Blog Archive

Weight gain during and after menopause is a common challenge for women as they get older. Hormonal changes affecting how your body stores fat can make it more difficult to maintain your ideal figure. Dr. Richard Blanchar, MD, and our team at Bayview General Medicine & Aesthetics in Fort Lauderdale,...

Photoaging is difficult to avoid here in the Sunshine State. You’ve likely already incorporated high-SPF sunscreen into your daily routine to minimize the skin damage that goes hand in hand with exposure to sunlight's ultraviolet (UV) components.  These effects are real and potentially severe since sun-powered DNA mutations can cause...

It’s not simply your imagination when you think your body shape changes, even when you’re neither gaining nor losing weight. Your body stores fat when you consume more than you burn, then draws on these deposits when you burn more than you consume.  Where these stores happen can change over...

While you expect the appearance of wrinkles as you get older, you don’t expect it to happen in your 20s. However, many factors contribute to the formation of wrinkles, and it’s possible that more than one of these could conspire to create creases, crinkles, and crow’s feet before your 30th...

Tattoos are permanent because the pigment particles in the inks are too large for your body’s cleaning systems to eliminate. When you decide it’s time for a change, you’ll need help to break up these inks. One of the more common ways these days is through the power of laser...

Aging can carry some unexpected surprises. One of the more frustrating examples comes when you’ve spent years staying active, watching what you eat, keeping fit, and doing what you can to maintain a healthy body weight, only to end up with a mom or dad body.  It seems that somewhere...

Injectable wrinkle treatments are the medical aesthetics success story of the 21st century. Accounting for about half of all minimally invasive cosmetic procedures and outnumbering cosmetic surgeries almost four to one, botulinum toxin and dermal filler injections improve the appearance of many line and wrinkle conditions with a simple office...

The red flushing of rosacea doesn’t, unfortunately, add a healthy glow to the skin of your face. Instead, it creates a blotchy, uneven skin appearance that might create an impression of permanent embarrassment. This common skin condition can even create pustules that look like acne well beyond your teen years.  There’s no...

Botox® Cosmetic has an unusual and well-traveled history before reaching its place as the most popular aesthetic procedure requested today. Originally developed to stop the unwanted movement of spasming eye muscles, scientists noticed that expression lines smoothed out, eliminating wrinkles. And with that, a phenomenon was born.  At Bayview General...

Loss of bladder control, whether temporary or permanent, can be embarrassing and isolating. When you doubt your ability to control urination fully, you might begin to avoid social situations. Even a sneeze or cough can turn into a potentially mortifying situation.  Urinary incontinence can be treated medically, and there are...

You’ve escaped your teen years with few or no pimples. Your skin tone is the envy of all your friends, smooth, soft, and even, and then… pimple.  Wait, what? Acne as an adult?  Yes, it’s a thing. Some people continue on the acne cycle long after their teen years fade...

Your body shape doesn’t always come down to diet and exercise. Genetics plays a huge role, and Mother Nature throws the odd curveball your way too. You only have so much control over fat deposits that exist between muscle and skin.  The team at Bayview General Medicine offers their patients a nonsurgical...

Double chins are a common problem associated with both weight gain and getting older, yet with the right genetic factors, you may develop the characteristic roll without an increased body mass at virtually any age. Unlike other body parts, like arms and legs, your chin isn’t an area you can...

The story of Botox® and its development is fascinating since it starts with a powerful neurotoxin and ends with a wonder drug that has a wide range of cosmetic and therapeutic applications that continues to grow. Perhaps best known for its wrinkle-reducing properties,  At Bayview General Medicine, our aesthetics experts perform medically supervised Botox...

It’s inevitable. Starting in your mid to late 20s, collagen production in your body begins to slow down, meaning that natural tissue loss outpaces the rate of replacement. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and an important support layer for the epidermis, the surface skin that protects...

Dynamic wrinkles are a unique cosmetic issue. While skin aging plays a role, it’s not the primary reason for deep creases like worry lines and crow’s feet. These are problems that originate with the muscles in your face that form expressions. Over time, some muscles stay semi-permanently contracted, never fully...

It’s inevitable that, as the years pass, your skin reflects years of exposure to the elements with changes that reveal secrets you’d rather not reveal. Along with lines and sun spots, your skin may display a rough texture that was absent just a few years ago.  Some contributors to rough...

As the largest organ of your body, your skin is an active protective layer with several important functions. Two crucial processes are sweating, for temperature regulation, and sebum production, which generates a thin oily layer that guards against external pathogens while also lubricating the skin.  Both sweat and sebum pass...

