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  • Skin Care Regimens and Treatments

    Skin Care Regimens and Treatments

    OK. You’ve had a BOTOX® treatment to get rid of that constant frown. You’ve used JUVÉDERM VOLUMA™ XC to augment your hollow cheeks and JUVÉDERM® XC to soften your nasolabial folds and to augment your lips. You’ve been using LATISSE® to enhance your eyelashes. So why are you still using facial cleansers and products that you are getting from QVC or Target or Macy’s or that online auto-ship brand your friend is selling? Really? You need proven medical grade products to enhance your skin and protect your investment.

    Medical grade skin care products have higher concentrations of active ingredients in purer formulations. Medical grade skin care companies don’t sell their products in department stores or through the website hosted by your friend. They are available through medical offices. Why do the sales people in skin care at department stores wear white coats? It’s a marketing trick to fool you to think that they are knowledgeable medical professionals selling the products.

    At Willo MediSpa, we have tried several medical grade skin care companies since opening in 2008. We have migrated to Neova® and SkinMedica® skin care products that we feel give the best results to correct and maintain your healthy skin. SkinMedica® uses the GRASS method to put together a skin care regimen that is right for you. This acronym stands for Growth Factors, Retinol, Antioxidants, Speciality Items and Sunscreen. It is also the order in which you apply your products.

    I would like to discuss four different skin types and the products and treatments we have to offer. Please keep in mind that some skin issues need more aggressive treatments than we currently offer at Willo MediSpa. There are other medical offices that offer laser and resurfacing treatments. Also, there is no one product line that everyone feels is best for them. But if you are like most, a good skin care regimen of medical grade products with an occasional chemical peel and/or microdermabrasion will keep your skin looking healthy and vibrant.

    DRY/AGING SKIN TREATMENT PLAN

    This is probably the most common skin issue I see with my patients – both male and female. Your skin is dull and flat with a rough texture. Your skin doesn’t appear radiant or vibrant. It detracts from the overall appearance of your face. You spent years in the sun with no sun protection. You might use a product from here and there that you saw advertized in a magazine but don’t follow any daily regimen. The objective of this treatment plan is to restore the youthful appearance of your skin.

    Below are the products and treatments we recommend and offer at Willo MediSpa using the GRASS method. This treatment plan would start with a correction phase which would include a series of SkinMedica® chemical peels and an occasional microdermabrasion to boost the home regimen results. The home regimen would include a cleanser that helps with daily exfoliation such as Neova® Radiant Cleanser, SkinMedica® TNS Essential Serum to help correct fine lines by building up you own natural collagen, SkinMedica® Retinol for nightly cell turnover, a moisturizer/antioxidant such as SkinMedica® Dermal Repair and a broad spectrum SPF sunscreen such as Neova® DNA Damage Control – Silc Sheer 2.0 or Active. A specialty product to consider would be either SkinMedica® TNS Eye Repair or Neova® Illuminating Eye. As you start to see the results you want, your maintenance phase would consist mostly of the home regimen with an occasional SkinMedica® chemical peel or microdermabrasion.

    Skin Care Treatment Plan for Dry and Aging Skin

    PIGMENTATION SKIN TREATMENT PLAN

    This skin issue is very common. Women are more affected by pigmentation since their hormones play a part in the presentation of melasma and colasma. Men and women can be affected by post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation which can be a result from a scar or an acne breakout. The objective is to even out the skin tone and lighten the discoloration. Pigmentation issues can be very stubborn and take a long term treatment commitment.

    Below are the products and treatments we recommend and offer at Willo MediSpa in Phoenix using the GRASS method. This treatment plan would also start with a more aggressive correction phase using a series of SkinMedica® chemical peels such as the Vitalize Peel® or the Rejuvenize Peel™ and microdermabrasions to boost the home regimen. Your home regimen would include a cleanser such as Neova® Radiant Cleanser, SkinMedica® TNS Essential Serum, SkinMedica® Retinol, SkinMedica® Lytera for lightening skin discolorations and evening out your skin tone or using the stronger Neova® Complex HQ Plus which has a 4% hydroquinone. In your maintenance phase, a periodic chemical peel and/or microdermabraison will enhance your results even more. It is of utmost importance when dealing with pigmentation issues to protect your skin with a broad spectrum SPF sunscreen such as Neova® DNA Damage Control – Silc Sheer 2.0 or Active. Going through the process of lightening the pigmentation would be for naught if you continued to expose your skin to the damaging effects of the sun.

