Tag Archives: skin care

Choosing Skincare Products: Ten Tips

19 Dec

http://fightfinelines.com/2011/05/19/top-10-tips-for-choosing-skincare-products-that-work/

“No more wrinkles in 6 days” ….“See the reduction of fine lines in less than 10 days”… “Dermatologists tested” “Clinically Proven” “Clinical Studies”…

Buyer beware. Magazines are full of claims from manufacturers touting new technologies and advances in skin care products. There is so much marketing hype today around skin care products that promise results, that it’s hard to know what really works.

If this wasn’t confusing enough, we are now in an age of ever-emerging new technologies and anti-aging breakthroughs. From “micro-beads” to stem cells, products are getting more and more complex both in what they’re made of and also how they are delivered to your skin. As exciting as this seems, it’s also questionable whether or not these new advances are really going to live up to their claims.Cosmeceuticals, high-end “Dr” brands, and everyone under the sun claiming to have the latest skin care can leave you   searching for the next best thing before you even get to the register. Even with seemingly potent active-ingredients, there is little regulation on what claims companies can make. You have to wonder, was the entire formulation tested or just the active ingredient? Who was the product tested on? If it was tested in a lab, how do we know it actually works on human skin cells?

So, what should you be on the lookout for to help you cut through the skin care product clutter?

Continue reading →

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Get Rid of Dull Skin: Exfoliation Tips

11 Aug

 Is your skin looking dull?  An easy way to get your skin glowing again is to exfoliate your skin regularly. Exfoliation removes the dead skin cells which causes your skin to look dull.   It is also necessary for clear skin, free  of acne and blackheads. There are many ways to exfoliate, both your body and face.  Let’s talk about facial exfoliation.

1. Clarisonic system is the easiest way to get your glow back. Used daily you will see a significant difference in your skin.  There are different heads that you can buy, depending on your skin’s sensitivity.  I love mine and have had it for several years. Definitely  worth the investment. Clarisonic prices start at about $125.00 http://www.clarisonic.com/ Note that some kits come with cleansers. There are many options in OTC cleansers. My recommendation is to buy the machine only, with extra heads.

2. Buy a cleanser that contains glycolic or lactic acid.  These ingredients create exfoliation and cell turnover. You can find many professional brand name products online.  Or ask an esthetician or dermatologist for a recommendation.

3. Use a OTC Retinol product or  Retin-A Rx or  Tazorac Rx are also good choices. Your skin will shed the old cells and build new cells. Start off with a low dose of .05%. Using Retinoids will  also prevent acne and blackheads from forming. Retinols build collagen and ellastin necessary for healthy, youthful looking skin.

4. Get a chemical peel 2x a year. Change of seasons is a good time.  Peel are sometimes given in a series, this will depend on how much sun damage you have.  Time the peel accordingly, because you may be red and peeling for several days. Once your skin has peeled you will be amazed at how youthful, healthy and glowing it is.  Go to a licensed esthetician, RN, or Physician Assistant  who works either in a medi-spa, dermatologist or  plastic surgeon’s office.  There are many chemical peels available today. There are superficial peels, medium depth peels and deep peels. The strength of the peel will depend on what results you are seeking, your skin type and how much down- time you are willing to take. TCA (trichloroacetic acid)  peels and Glycolic acid peels are the most popular.   Chemical peels are recommended for  Hyperpigmentation, Sun damage, texture, pre-cancerous lesions, acne, lines, mild wrinkles, lip Creases. There are pre-cautionary measures to take prior to having a TCA peel, check with your skincare specialist first.

GO GET YOUR GLOW!!

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Tips for Getting Ready for that Special Occasion!

8 Aug Untitled

The time is approaching and you have a special event coming up. You’ve bought your dress, shoes, accessories, scheduled your hair and make-up.

You want to look your best.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about having a facial, a chemical peel, a little Botox, dermal fillers, Laser or IPL treatments. Since you want to look your best, you need to plan a schedule for these treatments allowing yourself the proper time for healing or any adjustments.  Don’t want until the week before your event.

Here are some factors to keep in mind when you make your appointments.

