Improving Your Complexion:
Basic Skin Care, Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels, Particulate Resurfacing/Microdermabrasion and Laser Rejuvenation

Exposure to the elements, sun damage, and aging all take their toll on the skin. Easy to use at-home, topical products can rejuvenate your skin and promote a more healthful, youthful appearance. In addition, new advanced techniques can help eliminate fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and brown spots.

Six Steps to a Better Complexion

While skin color, sensitivity, and skin texture are part of who you are, skin imperfections can be improved upon or eliminated with proper skin care and certain cosmetic or laser procedures.

Skin care regimens should be kept simple keeping in mind that the skin should never be scrubbed with an abrasive cloth or rough sponge. The following steps can help to improve the look and feel of your skin:

	Wash with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day
	Use a moisturizer with a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher in the morning
	Use oil-free makeup that is non-comedogenic, so that it will not block pores
	Eat well, maintain appropriate body weight, and get plenty of sleep
	Use a biologically active cream containing ingredients such as alpha (glycolic) or beta hydroxy acid or antioxidants (Prevage) once or twice a day
	Use a topical retinoid cream (Retin A, Renova, Tazorac, Avage, or Differin) or another vitamin A derivative (retinol) nightly

Glycolic Acid Skin Peels

For additional improvement, we recommend treatment with glycolic acid skin peels at concentrations between 20 and 70 percent. Glycolic acid, a natural substance derived from sugar cane, is particularly useful in rejuvenating sun-damaged skin.

Discovered in the 1970s, glycolic acid has been widely used in recent years to give skin a smoother, younger, fresher look. It also can help control mild acne, and improve skin discoloration associated with acne. The procedure takes between 15 and 30 minutes, and 4 to 6 treatments are usually necessary to achieve the desired effects. Most patients tolerate the treatment well and report only slight stinging and temporary redness as the side effects. Not all glycolic acid preparations are the same, and our physicians have carefully selected ingredients that optimize treatment and produce consistent, superb results.

Glycolic acid is one of the most important elements in choosing effective skin treatments for our patients. The Center's physicians have years of experience with glycolic acid and are uniquely qualified to help you make the most of your skin using this particular treatment.

Particulate Resurfacing/Microdermabrasion

Through the use of very fine sand crystals, our staff is able to precisely remove the outer layers of the skin resulting in a smoother, fresher complexion. The microdermabrasion procedure is a 30-minute, relaxing outpatient procedure with almost no recovery time. Patients are able to leave our office and resume activities immediately, with the skin generally only exhibiting a faint red glow after the procedure. A series of 4 to 6 treatments at 2 to 4 week intervals are often needed to obtain optimal results. Many patients like the feel of their skin so much after treatment that they continue to come in for monthly refresher treatments. Particulate resurfacing can soften fine lines and wrinkles, and truly gives the skin a more smooth look and feel. Many women find that they wear makeup less often as a result of the superb skin enhancement produced by this wonderful technique.

Laser Rejuvenation

Laser rejuvenation is a highly effective procedure that improves skin glow and texture, pore size, irregular pigmentation, facial blood vessels, and even acne scars in a gentle manner with almost no recovery time. Using a broadband light/laser source, the entire face is treated in a near painless, 30 to 60-minute procedure. The treatment is repeated about every four weeks for a total of six treatments. Laser rejuvenation stimulates production of new collagen (when damaged over time from sun exposure, altered collagen accounts for wrinkling.). Patients note improvement in skin tone even after one treatment. After the sixth treatment, textural imperfection including fine wrinkles, red blotches and even superficial scars generally improve.

Jessner and TCA Chemical Peels

Medium-depth chemical peels, done with Jessner's solution or trichloracetic acid (TCA) remove sun-damaged surface layers of the skin. They can also eliminate precancerous skin lesions and actinic keratoses, as well as fine lines and brown spots. These peels are very effective and have shown to be very safe. There is a healing time of five to ten days, during which you will need to keep out of the public eye and care for your newly exposed skin. TCA peels are stronger than glycolic acid peels, and are typically used for patients with more advanced photoaging. It is an excellent, safe, time-tested procedure in the hands of skilled physicians such as ours.

The physicians at SkinCare Physicians take the time to discuss the details of chemical peels with their patients, ensuring that you have all the information you need to make an educated decision.

GentleWaves LED Photomodulation:
A Simple New Non-invasive Wrinkle and Skin Therapy

GentleWaves LED delivers light produced by LEDs (light emitting diodes) to activate cells which causes them to produce new collagen. This technology, termed photomodulation, is conceptually similar to the way photosynthesis takes light energy from sunlight and turns it into food energy in plants. GentleWaves LED technology offers a totally natural, non-invasive method of skin rejuvenation aimed at reducing the visible signs of aging.

GentleWaves does not rely on thermal (heat) energy, so there is no potential damage to the skin, no pain or discomfort, and no side effects. The main benefit is a smoother, softer and creamier looking skin with reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, freckles, brown spots and skin redness. A series of eight to ten treatments is recommended, and you can be treated up to once a week.

Other benefits from GentleWaves LED Photomodulation include:

• Painless, no anesthesia, no discomfort
• No downtime
• Quick: the actual light treatment itself lasts less than 1 minute
• Suitable for all skin types
• Risk free
• Inexpensive

GentleWaves has been scientifically tested and studies showing a 60% global improvement in overall skin quality and decrease in wrinkles led to FDA approval for the treatment of periocular lines and photodamage. In addition, GentleWaves has also been found to be effective in improving the appearance of skin of the full face, neck, and chest. GentleWaves LED Photomodulation can also be used in conjunction with other procedures such as microdermabrasion, Intense Pulsed Light, CoolTouch, Thermage, Photorejuvenation, injection of soft tissue fillers (such as Restylane), and Botox to enhance their results.