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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!

 

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

Skincare Membership: Exclusive Inclusivity

by | May 6, 2022 | Uncategorized

44 Best Skin-Care Products in 2021 According to 'Vogue' Editors | Vogue

It’s been a little over a year since we launched our skincare membership program and we couldn’t be happier with it! I know our members feel the same way!

Not only does it save our clients $ but the consistancy that they have with the monthly membership is showing pretty remarkable results!

These are some of the benefits of montly, consistant skincare treatments:

  • greatly reduced breakouts
  • significantly less blackhead congestion
  • noticable reduction in pore size
  • less scarring and marking from picking blemishes
  • reduction in hyperpigmentation/sundamage
  • smoother, tighter texture
  • better overall skin health

Along with monthly skincare treatments, our members receive discounts on all of our medical grade skincare products, discounts on injectables such as neurotoxin, fillers and PRF, discounts on other skincare treatments outside of their membership tier, and sneak preview into new treatments!

A great example of how the membership works is monthly microdermabrasion or chemical peel or hydrafacial treatments for someone with moderate breakout around the mouth, chin and jawline (classic). When these clients come in monthly we can decide which treatment is best for their skin at that time and extract all of the congestion in a sterile, healthy, non-damaging way. This has made a huge difference in those clients who were not only frustrated with the breakouts but the scarring it was leaving behind. When that client comes in with little to no breakout, we can switch their appointment to a microneedling for example to help reduce the texture and discoloration from the previous breakout, which they then get a discount on!

These consistant treatments along with home care not only create the skin you want but maintain it down the road. It’s a win/win!

Looking deeply into your heart. Close up of good looking young man half face looking at camera while standing against grey background male skin care stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Retinoids vs Retinol: What’s The Difference?

by | Feb 9, 2022 | accent aesthetics

Curious about the difference between Retinoids vs Retinol? This is an extremely common question, especially working with Dermatologists. Clients want to know if they should see the Dermatologist for a prescription or use something OTC (over the counter).

The Simple Difference

I like to keep it simple. The way I explain it to my clients is: Retinoids=Prescription strength, Retinol=non-prescription strength. All are Vitamin A. Now there is a lot of wiggle room here as there are a lot of different brands and concentrations out there.

Retinol Example

retinoids vs retinol

Retinoid Example

retinoids vs retinol

Retinoids vs Retinol Explained

A patient would see a Dermatologist for an Rx retinoid cream such as Tretinoin or Tazorac for conditions such as  severe acne, scarring, etc. These are converted to retinoic acid rapidly in the skin and begin the cell turnover process very fast. This is good for getting results quickly.

The downside of these can be, (for some, not all), extreme irritation and dryness. Because it works so quickly and strongly, it runs the risk of degrading the skins barrier function, leading to dryness, redness and overall intolerability. The problem with this is that a lot of clients will not use them consistently, which is crucial for improvement. For example: they will apply it Sunday night and become so dry and irritated for 2-5 days, then use it again once their skin has returned to normal. While this will still give a result, It is uncomfortable and not as efficatious.

Retinol on the other hand takes a bit more time to be converted into Retinoic acid in the skin but sometimes this is a good thing. Our favorite Retinol products from Revision Skincare are time released so the skin absorbs it in a very controlled manner, decreasing downtime and irritability. It also has several antioxidants including bakuchiol which is a broad spectrum antioxidant that increases the efficacy of the retinol, and contains several other antioxidants to help sooth the skin.

All of the Revision Skincare products contain peptides that do all sorts of things like help the skin hold on to precious moisture and help prevent loss of collagen and elastin, decrease inflammation, lighten hyperpigmentation, the list goes on and on. Revision has been a pioneer in the retinol business. Their products deliver prescription strength results but feel like a nuturing, luxury line.

Vitamin A derivatives are the ONLY product clinically proven to treat fine lines and wrinkles, so regardless of which one you choose, just use it! You will thank me later…

If you are unsure of which retinol to use, come in for a consultation. We are happy to find you the perfect fit for your skincare goals!

Retinoids vs retinol Retinoids vs retinol Retinoids vs retinol

The Medical Grade Skincare Lines We Use and WHY

by | Jul 29, 2021 | Uncategorized

We carefully select each skincare line we carry. Each one has it’s own unique ingredients and mechanism of action. In this post we will breakdown each of one of our medical grade skincare lines, why we carry them and what skin conditions they are best for.

Restorse Pro

We love the  story behind  this skincare line. The founder was in Norway at a salmon fish hatchery (long story), and discovered that the salmon egg has a unique enzyme in it that dissolves cells to allow the baby salmon to squirm its way out of the egg when ready. She put this ingredient into all of her products. It’s called Aquabeautine XL, and it gives similar results as retinol but without any drying or irritating side effects. It’s also extremely anti-inflammatory so we carry it for those clients that are highly sensitive or have skin conditions such as rosacea, peri oral dermatitis, etc. and cannot tolerate a retinol. Aquabeautine XL dissolves only the DEAD skin cells at the surface of the skin so the client still gets the cellular turnover that is needed for beatiful, healthy skin.

This skincare line is fascinating and unique along with being highly effective. Go to their website to learn more or chat with us at your next visit.

https://www.restorseapro.com/what-is-restorsea

Meg 21

During intensive medical research at a world-renowned medical center in Philadelphia, a treatment to reduce the signs of aging was discovered when the scientists uncovered an enzyme called F3K, which furthers the production of toxic sugars in the skin. That process causes serious inflammation and glycation, two distinct events that contribute to skin aging. But glycation and inflammationare not limited to disease — they happen in everyone’s body and skin and are exacerbated by toxic sugars from our diets and normal metabolism. Meg 21’s scientists discovered a compound called Supplemine that intervenes in the production and availability of toxic sugars – a leading cause of inflammation, skin aging and wrinkling – in skin. Supplamine prevents skin damage in two distinct ways: by preventing the development of toxic sugars and neutralizing the toxic sugars in our systems.

All of the products in this line are ultra hydrating, soothing, brightening and contain the anti-glycation ingredient Supplemine. We carry this line not only for it’s amazing anti-aging abilities but it is the most deeply hydrating product line we could find for our dry, severely harsh environment in Colorado.

https://meg21.com/the-science/

Revision

If you are a client here or at Accent Dermatology, you are most likely using 1 or 10 of these products. To say we are a little obsessed with this line and their Chief Scientific Officer, Tatiana Kononov, would be an understatement. They are truly leaders in this industry and the first to develope so many groundbreaking technologies and innovations.

They were the first to widely incorporate peptides. The first to utilize THD ascorbate, the most superior form of Vitamin C, in a 30% concentration. The first to create an at home neck cream. The first to use Bakuchiol to increase retinol’s efficacy. The list goes on and on.

Anywhoo…don’t get me started! The proof is in the RESULTS with this one and if you’ve used it, you know how good it is!

https://revisionskincare.com/pages/before-and-after

 

As always, if you have any questions or would like to get started on a medical-grade at-home skincare regimen, please book a consultation, we LOVE to talk about this stuff!

720-420-4090 or book online!