Chicago Photo Rejuvenation: Refine Medical Spa Photo Rejuvenation Treatments

Please click on a topic below to learn more about Chicago Photo Rejuvenation treatments at Refine Medical Spa including FotoFacial RF Treatments:

An Introduction to Photo Rejuvenation
What is Photo Rejuvenation and How Does It Work?
How Long Do Photo Rejuvenation Treatments Take?
How is Treatment Performed Exactly?
Are There Any Side Effects?
Is Photo Rejuvenation Right For Me?
When Will I See the Effects of My Photo Rejuvenation?
Is the Effect of Photo Rejuvenation Permanent?
Before and After Photos

An Introduction to Photo Rejuvenation

Skin renewal is now safer, gentler and more effective. Removing unattractive lesions is now easier, more comfortable than ever before. Instead of enduring painful procedures that use intense heat, light or laser, you can now enjoy comfortable, long-lasting skin renewal that produces the results you truly want.

Photo Rejuvenation uses a unique combination of electrical energy, light and cooling to treat vascular lesions (facial telangiectasias, rosacea, etc.) and superficial pigmented lesions (such as age spots, solar lentigo, and others) safely, quickly and very effectively.

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What is Photo Rejuvenation and How Does It Work?

Photo Rejuvenation minimizes or eliminates skin damage without disrupting the skin surface while simultaneously treating a wide range of facial problems to improve the texture and complexion of your skin. Treatment involves a series of pulses of intense light similar to the flash of a camera. Photo Rejuvenation produces smoother, more even-toned and youthful-looking skin, and is considered a low risk, non-surgical, noninvasive, and "no downtime" treatment. Photo Rejuvenation treats vascular changes, telangectasia (spider veins), redness from rosacea and flushing, skin discoloration and mottled pigmentation, sun damage, photo aging and brown spots such as freckles and lentigos. Photo Rejuvenation minimizes red and brown spots as it evens out skin color and texture. The entire face, neck, arms, hands, chest, and back can be treated.

Photo Rejuvenation improves the skin by working beneath the epidermis to increase collagen and tighten the skin. The intense pulsed light is attracted to both blood supply and melanin and removes unwanted facial veins and sun damage from the skin.

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How Long Do Photo Rejuvenation Treatments Take?

Photo Rejuvenation treatments take approximately 30 minutes for the entire face. The time frame varies for different areas of the body, but usually it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Following a treatment, you may notice slight flushing and darkening of the brown spots, which is normal. These changes will fade over a period of hours to a few days. Your skin will feel smoother and over the course of several days you will continue to see gradual improvements in the color and texture of your skin. Refine Medical Spa recommends an initial series of 4 to 6 treatment sessions followed by a single touchup session every six to twelve months depending upon your particular needs.

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How is Treatment Performed Exactly?

Using a handpiece, gentle light energy is applied to the superficial skin layers to repair imperfections of the complexion, breaking up the pigment in lesions, and stimulating the collagen beneath the skin surface to tighten and revitalize the skin. A cold gel is applied to the area that is being treated and the smooth surface of the handpiece is gently applied to your skin. The pulses of light produce a slight sting. A topical anesthetic cream may be used in some cases. The light produces a gentle "snapping" sensation, which causes little to no discomfort.

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Are There Any Side Effects?

You may feel a mild sting or pinch which typically lasts a few seconds. Local anesthesia or pain medication is usually not required but can be used if needed. There is no discomfort after the treatment session is completed. However, you may notice slight flushing and darkening of the brown spots. The flushing and darkening will gradually fade.

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Is Photo Rejuvenation Right For Me?

If you suffer from sun damage, fine lines, age spots, broken capillaries, enlarged pores, coarse skin, mottled pigmentation or rosacea, Photo Rejuvenation treatments can help. Treatment can be applied to rejuvenate the face, neck, chest, hands, and even legs. Men and women of all ages with mild to moderate wrinkles and lines are candidates for this procedure. Photo Rejuvenation will tighten the skin, lessen the lines and wrinkles and reduce redness and vessels on the face and neck. Improvement with acne breakouts have also been a result of this treatment in some patients.

