Tag Archives: Cleanse Tone

The Horrors of Accutane for Acne Free Skin

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How far would you go to have Acne Free Skin?

Medical Doctors have been prescribing Accutane to help Acne Prone patients resolve their skin issues, however, were the patients clearly educated about the horrible side-effects of Accutane?

Accutane has a number of very severe side effects. Several of these side effects are even considered life threatening and common enough that the FDA requires the drug to carry a “Black Box Label” for them.

Severe Accutane side effects range from chronic bowel disorders; like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Chron’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis, suicidal tendencies, and even birth defects. Most of these side effects are chronic and remain even after the patient stops taking the drug.

Possible side effects include:

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Severe depression
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions
  • Birth defects
  • Liver damage (characterized by loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea and yellowing of the skin or eyes)
  • Allergic reactions
  • Thinning of the hair or hair loss
  • Headache
  • Brittle nails
  • Increased sensitivity to sunlight
  • Changes in menstruation such as an irregular or heavy period
  • Diarrhea
  • Severe dryness of the skin, particularly on the lips, genitals or nose
  • Thinning of the skin
  • Unusual bruising, bleeding or slow-healing cuts
  • Eczema
  • Flare-ups of acne
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle pain
  • Skin conditions and infections such as impetigo, paronychia or pyogenic granuloma

So, again, how far would you go to have Acne Free Skin?  Want to know what Second Skin Medspa can do for you to help clear your skin of Acne?

At Second Skin Medspa we use a combination of therapies that will help clear your skin without the horrible side-effects of Accutane.

SILKPEEL DERMALINFUSION

Similar to microdermabrasion, The SilkPeel Dermalinfusion System combines non-invasive exfoliation with deep delivery of patient-specific solutions directly to the skin without the use of crystal or other chemical exfoliants. The procedure is non-invasive and even soothing; delivering the results you want without harsh chemicals or uncomfortable treatments!

SilkPeel can dramatically improve acne by multiple means, each addressing a specific cause and combining to bring amazing outcomes.  SilkPeel acts as a “clean and safe superficial mechanical abrader”, exfoliating the Hyperkeratinization (accumulation of the dead skin cells on top layer of the dermis). Simultaneously, it infuses a clarifying solution containing salicylic acid, which acts on the bacteria while also aiding in the exfoliation.

PCA Chemical Peels

Chemical  peels are extraordinary treatments that can help repair a variety of skin  problems and improve the overall look and feel of your skin. Depending on your  needs, Second Skin offers an array of medical chemical grade peels ranging from  the “lunch time peel” with no downtime to a deeper peelings with  minimal downtime varying on your personal skin requirements and goals.  Chemical peels exfoliate the outer layers of dead skin, revealing a new skin  layer with improved tone, texture and color. The stronger the peel, the deeper  it penetrates into the skin for maximum cell renewal and collagen synthesis.  Immediately after the first treatment, your skin will feel softer and smoother.  This chemical peel is successfully used on the face, neck, hands and chest. Chemical peels work on acne prone skin by removing the top, dead layer of the skin allowing for the unclogging of pores and entrance of oxygen into the skin – which kills off the acne causing bacteria.

At Second Skin we strive to  educate each client based on their skin care knowledge.  Educating our clients about their own skin  increases and promotes good skin care practices. Good skin care doesn’t start  and end in our clinic; skin must be maintained daily in order to see optimal  results.

We encourage you to talk with one of our skin care specialists before ever going on Accutane to resolve your Acne Prone skin care issues…

http://secondskinmedspa.com/acne-treatments.php

10 Eglinton Ave East, Toronto, ON, M4P 1A6

Why is Adult Acne on the Rise?

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                                                         Why is Adult Acne on the Rise?

by Dr. Diana Howard

More than ever before, adults are enduring the challenges of oily and acneic skin conditions. Clinical studies indicate that between 40 and 55 percent of the adult population age 20-40 are diagnosed with low grade, persistent acne and oily skin. According to the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, 54 percent of women older than age 25 have some facial acne.

