Pharmaceutical-Grade Skincare Vs. Over the Counter

skinmedica products On average women spend over $426 billion per year in the U.S. on beauty products, therefore don't you want to be getting your money's worth out of those products? Women and men are inundated with skincare products at the drugstore, mall, online, and doctor's office or spa. So it can be confusing to understand what to buy and where to spend your money. So as a medical spa manager (Winter Park Laser) I often explain to clients why they need to be using pharmaceutical grade skincare and why that $150 cream they bought at the mall isn't working, so I want to do the same for everyone. Why over the counter products (even expensive ones) don't work as well as pharmaceutical grade skincare products. #1 Level of Penetration: OTC (over the counter) products can not penetrate & end up hydrating your sheets as they cannot penetrate the outer most layer of the skin. Pharmacuetical grade skincare including cosmecutical lines contain active ingredients that can break down that rough texture beforebeing completely absorbed. #2 Amount of Active Ingredients: Cosmecutical products have a much higher percentage of active ingredients compared to OTC because they are FDA approved to have more & are not watered down with preservatives. Active ingredients are those that actually DO something to change your skin such as lighten brown spots or tighten skin. #3 Price does not allocate effectiveness: There a lot of people that thing if it's expensive it works & this isn't always true. There are many "mall lines" that carry creams that are $200 or more and are much less effective than $65 pharmaceutical grade products. The conclusion is that some Over The Counter product might work but you will see minimal results in comparison to stronger Pharmaceutical grade products. Bottom Line: * If you can purchase a product anywhere other than from a Physician or Esthetic Practice, then it’s not a Pharmaceutical grade product. *Cosmeceuticals have the ability to actually change the appearance of your skin by lightening pigment, tightening skin and reducing wrinkles. *Cosmeceuticals have a higher concentration of Active ingredients which makes them stronger. *Cosmeceuticals are often more affordable (since they don’t have large marketing budgets). Winter Park Laser's Favorite Cosmeceutical Brands: Skinmedica & Glytone, but there are many great ones available! For more information on Pharmaceutical grade products vs. over the counter go to http://www.winterparklaser.com

How To Cure Your "Tired Looking Eyes"

glytone eye peel Are people always asking you "why do you look so tired", "were you up late" or do you look in the mirror and constantly see dark circles under your eyes that worsen with age. If you do, you are not alone. "Dark under eye-circles", hollows, & bags are common concerns for men and women and we hear them all the time in consultations at our Orlando Medical Spa-Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center. Well, the good news is that we can give you advice on how to cure your "tired Looking Eyes" to make them looking rested & brighter again! Cure #1: Dermal Filler Belotero Balance-the dermal filler of choice to fill in tear troughs (the shallow area under the eyes) & eliminate dark circles. Belotero works by replacing lost volume to the contours of the trough, thereby eliminating the shadow that's creating the darkness in the first place. Typically this only takes one syringe of Belotero and is painless as the area can be topically numbed & lidocaine is added to the syringe. This will instantly make you look years younger & brighten up your eyes. The results last approximately 1 year. Cure #2: Eye-Lift Chemical Peels: There are now mild chemical peels created specifically for around the eyes to treat wrinkles and dark circles. Our favorite is the EnerPeel for eyes from Glytone which is a series of 4 20 minute peels (1 every 2-3 weeks). This chemical peel should only be applied by a medical aesthetician. This peel is a combination of TCA & lactic acids to give a Significant increase in skin firmness around eyes and lips, Decreasefine lines, wrinkles and coarse crow's feet around eyes and lips & Decrease dark circles. Cure #3: Laser Eye-Lift: Laser Skin Resurfacing can be extremely effective in 1 treatment with combo-ablative laser resurfacing. Fractional ablative wrinkle treatment from Palomar uses beams of laser light that penetrates skin to just the right depth and with just the right level of heat to evoke a dramatic healing response that promotes collagen production, diminishing the appearance of fine lines. So here you have 3 ways to cure "tired looking eyes" and look 10 years younger without surgery. For more information on under eye treatments go to www.winterparklaser.com

