In the last remaining weeks of winter, what should you consider to put your best face forward by spring?
For lighter skin types, resurfacing is the best way to improve sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles.
CO2 Laser Ablation
CO2 fractionated ablation usually requires 10 days of downtime while you heal. But, the results are amazing. You experience swelling, redness and eventually peeling as a new, healthier layer of skin forms. You will see improved tone, texture and enjoy less wrinkling and crinkling of the skin.
Erbium Laser Ablation
Erbium provides a similar result, but is not as aggressive. So, to achieve the same result as with CO2, you would do a series of treatments. However, the lovely thing about Erbium is it truly can be done on a Thursday and you are fine by Monday, with healthier skin. We commonly do the neck and chest with an erbium treatment to combine healing time and combat the accumulated wrinkles and sun damage.
For darker skin types, or lighter skin types that want a less aggressive refresh, chemical peels and microneedling are the answer.
Chemical Peels
While we can treat more aggressively with specialized peels, our favorite “go to” peel for a refresh is The Perfect Dermapeel. Most people will peel between day 3 and 5 after the treatment and it can be performed on ALL skin types. We can add booster agents to the peel to combat dark spots or hyperpigmentation of the skin. For problem skin, we often recommend this in a series alternating with microneedling.
Microneedling
Microneedling is the process of stimulating the skin with a rapidly pulsating device to gently puncture the surface of the skin. The healing time is rapid and most people are only red and slightly irritated for one day. Serums with peptides and lightening agents are often added to the treatment or you can use your own platelet rich plasma. Microneedling does far more than any facial you could ever spend money on and for your best skin health, quarterly treatments are recommended.
All of the above treatments, boost collagen and improve texture and tone. So, before winter ends, consider your options to get your face in the very best shape for spring.
