What You Need to Know Before You go to a Medical Spa

At our medical spa we do a complimentary consultation for every new client and we look thoroughly over our client's medical history, however not every spa will do this so here are some tips on being informed and ready for your medical spa treatments which can tend to be stronger than traditional "day spa" treatments. These tips will keep you safe.

You might be wondering what the tangible benefits of having professional treatments are and why they are worth the investment especially with so many over the counter treatments available.. For those who don’t suffer from severe or chronic (repetitive) skin conditions, home care is one option and I encourage maintaining a home-care regimen even if you go to the spa. Although even if you have good skin occasional chemical peels will keep your cell turn over going & give you that consistent glow. Professional treatments can aid in accelerating the anti-aging process for more rapid results. Generally speaking, estheticians treat the epidermis (outermost layer of skin), while doctors, Nurses or Physician Assistant's can treat down to the dermis level (skin layer under the epidermis). Thus, a good esthetician will tell you when to seek out a medical spa for certain skin conditions, such as cystic acne. Para-medical esthetician's are also licensed to go deeper into the dermis under physician supervision and work with medical grade skin-care only.

An esthetician should always perform a skin analysis, examining your skin under a large magnifying glass -we offer Visia skin complexion analyses as well. If you are not asked to fill out what is known as a medical history form or a consent form, walk out. This form is critical to the consultation process, which should be performed for every new client. Also important-you should always receive a detailed post-care instruction sheet. Estheticians often use medical-grade ingredients and it’s important that they are aware of a client’s medications, allergies, and home care before treatment. These are known as contraindications and are important in determining whether you are a good candidate for a particular treatment. If you are allergic to milk and receive a peel containing even the smallest amount of lactic acid, you may experience severe side effects. Moreover, pregnant women should never have a chemical peel as peels penetrate down to the cellular level. It’s similar to avoiding certain foods during pregnancy. Intake forms vary by spa and cannot cover absolutely everything so it is important to ask questions, and that the consultant/esthetician is asking you additional questions and educating your on the treatment.

A great medical spa will provide you with pre-treatment and post-treatment instructions and will call you after your treatment to check on your progress. They also have to have doctors, PAs, or nurses on staff to answer questions or write prescriptions when necessary.

Exfoliation is fundamental to healthy skin care and requisite to maintaining a youthful complexion - it is often the focus of spa treatments. As a medical spa we find that chemical peels are great combination therapy and enhance the results of all laser treatments including IPL photo-rejuvenation, and fractional laser resurfacing. This is because once the dead skin cell layer is removed the laser can penetrate better, and the cell turn-over is accelerated.

Chemical exfoliation penetrates deeper into skin than micro-dermabrasion and exfoliates via high concentrations of AHA/BHA acids. The acids loosen the bonds between skin cells, allowing them to shed quicker than they normally would. Medical spas can use higher concentrations of acids than day spas. While peels can provide rapid results, it’s very important that the esthetician determine what strength is best to use. While peels do cause a tingling sensation, it should be neutralized before the tingling turns into a burning sensation. Everyone has a different tolerance for peels and that tolerance tends to grow with every use. If you are new to a spa or new to chemical peels you should always start with lighter peels and work your skin tolerance up to higher grade peels. It is also important that the correct type of chemical peel is performed for your skin type. If you have dark skin, always ask what possible side effects there are for the peel being performed and if it is safe for dark skin.

SPF should always be applied at the end of any medical spa chemical peel, facial or laser treatment on the face, chest or body. This is especially important post-treatment as chemical peels and laser treatments increase photo-sensitivity to the treated area. Remember, peels work at the cellular level and are still working long after you’ve left the spa.

Lastly, I have previously stated that many people have a tendency to over-exfoliate, which is detrimental to skin health. Often, clients see impressive results from a peel or microdermabrasion and think that more is better. There have been many times that I’ve kindly discouraged a client who wants microdermabrasion every week! Unfortunately, there are spas that will perform treatments as often as requested. Chemical peels, and laser treatments should always be spread out 2-4 weeks apart depending on the treatment, weekly is too often.

Important tip: Melasma in olive skin types should not be treated with IPL (intense pulsed light) this can make the Melasma worse-we have corrected to many of these mistakes from other medical spas.
In conclusion when deciding on the best medical spa for you, do your research, look at how long the spa has been in business, read online reviews, read their website, ask questions in your consultation, make sure the technician is licensed and appropriate to perform the treatment for you.

Tip: Don't base your decision on price-it is better to pay a little bit more for a great treatment, then to have to pay to correct an inexpensive treatment that damaged your skin-this can cost ten times more in the long run.

Eliminate Hyperhidrosis-Excessive Sweating with Botox

We all have had those times where we were embarrassed by the unattractive "pit stains" under our arms on our cool new white tee-shirt as we were sweating due to nerves, or heat from nervously a talking to a "crush", in an interview, or on a hot summer day. While most of us have had a day or two like this in a life-time for those who suffer from Hyperhidrosis this is an every day and often embarrassing ocurence. Hyperhidrosis is a disorder marked by excessive sweating. It usually begins at puberty and affects the palms, soles, and mainly armpits. Hyperhidrosis in general and axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating in the armpits) in particular are more common in the general population than was previously thought. A group of dermatologists in Virginia reported in 2004 that 2.8% of the United States population, or about 7.8 million persons, have hyperhidrosis.