The average American is made of about 55 to 60% water. Of course, it’s not sloshing around loose inside us. It’s in our blood and lymphatic system. It’s also in our skin, eyes, joints, and more. One of the ways your body stores water in all these places is through...

There are places around the body where nature likes to store fat. These spots often seem arbitrary and out of our control, even when we go to great lengths to manage our weight and body shape through diet and exercise.  Part of the problem concerns aging skin and fat deposits...

Injectable cosmetic treatments are the go-to choice for most people choosing to address signs of aging skin. In 2020, close to 8 million injectable procedures took place in the United States, despite pandemic-related shutdowns, down only slightly over the previous year.  Almost 45% of those procedures were dermal fillers, gels that prop...

Your appearance comes down to a particular arrangement of bone, muscle, fat, and skin. The aging process takes its toll on all of these tissues, resulting in the loss of volume that contributes to an overall older look.  Collagen loss is often the first and most obvious issue. The most common...

Sunburn is only the short-term damage caused by the ultraviolet (UV) rays of sunlight. A bigger concern is a long-range issue called photoaging, a process that makes your skin look and feel older than your chronological age.  You lose skin elasticity, wrinkles and lines form, skin tone and texture become...

Often mistaken for the common cold, the flu is a viral respiratory infection that produces a manageable illness for most healthy people, but can prove dangerous or deadly for vulnerable segments of the population.  Because the viruses that cause influenza constantly mutate, developing effective vaccines is often a matter of...

As thoughts of spring fill the air, it’s also time to think about summer and beach season. April is an ideal time to start a laser hair removal program with Bayview General Medicine in Fort Lauderdale. Because of the way your body hair grows, several sessions are typically the minimum...

Whether you call them crow’s feet or laugh lines, it seems there always comes a point in the aging process when these active wrinkles cross the line between friendly and age-revealing. It’s due to issues with both your skin and the muscles responsible for forming expressions.  In 2002, Botox® Cosmetic...

Over 3 million Americans chose dermal fillers as a cosmetic procedure in 2020 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, continuing a trend of popularity for injection-based aesthetic treatments. Fillers can restore lost volume, support lines and wrinkles, and even augment your features beyond nature’s starting point.  The desire...

The hormone maelstrom that accompanies adolescence drives the change from childhood to maturity. Though inevitable, some of these changes are more welcome than others. Acne may be a top contender on the “unwelcome” list.  For some, adult acne continues long after high school is a distant memory. It can be...

As you get older, your body may change the way it stores extra energy in the form of fat. This is often in response to changing hormone levels in both women and men, and it can be particularly frustrating when you’ve put in the effort to achieve a healthy body...

Botox® Cosmetic and other botulinum toxin type A injection treatments are, by a wide margin, the most requested aesthetic procedure requested today, with over 4 million treatments performed in 2020.  One reason for the popularity of Botox is simply that it works. In the hands of an experienced aesthetic specialist,...

Plucking, waxing, and shaving all too frequently become chores from which you may want a break. Unwanted hair can spring up almost anywhere and sometimes, your hair removal burden increases as you get older.  It’s time to turn to laser hair removal, the best treatment for reducing your grooming time...

Even skin tone is a hallmark of youth, and anything that interrupts the smooth spread of color can make your face look older. Rosacea is a common skin condition that anyone can develop, though it seems to favor fair-skinned women in their 40s and beyond, people at an age where...

Burst blood vessels on your face — spider veins — are a by-product of living, brought on by a variety of reasons, not all of which are preventable. The presence of these red, blue, or purple veins interrupts your otherwise even skin tone, giving your face a flushed or mottled...

To say that dermal fillers are a popular choice for people seeking to counter the effects of aging seriously understates the obvious. Nearly 3.5 million filler treatments were performed in 2020, second only to botulinum toxin type A injections (Botox®).  The reason? Dermal fillers are effective and safe. This safety...

For anyone who’s ready to tap out of the endless cycle of hair removal, whether it’s shaving, plucking, waxing, or other method, permanent laser hair removal could be the answer they’ve long awaited. About 1 million Americans choose this solution annually.  Simple, fast, and well-tolerated, laser treatments can literally stop...

Injectable cosmetic treatments account for over 10 million aesthetic treatments in the United States every year, accounting for well over half of the services performed. Botox® Cosmetic is a leader in this department, and for good reason. In the hands of a skilled medical professional it’s a safe and effective...

Dead skin cells, natural body oils, and cosmetics can add up to a gooey, gunky mess that dulls the appearance of your skin, no matter how complete your home care rituals are. Every now and then you need a professional procedure to bring forth your inner glow.  But who has...

