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We all would like to have the flawless skin of babies. Their skin is smooth and hydrated, with a thin outer dead cell protective layer, thick dermal support layer, good blood supply, and an even color. Many things affect this balance over time. One of the major contributors to deterioration of the skin is exposure to the sun.
Sunrays are composed of different types of energy. Light energy probably has little effect on skin aging. UVC rays do not reach the earth. The rays believed to be harmful to the skin are UVB and UVA. UVB rays are absorbed by the atmosphere and the top layer only of the skin, are present mainly mid-day, in the summer, down South, and cause mainly sunburn. It is the UVA rays that cause cellular damage leading to aging and skin cancer development. They are present all day, all year, and at all latitudes, and account for about 98% of the sunrays present. They penetrate not only the atmosphere, but also clothing, glass, and the skin. In the skin, they cause release of free Oxygen radicals that attack normal skin cells.
Until recently, we have had little that would really protect us from these changes. Therefore, there are two things necessary to restore your skin to a youthful appearance and keep it that way. First, we must restore the health of your skin. Skin health restoration IS A PROCESS, NOT a product. Healthy skin is Smooth, Firm, Evenly Pigmented, & Hydrated. To restore Sun damaged skin to this condition, we:
- Remove the thickened outer dead cell layer (which also makes the skin feel more moist) using AHA’s (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) Peels &, Microdermabrasion.
- Correct the Pigment by removing spots & making the rest of the skin a uniform color using Hydroquinone, Kojic acid, Arbutin, to some extent, topical Vitamin-C, or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), occasionally supplemented with micropeels.
- Rebuild the dermis & blood vessels & heal injured cells using Retin-A® &/or topical Vitamin C.
- Remove abnormal blood vessels (called telangectasia) using an IPL.
Secondly, we must protect our skin from further sun damage. Although sunscreens have been available for many years, most of them do not protect us from anything but UVB. Presently SPF indicates only the effectiveness of UVB blockage and protection from sunburn. Wearing a sunscreen with High SPF without UVA blockers only increases the length of time most of us stay in the sun, and, thus, the amount of exposure to the harmful UVA rays, thus causing more damage. Instead, what we need to do is use one of the newer broad spectrum Sun Blocks with Zinc Oxide (Z-Cote) daily. This is clear. Instead of SPF, look only for Zinc Oxide or Z-Cote of at least 5 %. This is equivalent to an SPF of 20, and, thus, protects us from both. Additionally we should use a Topical Antioxidant such as Topical Vitamin C or Prevage® MD, daily. This prevents injury from any UVA rays that get through the sunblock and also helps correct previous damage.
As the skin ages, it allows other factors to have greater effect on the tissues of the face and body. In the face, where the muscles of expression attach to the skin, these muscles cause wrinkles and lines to appear. Gravity also pulls the skin, causing folds and lines from descent of the tissues and stretch of the skin. These changes can be reversed with surgery (such as the MACS Lift, Blepharoplasty, Brow Lift, &/or Lip Revision) or improved or disguised by smoothing the skin and reducing wrinkles with injections of collagen, fat, Restylane®, Radiesse®, Juvéderm®, Botox®, or a combination, or use of Fruit acid peels, Phenol peels, or Laser resurfacing.
Obagi Nu-Derm - Theraderm® - Chemical Peels - Obagi Blue Peel - Light Procedures
Photodynamic Therapy - Microdermabrasion - BOTOX® - Restylane® - Juvéderm®
Radiesse® - Collagen - Fat Injection - Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics -
Medi-Spa Services
Obagi Nu-Derm
 Would you like to markedly improve the health of your skin? Unlike traditional skin care products that only treat problems on the surface of your skin, the Obagi Skin Health Restoration System® works at the cellular level to develop and maintain the glow and softness of healthy, younger skin. You can use the Obagi Nu-Derm skin treatment program alone or as a preparation to reduce the problems of other proceduressuch as peels and Laser resurfacing. Designed for easy use at home, in little more than six weeks (the time it takes for the outer layer of your skin to be replaced with the fresh one beneath) the Nu-Derm System® transforms damaged, dry or wrinkled areas into smooth, soft and well-moisturized skin. Nu-Derm® also strengthens your skin against day-to-day damage, reduces the appearance of blemishes and other discoloration, improves circulation, and rebuilds collagen for a fuller, younger look. It's not about skin care; it's about skin health. Skin Health Restoration, instead of just dealing with the superficial symptoms of aging skin, actually reaches deep below the surface, to stimulate and actually promote your skin's restoration and ultimate health.
