Enhance your Face and Disguise Wrinkles with Juvederm and Shu Cosmetic Surgery in MN

Posted on April 22, 2013 by shucosmetic

Juvederm is the hyaluronic acid (HA) gel filler that used in Minnesota to instantly smooth away wrinkles in various areas of the face. With just one treatment, you’ll get smooth and natural-looking results that last up to a year. Juvederm is a gel based product infused with lidocaine to improve comfort during treatment.

Everyone’s skin ages differently and Juvederm may be used to rejuvenate multiple problem areas. From smile lines (nasolabial folds), vertical lip lines, oral commissures, marionette lines, chin wrinkles, lip augmentation, or even in hallow areas under the eye (tear trough), you can smooth away unwanted wrinkles and restore natural contours. Young, healthy-looking skin contains an abundance of a naturally hydrating substance called hyaluronic acid (HA). But as you age, sunlight and other factors can reduce the amount of HA in your skin. The lack of HA causes your skin to lose structure and volume, creating unwanted facial wrinkles and folds – like those parentheses lines around your nose and mouth. Hyaulorinic Acid is a naturally occurring molecule. Much like a sponge, its primary function is to bind and absorb water, which creates volume in the face. In this way, HA can be thought of as the body’s internal moisturizer. But, as we age, HA diminishes, which contributes to the presence of lines and folds. Juvederm injectable gel works to correct this by restoring hyaluronic acid in your skin, helping to diminish wrinkles and nasolabial folds in MN.

Using a dermal filler like Juvederm in Minneapolis is a safe and effective way to replace the HA your skin has lost, bringing back its volume and smoothing away facial wrinkles and folds. It is safe and effective to use on skin type and color. Studies with Juvederm showed no increased risk of hyperpigmentation or hypertrophic scarring in patients of color. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and you will notice results instantly. After the procedure there may be mild swelling or bruising that could occur and could last 7 days or less. Makeup can be used right after treatment to cover any bruising if it does occur. If you would like to try out Juvederm or have a complimentary consultation with Shu Cosmetic Surgery medspa please contact us at 952-922-9999!

Broad Band Light (BBL) for Long Term Hair Reduction in Minnesota

Posted on April 20, 2013 by shucosmetic

Are you tired of razors that leave awful red bumps, smelly hair removal creams, waxing that can sting and painful electrolysis? Laser hair removal is currently sweeping Minnesota. Using Broadband Light (BBL) for hair removal is safe, fast, gentle and very effective for hair removal. It can be used on almost any area of the body where hair reduction is desired. It effectively treats more than one hair at a time and is great for large areas such as the back, shoulders, arms, legs and face. You will be able to immediately return to normal activities after your treatment.

Laser hair removal is among the most common cosmetic services in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. The number of laser treatments required for hair removal depends on the hair density and your hair’s growth cycle. There are many factors that affect hair growth such as; age, ethnicity, weight, hormones, diet, medication and metabolism. They all play a part in the hair’s location, thickness and resilience which is why multiple treatments are required to get the best results. Treatment results vary from patient to patient depending on skin and hair color. BBL will not make hair grow in thicker, darker or faster. During treatments the hair that does grow back tends to grow back slower and much finer.

The hair removal process can be relaxing. The patient reclines on a treatment chair and the skin is cleansed. Then a light layer of ultra sound gel is applied to the skin that is being treated. The appropriate filter and setting is used on the treatment site based on a client’s skin type. A client’s skin type is determined by the Fitzpatrick scale. The scale is based on skin that is exposed to the sun 1 hour without protection. The skin types are broken down this way; Type 1 skin always burns and never tans. Type 2 skin, always burns and sometimes tans. Type 3 skin, sometimes burns and sometimes tans. Type 4 skin, always tans. Type 5 skin consists of Asian, Hispanic, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. Type 6 skin consists of African-American, African, and West Indian.

One down side to BBL treatments is that it works great on skin types 1-4. It is not recommended for skin types 5-6 as there is too much pigment in the skin and the BBL energy is attracted to the pigment in the skin not just the hair. A consultation is recommended before getting a BBL treatment. Your technician may also suggest a test patch test before any treatments to see how your skin will respond.

