Botox® is a trusted and well-studied injection that has many applications in medicine. Its most popular use is diminishing signs of aging on the face, forehead, and neck. More specifically, Botox reduces or eliminates common types of wrinkles and lines, including:

• Crow’s feet
• Frown lines
• Forehead lines

Outside of cosmetic medicine, physicians often recommend Botox as a treatment for conditions like migraines, excessive sweating, and urinary incontinence.

A major contributor to the development of facial wrinkles is repetitive muscle movement that etches them into a permanent place over time. Every time you make a facial expression, certain muscles flex and the skin above them crinkles. Over time, your skin no longer smooths entirely when your face relaxes and the wrinkles become more prominent.

Botox works by relaxing the overused muscles that contribute to your wrinkles. The active component in Botox is a natural toxin that temporarily blocks the signals from your nerves telling your muscles to move. It does so precisely without entirely paralyzing your face and making you look frozen.

You’ll see the results of your Botox injections very soon after your appointment. You may begin to see them after about two days, with the full effect appearing after nearly two weeks.

Generally, the effects of Botox last for up to six months after they take effect. If you’re satisfied with what you see, you can plan with your dermatologist at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby to return for maintenance injections once it wears off.

Botox injections cause a lot of buzz among men and women who want to enjoy a younger look, but they aren’t the safest treatment option for everyone. Your dermatologist assesses your health and well-being before allowing you to proceed with the injections.

They consider you a candidate if you:

• Don’t have allergies to the drug’s ingredients
• Don’t have upcoming surgeries booked
• Have clear and infection-free skin
• Aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding
• Are between ages 18-65

Your provider recommends other injections and noninvasive treatments if Botox won’t work for your goals.

To find out if you can safely smooth your wrinkles with Botox, call Dermatology Specialists of Shelby or book a consultation online today.

*Individual results may vary.

Kybella® is a body-contouring injectable drug that uniquely specializes in targeting and reducing double chin fat. The procedure is minimally invasive and low risk, meaning you can achieve a slimmer, contoured jawline without many of the dangers and hassles of surgery.

The active ingredient in Kybella is a compound called deoxycholic acid. In your own body, you’ll find the same substance aiding in the digestion of fatty foods that you eat. When injected as part of Kybella, it works similarly to help your body break down and absorb fat cells.

Once Kybella injections destroy your fat cells, they can no longer store fat. Therefore, the results are permanent as long as you don’t gain a lot of weight in the near future. You may need multiple injection appointments to meet your goal.

If you’re looking into chin-contouring treatments like Kybella, odds are you’ve already tried unsuccessfully to lose your chin fat. Double chin fat is particularly hard to lose for several reasons:

• You can’t target specific areas of fat when losing weight
• It’s the result of gravity’s pull over time
• Genetic factors, like skin laxity, may play a role

Of course, a diet high in calories, particularly processed foods, also contributes to fat accumulation under your chin. It’s hard to undo years of this accumulation without a little extra help.

Many patients make great candidates for Kybella injections to reduce their double chins. Your dermatologist at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby asks you many questions about your medical history, lifestyle, and reasons for seeking treatment before confirming whether you should get the treatment.

You are a candidate for Kybella if:

• Your double chin makes you self-conscious or unhappy with your appearance
• You want to avoid surgery
• You eat well and exercise to the best of your ability
• You’re 18 or older

Only a doctor can decide for sure whether Kybella is right for you. If you aren’t currently eligible for the treatment, your dermatologist can give you suggestions for how to become eligible in the future or other treatments and lifestyle changes that might help.

If you can’t stand to see another picture of yourself with extra fat below the chin, request a consultation for Kybella injections at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby today, by phone or online.

Visible signs of aging, including wrinkles and sagging skin, often develop due to the loss of subcutaneous fat under your skin. Dermal fillers are cosmetic injections that restore lost volume and your youthful look without surgery or downtime.

