LED YOURSELF

What is an LED and why should you care?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. An LED is basically a semiconductor light source. LEDs come in many different colors as depicted in the above photo. The first practical visible-spectrum LED was red and  was developed in 1962 by Nick Holonyak Jr., while working at General Electric Company. LEDs are currently used for televisions, radios, watches, telephones, calculators, traffic lights, large display screens as well as for skin care treatments!

LED skin care treatments or LED facials have been available in medical spas for a long time. They include treatment with either a red LED or a blue LED. Red LEDs are used to treat photo-aging while blue LEDs are used to treat acne. Having these treatments in a medical spa usually involves sitting in front of a bank of these light emitting diodes that are either blue or red. These lights are targeted toward whatever area of the body the patient is looking to treat. Most commonly this is the face, but the back or chest can also be treated, specifically for teens with acne. 

LED treatments are completely safe for either facial rejuvenation or acne reduction. It is not painful and does not require any downtime. LED light is not the same thing as a laser and therefore does not carry the same risk as lasers. It is not necessary to wear protective glasses while being treated with LED light and the light may be used on the skin surrounding the eyes.

The latest breakthrough in LED treatments has come with the creation of an at home treatment device! Now these medical treatments are available to be used in the comfort of your own home, making them much more convenient. While it is still beneficial to come in to a medical spa to get large areas such as your back or your chest treated for acne (we do still offer this at Spa on the Green), it is so much easier to treat your own face and neck at home and not have to worry about finding the time to come into the office/spa for a treatment!

The TANDA luxe is an at home hand held device that uses red LEDs to help fight the signs of aging. This red light is coupled with sonic vibration and gentle warming in a unique massaging treatment head to deliver a professional photo-facial experience at home in order to obtain luxurious, soft, smooth, glowing skin. Red light penetrates into the skin to boost cellular energy increasing the production of collagen and elastin in the skin as well as increasing micro-circulation in the treated area. This helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and make skin look younger, firmer, plumper with a overall enhancement in tone and texture. 

The TANDA clear+ uses the exact same technology as the TANDA luxe except for the fact that instead of using red light, it uses blue light. Blue LED light has been clinically proven to kill acne-causing P. acnes bacteria, clearing existing blemishes and preventing future outbreaks. The clear+ also uses sonic vibration and gentle warming to increase the efficacy of the treatment. Blue light works by producing oxygen singlets which attach to the P.acnes bacteria. These singlets have a photo-toxic effect on key porphorins, causing the P.acnes bacteria to self-destruct. The vibration increases micro-circulation in treated areas, which helps to reduce swelling and inflammation in the skin. The gentle warming opens pores allowing more light to reach the bacteria. 

TANDA luxe and TANDA clear+ should be used as part of your at home skin care routine. To get the most out of either of these treatment systems, they should be used 3 times per week over the entire face and neck. The TANDA luxe may also be used on the hands to treat the signs of aging. 

The head of the TANDA must make full contact with the skin in order to turn on. When it turns on it will emit the light and you will feel a slight vibration. Each area should be treated for 30 seconds. When 30 seconds has completed the device will beep. The triangle shape of the head makes it easy to maneuver the device over your entire face. We find it easiest to use this device with a facial serum to help it glide easily across your skin. We recommend our BrookskinMD C-serum. The vibration of the device will help to push the product into the skin. The Vitamin C in the C-Serum works as a nutrient for the Fibroblasts in our skin which make collagen and elastin, enhancing the overall treatment!

If you would like to learn more about LED treatments or the TANDA products please leave a comment or visit us at the office or the spa! TANDA luxe, TANDA clear+ and TANDA zap are all sold at our office and at our spa!

ALL WRINKLES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!

Botox...lasers...fillers...OH MY!

Do you want to get rid of your wrinkles, but aren't sure what the best treatment is for you? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of facial rejuvenation treatments out there? Let us break it down for you!

It starts by determining what type of wrinkle you would like to rid your face of! There are actually FOUR different kinds of wrinkles that can be found on the face! The next step is to determine which treatments will work for the specific wrinkle you want to kiss goodbye!

Wrinkles

1. Atrophic Wrinkles
These wrinkles are fine lines occurring on the face that appear to be almost parallel to each other. When you stretch the skin surrounding these wrinkles they tend to disappear. These wrinkles are caused by the loss of collagen in your skin which can be due to sun exposure as well as the normal aging process.

2. Permanent Elastic Wrinkles
Crease lines that may start out as Atrophic Wrinkles, but become permanent over time. They occur on the cheeks and upper lip most frequently. These wrinkles are also caused by sun exposure as well as by smoking.

3. Dynamic Wrinkles
Wrinkles caused by movement of facial muscles. These wrinkles are commonly referred to as frown lines, smile lines, crows feet or "11's" (the lines in-between your eyebrows). They are not caused by sun or smoking (however ALL wrinkles are exacerbated by both of these things), but rather from the repetitive movement of skin as your muscles of your face move in expression.

4. Gravitational Wrinkles
These lines are caused by the effect of gravity as we age. They are also due to the redistribution of fat as we age. These include things like nasolabial folds (the lines framing your mouth) and jowls.

Treatments



1. Botox & Dysport
Botox (onobotulinumtoxinA) and Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), are both neurotoxins that treat Dynamic Wrinkles. Botox and Dysport work by stopping the nerve from firing, which stops your muscle from contracting, which stops your skin from moving! Once your skin is not constantly moving all day it allows the skin to smooth out and viola, NO wrinkles! Botox and Dysport are temporary treatments and need to be done every 3-4mo. If your wrinkles are deep and do not go away when you are not moving your muscles it make take more than one treatment of Botox or Dysport to completely correct these wrinkles. Some wrinkles may be too deep to ever achieve 100% correction, but can be softened by multiple treatments.

2. Fillers
There are many different fillers out there on the market. The most common are Juvederm and Restylane, which are made of Hyaluronic Acid, a naturally occurring sugar molecule found in your skin. These fillers last anywhere from 6-18 months! These are best used to treat gravitational wrinkles where you have actual loss of volume. They can be used to fill the nasolabial folds & marionette lines (vertical lines going down from each corner of the mouth) as well as to plump up the upper cheek and lips!

3. Lasers Treatments
Laser resurfacing or Fractionated Laser Therapy can be used to help with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Both of these treatments can help with the overall appearance of your skin including correction of tone and texture. Lines around the mouth and underneath the eyes as well as atrophic and permanent elastic Wrinkles on the cheeks benefit greatly from a Laser resurfacing treatment. These treatments do require more downtime than treatments with Fillers or Neurotoxins as the skin needs anywhere from 2-10 days to recover depending on how aggressive the treatment was.

Of course Botox, Fillers & Lasers have contraindications, risks and potential side effects associated with them just as any cosmetic procedures do. These treatments should only be performed by a trained and licensed medical professional! Make sure you do your homework and know who is treating you!

If you are interested in learning more about any of these treatments or are interested in receiving any of these treatments, please book a consultation at our office with Dr. Glen Brooks, Leah Kenney, PA-C or Julia Boucher, PA-C. Call 413-565-4400 to book now!