There’s likely little solace in knowing that stretch marks can affect anyone or that they’re quite common. Some people endure the stretching of skin during pregnancy, rapid weight changes, or growth spurts without developing these skin flaws, while others can see widespread effects.  Generally, stretch marks fade over time, but...

Your legs play a challenging role, carrying you everywhere you need to go. Yet, despite their daily load, your legs are far away from the fresh blood pumped from your heart. That means the blood in your legs fights gravity to complete its circuit. Sometimes, your leg veins suffer from...

January 1 is a typical time to pledge personal resets, whether it’s to lose weight, save money, or learn a new skill. Many typical resolutions will shake up the status quo and reinvigorate your life through the longer, dark days of winter.  This year, consider an aesthetic addition to your...

There’s no single factor that makes your face look older. While you try to age gracefully, a conspiracy of changes rise up to challenge your intentions. The tip of your nose may start to droop. Your hairline may thin and creep backward. Even your ears can elongate over time.  Dr....

There’s no question that WarmSculpting™ with SculpSure® has revolutionized the body sculpting landscape. Imagine, a surgery-free way to deal with stubborn fat deposits that remain after all your healthy eating and body toning exercise. That’s precisely what WarmSculpting with SculpSure offers, and it’s proven popular and effective for the patients...

Can you imagine spending nearly 60 complete days removing unwanted body hair? That’s a lot of time, yet at least one survey suggests an average of 58.4 days of hair removal over an average lifetime. You can, however, break the cycle and free yourself from the chore. The answer is...

There’s little question that Botox® and similar injectable cosmetic treatments have taken the medical aesthetics field by storm. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a beauty treatment in 2002, Botox and botulinum toxin type A injections now account for over seven million treatments every year. ...

Laser hair removal frees you from the regular chores of shaving, waxing, or however you rid yourself of unwanted body hair. You can prepare for the pool or beach with confidence, knowing that those stray hairs are not only under control, they’re gone for good. Dr. Richard Blanchar and our...

There are those lucky people who leave acne behind with their teens, but many others continue to see red bumps, pimples, and new scars forming much later in life. About 80% of Americans between 11 and 30 have outbreaks, and acne can persist even longer for some.   Dr. Richard Blanchar,...

There’s little doubt that Botox® Cosmetic revolutionized the way Americans think about aesthetic treatments that help them look younger. Botox and other products derived from the botulinum toxin type A account for over 7 million procedures every year, making it the most popular cosmetic procedure performed today. The top five...

The COVID-19 pandemic remains at the forefront of virtually everyone’s mind. Keeping yourself and your family safe are priorities shared with many Americans. Though it seems as though time shuts down during this crisis, there are some aspects of life that won’t obey isolation-in-place rules. Your general health still has...

You work hard to get and keep the shape you want. When you’re not blessed with exceptional metabolism and genetics, it takes long hours of exercise and plenty of attention to diet and nutrition. Even then, you may find that nature “blesses” you with fat rolls and bulges that resist...

Botox® Cosmetic and other injectable treatments based on the botulinum toxin, such as Dysport®, remain the most popular nonsurgical cosmetic treatment chosen by American consumers. In fact, Botox-type injections account for over six times as many procedures as the top five plastic surgeries combined. To say that Botox is successful...

There’s little question that laser devices are revolutionizing the medical aesthetics field, providing benefits from skin rejuvenation to body sculpting. If you’ve ever tired of taking a razor to unwanted body hair, there’s a laser for that, too. Laser hair removal is consistently a top-five light-based cosmetic treatment. Dr. Richard...

Are you tired of the same old New Year's resolutions that never get fulfilled: lose weight, drink more water, eat healthier, and exercise more? Aren’t all of these just versions of wanting to create the best you, as well as ways to turn back the clock, so you can look...

If you live with rosacea, which causes redness on your nose, chin, forehead, and cheeks, you’ve probably noticed the triggers that lead to flare-ups. These triggers can include some foods, emotions, weather, or skin care products.  Once you identify your particular rosacea triggers, you can make the changes necessary to...

If you have acne scars, you’re definitely not alone. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (ADA), acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting up to 50 million Americans annually. From age 12 to 24, approximately 85% of the population will experience minor acne....

Years of smiles, frowns, and laughter can take their toll on your face, causing forehead wrinkles and crow’s feet or lines around the eyes. Creams and facial treatments can only do so much - but fortunately, there’s a safe, effective way to eliminate the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles...

