Renu Facial Cosmetic Center

Have you tried Xeomin?

2012-02-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Have you tried Xeomin®? It's the latest alternative to Botox®. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved this new botulinum toxin type A product to treat severe frown lines or "11's" between the eyebrows. Xeomin® was already FDA approved for use in adults with cervical dystonia and blepharospasm. It takes about one week for the full effects of Xeomin® injections to be realized, and once this occurs the results last from three to four months.

Tired of "tired eyes"?

2010-07-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul.
Our eyes are the most observed part of our face and represent to many people how old you are and how well you are feeling.
Your eyes can say young and vibrant or aging and tired.

A little time and a few tricks can make a big difference. Here are some ideas to consider from the simple to the most invasive:
- get plenty of rest. Lack of sleep does cause congestion in the natural lymphatics that drain the eyelids. This may cause them to be puffy and dark.
- treat your allergies. Sinus and nasal issues such as infections and allergy cause the veins in the lower lid to swell causing puffy and dark lids.
- elevate the head of your bed. This reduces the transfer of fluid from your lower body to the soft tissues of your eyelids and will reduce the morning swelling of your lids.
- reduce your salt intake. Salt causes fluid retention that will swell your lids.
- use eyelid treatment creams. Many medical grade products are now available to tighten lower lid skin, reduce swelling, constrict blood vessels, and regenerate the collagen in the skin.
- use chemical peels. Our ViPEEL combines many proven ingredients to wash away the old skin and stimulate new refreshed tight lid skin without surgery.
- have a Fraxel re:pair laser resurfacing. This state of the art laser can provide near surgical results to rejuvenate your eyelids as well as your face and neck as a simple office procedure.
- have a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and / or brow lift. These modern minimally invasive surgical procedures can lift sagging brows, remove excess skin, tighten the lids, remove excess fat, and remove the circles under your eyes. The tiny incisions heal rapidly and are imperceptible.

With these techniques you can really put your best face forward!

Daniel Slaughter, MD

Want a 'Lift' without the downtime?

2010-01-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Want to refresh and rejuvenate your face and neck but don't have the time for any recovery? Renu has put together several of our most popular noninvasive cosmetic procedures to reverse the signs of aging without any time off from work or play.

The photoaging that causes fine wrinkling, brown spots, and vascular blemishes can be nicely reduced with our Vi Peel™. This simple office procedure uses a chemical peel with natural antioxidants and retin A. Your face will get a nice glow for 2-3 days followed by a peeling of the old skin as a new layer arrives.

The loss of youthful volume and fullness of the cheeks causes descent of the midface with eyelid bags and prominent nasal folds and jowels. Volume restoration with a facial filler can be performed as a simple office procedure. Immediate lifting and smoothing of the eyelids, cheeks, nasal folds, and jowels occurs. Results can last for up to two years and look very natural.

Prominent forehead wrinkles, crows feet, and lip pursing lines can be easily reduced with Botox® cosmetic. This simple office procedure takes only minutes and serves as a great longterm wrinkle provention program.

The "Renu EZ Lift" combines these effective and popular cosmetic procedures in one office visit. In about an hour, all three procedures can be performed with very minimal discomfort, no sedation, and no downtime. Drive yourself back to work or off to meet friends right after the procedure. Perfect for the busy person who wants to be proactive about staying young looking but doesn't have the time for more invasive techniques.

How do you ensure a natural looking Face Lift?

2010-01-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Traditional facelift techniques are performed with a wide elevation of the skin and a suspension of the skin and underlying support tissue to the area in front of the ear. This tends to produce a stretched and wind blown look because the lift is horizontal instead of vertical. The wide elevation also causes a significant period of bruising and downtime.

At Renu we use the most advanced techniques that elevate the face vertically to provide a natural looking lift. Our techniques require no skin excision and therefore have rapid recovery. The face is lifted holistically with elevation of the brow with the upper eyelid, elevation of the lower eyelid with the midface, and natural restoration of the neck line.
Tiny incisions hidden in the hairline are used to place support sutures which suspend the face vertically countering gravity's natural pull.

Our Renu Lift addresses each area of facial aging to give a natural and comprehensive lift. It includes a brow lift, eyelid lift, midface lift, and neck lift. Reverse years of aging with a natural lift with much less downtime than traditional techniques and a result that will really last!

Fraxel Re:pair vs. other lasers - What's the difference?

2009-11-16T13:26:00.001-08:00

Laser facial resurfacing has become very popular over the past few years. Fractionated technology, otherwise known as Fraxel, has allowed facial resurfacing with a laser to become much safer. It also requires significantly less downtime for recovery. The two main categories of fractionated lasers include ablative and non-ablative.

