Blast Away Wrinkles

AVENTURA, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Botox, facelifts, lasers. We've heard it all. Now, there's a new way to fight wrinkles. But it's not exactly pain-free!

With a jolt, Arlene Kaplan will have a new face. "I'm hoping it will improve the appearance, the feel, and the texture of my skin," she says.

But this jolt isn't a laser. It's plasma!

"When I first heard about plasma technology, it was like, 'Gee.' It seemed like I'd watched plasma television, but didn't know how anybody would use it for a treatment," Adam Rubinstein, M.D., a plastic surgeon at Turnberry Plastic Surgery in Aventura, Fla., tells Ivanhoe.

But now Dr. Rubinstein is one of only a few doctors in the country performing Portrait® Skin Regeneration technology. The plasma heats skin deep within the surface and promotes new collagen growth in 30 minutes. The downtime? About a week of reddened skin that looks like a sunburn.

Dr. Rubinstein says, "This really offers a patient a chance to really have that rejuvenation done without having to worry about extended recovery times."

After one month, Kaplan says she was very satisfied. She has fewer wrinkles and a more even skin tone.

Julia Garzon had a partial treatment one year ago. She's not as happy with the results and says it hurt! "It's very uncomfortable. I mean you're looking pretty raw," she says. "After the procedure, it looked awful, like I was beat up or something."

Yet despite the pain, Garzon says she'd do it again! "It's a simple case of pure vanity," she admits.

Doctors say the results should last indefinitely since the skin is an organ that continues to regenerate. The treatment costs about $4,000 for the entire face. Doctors say it works best for patients with lighter skin tones. Portrait skin regeneration was recently named one of the top new skin care technologies of 2006.

Another benefit is patients like Garzon continue to see improvement for up to a year. So, as with most cosmetic procedures, it's up to you to decide if the results are worth it.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Adam Rubinstein, M.D.
Turnberry Plastic Surgery
19495 Biscayne Blvd.
Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 792-7575
http://www.dr-rubinstein.com