Our society continues to place increasing emphasis on physical appearance and the aging process. A good Skin Care program
has become a very important part of the entire process. A scientifically based program geared toward restoration, enhancement, revitalization and rejuvenation of damaged and aged skin. The basis of these programs are
to correct sun-damaged skin, remove early pre-cancerous lesions and stimulate increased collagen formation. The collagen bundles are also stronger and thicker with increased skin elasticity and diminished wrinkling. The
net effect is a healthy, glowing and less wrinkled skin with a more youthful and rejuvenated appearance. The basic components of a good skin care program are cleansers and toners. Some cleansers contain weak acids such
as lactic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid. Sun and age related damage can create irregular pigmentation of the skin. When this occurs, a pigment disperser with a 4% hydro-quinone is utilized. Basic is a
product that is added to tretinoin acid (Retin-A) to enhance the effect and minimize the side effects. The side effects of tretinoin acid are redness, scaling and itchiness of the skin. If these side effects are not
controlled, they can become extremely bothersome and can jeopardize continuity of the program. Tretinoin acid has been clinically proven to increase blood supply to all layers of the skin, remove sun-damaged superficial
layers and stimulate production of collagen. A sunscreen is added to protect against further sun damage. These skin care programs are used to restore and revitalize sun-damaged and age related skin changes. They
are also used to pre-condition the skin to enhance and optimize the results of skin peels, micro-dermabrasion or laser procedures. In fact, in our practice we will not perform any of these procedures unless a skin care
program has been initiated. It is also recommended that all laser patients utilize a post-conditioning program that helps reduce the incidence of hyper pigmentation, milia, acne and erythema (redness)