Spider Vein Treatment - Laser vs. Needle

I started getting spider vein treatments about two years ago with the needle injections. Earlier this year I bought a groupon for spider vein treatment by laser. I had my first laser treatment a few days ago. I am NOT happy. 


Sure the thought of a needle may freak some people out but the vein dies right away. They also hit so many veins in a short period of time. With the laser they have to numb the area and it takes just sooooo much longer. I would have to say one 30 minute treatment with the needles is equal to four to six 30 minute treatments with the laser.


Now there are some benefits to the laser. There is no massive bruising if you are going for the deeper veins. The small purple ones on the surface do not bruise. The deep blue veins do sting afterwards for a few hours. With the laser there is no stinging afterwards. However I just cannot justify the amount of time and money for the laser. Going forward I am only going with the needle injections.

Botox

I finally tried Botox...and I love it. 

So if you never had Botox before here is what to expect. The injections do not hurt. If anything there is a little stinging which does not last very long. When you leave the office there will be lumps on your faces that quickly go away. The muscles do not start paralyzing until 3 to 5 days after the injections. It was kind of fun trying to move the muscles and I could not. I no longer can make a mean face so Tony does not know when I am mad at him. I can't make that face no matter how hard I try. Full effects of Botox show in two weeks which is this coming Friday for me. The wrinkles in my forehead really have disappeared. Tony...every birthday, Valentine's Day, and Christmas, please get me Botox!

Ocoplastic Surgery

The chef of ocoplastic surgery at Duke performed the closure on my face. She did a wonderful job cutting the skin in a certain pattern so it heals with minimal scarring. The first picture was from right after the surgery and the second was from this morning. You can hardly tell from a distance and with a little makeup. The stitches come out in a week. Right after the surgery some Bitch at Steinmart (where I was shopping waiting for my prescription to be filled) had the never to say to me "It looks like someone gotcha good." I looked at her and said "yeah...skin cancer." Next time I get a comment like that I suppose I should say "You should see the other guy."

Mohs Surgery

I had the Mohs surgery today to remove the basal cell skin cancer. I am very lucky because they only had to cut once and were able to get it all. A lot of people end up being in the office all day with constant back and forth cutting more out until they get it all. They also did not have to go very deep. With basal cell skin cancer it typically goes down to the bone. Let this be a lesson to all you reading to not ignore bumps and lumps on your body. This was only there for six months before I went in. Some people wait years and end up with extremely large areas taken off their face. Here is what it looks like now. Tomorrow I see the ocoplastic surgeon to close it up.

We're Adopting....a dog :)

Jack has been terribly sad since loosing Sydney. Tony and I decided to adopt another dog for him. Right now we are working with a local German Shepherd rescue group to find him the perfect girlfriend. I never worked with a rescue group before. It is a bit more than adopting from a shelter but we are going to make sure we get the perfect fit for our home. Since Jack has aggression issues with other dogs when I am around it makes perfect sense to work with a rescue group that also has dog trainers that volunteer too. Right now we still are in the application phase. Next is the home visit. The process can take a few weeks to a few months until the perfect dog is found. I am extremely excited to get him a new girlfriend. I still miss Sydney dearly but we are saving another life in her honor.

I never fully understood what the appeal was to German Shepherds until we adopted Jack. They are so incredible intelligent and trainable. I think Tony and I will always own them going forward.

On a funny note Tony taught Jack how to howl like a wolf. It is freaken hysterical. I will post a video one of these days. Extremely funny when he gets his snout in the air to howl and nothing comes out.

Tony Joins in on Skin Cancer

After I found out about my skin cancer I sent Tony into the dermatologist for a full body check. He got is results back today for one of the moles sent off. The mole came back as dysplasia - the pre-stages for melanoma. I am so glad they caught is in time. He goes back in a few weeks to have more skin dug out of his leg to remove all the dysplasia. We sure would have looked like a funny couple if we had not gone into the doctor for the spots that just did not look right on us. We would have looked like pirates. Tony with a peg leg and me with one eye. I think when I go back to work after my surgery I am going to have to borrow Tony's Jack Sparrow wig since I will have an eye patch on.

I did find out I will need eye lid reconstruction. The first day is removing all the cancer and doing what plastic surgery they can to fix my face. My eye lid will still be an open wound until the next day so I get to sport the awesome eye patch. The second day I will be at Duke Cancer Center getting my eye lid reconstructed. Fun stuff. If only they included Botox in the price.

If you are reading this please schedule a full body check with your dermatologist!