Let's face it-we've all had those rough nights that result in dark circles under our eyes the next morning, but for some people this is a constant issue that a "good night of sleep" just won't cure. In our Orlando Medical Spa-Winter Park Laser, dark under-eye circles & bags are a constant complaint. So here are our top treatments to help eliminate or reduce dark under-eye circles, wrinkles & bags. #1 Belotero Balance Dermal Filler injected into the tear-trough area Why? Belotero is a hyaluronic acid filler that is already hydrated-which means that we don't have to "under-fill" the tear trough area to see the result, it also allows you to go much higher in the dermal tissue. Belotero costs around $475-$525 per syringe for a 1 ML pre-filled syringe. We numb the area topically but here is also lidocaine mixed into every syringe for a comfortable procedure. The tear-trough area is sensitive to slight bruising and swelling may occur but overall there is little down-time. The results typically last around a year or 10-14 months on average. The result of Belotero in the tear-trough area can give clients a more youthful look, with less hollowness, dark circles & wrinkles in the eye area also making them look more rested. #2 EnerPeel for Eyes by Glytone-Series of 4 Chemical Peels just around the eyes & eye lid Why? This peel is especially designed for the eye area & combines Lactic acid (great for pigment issues) with TCA (tri-chloracetic acid) great for exfoliation and stimulating collagen. The results are a significant increase in skin firmness around eyes, Decrease in fine lines, wrinkles and coarse crow's feet around eyes, & a Decrease in dark circles. For more information on top treatments to combat dark under-eye circles contact Winter Park Laser located at 1155 N Kentucky Ave Winter Park FL 32789 at www.winterparklaser.com or call (407) 601-1185.

How to Plump Up the Volume in Your Lips

I find this an appropriate topic to write about as it is close to Valentines day and everyone wants plump "kissable" lips on Valentines Day. While some turn to little solutions such as lip plumping glosses, the best long term option is dermal hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm Ultra or Belotero. Lip injections have become extremely popular as women often see lip lines & a loss of volume with age. Here are some of the main causes of lip lines: #1 Smoking! While smoking is first, all types of movements that involve pursing or using your lips including straws can cause lip lines. #2 Age: As you get age your skin loses collagen and elastin -- which are what give a full and smooth appearance. In addition, facial fat, which accounts for some of your lips' plumpness, is lost naturally as you age just as it does in the mid-face. #3 Thinning, your lips tend to thin as you age which can cause lip liner to bleed, and an appearance of "no lips" when you smile. Fillers such as Juvederm can give you the youthful appearance of full lips you used to have, or the plump supple lips you always dreamed about at any age! Using a dermal filler like JUVÉDERM® XC is a safe and effective way to replace the hyaluronic acid which is what naturally retains water your skin has lost, bringing back its volume and smoothing away facial wrinkles and folds. This can be a very painless treatment! Most medical spas can numb the lips topically with a lidocain type solution & because lips are membrane they numb in minutes. The actual filler such as Juvederm Ultra XC or Belotero also have Lidocaine mixed into them. These results should last 6-12 months on average and can give you the natural supple kissable lips you crave just in time for Valentines Day! For more information on lip injections go to www.winterparklaser.com. Winter Park Laser is our medical spa in Orlando Fl.

Winter Park Laser Adds New Filler-Belotero to Orlando Med Spa

Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center has been performing dermal fillers for 9 years at our Orlando Medical Spa and we are incredibly excited to add a new & unique dermal filler-Belotero Balance to our menu. This filler is by the makers of Radiesse. There is a large need for this filler as it is especially created for superficial fine lines & safe to inject in forehead lines & crows feet where we never would have injected other hyularonic acid fillers before. This is great for those clients who do not have deep lines but would still like correction. Belotero is specially designed to integrate into your skin and mold to your distinct facial contours. BELOTERO BALANCE® Dermal Filler has unique properties that allow it to adapt within the skin for soft and even correction. The versatility of the product makes it strong enough to handle deep treatment areas such as smile lines around the mouth, yet soft enough to treat more delicate areas such as lines around the lips or crow's feet. This is even safe for the tear-trough area. BELOTERO BALANCE® Dermal Filler is made of a material called hyaluronic acid or HA. HA naturally exists as a component of your skin. By binding to water, it fills in wrinkles and folds, allowing immediate and smooth correction. What makes this product unique is that the hyaluronic is already hydrated allowing us to go further up in the dermal tissue than normal for an accurate correction. For more information on Belotero Dermal Filler in Orlando go to www.winterparklaser.com or call (407) 601-1185.