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It's only skin deep
You can reverse the signs of aging and time with these tips
by Dr. Manuel Garcia
Through the years, our skin is exposed to factors that cause it to lose its soft texture, tone, and clarity. As we age, not only does our skin produce less collagen resulting in loss of tone and elasticity, but it also decreases its rate of exfoliation (shedding of old skin) resulting in fine lines and roughness.
Sun exposure during our child and teenage years, or hormone changes such as during pregnancy and menopause, can lead to dark irregular blemishes that may not manifest until we are adults. Instead of treating the problems, many of us try to conceal them with make-up foundations, heavy moisturizers, and similar items.
What do I mean about treating the problems? I am referring to exfoliation of the skin. As we age, our skin loses its ability to exfoliate resulting in fine lines, wrinkles, and changes in texture and color. It is not only our face that is affected, but also our neck, chest, arms and hands as well.
There are several methods of medical skin exfoliation, but two options that are very popular include microdermabrasions and chemical acid peels. The popularity of these procedures stems from the fact that there is very little to no downtime, they are comfortable to undergo, they can be performed as often as every two to four weeks, and they can be performed in 30-60 minutes.
Microdermabrasions exfoliate the skin surface by using a handheld device to spray tiny crystals onto the surface of the skin, similar to sandblasting. The same device also has a suction component on the tip which serves to remove the exfoliated dead, outer layers of skin. Microdermabrasions can also be performed without the use of crystals, in which case the tip of the handheld device is covered with an abrasive surface. Both methods are effective, and it is usually patient preference which determines which will be used.
Chemical Acid Peels are also a wonderful means of exfoliating the skin. There are several different types of acids which can be utilized depending on the experience of the provider. Alpha Hydroxyacids (glycolic, lactic, or ascorbic acid) between 15 – 45 percent serve as a very superficial grade peel, which are safe for most skin types. Beta Hydroxyacids such as salicylic acid are particularly beneficial for acne prone skin as this acid is oil-soluble. Stronger acids are available but can result in some social downtime due to temporary redness, swelling, and delayed peeling. The less intense peels and microdermabrasion treatments can be performed on a weekly basis; however, the more intense peels will require more time in between them.
Both procedures are safe and effective. Most individuals require more than one treatment. The number of treatments will depend on the severity of skin damage. As far as side effects are concerned, most are temporary and expected. You can expect to have some minimal redness and flaking with less intense peels and low suction microdermabrasions, and quite a bit of redness, swelling, peeling, and maybe some scabbing with the more intense peels and high suction microdermabrasions.
We may never be able to get our skin looking like it did in our teens, but luckily we can definitely do things that will improve its color and texture.
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