FAQ | Age-Less Medicine

Dermal Fillers (Restylane, Restylane Lyft, & Juvederm)

What are Restylane, Restylane Lyft & Juvederm? (Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers)
These products are a natural substance that already exists in the dermal layer of the skin called Hyaluronic Acid, that restores fullness and smoother contours to your face. These products can be used on naso-labial lines, marionette lines and are also used in the cheeks for voluma-lift, also called a liquid-face lift. These products can be used to change many contours of the face where there has been a loss of volume.

Does it correct all of my wrinkles?
You will have an 80 to 100% improvement in the appearance of the injected lines temporarily.

How long does it last?
Although results may vary, Restylane and Juvaderm Ultra can last 6 months while Perlane and Juvaderm Ultra Plus can last substantially longer.

Does it go away completely?
Yes, if you stop getting the injections the material is degraded by the body, leaving no traces of the dermal filler in the body.

Which of these products should I use?
Dr. Linda McClintock chooses the product that is most appropriate for the treatment areas that you will be working on. Each of these products are wonderful but they also each have unique properties that make them more appropriate for each treatment area.

Is there any pre-treatment required?
Avoid any products containing aspirin, Ibuprofen, St. John's Wort or high doses of Vitamin E for 1 week prior to treatment to help decrease bruising and bleeding at the injection site.

Is there any post treatment required?
You will need to leave the area alone for 6 hours after treatment and refrain from aerobic exercise and alcohol for 24 hours There might be redness, swelling and minor bruising at the injection sites.

Does it hurt?
There is minimal discomfort, but a topical or local anesthetic is available if needed. When doing Lip Enhancements, Dr. McClintock uses a dental block so there is no pain at all.

How much does it cost?
Each syringe has a different price and it is difficult to know which product we will use or how much we will need to use without seeing you in person. Set-up a consultation to get a better estimate on the price.

Microdermabrasion

What is a Microdermabrasion?
A microdermabrasion is a skin revitalizing treatment that uses a diamond tome wand that removes the dead outer layer of skin by gently exfoliating the area, while vacuuming the dead skin cells away in a clean controlled manner.

Is it safe?
Yes, it is a painless and effective treatment. A trained professional uses gentle exfoliation and vacuums the dead outer layer of skin leaving a smoother texture that helps promote the growth of healthy new skin cells.

How will I look after the treatment?
Your skin may look slightly flushed immediately after the treatment but should return to normal in 10 to 30 minutes. Your skin will look and feel smoother even after the first treatment and will continue to improve after more treatments.

How much discomfort will I experience?
Resurfacing treatments using the diamond tome system are painless yet effective. The degree of effectiveness is controlled by a widely adjustable vacuum in conjunction with the varying coarseness of the diamond tome wands. Your skin care professional is trained to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment while at the same time ensuring your comfort.

Fire & Ice Facial

What is a Fire & Ice Facial?
This peel has been featured inStyle, People Magazine, and Four Season Hotels. It is a powerful anti-aging, smoothing yet hydrating peel. Designed to rapidly and safely resurfacing the skin, reducing fine line and wrinkling, softening and encouraging cellular renewal. This remarkable treatment is a combination of two therapeutic masques. The extremely powerful intensive resurfacing masque and the soothing rejuvenating masque. Awakening your senses, this phenomenal system incorporates both active and soothing formulas, which evoke aromas of warm cinnamon spice and brisk, cool peppermint.

Rejuvenation Peels

Cosmelan

What is a Cosmelan?
Cosmelan is a professional topical treatment applied after a light microdermabrasion that targets all types of skin discoloration and uneven pigment issues. Cosmelan reduces the appearance of skin discoloration brought on by hormonal imbalance, excessive sun exposure, and various other triggers in all skin types. Gentle, safe and highly effective results make Cosmelan the best and #1 solution for hyperpigmentation.

What does this treatment consist of?
The treatment consist of 2 peels applied, 30 days apart. Each peel is proceeded by a deep cleansing of the skin and a light microdermabrasion and application of a mask that remains on the face for 6-8 hours. These 2 treatments are accompanied by a simple home care maintenance kit that promotes the continuous of the lightening process, inhibiting further skin discoloration.

Weight Loss Program

What does your weight program consist of?
Our medically supervised weight program consists of a low-carb, high protein diet, medication (if necessary), vitamin injections to assist in the fat burning and energy, and weekly counseling.

What can I expect when I enroll in your weight program?
On your first visit, we will draw an extensive lab panel, perform an EKG and weigh you using our Tannita Scale that will estimate your body fat percentage and mass. We will review our diet and start you on supplements that can assist you in your weight loss goal. Your vitamin injection will be included in your first visit.

Is this covered by my insurance?
While your insurance may cover a medically supervised weight program, we do not accept insurance. You may attempt to submit your claim to your insurance company, but we do not have an insurance billing specialist on staff. Some medical savings accounts can cover medically supervised weight management.

Micro-Needling

What is micro-needling?

Micro-needling is a remarkable method of improving the appearance of acne scars, hyperpigmentation, and stretch marks as well as fine lines and wrinkles. By creating tiny channels, the micro-needling process stimulates your skin to repair itself, creating new collagen without any scar formation.

