Below the Chin: Treatments for Neck and Chest, Winter 2015 Newsletter
Skin laxity of the neck and chest is caused by loss of collagen, elastin, fat and even muscle due to sun damage and age. Various skin-tightening procedures were first introduced a little over a decade ago, and have since been used to treat loose skin of the neck and chest. Advanced Dermatology offers many different treatment devices for tightening the neck and chest, as well as lasers to improve fine lines, wrinkles and sun freckles.
Ultherapy® is our newest addition to tissue tightening. This ultrasound-guided radiofrequency device, cleared by the FDA, tightens and lifts loose skin under the chin and neck. In addition, Ultherapy® was most recently cleared by the FDA to improve fine lines and wrinkles on the chest. Ultherapy® technology uses sound waves to rebuild collagen under the surface of the skin by dispersing focused energy to create tightening and lifting. Results are visible starting 3 months after the treatment and can continue to improve for up to a year. Post-treatment skin may appear flushed but disappears within a few hours. For a few weeks following the procedure, you may experience tingling, tenderness and numbness to the touch, but these sensations are temporary and usually mild.
Results may vary.
Pellevé™ is another tissue tightening treatment option at Advanced Dermatology. Pellevé™ is a radiofrequency technology that delivers skin tightening and firming to the neck via a series of non-invasive, painless procedures with no downtime and both immediate and long-term results. This technology heats the deep layers of the skin just enough to stimulate collagen changes without damaging the top skin layer or epidermis. The immediate collagen contraction causes visible firming immediately following the treatment while the cell stimulation results in a longer term tightening.
Laser treatments for pigmentation, including Photorejuventation, Fraxel and Q-switched can also repair neck and chest sun damage. Photorejuvenation (also known as Photofacial, Fotofacial or IPL) treatments tackle redness and brown spots on the neck and chest with little or no downtime. Fraxel® is an excellent treatment for sun damaged skin on the chest and neck as it can treat both the brown spots and fine wrinkles associated with age and excessive sun exposure. Fraxel® is a revolutionary laser therapy that produces thousands of tiny but deep columns of precisely wounded skin, known as microthermal zones (MTZ) to stimulate collagen production and aid healing. The Q-switched laser is used to remove unwanted sun freckles or lentigos. Q-switched laser is appropriate if you have a few isolated spots of sun damage on the neck or chest.
The C02RE (by Candela) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Fractional Laser Resurfacing device removes layers of skin tissue in a fractionated method (columns of skin are removed, leaving the skin surrounding each column intact to aid in healing) to help reduce sun freckles, fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, uneven coloration, skin laxity, and textural irregularities of the neck and chest. CO2RE is the single best treatment for advanced skin damage and wrinkling of the neck and chest. However, there is significant downtime associated with this procedure. If you have the ability to take 7 to 14 days to heal, having this one treatment is like having multiple other non-invasive treatments at once.
Proper skincare and BOTOX® Cosmetic can be used in addition to the procedures discussed above. BOTOX® Cosmetic can be injected into the platysmal bands of the neck (“turkey neck”) in order to minimize neck wrinkles and is commonly combined with tissue tightening procedures to achieve a more dramatic effect. Using skincare products available at skinfo® such as Revision® Nectifirm® (1.7oz, $72), SkinCeuticals Neck, Chest & Hand Repair ($78), SkinCeuticals Body Tightening Concentrate($80) and Clinicians Complex™ Skin Brightening Serum ($68) for Pigmentation will also aid in tissue tightening and improving pigmentation issues.