New Technology More Beautiful Skin

Lots of people struggle with skin issues such as acne, the signs of aging, and unwanted hair. The Iowa Clinic now offers a highly effective, non-surgical solution.

Posted by Featured Provider Katherine Billue on Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Your Local Health | Written by BJ Towe

When you look in the mirror, do you wish there were an effective way to improve the appearance of your skin? There is — and it's at The Iowa Clinic. Lots of people struggle with skin issues such as acne, the signs of aging, and unwanted hair. Many of them have tried procedures such as microdermabrasion, which addresses only the very top layers of the skin. Others have gone so far as to have surgical procedures such as dermabrasion. But now The Iowa Clinic offers a highly effective, non-surgical solution: Sciton® laser technology.

The Iowa Clinic acquired the state-of-the-art Sciton® laser late last year after researching and testing a number of different systems. “This is the one we were most impressed with. It delivers exacting precision, better quality, and healthier skin than the other lasers we evaluated,” says Katherine Billue, MD, a Plastic Surgeon at The Iowa Clinic's West Des Moines campus.

Dr. Billue explains: “It provides excellent control, reliability, and predictability of results. Those all go into making the treatment a very good experience for
the patient.”

Additionally, the exceptional safety that's built into the Sciton® laser makes it a good option for patients of all ages. Billue says, “The teenager with acne will do as well as the octogenarian with wrinkles or age spots.”

Getting the Root of the Problem

Using the Sciton® laser over the course of several treatments, Plastic Surgeons are able to treat the skin at its deepest layer, which provides longer lasting results.

“Other types of treatments that aim to smooth skin and reduce wrinkles, such as injectable Botox and wrinkle fillers, do work well and are very reasonable products. But the results probably last a much shorter time,” says Dr. Billue.

However, she cautions people from having too high of expectations from any treatment aimed at smoothing or repairing damaged skin. “These laser treatments will deliver improvement, but they may not deliver perfection,” she says.

Patients interested in having the laser treatments should first consult with their Plastic Surgeon. “After evaluating their skin, we'll explain the process they will go through and the results they can expect. There will be some downtime,” she says of the sunburn-like after-effects that are common with laser treatments.

Deeper Treatment Without Surgery

Compared to dermabrasion (a surgical procedure involving the use of a local anesthetic and an abrasive device to damage affected skin in a controlled manner), Sciton® laser treatments are nonsurgical, extremely safe, and have shorter recovery times. The Iowa Clinic offers this technology for:

Acne
Hair removal
Skin resurfacing
Scar therapy
Skin firming
Brown spots
Blood vessels

To view before-and-after pictures for conditions such as acne, hair removal, skin resurfacing, and brown spots, visit The Iowa Clinic’s Plastic Surgery Department or call 515.875.9744.

Meet This Featured Provider

Katherine Billue, MD

Learn More About:
Plastic Surgery, Medical Spa, Women's Center

Katherine Billue, MD joined The Iowa Clinic in 2020 after completing her Plastic Surgery residency in Omaha. She was impressed by the culture of The Iowa Clinic and was excited about the opportunity to work with great surgeons in a patient-centered environment.

Dr. Billue received ... Read More

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