I am 18 years old and have terrible cellulite. I am considering doing laser treatments but wonder if it is really worth the money?

I have a terrible problem with ingrown hairs on my legs. The hair is thick and black and I have started plucking to avoid shaving. Any help would be appreciated.

I hate looking down at my hands because I see my mother’s hands! I am only 63 but my hands look like I’m 73. What can be done to rejuvenate my hands?

There a lots of different lasers that can be used to treat cellulite. The first thing I have to tell you is that you should not expect a huge improvement using any of these laser devices alone. Most studies on lasers for cellulite show mild to modest improvement in skin contour and dimpling. You will need to have several treatments before you begin to see a difference and will need period touch ups to maintain any improvement.

I tell patients that it really takes a combined approach to improve cellulite. First, clean up your diet. Eliminate refined sugars, and ramp up on collagen boosting foods with anti-oxidants like fruits and veggies. High protein diets will also help you to build muscle and support lean body mass. Exercise is also important. If you are one of those girls doing two hours of aerobics a day then you need to add some weight training to your exercise regimen. Weight training is probably more important for women than men since we need to build muscle to eliminate fat. And finally there are some creams and lotions over the counter that might help. Ingredients like retinol and vitamin C increase collagen production in the skin which may be helpful for improving the appearance of cellulite. So before you resort to laser treatments, I would suggest you try modifying your diet, change up your exercise regimen and incorporate an anti-cellulite cream into your daily regimen.

This is a common problem especially in dark skinned patients who have thick course hair. Truthfully, the worst thing you can do is to pluck or wax the hairs. This type of hair removal pulls the hair out by the root leaving the hair much more likely to become ingrown. Shaving and depilatories are really a better option for you. I also suggest you get an AHA lotion or lactic acid lotion to use on a daily basis. This helps keep hair follicles open.

The best option in the long run is laser hair removal. It does take several treatments to remove hair on the legs but in the end it’s a permanent solution to your problem. In our office we use the LightSheer laser and patients are very pleased with the results. You do need to avoid the sun after the treatments so schedule this procedure accordingly.

Hand rejuvenation is one of the most rewarding procedures we perform. The first thing we like to address is any brown spots or discolorations. These spots come from the sun and can be quite unsightly. Using lasers or intense pulsed light devices (IPL) we can remove these brown spots leaving the skin on the backs of the hands even toned. If you have prominent veins on the back of your hands these can be treated by an injection technique called sclerotherapy. This is the same procedure we use to get rid of spider veins on the legs and it works equally well on the hands. The final step in hand rejuvenation is the use of dermal fillers. We use the same fillers that we use on the face to actually plump up the skin on the back of your hands. My personal favorite dermal filler for hands is Radiesse™ but others can be used as well. What I like about Radiesse™ is that it gives you an immediate plumping and it lasts anywhere from 12-18 months. Using a combination of these techniques I think you will be quite pleased with the enhanced appearance of your hands.