Click here for more information on Obagi Nu-Derm
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Theraderm®
Therapon's skin care products enhance your skin's natural health and beauty, regardless of skin type, age or severity of damage. For those with minimal damage, we use the Theraderm Skin Health System which contains the Theraderm Cleansing Wash, Fruit Acid Exfoliant, OPC Reparative Gel and a Facial Moisturizer. To add additional correction for those who need it, we use Eternox which improves the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines to delay the need for such expensive cosmetic treatments as Botox and injectable fillers. Wealso use the Therapon 70% lactic acid "lunch time" peel to treat mild discoloration and sun damage on the face, neck, hands, and upper chest. When combined with the lanolin-based, moisturizing Theraderm Skin Renewal System, the peels can help you achieve a smoother texture and more uniform skin tone. You achieve best results with a series of six weekly light peels. We also recommend NuPeel a natural peeling gel that combines research principles with cell biology for an amazing product that reverses the visible appearance of each of the seven signs of aging, and Theraderm Platinum Protection, a 30+ UVA/UVB (Broad Spectrum) oil-free sunblock , Soft and Smooth, a product formulated with 7% lactic acid and 6% lanolin (this superior body lotion is perfect for all skin types and contains lactic acid that exfoliates dead skin cells and enhances the penetration of lanolin into the skin), and Extreme Dry Skin Therapy, the perfect solution for extremely dry, chapped, or cracking skin, designed specifically for restoration of dry hands, soles of feet, elbows, and is guaranteed to please.
Click here for more information on Theraderm®
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Chemical Peels
Chemical peels remove various thicknesses of your outer skin layers damaged by sun and time to smooth your skin texture, reduce scarring, and remove blemishes and pre-cancerous growths to produce healthy, glowing skin. There are several types of chemical peels, ranging from mild to strong - alphahydroxy acids (AHAs), tricholoroacetic acid (TCA, including the Obagi® Blue Peel) and croton oil/phenol. We tailor formula strengths to your individual needs to achieve the best results with the least risks. Peels correct your surface aging problems. You can combine them with other procedures such as facelifts to totally rejuvenate your face and correct other problems caused by gravity. The newer formulations are designed to be safer and to have faster recovery. The modified phenol/croton oil peel can almost completely erase severe wrinkling. Recovery is usually around a week.
Click here for more information on Chemical Peels
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Obagi Blue Peel
 The Blue Peel® is a mild chemical peel used in combination with the Obagi Nu-Derm® Skin Restoration System to give you a clear, smooth, healthy skin. During the peel process, we remove the damaged surface layer of skin. Within 3-7 days it is replaced with a fresh layer that is smoother, well-toned, more even in color, and has smaller pores. The Blue Peel offers benefits over other peel methods because it allows us to better control many aspects of the process, including the depth of penetration, so treatments are safer and we can tailor it to you. Combining the Nu-Derm® system and the Blue Peel can help you achieve dramatic silky-smooth texture, and uniform skin tone.
Click here for more information on Obagi Blue Peel
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Light Procedures
The Luxor® Specialized CO2 Laser makes it possible for us to precisely remove your wrinkles and scars that skin care or peels do not easily correct. This machine's design, using more intense bursts of laser light spread further apart, prevents overheating of the skin and achieves the desired result with fewer risks and less prolonged redness. It also allows us to target precisely your specific lines, wrinkles or scars to remove them with faster recovery. Most people heal within 5 days, and it is rare that anyone has any open area past 10 days. Once healing occurs, we will show you how to apply makeup to disguise the small amount of redness that remains.
The Ellipse IPL® offers the advantages of Intense Pulsed Light therapy, the only proven technology to treat both the red and brown areas of skin sun damage, but does so with less discomfort and more safety than traditional treatment for the same problems. Intense Pulsed Light is similar to Laser light but uses a broad band of light instead of a single wavelength. With this technology, there is absolutely no down time. The Ellipse IPL® allows services not otherwise possible. It requires no anesthesia, and you can return to normal activities immediately. Each treatment provides improvement of the problem. Because of this, you can select the endpoint you desire.
Click here for more information on Light Procedures
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Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is the newest most exciting trend in laser light applications for photo aging, acne and precancerous actinic keratoses. It involves placing ALA (aminolevulinic acid), a liquid photosensitizer, on the site to be treated and then exposing that area with specialized wavelengths of light using the IPL. The ALA soaks into the skin. This chemical has a special affinity for severly sun damaged and pre-cancerous skin cells and oil glands. These cells are metabolically active and will convert the ALA into a special invisible color called a porphyrin. The IPL light is a specific wavelength that is absorbed by this purple porphyrin color and super heats it. The result is shrinkage of oil glands and destruction of precancerous cells.
We apply the ALA to the area to be treated. You can then wait in the office for around an hour or leave and return in an hour. If you leave, you must protect the area from sunlight. During the treatment, you will experience a mild tingling, burning or popping. The next few days the area will feel and act like a moderately severe sunburn as the old cells flake off. Many patients compare it to a mild to moderate chemical peel. What is most important is that after having the ALA applied, you must AVOID ANY DIRECT SUNLIGHT FOR 48 HOURS. This includes sun that comes through house and car windows. This is because sunlight contains the spectrum of light that can unpredictably activate the chemical and result in a much deeper peel than desired.
Post treatment, you should need to do nothing until the area begins to peel. Then, when you wash the area, do so gently to remove any loose skin, but do not pull off any of the flaking areas. If there are any raw spots, treat them with an antibiotic cream or ointment such as Bacitracin, Polysporin, or, if it does not cause a rash, Neosporin.
The flaking should stop after about 5 days and you should be healed completely in 7-10 days, if not earlier. This is one treatment that insurance occasionally covers, depending on why we do it.
Click here for more information on Photodynamic Therpay, also known as PDT
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