Chest and Declotte Rejuvenation

PROTECTION and PREVENTION

Recommended treatments – Skincare

Years of sun exposure can cause the skin on the chest and décolleté to show irregular patches of discoloration (mottled red, brown, and white) and have a more rough wrinkled texture.
Ultraviolet light exposure induces pigment cells, called “melanocytes”, to make more of the pigment molecule called “melanin”. That is why we get blotchy brown spots in the delicate neck, chest, and décolleté areas. In addition, ultraviolet light causes the growth of thousands of new tiny blood vessels or spider veins–causing the area to be not only brown, but also red. Furthermore, the collagen fibers become distorted by chronic sun exposure, leading to the rough skin texture. Using sunscreen on a daily basis can help minimize this future damage.

Dr. Wright carries a complete line of sunscreens to help you find the most effective for your skin care needs.  Fiona WRxIGHT MD Skincare offers a tinted Anti-Aging Green Tea SPF 50, Matte Finish SPF 30 which is ideal for those with rosacea, eczema and sensitive skin, and Sun Shield SPF 30 which is 100% certified organic.  To learn more about our Sun Protection skincare click here.

AGE SPOTS and SUN SPOTS

Recommended treatments –

• Microdermabrasion / DermaSWEEP, Chemical Peels
•  PhotoFacial-IPL, Laser Resurfacing

Microdermabrasion / DermaSWEEP, Chemical Peels

When deciding which treatment to use on the skin of the chest, it important to first diagnose what is the main issue. In Texas, by far the biggest and most noticeable issue that we see on the chest is pigmentation (freckling and sun damage). In this case, Microdermabrasion / DermaSWEEP for mild discoloration can be used, and Chemical Peels for deeper more moderate pigment and sun damage should be used first to treat this. After 4-6 treatments, when appropriate management has been selected, you will experience more youthful skin as these treatments will lift the pigmentation and sun damage away!

Microdermabrasion and DermaSWEEP are safe and effective to use on the chest and décolleté to improve mild pigmentation changes and soft textural changes. A series of treatments can smooth the texture of this skin–making it look more youthful.   Light to Medium depth Chemical Peels as well can smooth the texture and even out the sun damage discoloration. Microdermabrasion, DermaSWEEP and Chemical Peels can be done independently, on alternating weeks, or on the same day to achieve deeper results.

PhotoFacial-IPL

PhotoFacial – IPL (Intense Pulse Light) Rejuvenation is the non-invasive GOLD STANDARD treatment designed to target certain skin conditions, including pigmentation, sun damaged skin, broken capillaries, and redness.  Photo-aging and sun damage skin displays fine wrinkling, freckling or irregular pigmentation from chronic sun exposure and IPL is an excellent option for treatment as it can visibly improve your skin  after a series of IPL sessions. Our patients are very pleased with their results!

It’s important to treat the neck and chest together so everything blends and matches as well as it can. It is also essential before and after the IPL treatment to use a high SPF broad spectrum sunscreen in those and other sun-exposed areas to protect from further damage.  Always remember to do whatever you do on the face on the neck and chest as well (i.e. treatments, sunscreen, creams, moisturizer, etc).  A series of IPL treatments gently tones down these multi-colored patches on the chest and décolleté, but for some, depending on the severity of the mismatch, you may need skin lightening creams or laser treatments to fade additional sun damage and pigmentation.

ResurFX Laser Resurfacing

Laser Resurfacing on the chest and décolleté is performed with fractional laser treatments. Fractional laser is different from full field resurfacing. Full field resurfacing removes the whole surface area of the treatment site (which is dangerous to do on the chest), while fractional lasers ablates narrow channels into the skin covering only a fraction of the surface area of the treatment site. This action activates the body’s wound healing mechanisms, but leaves the surrounding skin intact, so that rapid healing is possible. As a result, fractional lasers are most useful for someone who has an aging chest, where the chest skin looks wrinkly, crepey, damaged and old.

The ReSurFX laser treatment is very beneficial for the chest and décolleté, as a quick and comfortable laser treatment with little downtime. ResurFX is most similar to the laser platform called the Fraxel laser device that has become a standard of minimal downtime laser skin resurfacing.  The newer ResurFX technology has several advantages that set it apart from the previous Fraxel technology. Unlike the 6 to 8 passes required with Fraxel, the ReSurFX requires only one pass which can increase the level of patient comfort of ResurFX compared to earlier laser technologies.  As well, the very advanced treatment scanner, allows Dr. Wright to choose from more than 600 combinations of shape, size and density for optimal treatment results!

VESSELS and REDNESS

Recommended treatments – PhotoFacial – IPL, Laser Vein Removal

The IPL device, or photo rejuvenation procedure, is focused on reducing the red and brown discolorations associated with chronic sun exposure. A series of IPL treatments gently tones down these multi-colored patches on the chest and décolleté.    The process works by using accurately targeted light energy to safely treat abnormal blood vessels or general redness to the skin.  PhotoFacial – IPL  Rejuvenation has a great appeal because of the dramatic visual improvement to the skin, the simple nature of the treatment and, most importantly, the complete absence of recovery time. Patients are able to return immediately to normal activity.

IPL and IPL photofacial are used interchangeably, but there are vast differences in the power of various machines. With Dr. Wright’s years of experience performing IPL  treatments, the M22  device from Lumenis ( developers of IPL technology)  gives better and more reliable results.  Unique to the M22 is that it offers a range of treatment heads and filters that are treatment-specific, which with an in-depth consultation, mean that we deliver an accurate and individually tailored treatment according to your skin type and vascular concerns.

