So, let's say you've got a class reunion or other special event to go to and you're looking for something that will dramatically improve your appearance and fast. What do you do?
Well, after a free consultation, one of our 48-year-old patients decided on a combination of Botox® Cosmetic to get rid of the horizontal lines across her forehead, and Juvederm® Ultra to fill in the lines around her mouth. As you can see, the results are dramatic. The photos almost look like they are of a mother and daughter instead of the same person.
Botox and Juvederm treatments can easily be combined in a single visit. There may be a little redness or swelling at the Juvederm sites immediately afterwards for a couple of days, but nothing that can't be covered up with a little make-up. The results of the Juvederm are immediate, and the Botox takes complete effect within a couple of days. To be super safe, book your appointment a week or two before your special event.
Book your free consultation today by calling (509) 735-1100, ext. 114, to see what we can do for you!
And check out our new lower prices:
Botox® Cosmetic: $13 $9 unit Juvederm® Ultra: $535 $425 per syringe Juvederm® Ultra Plus: $585 $450 per syringe
Now, we're looking forward to getting two new machines that will give us even more ways to rejuvenate aging skin.
Ulthera™ System
The Ulthera™ System was just approved by the FDA for noninvasive eyebrow lifts. It can also be used on the lower face and neck. (See before and after pictures above.) This new device uses ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen production deep below the skin’s surface without harming the outer epidermis. This means great results with zero downtime.
Fraxel re:pair®
We’ll also be adding Fraxel re:pair® to our line-up of treatments soon. (We already have the Fraxel re:store®.) The Fraxel re:pair® laser is the only fractional CO2 laser on the market that delivers the results of conventional bulk ablative lasers—without the prolonged downtime, risks or complications. This laser gets rave reviews for its ability to firm skin and reduce fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
Oh, and did I mention we also have gift cards available now?
Starting approximately mid-November, we will be introducing a new line of skin care products by PCA SKIN® and using their products for medical grade chemical peel cosmetic treatments.
Since 1990, PCA SKIN has partnered with renowned physicians and scientists to help create innovative formulations that are available exclusively through doctors and licensed skin care professionals. PCA SKIN was the first to provide scientifically researched daily care products and professional treatments that are both gentle and effective to the medical and clinical aesthetics markets.
Progressive, not aggressive, peels
PCA SKIN professional treatments are scientifically formulated to gently stimulate, firm and tighten skin. Advanced ingredients are carefully blended and work synergistically to remove dull, damaged surface layers without the downtime often associated with chemical peels. The purpose of peels is not only to exfoliate but more importantly to increase the penetration and absorption of the active ingredients in both the professional treatments and daily care products to target and treat troublesome skin conditions at the cellular level.
Skin conditions addressed by peels include:
Hyperpigmentation/sun damage
acne
chronic dryness
sensitive skin
rosacea
aging skin
Here's an example of an acne patient treated with both a peel and daily care products: For more examples of before and after photos, go to: http://pcaskin.com/before_after.aspx
Get smoother skin in a flash with Flash Exfoliation. Recommended for sun-damaged or prematurely-aging skin, this professional strength exfoliation treatment will help stimulate cell renewal and cell turnover rates while smoothing skin and improving texture. The cost is $75 per treatment or $65 each if you prepay for a package of 6 treatments. Now through Sept. 21, 2009, you can also get a free $25 hand treatment with any exfoliation. Call (509) 735-1100 to make your appointment today.
Necks can often give away a person's age easier than their faces. Part of this is because the skin on your neck is thinner than everywhere else on your body and has fewer oil glands. Some of it is just that we take better care of our faces until we notice that time has taken its toll on our necks.
"Most of us don't think about our neck until, well, let's say...a little later," says Dawn Risk, a licensed esthetician at the Center for Excellence in Dermatology.
However, it's never too late to start pampering your neck. We carry the complete line of Dermalogica® products. Of those, Dawn suggests a few for taking care of your neck:
daily microfoliant® ($50): There's a reason this is Dermalogica®'s most popular product. Use this exfoliant after cleansing and before toning to instantly leave skin noticeably smoother and brighter.
super rich repair ($75): Use this super-concentrated, heavyweight moisturizer at night. An active soy isoflavonoid helps stimulate collagen and Hyaluronic Acid production.
extra rich faceblock spf30 ($48): Use this moisturizer/sunblock combination to protect your neck from sun-induced wrinkles and brown spots.
