What IPL can do for you

If you’ve got skin damage caused by aging, sun exposure or other environmental factors, non-invasive skin rejuvenation with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) may be just what the doctor orders!

What it is:

IPL is a laser procedure that uses specific wavelengths of light to diminish discolorations (age spots, freckles) and restore the smooth texture your skin had before it was damaged by the sun and other environmental factors. (Goodbye fine lines and wrinkles!)

Who it’s for:

The IPL procedure is safe, effective and gentle on all skin types and conditions and is performed as an in-office treatment in about 20 minutes. Pain is minimal (you may experience a slight stinging sensation).

No downtime:

Your skin may be red or blotchy after treatment, but usually disappears in around an hour. (No downtime required!) As for those age spots, they may become darker initially, but they will fade or flake off in the near term.

Maximum results:

For the best results, multiple treatments are required (3 to 5) every 4 weeks. This allows for gradual treatment, and improvement, that is gentle on the skin.

Importantly, you must take special measures to protect your skin from the sun's damaging rays after treatment. Not only will your skin be more sensitive while it is healing, but protecting it is the only way to maintain your rejuvenation results.

Lasers: No Pain, No Gain?

Lasers have earned the status of "miracle treatment" for many skin concerns: rosacea, age spots, wrinkles, hair removal, scar treatments and more. But the idea of having a laser zap your skin directly, possibly in multiple succession? That would make even the toughest of us squirm a little.

Truth be told, in the land of lasers there is a common misperception that you have to grit your teeth and bare it. It's time to toss this idea. No matter what laser procedure on your calendar, you shouldn’t have to be gearing yourself up mentally for it by chanting the mantra “no pain, no gain.”

The key? It's simple: pain management. Pain killers, numbing creams and advancements in laser technology are all ways to minimize—even eliminate—laser-related pain. Your doctor should advise you on your best options based on his or her knowledge of the lasers in the practice and also be the one who provides those solutions. Laser companies also know that if they can minimize pain and enhance comfort, they’ll keep both patients and practices happy. For example, one way newer laser technologies can achieve this is with an attachment that literally cools the skin during treatment.

At the end of the day, you shouldn't find your laser treatments painful and uncomfortable. If you do, it's time to request a different laser or move on to a different practice!

Your Best Winter Skin Yet

Ladies, it’s time to leave dehydration to fruit snacks. This winter get your skin fix by knowing the facts.

Winter brings with it a double skin drying whammy: cooler temperatures and artificial heat. Add some unprotected sun exposure to the mix and you’ve got the perfect recipe for parched winter skin. But you don't have to accept these unwanted seasonal skin symptoms. With three simple points, you can NO to dehydrated winter skin and YES to your best winter skin yet.

1. Recognize it. You know your skin is dehydrated when it feels dry and tight. Severely dry skin often looks scaly and flaky. But beyond discomfort and lack of aesthetic appeal, skin in this condition is also more susceptible to premature aging and wrinkles.

2. Understand it. In the winter months, dehydration can cause an imbalance in your skin’s pH levels, compromising the skin’s ability to produce sebum and retain moisture. The skin becomes dry and accumulates dead cells, yet another barrier to the products you apply topically for moisture.

3. Prepare it. Whether it's your favorite over-the-counter facial scrub or glycolic acid treatment or a lunchtime peel at your cosmetic surgeon's office, preparing your skin is the first step in preparing your skin for optimal condition. The second step? Using the right products, of course! Consider a physician-developed line such as JF Aesthetic, which is formulated to balance the skin and retain or restore the skin's natural moisture barrier.

Wrinkle Wars? Your Secret Weapon...

Almost every skin expert will tell you, if you’re over 40 you should be using a retinol. A retinol is a derivative of vitamin A that speeds up cell turnover to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and even out the skin.

While your dermatologist can prescribe a power-punched retinoid (such as Retin-A), over-the-counter versions (such as our very own JF Aesthetic) are also available. While prescription-strength retinoids deliver results in as little as 4 weeks, they also tend to be more harsh, often resulting in dry, easily irritated skin. Non-prescriptions retinols, on the other hand, take up to three times longer to get results, but are significantly milder and more appropriate for intolerant skin.

5 Retinol Dos and Don’ts

Whether you go the prescription or non-prescription route, there are several points that will ensure your experience with retinol products is a good one:

1. Do Start Slow

Because retinols can irritate the skin, begin by using them every other night so your skin can adjust. Also, apply only a pea-sized amount. More does not equal better results in this case.

2. Do Use At Night

Because retinols can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, apply at night only.

3. Don't Forget Your Sunblock

Yes, your skin will be more sensitive to the sun, so now more than ever be sure to wear a daily SPF. Increased skin sensitivity also makes waxing a no-no.

4. Do Use a Good Moisturizer

Retinol acts to increase skin cell turnover, so your skin may dry out, flake off or peel. The key to comfort? Keep it moist!

5. Don't Use if You're Pregnant

Or breastfeeding, for that matter. Studies have demonstrated skeletal deformities in the offspring of pregnant rats who were treated with retinoids.

Lasers, Lashes & Lips, Oh, MY!

Looking for a little post-summer pick-me-up? We’ve got 3 quick fixes for freshening up for fall.