The aesthetic experts at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby use dermal fillers to:

• Smooth out lines and wrinkles
• Add volume to lips
• Fill in creases
• Improve facial contours

If you’re looking for a cosmetic treatment that can quickly and simply enhance your natural beauty, consider dermal fillers.

Dermatology Specialists of Shelby offer a number of dermal fillers to meet any aesthetic needs. The type of fillers available include:

Restylane

Restylane® is a hyaluronic acid dermal filler used to smooth out lines and wrinkles, and add volume and fullness to lips.

Belotero

Belotero® is a hyaluronic acid dermal filler used to smooth out lines and wrinkles, restore facial volume, and rehydrate your skin. Belotero injections may be used alone or in combination with other fillers.

Juvéderm

Juvéderm® is a line of fillers used to treat many beauty concerns, including lines and wrinkles, thin lips, and smile lines.

Radiesse

Radiesse® is a dermal filler containing calcium-based microspheres that provide both volume and lift. The team uses Radiesse fillers to add volume and treat severe facial lines.

Sculptra Aesthetic

Sculptra® Aesthetic is an injection that stimulates the production of collagen, the protein that gives your skin its bounce, strength, and resilience. The team uses Sculptra Aesthetic to treat deep folds and wrinkles.

The team at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby works with you to determine the best filler to meet your specific aesthetic goals.

Your dermal filler injections are conducted at the office and may take up to an hour. Many of the fillers used at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby contain an anesthetic to minimize your discomfort during treatment. However, if you’re sensitive to pain, be sure to let the team know so they can make adjustments to your treatment plan.

While you may experience some redness after your dermal filler injections, you should notice an improvement in your look immediately. With regular use of sunblock, your fillers can help you maintain a more youthful look for 6-12 months, and sometimes longer depending on the type of filler used.

To schedule a cosmetic consultation at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby to learn more about fillers and how they can restore your youthful look, call the office or request an appointment online today.

HydraFacial uses a unique, patented Vortex-Fusion delivery system to exfoliate, extract and hydrate skin, and, the spiral design delivers painless extractions.

The spiral design of HydroPeel® Tips, used in conjunction with the HydraFacial proprietary vacuum technology and serums, creates a vortex effect to easily dislodge and remove impurities while simultaneously delivering hydrating skin solutions.

Yep. We don’t have a type. HydraFacial addresses all skincare needs.

Laser treatments are fast and simple noninvasive procedures that use bright beams of light to improve your skin, remove your body hair, or otherwise aid in cosmetic adjustments. Lasers are concentrated, single-wavelength beams of light that precisely penetrate certain layers of your skin or types of cells. The heat from the laser promotes cell regeneration and collagen fiber production for firmness and healing.

Laser treatments can diminish or eliminate many common skin concerns. Your dermatologist decides which type of light device works best to meet your goals. 

Lasers can:

• Remove unwanted body hair
• Reduce freckles and sunspots
• Heal acne scars
• Diminish wrinkles and fine lines
• Reduce visible spider veins and varicose veins

Laser treatments often cause a tingling sensation that is usually tolerable for patients. Your dermatologist at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby may offer you a topical numbing cream to keep you comfortable if you’re targeting an area of sensitive skin.

Laser treatments are extremely safe when a licensed, trained dermatologist gives them to you. It’s possible that you’ll notice a few mild side effects, but most of them go away within just one or two days. They may include:

• Bleeding
• Redness
• Swelling
• Changes in your skin color

If you’re worried at all about laser treatments, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions during your consultation or before your procedure begins and talk through your concerns.

If you’re interested in the healing capabilities of powerful lights like lasers, call Dermatology Specialists of Shelby or book an appointment online today.

Acne occurs when dead skin cells get trapped in your pores. Normally, your skin pushes and sheds dead skin cells through the pores. However, when your skin produces a lot of oil, the skin cells may get trapped, leading to a blemish. Sometimes the bacteria from your skin also gets trapped in the blocked pore and multiply, creating inflammation and pain.