If you usually use a lighter moisturizer, Risk says, "Heavier moisturizer on the neck is usually tolerated well except for acneic or very oily skin types."
If you'd like to learn more about Dermalogica®'s products, call (509) 735-1100 today to book an Introductory Facial ($80). This hour-long treatment and lesson are perfect for anyone wanting a change in their skin or home skincare regimen. It includes a free 30-day supply of Dermalogica® products that are right for your skin.
If the right skincare products alone aren't enough to cure your neck problems, call (509) 735-1100 today to schedule a free consultation with one of our laser technicians. They will be able to tell you if one of our laser packages can help reverse the premature aging of your neck.
Whether you want to call them sunspots, age spots, photodamage, hyperpigmentation or just ugly brown patches, I've got them. (Chalk it up to growing up in California during the disco era back when tanning contests were all the rage and you slathered on coconut-scented oil before going outside in order to help you bake faster instead of sunscreen!)
Anyway, the brown spots I hate the most are on my face, just because they're more noticeable. I've tried various topical treatments to try to get rid of them. Products with hydroquinone worked fairly well, but I stopped using them when I read about hydroquinone causing cancer in rats. (Who knows if the same is true for humans or not, but I didn't feel like taking any chances.) And I've been making some visible progress with the hydroquinone-free ChromaWhite system by Dermalogica that we sell at work, but I'm just not a very patient person. I want those spots gone now!
So today I had my first of six treatments that are part of our Sun Damage Package, which is made up of three IPL and three Fraxel treatments. Today was the IPL, short for Intense Pulsed Light. If you've ever heard of Photo Rejuvenation or FotoFacial Light Therapy, this is the same thing. We generally call it a laser treatment, but IPL is not really a laser. The machine generates short bursts of very bright light which are absorbed by the darker pigment in brown patches of skin. The body then gets rid of these damaged cells as part of the natural healing process, leaving even-toned skin behind. IPL machines are also used to treat rosacea, telangiectasia, vascular lesions, and other pigmented lesions.
OK, so much for the technical stuff. What's it really like? Well, I showed up for my appointment and Jennifer, one of our laser technicians, first wanted to get some of the infamous before pictures so I removed my makeup so she could get good look at the brown spots. (Hint: Next time, I'll save some time and come without make-up.) The camera for this is attached to a contraption that keeps your head, the camera and the lights in some pre-defined positions so that when I go back for the after photos, they'll be easier to compare.
Next I was given a little jar of numbing cream and directions how to put it on using a mirror in our medical spa's waiting room. I was told to put it on nice and thick. I remember she said it was lidocaine mixed with some sort of petroleum jelly. It made my face look really shiny, and started to turn my skin splotchy. Then came a half hour wait. There are plenty of magazines and even some snacks and drinks in the waiting room, but I was anxious to get started. The numbing cream did as advertised and my face started feeling alien to my body, complete with tingly lips, in no time.
Finally Jennifer led me to one of the treatment rooms. She told me about the IPL machine and showed me the icy tip of the device that keeps your skin comfortable during the treatment. I was also given a little wand that blows cold air and told how to direct it during the treatment. After taking off the numbing gel and applying some cooling gel, she then put on these very small high-tech-looking black-out goggles. They're fairly tight and I couldn't see anything through them. (Hint: Next time, I'll make sure to take off my eye make-up. It was really a mess after the treatment.)
OK, so I'm laying down all nice and comfy on the treatment table and Jennifer puts the cold IPLhandpiece on my skin, which I could barely feel on my numbed face. Then she warns me that there will be a bright light. ("Yeah, right," I'm thinking. "I can't see a thing with these goggles on.") Then: Pop! There was a little zap feeling to my skin which was noticeable but not painful with this weirdly bright light that I could see even through the opaque goggles. I was so surprised I must have flinched halfway across the table. Jennifer, very patiently asked if I was OK, and reassured me that the light pulse was perfectly safe because of the goggles and wasn't going to blind me even though I was still seeing a red blur of afterimage from the pulse.
Long story, short: The freaky light pulses were what I noticed most about the treatment. There was no pain. I could feel a little zap to my skin — which I've heard described as a rubber band snap — but that's all. I didn't even really need the cold air wand thingy. Jennifer continued to zap little sections of skin all around my face. She scraped off gel as she went, and went back over a few areas on a different setting after the first pass.
