Willo MediSpa » Blog » 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.

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.

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.

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.

Written By:
Dr. Nello Rossi – Willo MediSpa