Testimonials

Chemical Peels: An A-peel-ing Lift

Chemical peels are a tried-and-true part of the cosmetic toolbox. From lightly refreshing and nourishing to deep rejuvenation, there’s a chemical peel for almost anyone.

Peels work through controlled injury to the skin, using an acid preparation to loosen and slough off outer layers of skin cells. Results and recovery time depend on the type and concentration of acid, the number of coats applied, and the amount of time it is left on the skin before the acid is neutralized. A light peel may leave you with a sensation like a mild sunburn, while deeper peels may result in increased pain and longer healing time.

Chemical peels address a broad range of skin issues, including:

• Sun damage
• Wrinkles and lines under the eyes and mouth area
• Acne scarring
• Blackheads and whiteheads
• Age spots and freckles
• Discoloration
• Uneven skin tones
• Excessive skin oils and breakouts
• Enlarged pores
• Dark spots from pregnancy (melasma)
• Strengthening the skin
• Acne
• Irregular hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation

In addition to addressing particular issues, chemical peels improve the overall strength, brightness, and smoothness of the skin by removing dulling dead skin cells and by stimulating your own natural collagen and elastin.

When performed by a licensed aesthetician or dermatologist, chemical peels are suitable for most skin types. If you have inflammatory acne or other chronic skin irritation, if you are sunburned, or if your skin has a tendency to form keloids, however, you should ask your doctor about other ways to refresh and rejuvenate your skin.

At Comprehensive Dermatology of Pasadena, we offer a wide variety of chemical peels, including the following favorites:

The Light Glycolic Peel uses fruit based alpha-hydroxy acids to gently strip away dead skin cells, promoting clear, smooth, younger-looking skin.

The Nourishing Pumpkin Peel mildly slough off dead skin cells, stimulates collagen and elastin, fights free radicals, and reduces sun damage.

The Perfect Peel, with the ultimate antioxidant Glutathione, works from the inside to repair and nourish the skin by giving it a radiant glow, refining pores, improving skin hyperpigmentations, lifting melasma, controlling acne and preventing acne marks.

SkinMedica Professional Peels, available in 3 levels: Illuminize, a great first-time pro peel that brightens and refreshes skin texture with little to no visible peeling; Vitalize, the most popular pro peel, smooths lines, erases sun damage, and restores youthful glow (some visible peeling); Rejuvenize, a full-strength peel for maximum rejuvenating effects (visible peeling and some downtime).

To learn more about what chemical peels can do for you, contact us today!

Summer skin care: 3 quick takes from the news

Summer skin care reaches its peak this month. Here are 3 important summer skin care stories in the news, to keep you and your healthy, beautiful skin up-to-date.

1 That sunscreen might not be working as well as it needs to.

Yes, we repeat our sunscreen message even more often than you need to reapply sunscreen itself. That’s because no other part of summer skin care (or year-round skin care, for that matter) is more important in preventing both skin cancer and premature aging. But of course sunscreen that doesn’t do its job — which is to provide you with broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection — might as well be no sunscreen at all. A recent Northwestern University study found that nearly 40 percent of the top-selling sunscreens on the market don’t meet American Academy of Dermatology standards, mostly due to overstating SPF or lacking sufficient water resistance. Prices for sunscreens can vary by a whopping 3000 percent, the study found. Your best bet? See your dermatologist for the best sunscreen for your skin and your budget.

2 Even if your sunscreen works, you may think you don’t need one.

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: everyone needs sunscreen, every day. Studies show, however, that people with dark skin — African Americans and Latinos in particular — are far less likely to use sunscreen on a regular basis than light-skinned people. They’re also far less likely to apply sunscreen to their children or teach children the importance of UV protection. It’s understandable, because most of us associate sun damage with sunburn — the visible reddening and peeling light-skinned people experience. But UV damage occurs just as often among dark-skinned people, with melanoma survival rates much lower because cancer is not often identified early enough. In people with dark skin, signs of skin cancer may more likely appear where they are least noticeable — on the soles of the feet, under the nails, on the scalp. If your skin is dark, please remember to use sunscreen and other UV protective measures on yourself and your children, and to schedule an annual skin check.

3 Blister care is part of summer skin care.

As the American Academy of Dermatology notes, summer is prime blister season. We wear sweet new sandals without breaking them in, or go for a hike or a run in ill-fitting shoes, or scorch our bare feet on hot sand or concrete. And blisters aren’t just for feet. Anywhere we experience chafing — from tight clothing, or sweat, or wet swimsuits — can see blisters form. “If you do get a blister, be patient and try to leave it alone,” says Dr. Anthony Rossi, a professor of dermatology at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Most blisters heal on their own in one to two weeks. Don’t resume the activity that caused your blister until it’s healed.”

For advice on these or any summer skin care issues, contact us today!

Undereye Bags? Leave Them Behind with Restylane^®

Undereye bags — those dark, droopy hollows below your eyes — are the most unwanted baggage of your summer vacation. You may have had the best night’s sleep of your life, and the rest of your face may look younger than springtime, but those undereye hollows are instantly aging. You can only hide them under big sunglasses for so long. Fortunately, there’s a safe and effective treatment that can help you leave your undereye bags behind.

Although most of us associate hollows and dark circles under the eyes with lack of sleep or ill health, they’re actually — sadly — a normal sign of the changes that come with aging. Over time, skin succumbs to the forces of gravity, beginning to sag or droop. This is most commonly seen first with the skin around the eyes, which is very thin. Another consequence of time and gravity is the shifting of fat cells under the skin, leading to a loss of volume and accentuating the natural hollows of the bone structure under the eyes. Skin’s inherent moisture is affected by aging and environment, too, drying out the tissues and making them more susceptible to wrinkling, sagging, and darkening. Finally, age and UV exposure deplete the skin’s natural undercarriage of collagen and elastin, the proteins that provide definition and youthful plumpness.

Now you know why undereye bags form. The solution to unpacking them is to pack the area under the eyes (sometimes called the tear trough) with all the hydration and plumping structures it’s missing. Treatment with Restylane^® — an injectable filler — is one of the safest, most effective ways to rehydrate and plump undereye tissues.

Restylane^® is a silky fluid composed of hyaluronic acid, the skin’s own natural moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid hydrates from the inside, and injection with Restylane^® also stimulates the formation of your own natural collagen and elastin, providing the flexible, youthful underlying structure that keeps gravity at bay. Undereye treatment with Restylane^® generally offers results that last 6-9 months, with no downtime.

Because the area around your eyes is more complicated and sensitive than other parts of the face, it’s important to seek Restylane^® undereye treatment from physicians with lots of experience in administering the injections. At Comprehensive Dermatology Center of Pasadena, our doctors are experts is unpacking your undereye bags. Contact us today for your complimentary cosmetic consultation. And take advantage of our July special on Restylane^® undereye treatment. Then you can pack your bags for your summer vacation — but leave the ones under your eyes behind!