Botox injections in Nashville, an Update – By Dr. Melvin Elson

Although Botox® has become a household name and is now the most common medical procedure performed world-wide, it is not the only FDA approved botulinum toxin. There are actually 3 currently approved by the FDA that have the same actions—Botox, Dysport® and Xeomin®.

Although they all possess the ability to decrease muscular function and improve the appearance of wrinkles, the only one that is pure toxin (no extraneous proteins) is Xeomin. It has the same effect as Botox and same side-effects and may have less of a tendency to invoke any allergy as the extraneous proteins are absent. It is also less expensive than Botox.

Uses and Benefits of Botox

What are the uses for these materials? The most common is to improve the appearance of the frown line (the 11’s) on the forehead, but also uses in the face include improving forehead lines, crow’s feet, lip line-s, lines under the eyes and can produce a lift of the face (so called Nefertiti lift).

It is also used to decrease the fine wrinkles over the face and the décolleté. Additionally, these injections can decrease the pain from migraine headaches and decrease the problem of sweating under the arms and on the palms and soles.

The injections are not painful, have very few side-effects (most common is bruising especially around the eyes), and it must be remembered that there is a delay in its action since it is actually treating the underlying cause of the wrinkles, i.e. the muscles. Most commonly it begins to work in about 3 days, reaches its peak in 7-10 days and will last anywhere from 3-8 months depending on the area injected and the skill of the injector.

If you want to consult with Dr. Melvin Elson about Botox injections in Tennessee, particularly in the Nashville area, you can click here.

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Rosacea: What is it and How to Prevent it? – By Dr. Melvin Elson

Although Rosacea was described as a clinical entity a number of decades ago, the etiology has remained a mystery until recently. It is characterized by redness over the face that continues to get progressively worse over time and eventually increases the appearance of blood vessels of the face with many breaking and leaking. One of the characteristics is that in one of the stages of rosacea, there is a significant breakout of stopped-up oil glands that has the same appearance as acne . This is the reason that the moniker applied to this condition is acne rosacea, which is incorrect.

What causes Rosacea?

It occurs both in males and females and is generally worsened by stress, alcohol, exercise, spicy foods and anything that will increase blood flow to the face. If allowed to continue untreated over decades, some will develop rhinophyma or an enlarged nose, characteristic of W. C. Fields. This is the reason the association has occurred between alcoholism and rosacea. However, there are many alcoholics who do not have rosacea and many with rosacea who are not alcoholics.

In addition to the problems with the skin of the face, there is also associated a conjunctivitis or inflammation of the eye making it feel as though there is gravel in the eyes.

Rosacea Treatments

Classically, treatment has been aimed at clearing the acne-like bumps and killing an organism that lives in the oil glands, hence the prescribing of tetracycline and a topical called Metrogel. The conjunctivitis was also treated with tetracycline.

Recent research, performed mostly in Ireland, has disputed most of these old ideas and delineates the fact that rosacea is actually a disorder of blood vessels and that accounts for all the manifestations of the disease, including the oil gland problem as the oil gland difficulty arises from the increased fuel to the glands (I.e. blood).

Clinical trials have shown that topical treatment of a drug that has been used for the treatment of glaucoma decreases the blood vessel problem and therefore clears the rosacea. This medication is now available by prescription under the name of Mirvaso.

The conjunctivitis should be treated with prednisolone 1% ophthalmic solution and should be administered properly. The eye, just as the skin, has memory, so that if treatment is started and discontinued too rapidly, the problem will simply return. The eye drops should be used 3 times a day for 2 weeks, twice a day for 2 weeks and then once a day for a month before discontinuing it.

It is also prudent for the patient to avoid anything that causes more blood to flow to the face. One of the strange characteristics about the skin of rosacea is that it is very dry—not oily—and requires significant moisturizing with good moisturizers. Topical steroids, which are often used to treat redness of the skin, may actually irritate rosacea skin.

If you want to treat your Rosacea by Dr. Melvin Elson, you can contact him by clicking this link.

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The Cosmetic Eye – By Dr. Melvin Elson

When one looks at the face of a woman, the most important aspects are the lips and the eyes. As a matter of fact a significant amount of procedures we do are to enhance the eyes and the lips and make all the rest of the face disappear. Imagine the face being a canvas. Why do we do a facelift? Because the picture has slipped out of the frame.

Getting a Good Cosmetic Result in the Eye Area

Why do we do chemical peels and laser resurfacing? Because the canvas is dirty? We inject lines and wrinkles around the mouth and forehead with Botox and filling materials because they detract from the appearance of the eyes and the lips. Our attention should be pulled to look and see only the eyes and the lips, but especially the eyes.

Sometimes the laxity of the lids have gone so far that the only possible treatment is a blepharoplasty (eye job). But there are many ways to improve the appearance of the eyes before that point is reached. The primary complaints I have heard from my patients is dark circles under the eyes, a groove under the eyes and lines under the eyes and crow’s feet.

Dark circles are due to a number of different factors, but primarily thinning of the skin under the eye due to loss of tissue and gravity pulling the skin and thinning it out so that the muscle can be seen. Additionally, there is leakage from the small blood vessels under the eye releasing compounds that have a dark color.

How to treat dark circles under the eyes?

To treat dark circles the best product has been shown to be a combination of vitamin A and vitamin K such as is contained in the small capsules to apply from International Cosmeceuticals (available here). If there are only lines and depression under the eyes, then an antioxidant cream can be applied to smooth the skin—such as La Peau eye gel (also available here).

