Pamela Hill Institute

Clients with sun damage and age spots on their skin can be effectively treated  through microdermabrasion and chemical peels.  Both of these methods have proven successful for thousands of people over the years and will continue to do so in the future. 

The Sun Gives Life, But Can Also Cause Damage

It doesn’t seem fair that one of the most enjoyable things in life, the sun, which shines its rays upon the earth to provide us with light and through that light makes life itself possible can also cause damage to our skin and appearance.  Too much sun in fact can even lead to dangerous problems like skin cancer or actinic keratosis, a colored spot on the skin that comes from too much exposure to the sun and can be a warning sign.  While it is not in itself indicative of skin cancer it can mean that you have an increased risk.  When you see a physician for an annual check up make sure that they look at any unusual  spots on your skin just to be safe.

Chemical Peels and Microdermabrasion

In the meantime, taking care of the more minor skin problems that the sun causes  can be done through the afore mentioned treatments of chemical peels and microdermabrasion.  When it comes to chemical peels  available for use by aestheticians.  Knowing the differences between them and assessing which chemical peel is right is important for proper treatment.  The primary difference is strength of the chemicals used. Phenol is the strongest of the commonly used agents and produces a deep peel which can help with pre-cancerous growths or other damage caused by excessive sun exposure.  It is often used on sun damage on the face.

Milder Options In Chemical Peels

Alphahydroxy acids (AHA) are milder agents that are in common use.  They provide brighter looking, smoother skin through producing lighter peels. And can include fruit acids, lactic acids and glycolic acids.  Alphahydroxy will sometimes be mixed with facial and become part of a daily regimen.  If the sun damage is slight then these agents are a good choice as they require a shorter recovery time.  Tricholoacetic acid is another option and can be used in varying concentrations.  It doesn’t last as long as Phenol peels and multiple peels may be needed, but it has a short recovery time and is popular with those who have minor problems and a limited time for treatment.

Microdermabrasion Is Another Popular Treatment

Microdermabrasion is a procedure commonly performed by aestheticians and  as a resurfacing treatment for the skin  is gentle and takes off the top layer of skin through use of micro aluminum oxide crystals, or a diamond tipped wand. A non-invasive and non-surgical procedure, it can be performed in the aesthetician’s office with no down time.  There are virtually no risks or side effects and most clients have very positive results. 

There are several methods the aesthetician may take in treating a client with sun damaged skin.  They include intense pulsed light (or IPL), microdermabrasion and chemical peels.  

Intense pulsed light treatment these days often takes the form of the foto facial.  This procedure takes about thirty minutes on average, and causes reconstruction of collagen and blood vessels beneath the skin.  The result is a reduction in lines and wrinkles, many of which have been caused by sun exposure over the years.    This is a popular, non-invasive treatment.  While the skin may be pink for a time after the treatment, no recovery time is needed. This is a treatment that a qualified, professional aesthetician can perform if they obtain the proper training and equipment.

The best candidates for this treatment are those clients who have early stage skin damage.  Settings on the light device are altered for each client to cover their particular skin conditions. Results seen will include a gradual decrease in redness, flushing and dilated capillaries.  Age spots, blemishes, fine lines, scars, hyper pigmentation, rosaga and spider veins will disappear.  Intense pulsed light emits over a variety of wavelengths, as opposed to a laser which emits over only one wavelength.
 
Chemical peels also provide solutions to sun induced skin damage.  A chemical peel requires use of a chemical solution to remove the outer layer of skin, the damaged layer, which allows new skin to take its place.  The chemicals used are adjusted for the individual patient of course, and their unique skin makeup.  Personal appearance enhancement and getting rid of skin imperfections that bother a client are common reasons for having a chemical peel.  

While some of your clients may have concerns over the strength of the chemicals used, as a practitioner, there are many chemicals available of different strength levels.  Milder agents like alphahydroxy acids are commonly utilized in light (surface) chemical peels.  These agents produce brighter looking and smoother skin and can include fruit acid, glycolic acid and lactic acid.  There is a very short recovery time required with these light treatment chemical peels.

Microdermabrasion is much like chemical peels in that it removes the outer skin layer, promoting the growth of collagen and new skin.  In addition microdermabrasion is helpful for acne scaring, wrinkles and other signs of aging.  Microdermabrasion exfoliates the outer layers of skin and brings out the new, clean skin layer that lies below.  Then much like a vacuum cleaner, the layer is removed by the esthetician.

Your clients know that too much sun exposure can be damaging, but most people continue to lie out in the sun anyway, especially younger clients.  As an aesthetician, part of your job is educating clients about the dangers of sun exposure and also recommend appropriate at home treatment systems, using the correct products suitable for a particular client’s condition. A result of that sun exposure in later life will be blemishes and imperfections in the skin.  By connecting with aesthetician, clients are able to choose from a variety of approaches to resolve problems, as per your recommendations, and greatly improve the quality of their skin.

Learn more about Ensuring an Optimal Outcome in Skin Care

Making the career transition from a day spa to a medical spa is a professional move than more and more aestheticians are taking as the popularity of medical spas increases.  Millions of Americans enjoy the services of medical spas now, a unique and rather new phenomenon.  

Spas have been popular in the United States since the 1850’s.  Saratoga Springs in New York was a fashionable retreat for many, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and the author Edgar Allan Poe.  Elizabeth Arden introduced the first day spa in the US in 1910, the Red Door Salon in New York.  Manicures, facials, waxing and other spa treatments we know today were even popular in the early days.  Jane Fonda was introduced to aerobics through a California spa.  Eventually holistic services were offered and in 1997 innovative physicians in the US introduced the medical spa concept, previously popular in Europe.

