Why get old if you don't have to?

I see so many clients with sun damage, wrinkles, and slack skin who are afraid to dream big. They feel like they've tried everything out there and haven't seen any improvement so they just resign themselves to looking haggard. Let me tell you: you haven't tried everything. I know you've never committed to regular LED light treatment facials, microdermabrasion and excellent home care. You might be using Chanel or even La Mer, or god forbid L'oreal... But you're looking for love in all the wrong places. You might have done a couple laser treatments only to find out that they are NOT a miracle cure. I could have told you that. But trust me, results are out there waiting for you. You can have younger, firmer, smoother skin.

First let's talk about your treatment options. Treatments are like the gym. There is no magic treatment that gives incredible, permanent results from just one treatment. If you could just go to the gym once and look like Jessica Biel forever, who wouldn't sign up for that? I would. But that's not realistic. Sorry. Reality involves commitment and effort, and eventually rewards you with results. Different treatments have different benefits, not every treatment is appropriate for everyone, but you should know what options are out there. Let me break it down for you.

Microdermabrasion: this is all about a deep, focused exfoliation. Crystal microdermabrasion is way more effective than diamond tipped microdermabrasion (also called "crystal free"). This treatment is great for age spots, superficial expression lines, and adult acne. It stimulates collagen production which firms and tightens the skin and refines pores. It's not appropriate for very sensitive skin or rosacea. If you're very prone to pigmentation you'll need to be on a tyrosinase inhibiting home care regimen (this applies to corrective peels, too!) before and after microdermabrasion treatment. The best way to benefit from microdermabrasion is to receive a series of treatments within a short time period. Optimally a series of 4-6 treatments spaced 14 days apart, then maintenance treatments every 6-8 weeks.

Corrective peels: there are a ton of varieties of chemical peels, starring different strengths, different pH, different combinations of acids, and the amount of time a peel is left on is another major variable. Chemical peels range from mild to extremely aggressive. I absolutely recommend seeing a trained, skilled Esthetician for chemical peels and NOT buying them online and performing them on yourself. Trust me on this. I am a big fan of rather aggressive chemical peels for WOW results. For age spots and severe aging, I do TCA peels with tyrosinase inhibitors, for dehydrated and wrinkled skin I prefer a high percentage Lactic acid. For rough texture, acne scarring, and oily aging skin I use a strong Salicylic. There are so many variables with peels that it's hard to give a specific treatment plan without a consultation, but I like a series of peels spaced 10 days apart followed with maintenance treatments every 4-6 weeks. Peels can be more aggressive than microdermabrasion, or less aggressive, for sensitive skin. The results are similar and it depends on the condition of your skin if it's a better option for you.

LED Light Therapy: this is a MUST for anti-aging. The results are progressive, each treatment building on the last. I love it in combination with a peel or microdermabrasion, it works better on excfoliated skin, just like light penetrates better through a clean window than a dirty one. LED works like photosynthesis, stimulating your skin to produce more collagen (firming) and ATP (energizing). The lights that I use at  re:surface decrease inflammation, increase collagen production, refine pores, smooth out wrinkles, even out skin tone, and lighten age spots. Also amazing for acne scarring and rosacea. LED treatments work best as a series of 6-8 spaced 7-10 days apart, followed with monthly maintenance treatments.

Microcurrent: this treatment stimulates muscular contractions, tightening muscles and lifting the skin. It can also be slightly beneficial for collagen production, and it stimulates ATP in the skin as well. I think that it's comparable results-wise with LED light therapy, but it doesn't target age spots or scarring or treat inflammation. If your esthetician offers it, definitely try it. If they offer LED, it's a more broad-spectrum treatment and I'd choose that over microcurrent.

Injectables: there's a lot of variety with injectables, Botox is pretty amazing for the vertical lines just above the center of the brows. It's designed simply to inhibit muscular contractions, so it doesn't firm or fill wrinkles it prevents the expressions that cause expression lines. There is a new filler, Sculptra, that actually stimulates collagen, which is great. It can cause keloid scarring, so it's not for everyone. The fillers that just inflate the skin and then eventually fade away seem like a big waste of money to me. I like it when your body does the work, producing it's own collagen because that looks natural (because it is natural) and it lasts.

Thermage: Thermage is serious business. I don't generally recommend it for the whole face, but for a sagging jawline or that neck/chin/jowl area that is almost impossible to treat without surgery. It's a great tool for that, and if you don't need to go under the knife then don't! The results take a few months to really show up, but they can be pretty miraculous. For the whole face, I much prefer my magical LED lights. Slightly more subtle, but much easier to control the results and far more beneficial for the skin.

Laser: there are a great many different types of laser, but the general theme is trauma. Lasers damage the skin (so does thermage, which melts your collagen and forces your body to produce new collagen) and traumatize it, causing it to have an inflammatory healing reaction. Which leads to more collagen production but also a rather patchy, haphazard healing process. I think that IPL treatments can work very well for redness, but there are other options I like to explore first with my clients. Laser is sort of the anti-LED. LED helps your skin, laser harms your skin, all aiming at the same goal of facilitating collagen production. I prefer LED, personally and professionally.

I'm not going to go into surgical options, if you want to discuss surgery I recommend finding a reputable surgeon and sitting down for a consultation with them. It's just not my area of expertise.

You'll definitely need effective home care products to compliment the treatments, what is on your skin all day long makes such an impact, positive or negative. Why not make it positive? Next installment, we'll discuss my favorite anti-aging products! Stay tuned!

I offer Microdermabrasion, Corrective Peels, and LED Light Therapy at my SW Portland skin studio, re:surface skin. My treatment options include fast, focused treatments and facials including anti-aging products and tools. I look forward to providing you with amazing results