Dr. Ben J. Tittle M.D.- Board Certified Plastic Surgeon: Skin Care Services

This page offers a general overview of our non-surgical skin care procedures. For more in-depth information on these procedures, please follow the links in the right column.

While this section explores skin care offerings, many of these procedures may also fulfill true medical needs. You should understand that the circumstances and experience of every individual will be unique.

If you're considering one of our skin care services, please ask us for further information about the particular procedure and what you expect. In addition, please note that all skin care services carry some uncertainty and risk.

Some of our skin care services are provided at Aqua Medical Spa. For more information on these services, visit www.aquarx.com or click on the service.

Procedure: a non-surgical, physician-administered treatment that can temporarily reduce moderate to severe frown lines between the brows. Using a tiny needle, a very small amount of Botox is injected into several locations on the face. The pain associated with the injections is minimal.

Side Effects: The most common side effects include headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop, and nausea. Less frequently occurring (<3%) adverse reactions include pain in the face, erythema at the injection site, and muscle weakness. These events are thought to be associated with the injection and occurred within the first week.

Risks: Risks are very minor with this procedure. The main risks consist of headache, pain, and flu-like illness. In rare cases, there may be a drooping lid or eyebrow area.

Recovery: Many people return directly to work or normal activity following BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment.

Duration of Results: The effects of Botox injections usually last from three to four months. After the initial treatments you will need injections about two to three times a year to maintain the results.

Procedure: Restore wrinkled, blemished, unevenly pigmented, or sun-damaged facial skin, using a chemical solution to peel away skin's top layers. Works best on fair, thin skin with superficial wrinkles.

Anesthesia: None; sedation & EKG monitoring may be used.
In/Outpatient: Usually outpatient. Full-face phenol peel may require admission for 1 to 2 days.

Risks: Both: Tiny whiteheads (temporary); infection; scarring; flare-up of skin allergies, fever blisters, cold sores. Phenol: Abnormal color changes (permanent); heart irregularities (rare).

Recovery: Phenol: Formation of new skin: 7 to 21 days. Normal activities: 2 to 4 weeks. Full healing and fading of redness: 3 to 6 months TCA: New skin within 5 to 10 days.

Duration of Results: Phenol: permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages. TCA: variable (temporary).

Procedure: An effective new light-based therapy that destroys the most common bacteria that cause acne — without drugs, without pain and without downtime

Duration of Results: Usually helps control acne breakouts for four to eight months; after that, occasional touch ups may be necessary

Procedure: involves placing a number of very small and barbed sutures under the skin to support tissue that has started to sag.

Side Effects: Side effects are mild and few due to the limited invasiveness of the procedure. Dimples around the lower thread may be observed, but these are easily fixed. Sometimes the skin above the suspension bunches up. This almost always disappears in 1-3 weeks. Possible asymmetry results can also occur, but are easily correctable.

Risks: risk of excessive bruising and swelling, but most patients look presentable in makeup the following day; rare risks that can occur, such as visible or palpable threads, infection or rejection

The following exfoliation treatments are available at the Aqua Medical Spa locations:

Scalp refreshener
Sugar
Glacier Salt
Peppermint (cooling)
Fango Mud (remineralize)
Chinese seaweed (detoxify)
Aqua rub foot/leg treatment
Hand foot treatment
Scalp refreshener

The following facial treatments are available at the Aqua Medical Spa locations:

Pore reduction + acne therapy
Hydragel “hydration” treatment
Oxy-brasion
Sonya Dakar
Acne treatment
Oxygen treatment
Seaweed + vitamin c treatment
“Men only” facial treatment
Deep cleansing
Express cleansing facial
Fluffy facial

Procedure: LightSheer Diode Laser removes unwanted hair faster, with less discomfort, and more reliability then many other methods.

Recovery: Any swelling or redness at the treatment site typically goes away within a couple hours, and most people are able to return to normal activity immediately.