What are the differences between a medical spa and a traditional day spa?

Traditional spas are concerned with looking good and feeling good, but are limited in the treatments they can offer to clients.  Less invasive treatments and an emphasis cosmetic improvements and feeling great, as well as self-esteem improvement are the watchwords.  A medical spa includes all of the day spa services but in addition has a medical component operated under the strict supervision of a licensed health care professional, usually a medical doctor.  They will combine holistic approaches and the emphasis on comfort with medical modalities.  Use of lasers and intense pulsed light technologies, photo facials, dermabrasion in addition to microdermabrasion, the option of deeper chemical peels, and such products as Botox or Retyline are available at the medical spa.

For the aesthetician transitioning to a medical spa environment, the mind set changes a bit.

The aesthetician is a valued member of the team in a medical spa, and is referred to by other practitioners in the area of expertise of the aesthetician. But, a major advantage is that the physician is available to consult and refer for those clients who may, in the mind of the aesthetician, have a need for more extensive services.

Still relaxing, still somewhat pampering but with a focus on change and improvement, the medical spa expands the options for both the client and the aesthetician.  It allows the aesthetician to gain knowledge not available in the traditional spa environment, and is a professional challenge worth while for any aesthetician.

Facial Aesthetics, since 1992 has been a part of the growing medical spa industry, serving as a pioneer, familiar with both old and new technologies, home products and clinical treatments, concentrating on client education and professional excellence.

President Pamela Hill, is renowned in the field of esthetics.  She selects all products and treatments used and is intimately involved in every detail of this premier medical spa that has takes pride in helping clients improve skin damaged by the sun, acne, dryness, oiliness, excessive pigmentation, or simply age.  The Facial Aesthetics staff is well trained, with rigid standards of continuing education required for association.

The physicians on staff, John A. Grossman, MD and Phillippe A Capraro, MD are both board certified plastic surgeons have between them 45 years of experience in the field, and provide daily supervision of all procedures. Dr. Capraro joined Grossman Plastic Surgery at Rose Medical Center in Denver after a fellowship in aesthetic plastic surgery under clinic  director, John A. Grossman, MD who had an eye for talent.  Dr. Grossman is a graduate of the prestigious Cornell University Medical College in New York City, and completed surgical residency at Harvard Medical School. He opened a private practice in Denver in 1975, and a practice in Beverly Hills in 1984, bringing his expertise and skills to the public.

The staff at Facial Aesthetics believes healthy skin is a reflection of how a person feels about herself. As a person ages the face can change, looking tired, and this can affect a person’s confidence and self esteem.  

Facial Aesthetics assists clients in improvement of appearance both inside and outside through use of Dermal Fillers, Botox, chemical peels and microdermabrasian  and utilizes the cutting edge of products and technology.  Dermal fillers offered include Restylane, Hylaform, Captique, Cosmoplast, SCULPTRA and Radiesse.  

Facial Aesthetics also offers FotoFacial technology to correct color problems stemming from broken capillaries or brown spots.  Microdermabrasion treatments include a glycolic peer for most skin types.  Also Obagi Blue Peel, Glycolic Peels, Jessner Peels and Beta Peels all utilized for various skin conditions.  Add laser hair removal, waxing, tinting, permanent makeup and the famous “perfect facial” and make Facial Aesthetics a medical spa worth visiting. Which treatment is right for an individual patient is determined by many factors including skin type, pigmentation, and the specific injury to the skin.  Facial Aesthetics, with the well known and highly professional staff and high standards they uphold can provide a consultation and determine a plan to improve the appearance of almost any type of skin.

For more information, visit Facial Aesthetics Medical Spa at http://www.facialaestheticsinc.com

Microdermabrasion is a wonderful treatment for many patients, providing an opportunity to rid a client of the outer layer of skin, dead skin, and bring to light the fresh, youthful appearing skin beneath. It is accomplished through many different methods including mechanical abrasion from jets of zinc oxide or by aluminum oxide crystals. Clients best suited for microdermabrasion are those who have sun damaged skin, dark skin spots, acne scaring or rough skin that can be helped through the process.

The darker a client’s skin, the better suited they are in general for the microdermabrasion process. Those clients who have extremely light or fair skin, and especially those with freckles, need to avoid exposure to the sun afterwards.  

Fortunately for those who need microdermabrasion it is a safe procedure that requires no anesthetic. It works best in removing scars that are level with , or above skin level and not as well with sunken scars. For treatment of acne it is effective but the process needs to be repeated periodically. It is very important that those who have taken the medication Accutane, or Isotretinion in the previous 12 months avoid microdermabrasion as it can cause complications.

When microdermabrasion came to the United States in the 1990’s it was quickly adopted for use by many spas. It was found to work effectively with clients who have fine wrinkles, stretch marks and moderate scares. Of course, clients should be in good health, should have reasonable expectations, and should understand the sun avoidance that is recommended. Microdermabrasion has become one of the most popular treatment methods in the United States. In 2005 for instance it was one of the top five procedures with almost 150,000 performed. This is an increase of twenty-six perform from just two years earlier. Microdermabrasion by the way was developed in 1985 in Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe, being a successor to the outer lay of skin removal methods that date back to 1500 BCE in Egypt, when a sandpaper method was used to remove scars. In the 1800’s dermabrasion, a cousin that is more invasive, was introduced in Europe using human powered machines, eventually replaced by wire brush devices. Dermabrasion however can be painful, has a long down time for recovery and requires anesthesia, as well as having the possibility of infection, so many people consider microdermabrasion to be a step forward.