Center for Gynecology & Women’s Health
Today, women’s healthcare includes a number of safe and affordable procedures to overcome cosmetic concerns that patients
may have. This care can help women, and men too, correct life-long cosmetic concerns or the effects of age or medical conditions.
Some of these procedures are aimed at skin rejuvenation through reducing facial wrinkles. Wrinkles can be caused by a complex list of possible factors, including: aging; sun and other weather exposure; stress; hormone
changes; the anatomy of facial muscles and their pattern of movement and tone; and other internal and external factors.
For decades now, use of lasers has been an important advance in many areas of medicine, and this has certainly been true for
cosmetic procedures. The Center for Gynecology & Women’s Health offers a range of such care, including a laser therapy service. Pulsed lasers emit a very brief burst of high-intensity light that's fast enough to limit heat damage in the skin, yet strong
enough to vaporize unwanted tissue cleanly. To learn more, download our laser therapy brochure.
Cosmetic procedures available at our center include:
• Laser Hair Removal
Lasers are now providing a way to quickly and easily remove unwanted hair – a capability that had previously eluded cosmetic-surgical
practitioners and that can help patients avoid shaving, waxing, plucking, or time-consuming electrolysis. The lasers used today safely and effectively destroy the follicles that produce hair, and allow for a procedure that causes
only minor discomfort. Areas of treatment include the upper lip and other facial areas; the chest; the underarms; the bikini area; the area around
the breast nipple; or even large areas, such as the legs or back. The procedure is not a guarantee of permanent results, but it vastly increases the period in which the hair is removed, which
for most people will be several months or years. And, with multiple treatments, permanent hair removal is possible. Our experienced and well-trained staff can help you decide if laser hair removal is for you.
Download our fee schedule for laser hair removal.
Pseudo-folliculitis - Individuals with thick, highly curly hair-type and those who shave most often are more likely to experience infected hair
follicles or folliculitis. When such inflamed follicles are abundant, concentrated in certain areas (especially the face and neck), and due to having
a tightly coiled hair type, the condition is called pseudo-folliculitis. The condition is more common in individual who shave often, as this activity irritates follicles and gives short hair roots
an opportunity to curl in on the follicle. The result is pimpling that can be painful or scarring. African-American men who shave daily are most at risk for the condition, but this condition of ingrown hair can occur in people
of any ethnic background and in women who shave certain areas (including the underarms, groin, or other areas) closely and
regularly. Laser treatment to destroy the hair follicles that repeatedly become inflamed in this condition is a safe and effective treatment
for pseudo-folliculitis.
The procedure is not a guarantee that the treated individual will be permanently free of pseudo-folliculitis papules, but
it vastly reduces the condition for most people for several months or years. And, with multiple treatments, a longer lasting result is possible.
• Laser resurfacing (skin rejuvenation and removal of marks)
Pulsed lasers remove the upper layers of skin to allow skin regrowth and so are effective for a number of skin conditions:
• Fine, shallow wrinkles caused by aging and sun damage are the type of wrinkles that respond best to laser resurfacing, though
results are not guaranteed to be permanent. (Wrinkles caused by repeated movement and muscle use, such as those in the brow may be improved but not eliminated by laser
resurfacing. Botox treatment is another option for these types of wrinkles, which, regardless of type of treatment, can come back months or years later
because of continued facial movements.)
• Laser resurfacing can successfully address color (pigment) changes or defects in the skin, such as liver spots (lentigines), port-wine stains, or café-au-lait spots.
• The treatment can also remove lesions or growths in the upper layer of skin (such as actinic keratoses, rhinophyma, or birthmarks).
• Laser resurfacing is a good way to remove facial veins, including those due to rosacea and other conditions.
• Laser leg vein therapy
Many people have veins visible in their legs that they consider unsightly and that they would like to have removed. Simple, external laser therapy is a long-established and safe approach for treating such veins so that they are no longer
visible. The approach works both for spider veins (which have a fine, web-like appearance and are usually blue or sometimes reddish
in color) and small, appropriately suited varicose veins. Blood within the veins absorbs pulsed laser light and coagulates, eventually destroying the vessels, which are then absorbed
by the body. Patients experience excellent cosmetic results with little discomfort from the procedure. For more significant varicose veins, Frankford also offers both surgical care and minimally invasive, catheter-based vein ablation performed by interventional radiologists.
• Botox injection
This simple, nonsurgical treatment can temporarily smooth moderate to severe frown lines between the brows. These lines (glabellar
lines) result from muscle movement and the passage of time. Your facial muscles contract each day, cause a pleating of the
overlying skin. After years, those glabellar lines start to remain longer and become more visible.
Botox is FDA approved for treatment of these lines in people from 18 to 65 years of age. The treatment itself takes only about
10 minutes, requires no anesthesia, and involves a few small injections under the area of the frown line. Results can last up to four months, and patients can elect to undergo the treatment every four months.
Botox® Cosmetic is a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, which reduces the activity of the muscles that, over time, cause frown lines between the brows. Each year, physicians or other authorized healthcare providers perform millions of these Botox procedures, making it currently
the most popular such medical-provider-administered aesthetic procedure in the United States.
Our group can provide you with answers to all of your questions about these and other cosmetic procedures. And when you seek cosmetic care at Frankford’s Center for Gynecology & Women’s Health, you have the reassurance of knowing
that you are receiving treatment from a reputable group at an established, respected medical center.
Our center invites you to take advantage of a free consultation for cosmetic procedures. You will learn more about what procedures are available, what procedures might be right for you, and what the costs are. You will also receive a $25 gift certificate, good towards your first cosmetic treatment.
