Ask The Aesthetique
Debbie Marinucci, RN and Anqelique Mason are both licensed medical aestheticians representing The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Reston, Virginia.
Both Aestheticians are available to answer any questions you may have in regards to clinical skin care by using the form provided below:
Any information in the publications, messages, postings or articles on this website should not be considered a substitute for consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons to address individual medical needs. Your particular facts and circumstances will determine the plastic surgery treatment which is most appropriate for you.
I use the Obagi system to smooth my face, which includes the Tretinoin. I know that you are not to get your eyebrows waxed during the usage of this product. During the winter months my hands get dry and cracked.
Recently I bought a Quick Heat Paraffin Bath device so that I could dip my hands into the wax to revive my hands. Will the Obagi products have the same reaction on the skin on my hands to the waxing as it does on the eyebrows? Do I need to refrain from using it during the time I am on the Obagi system?
Angelique Reply:
January 25th, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Dear Janet,
Thank you for your question! You are correct that you should not wax areas that are treated with Tretinoin.
Generally, it is safe to use your paraffin bath on normal hands, as the paraffin used is a different type of wax than the kind used to wax eyebrows. Paraffin does not harden and is not ripped off, and additionally, the incidental contact your palms and hands have with the Tretinoin is not enough to cause cracking and sensitivity, assuming you wash your hands immediately after applying the Tretinoin to your face, as you should.
However, hands that have cracks, fissures, inflammation or bleeding should NOT be treated with paraffin; the heat of the paraffin could cause burns on compromised skin or exacerbate a bacterial infection. Therefore, we do not advise using your paraffin bath on your hands while they are cracked.
We invite you to come in to our Medical Aesthetique for a complimentary consultation and to check up on the progress of your Obagi system with your skin, and so that we may recommend products specifically to keep your hands from drying and cracking in the cold winter months. Please call 703-893-6168 for your free consultation!
Hi DEB! Your photo looks awesome!!!!!!!!!! Will one of your magical lasers tighten up undereye skin and get rid of the puffs???? I’m not ready for undereye surgery. Hope you had a great holiday!!! Sue
Debbie Reply:
January 25th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Dear Sue,
Thank you! We offer treatments with the Fraxel re:store laser, which is excellent at stimulating collagen and addressing lines and wrinkles, including those under and around the eyes.
Loose or lax skin and puffiness under the eyes, however, may be best addressed with surgery. The best way to determine this is to come in for a free laser consultation in our Medical Aesthetique.
If at that time we determine that a free consultation with one of our board-certified cosmetic surgeons would better serve your under-eye concerns, we can make an appointment for that at that time.
Call us at 703-893-6168 for your appointment and I look forward to seeing you! Hope the holidays were great for you as well!
Is there a procedure that can remove or reduce the appearance of lines around the mouth? In addition, I would like any information on procedures to reduce some scarring on my face and make my complexion smoother.
Can you help?
Debbie Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Dear Linda,
We perform a full range of treatments in our Medical Aesthetique that may reduce the appearance of lines around your mouth, smooth your complexion, and reduce scarring. We offer Fraxel re:store and Fraxel Dual lasers as well as customized chemical peels, Broad Band Light (BBL), microdermabrasion, clinical facials, and a full line of clinical and prescription-strength skincare products.
Not everyone is a candidate for every treatment. We offer free consultations so that we may determine which treatments or combination of treatments, as well as clinical skincare products, would be most effective for you.
Please call us at 703-893-6168 to make your appointment for your free consultation. We look forward to meeting you!
Hi,
I was wondering if can tell me the best way to treat broken capillaries and what the procedure would cost?
Thanks
Debbie
Angelique Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Dear Debbie,
Thank you for your question! We routinely treat broken capillaries in our Medical Aesthetique with Broad Band Light (BBL). BBL is targeted pulsed light that precisely and effectively reduces broken capillaries on the face or body. Treatments are individualized and customized to skin type. The cost ranges from $250 to $500 per treatment and is determined during your complimentary consultation.
Additionally, we may recommend the clinical skincare product Peche by NeoCutis to be used post-treatment to keep the blood vessels closed while the area is healing. We carry the NeoCutis line in addition to a full range of other clinical skincare products, including our own Austin-Weston SkinRx line.
Please call us at 703-893-6168 to make an appointment for your free consultation in our Medical Aesthetique. We look forward to meeting you!
I have a small milium next to my eye. Do you have experience with removing them?
Thanks.
Debbie Reply:
December 28th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Dear Judith,
Yes, we are experienced in the removal of milia. We recommend that they be removed during our Austin-Weston clinical facial, which prepares the skin for safe extraction of milia.
Please call us at 703-893-6168 to make your clinical facial appointment in our Medical Aesthetique.
I am interested in the Fractional CO2 procedure. Do you do this procedure at the AWC? My facial/neck skin needs firming, and, due at least in part to having 2 rounds of dental braces which amounted to about 3 years of orthodontics in the last 7 years, my upper lip is very prone to looking puckered.
I know that surgery could do a lot, but am looking for something less invasive. I am 61 with fair skin and relatively little sun damage.
Angelique Reply:
October 19th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Dear Jane,
Yes, the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic surgery offers fractional laser treatments using Solta Medical’s Fraxel laser that may be appropriate for treating your concerns.
We offer two types of Fraxel lasers: the Fraxel re:store, which treats fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture and large pores, and sun-damaged and collagen-depleted skin, and is additionally considered the gold standard in treating acne scarring; and the Fraxel Dual, which is a pigment-clearing laser that is highly effective in diminishing and eradicating dark marks and brown spots caused by sun damage, hyperpigmentation, melasma, sun damage, and injury.
Fraxel treatments differ from patient to patient. Treatment with the Fraxel re:store, the laser that may be of most use to you in remodeling collagen and therefore improving and firming skin texture on your face, neck and specifically your upper lip, may range from three to six treatments.
After treatment you may look and feel as if you have a sunburn, but most patients can cover this redness with mineral makeup and return to work and most normal activities (except sun exposure and tanning!) immediately.
The results from Fraxel are permanent, but must be maintained with appropriate sunblock and skincare, and the skin will continue to age.
Every patient is unique and may require varying numbers of treatments, which is why we offer complimentary consultations with our licensed medical aestheticians, who operate under the direct supervision of our board-certified plastic surgeons. Please call us at 703-893-6168 to schedule your free Fraxel consultation with us.
Several years ago I had Bell’s Palsy on the left side of my face. I recovered ALMOST completely but have a “lazy” eyelid and struggle to read and use the computer. It looks “almost” normal, but i can feel the droop and it interfers with a life full of reading and writing. Can you help? Surgery or non-surgical techiniques?
Costs?
Thanks you G
Dr. George Weston Reply:
October 10th, 2011 at 9:53 am
You should see an oculoplastic surgeon for a consultation. Dr. Paul Gavaris has a great reputation in this area and can guide you through what might need to be done.