Winter in South East Queensland is the perfect time to give your face a little boost and schedule in 3-4 professional treatments.
How do I know which types of treatments are suitable for me?
That's where the dermal aesthetician comes in. I can look at the current condition of your skin. Discuss your "concerns" or "aspirations" for your skin. Consider environmental pollution, UV exposure, medical conditions, and overall lifestyle. From this we can start a simple treatment plan for winter with minimal down time. Without nasty ablative procedures and expensive "package" laser deals. Each treatment plan is individual, however following are some general examples.
-With the change in weather my skin is really dry and flaky. My make-up doesn't look too great due to this either. I feel like I look washed out. My job has me quite stressed at the moment. I am putting in a lot of extra hours just to keep up with the workload.
We would start with what I call my "instant gratification" facial. A thorough cleanse including enzyme exfoliation. Followed by a gentle diamond microdermabrasion and specialist serum and/or mask infusion. The skin will be left glowing. Not only will it feel silky smooth, but the slight vacuum increases blood and lymphatic circulation. Allowing for maximum absorption of the hydrating ingredients. These gentle micro treatments are often quite relaxing - great for stressed out people that simply need to stop and unwind.
A treatment plan over 4 months would alternate the diamond micro with an AHA/PHA peel. Each treatment would cost $90. Home care essentials would include a PHA cleanser, light exfoliant and suitable moisturiser. All 3 products together cost between $98 to $137 depending on your preference of products. A broad spectrum sunscreen is essential to protect the areas whilst having treatment. Failure to use this can result in unwanted complications like hyperpigmentation.
This is an affordable, easy to manage plan. Keeping the skin strong and resilient while targeting concerns. The added bonus is it will also help to reduce the appearance of surface pigmentation, that tends to give an aged appearance to so many ladies. The treatments will include the decolletage area also. Consider having your hands treated at the same time too. Many people target their face, but forget that hands are a just as visible ageing point.
-My skin is really congested. I seem to have breakouts in the same areas. Sometimes my skin is quite red and inflamed, even itchy. I have tried everything, from that product advertised on the tv to a "natural" soap bar.
This type of skin can be treated in various ways depending on the age of the individual and the degree of inflammation. As a general rule we would be aiming to calm down the inflamation, reduce the congestion and increase the resilience of the outer layers of skin. This is where the aestheticians experience comes in very handy. Calming, soothing facials with spot advanced treatments for the congested areas of the face. These should be first done a two weekly intervals for 4-6 weeks. Then most likely 1 or 2 monthly treatments. Each $78-$90. Homecare does not need to be overly complicated. Sometimes a simple bland cleanser can be recommended. A gentle exfoliant and suitable moisturiser. All three together $55-$81. The most important aspect of the homecare is to follow recommendations consistently and stick to the same products. The skin needs times to renew the barrier function. At times it may be advised to see a medical professional for a topical or oral medication to assist with internal influences. The skincare routine is adjusted to work in conjunction with this. A broad spectrum sunscreen is essential to protect the areas whilst having treatment. Failure to use this can result in unwanted complications like hyperpigmentation.
-I have old acne scars on my face. Not really bad, but they bother me. I also have some darker spots that make the scars stand out more. I don't really have acne anymore - just the odd pimple. I have noticed lines starting to form around my eyes and on my top lip too.
Aesthetic treatment all depends on the types of scars and skin colour on the Fitzpatrick scale (ie Keloid scars need medical treatment and darker skin will take longer to treat). We can start out with a treatment plan, however it most likely will be altered along the way. For lighter skins a course of alternating crystal microdermabrasion and AHA peels over a 4 month period. $90-$105. This not only helps to smooth out the scars but will help with the pigmentation and the fine lines. Home care with require bland cleansers and moisturisers immediately pre and post treatment, then AHA cleansers and 1-2 treatment serums. Yes this costs a little more $45-$70 per product. However it is still affordable. It is also just as successful on men too. A broad spectrum sunscreen is essential to protect the areas whilst having treatment. Failure to use this can result in unwanted complications like hyperpigmentation.
For even better results 1-2 dermal rolling treatments are often done in Summer. This is something I can honestly say will make a huge difference to the skins texture and appearance in the long term.
So these are just a few examples of how an individual winter skin treatment program can boost your confidence and reduce the amount of make-up you will be wearing in summer. Our goal should always be healthy, resilient natural skin.