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COVID-19 Update

Effective Friday, May 1, 2020, Universal Dermatology & Vein Care will resume normal business operations at all three of our locations. We have always maintained a healthy and safe environment for our patients, but have expanded our protocols in compliance with the CDC recommendations. Below are protocols we have implemented to protect our staff and patients:

• We are scheduling every appointment at least 15 minutes apart, unless a particular appointment requires additional time, to lessen the number of people in the offices.
• We ask that all patients come alone to their appointments unless they require assistance or are accompanying a minor patient. All other children and family members must be left at home.
• Patients are required to wear their own masks or face coverings to their appointment. The practice will not provide these.
• Outside doors into our offices will remain open when possible to minimize contact with door handles.
• Check-in procedures will be conducted over the phone when possible. New patient paperwork will be completed online or will be mailed. Copays and balances will be collected over the phone via credit card.
• No more than three people will be seated in the waiting room at a time. We will bring patients directly back to an exam room upon check-in when possible.
• Sneeze guard barriers will be installed at check out.
• Our staff will continue to disinfect and sanitize common areas multiple times a day as well as exam rooms after every patient.
• All staff and providers will have their temperature checked before entering the offices. They will wear masks and gloves and remain vigilant about handwashing.
• We ask that any patient who is feeling ill, or has come into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days, to reschedule their appointment.

We look forward to serving our patients in a safe environment and hope to see you soon! If you have any questions, please contact one of our three locations.

How To Have a Sweat-free Summer

It is normal and healthy to perspire in hot weather, but if you sweat excessively, this may be related to certain health conditions. Excessive perspiration is embarrassing and can make daily life difficult when you have to worry about sweat stains. There are a few basic steps that you can take to have a sweat-free summer, but you can also visit a dermatologist for professional treatment at Universal Dermatology & Vein Care in Columbus, Ohio. Here are some of the ways to combat excessive perspiration:

Change Your Daily Diet

Did you know that some foods can lead to additional perspiration, including smelly sweat? If you have a problem with too much sweating, then changing your diet is essential. The foods that can cause a smelly body odor from extra sweat include dairies such as milk, cheese, and ice cream. You will also want to avoid pungent foods such as onions, asparagus, and garlic. Moderate your consumption of salty foods that can lead to edema or water retention because when you are hot, these will cause you to perspire more.

Wear Clothing Made From Natural Fibers

Rather than wearing man-made fibers, select clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton or linen. You should avoid wearing tight garments or multiple layers of clothing that don’t permit proper air circulation. You can find garments that are made from moisture-wicking fibers so that you won’t sweat as much.

Use Specialized Antiperspirant

If you have excessive perspiration, basic deodorant or antiperspirant won’t control your sweating or body odor. You can find an antiperspirant that is made with special formulas that will control sweating in the armpits and other clammy areas of the body. It is also possible for a dermatologist to prescribe antiperspirant that is formulated for anyone with hyperhidrosis.

Drink a Lot Of Water

You might think that not drinking water is the best way to stop perspiring, but if you are dehydrated, then your sweat will have a more intense odor. If you don’t drink any liquids for several hours, your body conserves its moisture to sustain your internal organs. As soon as you drink water again, you will begin to sweat more. Remain consistently hydrated as much as possible to avoid the sudden onset of perspiration that can come from drinking water sporadically.

Eliminate Some Of Your Sweat Glands

You can visit a dermatologist to have the sweat glands eliminated in your armpits with a cool laser treatment that uses microwave technology. Mira-dry is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment on the sweat glands that are located underneath the arms. This is a noninvasive treatment that is fast and painless, but you will need two Mira-dry procedures that are spaced about three months apart. The results from Mira-dry will last from two years to a lifetime.

Exercise To Lose Weight

Losing weight can help you to perspire less, so you should have a regular exercise routine. While you will sweat during exercise, you will also lose weight, and with less fat on your body, you will feel cooler in hot weather. If you have never consistently exercised before, consider a consultation with a personal trainer.

Regulate Your Hormone Levels

When your hormones fluctuate, you may perspire more. Teenagers often sweat excessively because they are going through rapid growth along with an increase in hormone levels. Women who are pregnant or going through perimenopause also have problems with excessive perspiration. If you perspire a lot without these reasons, then you might have a thyroid condition that requires specialized treatment and you should consult a doctor.

Remove Body Hair To Reduce Sweating

Shaving your legs or armpits can help you to remain cooler in the summer. While females are more likely to shave the hair from their bodies, males can also benefit from reducing their amount of body hair. You can also use depilatory creams to dissolve the roots of body hair.  A dermatologist can also use electrolysis to eliminate excessive hair.

Reduce Your Caffeine Consumption

If you drink coffee, tea or caffeinated soft drinks all day, then you may have excessive perspiration that has a strong odor. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases the temperature of your body along with activating your sweat glands. If you regularly consume a lot of caffeine, it is important to ease yourself off of these drinks gradually to avoid intense cravings that will make you sweat.

Remain In Cool Environments

When you have a problem with excessive sweat, you should remain in a cool environment as much as possible. Stay in air conditioning as much as possible. You can also install dehumidifiers and circulating fans to eliminate the humidity in the air.

Quit Smoking Cigarettes

There are several reasons why cigarettes are harmful to the body. One of these ways is that they increase how much you sweat. The nicotine in tobacco triggers a chemical in your body that leads to a higher heart rate, making you perspire more. When you stop smoking, the withdrawal symptoms from tobacco will also cause excess perspiration, but this symptom will subside within a few days.

