Skin Treatment Types: Microdermabrasion, Chemical Peels & More

Be nice to your skin!

Like the heart , stomach , and brain , your skin is an organ. In fact, it’s the largest organ in your body, but it’s still easy to take skin for granted. Unless there’s a problem, you may not think about your skin very much. But skin has an important job to do.

Your skin is constantly protecting you. Your skin keeps infections out of your body and keeps you from getting sick. When you take care of your skin, you’re helping your skin do its job. And taking care of your skin today will help prevent future problems, like wrinkles and even skin cancer. Good skin care also has tremendous social and mental benefits. By looking good it makes a great first impression on others in an interview, a date, or even just making new friends. The mental benefits may even be greater – it keeps you feeling good about yourself. Nothing gives you more self-confidence and an extra bounce in your step more than knowing you look good. Proper skin care, being that skin is the most noticeable part of a person’s body is the #1 way to get that feeling.

There are many different types of skin problems – cosmetic and health and many types of solutions. We will focus on skin problems/treatments for cosmetic purposes. Some of the more common issues are acne scars,age spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Some of the more common skin treatments are: laser treatmentsfor laser rejuvenation and laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion, botox (botulinum toxins), dermal fillers, chemical peels among others.

Microdermabrasion works to remove age spots and lighter acne scars. The procedure is one of the favorite wrinkle treatments because it is performed quickly in a facial esthetics office. The physician uses a handheld instrument to spray small crystals onto the surface of the skin. The crystals exfoliate the skin layers, while using suction simultaneously to remove the crystals and dead skin cells. More than one microdermabrasion treatment may be needed for wrinkle removal and other skin treatments it provides.

Chemical peels, also called chemexfoliation or derma-peeling treatments, are cosmetic treatments performed on the face, typically used as an anti-aging solution to rejuvenate the skin. Chemical peels are used to correct skin irregularities in texture, such as fine lines, and color, such as spots caused by sun damage. These peels have varying strengths, characterized by the different kinds of acids used in the applied chemical solution. Chemical-peel solutions use three main acid ingredients to reach varying levels of intensity: alphahydroxy acid (AHA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), and phenol.

Laser skin resurfacing removes the outer layers of the skin that are damaged. The laser resurfacingprocedure stimulates the production of collagen and new skin cells in the underlying layers of the skin. Laser resurfacing is now used to eliminate or reduce wrinkles and fine lines on the face and neck.

Laser skin treatment is an advanced wrinkle removal treatment that uses infrared light to tighten the skin without surgery. The laser light delivers heat to layers beneath the skin’s surface, stimulating collagen production and making the skin look tighter. Many patients consider the procedure a good alternative to the traditional face lift, as it requires no anesthesia, no scalpel, and no downtime

Acne blue light therapy works by targeting the bacteria that causes acne. Moderate acne that has not responded to other facial skin care treatments can be treated with this light-based therapy, which is administered over a span of several weeks. Acne blue light therapy rarely causes side effects, and does not damage skin.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL™) is a facial rejuvenation treatment that can be used to address the effects of sun damage, heredity, and aging on facial skin. Skin imperfections such as wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, freckles, rosacea, facial veins, brown spots, and enlarged pores can be eliminated or greatly improved withIPL™ Photofacial treatments. There is no “downtime” after the procedure — you can return immediately to your normal daily activities after your IPL™ Photofacial treatment.

Thermage

Thermage is a non-exfoliating facial rejuvenation technique designed to tighten and improve the contours of the face and neck. These aesthetic improvements are achieved with a radio frequency device that is passed over face, with the tip in contact with the skin’s surface. Controlled radio waves from the device heat the deeper layers of the skin, stimulating new collagen development. The result is tighter and often smoother skin. Unlike laser treatments, Thermage can treat all skin types and requires no downtime. The benefits of the procedure are often immediately apparent and long-lasting.