Dermatological procedures get a lot of attention and some seem to be borderline miraculous! To achieve my skin goals, do I just need the right injectables and lasers? Can I throw my skin care out the window?
Are Dermatological Procedures All I Need For Great Skin?
Dermatological procedures can be very good additions to your daily treatment regimens. But relying on them alone may not give you sustained results.
Some of the most popular methods available at your dermatologist’s are injectables (Botox® and fillers like Restylane®), chemical peels, and lasers. Wondrous as they can be, these procedures cannot replace your daily homework.
Botox® (from the botulism toxin) paralyzes facial muscles to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Fillers like Restylane® build up volume by plumping up crevices from wrinkles and folds. Talented physicians can wield these tools so expertly so as to contour the face almost like cosmetic surgery but far less invasively.
Chemical peels are powerful microscopic exfoliants that remove dead skin cells to force new cells to the surface to impart a younger glow (or that expose the skin to high concentrations of specific actives for other benefits). For more on chemical peels, see About Chemical Peels.
Laser procedures can do several things from lifting and tightening, to resurfacing, contouring, erasing scars and pigmentations, and other impressive functions.
These clinical procedures can deliver dramatic results. But injectables do not fundamentally improve the structure of the skin: they’re longer-lasting cosmetic fixes (like a great makeup that lasts for months instead of a few hours). Chemical peels and certain lasers can provide deeper therapy but must be done by a specially-trained dermatologist or nurse with a doctor on site to supervise. None of these procedures can be done daily and there are risks involved.
Done properly, results can be impressive. But done incorrectly, serious problems can result including toxic reactions, burns, and post-inflammatory pigmentation (skin darkening after a trauma) that can be impossible to fully reverse.
Daily At-Home Active Regimen
While dermatological procedures are excellent options, they cannot replace the benefits that a daily, at-home regimen can provide. In fact, while the ideal would be a regimen plus procedures, if you had to choose, the regimen would win out. Why? Because besides basic hygiene and care (which are important), regimens like SuperSkin Care, Re-Everything, Illuminants+, or Id can work like clinical procedures on your aging concerns but on a daily, more fundamental basis.
These regimens can mimic the effects of your clinical procedures between doctor visits and actually influences the structure of the skin at a more fundamental level. And because active ingredients can influence new skin cells as they are made and rise to the surface of the skin, our cosmeceutical regimens can even improve the skin’s internal structure over time.
Add regular (bi-weekly, monthly, or other) clinically-sound Vx Facials and Skin Services, each specifically designed to bring out the most of your at-home VMV HYPOALLERGENICS® regimen, and you create a skinsational cycle of healthier skin > regular glow-boosters and deep-cleanings > occasional dermatological procedures that can help you achieve your skin goals as quickly and effectively as possible.
Click here for more on clinically-sound Vx Facials + Skin Services.
Click here for help in selecting a regimen.
Click here to get started on a comprehensive Skinvestment Plan.