Whether it’s wrinkles, sun spots, thinning lashes and lips, or all of the above, each of these emphasize the fact that you’re getting older. But don’t call to make that facelift consult yet (oh, no!). At TFI, we’ve got three ways you can enhance your face without going under the knife:

1. Lasers

Skin rejuvenation with the fractional erbium 2940 laser will improve all those tell-tale signs of summer sun damage—fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots and skin laxity—that can make your face appear older than its years. and. The beauty of this low energy laser is that it limits damage to the skin thereby increasing post-procedure comfort and healing time. In just a few days, you’ll be ready for your close up!

2. Lashes

While innovative non-prescription lash products abound, big price tags and unproven results make Latisse the industry gold standard. Just like the commercial says, Latisse grows longer, thicker, darker lashes in as soon as 8 weeks, with full results in 16 weeks. Of note, you have to continue to use Latisse to maintain your new and improved lashes. If you stop using it, they'll return to their original state. The reason? Eyelashes, like your hair, follow a regular growth cycle: they grow, fallout, then grow again.

3. Lips

Most experts agree: If you want to enhance the lips, the best place to start is with a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler such as Juvéderm. Juvéderm is a smooth, clear gel, which is injected into the lips with an ultra-fine needle and immediately adds volume. Plumper lips are visible immediately following treatment, although your lips will be larger than the desired end result because of post-procedure swelling. But don’t worry: Swelling resolves in 2 to 3 days and your lips will have that full and sculpted look you’re going for. Results generally last from 3 to 8 months.

5 tips to repair your skin

Wrinkles, sagging and age spots, oh MY!

At the end of every summer, each of us has some (be it a little or a lot of) sun damage to show for it. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun breaks down collagen and elastin fibers, which over time causes the skin to lose its strength and flexibility, leading to deep wrinkles and sagging skin.

While the sun is the primary culprit of premature aging, there is good news. Here's 5 things you can do to repair that sun damaged skin:

1. Topical Treatments JW Aesthetic Kojilac-C Serum treats hyperpigmentation (sun spots) and JF Aesthetic Retinol 50 Serum is used to reduce those fine lines and wrinkles. Alternating these products every night can lead to a noticeably brighter and more youthful-looking face. Products available in the TFI/SkinSuite offices.

2. Laser Resurfacing Intense pulsed light (IPL) noninvasive laser treatment can reduce age spots and sun damage. Used on the face, neck, hands and chest, this high-tech tool will restore and rejuvenate your skin.

3. Chemical Peels These topical treatments will have you waving “bye-bye” to dry, dull skin and “hello” to an even skin tone and brightened complexion. Try our our Glo Therapeutics Salicylic Acid 30% Chemical Peel or our GLO Therapeutics Modified Jessner 14% Chemical Peel.

4. Hydrate Use a hydrating moisturizer daily. The sun can leave your skin feeling and looking dry. Try TFI Aesthetic Moisturiche, www.TFIskinsuite.com

5. Protect Prevention is Key! Once you’ve treated sun damage, be sure to prevent it from returning. Wear sunscreen year round (yes, even in the winter months!). Apply at least a 15 SPF everyday and reapply when necessary.

Sun Damage? Un-Damage

As most of us know, the sun is the primary culprit of speeding up the aging process. Damaging UV rays create deeper lines around the eyes and mouth, an uneven complexion speckled with age spots and broken capillaries, and yes, that dreaded increased risk for skin cancer.

Granted, these days we're smarter: sunblock is part of the daily product regime, tanning is passe. But despite our best protection efforts, chances are at the end of the sunshine season, our skin could use a little help to combat the effects of the summer sun.

Meet the fractional erbium 2940 laser. Skin rejuvenation with this low energy laser improves fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage and mild skin laxity. (Got acne scars? It’ll improve the appearance of those too!).

The fractional technology available today offers several advantages over the traditional ablative technology of decades past. Because it creates limited damage to the skin, it's more comfortable, healing time is faster (which minimizes the chances of scarring, infection and long-term pigment changes), and downtime is limited to a few days as compared with 2 weeks for ablative laser resurfacing.

Here’s how it works: The fractional laser creates microscopic points of injury into the skin, leaving surrounding tissue intact. As part of the body’s natural healing process, new healthy tissue forms, boosting collagen in the skin and also creating a tightening effect. Once healing has taken place, skin texture improves and lines soften. Results are gradual and you can expect to see improvements over the 3 months following your treatment.

So as we bid adieu to summer, and turn our faces to post-summer skin damage repair, let's think fractional laser for facial rejuvenation.

Need a Lift? Needle vs Scalpel...

If your neck needs a lift, chances are so does your face. In fact, these two procedures are often performed simultaneously. Today, however, we've learned several things about the way the face ages and those insights have influenced the way we approach facial rejuvenation. Your face may need a lift, but it doesn't necessarily involve a scalpel.

We know today that facial aging is a 3-dimensional process: wrinkles and sun damage to the skin, loss of volume, and general drooping of tissue. Instead of pulling it all up and snipping it off in a traditional facelift procedure (can you say "wind-blown" look?), surgeons today are filling lines with soft tissue fillers (Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm) or fat, and picking up that excess skin by revolumizing the midface (cheeks). Often referred to as a liquid facelift, if the needle can effectively meet your goals, a surgical facelift not necessarily indicated.

But that isn't to say that the facelift is a thing of the past. If you haven't taken preventive measures along the way, have significant drooping skin, and the aging process has simply caught up with you, a surgical facelift may be needed to meet your rejuvenation goals.

At the end of the day, it's all about a customized approach to your face. If there's one thing we know for certain in the aesthetic industry (contrary to past approaches), one size does not fit all!