Which rejuvenation process is ideal?
Overall, skin rejuvenation means the overall improvement in the appearance of the skin by achieving a refreshed skin appearance and restoring elasticity. While these procedures do not have the same effect as surgery, they can often prolong the time until a facelift or other surgery is needed. To clarify, surgery takes away "sags and bags," while skin rejuvenation takes away "wrinkles, red dots and age spots” plus improves the color, texture and tone of the skin. Today there are a wide variety of techniques available that allow us to tailor a skin rejuvenation program specifically designed for you—to match your skin type, lifestyle, and desires. In customizing a skin rejuvenation program to meet an individual's needs, many factors must be considered. Among these are type of skin, general health, and lifestyle. Each type of skin rejuvenation technique varies with the length of recovery time necessary, the frequency with which they need to be repeated and the length of time the results last.
How does aging affect the skin?
In order to understand how skin rejuvenation techniques work, it is essential to understand the aging process. As we age, a number of things happen. Our skin loses moisture and elasticity. Fat redistributes itself, muscles and skin become more lax, and bones actually start to resorb. Wrinkles [rhytids] are the first signs of this aging process. Skin folds or "bags" are the more advanced signs, which actually require removal of the excess skin.
What changes happen as the skin ages?
During the aging process, the top layer of the skin (stratum corneum), which is a layer of dead skin cells, builds up and thickens. When this happens, our skin can develop a sallow look and small "expression lines" can develop. In addition, there is a gradual breakdown of the collagen and elastic fibers in the deeper layers of the skin. Sun exposure or "photoaging" can dramatically increase the breakdown of elastic tissues and lead to increased skin wrinkling. It is important to know that 90% of one’s aging skin is environmental, i.e., sun, smoke pollution, and only 10% is genetic!
SKIN REJUVENATION TECHNIQUES
“Light” Techniques
Skin rejuvenation can be divided into different categories—light, medium, and deep treatments. Light treatments involve lotions and creams or light aesthetician services such as microdermabrasion and superficial chemical peels. These are frequently applied on a daily or bimonthly basis and have the advantage of no "down time" for convalescence. One can apply these lotions and continue her normal daily and social actives without any interruption. The objective of this "first level" of skin rejuvenation is to provide a more "refreshed" appearance to the skin and also, over time, remove some of the more superficial skin aging changes such as minor pigmentation, scaling, and very fine wrinkling. A good daily and bimonthly skin care regimen will not only create a more youthful appearance, it will slow the generalized skin aging process. It also provides a very good foundation for any of the deeper techniques we describe below.
The source of your skin care product is more important than most people feel. Some of Dr. Picerno’s basic recommendations are a Retin A type product, a Vitamin C product, an antioxidant and a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. These are in addition to your daily cleanser, toner and moisturizer. Dr. Picerno uses and recommends Arbonne’s Re9 product system for her clients with basic skin care needs. When she is treating specific issues such as acne, darker or more prevalent pigmentation, Rosacea, or deeper wrinkling, she will add the above products into the daily regimen and may recommend a more aggressive skin care routine.
