Pearl Laser Resurfacing

Baby, it's cold outside......so it's time for some anti aging! lol Now that the weather is less appealing (well, depending on the day) this is the best time of year to safely get those laser treatments to take off summer damage.

This treatment is for the active, sun bunny who can't afford the social downtime of traditional anti aging treatments. You know, the less invasive ones that have to be done monthly to see a benefit from. They work, but not everyone has time for that.

Pearl is the perfect treatment option for turning that clock back. It improves sun spots, tone and texture dramatically! Click on the link below for more before and afters:

http://woodlandswellness.com/pearlpearlfractional

More Specifics:

Laser resurfacing has long been the gold standard treatment for discoloration (uneven pigmentation) and skin texture. CO2 laser resurfacing yielded excellent improvement but its popularity was hampered to a large extent by the long recovery time and the high complication rate.

                                          Above is a video of me performing the Pearl

Fractional laser resurfacing was developed in the early to mid 2000s to minimize the down time and the risks involved with other lasers of this caliber. One treatment will significantly improve the appearance of uneven pigmentation, fine lines, skin texture and overall health of your skin.

The Pearl laser was developed specifically to address this short coming of non-ablative fractional laser. As the whole surface of the skin is resurfaced, the result is far superior to that achieved by any non-ablative fractional device, such as fractional lasers alone and it is much more cost and time effective.

Spooky sun damage!

Summer is technically over, so I wanted to access the damage. I "practice safe sun", but I am active, so the sun still gets me! Just thought you guys would enjoy. It's also a good time of year for this, since it is almost Halloween!!!

I took this photo at work. We have a Reveal Imager. It's a special camera that can photograph your sun damage among other things. You can see all of the melanin present in the skin, but the patches of it are what we are looking for here. That is the sun damage that I can lift with lasers or chemicals, to return my face to being one uniform color. You can even see my blackheads if you look really close (tip of the nose). I generally start my consultations with this flattering photo and decide what we should do based on what we see.

product junkie

Magic Mitt Demo

This handy little Magic Mitt is perfect for on the go. I typically use it to remove my eye make up only, but it came in handy on a road trip. One Sunday before heading home (to The Woodlands from Austin) my brother & I went stand up paddle-boarding for a few hot and sunny hours. I had to hop straight in the car and drive 3 hours home but didn't want to do it with my sunscreen caked face. I had this little guy on me, so I stopped and washed my face with it , reapplied sunscreen and got back on the road. I had to share because it is just the coolest! 

Click above and you can see how it works.You wet it, and start rubbing your make up off. When finished, hand wash it and hang it to dry between face washes. It dries so quickly that it doesn't harbor bacteria, so it won't make you break out & the fact that you don't need cleanser is even more convenient! It's pretty neat!

Clear + Brilliant

Aging skin is a fact of life, however, you can modify it to a certain degree. One of my favorite treatments in the Woodlands Wellness arsenal is Clear +Brilliant. Combining this treatment with the collection of skin care tricks, at any age, will help you recover the glow, luminosity and smoothness you deserve to have.

Regardless of your age, lack luster skin is from a variety of contributing factors such as sun damage, lifestyle or environmental conditions. Clear + Brilliant laser is a safe and unique treatment that uses fractional laser technology to address early signs of aging while also preventing them. A quick procedure with this laser (45 minutes) refreshes your skin from the inside out by replacing damaged areas with younger looking tissue. You will notice a radiant glow, reduced pore size, improvement in pigmentation, illuminated skin tone and a super soft, renewed skin texture. This treatment is also wonderful because it makes your products work better. 

If you're an old school microderm lover, this is for you. It's like having 4 micros at once with one day of redness & a month of that revitalized glow.

It is fast and effective with minimal downtime, so it is perfect for a busy lifestyle. In a perfect world, a series of 6 treatments will give you the best results, and they are done in 2 to 4 week intervals. You do see results from one, however. Complimentary consultations are recommended to discuss personalized options. Clear + Brilliant is appropriate for men and women of all ages and all skin types.

And yet another sexy pic of me, post treatment. On the left is before make up & the white around my eyes is the skin I did not treat. I usually do treat that area, but wanted you to be able to see the difference. On the right I easily covered the redness & went to work.

