Swing into the Holidays
HOW TO GET READY FOR this seasons festivities with a vibrant, smooth complexion
Holiday season is fast approaching, and we all want to look and feel our best. But what if you want to look better than your best? Here are some options if you want a little extra help from your local plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or med-spa.
Four weeks before
Clarify your skin – There are many ways to increase luminosity, lighten pigmentation, and address ruddiness. Consider superficial chemical peels to exfoliate the skin, lift brown spots and refine texture. Intense pulsed light or laser also softens signs of summer damage by targeting freckles, sun spots, and blotchy redness. For fine lines and textural irregularities, microneedling with platelet rich plasma induces collagen production. For an added boost, combine microneedling with radiofrequency heat. Depending on your needs, these treatments are often used in combination. But, what they share in common is that there is a lag between when you receive the treatment and when you see the results. In addition, they do have minor downtime.
Banish sweaty armpits – Parties can be a little stressful and crowded rooms can heat up quickly. If you spend vital mental energy thinking about armpit sweating and/or how to avoid deodorant or sweat stains, consider reducing sweating permanently with a one-time procedure called miraDry or temporarily with Botox.
Skin tightening – If you’re noticing that your skin is sagging, energy-based modalities work by using heat to tighten the skin. Popular options include ultrasound energy and radiofrequency energy.
skin facts
November has been designated as National Healthy Skin Month by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Here are a few skin facts from the AAD – some fun and some a little weird.The average adult has approximately 16 to 22 square feet of skin, which weighs around 20 pounds on average
Skin accounts for about 15 percent of your body weight
The skin has three layers: epidermis, dermis, and subcutis
Skin is thickest on the palms and soles, and thinnest on the eyelids
Your skin completely renews itself every 28 days by constantly shedding dead cells
Skin sheds around 30,000 cells per minute
A large part of the dust in your home is actually made up of dead skin cells
Two to four weeks before
Smooth out those wrinkles, especially the frown and worry lines – Although the holiday season can be stressful, our faces don’t have to reveal the inner commotion. Botox and other neurotoxins soften frown and worry lines, but take a few days to a couple weeks to work their magic. Also, if you need an adjustment, you still have time before the party. Fillers work immediately and can wake up tired eyes and lift sagging cheeks, but you should allow 1-2 weeks to recover from swelling and bruising. You can minimize bruising by avoiding anti-inflammatories like aspirin and ibuprofen for one week before your procedure.
A week to a few days before
Bring on the glow: Aquagold is a super-facial that plumps, hydrates, and diminishes fine lines. It should be done about a week before your event. There are also no-downtime procedures that help to smooth and plump the skin. These include amped-up facials, such as dermal infusion or hydrafacial, which remove dead surface cells and infuse hydrating serums into the skin. They can be combined with laser genesis, which decreases pore size and increases luminiosity.
How to choose
Make an appointment with an expert consultant, such as a board-certified dermatologist. Your consultant will give you his or her professional opinion about what would be most impactful for you, based on your goals and your starting point. The main point of this piece is to remind the procrastinators among us that a little planning allows more options.
