Categories
Tattoo Removal

Don’t let an unwanted tattoo scar the rest of your life

Tattoos, a permanent feature, but their beauty may be fleeting. Once the flame is gone, you might not always enjoy what you see, or what it represents to you ‘in the now’ as opposed to when it was created. This is when you start thinking of tattoo removal.

This unpleasant feeling lasts, a mark against us which cannot easily be removed. Or even if it is removed, the risk that the mark left over will be worse than the tattoo itself.

Millions of individuals with tattoos face the same conundrum every day.  Removing it represents a decision just as big, a leap of faith just as far.

Because each tattoo is unique, removal techniques are tailored to suit each individual case.

In the past, tattoos could be removed by a wide variety of methods. But, in many cases the scars were more unsightly than the tattoo itself.

But there may very well be a solution which you’ve never even knew about, much less considered,  laser tattoo removal.

Why are lasers ideal to remove unwanted tattoos?

Lasers are able to remove tattoos by breaking up the pigment colors of the tattoo with a high-intensity light beam. This may sound simple enough, but as with all treatments, there is an innate risk, like a lack of complete pigment removal, or a slight chance that the treatment can leave you with a permanent scar.

To have a tattoo removed, you need to ensure you find a reputable dermatologist, cosmetic center, or medical spa to ensure proper treatment and care. Treatment with laser depending on the age, size and type of tattoo (amateur or professional). The color of the patient’s skin, as well as the depth to which the tattoo pigment extends, will also affect the removal technique.

How about a cover-up?

Sometimes there are tattoos that you just want to do a cover-up on.

Laser tattoo removal is a much better option instead of trying to recreate a new tattoo with a cover-up. Our staff is able to remove parts of tattoos to pave the way for the new and improved tattoo. More than likely your tattoo artist will thank you for the blank canvas to lay some new ink on.

In short, don’t let an unwanted tattoo color the rest of your life. Have it removed by the experts. Our doctors and aesthetic specialists at Gentle Revive in Lindon, Utah, provide patients with a better way to remove your unwanted tattoos.

Categories
Skin Treatments

The real dangers of sun damage and why you need to take it seriously

‘Sun damage’ is a catchall phrase that refers to any harm done to your skin by the sun and for many reasons prevention is better than cure.

Daily protection is critical for avoiding sun damage from both UVA and UVB rays. This is because much of the sun damage that accumulates in our skin is the result of daily incidental sun exposure.

Various studies have shown that regardless of the weather or daily activities, the skin of the people who used sunscreen everyday aged significantly better.

Start taking care of your skin now

Don’t wait until you see signs of sun damage to start taking care of your skin. Daily SPF is essential, wear sunscreen on any skin exposed to direct sunlight, and not just when you go to the beach.

Wear hats and sunglasses to protect your eyes and face and seek shade as soon as you feel the sun is too harsh.

Try avoiding direct sunlight at peak hours which varies depending on where you live, but usually occurs in the afternoon.

Wear light, breathable, long-sleeved shirts and pants when possible, especially if you’re particularly susceptible to sunburns. These may seem obvious, but current data suggest they are not always observed, to the detriment of our skin.

DNA damage to your skin

You can treat the aesthetic effects of sun damage. But you unfortunately can’t reduce or reverse DNA damage caused by the sun. Once DNA mutation has occurred due to UV irradiation, there is no way to undo that.

What sun damage actually looks like

Sun damaged skin can show up as actinic keratosis, wrinkles, spots, spider veins, a blotchy or ruddy complexion, and can even progress to skin cancer. It often looks different across skin tones.

In lighter skin types, thinning of the skin, fine lines and discolorations will be apparent. In darker skin types, discolorations may be the most prominent feature of sun damage.

UVA rays are generally linked to the aging of skin cells and tend to be the cause of wrinkles, sunspots and other signs of sun damage.

UVB rays, on the other hand, are the principal cause of sunburns, directly damage DNA in skin cells and are linked to most skin cancers.

How some damage can be reversed

While the negatives seem overwhelming, it is possible to reverse (sun damage) to some extent. This can be done by utilizing lasers, chemical peels and certain topical medications to destroy dark spots and vessels. You can encourage collagen deposition and remove the damaged layers of skin if you have discoloration, wrinkles, or fine lines.

At Gentle Revive we understand you dermatological and personal requirements better than anybody else. If you’ve been burned one too many times and regret the outcome, let us discuss what options you might have.

Sources:

  1. https://www.skincancer.org/
  2. https://www.webmd.com/
  3. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/
  4. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/
Categories
Body Contouring

Best Weight Loss Procedure?

The best weight loss procedure is only as good as your determination to lose weight. A procedure will never replace the need for creating new habits and goals. With that being said, obviously there are better weight loss procedures than others.

Almost all the procedures out there involve the stomach. This makes sense because it contains the receptors that say when you’re full and after chewing, is where your food begins to breakdown. So we’re going to focus directly on the weight loss procedures out there that deal with the stomach. Let’s start with the gastric balloon.

Weight Loss Balloon Procedure

Weight loss balloons are relatively new to weight loss procedure options. This option is actually non-surgical, which makes it stand out from other weight loss procedures. To briefly explain how the weight loss balloon works, a physician uses an endoscope down the throat to place a deflated balloon down into the stomach. Once the balloon is down in the stomach, the doctor then inflates the balloon usually with a sterile saline solution.

Once the balloon is in place, it will stay there for a period of a few months. During this time, the balloon takes up space inside the stomach to prevent overeating. This helps the person learn new eating habits and lose weight at the same time. By the time the balloon is removed, the person has learned new eating habits and continue to maintain the weight lost and even continue to lose.

This is the option we offer at Gentle Revive. We use a gastric balloon called Orbera. We’ve found that this is the best weight loss balloon on the market and also the best weight loss procedure because of the fact that it’s non-surgical. This means little to no downtime unlike surgical weight loss procedures. Also, it means that there are no anatomic changes to the stomach. You can always see if Orbera is a good option for you by scheduling a free consultation with us. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Read our article about how much you can lose with Orbera.

Orbera patient, Lindsey, explains how Orbera helped her listen to her body.

The other weight loss procedure options we’ll talk about are all surgical. While we don’t recommend these options because they alter the stomach permanently, they are a good option for some people.

Gastric Band Procedure

The gastric band, or lap-band, is one of the more popular weight loss procedures out there. One of the reasons for this is because the procedure is done laparoscopically, meaning that only little incisions are needed to place the band around the top portion of the stomach.

Essentially the band creates a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach. Once that stomach pouch is full, the brain senses fullness and prevents you from continuing to eat.

Although this procedure is not as invasive as other surgeries, it still usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay. This procedure is mostly reversible once the treatment with the band is completed. However, there still will be some tissue scarring after the band is removed.

Surgical procedures may not be the best weight loss procedures.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most invasive forms of weight loss procedures. Although it may be beneficial for some people the risks are much greater than the other options we’ve talked about so far.

Bypass surgery involves literally bypassing the majority of the stomach. A surgeon will make an incision at the top of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch. This is similar to the lap band, but the pouch is permanent. After the pouch is created, the small intestine is then routed to connect directly to the pouch. This makes it so the lower portion of the stomach is bypassed completely. The cons to this procedure are that it involves a major surgery, a longer hospital stay, and the changes to your stomach are permanent.

In conclusion, there are a lot of options out there for weight loss procedures. We recommend taking the approach of researching the least invasive first. Since we offer one of these least invasive options, give us a call and schedule a free consultation to see if Orbera is right for you.

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