Do you have a tattoo you want to get rid of? Maybe it reminds you of a time or person in your life you don’t like to think about. Maybe the artist wasn’t able to quite create the look you were going for. Or maybe you’re just tired of that...

Have you lost a lot of weight but still don’t have the beach body you’ve always wanted? Don’t be so quick to blame yourself. Dieting and exercise can’t change the way you store fat — your genetics and hormones determine your body fat distribution.  However, there’s a solution to the stubborn...

Summertime means more time outdoors, which also means more exposure to the harsh effects of the sun. While sunlight has its benefits of course, especially in terms of vitamin D, you need to be careful to ensure it doesn’t wreak havoc on your skin. Let Richard Blanchar, MD, at Bayview...

When you decide to undergo any procedures that involve injections, like Botox or dermal fillers, some of the possible side effects are redness, swelling, or bruising. These minimally invasive treatments are designed to make you look younger and more refreshed, and are extremely popular. While some side effects may be...

It can be quite a dilemma: The more often you dress for hot weather and the beach, the more time you need to spend removing unwanted hair from the parts of your body you reveal in shorts or a swimsuit. Summer should be about having fun and feeling free, not...

Rosacea affects approximately 16 million people in the United States, leaving them with reddened, bumpy, and thickening skin on their face. If you fall into this group, there are many ways you can take charge of this progressive skin condition. And since April is Rosacea Awareness Month, we thought we’d...

If you do an Internet search for the words “anti-aging products,” in less than a second, you’re left to sift through a whopping 277 million results. When it comes to effective, and immediate, results, however, few can match dermal fillers. In fact, you can visit us on a lunch break...

As your body’s largest, fastest-growing, and most visible organ, your skin is in a constant state of repair and regeneration. And though this near-constant renewal process can go a long way in helping you maintain a beautiful, problem-free complexion for years, no one’s skin is immune to the passage of...

New Year, new you, right? Right! If the start of January has you thinking about all the ways you’d like to improve your body, you aren’t alone — getting rid of persistent fat and attaining a leaner profile is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions for women and...

The usual diet-and-exercise approach to weight loss may be the gold standard when it comes to maintaining a healthy number on the scale, but unfortunately, these conventional strategies can’t always get rid of diet-and-exercise-resistant fat or those bothersome bulges that hang on for dear life despite your best efforts to...

Back when you decided to get that word, phrase, design, or image permanently inked on your skin, there was something you just didn’t anticipate. Maybe you didn’t think you’d ever feel differently about the person whose name you had tattooed over your heart, or maybe that highly detailed scene you...

In 2017, aesthetic medicine specialists provided close to 2.7 million dermal filler treatments in the United States, helping women and men across the country effectively erase years from their appearance. Thanks to continuing advances in aesthetic medicine and cosmetic dermatology, it’s possible to diminish or even erase the most common...

Maintaining a trim figure takes a lot of effort, and even if you work hard to stay physically active, keep your diet clean, and sustain a healthy body weight, your efforts may not necessarily give you the lean, sculpted body you’ve worked so hard to achieve.  Many women and men...

If you have at least one tattoo, you’re in good company: By some estimates, about 25% of all adults — and as many as 40% of young adults — in the United States make the choice to have something meaningful permanently inked on their bodies.But if you also find yourself...

Trouble with Unwanted Hair?If you’re like most people, you devote a significant amount of time and energy to shaving, waxing, plucking, or otherwise getting rid of unwanted hair. At best, DIY hair removal is tedious; at worst, it can be truly exhausting.It’s not surprising that laser hair removal has become...

  Coastal living in Florida has many rewards — the beaches, the sunshine, the ocean, and countless ways you can enjoy being outside. But constant exposure to sun, saltwater, and sand can cause your skin to age faster than it should. Dr. Richard Blanchar, medical director of Bayview General Medicine &...

If you’ve dieted and exercised your way oh-so-close to your targeted weight, only to have your efforts foiled by pockets of fat that cling where you want them least, you’re not alone. And there’s also hope. At Bayview General Medicine & Aesthetics, Dr. Richard Blanchar has equipped the practice with...

To laser or not to laser? When you’re considering skin resurfacing as the best way to treat the signs of aging, acne scarring, and sun damage, it’s not always easy to decide between laser or non-laser treatments. Dr. Richard Blanchar, medical director at Bayview General Medicine & Aesthetics in Fort...

When you can no longer hide the signs of aging with makeup, the thought of erasing wrinkles and frown lines can be a dream come true. For many, Botox® can make that dream a reality, but it’s also important to have realistic expectations as you prepare for your first appointment....

