Three Facial Treatments You Can (And Often Should) Have Done Together

When you hear about the various aesthetic procedures offered today, they’re usually mentioned individually. But if you’ve got more than one imperfection you want to work on, you may wonder if it’s okay to get two procedures simultaneously. In short, yes! Not only is it possible to combine in-office beauty procedures, but it can be a smart decision to make – it saves time and money and allows the treatments to complement each other. Here are three winning treatment combos to consider for your next visit to North Atlanta Dermatology.

Tox and Filler

Combining facial fillers with Botox or another toxin-based wrinkle treatment is common (and safe!). Botox and its competitors, like Dysport, Jeauveau, Daxxify, and Xeomin, work by temporarily freezing specific muscles in your face that cause wrinkles, using a safe form of botulinum toxin A. When the muscle is immobilized, the creases caused by it gradually disappear. It’s an effective treatment, but it can’t help with loss of facial volume due to age. For that, you’ll need a dermal filler.

Juvederm, Restylane, and Radiesse are three common brands of dermal filler. These fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance. The filler is injected under the skin in specific areas of the face, adding volume and creating a more youthful look.

If you have muscle-induced wrinkles, like forehead lines or crow’s feet, and folds due to aging, like marionette lines at the corners of the mouth, you may be a good candidate for a tox-and-filler combo. The toxin smooths out wrinkles, and the filler adds plumpness to make the folds less obvious.

You can see the results of a filler treatment immediately. However, the full effect of a tox treatment can take up to 14 days since the muscle is gradually paralyzed over time.

IPL and Laser

Laser treatments and intense pulsed light (IPL) procedures may sound similar since they both use intense beams of light to rejuvenate the skin. However, they each work a little differently and, when combined, can produce fantastic rejuvenation results.

IPL treatments use a broad spectrum of light (similar to a photo flash) to improve the texture of your facial skin. The light bypasses the top layer of your skin, the epidermis, and penetrates more deeply. The light in an IPL device reacts with the pigment in your skin that causes imperfections like age spots and blotches, damaging the tissue and encouraging it to produce more collagen, which helps skin regain a youthful look. The result is a more uniform skin color and rejuvenated appearance.

Lasers, meanwhile, work a bit differently. While IPL uses a broad light spectrum, lasers use a more focused beam. They can also penetrate more deeply than IPL treatments, making them especially good for treating specific problems, like stubborn wrinkles or persistent scars. Lasers can be non-ablative, leaving the skin’s surface intact, or ablative, which means they also affect the top layer of skin.

Combining IPL and laser treatment allows your doctor to stimulate collagen production in different layers of your skin, which could give you a more dramatic result. It can also help the results last longer, enabling you to go further between touch-ups.

RF and Microneedling

Radiofrequency (RF) and microneedling treatments both aim to create tighter, younger-looking skin. However, their modes of action are a bit different. Radiofrequency treatments use a special device that emits low-frequency electromagnetic waves, creating heat. This heat penetrates down several layers of skin to stimulate collagen and elastin production, two substances that help make skin firmer. You’ll notice an improvement in the target areas in the weeks after the treatment. Multiple sessions are needed.

Microneedling, meanwhile, uses a mechanical technique to stimulate collagen and elastin production. In a microneedling session, tiny sterilized needles are applied to problem areas of your face to create small wounds. The “injuries” stimulate your body’s healing response. As your skin heals from the needle pricks, it will become smoother and more youthful-looking.

Performing both treatments at the same time is uniquely beneficial with dramatic results.

If you’re not interested in undergoing two separate procedures, Morpheus8 combines RF treatment and microneedling. As with a regular microneedling treatment, the Morpheus8 device places tiny pinpricks on the target areas. However, as they penetrate the skin, the needles emit RF waves and heat, further stimulating the body’s healing response.

If you’re interested in a combination of skin rejuvenation treatments, the experts at North Atlanta Dermatology are happy to help. We consider your aesthetic concerns and personal health history to design a treatment plan specifically for you.