The Fraxel re:store is an example of a non-ablative fractionated laser. This particularly laser heats hundreds of thousands of micro-treatment zones to stimulate collagen formation. One of the big benefits of this laser includes quick recovery time of only a few days. One of the downsides includes less improvement because it is less aggressive and usually requires multiple treatments.

The Fraxel re:pair is an example of an ablative fractionated laser. This laser also uses hundreds of thousands of micro-treatment zones, but it actually ablates or removes microscopic columns of tissue. The tissue removal causes significant tightening of the skin immediately. The Fraxel re:pair laser still retains the collagen stimulation effect seen with other lasers. This more aggressive laser is able to achieve greater results and only requires one treatment. It remains safe because each micro treatment zone is surrounded by normal tissue to help with healing.

The Fraxel repair laser is excellent for treating wrinkles, irregular skin texture, acne scarring, and age/sun spots. Many feel this laser gives the effect of a mini facelift and may help decrease the need for facelift in the future.

How does fat transfer work and how long does it last?

2009-11-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

Fat transfer allows your surgeon to move accumulated fat from an unwanted location of your body and use it as a natural facial filler.

Facial plastic surgeons have recognized that the natural loss of youthful volume in certain areas of the face results in an aged appearance. The face descends and falls as this normal facial fat is lost over time. The procedure can be performed as a simple office procedure with local anesthesia and mild sedation. Fat is typically taken from the abdomen through very small puncture sites. This fat is gently suctioned to keep the fat from undergoing any damage that would impair it's longterm survival. Tiny needles are then used to distribute this fat in small amounts throughout the facial areas that have had fat loss. Typically this would be below the eyelids, in the cheeks, the nasal grooves, and the jowel areas. Amazing and immediate results can be appreciated. There is very minimal postoperative discomfort or downtime with minimal bruising at the harvest site or the face. Sophisticated MRI studies have shown that much of this fat will survive as long as five years. The procedure can be performed with other facial cosmetic procedures such as Botox or Fraxel CO2 laser resurfacing to further enhance the results. A combination of multiple minimally invasive office procedures such as these can produce amazing restoration of your natural youthful look without all the downtime of traditional surgical therapies.

Non-Surgical Options to Reverse Signs of Aging

2009-10-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

The field of Facial Cosmetic Surgery is undergoing a tremendous change. A much greater understanding of the aging process has led to the development of many non-surgical techniques that can remove years of aging with minimal downtime.

Let’s look at three of the largest components of early facial aging.

Facial Fat Loss
As we age we loose the youthful fullness of our face. This is literally from a loss of the normal subcutaneous fat throughout the face. The loss of this fat causes a deflation of the skin much like taking air out of a balloon. This deflation results in sagging skin, thickening facial folds, and a hollowing appearance.
Dynamic Wrinkles
At the same time as our facial volume is deflating we begin to show the deep lines of facial muscular expression. These result from strong muscles in the forehead, around the eyes, and around the mouth. Vertical lines between the eyebrows, horizontal lines in the forehead, crow’s feet at the side of the eyes and upper cheek, and vertical lines around the mouth become increasingly visible.
Skin Texture and Pigmentation Changes
The facial deflation and lines of facial expression are then accentuated by fine wrinkling, pigmentation changes, and fine dilated vascular spots throughout the skin that occur secondary to sun exposure. This is associated with mild laxity secondary to solar weakening of the skin’s collagen.

Solutions

Instead of addressing these three areas surgically we can now offer specific non-surgical techniques to reverse these signs of aging.

The loss of facial fat is naturally reversed by transplanting some of the patient’s unwanted fat that has accumulated in their thighs, bottom, or low back. Tiny cannulas are used to remove the fat and transplant the fat back to the areas where the facial volume has been lost. This restores the youthful fullness, lifts the sagging skin, and flattens the facial folds.

BOTOX® Cosmetic can be used to weaken the strong muscles of facial expression and erase the associated frown lines, forehead wrinkles, crows feet, and smile lines. This is done with a deep understanding of the facial musculature resulting in a very natural appearance.

Radiesse™ for lower eyelid bags:

2009-10-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

A new approach to fillers is available from the physicians of Renu - Facial Cosmetic Center in Austin, Texas. Facial plastic surgeons have been using Radiesse™ for instant wrinkle correction for quite some time. It has been well known that it is an excellent filler for correcting smile lines but many are unaware of the exciting uses throughout the aging face. In the hands of our experienced facial cosmetic surgeons this filler can be layered deeply onto the facial skeleton to provide amazing improvement in the lower eyelid bags. Results can mirror those of lower eyelid surgery. This filler can also be used to elevate the cheek, lift the mid-face, and restore youthful volume to the central face. It can be used to reduce jowel formation and elevate the downturned corner of the mouth.

The physicians of Renu - Facial Cosmetic Center have many exciting non-invasive techniques such as Radiesse™ filler to restore your natural youthful look.