Along with effective treatments, improving your skin may be as simple as making a few changes to your diet. At Bayview General Medicine, Dr. Richard Blandchar offers patients throughout the Fort Lauderdale area cutting-edge laser therapy to reduce the appearance of rosacea. Find out how easy-to-implement dietary changes can complement...

Long, luxurious lashes are a hallmark of beauty. They add depth and dimension to the face and accentuate the eyes. But how far are you willing to go to get fuller eyelashes? If gluing false lashes to your eyelids every morning sounds like torture, there are simpler alternatives to help...

We’re lucky in the Fort Lauderdale area to escape the ravages of winter weather, with harsh winds and cold, dry conditions that take a toll on exposed skin. Instead, we have 12 months of sunshine (let’s ignore hurricane season for now), and the break from the heat that comes in...

Laser hair removal is becoming increasingly popular, according to statistics from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS). Just among members of the society alone, more than a half-million procedures (633,000) were performed during 2014. The 2014 figures were 27% higher than 2013 ones, and they were 51% higher than...

SculpSure is the first FDA-approved treatment to use a laser for non-invasive lipolysis. It is focused on reducing fat cells within the thighs, flanks, abdomen, and back. A revolutionary, carefully systematized technology, SculpSure uses light to target areas that have been slow to shed fat through diet, exercise, or other...

What is PicoSure? As an aesthetic picosecond laser, PicoSure is actually the first of its kind. It has been adopted widely by medical practices because of its advanced technology and record of results (as indicated by clinical data from various studies). Including capabilities such as 532 nm and 1064 nm...

Be Confident.  Be Sure.SculpSure™Most adults have stubborn areas of fat that seem impossible to get rid of. Dieting and exercise alone just doesn’t seem to help get rid of the fat lingering in these areas. Dr. Blanchar is excited to announce the addition of another state-of-the-art laser that is designed...

It is estimated that more than 20 million Americans are affected with scars caused by acne. Most acne scars are formed by picking/squeezing whiteheads, blackheads, or cystic acne resulting in scarring. Now, the number of Americans affected by acne scars has the opportunity to drastically decrease with the help of...

One of the most revolutionary aesthetic innovations to date is laser tattoo removal. Of course, facial fillers and Botox are also great because they get rid of unwanted wrinkles. However, the PicoSure™ Laser, for tattoo removal, gets rid of mistakes you feared were permanent from unwanted tattoos. We all consider...

One of the newer and more popular facial fillers, within the anti-aging market, is Juvederm Voluma™ XC. It’s another non-surgical anti-aging tool that was approved in late 2013 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first injectable facial filler for the cheeks. Some of the other older generation...

After having written on the key differences between Botox and facial fillers, we figured it was time to hone in on one of the products that Dr. Blanchar finds extremely beneficial with achieving one’s desired facial features. Although Botox is great for achieving short term results, facial fillers have been...

Not many people understand the difference between facial fillers and the infamous Botox, but they assume since they provide the same general effect, they're the same thing, right? Wrong. While there are several Botox enthusiasts who think the neuromuscular toxin is their only option, they have another and that’s facial...

If you suffer from acne you know the psychological toll it can have on your self-esteem.  Your skin is not something you can easily hide, and you shouldn’t have to. There are many acne treatments out there, so when should you consider a laser treatment?Steps to Curing AcnePracticing healthy nutrition...

While everyone’s interest may be sparked among hearing a horror story, it’s not fun when you’re the one who lived through it. When you specialize in tattoo removal, you definitely hear some laser tattoo removal stories that make you inevitably cringe, and then once you see the tattoo they tried...

So you have a big event coming up, whether it’s a wedding, fancy soiree, or what have you, regardless of the event, you should be looking your best. It’s before a big event that we start to realize the little cosmetic adjustments that we could make; nothing extremely invasive, but...

So you’re finally regretting getting that horrible tattoo after a few too many drinks in college, huh? Well, whether that’s the reason or if it’s for professional reasons, tattoo removal is easy if you head the right route. Laser tattoo removal has been around for a few years now, but...

Do you notice the over plumped, pouty, and puffed looks that are taking over Hollywood? Ah yes, these are fillers. Fillers are a fantastic product when used appropriately. They can leave you looking refreshed, rejuvenated, and reverse aging. However, when overused they can have a very negative effect on your appearance.Learn...

So you've decided on elective cosmetic surgery, well nothing is more important than choosing a certified cosmetic surgeon as it's a choice you'll live with for the rest of your life. The wrong plastic surgeon can do far more harm than good, and when you're altering your visual appearance, the...