Perhaps you’re not as thrilled with your tattoo as you were the day you first got it and you want to have it erased. You’re not alone. More than half of those who get tattoos later say they regret it. Spa in the City in Dallas, Texas offers professional, efficient laser tattoo removal with the revolutionary Q-Switch laser.

How Does Laser Tattoo Removal Work?

To understand why laser tattoo removal is so effective, it’s important to know what a tattoo does to the skin, how the skin reacts, and how lasers can provide the treatment you need to undo this reaction.

How Are Tattoos Created?

Tattoos may have become especially trendy in the last decade, but they’ve been around for thousands of years. Human beings have decorated their bodies with art and permanent drawings for centuries, and researchers have even discovered evidence of tattoos on Egyptian mummies.

Today, modern tattoo artists use an electrically powered machine that punctures the skin with a sterilized needle at more than 50 times a minute. These machines are controlled using a pedal similar to the ones found on sewing machines.

When the skin is penetrated, ink is inserted into the dermis. The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis, which is the outer layer of skin. The tattoo ink must be inserted into the dermis because the skin cells there are more stable than the ones found in the epidermis. Because the tattoo is drawn so deeply into the skin, it’s able to last for a lifetime.

Why Is Tattoo Removal Needed?

Did you know that while 10 percent of Americans have tattoos, more than half of them regret getting them?

There are many reasons someone may regret a tattoo and want to have it removed. Sometimes an image or symbol that resonated strongly at one point no longer has the impact it once did. In certain cases, tattoos make it more difficult to gain employment. For example, in certain jobs, visible tattoos are not allowed, and it is inconvenient and time-consuming to cover them.

Tattoos also transform as your skin changes. When your skin begins to lose its elasticity, tattoos can distort and fade. This means that instead of being a work of art, they can become a source of embarrassment. Thankfully, laser tattoo removal is available that can both eliminate tattoos and preserve your delicate skin.

How Are Tattoos Removed?

There are several ways to remove tattoos, and previous methods, such as salabrasion and dermabrasion, were problematic. These methods “sanded” the tattoo off the skin, resulting in pain, swelling, scarring, and bleeding. Other methods, including cutting and skin grafting, were no better, causing pain, extensive scarring, and long recovery periods.

However, a type of laser called a quality-switched (Q-Switched) laser has provided a better, more effective alternative for tattoo removal.

What Is a Q-Switch Laser?

This is a laser that pulses a beam of light at an estimated one billionth of a second. This non-invasive laser is able to create a high-intensity, concentrated pulse of light that shatters ink pigmentations.

 What makes the Q-Switch laser truly exceptional is that they can eliminate the tattoo without damaging surrounding tissue. This makes them an excellent choice for safely and effectively removing tattoos without troublesome side effects.

Introducing the Q-Switched Tattoo Removal Treatment

This treatment has become the gold standard in tattoo removal.

How the Process Works

The principle behind effective tattoo removal is to break down the tattoo pigment into pieces small enough that they can be naturally removed by the body.

The Q-switched Laser delivers high-energy light pulses to the skin that are then absorbed by the tattoo pigment. As a result, it breaks apart. Once the tattoo pigment has been broken into tiny pieces, they are able to be naturally eliminated from the body.

After the treatment, the area is cleaned and bandaged.

What Kinds of Tattoos Can Be Removed?

Laser systems can provide efficient tattoo removal with minimal scarring. Tattoos that are candidates for removal include:

• Amateur tattoos
• Professionally drawn tattoos
• Color tattoos
• Traumatic tattoos
• Cosmetic tattoos (eye liner, lip liner)

How Many Treatments Are Needed for Tattoo Removal?

There are several factors that influence how many sessions are needed to adequately remove a tattoo. These include:

• Where the tattoo is located
• The age of the patient
• The type of skin
• The color/ extent of the tattoo

Because there are so many factors involved, it’s difficult to state an exact number of sessions needed for a tattoo to be removed. However, many laser tattoo removals can be completed in eight to 12 sessions. These sessions should be spaced a month and a half to two weeks apart. Each individual case—just like each tattoo—is unique, and therefore it’s important for us to carefully evaluate your skin and your tattoo before we can give any estimate on the amount of time for a removal.

Is It Painful to Have a Tattoo Removed?