There are also minimally invasive procedures that can significantly improve the appearance of the eyes. Botulinum toxin injections can smooth out crow’s feet and in experienced hands can be used under the eyes to improve the skin under the eye. The groove under the eyes can be injected with filling material, but again this takes someone with a great deal of experience and expertise.

It has been said many times that the eyes are the key to the soul, but they are also key to beauty.

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Botox Injections: What to Know Before the Procedure? – By Dr. Melvin Elson

Although the use of Botox is not new having been used for medical treatment for at least 3 decades, the cosmetic use came to the fore in 2002 when clinical trials were completed for the use of the material in the treatment of frown lines and approved by the FDA. Since then the use of botulinum toxin A (Botox is only one form of this) has become the most common medical procedure in the world. More than 6,000,000 people were injected in just the US last year.

Getting a Botox Injection

Since the onset of its use in the frown line area, many other areas are being treated—forehead lines, crow’s feet, underarm sweating and there are even methods to simulate a face lift using Botox.

There are many forms of botulinum toxin in use around the world, but only 3 are approved by FDA for use here—Botox, Dysport and Xeomin. There are nuances in calculating the dose and some differences with extra protein (Xeomin has no extra protein and is pure botulinum toxin), the results and side effects are the same regardless of the material used.

It must be understood that when you are treated, there is no immediate effect like there is with filling materials, because the lines are not being treated, but the muscles are injected that cause the lines. There is a 3 day delay in the beginning of effectiveness and the results reach a peak in 7-10 days. The results will last a number of months, the true length dependent on the skill of the physician and the location of the treatment area.

What about the Application and Side Effects?

Side-effects are not very common and there has never been reported a serious permanent side-effect to the material. It is not painful to have the injections and although infection is possible I have never seen one. Bruising can occur but not very common. The use is not just for cosmesis, it is used and very effective for migraine headaches, excessive sweating under the arms, palms or soles.

Since the technique is generally easy to learn, there are many who are injecting the material who do not have any training and therefore getting poor results. Ask whether or not the injections are being done by a doctor (believe it or not many times they are not) and ask the doctor what training he has, what results he can usually obtain and what if any side-effects he has had.

Cost will vary from doctor to doctor but sometimes the less expensive treatments are because the doctor is using a more diluted form or a type imported into the US (against the law) or using less of a dose than the recommended dose.

So, as in most things—caveat emptor!

If you are in Tennessee or Nashville area, you can call Dr. Melvin Elson and ask for Botox treatments and injections, by clicking here.

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Skin Scam: Dying to be Beautiful - By Dr. Melvin Elson

Get it here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com/books/ Skin Scam: Dying to be Beautiful is the latest book by Dr. Melvin Elson M.D. It details the causes of the appearance of aging as well as informing the consumer what is and what is not effective and what the pitfalls are when one begins to seek help in reversing the signs of aging. Melvin L. Elson, MD is known world-wide as an expert in treating the appearance of aging. Link to the Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jvoL4FNh-Q A graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, he also trained at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Duke Hospital. He has taught physicians and medical personnel in more than 50 countries and most of the US. He has published over 300 scientific articles, has written 2 books, has appeared on national and international television and has developed a number of skin care lines. As a board-certified dermatologist, he has practiced in Nashville for more than 30 years, specializing in cosmetic dermatology and attracting patients from all over the world. Get the Book here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com/books/ More here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com Contact Us! Address: 4081 Highway 96. Burns, TN 37029 Phone : +1 (615) 441-5227 Email : info@drmelvinelson.com Website: http://www.drmelvinelson.com

Shingles: What is it and How Can you Prevent it? – By Dr. Melvin Elson

Shingles (medically, Herpes Zoster) is a common malady suffered by many people and is extremely painful. It is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus, so if you had chicken pox the virus has been living in you ever since and can affect nerves, which is called shingles.

How to cope with Shingles?

Approximately 1 in every 3 people who have the chicken pox virus living in them will develop this malady at some time in their life and it can affect any part of the body. Most commonly it is on the torso and is only on one side with redness and blisters that are horribly painful.

If it occurs on the face (Ramsay-Hunt syndrome) there is danger of it affecting the eye and blindness can occur. There is treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications but the pain is very difficult to control and may last for weeks during the acute phase can recur after the rash is gone for months to come.

Can you prevent it?

In the last few years a vaccine has become available that is very effective in keeping the virus at bay and not letting shingles develop. It is available in pharmacies as a one-time injection and should be gotten by everyone over 18. Even though you don’t remember having chicken pox, most likely you did. Check with your medical doctor to be certain there are no reasons you should not get the vaccine, but I urge you not to let this pass you by!

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Skin Scam: Dying to be Beautiful – By Dr Melvin Elson

Get it here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com/books/

Skin Scam: Dying to be Beautiful is the latest book by Dr. Melvin Elson M.D.

It details the causes of the appearance of aging as well as informing the consumer what is and what is not effective and what the pitfalls are when one begins to seek help in reversing the signs of aging.

Melvin L. Elson, MD is known world-wide as an expert in treating the appearance of aging.

Link to the Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jvoL4FNh-Q

A graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, he also trained at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Duke Hospital. He has taught physicians and medical personnel in more than 50 countries and most of the US.

He has published over 300 scientific articles, has written 2 books, has appeared on national and international television and has developed a number of skin care lines.

As a board-certified dermatologist, he has practiced in Nashville for more than 30 years, specializing in cosmetic dermatology and attracting patients from all over the world.

Get the Book here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com/books/

More here: http://www.drmelvinelson.com

Contact Us!

Address: 4081 Highway 96. Burns, TN 37029

Phone : +1 (615) 441-5227

Email : info@drmelvinelson.com

Website: http://www.drmelvinelson.com

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