Laser Vein Removal

While most spider veins (vessels) commonly appear on the face and legs, spider veins are known to appear on the chest.   If you find that the appearance of your chest and/or décolleté has a negative impact on your self-esteem and confidence then there are a host of cosmetic procedures available at Skin MD and Beyond to provide effective treatments.  Spider veins can have a particularly profound effect on women who find the spread of spider veins on their breasts to have a significant impact on their self-image.   The treatment of these larger veins due to sun-damage and aging is often more rapidly corrected with laser treatments.  Depending on the size and depth, vascular lesions in general respond very well to the Nd:YAG laser treatment. Often, vascular lesions can be eradicated with one treatment; however, in some cases it may require up to two- three treatments.

Causes for larger spider veins on the chest are not unlike those for the condition elsewhere. Over time veins and capillaries lose their elasticity or become damaged, resulting in a fine spider like web of vessels that are visible on the skin. Most of the time the appearance of thread veins is not a concern, they are a natural part of aging.   There are however some occasions where spider veins on the chest are a cause for concern. Their occurrence has been linked to liver cirrhosis for example, which is the scarring of liver tissue to the point where function and repair are impaired.  Similarly chronic coughing brought on by chest conditions can create chest pressure and over an extended period of time can result in damage to vessels on your chest, resulting in spider veins.  For this reason, all Vein Removal consults and treatments are performed exclusively by Dr. Wright – to ensure that you receive an appropriate medical evaluation and best possible treatment plan to provide you with optimal results.

WRINKLE and CRINKLES

Recommended treatments :

• Microdermabrasion / DermaSWEEP
• Laser Resurfacing
• Injectable Fillers

Microdermabrasion / DermaSWEEP

As the skin ages, collagen production slows down and the skin starts to lose it’s natural plumped up, voluminous appearance. As the skin starts to lose the collagen, it becomes looser and the skin of the chest and décolleté can take on a ‘crepe paper’ like appearance. One way to prevent this aging I to start a rejuvenation program early with and exfoliation and treatment plan with Microdermabrasion and DermaSweep treatments.

Microdermabrasion and DermaSweeps are a skin restoration procedure that aims to produce smoother,
clearer and younger looking skin. It is also used for skin problems such as acne, blackheads/whiteheads, sun damage and fine lines. These treatments are painless and the results can be seen in just one visit! There is no side effects and no “down time” for recovery.
The procedure is performed using a hand piece that is passed over the skin. The treatment involves using a highly controlled flow of fine, medical grade crystals (Microdermabrasion) or customized exfoliating brushes (DermaSweep) to remove the dead, outermost layer of skin – this removal is called “exfoliation”. This evenly removes the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin. At the same time the underlying epidermis is also stimulated by the abrasion and the vacuum. This skin exfoliation process reveals the new, living cells that are soft, smooth and receptive to nutrients. It also promotes new collagen which thickens the dermis and improves resistance to aging.

Laser Resurfacing

The chest and décolleté skin goes through the normal process of skin aging, where the skin thins and becomes less elastic. The texture becomes less smooth, with more fine lines and wrinkles and can really bother some patients. They often occur during sleeping (in patients who don’t sleep on their back) and can be worse on waking.  The good news is that these issues can be effectively reversed and maintained with our ResurFX fractional laser.

Fractional laser on the chest and décolleté are very useful for someone who has an aging chest. The chest skin looks wrinkly, crepey, damaged and old. A laser with full coverage (eg microlaser peel) cannot be used on the chest due to significant risks of side effects and problems with healing, so the safe option is fractional laser, which is safer to use on the chest. Fractional laser ablates narrow channels into the skin covering only a fraction of the surface area of the treatment site. This action activates the body’s wound healing mechanisms, but leaves the surrounding skin intact, so that rapid healing is possible.
The medical result causes fibroblast and collagen production which leads to increased skin turgor and thickness. While the cosmetic results creates youthful radiant skin to show off your new necklace and new you!

Injectable Fillers

As we age, it is common to become self-conscious about wearing V-neck tops, button down blouses, or anything else that shows off the chest because the chest, like our face and hands, is known for giving away our age. If not maintained properly, this area can be a direct indication of your age. Skin MD and Beyond’s chest and décolleté injectable treatments are performed only by our doctors after a thorough consultation, to ensure that we have a comprehensive understanding of our patients’ specific skin concerns and goals and to customize a treatment plan to address these concerns ensuring each patient’s goals are met.

Injectable Fillers have two distinct benefits in Chest and Décolleté Rejuvenation; 1) They can fill in lost volume on the chest to smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, and 2) they can also help minimize the appearance of skin laxity, and rejuvenate the skin of the chest to take years off of your appearance. Skin Boosters and Dermal Fillers for the Chest and Décolleté are related in terms of what they are made of (hyaluronic acid), the difference with skin boosters compared with dermal fillers is that they are not structural, ie they only improve the skin, rather than improve the supporting structures. Dr. Wright prefers to use Juvéderm filler products in the chest area to serve as both a Dermal Filler with great results to fill the wrinkling in the chest; and as a Skin Booster for great skin improvement in the chest, rather than filling the wrinkles

Over time, levels of the naturally occurring substance responsible for maintaining skin hydration, hyaluronic acid, reduces, and the chest skin can become thin, crepey and wrinkly. The texture also becomes less smooth as the years go on. Moisturizing the surface of the skin with creams cannot replace the hyaluronic acid loss which is occurring over time. The solution is to restore the skins natural hydration where the loss is occurring. Hyaluronic acid found in Juvéderm injectable filler is a moisture binding substance for the skin, giving the skin firmness, plumpness and elasticity. It helps prevent lines, wrinkles and folds from forming. Depending on your unique case, Dr. Wright will determine whether you would benefit most from hyaluronic acid gel filler such as Juvéderm  and determine which treatment is most appropriate for you during your consultation to provide you with your desired result.