Fresh beautiful skin prepared here daily

Treatment vs product

 

Just as nutrition is to exercise in fitness, skin care is to treatments.

 

In diet and exercise, you know that 90% of results still come from your diet. You can work out all you want and get ok results, but modify your eating habits and your body changes quickly.

 

Well, it’s the same for your skin.  Most of your results are achieved from topical solutions (products). They dictate the daily behavior of your skin. Without them, your skin will return to its natural state.

Think of sunscreen for example. If you are in the sun, your skin changes color. With a good sunscreen, it does not. Imagine what topical retinoids can do! Btw, if you are in your 30's and aren't on retinol, it's time to start. In your 20's you need antioxidants to prevent sun-damage. In your 40's & beyond you want both. It's that simple!

Exfoliation Baby

Different Ages have different stages of aging. Understanding the stage you are currently in will help you know what you need. This is a broad overview, of course, and as individuals there are other factors

I can not speak to, but its a good place to start. 

For you lucky ducks in your 20's: Prevent and Protect

Your cellular turn over is still moving at a decent pace, so no need to worry. Prevention means "preserving" the way your skin currently behaves by wearing sunscreen, washing with a Clarisonic and NEVER sleep in your make up please! Sleeping in your make up ages you 7 days. No tanning beds on your face! Wear an antioxidant daytime (Phloretin for normal skin and Blemish +Age Defense for acneic skin) and sleep in a gentle AHA night cream or light Retinol. AHA for dry skin will help stop break outs, clear up dry patches and make your skin glow. For oily to normal 20 somethings, Skin Medica makes a good 0.25 Retinol that is super gentle and Skinceuticals makes a 0.5 that is well tolerated in normal skin. Retinol can also minimize pores, help with blackheads and clean up pimples.

The rate at which our cells turnover (move from the innermost layer to dying and sloughing off) slows at age 30. This cellular turnover is directly related to collagen & elastin strength and production. That is why the proper amount and type of exfoliation are required at any stage. These are my favorite three: microdermabrasion, hydrafacial or chemical peels. You want an aesthetician to guide you as to which is best for you, but I can put it in perspective for you. 

Microderm is great for men (mechanical exfoliation) or oily skin and it yeilds results for about a month. This doesn't mean all skin doesn't benefit from it, it's just best on oily on men skin (they have thicker skin than we do, typically). 

Hydrafacial is a great treatment for dry, mature or sensitive skin. It can have a chemical portion added to it to make it more aggressive and it does make you glow period. It also infuses the skin with serums that leave you looking firmer for about a month, and the glow lasts

that long too.

Chemical Peels rock for all skin types. The deeper you go, the better the results. They improve pore size, overall tone and texture! They can also improve discoloration. My favorite brand of peels are from Skin Medica because they are safe on all skin types. If you have darker skin, chemical peels get tricky and Skin Medica will take care of you. When I say darker skin, I mean natural olive pigment (like myself) on up to really dark. Just make sure the person taking you though your treatment is experienced. 

Just barely peeling- 2011

Please don't do at home peels and think it's going to be as good as what you get in office. It's not as strong and won't yeild the same results. You could totally hurt yourself if it were the same strength.

Chemical Peels

Lately I have had a few people ask about how to take care of, or improve their skin.

Here are a few things you 30-somethings can do.

I love chemial peels! They tighten your skin a little, minimize pore size, improve discoloration and just brighten skin over all. They do literally make you peel and depending on the depth of the peel, is depending on how many days this will go on for but also how much improvement you will see. Here is a photo of me after having a VI Peel. It's a moderate depth peel and I peeled for 10 days total. I peeled once and thought I was done at day 5, but started peeling again at day 6. lol Once complete, my skin was great for about 3 months. Due to skin type, your level of peeling will vary and so will the level of improvement. One thing about chemical peels is that you will see a change for the better, no doubt. You also have to follow the after care religiously to get the best outcome.

 This is from 2010 when I worked in Bastrop, TX. As you can see, I am peeling.

^Do you see how much I love you!? ^ Not my most flattering photo! ^