If you are looking for a non-surgical, noninvasive and no downtime treatment for healthier and younger looking skin, then Photo Rejuvenation is ideal for you!

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When Will I See the Effects of the Photo Rejuvenation Treatment?

You will see a gradual decrease in redness, flushing and dilated capillaries over the course of several days. People with visible aging and sun damage will see their skin become smoother with less wrinkles, a reduction in pore size, an evening out of skin tone and fading of sun spots. After your first treatment your skin will feel smoother and will have a more even tone. These improvements are gradual and will be more visible after each treatment. Others will begin to notice a difference in your skin after the second or third session.

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Is the Effect of Photo Rejuvenation Permanent?

The effects of Photo Rejuvenation are not permanent, however, for some people, the effects can last as long as a few years. Typically 4-6 treatments are done over a 4 month period of time. Treatments are spaced approximately 3 weeks apart. After that time, touchups are usually required every six to twelve months. Individual results will vary. Your Refine Medical Spa professional will be able to help you determine what type of treatment schedule would be beneficial to you. How often treatment is required will more likely be apparent after you receive your first series of treatments.

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Before and After Photos

Before	After

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FotoFacial RF Treatments

What are FotoFacial RF Treatments?
Are You a Good Candidate for the FotoFacial RF Treatments?
What Results Might I Expect from the FotoFacial RF Treatments?
How Does the FotoFacial RF Differ From Other Photo Rejuvenation Procedures?
How are the FotoFacial RF Treatments Performed?
How Does the FotoFacial RF Work to Improve the Appearance of the Skin?
Will the FotoFacial RF Treatment Hurt and Will I Have To Miss Work?
How Long Will the Skin Enhancement Effects of the FotoFacial RF Last?

What are FotoFacial RF Treatments?

FotoFacial RF treatments are full face, neck, hands or body treatments using Intense Pulsed Light and RadioFrequency energy combined in the same pulse. (As seen on Oprah Winfrey Show November 10, 2004.) These gentle, no-downtime treatments are used to improve the cosmetic appearance of the face, neck or body. The original FotoFacial procedure was co-developed by Dr. Patrick Bitter, Jr. a dermatologist and Dr. R. Stephen Mulholland, a plastic surgeon, bringing together the best of aesthetic dermatologic skin care and cosmetic plastic surgery into one non-invasive procedure. The FotoFacial procedure has increased in popularity and recognition to the point where it is now one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in North America. Dr. Bitter and Dr. Mulholland have trained over 2,000 physician practices in the art of the FotoFacial and the procedure has been featured in Allure, Cosmopolitan, In Style, Vogue, USA Today and numerous national and regional television shows. Many Hollywood stars and TV personalities rave about the FotoFacial and credit this procedure for the renewed health and vitality in their skin. The FotoFacial RF is the next generation in high-tech skin enhancement.

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Are You a Good Candidate for the FotoFacial RF Treatments?

FotoFacial RF treatments are beneficial in the treatment of the following cosmetic skin concerns for the face and body (also known as FotoBody RF treatments):

1. Rosacea, flushing, redness, ruddy complexion, broken capillaries and spider veins of the face. All these "pink" vascular based conditions of the skin improve on average between 50-75% with FotoFacial RF treatments.
2. Sun spots, age spots, hyperpigmentation, melasma, cholasma, mask of Pregnancy, multiple freckles. All these "brown", melanin based conditions of the skin improve, on average, 50-75% with FotoFacial RF treatments.
3. Chronic sun damage and photoaging improves with FotoFacial RF by 50-75% with FotoFacial RF treatments.
4. Sun damage and aging signs of the hands, neck (Poikioderma) and chest skin can be improved by 50-75% with FotoBody RF treatments (FotoFacials for the skin of the body)
5. Wrinkles and Skin Laxity. Unlike other more basic forms of Photo Rejuvenation, the FotoFacial RF, with its synergy of simultaneous Intense Pulsed Light and powerful RadioFrequency energy produces industry leading non-ablative wrinkle and skin laxity improvements of up to 70% without downtime; a claim that no other device or procedure has been able to boast.