How does Micro-needling work?

The concept of Micro-needling is based upon the skin’s ability to repair itself. Following an injury, our skin begins to dissolve damaged tissue in order to replace it with new cells. Micro-needling creates precise micro-injuries in the skin, automatically triggering the repair process in the form of new collagen synthesis without scar tissue formation.

What are the benefits?
Because Micro-needling stimulates new collagen production, it can reverse the effects of sun damage, improve the appearance of acne scars, stretch marks and hyper-pigmentation as well as improve the overall appearance of aging skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

What areas of the body can I treat?
Micro-needling can be used on many parts of the body including the face, neck, décolletage, arms, hands, legs, abdomen and back.

What does it feel like?
The unique design allows for individualized settings and a topical cream is applied for your comfort.

How long does the procedure take?
A typical procedure lasts about 45 minutes. However, depending on the size of the area, number of areas treated and the severity of the damage on the skin, this can vary.

What is the downtime?
The total reaction and healing time depends on the severity of the damaged skin, the depth of the repair process required and how aggressively the treatment is performed. Most patients have redness/pinkness (like a mild sunburn) for two to four days.

When will patients see results?
Many patients notice healthier looking skin after about two weeks. However, your skin’s natural repair process will continue over the course of several weeks. Dermal collagen remodeling takes time, and damage that has occurred over time will not disappear overnight. You may not see the final results until up to three to four weeks after your final session.

How many treatments are recommended?
The number of treatments will be determined by your goals and your skin’s health. However, we recommend that most patients receive a series of four to six treatments spaced four weeks apart. For patients with deep wrinkles, advanced photo-aging, stretch marks, or acne scars, the recommended treatment is six to eight sessions at four to six week intervals. We also recommend a maintenance plan to preserve your glow and the rejuvenating effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dermawave

What is Dermawave?
Dermawave is ultrasonic skin therapy that is an approach to skin rejuvenation and repair. This procedure helps to minimize the appearance of raised and depressed scars, reduce the impact of wrinkles and lines and addresses the remnants of acne scars and other surface imperfections of the skin.

Who is this procedure for?
It is for all skin types and ages and requires no down time and no recovery.

Who is this procedure not for?
Those patients with a pacemaker or who are pregnant should not have a Dermawave procedure.

What expectation should I have after treatment?
When the treatment is over, your skin will feel refreshed, tight and firm. However, don't expect immediate results – collagen takes time to build and the results of the specialized gels and topicals we use also need several visits to repair the skin. You must also be diligent in using the homecare products supplied by your skincare professional.

Advanced Lab Testing

Telomere Testing

What does Telomere testing measure?
Telomere are sections of genetic material at the end of each chromosome whose primary function is to prevent chromosomal “fraying” when a cell replicates. As a cell ages, its telomeres becomes shorter. Eventually, the telomeres become too short to allow cellular replication, the cell stops dividing and will ultimately die – a normal biological process. SpectraCell’s Telomere Test can determine the length of a patient’s telomeres in relation to the patient’s biological age.

What are the nutritional implications on telomere length and repair?
An inflammatory diet, or one that increases oxidative stress, will shorten telomeres faster. This includes refined carbohydrates, fast foods, processed foods, sodas, artificial sweeteners, trans fats and saturated fats. A diet with a large amount and variety of antioxidants that improves oxidative defense and reduces oxidative stress will slow telomere shortening. Consumption of 10 servings of fresh and relatively uncooked fruits and vegetables, mixed fiber, monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, cold water fish, and high quality vegetable proteins will help preserve telomere length. In addition, it is advised to reduce total daily caloric intake and implement an exercise program.

What lifestyle modifications are likely to be helpful?
One should achieve ideal body weight and body composition with low body fat (less than 22 % for women and less than 16 % for men). Decreasing visceral fat is very important. Regular aerobic and resistance exercise for at least one hour per day, sleeping for at least 8 hours per night, stress reduction, discontinuation of all tobacco products are strongly recommended. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may decrease the rate of telomere loss.

What role will nutritional supplements play in slowing telomere shortening?
Recent evidence suggests that high quality and balanced multivitamins will also help maintain telomere length. Specifically, studies have linked longer telomeres with levels of vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant resveratrol. In addition, homocysteine levels have been inversely associated with telomere length, suggesting that reducing homocysteine levels via folate and vitamin B supplementation may decrease the rate of telomere loss. Similarly, conditions such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis and even dementia affect telomere length. Correcting subclinical nutritional deficiencies that may contribute to such diseases is crucial for telomere maintenance.

SpectraCell Lab Testing

What is SpetraCell?
SpectraCell is a patented micronutrient testing that measures the function of selected vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants within your white blood cells.

Why is my nutrient status important?
Vitamin, mineral, and antioxidants deficiencies have been shown to suppress the function of the immune system which can contribute to degenerative processes such as arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. You may be deficient in some vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and/or other essential micronutrients and not even know it.