    Pigmentation Skin Care Treatment Plans For Phoenix Residents

    OILY/ACNE SKIN TREATMENT PLAN

    This skin issue can affect us as teenagers or as adults or our entire lives. I’ve had patients tell me that as a teen they had perfect skin, but as an adult they have developed oily/acne skin. Severe acne should be treated by a Dermatologist at any age, and there are times when oral medications are helpful. Mild oily/acne skin can be treated with skin care products designed for that purpose and with products that won’t congest your pores or promote breakouts. Retinols and salicylic acid products are the standard for treating acneic skin.

    Below are the products and treatments we recommend for treating oily/acne skin at Willo MediSpa using the GRASS method. In this treatment plan, Neova® Purifying Cleanser for daily use and Neova® Breakout Swabs for spot treatments contain salicylic acid. The antioxidant component of SkinMedica® TNS Essential Serum may be too heavy on this skin type. Instead, SkinMedica® TNS Recovery Complex and the lighter SkinMedica® Ultra Sheer Moisturizer are recommended. A nightly SkinMedica® Retinol is recommended and comes in three strengths – 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0. This allows you to select a retinol that works for you without producing side effects. As always, a broad spectrum SPF sunscreen such as Neova® DNA Damage Control – Silc Sheer 2.0 or Active – is recommended, especially to help inhibit post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. SkinMedica® chemical peels, which contain salicylic acid, can be used to help control and maintain acne prone skin. Neova® Smoothing Gel containing 10% glycolic acid is an alternative for patients allergic to salicylic acid.

    Get your customized skin care treatment plan for oily and acne skin today!

    PREVENTATIVE SKIN TREATMENT PLAN

    You’ve been lucky and smart. You inherited the good skin genes from your parents. You’ve limited the damage caused by the sun to your skin. You consistently use sunscreen and regularly use moisturizer. But you are noticing things are starting to slip just a bit or you realize that you don’t want them to start slipping. Preventing skin issues will cost less over time than correcting them after they have set in.

    Below are the products and treatments we recommend for a simple preventative skin care plan at Willo MediSpa using the GRASS method. Probably the hardest part of this kind of treatment plan is realizing that there will be a daily routine that you will want to follow just like brushing and flossing your teeth. Neova® Herbal Cleanser is gentle and won’t dry your skin. SkinMedica® TNS Essential Serum will help keep away the fine lines that are a sign of aging skin. Nightly SkinMedica® Retinol will help enhance skin texture. SkinMedica® Ultra Sheer Moisturizer will help keep your skin hydrated – something very important in our desert climate. The better sunscreens are now called broad spectrum SPF sunscreens and protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. We carry Neova® DNA Damage Control Silc Sheer 2.0 SPF 40 and Neova® DNA Damage Control Active SPF 43. SkinMedica® TNS Eye Repair or Neova® Illuminating Eye may help highlight your eye area, and an occasional SkinMedica® chemical peel and/or microdermabrasion will help your skin feel refreshed and glowing.


    Phoenix Anti-Aging Doctor Nello Rossi at Willo MediSpaWritten By:
     – Willo MediSpa

    201 E. Monterey Way
    Phoenix, AZ 85012

    Phone: (602) 296-4477
    Email: CustomerService@WilloMediSpa.com
    Website:

    Office Hours

    Sunday – Monday: Closed


  • The Aesthetic Consult at Willo MediSpa

    The Aesthetic Consult at Willo MediSpa

    I have an old sofa. My grandparents bought it in the 1930’s. I inherited it when my grandmother passed in 1984. It has a lot of Rossi history, and I can never part with it. It was covered with heavy red brocade when I received it and had crocheted anti-lathams on the arms and across the head rest area. My dilemma was what to do with it to make it fit in with me.

