Hello December!

Hope you all survived Thanksgiving and enjoyed some downtime with friends and family. I sure did! I’m excited for December and making the final 31 days of 2015 amazing.

With the craziness of the holidays, I encourage you to do something for you. Remember- this is never in the tone of selfishness. Women get so caught up in doing for others at this time of year that they neglect themselves.

One thing I love to do during Winter is treat myself to an IPL- Intense Pulsed Light Facial. It’s the perfect time to do it because we’re indoors and out of the sunshine. An IPL gets rid of the hyper pigmentation and sunspots that creeped in during the Summer months. There’s minimal downtime and virtually pain free. The décolletage is also a great area to treat with an IPL.

Get ready for 2016 with a beautiful complexion! As usual, I love sharing my research with you. Here’s some basic info on lasers: 

Using Lasers to Treat Skin Conditions

Laser procedures can be used to treat a wide variety of skin conditions. Some of them are more precise, targeting specific blemishes, sun spots, or birthmarks. Others are meant to give a more generalized treatment and revitalize the surface of the skin in the treated area. That’s typically called laser skin resurfacing or a laser peel.

When You Should Seek Out Laser Treatments

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to have a laser treatment, you need to really take a close look at your skin issues. Remember that laser treatments are relatively easy, and the risks are low. It’s not like having surgery. However, if you have minor skin problems that could possibly be controlled by creams or lotions, you might be better off to go that route.

Also, keep in mind that lasers treat a variety of skin problems, including scarring, wrinkles, and sun damage. So, you shouldn’t rule them out just because you have a specific type of skin problem that you think doesn’t apply. Chances are good that there is a laser treatment out there for you, regardless of the type of damage you are trying to reverse.

How Laser Treatment Impacts Your Skin

There are actually two ways that cosmetic lasers impact your skin. One is that the laser machine could focus on a specific spot and heat it to get rid of it. Those spots could be unwanted hairs, acne scars, or other imperfections. The other is that the machine could simply be uses do heat up the skin in a certain area without targeting a specific spot. That type of treatment is designed to get the body to produce healthy proteins and other substances to revitalize the skin. One of those important substances is collagen.

Reasons to Choose Lasers Over Other Skin Procedures

There are a couple of reasons to choose lasers over other skin procedures. One reason is that there is usually minimal discomfort when you’re having laser therapy. The technician should numb the treated area before the procedure begins. Other procedures might be a bit more uncomfortable. Another reason is that both the process itself and the recovery time should be faster than many other procedures, such as facelift surgery. It’s also important to keep in mind that certain laser treatments are better for treating specific spots on the skin. Other types of skin procedures tend to target large sections of skin, instead.

Laser Recovery Time is Limited

Laser recovery time is usually quite limited. It might take as little as a few hours to get back to your daily life after laser treatment. It certainly shouldn’t take more than a day or two. However, there may be aftercare instructions to follow, such as applying medicated cream to the treated area or not picking at any temporary scabs that may form. Instructions will vary a bit, depending on the exact treatment you have.

Lasers May Not Always be the Perfect Choice

Although lasers can be used to treat many different types of skin problems, they aren’t always the perfect choice for everyone. Other factors, such as how oily your skin is or what color it is, may mean that you should try a different procedure instead. So, always discuss your options with an expert before having any procedure performed.

Also, it’s important that the medspa where you book your IPL procedure knows your skin history and skin type. For example, I am part Asian and my skin hyper pigments easily. The setting on the laser machine needs to be set accordingly.

Be BeaYOUtiful,

Tiff

P.S. Keep on the lookout for our holiday giveaways!