Patient Portal

Ezine 7 March 2003

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the 7th issue of my ezine. It is amazing how many more people keep signing up. Keep telling all your friends and neighbors! It’s free and a fun way to learn about plastic surgery. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the tremendous number of questions I keep receiving. Again, I will pick out a few that I think are interesting and let you see how I answered them. I again thank everyone for their interest and ideas. Keep emailing your questions…
Our first question is from SC:
Email Question – I would appreciate if you could answer me about my problem. I'm 23 years old and still appear a little oily in my face but my big problem is that I have a lot of acne scars in all of my face. My question is what can you do for my problem. Please answer me, and tell me how much scars can you get rid of on my face. Thank you.
Email Answer - Acne scars are a big problem and there are many treatments - all depending on the type of scar. Some we can cut out and recluse, especially acne pock scars. Others, we can do dermabrasion or peels or laser resurfacing, especially the ones with deeper valleys. Most scars can also benefit from Fotofacial.
Another important issue is to make sure your acne is controlled with skin care, Retin-A, medications etc. An exciting new treatment is the Clearlight laser acne series. This gets rid of 85% of active acne without any other treatments (topical or oral)! I have seen some very dramatic results in patients who were unresponsive to most other current acne treatments.
There is no way to tell you by email what can be done for you personally. You would really need to come in for a consultation so I can examine your scars. Remember, there is no way to permanently get rid of them. What we are doing is making them look better. Thank you for your question.
For a better understanding of acne as well as some pictures, check out our website at
Our next question is from LH:
Email Question – About 2 months ago I had laser treatment to remove six moles from my face by a dermatologist. Still redness remains in the treated areas. What does this mean and will the redness ever fade away? Thanks for answering my question.
Email Answer - Sounds like you had ablative laser resurfacing. Hard to tell if it'll go away because it depends on how deep they went. I imagine the redness will go away in 6-12 months, like a scar. Remember, with resurfacing, the top layer is removed. It is normal to get some redness for 3-6 months. ths.
There is actually a different laser (that we have) that will help the redness go away quicker. Most people (if they are deemed candidates) need 3-6 treatments. It is similar to what Fotofacial does but is more specific to vascular lesion and vein removal. .
Thanks for your question.
Thinking of visiting a plastic surgeon??
I think a great place for you to start is the 7 critical questions on our site at http://www.prplastic.com/ These are the things you should look for in your selection process. I think they will be helpful.
The ASPS site at www.plasticsurgery.org will also give you a list of board certified plastic surgeons in your area.
We are always available if you decide you would ever want a consultation with Dr. Speron. He frequently sees patients from out of town and we try to make special provisions.
Remember, no other plastic surgeon I know has ever had an ezine. They don't know how to tell others about what they do, what they should ask other surgeons etc. Some have a boring stuffy newsletter that is preprinted and they just add their name or something. This is not like that! You will not find useless stuff intended to get you to come in and see me and spend money in my office. Just help. Information. Remember, knowledge is power.
By the way, Happy St Patrick’s Day. I hope you all have fun but stay healthy…
Email me – ask whatever you want. You are the ones that will help make this ezine fun and exciting. What do you want to know?? Ask anything! Ask away…
Best regards,
Dr. Sam Speron
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
P.S. I want everyone to remember I’m doing this for you. I want everyone to become a well-informed consumer. But, I also want it to be easy and fun to read. I want you to look forward to getting it. Email me. What’s boring? What’s exciting to you? Let me know. You are the heart and soul of this newsletter. Are we still having fun??