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What Results Might I Expect from the FotoFacial RF Treatments?

All patients notice a consistent improvement in the appearance of their skin. The degree of improvement is gradual and persistent over the 15-18 week program and 5-6 FotoFacial RF treatments. The noticeable and significant changes that have been reported include: improvement in pink and brown discoloration, spider veins, pink and brown blemishes, sun damage, age spots, pore size, acne scarring and wrinkles. The degree of improvement can vary but averages 50-75% improvement in anything that is pink and vascular or brown and melanin in nature. The improvement in fine to moderate wrinkles, acne scarring, skin texture irregularities, laxity and smoothness is 50-75%.

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How Does the FotoFacial RF Differ From Other Photo Rejuvenation Procedures?

In marring Intense Pulsed Light and RadioFrequency energy into one treatment, FotoFacial RF treatments offer the very latest and most effective high-tech, non-invasive form of non-invasive skin enhancement. Many other lasers and devices, such as N-lite, Cooltouch, SmoothBeam V-Beam, IPL Photo Rejuvenation or Intense Pulsed Light systems with the Quantum or Vasculight, claim to deliver state-of-the-art photo rejuvenation. With these basic photo rejuvenation procedures you may notice a degree of improvement in the appearance of some aspects of your skin. However, by combining RadioFrequency and Intense Pulsed Light into one FotoFacial RF treatment, you will achieve the optimal degree of enhancement to all components of your skin. By adding the RadioFrequency to the Intense Pulsed Light, the FotoFacial RF procedure can now boast excellent, no downtime wrinkle improvements together with the significant improvement in redness, rosacea, pinkness, spider veins, pores and texture.

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How are the FotoFacial RF Treatments Performed?

The FotoFacial RF treatments are simple, office based treatments. The patient is covered with a thin layer of cooling gel and the entire face, chest, hands or arms are treated with a gentle pulse of light and RadioFrequency energy. Each treatment takes about 30 minutes and involves pulses of bright visible light and RadioFrequency energy that are passed into the skin. Because each FotoFacial RF treatment is gentle, most patients require 5 or 6 FotoFacial treatments to see the desired results and they are performed every 3 weeks. In certain skin types, a microdermabrasion is performed between FotoFacial treatments to enhance the penetration of the light and RadioFrequency energy.

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How Does the FotoFacial RF Work to Improve the Appearance of the Skin?

Each pulse of the FotoFacial device sends two types of energy into your skin: Intense Pulsed Visible Light and RadioFrequency energy, that act synergistically to enhance the skin. Energy is given up to brown spots, blood vessels, and redness to gradually and gently lessen or eliminate these blemishes. The RadioFrequency energy also produces significant amounts of collagen, elastin and ground substances, the thick undercarpet of the skin, resulting in a noticeable and significant smoothening of fine to moderate wrinkles and textural irregularities of the skin.

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Will the FotoFacial RF Treatment Hurt and Will I Have To Miss Work?

The FotoFacial RF treatments have a tolerable level of discomfort. The discomfort can be greatly reduced, or even eliminated by the use of a topical anesthetic cream applied to the skin 30 minutes prior to the scheduled FotoFacial RF. After each treatment, patients can apply make-up and return to normal activities. The FotoFacial RF treatments have proven to be low risk, are associated with few complications and patients rarely have downtime or have to miss work or regular activities.

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How Long Will the Skin Enhancement Effects of the FotoFacial RF Last?

At the completion of the FotoFacial RF program, the skin will have achieved a noticeable and consistent degree of improvement that the majority of patients are very happy with. Occasionally, some patients desire an even greater degree of improvement and these patients will sign up for additional procedures. Most FotoFacial RF patients will just desire to maintain the nice skin enhancements they achieved from the program and, for these satisfied patients, a single maintenance FotoFacial RF treatment is recommended every 4 months to keep the skin looking vital, even, smooth and youthful.

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