearance of the lip surface can then be followed by blistering. The damage from the sun’s UV rays can be severe enough to cause second and third-degree burns. Austin, Texas residents are exposed to blistering sun during the summer months, and they trust that quality treatments designed to lessen the effects of the exposure are available from Four Points Dermatology. For emergencies and further information on the risks and benefits associated with skin care, this dermatologist has long been a trusted name.

March 14th, 2013

Four Points Dermatology of Austin, Texas is pleased to offer their clients Radiesse treatment. Radiesse is a dermal filler that’s used to add volume to areas in the hands, neck and face that suffer from winkles, lines and folds.

Radiesse is made out of calcium hydroxylapatite, a substance that’s created from calcium and phosphate. It’s found in the bones and teeth so it’s quite compatible and safe to use. The risks of an allergic reaction are vanishingly small and no skin test is required before a Radiesse treatment. Radiesse is safe enough to be used by people who are HIV positive.

Radiesse is delivered through an injection given by a dermatologist. It’s tiny microspheres of calcium hydroxylapatite in a water soluble gel that are injected deep into the lower layers of skin. Radiesse can also be delivered along with lidocaine to increase the client’s comfort during the treatment. This dermal filler also doesn’t migrate to other parts of the body where it’s not wanted.

Radiesse is also known as a collagen stimulant because it stimulates the body to produce it’s own collagen, a material that keeps skin youthful. Radiesse will last for about six months before the client might want to have another treatment. Over time the microspheres are simply absorbed by the body.

Before the procedure, the dermatologist will mark off those areas on the body that will be treated. Treatment with Radiesse takes only a few minutes depending on how many areas need to be treated. After the treatment, the client will be given an ice pack to hold against the areas to keep him or her comfortable. He or she can leave the clinic after a brief rest and go back to his or her regular schedule. The client might have some swelling or redness but that will go away after a day or two. Complications of Radiesse treatment are rare and any complications that do appear are quite reversible.

Clients in Austin, Texas and environs who want a consultation with Four Points Dermatology regarding Radiesse or the other skin care products or treatments shouldn’t hesitate to call them at 512-478-3376.