We don't know about you, but colorful trees, temperatures dropping, shorter days, warm apple hill donuts, and repairing sun-damaged skin comes to mind when we think about fall. Okay, maybe we’re the only ones who thinks of that last one. Colder months are the best time to consider skin improvement regimens because it's easier to stay inside, to cover-up, and protect our treated skin from the sun that could undo what we are trying to achieve.
Often, patients come to us in the summer to improve pigmentation or texture irregularities on their complexion, but that's not the ideal time to do it. It's important to have reduced sun exposure before and during skin treatments because increased sun exposure triggers your skin's tanning process by activating pigment secreting cells. When you have tanned skin, the pigment can absorb the treatment energy that can increase the chance of a surface burn. This surface energy absorption can prevent the energy from reaching the actual target pigment deeper in the skin.
Your skin is the first line of defense against sun and environmental exposure, which is why it's one of the first places to show signs of wear and tear. As we age, the effects of a lifetime of sun exposure can add up to where we can all admit to wanting smoother, tighter, and younger-looking skin. Fortunately, here at The Esthetics Center, we have state of the art tools to rejuvenate, refresh, and resurface our skin and eliminate common, aged skin issues. From truly effective skincare products to use at home, plus expert clinical esthetician treatments, to IPL and multiple laser resurfacing platforms -- all of which will recapture your skin's youthful look, tone, and texture!
So, if you see the accumulated effects of life or too much sun on your skin but don't have room for any significant downtime, we have an excellent series of treatments that our patients have been raving about. It is a series of energy-based treatments we call Light & Bright.
based on the Nordlys multi-application platform, uses two different therapies: The Ellipse IPL and the fractionated erbium glass laser called Frax 1550 that addresses red/vascular and pigmented problems as well as tone and textural irregularities. This power duo uses these alternating technologies during separate treatment sessions spread over a few weeks. It is our go-to treatment to rejuvenate sun-damaged skin, reduce ruddiness/redness, lighten or eliminate age spots, freckles, and improve overall skin texture with minimal downtime. In the first session, you will be treated with the Nordlys Ellipse Intense Pulsed Light, and at the next appointment, you will be treated with the Frax 1550 skin resurfacing laser. These treatments are repeated three times each until an excellent skin endpoint is reached. The best part is you can walk in and out with little to no downtime and typically don't have to take any time away from work or your social life.
To help you better understand why alternating these treatments is so powerful, here's a breakdown of the two procedures:
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is also known by the names Photofacial & BroadBand Light. This is a non-ablative (non-ablative means the surface of the skin is not broken), minimal downtime procedure that uses highly filtered and controlled bursts of light that can reduce or even eliminate age spots, sun damage, and excess redness. The IPL platform that we have at TEC is unique and superior to other IPL platforms because The Nordlys Ellipse IPL has water filtration. Why do you care? Well, you don't want water in the skin to be the target. First, water can absorb some of the light that is supposed to reach pigment and or redness, thereby reducing the good effect on the pigment or excess redness. Second, light energy absorbed by water turns to heat, and heat hurts. With this system, the burst of light energy travels through water, enters the crystal filter, and finally reaches your skin. This enhanced filtration allows more precise and concentrated targeting of unwanted "reds" and "browns" that dull your complexion with less discomfort. Added bonus: this light energy absorption stimulates collagen formation simultaneously, providing skin tightening and smoothing.
The other part of Light & Bright is the Frax 1550, a non-ablative skin resurfacing laser treatment. This technology rejuvenates the skin by delivering a very precise pattern of laser energy to the skin. This "1550" refers to the laser's wavelength that by itself can significantly improve the tone and texture of your skin. When added to the Nordlys IPL, our patients see dramatically improved skin texture and tone, a reversal of sun damage, improvements in acne scars, and a reduction in fine lines and age-related changes. That can refresh, rejuvenate, and restore your complexion.
If you're ready for clearer, brighter, and more revitalized youthful skin on your face, neck, or chest, give us a call at (916) 941-9400 to schedule a consultation.
