Basic Skin Care, Chemical Peels, Microdermabrasion and Photofacial
Aging, sun damage, and environmental exposure all take their toll on the skin. Easy to use topical products can rejuvenate your skin and promote a healthy, youthful appearance. In addition, new advanced techniques can help eliminate fine lines, uneven pigmentation and brown spots.
Six steps to a better Complexion
Treat your skin gently like a porcelain vase or a work of art. Keep in mind that the skin should never be scrubbed with an abrasive cloth or rough sponge.
The following steps can help improve the look and feel of your skin:
1. Wash with a gentle cleanser twice a day.
2. Use a moisturizer with a broad spectrum sunscreen in the morning, with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.
3. Use oil-free makeup that is non-comedogenic so that it will not block pores.
4. Eat a balanced diet, drink water, avoid smoking, and get plenty of sleep.
5. Use antioxidant skin brightening agents such as vitamin C, glycolic acid, peptide, and botanical creams and lotions once or twice a day. Use eye creams to reduce fine lines and improve the skin around the eyes.
6. Use topical prescription retinoid creams and gels (Renova / Retin A / Tazorac) or another vitamin A derivative (retinol) every other night or every night as tolerated.
Glycolic Acid / Antioxidant Skin Peels
For additional improvement, we recommend treatment with glycolic acid and antioxidant peels. Glycolic acid, a natural substance derived from sugar cane, is particularly useful in rejuvenating sun damaged skin. Antioxidants such as citric acid and skin lightening agents such as kojic acid are used to enhance the effect of glycolic acid. These “lunchtime” peels are minimal to no downtime procedures that give the skin a smoother, younger, refreshed look. They can also help control mild acne and improve uneven skin discolorations.
The procedure takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes and 4 to 6 treatments are usually necessary to achieve the desired effects. However, even after just one treatment, most patients notice that their skin appears brighter and refreshed. Most patients tolerate the procedure well and report only slight stinging or temporary redness as the only side effect. This is a “lunchtime peel” and most patients return to their daily activities with no downtime. Not all glycolic and antioxidant preparations are the same and we carefully select ingredients and formulations that optimize the effect of the peel to produce consistent, superb results.
Salicylic Acid Peels
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that is a highly effective superficial peeling agent and pore cleanser. It can help patients who struggle with oily skin and are prone to blackheads, acne breakouts and/or have large pores, especially in the T-zone area. Salicylic acid loosens and removes aging cells, oil and debris attached to the skin’s surface and stimulates new cell production and increased collagen formation. It is oil soluble and lipophilic so it’s able to penetrate sebum filled follicles and clean out clogged pores, resulting in marked improvement in acne prone skin.
Jessner’s Peels
The Jessner’s Peel is a treatment designed to remove superficial layers of skin. It smoothes and rejuvenates skin, producing beautiful results in treating mild to severe acne, discoloration, moderate wrinkling, and sun damage. The Jessner’s peel combines resorcinol, lactic acid, and salicylic acid to result in deeper penetration and greater exfoliation of the outer layers of skin cells. This deeper exfoliation produces noticeable flaking and exfoliation in the following three to four days after the peel, and within a week a smoother, healthier layer of skin will be revealed.
Microdermabrasion
Through the use of very fine sand crystals, microdermabrasion is able to precisely remove the outer layers of the skin to achieve a smoother, fresher complexion. The procedure is a 15 minute relaxing treatment with minimal to no downtime. Patients leave the office and resume activities immediately, with the skin exhibiting a faint red glow after the treatment. A series of 6 treatments at 2 to 4 week intervals is often needed to achieve optimal results, but many patients like the feel of their skin so much that they continue to come in for monthly refresher treatments.
Microdermabrasion can soften fine lines and wrinkles and is superb at smoothing the look and feel of the skin so that make up goes on easier and lasts longer. Many women find that they wear make up less often as a result of the skin enhancement produced by this pleasant procedure.