Laser Skin Resurfacing with Microlaser Peel in Minnesota

Posted on April 16, 2013 by shucosmetic

There are various types of cosmetic lasers for various types of skin problems. If mild wrinkles, scars, keratosis, sun damage (brown or age spots), or pigment irregularities are your main problems, a microlaser peel with Shu Cosmetic Surgery might be for you! A microlaser peel removes a thin layer of damaged skin to improve texture and provide a more youthful appearance. It provides superior results because it can be administered with great precision of depth. The procedure is tailored to your specific skin conditions and desired outcomes.

The microlaser peel’s beam is scanned over a treatment area to remove a very thin layer of skin. Removing the top layer eliminates some of the damaged cells that can give skin a tired, aged look. As the skin heals, fresh cells grow and resurface the treated area. The result is healthier-looking skin, often with reduced wrinkles and improved color evenness. Patients in MN often say that it looks like their skin went from looking tired to vibrant. Almost any skin areas can be treated. Popular treatment areas are the face, neck, chest, and hands.

Treatment results will vary from person to person but improved skin texture and tone can be obtained in just one treatment. The number of treatments needed may vary depending on your initial skin condition and your specific needs and expectations. Numbing cream is applied to the treatment area before the procedure to provide comfort. Afterwards, the skin will be cleaned and eyes protected with safety shields. The physician assistant or laser technician will position the laser hand piece above the skin and will hold it in place as the computer-guided scanner moves the laser beam around the treatment area. Depending on the size of the area being treated, the procedure usually lasts 15-30 minutes.

Immediately after a microlaser peel treatment the skin will have a “frosty” appearance. This is the dehydrated skin that will peel away within the next few days following the treatment. There will be some skin redness with a sunburn sensation as well as mild swelling after the treatment for a few days. This usually lasts anywhere from 3-4 days after a treatment. You should notice obvious improvement in tone, texture, and color evenness once the skin heals after a few days. The collagen that regenerates helps firm the skin over the course of 6 months following a microlaser peel treatment. If you are interested in a microlaser peel or for a complimentary consultation contact Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Edina, MN!

Spider Vein and Varicose Vein Treatment at Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Posted on April 15, 2013 by shucosmetic

Sclerotherapy is the treatment of spider and varicose veins. Spider veins are those tiny purple and red blood vessels found most often on the thighs and lower legs of women. They are hereditary and may be found anywhere on the leg or face. Varicose veins are larger and can appear raised with a bluish color, they may be quiet painful. Though these veins carry blood they are not part of the venous valve system so they are able to be reduced significantly through a simple office procedure with Shu Cosmetic Surgery at our luxurious Edina, Minnesota clinic.

Sclerotherapy has been around since the 1920’s. At our clinic we will use a tiny syringe fitted with a micro-needle to inject a small amount of sclerosing agent into the vein. This solution will displace the blood within the vein. It then causes irritation to the lining of the vein, making it swell shut. The vein will turn white then gradually disappear. Laser treatments may be used for small purple spider veins. The treatment is very tolerable with only mild bruising occurring afterwards.

Most of our patients here at Shu Cosmetic Surgery report little if any discomfort. A few may feel a mild burning sensation when the sclerosing solution is injected, but it stops in a few seconds.

Usually more than one treatment is required. In most cases, about 50 – 70% of the treated vessels will be gone for good. Some new veins may appear during the healing process so appointments are usually 4 – 6 weeks apart. During the healing process you will be asked to wear a special heavy-duty stocking to help keep pressure on the veins. This will reduce bruising, and help keep the treated veins closed. Any bruising will usually be gone after the first week. Your final results will be fully apparent after several months.

If you are ready to eliminate your spider veins or varicose veins call Shu Cosmetic Surgery for a consultation today.

Benefits of Chemical Peels in Minnesota

Posted on April 11, 2013 by shucosmetic

Non-surgical skin resurfacing options for aging skin continues to expand in Minnesota. These skin rejuvenation methods including microdermabrasion, chemical peels, non-invasive laser treatment and skin care products may be used alone or in combination, which provide satisfactory improvement.

A chemical peel is an exfoliation technique used to rejuvenate aging skin. In a chemical peel, a chemical solution is applied to the skin. Over the next few days, depending on how deeply the chemical penetrated the skin, the skin peels off. The new, regenerated skin is healthier and more youthful than the old skin.

