Today I’m diving in to the Four Points Mom Summer of Giveaways! Yes, you read that right – SUMMER OF GIVEAWAYS! I’m so excited to showcase local businesses and my favorite products all summer long, and treat several of you to giveaways along the way.
In today’s post Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery is treating one lucky reader with a Skin Better Science Cosmetic Skin Care Product (valued at $125). Keep reading to find out how you can throw your name in the mix and improve the appearance of those pesky fine lines and wrinkles. Plus, you’ll want to keep reading to hear all about Dr. Eric Rosenberger and his passion for Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology … and what exactly that is! 😉
(This post has been sponsored by Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery. However, all opinions and views are my own.)
All About Facial Focus
The gorgeous offices of Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery opened in the River Place Medical Center last December. This video shows you exactly how to find their offices. I’m not kidding when I say you’ll feel like you’re checking in to a spa when you arrive for your appointment. And check out that wall of succulents. How can I replicate this at home … someone please help me!
Each time I’ve arrived for an appointment, I haven’t waited more than a couple minutes before being taken back to an equally-lavish treatment room.
Facial Focus offers a full array of cosmetic and medical spa services. Look at this menu of services – you can truly find any and everything you need here at just one place.
As you can see, Facial Focus can help you with pretty much any and all concerns you might have about your skin, hair, or facial appearance in general. Plus, unlike other med spas in the area, the treatments you receive at Facial Focus are all under the direction of a doctor who is board certified in Otolaryngology (known to us non-medical people as head and neck surgery)
Who is Dr. Eric Rosenberger?
Dr. Eric Rosenberger is a board certified by the American Academy of Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery). He was fellowship trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed a Head and Neck Surgery Residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He started his medical training, though, here in Texas at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. And, most importantly for us longhorns, he graduated with Special Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. 😉
Dr. Rosenberger decided to go into this field after witnessing a close family member’s experience in this medical area. His family member was treated for skin cancer of the ear and underwent a temporal bone resection. The procedure resulted in a total hearing loss, but the hearing was able to be restored with the implantation of a bone anchored hearing aid. (Wow – Incredible!) He says he was intrigued by the ability to cure cancer and restore hearing within this one specialty, and that lasting impression remained with him as he went through his medical training. Since then he’s improved form and function to the faces of hundreds of skin care patients, finding the life-changing process of restoring a patient with a devastating nasal defect both extremely challenging and rewarding.
Dr. Rosenberger and his wife, Alison Humphrey (who happens to be a Dual Board Certified Allergy and Immunologist and Pediatrician in the Four Points area), live with their rescued 2-year-old Catahoula mix named Stella P. Stella P keeps their life interesting chasing birds, getting dirty, and generally being bad. LOL. They enjoy traveling, sailing, live performances, making new friends, and participating in new adventures.
What is SkinPen® Microneedling?
Facial Focus invited me to visit the office and experience a SkinPen® Microneedling treatment. To be honest – I was quite nervous about getting this procedure. However, results involving the formation of collagen and elastin were intriguing enough for me to try it out.
SkinPen® Microneedling is a minimally-invasive procedure that helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and smooth wrinkles and even skin tones. Why does SkinPen® Microneedling appealing to so many? Well, it can be used on all skin types, takes about 30 minutes, involves little recovery time, and you can see results after just one treatment.
Microneedling can be done with various devices, but the SkinPen® has become the market standard because of its vertical technology, allowing for extra precision. SkinPen® uses adjustable length, disposable straight needles to penetrate the skin at a 90-degree angle. The device causes controlled micro-injuries that stimulate the body’s natural wound healing process, triggering the release of cytokines and growth factors that lead to remodeling of collagen and elastin.
To achieve full results, patients typically undergo about 3 microneedling treatments.
Watch this video Facial Focus created that shows you an actual microneedling procedure.
Four Points Mom Does SkinPen®
Microneedling
When I showed up for my micro-needling appointment, I first went into Facial Focus’ room set up for patient photographs. This is one thing I love about Facial Focus – they want to evaluate the results of treatments so that they can best tailor a regimen to fit your needs. Plus, I enjoy being able to actually see whether a treatment is effective and worth the money. It’s a win-win.
