Category Archives: Cosmetic Treatments

What Exactly Is Skin Cell Turnover, and Why Does it Matter?

Chemical Peels, Cosmetic Treatments,

Each inch of your skin contains 19 million cells, about 1,000 nerve endings, 20 blood vessels, and around 600 sweat glands. The complex mix of water, protein, fat, and minerals it contains give your skin its strength and glowing, smooth appearance. Many beauty treatments, including chemical peels from our Albuquerque-based spa, claim to accelerate skin cell turnover—but what exactly does this mean, and why is it so important for your complexion?

Most of the time, we don’t even realize when the skin is taking care of itself through its own biological processes.

What we refer to as “skin cell turnover” is the process of your skin constantly getting rid of dead cells to reveal new, younger cells that replace them and maintain its overall health. This turnover process happens roughly every 28 days for adults and is vital for skin health, as the outer layers are constantly damaged by external aggressors like UV radiation, bacteria, air pollution, and harsh chemicals.

When your skin cell turnover is fast, like it is during childhood, the skin is smoother, supple, and more radiant, but the cycle becomes slower and less efficient as you get older. When skin cell turnover stagnates, you end up with blocked pores, dull skin, uneven texture, acne, hyperpigmentation, milia, and an increased risk of developing wrinkles.

In order to maintain bright, healthy skin, you can:

  • Use chemical or mechanical exfoliants to scrub away the dead cells.
  • Apply products containing strong ingredients such as retinols that accelerate cell turnover, or vitamin C products to undo damage from free radicals.
  • Improve your diet by consuming healthy, vitamin- and mineral-rich foods along with plenty of water to help flush toxins out of the body and reduce your sugar intake to control inflammation.
  • Exercise regularly to enhance blood circulation and cleanse the skin.
  • Make sure that you’re getting enough rest. You need at least seven hours of good sleep each night to give your skin time to repair itself and generate new cells.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of chemical peels from The Spa @ Western Dermatology Consultants, call us at 505-855-9267, or submit a contact form to request a consultation.

5 Great Reasons to Try BOTOX®

BOTOX, Cosmetic Treatments,

If you want to take years off your face, minimally invasive injectables are one of the ideal ways to quickly make your skin look younger without having a surgical procedure. People from all walks of life commonly use botulinum toxin-based injectables to temporarily soften the wrinkles on the face that bother them. Thinking about trying BOTOX® injectables in Albuquerque, but still unsure whether they’re what you want? Check out these five major benefits of having neuromodulator injections from The Spa @ Western Dermatology Consultants.

1. Make Expression Wrinkles Look Smoother

Other than keeping your face still and expressionless forever, there’s no real way of stopping wrinkles that occur due to facial expressions made when smiling, talking, chewing, and squinting. The solution to fixing these wrinkles is relaxing the underlying muscles that cause the skin to bunch together. BOTOX® is approved for frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead wrinkles, which are referred to as expression wrinkles.

2. Prevent Additional Wrinkles from Occurring

One of the long-term benefits of having BOTOX® is that by relaxing the muscles that pull on the skin, you not only stop existing wrinkles from getting deeper, but also prevent new ones from forming. Many younger patients have started to use BOTOX® for this reason, known as preventative BOTOX®.

3. Enjoy the Convenience

Injectables are typically fast, “lunchtime” procedures that you can easily fit into your busy schedule. This is what makes BOTOX® such an attractive option for many people. There aren’t any major side effects that require recovery, so there’s no down time to speak of.

4. Get a More Approachable Look

When crinkles and lines form all over your face, it can make others think you look angry, mean, sad, or unfriendly—even if those descriptors don’t match your personality at all. BOTOX® can give you a happier, more open-looking face.

5. Treat Other Concerns

Along with improving wrinkles on the forehead or surrounding the eyes, BOTOX® is also used for wrinkles on the center and lower part of the face and even on the neck where excessive muscle activity has led to asymmetry, sagging, or dimpling. We can use it for bunny lines by the nose, chin dimpling, lip lines, sagging eyebrows, downturned mouth corners, and neck bands.

Curious about how injectables work? Get to know more about BOTOX® from The Spa @ Western Dermatology Consultants. Call us at 505-855-9267, or submit a contact form to request a consultation.

Can Facial Filler Results Be Reversed?

Blog, Cosmetic Treatments, Dermal Fillers, ,

Facial fillers are a quick way to make your skin appear less wrinkled or to enhance facial contours by adding volume to the cheeks and lips. The satisfaction rate for fillers is very high, and most patients who receive injections from an experienced, board-certified injector are pleased with the way they look. But what happens if you go to a less-experienced injector and end up with a less-than-stellar result, you have a negative reaction to the fillers, or you simply change your mind about having them? Patients are often curious about whether they can potentially get rid of results that they don’t like. The short answer is yes, it is indeed possible to undo certain types of dermal fillers at our New Mexico-based office—if for some reason you aren’t fully happy with results. Hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm® are temporary, dissolvable fillers, so they’re an excellent option for people who are trying out fillers for the first time.