Chemical peels are divided according to the depth of penetration into three groups:
• Light peels (superficial): Glycolic, salicylic etc…
• Medium depth: TCA
• Deep peels: Phenol.

Chemical peels are performed on the face, neck, or hands. They can be used to:
• Soften fine lines and wrinkles
• Improve skin texture
• Reduce scarring
• Decrease age spots and sun spots
• Remove pre-cancerous actinic keratoses
• Help skin care products to penetrate
• Build collagen
• Give skin a youthful appearance

People in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas often combine chemical peels with other injection procedures such as wrinkle reduction medication and fillers to create global rejuvenation effect. A chemical peel is also commonly used after facelifts, brow lifts, and eyelid lifts.

Treat Yourself to a Mommy Makeover Package at Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Minnesota

Posted on April 8, 2013 by shucosmetic

The Mommy Makeover has become one of the most popular rejuvenation treatments for young women in Minnesota today. We are proud to offer this at Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Edina.
While having a child brings so much happiness to you and those around you, you may not be as excited about the changes in your body. Now with the help of Shu Cosmetic Surgery you can reclaim your pre-baby figure with a combination of procedures known as the Mommy Makeover.

Many women of all ages in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas are self-conscious about their new body image after childbirth and would like to look and feel their best when returning to careers and hectic lives. It is important to realize that these procedures can be done on anyone wanting to feel better about themselves, even if your children are older.

There are several areas that we focus on with the Mommy Makeover at Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Minnesota. These are commonly the stomach, breasts, and thighs.
Which procedures are generally included in the Mommy Makeover?

Liposuction: This is excellent for removing pockets of pregnancy fat that don’t respond to diet and exercise. Cosmetically speaking successful liposuction is measured in inches rather than pounds. Dr. Shu prides himself on being able to offer the most diverse types of liposuction in the state of Minnesota.

Tummy Tuck or Mini Tuck: This is a surgical procedure designed to flatten the abdomen by tightening the muscles in the abdomen wall and/or removing excess skin and fatty tissue.

Breast Surgery: We offer many types of breast surgery at Shu Cosmetic Surgery. We will help you choose your best option, whether it is implants, breast lifts, or a breast reduction.

Cellulite Treatment: This is a non-surgical procedure that provides a marked reduction in skin dimpling from cellulite and an increased appearance of skin smoothness.

Scar and Stretch Mark Treatment: At Shu Cosmetic Surgery we are proud to offer the latest in laser technology to improve or eliminate red or raised scars or stimulate collagen production to improve and eliminate the appearance of stretch marks.

Call Shu Cosmetic Surgery in Edina, Minnesota today to book your Mommy Makeover consultation today!

Microdermabrasion in Minneapolis

Posted on April 7, 2013 by shucosmetic

Microdermabrasion is one of the easiest non-surgical cosmetic procedures you can get in Minnesota. It is essentially powerful mechanical exfoliation by removing the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face and neck with diamond-tips. By using the diamond tip with fine surface, even people with sensitive skin can get a treatment from a skilled esthetician in Minneapolis. It takes about 30 minutes and there’s no down-time after treatment. For the best results, it is generally recommended get a series of 6 treatments about 10 to 14 days apart. You should avoid vigorous exercise and the sun after the microdermabrasion treatment. It is important to use a sunscreen, even in a cloudy day.

Microdermabrasion is an effective anti-aging treatment with multiple benefits.

• Softens fine lines and wrinkles
• Improves skin texture
• Reduces scarring and pore size
• Decreases age spots and sun spots.
• Help skin care products to penetrate
• Build collagen
• Improve local circulation
• Gives skin its youthful appearance

Do not get Microdermabrasion if you have:

• Extremely sensitive skin
• Diabetes
• Rosacea
• Active acne
• Skin infections or trauma
• Keloid scarring
• Skin Sunburn
• Taking blood thinners
• Had face injection within 3 days

The Elements of Facial Aging in Minnesota

Posted on March 27, 2013 by shucosmetic

The appearance of the face and neck typically changes with age. Loss of tissue volume and skin elasticity gives the face a flabby or drooping appearance. Although everyone in Minnesota gets older, and there’s no stopping it, it doesn’t mean we have to look older, more tired or less attractive. This blog helps you to understand facial aging mechanism and process that make you look older than you’d like and help what can be done to make you more attractive.