Next I was taken into the treatment room. The treatment started with the application of a cleanser on my skin and then some numbing cream that helps relieve some of the acute pain from the procedure itself. So, I pretty much felt like the first 10 minutes was a relaxing facial.
The actual microneedling procedure itself was not quite as relaxing. I don’t imagine that is a shock to anyone, though. That being said, most of the procedure was not very painful. When the device was penetrating most of my cheeks, the pain was very minimal and reminded me of the slight sting of a chemical peel. When my nose was being treated, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh, sneeze, or cry. LOL. And, as always, I want to be honest and tell you that the procedure did cause a higher level of pain when treating my forehead and chin. That is apparently very typical and I was warned ahead of time that those areas would be the most tender.
The entire visit lasted about an hour, including the photos, pre-treatment application of cleanser and numbing gel, microneedling, and post-treatment application of cooling gel.
I was warned that my skin would likely feel like a sunburn over the next couple of days. When I left my skin was very pink and I even had a few red marks on my forehead and nose. Here I am a couple hours later:
My skin definitely felt a bit tight that afternoon and evening, but the recovery gel they provided really helped and I actually only applied it a couple of times. The next day I didn’t need to do so. I was a bit nervous that the following morning my face would look worse since I needed to organize an event at my kids’ school that day. However, nobody said anything to me and I probably just looked like I had been in the sun. By then, the red spots were mostly gone and I just looked pinker than normal.
I will say my skin slightly flaked off a bit over the next few days. It reminded me of what happens following a low-grade chemical peel. I mentioned it to my friends and they all said they didn’t notice until I pointed it out to them.
After the slight flaking ended, I could tell my skin was a bit more radiant and I enjoyed the renewed glow. I mentioned to my husband that I’m not sure if I could tell much of a difference and he even remarked that my skin looked like it was glowing more than usual. If you want honesty – there it is. He’s not one to indulge me in these matters. 🙂 Five days after the procedure, I took this photo at Parker’s birthday party. I definitely think there’s a bit of a glow there and you don’t see any flaking (and sorry – I’m not the one in the photos very often so I couldn’t find one of myself without a kiddo plastered next to my face).
About two weeks later, I went in for follow-up photos. When Dr. Rosenberger asked me what I thought about the results, I was honest and told him I don’t know if it did much to improve my skin tone (and more specifically minimize the melasma/ age spots that speckle my face). He acknowledged that one treatment probably wouldn’t show us significant results with the larger and darker spots, but it might improve some of the smaller, less significant ones.
Here’s the before and after of my right cheek. You’ll see that my darkest spots are still there but some of the smaller speckles from the before photo on my left have disappeared completely on the right side.
As predicted, Dr. Rosenberger was correct in that the smaller spots were improved with the microneedling. Plus, now that I was (finally) able to communicate my biggest skin concern he would recommend an IPL laser treatment to treat the pigment.
The Four Points Mom Q & A with Dr. Eric Rosenberger
Dr. Rosenberger agreed to answer any and all questions my followers and I had for him about the services he provides and how we can keep our youthful appearance (or at least look a bit younger …). Thank you for sending those questions along – we sent over a ton of questions and certainly put him to work. 🙂
- What procedure do you recommend most often for women in their mid- to late-thirties or early 40s? Women in their mid-30s obtain excellent results from Botox and skin procedures aimed at improving skin tone and texture like microneedling and IPL laser therapy for pigment. Women in their early 40s usually benefit from the above but they also have noticeable loss of cheek volume. Dermal filler provides a subtle but immediate improvement in cheek contour.
- What treatment typically provides the best results after just one treatment (I.e., what’s the best bang for your buck)? Non-surgical procedures like dermal filler provide instant and immediate results after a single treatment. Surgical procedures, like a face/ neck lift, also provide maximal benefit in one treatment. Single procedures are obviously more aggressive and have more downtime than non-surgical options.
- If you have melasma, should you avoid lasers altogether? What can you do to minimize the appearance of melasma? IPL and other laser therapy can make melasma worse if appropriate precautions are not taken prior to treatment. Melasma is a common condition of hypermelanosis of the skin in sun exposed areas that affects women significantly more than men. Sunlight avoidance is the most important part of therapy. Thyroid abnormalities, oral contraceptive pill and exogenous female hormone (replacement therapy) use also contribute. I take a full medical history and obtain appropriate lab testing prior to initiating laser melasma treatment. I prescribe compounded skin lightening creams and attempt to stabilize the melasma medically prior to treatment. Microneedling is also safe to use for melasma patients.
