What are the best anti-aging treatments for my skin this winter?

Answer: Collagen and collagen stimulating treatments are the best anti-aging treatments for the skin, and it is never too early to start, as our collagen starts to drop of at about 27 years of age!

This winter, we recommend our anti-aging treatments which focus on collagen, together with both keratin and elastin, to give the skin its elasticity and strength. The weakening of collagen, is what causes wrinkles and aging of the skin. Sun exposure is the main cause of collagen deterioration, as is smoking, stress, environmental toxins, and lifestyle factors. All of these, increase free radicals in the body, which decrease the skin’s ability to produce new collagen. There are ways, however, to prevent deterioration of existing collagen and stimulate new collagen formation! First let’s take a look at what treatments are available at Skin and Beauty Center to help stimulate collagen production:

• Diamond Tip Microdermabrasion Treatment: this rejuvenating treatment can be done during your lunch hour, and completely exfoliates the uppermost layer of the skin, bringing the fresher, newer skin to the surface. During this process the skin produces more collagen, because of the skin’s healing response to the exfoliation. The result is a healthy, dewy glow when your treatment is finished! We recommend bi-monthly microdermabrasion treatments for the first couple sessions, and thereafter monthly microdermabrasion treatments to achieve the greatest possible collagen stimulation, and the most dramatic results! You will leave with a healthy, and dewy, youthful glow!
• Juvederm and Restalyne Fillers: these fillers contain Hyaluronic acid, which actually prompt the body to produce more collagen. When these injectables are introduced into the layers of skin, they help to reduce wrinkles by smoothing them out. These fillers also signal the body to stop breaking down collagen, and to instead start producing it! The scientific data shows that when the skin was injected with Retylane and then analyzed, that collagen production was increased due to the fibroblasts stretching during injection. These fibroblasts in turn stimulate wound healing, which creates smoother, younger looking skin. The hyaluronic acid fillers are truly the fountain of youth, with their amazing ability to smooth all your smile and laugh lines away! Hooray!
• Lasers: Specifically our non-ablative V-Beam and IPL lasers, and our deeper ablative Co2 laser. These lasers work by penetrating laser lights deep within the layers of skin. This causes the remaining skin, to stimulate collagen, and over time, restores and improves the texture of the skin to a more supple, smoother, and youthful appearance! We love the results, and so will you! Our most intense laser is our CO2 laser which will deliver the most dramatic collagen stimulation results, and help to erase the most photo damage and scarring from the sun and /or acne and aging. Next up is our IPL photofacial laser which stands for Intense Pulse Light. This laser does not penetrate quite as deeply, making it an ideal treatment for patients still in their twenties, and early thirties who are just now beginning to see the effects of sun damage on their skin and hyperpigmentation, and don’t need quite as an aggressive laser treatment yet. The IPL laser treatment can also be done in as little as a half an hour, making it a convenient “lunch-time” laser treatment! Lastly, we have our V-Beam laser treatment, which helps to spot treat those areas of redness and broken capillaries on the skin that are associated with rosacea and delicate skin. Much like the IPL, our V-Beam treatment does not penetrate as deeply as the CO2 laser, and does not have as much downtime, yet will also help to stimulate some collagen production, and can also be a “lunch-time” treatment!

Now, let’s take a look at what Products help to stimulate collagen production:

• Vitamin C: “C” is for Collagen!! Ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, and also helps to prevent skin damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C helps to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture. In order for vitamin C to be topically effective, it must be at a 10% concentration or higher. Try our Piel MD Vitamin C Collagen Booster both morning and night for the best anti-aging and brightening results!
• Hyaluronic Acid: This acid which is also the main ingredient in our fillers, Juvederm and Restalyne, is also included in some of our favorite medical grade skin care products as well! Hyaluronic acid helps the body to stimulate collagen production and we LOVE the way it helps to smooth out wrinkles! We call it “a drink of water for the skin” because of how well this serum is able to plump up the skin and give it a more supple appearance seemingly instantly! We, here at Skin and Beauty Center are in love with it, and we are sure you will be too! Try our Piel MD Hydration Plus Serum for a hydrating hyaluronic acid serum to help give you a youthful result. Apply our Hydration Plus Serum after cleansing and before moisturizing for an amazing glowing result!
• Sunblock: Our sunblocks and sunscreens don’t so much stimulate collagen, as they help to PREVENT the degradation of the collagen and elastin of the skin. They therefore deserve to be mentioned as a very important and necessary preventative measure to maintaining the health and youthful appearance of the skin!

Our favorite Skin and Beauty Center Sunblocks include:

• Piel MD BB Cream SPF 50: This tinted sunblock has a mineral formulation which goes on easily and blends in with most skin tones! This wonderful sunscreen combines powerful antioxidants with a sunscreen to give you the best of both worlds! This unique formula goes on smoothly and blends in easily with your skin tone, leaving no chalky residue behind! We are in love with this product!
• Piel MD Moisturizing Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 50: This sunblock is designed specifically for sensitive skin types and is a higher SPF as well. We love the way it blends into the skin and provides superior sun protection! It is a must-have product when it comes to protecting the skin from the damaging effects of the sun. This is a physical sunblock which contains zinc oxide, as well as Vitamin C, Green Tea, and Vitamin E to provide brightening results as well as superior protection from both the harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun.

The combination of our Piel MD products and our anti-aging treatments are the perfect combination to keep your skin looking its best this holiday season! We look forward to seeing you soon at Skin and Beauty Center! Happy Holidays from SBC!