In many ways, a tattoo removal can feel similar to having the tattoo done in the first place. Sometimes, laser tattoo removal treatment is described as having a rubber band snapped on the skin. We do offer topical anesthetic to help ease the discomfort, especially for sensitive areas, although many patients do not need them.

Need to Have a Tattoo Removed?

Modern lasers such as the Q-Switch have made tattoo removal safer and more effective than ever. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who want to get rid of your tattoo, contact Spa in the City in Dallas, Texas, where we’ll be happy to help you.

One of the tell-tale signs of aging is skin that has lost its elasticity and is beginning to sag and droop. This is most often seen on the neck, under the chin, and on the eyebrow area. This skin laxity can make us look more tired and older than we are. There is a revolutionary and exciting treatment to lift skin without surgery—Ultherapy. To discuss regaining your youthful profile and contour, call Spa in the City in Dallas, TX.

What Is Ultherapy?

Ultherapy is the only FDA-approved device proven to lift sagging skin without invasive surgery. This treatment uses ultrasound technology to reach deeper dermal layers and deliver the right amount of heat to constrict tissue and stimulate the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein in our bodies that provides support to our underlying dermal layers so our skin can maintain a strong, smooth and supple appearance.

As we age, our production of collagen decreases, causing fine lines and wrinkles, skin laxity and what looks like “falling” features. By heating deeper layers of skin, Ultherapy causes our body to produce excess collagen to regenerate those injured cells, eventually replacing them with healthy, strong and structured cells. This treatment can reach the layers of skin previously only addressed through cosmetic surgery with no cutting or breaking through the surface of the skin.

How Is It Different?

Many treatments are effective for treating superficial skin imperfections and stimulating collagen production on the very top layers of skin. This helps to reduce the appearance of very fine lines, even skin tone and brighten a dull complexion; but it does very little to address skin laxity.

This therapy is unique because it uses the same ultrasound technology that the medical community has been using for decades. During Ultherapy, ultrasound imaging can be used so your doctor will know exactly the area that needs to be targeted by the heating sound energy. Your practitioner will see precisely where to direct the ultrasound technology to get the best results.

Some laser treatments claim to produce the same results, but they’re unable to reach the deepest layers of the dermis. Lasers are effective on more superficial issues and concerns, so they can make a great complementary treatment. Ultherapy does not damage surrounding tissue or skin, and there is no downtime associated with this treatment.

What to Expect

When you and your doctor have decided Ultherapy is the right choice to help you achieve tighter skin, there’s no preparation to be done. On the day of your appointment, the treatment area will be cleaned and an ultrasound gel applied. The smooth device is then placed on your skin and the focused ultrasound energy bypasses the unharmed surface of your skin.

It then delivers the energy to the ideal and pre-planned depths within the layers of skin below to stimulate new collagen growth. Because this is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment, there is no downtime involved and you can return to your normal daily activities immediately. The appointment should take around 60 minutes, depending on the area to be treated, or longer if more than one area is being addressed.

Results

Some clients report seeing some results immediately after treatment, but the real results happen gradually. Skin will continue to tighten over the course of the next 2-3 months as new collagen is formed, regenerating tighter, more structurally sound skin cells. Some clients see results improve for up to six months.

Most people are happy with the results they see after just one treatment while others with more severe skin laxity may opt for multiple sessions to maximize their results. While results don’t deliver the same results as plastic surgery, they are extremely effective on mild to moderate sagging skin without the downtime of surgery.

Some patients are still producing new collagen after a year, extending their results. Your body will continue to age, so you may need touch up appointments down the road. Your doctor will recommend the right maintenance and follow-up schedule for your specific needs.

Other Treatments

As you discuss your areas of concern with your skincare specialist, they may recommend other treatments to round out your now more youthful appearance. One treatment complementary to ultrasound therapy is skin resurfacing.

Skin Resurfacing Treatments

We mentioned earlier that there are treatments effective in addressing more superficial skin imperfections, and one of those is skin resurfacing. There are several methods for this treatment, each a little different but with the same result in mind—to uncover a brighter, healthier and more youthful-looking layer of skin.

All these treatments work to remove the top layer of skin, stimulating collagen production to regenerate a smoother skin surface. They can help address concerns like:

• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Hyperpigmentation
• Sun damage and dark spots
• Acne and acne scarring
• Large pores and blackheads
• Uneven skin tone and texture
• Overall dull complexion

Talk to your skincare specialist about all the options available for skin resurfacing and which is the best fit for you.