Botox Injections

Botox is an appropriate treatment for excessive sweating, but you should visit a dermatologist for this treatment. Vials of this neurotoxic protein are injected into the armpits to block the chemical messengers in the sweat glands that cause excessive perspiration. Treatment with Botox for sweating is suitable for most adults, and the benefits will last for approximately seven months.

Contact a Dermatologist Today To Learn More

A dermatologist at Universal Dermatology & Vein Care can help you have a sweat-free life this summer, call us today!

National Sun Safety Month And You!

Here at Universal Dermatology and Vein Care, we can help you improve the appearance and health of your skin, hair, nails and veins using a wide range of our technology-based treatments. We can also help you to protect yourself from the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun by practicing sun safety. Where skincare is concerned, prevention goes a long way. During the summer, the sun is at its hottest and most harmful. It makes sense therefore that extra care is taken to protect your skin. Sun safety should be practiced by persons of all walks – ethnicities, ages, and creeds. In celebration of National Sun Safety month this August, we are sharing with you some of our best tips!

National Sun Safety, Safety Tips:

National Sun Safety month is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of overexposure of the skin to the sun’s rays. Overexposure can lead to premature aging, unsightly and uneven skin tone and even various forms of cancers – some of which can be fatal. It is important that one becomes aware of these risks, as well as how to ward against them. You can proactively protect their skin and health by:

Wearing sunscreen:

Sunscreen helps to block many of the sun’s harmful rays from negatively affecting the skin. Persons should use sunscreens with both UVA and UVB ray protection, and an SPF of 15 or greater. If you are using insect repellents, ensure that you use a sunscreen with an even greater SPF than you would normally use. This is due to an approximate 1/3 reduction in the overall effectiveness of sunscreens when coupled with repellents.

Wearing protective clothing:

We know summers are hot. However, wearing protective garments such as long-sleeved tops and pants wherever possible will help to protect the skin from the sun’s rays. One good compromise is to wear protective clothing made from natural fabrics such as cotton, which are cooler as they are more breathable. Natural fabrics in this way are also better for the skin, as they help keep you cooler and reduce the likelihood of irritation.

Tips to Prepare for Laser Tattoo Removal Treatment

If you have considered removal of an unwanted tattoo, but have worried about the procedures involved in tattoo removal, it’s time to reconsider. Just as getting a tattoo has become more popular over the last several decades, so has the process of removing body art become more advanced and less painful. Now is the time to say goodbye to a reminder of something that is no longer applicable in your life.

When considering tattoo removal, one of the wisest tips is to consider your options. Older removal techniques that included surgical excision, dermabrasion, salabrasion, chemical peels, and cryosurgery have largely been abandoned because they usually failed to deliver desirable results and included adverse side effects.

Although the most common side effects of hypopigmentation and scarring may still occur in some individuals, the new generation of Q-switched Alexanderite and Nd-Yag lasers have produced outcomes that are more favorable. Color and absorption characteristic of the ink used in the tattoo slated for removal will help determine the ideal laser for use in the process.

The Alexandrite is effective for removal of black, blue, and green inks. It penetrates to a depth of approximately 1mm and has spot sizes up to 6.5mm. The Nd-Yag system doesn’t involve excessive melanin absorption and is used to remove blue and black inks in darker skin types along with red pigment.

Patients should remain aware, however, that removal of intricate and colorful tattoos can present a challenge as both lasers may be required with treatment occurring over several sessions. Mild, pinpoint bleeding can occur following the procedure. The patient’s skin type can affect response to treatment. Complete pigment removal is often more difficult in lighter-skilled individuals, while some older tattoos also may not be completely removed as some pigment may have penetrated too deeply for removal.

Prevention tips to achieve the best results when considering tattoo removal include waiting to have treatment until summer suntans are mostly gone. Lasers can darken or lighten skin pigment around the tattoo Apply sunscreen before and after treatments to minimize pigment changes. If skin darkening concerns you, have your doctor test the laser on a small spot first.

Laser Tattoo Removal Treatment

Laser tattoo removal treatment is considered the best way of removing unwanted tattoos. This is because it is a relatively simple procedure with minimal risks for the patient and, unlike some other techniques, does not involve cutting, burning or skin abrasion with resultant scarring. It can be performed on an outpatient basis over one or more visits and removes unwanted tattoos almost completely with minimal scarring.
Lasers for tattoo removal operate by emitting specific wavelengths of light in a series of pulses on the area of skin where the tattoo is located. Different laser light wavelengths and pulses are used depending on the pigment colors of the tattoo with yellow and green colors being the most difficult to remove while black and blue are the easiest.

The pulses of light produced by the laser pass through the top layers of the skin and are absorbed by the pigment of the tattoo. The laser energy breaks up the pigment into small particles that are then absorbed by the body and removed through its immune system. Normal skin pigment is unaffected by the laser light which means that the skin surrounding the tattoo is not damaged.

The one drawback to the treatment is that it can be somewhat painful for the patient (although not as painful as having the tattoo in the first place, according to some). The impact of the laser light has been described as having hot specks of oil spattered onto skin or like being flicked with a rubber band. While most patients find this endurable, sometimes a topical or local anesthetic can be applied to help alleviate the pain.
Typically more than one session is required to remove a tattoo (with each lasting several minutes) and there must be a two to three-week break between sessions to allow the body to absorb the pigment residue completely. If you are considering tattoo removal in Dublin, Ohio makes an appointment for a free consultation at our convenient Dublin office location. Call 614-602-6455 today or book online!