When seasons change, our skin can suffer. It’s important to reassess your skin care needs each season to keep your skin feeling and looking beautiful. Facial treatments can help give your skin the boost it needs before changing up your routine. We recommend three facial treatments to help your skin transition from the warm summer weather to the crisp fall and cold winter.
Chemical Peels
When you hear facial treatments, your mind might automatically go to chemical peels, and for good reason. Chemical peels are one of the most common facial treatments available. Chemical peels are used to reduce the appearance of acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma, and wrinkles. During a chemical peel, a chemical solution is applied to your skin. The solution is chosen based on the best type of chemical peel for your skin concerns. This chemical solution exfoliates your skin, which then eventually peels off.
Did you know there are three types of chemical peels? These facial treatments include a lunchtime peel (or superficial peel), a medium peel, and a deep peel. The lunchtime peel uses a mild acid such as alpha-hydroxy-acid. The acid penetrates only the outer layer of skin, gently exfoliating your skin. Lunchtime peels are used to treat mild skin discoloration, acne, and rough skin.
A medium peel is completed by applying a glycolic or trichloroacetic acid to the skin. This penetrates the outer and middle layers of your skin. Medium peels are used to treat age spots, wrinkles, and moderate skin discoloration by removing damaged skin cells.
Lastly, a deep peel removes damaged skin cells by using trichloroacetic acid or phenol to deeply penetrate the middle layer of your skin. Deep peels are used to treat moderate wrinkles, age spots, and shallow scars on the face. These peels are often performed under general anesthesia and, therefore, we do not perform them in our office.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a great choice when deciding on facial treatments to prepare your skin for fall. Though microneedling is most commonly used for the face, it can also be used to treat the skin on your neck and hands. Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that treats fine lines, acne scarring, and pore size.
Microneedling is safe and effective. It uses a special tool called a Skin Pen that consists of many small needles. These needles are used to create tiny holes in your skin. While your skin heals, your body is stimulated to produce collagen in the punctured areas. This increase in collagen reduces the fine lines and wrinkles as well as acne scarring. It can take 3-4 treatments before seeing the best results.
While it may take multiple treatments, the wait is worth it. There are 5 main microneedling benefits. As mentioned above, microneedling is commonly used to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scarring. The increase in collagen from microneedling also decreases the size of your pores. The procedure can also diminish skin discoloration and the appearance of stretch marks.
Laser Skin Treatment
The last of the three facial treatments we recommend is a laser skin treatment using the Excel V laser. Laser skin treatments reduce the appearance of redness caused by rosacea, spider veins, general redness of the skin, discoloration and more.
The Excel V laser works by targeting red and brown areas of the skin. This means that the laser will be targeting the red blood cells inside of blood vessels and the brown pigment cells in your skin. When treated with laser therapy, the blood vessel walls collapse and the pigments cells break apart, effectively reducing the appearance of redness and discoloration over time.
Laser skin treatment is a quick procedure that typically lasts no longer than 15 minutes. While most laser skin treatments are effective in 3-4 treatment sessions, it is important to speak to your dermatologist about your skin concerns and expected results. While this treatment is successful in eliminating redness and discoloration, new areas of concern may appear. Laser skin treatment can be effective in treating these areas as well, or you may opt for other facial treatments to address your concerns.
Preparing your skin for the upcoming fall and winter seasons is an important part of your skin care regiment.
While you may find at-home versions of these facial treatments, it is important to trust your cosmetic dermatology needs to board-certified dermatologists. If you have concerns about your skin or questions about these facial treatments, schedule a consultation with us today.
Vujevich Dermatology Associates offers medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology from some of the most highly trained physicians and clinicians in the greater Pittsburgh area. You can reach our team at 412-429-2570 or visit our contact page to see all of our locations. You can also follow us on Facebook to see what’s new in the world of dermatology.