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.

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! ^