Your face has muscles that create creases when you laugh, smile, or make other expressions. Over your lifetime, this can lead to a variety of wrinkles, including laugh lines and crow’s feet.

As you age, your skin becomes thinner and dryer. The layer of fat under your skin and your skin’s elasticity also decrease. When combined with the repetitive use of your facial muscles, these skin changes can cause lines and wrinkles to become deeper and more pronounced.

The medical formula of Botox comes from the naturally-occurring bacteria that causes botulism. Botox targets your nervous system, interrupting communication between neurons to prevent nerve cell signals from reaching your muscles, causing them to relax.

So, when Dr. Gorens injects Botox into facial muscles, it prevents them from flexing and contracting. Once the muscles relax, you have a smoother complexion.

Botox can effectively reduce the appearance of:

• Worry lines on the forehead
• Lines between the eyebrows
• Laugh lines around the mouth
• Crow’s feet around the eyes
• Besides Botox for wrinkles, Dr. Gorens also offers Juvéderm®.

Juvéderm is a dermal filler that smooths wrinkles with hyaluronic acid. This naturally-occurring substance is present in your skin and muscle tissue. When injected into different areas of the face that are sagging or marked with wrinkles and fine lines, it adds volume, which softens the lines.  

Botox injections produce remarkable results without costly surgeries and other invasive procedures. A day or two after your appointment, you’ll notice your facial muscles beginning to relax.

Your appointment is relatively painless and takes a matter of minutes. During your visit, Dr. Gorens injects small amounts of Botox into the treatment area. To ensure your comfort, she might apply an anesthetic cream to numb the area first.

However, the treatment is a temporary solution for wrinkles and lasts up to four months. If you receive Botox regularly, you might see results that last even longer.

When you come to Marsha E. Gorens, MD, for cosmetic solutions, Dr. Gorens takes the time to analyze your problem areas and devise a personalized treatment plan. Call or schedule an appointment online today.

Maintaining a healthy weight is an integral part of being your healthiest self. Excess body fat can increase your risk for several health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Besides health conditions, obesity can cause emotional problems, limit your mobility, and reduce your overall quality of life.

By adopting lifestyle changes to encourage weight loss and healthy weight management, you can reduce your risk of developing health conditions in the future. Studies show that even a 5-10% weight loss can significantly reduce your risks.

Dr. Gorens doesn't believe that you should base your goal weight on unachievable body ideals, but on a healthy level of body fat for your lean mass.

Your personalized wellness program starts with a precise diagnosis of your metabolic requirements and your body composition (lean body mass versus body fat). That determines your basal metabolic rate (the calories your body burns when completely at rest).

Dr. Gorens makes this diagnosis using an electrolipograph (ELG) for bioimpedance testing. Using information captured from ELG testing combined with your activities of daily living and exercise levels, Dr. Gorens can then determine your caloric energy equation. With this information, she can recommend a safe caloric deficit that ensures fat loss rather than loss of lean body mass.

After Dr. Gorens determines your caloric recommendation, you receive a personalized weight loss strategy. That includes interactive meal plans, exercise recommendations, and a program of education and lifestyle modification activities.

• Personal health risk appraisal

Dr. Gorens presents you with a detailed, comprehensive analysis of your controllable and non-controllable health risk factors.

• Menu planning

An interactive and customizable meal planning tool that instantly translates your caloric requirement into daily meal plans.

• Exercise recommendations

Customized aerobic and strength training programs along with detailed instructions.

• Meal replacement and supplements

Optional vitamin and mineral supplementation and high protein shakes to support proper nutrient levels for healthy weight loss.

• Physician supervision

Throughout your program, Dr. Gorens provides support, monitors your progress, and conducts body composition re-testing.

It’s challenging to lose weight on your own, which is why Marsha E. Gorens, MD offers a support system to ensure you reach your weight loss goals and the best health possible. Call or schedule an appointment online today.

Laser hair removal is a treatment that removes unwanted hair using light. This therapy damages individual hair follicles with heat from the laser beam without affecting the surrounding skin. When the follicle is damaged, hair will no longer grow.

Laser hair removal is a comfortable and permanent alternative to waxing, shaving, or tweezing unwanted hair.

Dr. Gorens recommends laser hair removal for the following areas:

• Arms
• Underarms
• Back
• Chest
• Bikini area
• Face
• Legs

The laser Dr. Gorens uses has a large target area, so it can treat the back, shoulders, abdomen, and legs quickly. She can treat areas on the face such as the lip, chin, and beard in a matter of minutes.

Treatments can be customized according to your hair color, texture, and hair location. Hair of any color -- including black, brown, and red -- can be treated. PLus, laser hair removal is effective on most skin types.

Dr. Gorens uses state-of-the-art laser technology. Depending on the size of your treatment area, your appointment can take a few minutes or up to one hour.

Dr. Gorens first cleans the treatment area, shaves the hair, and applies a cooling gel. When the treatment begins, gentle pulses of light are emitted from the handpiece. While they penetrate the skin to disable the hair follicles, you may feel a sensation resembling the faint snap of a rubber band, or a slight sting or pinch.

During your treatment, most of the unwanted hair falls away immediately. Any remaining hair falls out over a period of a week or two. You may experience blistering, soft scabbing, or redness at the treatment site, but these resolve quickly or within a few days.

Permanently eliminating unwanted hair can take up to six sessions, with intervals of up to a few months between each session.

If you’re looking for permanent hair removal solutions, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.

Dermal fillers can improve and enhance several areas of the face, including:

• Smile lines (nasolabial folds)
• Lips for added volume and definition
• Cheeks to restore youthful fullness
• Jawline and chin for improved contour
• Under-eye hollows to reduce a tired appearance

These treatments help restore volume lost through aging and improve overall facial balance.

Results vary depending on the type of filler and treatment area, but most dermal fillers last between 6 and 18 months. Areas with more movement, such as the lips, may require touch-ups sooner, while areas like the cheeks may last longer. Over time, the body naturally absorbs the filler, and maintenance treatments help preserve your results.

Most dermal fillers provide immediate improvement in volume and smoothness. You may experience mild swelling or bruising initially, but final results typically become more refined within one to two weeks as the filler settles.

Dermal fillers are considered safe when performed by a qualified medical professional. Side effects are usually mild and temporary, including swelling, redness, tenderness, or bruising at the injection site. Serious complications are rare, and proper technique and medical supervision help ensure safe, natural-looking results.