Although significant complications from dermal fillers are rare, there are some potential risks. These include acne-like skin breakouts, asymmetry, lumps, redness, rashes, infections, under or over correction, incorrectly placed filler, Tyndall’s effect (filler placed too close to the skin surface that causes a blue discoloration), or palpability of the filler below the skin’s surface. Patients can choose to have the filler decreased or dissolved completely if one of these complications occur or they no longer want their results.

Instead of having to wait for several months for the temporary fillers to metabolize, they simply have to go in for another injection. The reversal agent is known as hyaluronidase, an enzyme that we naturally have in our bodies. Once it has been injected below the skin, it causes a reaction that dissolves the hyaluronic acid contained in the filler. This takes just a few hours.

The skin should return to its normal shape after the filler has been dissolved.

We encourage patients to wait and see how they adjust to fillers before deciding they want them removed. There will always be some initial swelling, so the results don’t truly “settle” for a few days after a session. That said, it is possible to use the enzyme right after getting fillers if you need or want it.

Get more tips on dermal fillers from our team at The Spa @ Western Dermatology Consultants. Want to meet with us to discuss fillers or another cosmetic procedure? Call us at 505-855-9267, or submit a contact form to reach out to us for additional details.

How Do Different Sources of Light Impact the Skin?

Cosmetic Treatments

Light and laser cosmetic treatments, such as fractional skin resurfacing, are what Albuquerque patients often use to minimize irregularities and balance or even out their skin tone and quality. Ever wondered why light is used so frequently in the cosmetic world? Exposure to light impacts our bodies in various ways, altering our circadian rhythms, hormone production, and even our mental health. In fact, not getting enough exposure to sunlight during the winter has been linked to a type of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It’s no surprise, therefore, that different wavelengths of light have been found to influence the appearance and health of your skin. The following are some examples of light sources that we are commonly exposed to, as well as a brief explanation of their impact:

Natural Light

The sun is our major source of natural light, although we can also technically see by other stars, volcanoes, firelight, lightning, and various astronomical objects. We have less control over the amount of energy these give off compared to artificial sources of light, so we have to do a little extra work when guarding against the negative effects of the biggest producer of all: the sun.

Small amounts of exposure to sunlight (ideally 5 to 15 minutes of unprotected exposure) have positive health benefits, including strengthening your immune system and encouraging serotonin production. However, prolonged, unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer and accelerated skin aging. It’s best to avoid exposure by staying indoors during peak hours and wearing sunscreen whenever you go outside.

Artificial Light

When it comes to human-made, artificial light sources, we’re in full control of their intensity and duration.

  • Blue Light

Although the sun is a major source of blue light, we also get plenty of it from the screens on our TVs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, electronic devices, and fluorescent or LED light bulbs. Blue light exposure can lead to photoaging and hyperpigmentation, but it is also used in therapies for some skin conditions like acne and actinic keratosis.

  • Red Light

Red light therapy (RLT) is often used as a type of photodynamic therapy to encourage the generation of new collagen, elastin, and fibroblasts. Deep red light at specific wavelengths is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties and may reduce wrinkles.

Ready to improve wrinkles, blotchy pigmentation, scars, rough patches, or other skin-related irregularities? Browse our website to check out more info on fractional skin resurfacing from our Western Dermatology Consultants team. Call 505-855-9267, or submit a contact form to request a consultation if you’d like to discuss your skin goals—and learn more about what light can do.

How Can CoolSculpting® Help You Combat Your “Quarantine 15” This Season?

CoolSculpting, Cosmetic Treatments, , ,

Quarantine weight gain is something many people have been struggling with since the COVID-19 lockdowns began in the early part of the year. Our lives have been disrupted, and our day-to-day routine has changed a lot as our activities have been restricted. With easy access to food and alcohol in the nearby kitchen, along with the fact that lots of us are working from home and not moving around as much as we normally would in an office (and are too busy to fit workouts into our altered routines), it’s easy to pack on some extra weight. To top it all off, in this tension-filled time, chronic stress often leads to high levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol being produced in our bodies, which stimulates our appetite. Cortisol can also influence where your fat is stored, making it more likely to be deposited on the abdomen. As practices have re-opened around the city, state, and country, injectables and body contouring procedures like CoolSculpting® have been Albuquerque patients’ preferred treatments for addressing a little extra flab.

These aesthetic treatments, combined with healthy lifestyle habits, can help get you back on track, restore slimmer facial contours, and lose unwanted volume. Sometimes, excess fat goes to areas we’ve always struggled to slim down for most of our lives because of our body shape. These specific areas—like the stomach, flanks, below the chin, the outer thighs, and the back—may not respond well to conventional fat-reduction methods, such as exercise and reducing our calorie intake. CoolSculpting® is a fat-reduction technique that allows you to get rid of some of the extra fat in these trouble spots that you feel self-conscious about or that get in the way of your daily life. Remember, though, that it’s strictly for generating cosmetic results. Exercise and a healthy diet are still important!