  1. Schedule a series of facials at least 4-6 weeks in advance. If you have sensitive skin you could break out. The goal is for glowing, healthy skin before the big day.
  2. If you plan to change skincare products, start 6-8 weeks before the event. Any change in products could cause your skin to react
  3.  If you are using Retin-A products. Stop one week before the event, so you are not red or peeling.
  4. Schedule any chemical peels at least 4 weeks before the event. You want your skin to glow-  not be red, flaky or peeling.
  5.  If you are planning on having any Botox or fillers- take arnica pre-injection and post to minimize bruising
  6.  Botox should be scheduled at least 2 weeks before the event. You may bruise, it takes 3-7 days to kick in and you may need to tweak the area.
  7. Lip fillers- at least 4 weeks in advance. You may be swollen for 7 days and you really will not see the final effect for two weeks. Juvederm swells more than Resytlane, but Juvederm tends to last longer in the lip area.
  8. Eye Hollows- at least two months in advance. You could have severe bruising in this area and puffiness. I would not take any chances. Two- three months of healing should be enough.
  9. Dermal Fillers – Two to three weeks in advance. You may bruise, and have swelling. Plus if you need any adjustments you will have time. This includes, Juvederm, Restylane, and Radiesse.
  10.  If you choose to use fillers such as Sculptra, you will need to start several months in advance, as this filler requires more injections and time to see results.
  11.  Looking to rid of brown spots with IPL? Chances you will need to have several treatments, Start as early as six months in advance, this advice is the same for any type of laser treatment, even vein therapy.

If you have any questions, ask your dermatologist or plastic surgeon.


 

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After Laser Resourfacing with Cutera’s Pearl Fusion

30 May

It has been 18 days since my Cutera Pearl Fusion laser resourfacing treatment of the decollete, neck and vertical lines around my mouth. Plus frown lines.

I’m using a mild facial cleanser, followed by a rich moisturizing cream. I was using a barrier repair lipid formulation which is rich and creamy.  I recently switched and am testing a new skincare cream with stem cells to see if it will speed up the healing process.  I have only begun using it, so I can not comment on this yet.

My chest is slightly pink now it looks like a I  have a mild sunburn. My sun lesions look much better and I think the texture is better. Though I really need to see my before pics to compare. It looks smoother, yet  I still have the vertical lines, which also seem less noticeable.

My peri-oral area and frown lines are  still pink too. I can cover it with light mineral make-up. I purchased Oxygenetix by Ceravitae as a foundation cover-up for $60.00. It was too dark, too thick-  I found it pasty. Not a fan.  I prefer to use my Colorscience corrector kit.  Works great and blends well.

My neck area after the Pearl is not pink.  I was very conservative with the neck because I did not want to have any problems.  The laser nurse, Jeff, used  the lowest setting of the Peral Fractionated system.  The neck skin is so thin that you can run the risk of scarring if you have an aggressive treatment. I would rather opt for another treatment in this area, than be aggressive.  I am not sure that I notice any difference here.  If there is it is only slight improvement in color, no improvement in texture yet.

My opinion at this point:

I am not wowed about Laser resourfacing with  Pearl Fusion yet!  I see slight improvement and know that over time collagen builds. I will have a much better sense by August, whether I think this is worth the money.

If you really want significant improvement Co2 laser is still probably the way to go.. however, there is a lot of downtime associated with this type of Laser resourfacing procedure.

The Pearl Fusion- is milder with quicker recovery time.

Here are my observations.

It has been 2 months since my Pearl Fusion treatment on my chest, neck and peri-oral area.  Is it worth it??

I am not going to give a definitive answer yet, however, these are my observations.

1. My chest area is still slightly bumpy, slightly pink and in the light you can still see the vertical lines from sleeping all these years on my side. It does look a little better and smoother.

2. Hardly any pink around my mouth area. I really do not see much difference  in the vertical lines above my lips.  The laser nurse was agressive in this area using both YAG and Ablative. I will discuss setting and depth in another blog post. I developed a very small hypotropic scar above my lip line, which I hope resolves. I am not sure why this happened- however,  according to one dermatologist, I apparently healed too quickly in this area. I also noticed that my lips looked flatter, consequently I felt like a little Juverderm was in order.

3. My initial reaction is that Co2 Lasers are more effective in building collagen and go deeper.  This seems to be the gold standard. Cutera (http://www.cutera.com) is the manufacturer of the Pearl Fusion and it is not a Co2 Laser.  There is much controversy in the laser resurfacing arena.

So far I am not impressed with Cutera’s Pearl Fusion.

UPDATE:

SIX MONTHS LATER

Chest:

Slight difference in pigmentation, red bumps gone. Texture shows little improvement. No improvement with vertical chest lines.

Neck: No improvement

Peri-oral area (around the mouth):

Persistant bump above the lip area. It is unclear exactly what this bump is. There have been mix-diagnosis from various dermatologists. It coud be a hypertropic scar. However, it is not conclusive. What I do know is that is developed after the laser treatment. The fine lines are around my mouth are slightly better. However, I had Juverderm injected in certain areas that appear deeper or more noticeable than before the treatment. The results of the Pearl Fusion do not appear to be uniform. Some areas are showing deeper vertical lines than other areas.

 My overall opinion is that one treatment of the Pearl Fusion is not enough if you have pigmentation and vertical lip lines. Was it worth the price?  At this time I would say no.

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