Fortunately there is now a cure for Hyperhidrosis-BOTOX®
During the procedure at a medical spa or doctor's office, a small amount of BOTOX® (generally 40-50 units under each arm) is injected into the affected underarm area through a very fine needle (insulin needles). In a short appointment with your medical specialist, about 15 injections are made to the underarm area.The actual procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes and lasts 7-12 months on average. You should notice a significant reduction in underarm sweating within 4 weeks of your first treatment. If you do not see a significant reduction in sweating, you should contact your healthcare provider and request a follow-up consultation.

This treatment can also be performed for those who may not have diagnosed hyperhidrosis but simply want to sweat less or those who live in severe humid warm clients such as Florida.

More Men Are Opting for Laser Hair Removal

Next to Botox injections laser hair removal is the second most common cosmetic procedure done here in the U.S. however although our medical spa has been open for 8 years, we have really seen a surge in male clientele for laser hair removal in the past 2 years-it is obviously becoming more socially acceptable through reality television and advertising in magazines, newspapers etc, also many more women are pushing husbands and boyfriends to treat their backs and bikini lines. Laser hair removal clients is now about 30-40% men.
As a medical spa we now try to offer specials for men and women so that men understand that these treatments are not gender biased-they are equally effective for men and women. Although men and women commonly want different areas treated with laser hair removal the reasons are the same- excess hair in embarrassing areas such as backs or shoulders, ingrown hairs causing unattractive bumps on the neck and beard area, or they are tired of shaving.

For many men the problem areas are the shoulders and back. The highly concentrated light from the laser is absorbed by the hair follicle and destroys it in the anagen cycle. While the dark hairs are destroyed, the skin around it remains unharmed

Typically the first treatment you have more hair follicles you are going to feel more of it because there's more to remove. Each treatment becomes more comfortable. Removing all of the hair typically takes 6-7 treatments 4-7 weeks apart and the sessions are 5-60 minutes depending on the size of the area. There is topical numbing available for those men with a low pain tolerance.
Cost of laser hair removal for men varies depending on the size of the area but starts as low as $85 per treatments. For more information go to www.winterparlaser.com

Save $200 on Botox Cosmetic at Winter Park Laser

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Save $200 on Botox Right now just by signing up for "Brilliant Distinctions" from Allergan (the makers of Botox. You will save $50 on your first treatment, $75 on your 2nd treatment, & $75 on your 3rd treatment, call our office or sign up today by clicking HERE: Brilliant Distinctions
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*This offer ends at March 31st and is valid for purchase of $200 or more.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is administered by Kathryn Bies PA-C with over 6 years of experience. It is a nonsurgical treatment that is injected directly into the muscles between the brows, the forehead or the crow's feet. It works by blocking nerve impulses to the injected muscles. This reduces muscle activity that causes moderate to severe lines to form between the brows.
Call (407) 601-1185 to schedule your appointment or for a free consultation.

Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center
1215 W. Fairbanks Ave. Orlando FL 32804
(407) 601-1185 *
www.winterparklaser.com
Medical Director: James F. Farrell M.D.

Laser Stretch-Mark Removal Advantages

Lots of people with stretch marks are hunting for treatment past those traditional stretch mark removal methods. Stretch marks typically turn up when the skin is dramatically stretched particularly in pregnant women, teens with growth spurts, and those who experience sudden and fast weight gain. Even though stretch marks don’t pose any health danger, they are unsightly marks that bother many women and men especially for summer time or bikini time. Stretch marks can impact your own self-esteem and self-confidence especially for younger girls or new moms. Until the past 1-2 years every doctor told women and men that there was no solution to remove stretch-marks, until Palomar Medical received FDA clearance and approval over a year ago with the Fractional 1540 Laser Skin Resurfacing hand-piece to effectively remove stretch-marks (white and red striae). Since then our medical spa and many other has been removed unwanted stretch-marks for hundreds of women and men.

The Lux1540 laser hand-piece improves the unsightly color and skin texture associated with stretch marks, leaving clients with smoother, better-looking skin in four to five treatments there is a 50%-95% removal of white or red stretchmarks on areas such as the abdomen, hips, breasts, buttocks, thighs, arms, or calves. For stretch mark treatment, the Lux1540 hand piece delivers an array of high-precision micro-beams to create deep, narrow columns of coagulation in the epidermis and dermis. This triggers a restorative natural healing process that creates healthy new tissue, including the deposition of new collagen. This treatment improves the tone and texture of the skin while tightening the area and removing unwanted stretch-marks.

This treatment is finally giving hope to new moms, body builders, those who have gained and lost weight as well as young girls who experienced a sudden growth spurt to remove unwanted stretch-marks and regain their confidence. For more information on this treatment go to www.winterparklaser.com, or www.palomarmedical.com