    The analogy of the sofa works for how we look at ourselves. We can’t get rid of our face, but what can we do to enhance what we like and improve upon what we don’t? For my sofa, it was a matter of having it repadded and recovered with leather. During an aesthetic consult for your face at Willo MediSpa, there are several topics and options to discuss.

    I always ask my patients what bothers them the most about their face. I think it is important to understand how patients perceive themselves and what priority they place on what they want to change. I need to see them through their eyes. This helps me make suggestions and discuss treatment options that address their concerns. Most of my patients want a softer, relaxed or refreshed look and not look like they went through an extreme make over.

    Botox® Cosmetic Treatments

    Botox Cosmetic Treatments for Men and Women of PhoenixOne topic to discuss concerns the dynamic and static wrinkles. Look in the mirror. Do you see wrinkles that you don’t like when you make facial expressions? Do you see wrinkles that are permanent without facial expressions? Botox® can lessen the wrinkles that are formed by the contraction of the muscles of the face. The usual areas for Botox® treatments are the glabellar area – the 1s, 11s, or 111s – that form between your eyebrows and make you look angry, the crow’s feet around your eyes that make you look old and the lines across your forehead that look like a pack of hot dogs. Not only will an adequate treatment of Botox® improve these areas, but several treatments over time may almost eliminate deep static wrinkles.

    Botox® can also be used in the chin to soften an orange peel dimpling that can occur, around the mouth to soften perioral or smokers lines and to turn up the oral commisures or corners of the mouth, under the eyes to give a rounder more open look, around the nose to soften bunny lines, along the jaw line to soften the masseter muscle, and in the platysma bands in the neck to smooth the ropey appearing muscles that can appear.

    Juvéderm® XC Treatments

    Another topic to consider is facial volume loss. Look in the mirror. Do you see three chevrons developing on your face making you look old and gaunt? These are caused by volume loss of the underlying tissues as we age. The first chevron is the hollows in your cheeks under your eyes caused by a receding fat pad and bone resorption. The second chevron runs between your nose and mouth and is often called the parenthesis lines. The third chevron starts at the corners of your mouth and runs down towards your chin. All three can be corrected and softened using injectable dermal fillers.

    Juvéderm® Ultra XC is a hyaluronic acid dermal filler that I use for areas needing less lift and more of a smoothing effect under the skin. It works well on most women’s faces for nasolabial folds, lips, glabellar and marionette lines and chin creases. Juvéderm® Ultra Plus XC is a more viscous hyaluronic acid dermal filler and is used where more correction is needed such as on deep nasolabial folds, deep marionette lines and with heavier skin such as men have. Juvéderm Voluma™ XC is a heavy hyaluronic acid FDA approved for age related mid-face volume loss. This product is injected periostially for the deep lift needed to correct cheek hollows and can also be used in the chin and pre-jowl areas.

    SkinMedica® Skin Care Treatments

    The third topic to consider is the overall appearance of the facial skin. Look in the mirror. Is your skin glowing and radiant, or do you have issues with fine lines, pigmentation, dry or oily or flat and dull skin? Going back to my analogy of the sofa, why fix the padding if you don’t repair the covering. A good home regimen and an occasional microdermabrasion or chemical peel can improve and correct your skin issues and help you to maintain youthful radiant skin. I recommend SkinMedica® skin care products and chemical peels. Their GRASS method will help you select the right products for your skin type and condition. They recommend products with growth factors, antioxidants, sunscreens and nightly retinols. Specialty products are used for various concerns as needed. We also have additional skin care products from Neova® to help with special skin conditions.

