Thousands of chemical peels are performed each year. Today, with the public's increasing interest in rejuvenating the skin and slowing the effects of the aging process, chemical peeling has emerged as an exciting supplement to a total skin care program. A thorough evaluation is imperative before embarking upon a chemical peel.

• Reduce fine lines, especially under the eyes and around the mouth.
• Treat mild scarring and certain types of acne.
• Diminish skin discoloration, such as sun spots, age spots, liver spots, freckles, or blotchiness.
• Refresh skin texture and color.

Prior to treatment, you may be instructed to stop certain medications and prepare the skin with pre-conditioning creams, which you would apply at home for a period of time.

• Cleansing the skin with an agent that removes excess oils; eyes and hair are protected.
• Applying the peel to the designated location (face, neck, chest, hands, arms, or legs), using one or more chemical solutions, such as glycolic acid, thichloroacetic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, or cabolic acid (phenol).
• Using the proper peeling agent (superficial, medium, or deep) based upon the type of skin damage present and your desired results.

Depending on the type of peel applied, there may be a mild to severe sunburn-like sensation. The gentlest type of peel, a superficial peel, usually produces redness, which is followed by scaling that lasts three to five days.

To minimize the re-appearance of lesions and lines, physicians recommend daily use of a broad-spectrum (blocks ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays) sunscreen.

Microdermabrasion can be used to improve many common skin conditions such as wrinkles, irregular pigmentation, acne scarring, large pores. Microdermabrasion is also FDA approved in the treatment of oily skin and skin that is dry, dull and rough. Microdermabrasion uses a fine stream of crystals in combination with a suction to exfoliate the dead outer layer of skin. Microdermabrasion accelerates the cellular turnover process revealing younger looking skin. It allows your body to gradually resurface your skin.

• Sun damaged skin
• Age spots
• Superficial pigmentation
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Enlarged or oily pores
• Blackheads and whiteheads
• Acne scars

Parisian Peel Skin Care Products include powerful sunscreens and moisturizers that have been custom formulated to help protect your skin and to promote healing.

Leave the years and all the sun behind. It's time to treat your skin to Parisian Peel, the gentle approach to skin renewal. The Parisian Peel process smoothes and freshens your skin, the way the French have enjoyed for years.

The Parisian Peel process is safe and affordable because it's so simple. A precision hand piece is used to direct a stream of very fine crystals and mild suction exactly where needed on your skin. A crystal free diamond particle embedded tip may also be used. The gentle abrasive action combines with the suction to remove the dead outer layer of your skin while bringing smoother, softer skin to the surface. The Parisian Peel process works equally well on all colors of skin.

For more information about Parisian Peel, call us at (337) 365-SKIN (7546) or visit the Parisian Peel web site at: www.parisianpeel.com.

The lines that appear between your brows actually result from muscle movement and the passage of time. When powerful muscles between the brows contract, they draw the brows together, causing the skin to fold or furrow. As skin becomes less elastic with age, those folds or furrows result in stubborn lines.

Because frown lines are dynamic lines caused by over-active muscles, they can usually be treated with tiny injections of BOTOX® Cosmetic.

Static lines, on the other hand, are lines that are visible even when the muscles are at rest. These lines are usually treated with a filler such as JUVEDERM injectable gel.

During treatment, very low doses of BOTOX® Cosmetic are administered via a few tiny injections directly into the muscles responsible for frown lines between the brows. By blocking the release of a chemical that causes these muscles to contract, BOTOX® Cosmetic enables them to relax. The effects are very localized and, when administered by an experienced physician, do not affect your ability to smile, laugh, or otherwise show expression. BOTOX® Cosmetic is the only product of its kind that has been approved for use in this area.

On occasion, nausea and temporary eyelid droop can be a side effect. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection. Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.

Serious heart problems and serious allergic reactions have been reported rarely. If you think you're having an allergic reaction or other unusual symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing, speaking, or breathing, call your doctor immediately.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is a quick and minimally invasive procedure consisting of a few tiny injections. Your doctor will determine exactly where to administer these injections to achieve the best results for you. No anesthesia is required, though he or she may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream prior to injecting.

The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes, and there is no downtime afterward. Discomfort is minimal and brief. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection.

Men and women of varying ethnicities have been treated with BOTOX® Cosmetic. Because it works only on the underlying muscles, it is not expected to affect skin color. Take a look at the results of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) 2006 statistics report[1]:

• BOTOX® Cosmetic was the most popular physician-administered cosmetic procedure in the United States for the fifth year in a row (surgical and non surgical combined) with nearly 3.2 million treatments in 2006
• Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 22% of all physician-administered cosmetic procedures
• Men accounted for nearly 1 million physician-administered cosmetic procedures
• Patients ages 19 to 34 accounted for 22% of all physician administered cosmetic procedures
  
  [1] The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2006 Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank Statistics. Available at: http://www.sugery.org/download/2006stats.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2007.

A 2005 survey (n = 1048) by the Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation (ASERF) reported that 97% of patients were satisfied with the results of their BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment.[2]

[2] Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation (ASERF), BOTOX® Cosmetic Use Survey, April 2005

Although you may see a marked improvement, a treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic does not make you look like you've "had work done." The muscle activity that causes frown lines is simply reduced, so you can still frown or look surprised without the wrinkles and creases between your brows.

You can expect to see results within days after your treatment, and the appearance of the area between your brows may continue to improve for up to a week.

By day 30 in a phase 3 clinical study, 89% of patients judged the severity of their frown lines between their brows as moderate or better. Visible results have been shown to last up to 4 months. After that, many patients are ready to return for a follow-up treatment.

Your own results may vary-be sure to talk to your doctor about what you can expect.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 65 with moderate to severe frown lines between your brows, you may be a candidate for BOTOX® Cosmetic. Ask your doctor if BOTOX® Cosmetic is right for you.

Actually, it's quite affordable. Although many people think of BOTOX® Cosmetic as a luxury treatment for the "rich and famous," recent statistics show otherwise. According to the 2005 ASERF BOTOX® Cosmetic Use Survey, people just like you make up two thirds of the patient base:

• Those with annual household incomes of less than $100,000 (44%) were more likely to be treated with BOTOX® Cosmetic than those with annual incomes greater than $150,000 (36%)
• Working mothers between the ages of 40 and 55 are the most common users of BOTOX® Cosmetic

For more BOTOX® before and after pictures, click here.