You have many treatment options for clearing up your acne, including topical agents, oral medication, and laser treatments. However, if these treatments haven’t worked for you or you’re searching for an alternative treatment, you may want to consider TheraClear™.

TheraClear is an advanced acne-treating system that combines a broadband light and vacuum to clean and unclog your pores, while treating your skin at the same time. The vacuum in TheraClear extracts the skin cells and oil from your pores, while the broadband light destroys the bacteria.

 The team at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby determines if you’re a good candidate for TheraClear during a consultation. You may want to consider the advanced acne treatment system if:

• You have moderate to severe acne
• Your acne hasn’t improved with topical or oral medications
• You want to avoid over-the-counter treatments or antibiotics
• You’ve tried laser treatments and didn’t get results

TheraClear is effective at treating many types of acne, including acne vulgaris, pustular acne, and comedonal acne.

The team at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby provides TheraClear treatment at the office. During treatment, your dermatologist applies the TheraClear device to the affected areas of your skin, which gently suctions out the impurities as the light treats the bacteria.

You shouldn’t feel any discomfort during your treatment, which only takes about 10 minutes. To get the most effective results, you may need 4-5 sessions every 1-2 weeks.

To treat large acne lesions embedded in your skin, the team at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby may use the TheraClear acne surgery insert treatment, which mechanically evacuates the sebum and bacteria creating the deep blemish.

You may begin to notice an improvement in the look of your skin by the second or third session. The Dermatology Specialists of Shelby team recommends you continue your usual skin care routine, including any special acne treatments you use, while undergoing TheraClear treatments.

Once you’ve completed your sessions, you may benefit from touch-up treatments every 3-4 months. However, some people remain blemish-free for a year or more after their TheraClear sessions. The team also recommends you continue to use any acne treatments that help keep your skin clear after you complete your treatment.

For expert management of your acne from a team who offers the most advanced treatments, call Dermatology Specialists of Shelby or request an appointment online today.

Microneedling is a safe procedure that stimulates your skin’s natural healing response using needles. Your dermatologist uses a tool that looks like a pen with a set of tiny needles on the end instead of a ballpoint to make even punctures across your skin’s damaged surface. Each puncture makes your skin jump in to heal itself as if you’ve been cut, burned, or otherwise injured.

Your skin begins to produce collagen fibers, or structural proteins, as part of its healing. For this reason, another name for microneedling is collagen induction therapy. Microneedling helps combat the effects of aging that occur as you lose collagen, like fine lines and wrinkles.

Microneedling results in an overall improvement in your skin’s texture and tone, giving you a youthful firmness and glow. Specifically, microneedling helps heal and diminish blemishes and imperfections such as:

• Acne scars
• Injury scars
• Sunspots
• Enlarged pores
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Discoloration
• Sagging skin
• Stretch marks
• Dryness

Most people opt to get microneedling on their face, neck, and chest, but you can get the treatment nearly anywhere on your body. Simply tell your Dermatology Specialists of Shelby provider about your skin concerns to make sure they’re treatable with microneedling.

The idea of using needles on your skin tends to scare some prospective patients away. In reality, the topical numbing cream that your provider applies before the procedure prevents you from feeling any pain or discomfort from the punctures.

After the procedure, you might have a bit of skin irritation and redness. Many patients compare it to the feeling of a minor sunburn, but it only lasts for a couple days at most.

Microneedling is minimally invasive and safe for most patients whose goals align with the treatment’s capabilities. You’re a candidate for the procedure if you:

• Aren’t currently pregnant
• Don’t scar easily
• Don’t have an active skin condition flare-up, such as psoriasis, acne, or eczema
• Can avoid alcohol leading up to your appointment
• Can stop taking blood-thinning medications before your appointment

The only way to truly know whether microneedling is right for you is to have a consultation at Dermatology Specialists of Shelby. Your provider can help you choose from other options if microneedling isn’t right for you.

To find out how much your skin can improve with microneedling, call Dermatology Specialists of Shelby or book a consultation online today.