Make an Appointment

Taking care of yourself includes paying attention to the things that make you uncomfortable and discouraged. If your profile and contours aren’t what they used to be and you’d like to restore a more youthful appearance, call Spa in the City in Dallas, TX. Our expertise in helping clients reach their goals makes us the perfect partner for achieving your ideal version of you.

Are you one of the millions of Americans who has tried diet and exercise but still can’t get rid of a stubborn double chin? It may be frustrating, but luckily there are a number of options out there for people looking for non-invasive fat reduction treatments. If you are on the lookout for a treatment that can melt away a double chin, a Kybella treatment at Spa In The City in Dallas, TX might be the right choice for you. In this article, we’ll take a look at what Kybella is, how it works, and whether it’s the solution in the battle against double chins.

What Is Kybella?

Kybella is an FDA-approved injectable treatment that’s used for body contouring. It’s safe and proven to be effective at melting away stubborn fat deposits, such as a double chin, that don’t respond to diet and exercise. It neutralizes fat cells where they live, giving you results that all the running, dieting, and carb-cutting you can handle won’t: the profile you’ve always wanted.

How Does It Work?

Double chins are difficult to get rid of because of the nature of fat cells. Once a person reaches adulthood, the number of fat cells in their body remains fairly steady. The cells themselves will shrink or swell as they store more or less fat, but they’re always there. That makes it tough to entirely get rid of a double chin through traditional diet and exercise: those cells can only shrink so much.

Kybella’s active ingredient is a synthesized form of deoxycholic acid. This is a compound that occurs naturally in the body, where it is used to absorb fat. Once it’s injected through a very fine needle, it will go to work dismantling the fat cells that create a double chin. It’s not instant, but over time this injection will kill the fat cells themselves, the body will flush them out, and you will be left with the profile you want. The injections will also continue to prevent further fatty tissue from forming in that spot, so unlike some other aesthetic treatments like Botox, Kybella is permanent.

What Is the Treatment Like?

This treatment is extremely quick. So quick, in fact, that you can have it done over your lunch break and still have time to grab a bite to eat before heading back to the office. Prior to the treatment, our practitioner will mark the injection sites on your chin with a marker. Once that’s done, they will perform several injections under the chin over the course of fifteen or twenty minutes. Because the treatment is non-invasive, once the injections are done you’ll be able to stroll out of the office and get back to your normal day.

How Long Will It Take to See Results?

While the length of time it takes to see final results from a treatment will vary from person to person, generally results are noticeable within four to six weeks. Those results will continue to develop for a few weeks after first becoming noticeable thanks to the injection’s compounds continuing to do away with fat cells.

While some people may need only one treatment, others will need more than one depending on the results they want to achieve. It’s possible to receive up to six treatments spaced at least one month apart each.

Is This Treatment Right for Me?

You might be a great candidate for a Kybella treatment if:

You Are In Good Shape

It’s important to note that this is not a weight-loss treatment. If you are looking to lose fat for medical reasons, a healthy diet and regular exercise will do the trick. This treatment is aesthetic nature, meaning it is not a treatment for obesity or other weight problems.

Your Skin Has Good Elasticity

The best candidates for this treatment have firm skin with a layer of fat beneath their chin that can they can between their fingers. Skin with good elasticity will mold and shape around the new contours of the chin as the fat is flushed away. Candidates with looser skin that lacks elasticity may see better results with a surgical procedure.

You Don’t Want to Undergo Surgery

Plastic surgery is invasive and has a recovery period, so it’s understandable that many people have ruled it out and settled on living with a double chin. With this treatment though, it’s possible to see great results without ever going under the knife. If you know that surgery isn’t right for you but are still looking for ways to rid yourself of a double chin, this is the perfect option for you.

You Are Unhappy With Your Appearance

How people perceive themselves can have a profound effect on their happiness over time. If you are unhappy with your appearance and want to do something about it, this treatment might be what you have been looking for. In fact, as many as 70% of people who undergo this treatment report not only great results, but also a noted improvement in their happiness.

Get Your New Profile 

This is still a new treatment, but it is rapidly gaining in popularity across the country. With just a few minutes of your time, our practitioners can melt away your double chin and leave you looking years younger and feeling more confident than ever. Give us a call at Spa In The City in Dallas, TX to learn more, discuss your options, and schedule a consultation!