Duration of Results: After approximately 6 months, removes 60 – 95% of targeted hair; even after multiple treatments, however, you may experience some hair regrowth

Microdermabrasion
Vitalize medical peel
Timeless peel
Purity peel
TCA peel

Procedure: a cosmetic tattooing process, performed to enhance the natural features of the face such as the eyebrows, eyes and lips

Side Effects: blistering, cracking and peeling skin around the eyes and lips have been noticed in some persons who have undergone permanent makeup procedures; however, cases are rare

Recovery: Most resume normal activities immediately after the procedure. Generally, there is some slight swelling and redness of the treated area. While eyebrows may show little after effect, swelling and fluid retention may last from two to seventy-two hours for eyeliner and lips

Procedure: the non-ablative, non-invasive treatment of red and brown pigment that leaves a smooth skin texture and even complexion, yielding a more youthful appearance

Risks: Some initial swelling or redness can happen after treatment, but this should subside with time.

Recovery: Should be able to resume all of your regular activities immediately.

Duration of Results: Will become more and more noticeable after a few treatments and will continue to improve over time.

Procedure: a safe, effective, time-tested, non-surgical wrinkle treatment that provides immediate results. The areas for injection are iced and anesthetized with local anesthesia for increased comfort, followed by injections of facial filler using a delicate needle.

Side Effects: Bruising, redness and swelling, usually minor, but may be moderate in some individuals; temporary 2-5 days

Risks: Risks not necessarily related to allergies include infection, abscesses, open sores, skin peeling, scarring and lumpiness, which may persist over the treated area. Reports of these problems are very rare.

Recovery: may have a little swelling, which may last 24 to 36 hours depending on the area treated.

Procedure: A safe and natural cosmetic dermal filler that restores volume and fullness to the skin to correct facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. The areas for injection are iced and anesthetized with local anesthesia for increased comfort, followed by injections of facial filler using a delicate needle.

Side Effects: Based on clinical studies, Restylane treatments produce a low occurrence of adverse events. The most commonly reported side effects were temporary redness and swelling at the injection site. These effects typically resolve in less than seven days.

Risks: The safety of Restylane for use during pregnancy, in breast feeding females or in patients under 18 years has not been established. The safety of Restylane in patients with increased susceptibility to keloid formation and hypertrophic scarring has not been studied. Restylane should not be used in patients with known susceptibility to keloid formation or hypertrophic scarring. The patient should be informed that he or she should minimize exposure of the treated area to excessive sun and UV lamp exposure and extreme cold weather until any initial swelling and redness has resolved. If laser treatment, chemical peeling or any other procedure based on active dermal response is considered after treatment with Restylane there is a possible risk of eliciting an inflammatory reaction at the implant site. This also applies if Restylane is administered before the skin has healed completely after such a procedure.

Recovery: After your treatment, you might have some redness or swelling. This will normally last less than seven days.

Duration of Results: Studies have shown that Restylane effects generally last for about six months. Follow-up treatments are typically scheduled at six-month intervals. (Individual results may vary.)

Procedure: Injections with a special solution that helps reduce purple/blue/red leg veins.

Side Effects: Larger injected veins may become lumpy and hard for several months before resolving; raised red areas may appear at the injection sites and should disappear within a few days; brown lines or spots on the skin may be noted at the site of the injection, possibly caused by a form of iron that escapes from the injected veins; In most cases, they disappear within 3 to 6 months, but can be permanent about 5 percent of the time; Bruising may occur around the injection site and can last several days or weeks

Risks: Serious complications are rare; However, they may occur. Risks include the formation of blood clots in the veins, severe inflammation, adverse allergic reactions to the sclerosing solution and skin injury that could leave a small but permanent scar.

Recovery: Most resume regular activities immediately. During the period of time to complete your treatment program, prolonged sitting and standing should be avoided, as should squatting, heavy weight lifting and "pounding" type exercises, including jogging.

Duration of Results: Results are permanent, although it’s possible for new veins to appear over time

Procedure: SCULPTRA™ is injected below the surface of the skin in the area of fat loss, providing a gradual increase in skin thickness.

Side Effects: The most common side effects with any injection include bleeding, tenderness or pain, redness, bruising or swelling. These side effects generally last, on average, 3 to 17 days.

Risks: Complications and risks are rare. Whenever the skin is injected, there is a risk of bleeding, sorness, and bruising. Poly-L-Lactic Acid has been used for over 30 years as absorbable sutures and implants, with an outstanding safety record, and allergic reactions are extremely rare.

Duration of Results: While treatment results differ for each person, a clinical study shows the treatment results to last for up to 2 years or longer. Touch-up treatments may be needed to maintain the desired effect.