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Heliocare: SPF in a pill?

by | Apr 26, 2023 | accent aesthetics, skincare colorado, Sun & Skincare

Here in Colorado, we are constantly battling the effects of the sun on the skin. The sun is the reason we live here but it can wreak havoc, causing sun damage in the form of brown spots, fine lines and wrinkles and chronic redness. Not to mention skin cancer but we’ll leave that to the Dermatologists!

What is Heliocare?

Heliocare Ultra is an oral supplement taken once daily that decreases inflammation in the body and fights off free radical damage. While this is a great thing for anyone in any location, it’s especially important in a state like ours where the UV radiation is so concentrated and intense.

heliocare

Heliocare’s broad spectrum antioxidant blend is a rare and powerful one. It is derived from a fern native to Central and South America call Polypodium leucotomos. Once an aquatic plant, this fern had to adapt to being a land plant, therefore developing incredible resilance to the sun’s harmful rays. Taken internally it provides HUGE antioxidant and antiinflammatory protection. It even helps block DNA damage and mutation caused by UV radiation which can prevent many, many unwanted side effects.

heliocare

Studies confirm that the long-term use of Fernblock inhibits photoaging and cancer-forming cells, as well as a decrease in UVB-induced skin changes. We recommend Heliocare Ultra as a powerful addition to your topical skin care regime year-round, but especially in the summer months when sunlight exposure is in its prime.

Purchase Heliocare Here.

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Vitamin A aka Retinoids

by | Jan 26, 2023 | Uncategorized

retinoids

What are Retinoids? 

Most of us have heard of Retinol and Retin-A, but do you know that ALL retinoids and retinols are simply forms or derivitives of VITAMIN A?!

This often surprises clients when I tell them this, as Retinoids and Retinols have been vilified by some people in the skincare industry. A lot of skincare companies are making their money off of using the words “clean” and “chemical free” these days. All this does is scare the consumer. As we all know everything is a chemical, water, air, vitamins, everything. So this holds no truth and can be very unbeneficial for your skin. Vitamin A derivatives have been used for decades and have been studied since the early 20th century when the structure of Vitamin A was discovered.

Vitamin A

Our bodies can’t make vitamins, so we must get them externally. We can get vitamin A either through topical application or through the ingestion of beta-carotene-rich foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach. When broken down, vitamin A and its metabolites are very beneficial. They can affect everything from vision to inflammation to the proliferation of cells.

Proliferation means growth. Retinoids increase cellular turnover in the skin, meaning they grow faster, which is going to make the skin a little bit thicker. They also make the outermost cells shed, which is why some people think it’s exfoliating, even though that’s really a secondary effect. This makes the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of skin) more compact, which gives a nice anti-aging benefit.

Unfortunatly some skincare companies such as Beauty Counter are dragging them through the mud claiming they cause cancer. This is the furthest thing from the truth and they have no clinical studies to back up their claims. We actually use retinoids to treat and prevent cancerous and pre-cancerous cells. And the clinical papers on it are never ending. Just another reason to get your skincare advice from professionals.

What does this do for me? 

Retinoids also aid in the moisturization of skin by stimulating the productions of compounds that have sugars in them (glycosaminoglycans).

Most importantly they help PREVENT collagen loss and SUPPORT collagen production!

Finally, retinoids are antioxidants, so they help prevent a lot of oxidative stress. Retinoids are truly amazing and do so many great things for the skin!

 

PRP vs. PRF

by | Jul 6, 2022 | Uncategorized

By now you’ve probably heard of PRP, or platelet rich plasma, in either an orthopaedic setting or used for the famous “Vampire Facial”, but what exactly is this new PRF? PRP vs PRF

PRF stands for platelet rich fibrin, and is the second generation, new and WAY improved version of PRP. Our bodies have amazing healing and regenerative properties, and PRF seeks to take advantage of these. When used in aesthetics, it is an all natural way to reverse visible signs of aging.

How Does it Work?

When blood is spun it is separated into layers based on density- red blood cells, white blood cells/platelets, and plasma. The majority of our body’s healing capabilities lie in the white blood cell/platelet layer (buffy coat) and plasma layer. When we collect the plasma and buffy coat layers, that is called PRP or PRF depending on the tubes used to spin the blood (more on that below).

