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Other Services - Skin Therapies

Skin Therapies

WHAT IS RADIOSURGERY?

Radiosurgery (RS) is a technique which revolutionizes the practice of surgery, reducing costs and improving outcomes. Reduced bleeding, faster healing, fewer infections, and smaller scars are the result.

WHAT IS RS USED FOR?

Because a variety of applicator tips can be substituted, the radio surgery unit is very versatile, and can be used to treat a wide variety of problems, including:

skin tags, ingrown toenails, cysts, warts, age spots hair removal, moles, skin cancers, hemorrhoids, biopsies, venereal warts, face/neck spider veins

TELL ME MORE ABOUT RS.

RS is a term which refers to the passage of a high frequency electrical wave through tissue. Using a hand-held device which attaches to a variety of special tips, the surgeon can remove, reshape, cut or destroy tissue according to the desired result. The operator can choose the type of wave form and the intensity of the signal, which allows tremendous versatility in its use.

Normal household alternating current, oscillating at 60 cycles per second, is too low in frequency to be useful for surgery. It causes tremendous damage when it touches living tissues. Studies published in the 1970's demonstrated that the optimum frequency for cutting soft tissue is 3,800,000 cycles per second. A filtered wave at this frequency produces very little lateral heat in surrounding cells, while vaporizing the immediate zone of treatment. This gives results comparable to laser but at vastly less cost.

RS uses a stream of high frequency waves to produce a pressureless, microsmooth incision with no bleeding. Cosmetic results, degree of discomfort, and speed of healing are better than with older techniques using a sharp blade or even harsh chemicals to destroy the lesions.

IS RS RIGHT FOR MY PROBLEM?

No treatment is right for everyone. If alternate treatments are felt to be more appropriate, you will be informed of this when you visit. Be sure to ask Dr. Owens if you have any questions about the RS or about the healing process after surgery.

Unless special tests are needed, a separate consultation visit is not usually necessary. If you do not wish to have immediate treatment at the time of your initial office visit, please inform us when you call to schedule your appointment.

ERASING DILATED FACIAL VEINS

A combination of several factors can result in visible dilation of surface veins on the skin of the face. The most important factors for most people appear to be heredity and past sunlight exposure (ultraviolet wave damage) to the face. Because the skin of the nose and the cheekbones is the most horizontal, it receives the most sunlight during upright posture, and shows the most vein dilati6n.

Prevention of further damage by use of strong sun-blockers (SPF 30 or more) and broad-brimmed hats to shade the face, will preserve the remaining normal tissues from premature aging, stretching, and thinning, and will help avoid new dilated blood vessels.

Treatment of the already dilated vessels will depend partly on their size and location. Some large diameter venules can be individually injected, using tiny needles, to cause the vessel to close off completely. Smaller size vessels, called telangiectasias, are usually treated by Dr. Owens with a device called a radio frequency Surgitron. Occasionally, the dilated vessels are so microscopic that laser treatments are best. The Surgitron seals off the vessels through a low-intensity broadcast of radio waves from the tip of a very fine Teflon-coated tungsten wire. This typically leaves no scars or other detectable traces, after a few days of mild localized redness at the treatment site.

Typically, there is dramatic improvement in the appearance of the dilated veins after one treatment session, although about 50% of patients need a secondary touch-up treatment a few weeks later.

Topical anesthetic cream is available, which can be applied an hour or so before the treatment, and significantly reduces the mild stinging sensation of the Surgitron. (Many people choose to have no anesthesia and report that the discomfort is minor.) If you wish to use this cream, mention it when you schedule your appointment.

While it is impossible to offer any guarantees of results in individual cases, facial vein care is generally safe, effective, and easily tolerated, and cosmetic results are usually excellent.

WARTS

Warts are common, contagious skin growths caused by virus. There are more than 60 types of virus which can cause warts. They may appear at any age, although late childhood is most frequent, and occurrence in the elderly is least frequent.

Once infested, the skin growth may remain single, may spread to nearby areas, or may spread by contact to distant areas of skin or to other individuals. After many months pass, most warts will finally disappear, even with no treatment, but they may last for years and may recur later at the same site or in different locations.

Treatment of common warts in locations where they cause annoyance, pain or cosmetic problems (or if they haven't spontaneously disappeared after two years) can be done in a variety of ways. Drugstores sell topical preparations which can be applied daily for several weeks, and often these will suffice. Freezing the warts is also effective, although it may need to be repeated in a few weeks. Laser and electrosurgery techniques can be useful, though scarring is possible. No treatment works in 100% of patients; all fail in some cases. Acid application, shaving, and chemical peeling are also used at times, and even immune stimulants such as interferon injection are known to help in some cases.

In short, warts are puzzling, unpredictable, and often frustrating. Most are benign and harmless, but a few types are known to cause cancers (these may occur in the voice box, in genital areas, and in immune-suppressed and transplant patients).

If at anytime, while you are browsing through our services section, you have a question related to any of our services
don't hesitate to call us at 608-251-6060 or send us an e-mail.

Vein Care Plus
1920 Monroe Street - Madison, WI 53711
ph: 608-251-6060   fax: 608-251-3930
minorprocedures@tds.net

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