- What can you do for fine lines and wrinkles that isn’t Botox? Topical retinoid products (Vitamin A) increase skin cell turnover and decrease melanocyte activity. Use of these products with a plumping facial cream with hyaluronic acid will improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Microneedling thickens the skin through mechanical collagen stimulation. Laser skin tightening thickens the skin through thermal collagen production. Chemical peels denature the outer layers of the epidurmis and stimulate collagen production during the healing phase. Use of these procedures in isolation or combination will improve the appearance of fine lines without the use of Botox
- Is there anything you can do to minimize under eye circles? Undereye circles will require combination therapy for effective treatment. Identifying the main contributors to dark circle formation is the key to effective therapy. Young patients may have primarily vascular congestion issues from allergies and treatment of the allergic symptoms plus concealer is all that is needed. As a person ages, the combination of thinning skin, subcutaneous fat loss, and exposure of the infraorbital rim with cheek descent must all be addressed. Dark under eye circles in the 35 – 50 age range can be improved with eye creams to decrease vascular congestion, dermal filler to blend the lower lid-upper cheek junction, and a 30% TCA chemical peel to thicken the skin. Patients over 55 usually have under eye “bags” or “festoons” and extra skin that most often requires surgical intervention for complete correction.
- What is the best option to encourage collagen production? Skin type, history of hypertrophic scarring, and the presence of facial hair limit the available methods used. A female patient with lighter skin tone (Fitzpatrick I-II) can use any method — mechanical, chemical, or thermal (laser). Hypertrophic scar formers (especially keloid formation) are usually not good candidates for any method of collagen stimulation, but microneedling is the safest. Men should be aware that laser therapy may lead to loss of beard hair. Microneeding is safe for all skin types! The 1540 Fraxel laser used in our clinic is safe for all skin types, but lower settings and more treatments will be required to prevent the risk of unwanted pigmentation changes.
- What anti-aging skin care products do you recommend? I advise the use of skin care products that work with your skin type and oil level with the following ingredients: a prescription-strength topical retinoid, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and recovery serum using plant extracts. What works with your skin type really requires trial and error. We carry a full product line of Revision, IS Clinical, Skin Better Science, and EltaMD sunscreens at Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery.
Check Out Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery
I want to quickly tell you that I really enjoyed getting to know Dr. Eric Rosenberger and his staff. Dr. Rosenberger is obviously 100% committed to his practice and I could tell he sincerely wants to help me achieve my skin goals. If I’m honest, I’m pretty skeptical about cosmetic and med spa service providers and the stigma associated with some of these practices taking advantage of those of us who will spend $$$$ to look young. But, after meeting and working with Dr. Rosenberger myself, I wholeheartedly recommend him and Facial Focus. Look at his detailed responses above – he knows what he is talking about and he is passionate about it!
If you’re interested in learning more about Facial Focus and its many services, be sure to visit Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery’s website or call Rose or Tammy at 512-717-9475 to learn more. Even better – stop by yourself and just ask them any questions!
Be sure to tell Facial Focus that you heard about them from Four Points Mom to get the Four Points Mom Discount: $8 per unit of Botox, 20% off Microneedling services, and 20% off Laser Hair and Skin Care Procedures!
Giveaway from Facial Focus Cosmetic Surgery
Facial Focus is offering one of my readers SkinBetter Science’s Interfuse Intensive Treatment – for Lines! This treatment is a no-needle, hyaluronic acid solution that improves the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It’s valued at $125! Lucky you!
To enter today’s giveaway, leave a comment below. You’ll get an extra entry if you tell us about which of Facial Focus’s services or products most appeal to you. Plus, you can also get extra entries for doing each of the following:
- Comment on today’s Facebook post referencing this giveaway
- Comment on today’s Instagram post referencing this giveaway
- Follow Four Points Mom on Facebook
- Follow Four Points Mom on Instagram
- Follow Facial Focus on Facebook
- Follow Facial Focus on Instagram
Check back in on Wednesday, May 16th to find out if you won!
2 thoughts on “Focusing on Anti-Aging with Facial Focus”
Comments are closed.