Summer sun is much stronger than sunlight at other times of the year. If your skin is looking tired and dull, it might be time for a refresher to get it bright and glowing for Summer 2020.
Facials are an essential part of any good skin care regimen and can help you to keep your skin beautiful, hydrated, and clear. Start the summer relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated with one of our medical custom facials.
Why do we need a facial?
As we age, our skin gets thinner and drier. It loses collagen, which gives it a thick, plump appearance, and elastin, which makes it snap back quickly. The time it takes for healthy young cells to migrate to the topmost layer slows down, which makes skin duller. And, our faces are more exposed to the elements and lines and creases become more pronounced from all the facial expressions we make.
We take our facials a step above the kind you can get at a regular day spa. Those facials may be relaxing, but they don’t do much to actually target specific skin problems. Here at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, our custom facials are medical grade and tailored to treat the skin issues about which you are most concerned. We can transform dull, dehydrated skin into bright, glowing skin. Dark spots can be lightened. Fine lines and wrinkles can be softened. Rough, uneven texture can be smoothed out. We even have acne facials to help control mild acne breakouts.
Alcohol, lack of sleep, dietary sugar, and stress are all hallmarks of the holidays, and these contribute to premature aging of the skin. Renew your appearance and start the new season off right with fresh, clean, hydrated, beautiful skin. It is also a good idea to keep up regular facials throughout the year to ward off aging and keeping your skin youthful. A custom facial should be an integral part of your beauty routine, just like going to the hair salon or having a manicure. At-home treatments can only do so much, and a professional medical aesthetician can assess your skin and help you to care for it in the best and most effective way.
Combined techniques
Medical facial treatment and laser
We offer a wide variety of customized aesthetic services to clients seeking treatment for many types of skin concerns, including melasma. Clients often see a great improvement in the condition of their skin when they combine medical facial treatment with a laser treatment.
While each treatment can offer many benefits alone in skin rejuvenation, combining these two anti-aging treatments can give enhanced results.
Microdermabrasion and IPL Photo-rejuvenation Laser
Microdermabrasion is a non-surgical treatment in which a hand-held device is placed on the patient’s skin and emits a spray of tiny crystals that exfoliate the skin. The device also vacuums up the crystals and dead skin. Microdermabrasion also stimulates the production of more collagen and elastin. Microdermabrasion is used to remove the dead skin cells on the topmost layer and allows better penetration of the IPL light source to enhance the skin’s sensitivity to the laser that breaks up the brown pigment, at the same time improving skin texture and smoothing any surface skin irregularities.
Peels and LED light therapy
Combining a peel with LED therapy intensifies the action of light therapy. Before applying the LED protocol, a peel is recommended to optimize the action of light therapy.
The LED (Light Emitting Diode) technique uses the light’s vibrations to provide a gentle skin regeneration effect. The light triggers photo-chemical reactions in the cells to stimulate renewal. Depending on the indication to be treated, the doctor will select the right light combination. The LED stimulates the activity of collagen and elastin fibers, decreases free radicals, and is appreciated for its anti-inflammatory benefits.
Chemical Peels and Laser Resurfacing
Combining chemical peels with laser resurfacing for facial rejuvenation has proven to be a safe and effective treatment with long-term benefits.
A chemical peel is one of the most versatile treatments offered because it can be specifically tailored to each client’s needs. Dermaplaning and chemical peels work well together because the removal of dead cells and peach fuzz allows for deeper penetration and more effectiveness of the chemical peel.
There are several ingredients that can chemically resurface your skin, like glycolic, trichloroacetic, and lactic acid. These can be diluted or combined to form peels that range from very light and superficial to deeper treatments.
Successful treatment of irregular pigmentation and fine to moderate wrinkles as well as scars is possible with various resurfacing tools including TCA chemical peels, UltraPulse CO2 or Er:YAG resurfacing lasers.
All these techniques can be combined to offer a natural, attractive result for today’s men and women in search of healthy skin.
Questions & Answers
What products should everyone have in their skincare routine?
Your lineup varies between morning and night. In the morning, the ideal basics of skincare are a gentle wash, an antioxidant serum, hydrating moisturizer, and sunscreen. The antioxidant serum helps repair and defend skin against DNA damage throughout the day. At night, repeating your cleanse, treating skin with a topical retinol and/or growth factor serum which speeds cell turnover and spurs collagen production following with moisturizer.
How often should you exfoliate?
While there’s no hard and fast rule on how frequently you need to exfoliate — as it depends on the type and strength of the exfoliant and what else you’re using — you definitely need to do it. In general, I would advise one to two times per week.
Do you need different products for morning and evening?
There are a few important tweaks for your evening routine. At night, your cleanser may need to include a makeup remover in it and/or be used with a Clarasonic™ skin brush. And moisturizers should be thicker and more hydrating. Once a week, you should also use a face mask at night.
What’s the best way to treat dark spots?
Not all dark spots are created equal. The best treatment depends on what caused the spot in the first place. Some are classic sunspots, which we can treat with lasers, while others might be associated with melasma, a hormonally triggered hyperpigmentation, which we’re more likely to treat with peels and topicals. That is why you should see your dermatologist or medical aesthetician for an accurate diagnosis.
Which areas of the body should you pay more attention to?
So, you’ve got your skincare routine down to an art for your face. But you should pay just as much attention to your hands, neck, and chest, where the signs of aging are also visible. Apply sunscreen in the morning, extend your treatments and moisturizer down to your chest, and rub the excess product onto the backs of your hands. Really, sunscreen should go everywhere. The back of the legs is the most common place for melanoma on a woman’s body. Try a moisturizing body sunscreen every morning when your legs will be in the sun.
Should I be using mineral or chemical sunscreen? Does it matter?
Go for mineral. Mineral sunscreens protect against a larger range of ultraviolet light and are more efficacious. Chemical sunscreens can be absorbed in the body and may also cause an irritant or allergic reaction to the skin.
Learn more about common skincare problems and treatments.
