The New Year Resolution Makeover for 2011

To mark the start of the new year, our office is offering an exceptional facial rejuvenation package. The start of a new year offers a fresh beginning for every one of us. We invite any of our patients who would like to begin 2011 looking younger and more refreshed to take advantage of this special opportunity.

The package begins with a patient selecting which of three facial rejuvenation procedures to undergo. A patient may choose to have Thermage, a series of four Fraxel laser treatments, or a single Fraxel Repair treatment. The package also includes a treatment with Botox to two areas of the face or a treatment with one full syringe of Juvederm. We are offering these New Year packages at the special price of $2500 for Thermage, $3450 for Fraxel, and $2950 for Fraxel Repair. These prices represent more than a $750 discount from our regular prices. In addition, zero interest financing through CareCredit is available.

The Thermage package is best suited for patients who have mild to moderate facial laxity and wish to achieve tightening of the face and upper neck. The Fraxel package is best suited for patients who need to improve fine lines and brown pigmentation in the face or soften facial scars such as acne scars. The Fraxel Repair package is best suited for patients who wish to obtain tissue tightening, improve fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots, and complete their rejuvenation in a single procedure.

In our office, these procedures are all performed by Dr. Anterasian. Dr. Anterasian has performed nearly two thousand Thermage, Fraxel, and Fraxel Repair procedures with consistently excellent results. He has been honored by selection to “America’s Top Surgeons” by the Consumer’s Research Council of America for the years 2008 – 2010.

Dr. Amerian and Dr. Anterasian will be happy to assist any of our patients choose which package is best for them. In addition, we will be happy to give a recommendation to anyone (perhaps a husband or spouse?) who might wish to give a Facial Rejuvenation Package as a gift. This special offer will be in effect until February 28, 2011.

MLA Skincare Reviews

In the past few months, several skin care product reviews that evaluated the MLA Skincare line have been published. We are very pleased to share their comments with you.

From the “Futurederm” review:

• MLA Skin Care is a solid line with high concentrations of clinically proven ingredients. Add in the fact that the products apply well, feel great, and look amazing under cosmetics, and you have yourself a winning line.

• I must say, all of the products take to the skin beautifully, as they are lightweight and easily absorbable.

• My favorite product by far in the MLA Skin Care Line is the Multivitamin Serum. The serum contains high concentrations of vitamin C (as stable derivative tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate) and Vitamin E (as tocopheryl acetate), which synergistically work together as “network antioxidants” to enhance their antioxidant potential.

• The Multivitamin Serum also contains niacinamide, which has been proven to do just about everything from reducing fine lines and wrinkles to lightening hyperpigmented spots somewhat to treating rosacea and skin sallowness (yellowing) to increasing skin’s elasticity. Add in the antioxidant ubiquinone, the hydrating olive oil, and the powerhouse green tea, and you have yourself a real winner here.

• MLA Power Cream is a solid product, particularly if you have dry skin and want a product rich in collagen-boosting peptides. The peptide in highest concentration is palmitoyl oligopeptide (AKA palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 or palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 or Matrixyl), a synthetic signaling peptide proven to stimulate collagen.

• MLA Power Cream also contains palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (Syn®-Coll), which has been reported by The International Journal of Cosmetic Science to be a synthetic signal peptide that mimics the thrombospondin I tripeptide thereby promoting collagen formation. Considering that MLA Power Cream is one of the few moisturizers offering palmitoyl tripeptide-5, I’m excited.

• I really love it, especially for those with sensitive skin who are concerned about aging but cannot tolerate retinoids.

• I do love the MLA Multivitamin Serum and the MLA Power Cream

• MLA Eye Serum is a solid product. Its shining star is again palmitoyl tripeptide-5, which stimulates collagen production and increases skin firmness somewhat. The product’s arnica montana extract brightens a bit, whereas the olive oil, apple extract, and green tea provide antioxidant protection.

• MLA Eye Serum really is a solid product, particularly for those with dry skin and a bit of saggy undereye skin.

From the “productwhores” review:

• Recently I tried MLA Skincare’s Eye Serum and I’ll definitely be adding this one to my eye cream rotation. I really like the consistency of this cream – it’s thick enough to blend in easily without running down your face, but not so thick that you need to tug at the eye area to rub it in. And it has a ton of good ingredients in it including Goji Berry Extract, which is an antioxidant that helps reduce redness and irritation.

• It does seem to help with the dark circles that inevitably appear under my eyes after one of those 2am nights.

• It also keeps my under eye area smooth and moisturized.

• You do get a lot of product for your money.

From the “Editor’s Vanity” review:

• MLA Skincare Power Cream – This rich cream has been my go-to nighttime moisturizer for the past few months. It works well for dry skin; and for once, my husband likes the scent.

• The next time you order an MLA Skincare product, if you mention that you were impressed by the quality of these reviews and by the findings of these reviewers, we will give you a 15% discount on your order.

Wintertime Skin Care

Q: I have noticed that as we head into winter, my skin is feeling dryer. How should I take care of my skin during the winter months?

A: Winter is hard on skin because cold temperatures, harsh winds, and low humidity remove moisture from the skin and dry the skin out. These environmental factors impede the proper functioning of the skin’s lipids (molecules of fat), which normally help to keep the skin hydrated. The following tips will help you keep your skin healthy and looking its best during the winter months.

First, don’t overheat your home. Heating the air will reduce the humidity level in your home and lead to drier skin. Also, don’t sleep under an electric blanket. The heat from the electric blanket will suck out the moisture from your skin.

Try to limit washing the face to twice a day, as more frequent washing will tend to dry the face excessively.

Do not take long hot showers. This will remove the natural moisturizing lipids (fats) from the skin. It is better to take a short lukewarm shower, no longer than ten minutes. Use either a non-irritating fragrance-free soap, a cleanser that contains oils and emollients, or a moisturizing body wash. Bubble baths are not helpful and will dry the skin. However, soothing oils can be added to bath water to moisten and help hydrate the skin.

After your shower or bath, gently pat the skin until almost dry, and then apply a good body moisturizer while the skin is still damp. This will help lock in the moisture in the upper layers of the skin. In general, the drier the skin, the thicker the moisturizer you should use. We generally advise our patients to apply their moisturizers twice a day, but women with very dry skin might want to apply moisturizers even more frequently.

A facial moisturizer should be applied after washing and gently towel drying, when the skin is still slightly damp. In choosing a facial moisturizer, it is important to know what type of skin you have. For normal skin, choose a highly protective day cream that also contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and provides at least SPF 25 sun protection. If you normally have dry skin, then first use a moisturizing facial cleanser followed by an emollient or oil-based moisturizer. Glycerin, dimethicone, and hyaluronic acid are ingredients that will be found in emollient or oil-based moisturizers.

Remember that dry winter air will make the skin more sensitive to many anti-aging products. For this reason, women who use Retin-A, Renova, or Tazorac might have to reduce the frequency of application during the winter. In addition, certain alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acids such as salicylic acid, can exacerbate dry and irritated skin; their use may also have to be diminished during the winter months.

It’s important to continue to protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, so use a sunscreen or a sunscreen with moisturizer that has an SPF of at least 25. Please remember to use a generous amount of sunscreen and to reapply your sunscreen regularly. In addition, use a lip balm with sun block on your lips throughout the winter.

Finally, make sure you eat a well-balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Taking care of the skin during winter months often requires some changes in the normal skin care regimen. By taking these basic steps, you can keep your skin looking healthy and beautiful all winter long.