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.