ALCAT Testing

What is ALCAT?
ALCAT is a blood test that checks inflammation and chronic activation of the immune system due to food intolerance. This inflammation can be linked to digestive disorders, migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue, ADD, achy joints and skin disorders.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

What is bio-identical hormone replacement therapy?
This program is an evidenced based preventive medicine focused on optimal health and vigor. It takes well-known and accepted markers of disease into proactive patient management. This type of medicine enhances the quality of life by deterring chronic illnesses that can cause premature disability and death.

What can I expect when I'm on the bio-identical hormone replacement therapy?
There are many benefits that come with bio-identical hormone replacement. Your sleep will improve, feel more energetic, more tone and muscular body, and perform daily tasks just as you did when you were decades younger.

What can I expect on my first visit?
You will be spending approximately an hour on your first visit. The first visit will entail a blood draw, which would be extensive in nature, looking at all the vital functions of your body. We will also perform a body composition analysis, physical exam, and educate you with a video that informs you of the dangers of high glycemic load in your diet.

When should I come back?
The second visit should be scheduled approximately a week after your first visit and takes about 45 minutes. During the second visit, Dr. McClintock will comprehensively review your labs with you and individualize your bio-identical hormone program.

What female hormones do you specifically test for?
In addition to the overall wellness panel, we test for Estrogen, Progesterone, DHEA, Testosterone, Thyroid, Inflammatory markers, Vitamin D and Growth Hormone.

What male hormones do you specifically test for?
In addition to the overall wellness panel, we test for Estrogen, DHEA, Testosterone, Thyroid, PSA, Inflammatory markers, Vitamin D and Growth Hormone.

"PRP" Platelet Rich Plasma

What is "PRP" - Platelet Rich Plasma?
Produced in just minutes from a small quantity of your own blood. PRP contains a concentrated mixture of your body’s own natural growth factors and circulating adult stem cells which have been shown to play a key role in tissue regeneration and stimulating elastin and collagen for the face and hair regrowth in the scalp.

Once activated, platelets release their stores of powerful growth factors and other healing molecules responsible for tissue repair as well as stem cell recruitment and activation (PRP has been successfully used for over a decade in many areas of medicine - such as orthopedics, oral maxillary surgery, facial rejuvenation, and hair re-growth – as a safe, effective, non-chemical, non-pharmaceutical alternative to surgery.

How long is the PRP treatment?
The treatment is performed in about an hour in the office.

What are the benefits of PRP?
This treatment is natural in that your own cells are used and micro-needled into the specified areas. Since a distillate of growth factors from your own blood (PRP) is used, there should be no side effects from the material micro-needled. The body reacts to the treated cells as it does to a wound and immediately starts repairing the tissue. This builds the underlying tissue with tightening, smoothing, and increased blood flow (which makes the color more attractive). It may take 5 to 7 days to heal from micro-needling and any scabs are NOT to be picked. Let the scabs naturally fall off so as to not produce any scars. Within 2 to 4 weeks you will see improvement with continuous positive changes for 12 weeks. The platelet rich plasma (PRP) stimulates new blood flow with new blood vessels (neo-vascularization).

How do you get the PRP and does it hurt?
There is minimal discomfort. A topical anesthetic (numbing) cream is applied to the face and other body areas. Blood is drawn in the same way blood samples are taken for routine lab tests. Blood is centrifuged to separate the component cells. Platelets are separated and used for this procedure as platelet rich plasma. This platelet rich plasma is applied to your face and other body areas using a gloved hand. The micro-needling drives this PRP deep into your skin. The micro-needling makes very small holes in your skin with very little pain.

Muscle Relaxants (Botox & Dysport)

What is Botox?

BOTOX Cosmetic is a muscle relaxant, which is FDA approved, that works temporarily inhibiting the contraction of a muscle for both moderate to severe frown lines between the brows and crow's feet (lines around side of eyes). Lasts about 3-4 months.

Is it dangerous?

No. It is a purified form of the protein and is injected in very small amounts so there is virtually no risk. The injection acts locally to relax the muscles that are causing the wrinkles.

How does it work?

Botox targets the underlying causes of frown lines and crow's feet - from frowning and squinting over the years. Dr. McClintock will inject the muscles with Botox to temporarily reduce muscle activity. You'll begin to notice a visible smoothing of these lines. Making you appear years younger than your actual age.

Is there any pre-treatment?

There are no pre-treatment.

Is there any post treatment?

You will need to keep your head upright for 4 hours after treatment and avoid exercise and alcohol for 4 hours. We will also teach you to do some exercises to activate the Botox more quickly.

Does it hurt?
There is very minimal discomfort, we numb the treatment area with topical anesthetic prior to the injection making this procedure virtually painless.

How much does it cost?
Everyone has their own, unique facial muscles so it is difficult to give estimates for Botox. We ask that you set-up a consultation where we can give you a better idea after we have mapped your face.

Will Botox make me look like I've had work done?

When Botox is administered by an expert injector, you should not lose the ability to show expression. Botox is a technique-sensitive procedure that should only be performed by a physician or nurse practitioner who has expertise in facial anatomy.