    Latisse® Eyelash Treatments

    Skin Care Aesthetic Consult with Willo MediSpa in Phoenix ArizonaThe last topic to discuss is eyelash growth. Look in the mirror. Do your eyelashes enhance your eyes? Men usually don’t care how their eyelashes appear, but they notice women with long butterfly lashes and women like to be noticed for their lashes. Latisse® Eyelash Treatments are FDA approved for making your lashes grow longer, thicker and darker. It is an enhancement that highlights your eyes and makes them sparkle.

    These are the topics I discuss with a patient who would like an aesthetic consult with me at Willo MediSpa. Often there are several concerns a patient would like to work on. It is not uncommon to create a plan that may start with one treatment modality and lead to another at a later time. There are times when what a patient is looking for is not something that can be achieved without surgery. Some treatments are less expensive than others. A plan that meets your goals and fits your pocket book is the best. Another point to remember is that aesthetic corrections need to be maintained. Periodic treatments to refresh your improvements are the norm.

    I hope this has given you an insight on the topics I discuss in my aesthetic consult with you at Willo MediSpa. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.


    Phoenix Anti-Aging Doctor Nello Rossi at Willo MediSpaWritten By:
     – Willo MediSpa

    201 E. Monterey Way
    Phoenix, AZ 85012

    Phone: (602) 296-4477
    Email: CustomerService@WilloMediSpa.com
    Website:

    Office Hours

    Sunday – Monday: Closed


  • Preparing Botox® Cosmetic

    Preparing Botox® Cosmetic

    Do you know how much Botox® you have had injected for any given treatment? This is a question that I ask my new patients. Often they have no idea of how many units of Botox® they have been treated with for any given area in the past. I’d like to explain how Botox® is prepared and why patients should understand how many units they use.

    preparing-botox-cosmetics-phoenix-az

    Allergan is the maker of Botox®. The product is delivered by FedEx within 24 hours of ordering. It arrives in a styrofoam container that is packed with dry ice, and it must be placed in a freezer until it is ready to be used. The bottle that contains the Botox® has no liquid inside it but instead has a lipolyzed white ring of powder that is the Botox®. To make it injectable, I must mix a saline solution into the bottle. I use Bacteriostatic Saline which has a preservative of Benzyl Alcohol. Once mixed, the Botox® is ready to be injected and can be refrigerated until used.

    Here at Willo MediSpa, the concentration of Botox® I prepare has 2.5 units in an injection volume of 0.1cc. The pattern I mark on my patients for their treatment is based on the spread and absorption of Botox® at that concentration and on the effect they want to achieve. Other injectors might use another concentration or another injection volume of Botox® in their practice. This is where I think a patient should know and understand the units of Botox® they receive in a treatment.

    Knowing how many Botox® units are used in the different treatment areas is helpful for an injector and for a patient to get a consistently effective result. Some patients want a refreshed soft correction of dynamic wrinkles and others want a more frozen look. I keep a diagram of where Botox® is injected on a patient and how many units are used in each injection and in each area. This allows me to be able to make recommendations based on the pattern and the number of units used for a future treatment. If a patient feels not enough effect occurred, I can make recommendations to change the pattern and/or increase the number of units. If a patient feels the effect was too strong, I can adjust the pattern and decrease the number of units. A patient knowing the number of units of Botox® used for an effective treatment can relate this information to any injector who can reproduce the effect.

    Another question a patient should ask is where the injector gets their Botox®. Believe it or not, even today in the Valley there are offices that do not purchase their products directly from the manufacturer. Allergan does not stand behind knock-off or imported products. An authentic bottle of Botox® has a hologram label. You should not feel timid about asking to see the bottle or about asking from where they purchase their Botox® to independently verify that you are receiving the real thing.

    I hope this has helped you to understand how Botox® is prepared and used. Please feel free to contact me about any questions concerning Phoenix aesthetic treatments you may have.


    Phoenix Anti-Aging Doctor Nello Rossi at Willo MediSpaWritten By:
     – Willo MediSpa

    201 E. Monterey Way
    Phoenix, AZ 85012

    Phone: (602) 296-4477
    Email: CustomerService@WilloMediSpa.com
    Website:

    Office Hours

    Sunday – Monday: Closed