Sun damage can begin to appear as uneven skin tone or texture, increased fine lines, deep wrinkles, skin laxity, dark spots, broken capillaries, and more. The tans of today are not worth it tomorrow. However, there are many things we can do to begin correcting and protecting our largest organ so it can flourish and glow well into our golden years. It’s a little-known fact that 80% of how you age is individual lifestyle and environment – not genetics. Skin awareness, high quality products, and medical aesthetic procedures were not around for the generations before us. Now, more than ever, we can choose how we age!
Papillon Medical addresses this in a holistic manner, believing that happiness and well-being are the most important things in life. Healthy skin is beautiful skin, and it will do wonders for how you feel about yourself. My job is to help you achieve and exceed your skin goals, to help you move confidently through every stage of life!
Treatment plans must be carefully considered for each patient based on time of year, medical condition, concerns being addressed, and the willingness to go through some “down time”. Many of the most effective treatments require some time for the skin to heal (long weekends are ideal for these), but it’s important to understand what to expect from treatment before jumping in.
One of the best introductory services we offer is the hydrafacial. Hydrafacials use chemical and mechanical exfoliation via abrasive wand tip and gentle vacuum suction. With this action, we get even exfoliation, lymphatic drainage, circulation stimulation, and excellent serum penetration. I recommend purchasing a package upfront (this means a discount, of course!), and scheduling regular hydrafacials to compliment other treatments, or just for the transition of seasons. We can also add powerful boosters to enhance and tailor results to your individual needs. Everyone can benefit from a hydrafacial, and I encourage you to reach out with any questions you may have.
Microneedling is one of my favorite treatments for solar damage and other concerns. We see incredible results in the way of skin firming, evening tone, treating many different forms of scars, and giving the skin a youthful, supple feeling. Microneedling is safe for all skin types and has minimal downtime.
IPL (Intense Pulse Light) treatments are famous for their effectiveness in treating dark spots. The powerful light emissions bring pigment to the skin’s surface, so people can expect to see their sun damage darken before it gently sloughs off. For best results, we like to do a series of six treatments at four-week intervals. IPL is not safe to do during summer months and has a list of contraindications we must consider before treating safely.
Laser rejuvenation/prejuvenation is an excellent way to target the laxity issues associated with photodamage (I have even written a separate blog on this subject here). At Papillon Medical, we have Fotona SP Dynamis and Cutera Laser Genesis which are both wonderful at stimulating collagen production, tightening elastin, shrinking pores, and more. I love customizing laser treatments for my clients with this multi-faceted equipment. For example, we can do a series of intra-oral laser treatments to tighten up the lower face and address lines around the mouth, as well as a full-face laser rejuvenation using different wavelengths to target different layers of the skin. This treatment strengthens and stimulates the facial skin to address existing concerns and slow the aging process. Both of these lasers can be used to treat broken capillaries as well, as long as the treatment is properly distanced from other laser sessions.
Laser peels have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and for good reason! By performing controlled laser ablation to the skin, we can remove visible damage and stimulate collagen. Each treatment is customized to target the individual client and their individual concerns at every stage of life. Oftentimes, it is hugely beneficial to do a fractional laser ablation around the mouth for greater collagen stimulation, or on areas of scarring and dark spots at the same time. Results of laser rejuvenation are cumulative, so it is usually best to build upon a series and add a resurfacing treatment at the end. I love to see people commit to a package of gentle rejuvenating treatments (which firm up the skin and stimulate faster cell turnover) then finish with a laser peel. Talk about a transformative glow!
The season for laser peels is winter. I do not recommend pursuing these treatments during the warm and sunny months at all, and certainly not before a vacation! But we can always work toward better results from your peel(s) with other treatments throughout the year, and with the daily use of high-potency skin care products.
Whatever your areas of concern may be, there are always steps we can take to see real improvement. Be kind to yourselves, take care, and please reach out with any questions. This skin nerd loves a challenge!
By Nicole Whiteside, Medical Aesthetician / Laser Technician
Papillon Medical & Dermatology