PRP vs PRF
PRP vs PRF

The first step in our body’s healing process is the formation of a fibrin clot matrix, followed by the recruitment of growth factors to help form new blood vessels, new cells, new collagen, and overall new healthy tissue. The half life of growth factors is very short, we are talking 6-8h, whereas a clot lasts a few weeks to a few months and releases growth factors continuously over that time period. So where does PRP vs PRF fit into all of this?

PRP vs PRF – What’s The Difference?

The only meaningful difference between PRP and PRF is the tubes used to collect them. PRP utilizes tubes with anticoagulants, whereas PRF tubes have no chemical additives. Anticoagulants are chemicals that keep blood from clotting, which is great when we want to send your blood to a lab and it needs to stay liquid for a long time, but is the absolute worst if we are trying to utilize your blood for the healing properties, as the formation of the clot is the first and arguably one of the most important steps in the healing process! So because PRP tubes have anticoagulants, no clotting factors make it into what is injected- you only get the growth factors, which are beneficial, but again only last a few hours on their own. Not much time to aid in any sort of healing or regeneration. PRF tubes on the other hand have nothing in them, so you not only get the growth factors for immediate help but also the clotting factors, which again release additional growth factors slowly over the next few weeks for the full healing spectrum!

So now you can see why PRF is the new and improved version of PRP, because why settle for just a few hours of growth factors with PRP when you can get weeks of your body’s full healing capabilities with PRF!

There are many ways PRF is used in aesthetics. It may be used as a liquid- injected directly into fine lines/wrinkles/other problem areas, microneedled into skin, or mixed with other products such as Radiesse or Sculptra. This may improve collagen/elastin formation, blood flow, healing of skin from inflammatory lesions such as acne, etc. PRF may also be heated and used as a solid (biofiller)- injected directly into areas where traditionally an HA filler (or other types of fillers) would be used to both improve volume and stimulate your body’s own collagen/elastin response in that area.

If you’re ready for a truly all natural way to reverse and prevent aging and other aesthetic concerns, come in for a consult today so we can see what PRF can do for you!

PRP vs PRF PRP vs PRF PRP vs PRF PRP vs PRF

 

Crank Up the Collagen!

by | Jul 1, 2022 | Uncategorized

ultherapy
ultherapy

Collagen has now become the single most googled word, replacing “Botox”!

Collagen is everywhere: powders, pills, drinks, shakes, bars, you name it. And people are counting on some pretty miraculous results from these ingestable products. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good collagen peptide powder every morning in my coffee ( See post from 8/11/2020 ) but ingesting it can only do so much and may simply be a clean source of protein.

For those of us who are ready to really crank the collagen production into high gear and see changes in our skin, there’s Ultherapy treatment.

What is Ultherapy?

Ultherapy has been around since 2004 and continues to show impressive results. People often compare it to treatments such as Radio Frequency, Thermage and a multitude of different lasers.

While most of these treatments work by creating heat in the skin to stimulate collagen production, Ultherapy is the only device that allows us to see EXACTLY where we are placing the heat. It is also the only technology to get to the deepest depths of the dermis, a depth which can only be replicated in a surgical face lift.

Radio Frequency gets results by creating bulk heating, which we love but often times only stimulates certain types of collagen and some elastin and in a more superficial layer in the skin.

What makes Ultherapy so powerful is that it places very high heat at an extremly deep layer in the skin, a medium depth and a more superficial depth, depending on where the protein is needed most. Ultrasound technology allows us to see all of this and create a very specific, customized treatment for the individual.

Results do take 3-4 months to see but with little to no downtime, this treatment is worth the wait!

ultherapy
ultherapy

Exciting New Product Alert!

by | Jun 7, 2022 | Uncategorized

PCA Skin Vitamin b3 Brightening Serum - 1 fl oz

I’m certain we here at Accent Dermatology and Accent Aesthetics will always have our favorite, can’t live without skin-care products. So when something new comes along that we LOVE, it’s news worthy!

PCA Skin just came out with their Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum and we can’t keep it on the shelves!

This heavy hitter uses a 6% Niacinimide (A type of B Vitamin). Typically this ingredient has been used to reduce reds in the skin and help with acne. At a higher concentration of 6%, we are seeing not only a reduction in the reds caused by rosacea, acne, etc but also an excellent reduction in brown spots, photodamage and especially melasma!

This is an exciting new tool to add to anyone’s toolbox, especially those looking to reduce BOTH reds and browns and definitly breakout. It leaves the skin very hydrated and calm by strengthening it’s barrier function.

PCA SKIN Vitamin b3 Brightening Serum | LovelySkin