Joseph R. Kolb, MD

Plastic Surgery of Eastern Indiana

1250 Chester Blvd. | Richmond, IN 47374 | P: (765)962-4872 | F: (765)939-9314

News from ASPS

More than Sun Block Required to Protect Kids While Mowing Lawns

Protecting children during summer activities conjures up thoughts of bike helmets, knee pads, and sun block. However, during the summer months, mowing the lawn can be as routine for some children as riding a bike and can be dangerous if proper safety precautions are not taken.
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Looking Tired or Angry May Have More to do with Facial Aesthetics Than How You Feel, ASPS Study Reveals

A study in a recent issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), found that variations in eyebrow shape, eyelid position, and wrinkles significantly impact how your facial expressions, and subsequent mood, are perceived by others.
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Laser Skin Care Treatments

Dr. Joseph Kolb is happy to provide you the latest advancements in laser skin care treatments. On this page we welcome you to read more about:

Photo Rejuvenation

Millions of Americans seek relief from the effects of an aging complexion: fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, age spots, and uneven skin tone. However, for today’s more active population, the prolonged healing time involved with conventional laser or face-lift surgery is not appropriate. For patients seeking a less invasive and highly effective skin rejuvenation treatment, Dr. Joseph Kolb of Plastic Surgery of Eastern Indiana now introduces ActiveFX with the UltraPulse Encore, a unique fractional laser treatment that treats fine lines and mild pigment disorders in a single treatment and with typically only 4-7 days of downtime.

“Today mild to moderate flaws are being treated more gently with lasers, providing the benefits of advanced technology without the prolonged healing times often associated with older, more traditional treatments,” says Dr. Kolb. A single treatment with the UltraPulse Encore provides dramatic and immediate results. Treatment does more than soften the appearance of imperfections; it can actually eliminate evidence of sun damage and aging, providing a comprehensive and long-lasting solution. In fact, improvement continues long after treatment. In the months following treatment, new collagen is generated deep in the skin, plumping it, improving its elasticity and continuing the improvement of the texture of the skin.

“My patients are seeing numerous improvements in the quality of their skin with less down time,” says Dr. Kolb, who has treated many patients with excellent results. “The beauty of this technology is that we can achieve remarkable results and a truly refreshed, youthful looking face with less cost, risk and recovery time than conventional cosmetic surgery.” ActiveFX with UltraPulse Encore was developed in response to a growing trend toward less invasive procedures and increasing demand for improved results.

Laser Hair Removal

For men and women with unwanted hair that makes you uncomfortable, there is a new, hassle-free solution. Even if you just desire a sleeker, hair-free appearance, laser hair removal may be the option for you. In the past, the remedies for unwanted hair included shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis and depilatory use. Some were painful, some were messy, and all were temporary answers to a never-ending battle.

Joseph Kolb, M.D. is pleased to offer the gold standard in laser hair removal, the LightSheer™ diode laser, a gentle, non-invasive, long-lasting solution for unwanted hair on all body parts and any skin type, including ethnic and dark complexions. Moreover, LightSheer laser hair removal has been proven to create a permanent reduction in the number of regrowing hairs following each treatment.

Dr. Kolb explains that the LightSheer laser gently cools the surface of the skin while pulses of light are selectively absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicles. The absorbed light heats the hair structures, which damages the existing hair and destroys the regrowth potential of the follicle - all without damaging the surrounding normal tissue. Clinical studies have shown that hair may not grow back for up to a year or more in some cases. If the hair does return, it usually comes back lighter and less dense.

“The flexible settings of the LightSheer allow us to customize hair removal treatment according to the particular body area to be treated and hair and skin type of the individual patient for the safest and best possible results."

Dr.Kolb adds that LightSheer hair removal is safe, effective and permanently reduces unwanted hair. The procedure is fast, and there are few, if any, side effects. However, because hair grows in stages, multiple treatments are usually required to achieve optimal results.

The procedure is tolerated well and can be performed in the convenience of a physician’s office. Following treatment, patients can typically return to work and resume all regular activities.

Laser Vein Removal

Varicose veins -- they are unsightly, uncomfortable, and for about 50 percent of the aging population, unavoidable. Moreover, the older you get, the worse they usually become. But don’t throw away your skirts, swimsuits and shorts. There's a new, non-invasive treatment available that can erase the red spider veins and blue bulges that protrude from beneath the skin. Board-certified plastic surgeon, Joseph Kolb, M.D., has just added Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and laser technology to his practice in Richmond, Indiana. This latest breakthrough in vein treatment now enables the Doctor to erase those unwanted blue lines in a flash of light.

“With IPL technology we are able to provide patients with a new, virtually pain-free and convenient solution to an age-old problem,” says Dr. Joseph Kolb, a local expert in vein disorders. “Unlike previous methods of treating problematic veins, there's no needles, no cutting and no scarring with our IPL laser. The vein fades perceptibly immediately after treatment and continues to disappear over the course of two to three weeks.”

Although leg veins are a common malady affecting both men and women, each person’s skin type, and even each vein, is different. Spider veins are small reddish lines that usually appear on women's legs during hormone surges such as pregnancy.

Adults with fair skin are susceptible to the blue-green reticular veins that can create a lattice pattern on the back of the legs and knees. Both men and women can have the blue, rope-like bulges that lie deep beneath the skin known as varicose veins. This type of vein can be particularly painful and may eventually cause more serious health conditions like venous stasis ulcers, phlebitis and thromboses.

IPL technology uses intense pulsed light and/or laser energy to target and selectively destroy blood vessels of varying sizes and at various depths without damaging surrounding tissue. Patients compare the sensation to a rubber band snapped against the skin. As the light penetrates the blood vessel, it is sealed and eventually reabsorbed into the body. Patients can leave the doctor's office after the procedure and quickly resume normal activities.

The beauty of this technology is that treatment can be customized to a patient's individual skin type and each vein’s color, size and depth. With a single device, the aesthetic physician can treat the full range of vascular conditions with excellent cosmetic results.