Your face and neck age because of changes in the following factors:

Volume changes: people in the Minneapolis and St Paul areas typically lose the fat volume in the forehead, temporal areas, and cheeks. In the meantime, excessive fat accumulation happens in the eyelids, upper side of nasolabial grooves, and jowl and neck (submental) areas.

Skin Changes: The skin changes are noticed much earlier than any other changes. These skin changes happen due to aging, genetics, skin nutrition and sun damage. Skin loses elasticity over the time and becomes dry, thin and wrinkled. In addition, the skin’s normal turnover process gets slower as we age, the ability of self-rejuvenation of the skin cells decreased. Moreover, repeated contraction of facial expression muscles over the years leads to the formation of permanent folds where become inscribed in the skin.

Other tissue changes: Just like skin and fat changes, other facial tissues such as muscle, fascia and ligaments change. These tissues can lose strength and elasticity and cause looseness of facial tissues.

Gravity effect: Over time, gravity, aided by a loss of elasticity in the skin and tissues, can displace the tissues of the face. For example, the brow and eyelids sag, creating a tired or old appearance. Hanging skin and fat in the jowl areas create the square shape instead youthful V shape.

These aging changes combine to transform your face from an attractive and youthful one into a tired and aged appearance. However, our full lines of anti-aging services in Shu Cosmetic Surgery can either improve or reverse these effects by targeting each aging element.

Forever Young with Broad Band Light (BBL) in Minneapolis

Posted on March 27, 2013 by shucosmetic

What if there was a way to stay younger looking without surgery or down time? Now you can. Research has proven that using Broad Band Light (BBL) treatments on a regular basis, not only seems to halt the aging process; it tends to help the skin look up to ten years younger. BBL is visible and infrared light from 400-1400 nm delivered for phototherapy. It is a gentle approach for treating sun damage that gives impressive results. The treatments actually change the histology of skin causing it to become like younger skin.

Over the years, exposure to UV radiation results in photo damage which shows up in the skin as reduced epidermal and dermal thickness, wrinkles, spider veins, rough skin texture, actinic keratosis and malignancies. Photo damage starts showing as early as the 30’s and 40’s.

In a recent study done by Dr. Patrick Bitter Jr and Dr. Jason Pozner, 15 people were evaluated to see if regular treatments done with BBL over a period of years would help them to look younger than their actual age. The age range of the participants was 39-69 years old. Each participant received at least one BBL full face treatment per year. Over a 5-11 year time frame. The result of the study was that the patients who maintained a regular annual or biannual regimen of BBL treatments did have reduced signs of photo damage and aging in a way that looked very natural.

Shu Cosmetic Surgery Medspa offers full lines of BBL treatments to rejuvenate your facial skin in Edina, MN. Please contact us if you have any questions on Forever Young BBL therapy or any other laser treatments.

Chemical peels in Minneapolis

Posted on March 26, 2013 by shucosmetic

Chemical peels, also known as derma-peels, have been around for thousands of years. Cleopatra was known to do the first chemical peels by bathing in milk which contains lactic acid. Women in Minneapolis use chemical peels to soften skin, improve blemishes, brown spots, acne scars, wrinkles and fine lines that appear with age.

African American women or black women in Minnesota are known to age very well due to the amounts of melanin in their skin which gives them natural sun protection. Yet years of sun exposure without sunscreen will cause facial skin to turn many shades darker than the skin on the neck and chest. This is a sign of sun damage which can also lead to skin cancer.

The use of chemical peels can help by lifting away layers of skin. Peels are done as a series of 4-6 treatments and over time, softer, smoother, lighter skin is revealed. During and after the peel treatments, an SPF factor of 30 or more must continually be used to protect the skin and prevent the sun’s UV rays from doing its damage all over again.

There are chemical peels that are good for all skin types and some should not be used on darker skin. Darker skins can either hyper-pigment and turn darker or hypo-pigment which causes it to turn very light in color. Your esthetician or clinician can determine the best chemical peel for you and can do a spot treatment to see how your skin will react.

Sonya Stelmachuk – Esthetician in Shu Cosmetic Surgery, Edina, MN