The session itself took maybe 15 minutes. When she was done, Jennifer took the goggles off. And after my eyes adjusted, thankfully, I could see again! Then I got what we joked was a little mini-facial: Jennifer cleaned the remnants of the numbing gel off my face and applied some Dermalogica Soothing Protection Spray and some Z-Silc Plus sunscreen. I took a look in the mirror afterwards and wished I had brought my makeup with me. My face was a bit blotchy from the numbing gel and the treatment still. In fact, it took my face a few more hours to get rid of the numb feeling completely. But I was able to go back to work with no problems, no downtime. As feeling returned to my face it was a little warm and a little tight, sort of like a slight sunburn.
By the end of the day, my face looked and felt normal except that the freckles on my face were much darker, a sure sign that they'll soon be gone. I can't wait!
Written by Jackie Johnston, the marketing coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Dermatology.
For May's upcoming Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month®, the American Academy of Dermatology has launched a public service campaign, "Indoor Tanning is Out™," that includes print, radio and video ads encouraging people to think twice before getting an indoor tan. The ads target young women since women make up 70% of indoor tanners, most of whom are 16 to 29-years-old. This and the fact that indoor tanning before the age of 35 has been associated with a significant increase in the risk of melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, has been the driving force behind the ads. The ads also point out that tanning can lead to premature aging of the skin, wrinkles and sunspots.
To find out more, see American Academy of Dermatology's Indoor Tanning Factsheet and our website's information on skin exams to screen for suspicious moles.
Sometimes it seems there's a Starbucks on every street corner, but a recent study by San Diego State University found that in many cities in the United States there are more tanning salons than Starbucks. A quick look at a Tri-Cities phone book shows we fit right into the study with 27 tanning salons to eight Starbucks locations.
With bathing suit season right around the corner, we thought we'd share some info from the American Academy of Dermatology and tell you some reasons why we think you should stay away from tanning salons and use sunscreen when you're outdoors:
The United States Department of Health & Human Services has declared ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, as a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).
Indoor tanning equipment, which includes all artificial light sources, including beds, lamps, bulbs, booths, etc., emits UVA and UVB radiation.The amount of the radiation produced during indoor tanning is similar to the sun and in some cases may be stronger.
A Swedish study presents strong evidence that exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning increases the risk of melanoma, especially when exposed at an early age.
Evidence from several studies has shown that exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning devices is associated with an increased risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
A review of seven studies found a statistically significant increase in the risk of melanoma in those who had been exposed to UV radiation from indoor tanning before the age of 35
Studies have demonstrated that exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning damages the DNA in the skin cells. Also excessive exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning can lead to skin aging, immune suppression, and eye damage, including cataracts and ocular melanoma.
Because UV radiation from indoor tanning can lead to skin cancer, eye damage, aging skin and immune suppression, it is not safe to use tanning lamps to obtain vitamin D.
So, how should you get ready for swimsuit season? First, if you want to look tan, try a sunless tanning product. There are a variety of lotions, creams, gels and sprays available to give you a nicely bronzed look without the danger of developing skin cancer, wrinkles or age spots. (In fact, many tanning salons offer safe spray-on tans.) The active ingredient in most sunless tanners is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), and it works by coloring the outermost layer of skin. This coloring won't wash off, but as your dead skin cells slough off your sunless tan will fade. If you don't reapply the tanner, typically your tan will be completely gone in less than a week.
(Please note that although topical sunless tanners are safe to use, sunless tanning pills are not. These have not been approved by the FDA and should be avoided.)
Tips for sunless tanning:
Prepare your skin by exfoliating, using a wash cloth or sponge to remove excess dead skin cells. If you shave your legs, do so before applying. This will help your tan last longer.
Use a little more sunless tanning lotion than you would to moisturize.
Go lightly over knees, ankles and elbows to keep these areas from getting too dark.
Wash hands and under fingernails thoroughly after applying. Better yet, wear gloves. Then apply a little tanning solution to tops of hands using a cotton ball.
Most sunless tanners don't contain sunscreen so don't forget to apply sunscreen before you go outside.
To keep your skin safe, we carry the complete line of Procyte Advanced Sun Protection products in our office. Procyte's high-performance sun care products leave skin soft and supple, not sticky or chalky, and come in a full range of SPFs. Ti-Silc and Z-Silc offer superior protection with effortless blending by utilizing micronized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
Finally, there's another reason why you might want to visit a coffee shop instead of your local tanning salon. Researchers at Rutgers University have found that a combination of caffeine and exercise might help prevent skin cancer. But even if you're planning a jog to Starbucks, don't forget to wear your sunscreen!
