Please upgrade to the latest version of Flash Player.
 |
 |
 |
 |
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 only the top layer of the skin, are present mainly mid-day, in the summer, down South, and cause mainly sunburn. They also make up only 2 to 3% of the sunrays actually hitting us. 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 direct tissue damage and release of free oxygen radicals that attack normal skin cells.
Until recently, we have had little that would really protect us from these changes. Additionally, what we have done to our skin has actually harmed it.
We believe that good skin care for minimally damaged skin should prevent these and other problems. We, therefore, recommend minimally:
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 total 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. Because of the way FDA regulations are written, just because a product says it provides "UVA protection" does not mean that it provides complete protection. Also, some of the products that cover the full spectrum of UVA do so for only a short while, making them impractical, since you must reapply them frequently to be protected. Instead, what we need to do is use one of the newer broad spectrum Sun Blocks containing clear Zinc Oxide (Z-Cote®) daily. This is clear and is effective until washed or wiped off. 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 UVA and UVB. Additionally the Topical Vitamin C or Prevage MD® recommended are Topical Antioxidants. Their use prevents injury from any UVA rays that get through the sunblock and helps correct some previous damage.
Significant sun damage causes problems that must be addressed in addition to the above basic care. These problems are:
If these things are present, other steps are necessary to 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, in addition to basic care above, we must:
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 Today's Facelift™, Blepharoplasty, Brow Lift, and/or Lip Revision) or improved or disguised by smoothing the skin and reducing wrinkles with injections of fat,Radiesse®, Juvéderm®, BOTOX® Cosmetic, or a combination, or use of Fruit acid peels, Phenol peels, or Laser resurfacing.
Obagi Nu-Derm® - Epionce® - Theraderm® - Chemical Peels - Obagi Blue Peel® - Light Procedures
Photodynamic Therapy - Microdermabrasion - BOTOX® Cosmetic - Juvéderm® Injectable Gel
Radiesse® - Fat Injection - Jane Iredale® Mineral Cosmetics - Medi-Spa Services
Would you like to markedly improve the health of your skin to uncover your natural beauty? 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 procedures such as peels and laser resurfacing. Designed for easy use at home, in a little more than six weeks (the time it takes for the outer layer of your skin to be replaced with a fresh one from beneath) the Nu-Derm System® transforms damaged, dry or wrinkled areas into smooth, soft and well-moisturized skin. Obagi 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. This is the system that other systems are measured against.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
Click here and request an appointment or for more information on Obagi Nu-Derm®
Epionce® delivers powerful therapy where you need it most with botanical ingredients, patent pending formulas, and a 5 phase system. This breakthrough in skin wellness is clinically proven and designed to meet your skin's unique needs. Though this is a system, it is variable enough to match your skin’s individual type. Perfectly healthy skin can be yours. Epionce® is a comprehensive and innovative skin wellness line designed to optimize the appearance and health of the skin by working at the core of the skin's own protective and reparative systems. Epionce strengthens your skin's own mechanisms, helping to improve function, restore the barrier and reverse destructive skin inflammation— delivering you beautiful, healthy skin. The effectiveness of Epionce® has been proven in double-blind clinical trials conducted by independent, nationally recognized research organizations. Because of the unique botanical formulations, it can do this without significant skin reaction.
Click here and request an appointment or for more information on Epionce®
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. We also 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
Click here and request an appointment or for more information on Theraderm®
Chemical peels remove skin layers that are 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 Today's Facelift 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 old leather-like wrinkling. Recovery is from none to 2 weeks, depending on the particular peel used.
Click here and request an appointment or for more information on Chemical Peels
The Blue Peel® is a chemical peel using a blue dye and trichloroacetic acid. It is variable to your individual needs and is used in combination with the Obagi Nu-Derm® Skin Restoration System to give you clear, smooth, healthy skin whether all you need is mild color correction or resolution of significant wrinkles. The peel process removes various amounts of the damaged surface layer of skin. Within 3-14 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.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
Click here and request an appointment or for more information on Obagi Blue Peel®
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. This is as fast as Fractional Lasers. 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 downtime. 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 and request an appointment or for more information on Light Procedures
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is the newest, most exciting trend in laser light applications for skin sun damage, 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 severely 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 and generally treat you the next day after full absorption of the ALA. If this is inconvenient, we can treat you an hour or so after application and still get results. If you leave the office while awaiting the ALA absorption, you must protect the area from sunlight. During the treatment using the IPL, 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.
Post treatment, you will not need to do anything 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.