With CoolSculpting®, the applicator suctions up grabbable areas of fat and lowers the temperature in the tissue. The fat cells there are chilled and killed, and the body looks leaner over time as these dead cells are flushed out. Although the treatment can cause a numbing or pinching sensation, it’s generally not painful and is well tolerated by patients. You won’t have to go through an extensive recovery process or manage severe side effects after. Typically, CoolSculpting® causes only mild swelling and bruising.

Would you like to know more about how CoolSculpting® can help you shed resistant fat? Request a consultation with us today by calling (505) 855-9267or fill out a contact form to reach out to our team at Western Dermatology Consultants.

Tips for Maintaining Facial Filler Results

Cosmetic Treatments, Dermal Fillers,

Want to make your fillers last longer? Facial fillers are highly effective for softening deep wrinkles in the middle and lower parts of the face, as well as for volumizing the cheeks and lips. However, despite being convenient, they do require ongoing maintenance due to the fact that the effects wear off after anywhere from a few months to two years—depending on where they’re injected and how quickly you metabolize them. With that in mind, there are some effective ways of increasing the longevity of Juvederm®. Albuquerque’s Western Dermatology Consultants team shares these four tips:

• Avoid Applying Pressure

After a fillers session, hold off on having deep-cleaning treatments and facial massages. It’s better not to rub, massage, or jostle the treated areas much, as this can cause the fillers to migrate, leading to uneven results. It can also cause the effects to wear off faster.

• Reverse Free Radical Damage

A good skincare routine is essential for maintaining the effects of dermal fillers. Stress, smoking, and unhealthy eating habits will cause fillers to metabolize faster. Regularly apply topical products containing antioxidants like retinols to prevent and undo the harm caused by free radicals. These help to give you clearer, brighter, skin with a smoother texture by reducing wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.

• Keep Your Skin Moisturized

Although topical moisturizers won’t get rid of wrinkles, facial lines are typically less noticeable on skin that is well hydrated. To enhance the smoothing results from fillers, use products containing ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides to help the skin retain water.

• Limit Sun Exposure

If you’re using fillers and neuromodulators to ward off wrinkles, it makes sense to protect your skin from further damage to its collagen and elastin fibers. Though many people don’t like the feeling or smell of sunscreens, applying an extra layer of coverage can be what protects your skin from developing wrinkles and fine lines. High levels of exposure to UV radiation can have very detrimental effects on the skin, and sun damage is believed to be one of the main causes of accelerated aging.

Want to perfect your look with smoother, softer skin? Get more tips on Juvederm® from our team at Albuquerque’s Western Dermatology Consultants. Call us at 505-855-5503 or submit your info to request a consultation.

4 Cosmetic Treatments to Make Your Beauty Routine Easier

Cosmetic Treatments, Laser Hair Removal, Microdermabrasion, , , ,

Everyone has specific areas they obsess over, whether it’s their eyebrows, nose, forehead, or hair. Caring about your physical looks doesn’t make you vain or shallow—it just means you take pride in yourself! In fact, there’s evidence that working on our appearance makes us more confident, and regular self-care can even be therapeutic, keeping depression and anxiety at bay. Self-grooming can, however, take up a lot of our time that could be spent on other tasks and activities. The average women’s beauty routine is 55 minutes each day. We’re not saying that time isn’t well spent, but there are options if you want to cut down on the time you dedicate to clothes, hair, makeup, and personal grooming each day. Professional treatments, such as laser hair removal from our Albuquerque-based team at Western Dermatology Consultants, can reduce the time, energy, and costs involved in achieving your ideal look each day. Here’s a look at four schedule-saving treatments we offer:

Laser Hair Removal

Excessive body hair on areas like the face, legs, back, arms, and bikini line is a dilemma many people face. Shaving and waxing are intensely repetitive chores. Using laser energy, we can damage follicles that absorb the focused light, heat up, and lose their ability to properly grow new hairs. This is a quick, precise, and long-term hair removal method that works for up to a year, reducing the need for razors and plucking.

Permanent Makeup

Microblading creates beautifully arched, waterproof eyebrows that preserve the same shape and style for years. That means you won’t have to spend as much time getting ready each morning. Much like a tattoo, the results do not require significant maintenance. There are also similar options for eyeliner and lip liner.

Latisse®

Full, luscious lashes make eyes brighter and more beautiful. However, it can be difficult to find the right mascara, applying it flawlessly can be a challenge, and eyelash extensions aren’t for everyone. Latisse® makes your lashes grow naturally and is a less high-maintenance treatment option for anyone looking to routinely accentuate their eyes.

Microdermabrasion

Instead of coating your face with concealer to hide dull, dry skin and blemishes each morning, consider booking a microdermabrasion session with us! This treatment abrades away dead cells from the surface to deep clean pores and create a more even tone and texture.

Get more advice on laser hair removal and other aesthetic procedures available from our Western Dermatology Consultants team serving Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Call us today at 505-855-9267, or write to tell us more about your interests.