Research at The International Dermal Institute indicates that acne arising in adulthood is more likely to be inflammatory, with fewer comedones than teenage acne and lesions predominantly located around the mouth, chin and jaw line. Likewise, adults often have sensitized skin, or a combination of skin conditions in addition to their acne, which makes treatment more challenging than the treatment of teens, who generally have more resilient, uniform and oily skin.

What is Acne?
Acne is often described as a disease involving the sebaceous follicles and hair follicles of the skin. It occurs in people who have a genetic predisposition; if acne runs in the families of both parents, three out of four children may suffer from it.

Sebaceous and hair follicles are associated with a sebaceous gland that produces sebum, a complex mixture of lipids. In the hair follicle, the hair acts as a wick, transporting sebum and other cellular debris to the surface of the skin, where it is ultimately removed. Inflammation or infection is rarely associated with this type of follicle, unless the hair becomes ingrown or the opening of the hair follicle becomes clogged.

The sebaceous follicle, usually lacking a hair or containing only a rudimentary fine hair, is generally associated with the disease acne. Activity of the sebaceous gland is stimulated by many factors, including the onset of puberty, hormonal fluctuations, pharmaceutical agents, stress, using inappropriate products on the skin, heat, friction and humidity.

Why is Adult Acne on the Rise?
Triggered by hormones, acne can occur at any stage in our lives. The primary aggravating factor leading to adult acne is chronic stress. We all know that acute stress can cause a breakout from time to time. But chronic, continual stress increases hormone levels, which can lead to an increase in oil production.

One reason why adult acne is on the rise in the female population is because of the additional responsibilities that have increased women’s stress levels. The pressure to work outside the home to help maintain a steady family income while maintaining a functioning household is unique to this generation of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Combine workplace stress with household responsibilities, cosmetics that contain known skin irritants and monthly hormone fluctuations and you have a perfect breeding ground for the formation of adult acne.

Adult acne can be aggravated by internal and external factors. Internally, the psychological effects of adult acne can contribute to continued flare-ups and breakouts. When adults are frustrated by the signs of acne on their skin, it causes additional emotional stress, which contributes to a continued increase in excess activity of the sebaceous glands and leads to the continued cycle of breakouts (and the need to “pick” or “squeeze” breakouts places even more acne-causing bacteria on the skin).

Some Dermatologists choose to place female clients suffering with adult acne on oral contraceptives. Oral contraceptives contain estrogen and progestin, which can help decrease the androgen activity responsible for adult acne. While often effective, this does leave clients open to the side effects that accompany oral contraceptives, including bloating, nausea and an increased risk for blood clots and strokes.

Dermatologists may also choose to put clients on a specific type of steroid, such as prednisone, to reduce the stress-related hormone reaction. However, steroids taken internally or applied can aggravate acne, not to mention that any kind of prolonged use of steroids can have adverse effects on one’s health.

Controlling Adult Acne
At Second Skin Medspa we offer a variety of treatments and products to help with acne and acne breakouts.  Call us today to book your consultation with one of our skin therapists to discuss all your options.

Does a facial moisturizer with SPF 15 give you enough sun protection?

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If you’re not in the sun at all during the day, then a moisturizer with SPF 15 may give you adequate protection against the suns rays.  However, if you are outside in the sun more that 5 min at a time, then an SPF 15 moisturizer is giving a false sense of security and in fact you are causing your skin new sun damage – wrinkles, sun spots, age spots, etc.

The Issue:

In order to get the sun protection from your sunscreen, you must a) put enough sunscreen product on your skin to cover the area thourally, and b) you need to re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours. You’re not going to do this with your SPF 15 facial moisturizer yet this is a critical sun protection step for when the sun is shining on your skin for a sustained period of time, and that includes reflected light bouncing off buildings, pavement, and sunlight coming through windows! (see article below),

Why re-apply every 2 hours?

Because the suns UV rays breaks down the active ingredients in sunscreen called Organic Actives. Most daily moisturizers with SPF rely on organic actives, and have only a minimal amount sufficient to create an SPF 15. This means your sun protection runs out during the day and you’re unprotected!

A daily moisturizer with SPF 15 is most likely giving you a false sense of sun protection security, and causing more damage than good over time.

The Solution:

What we recommend to our clients is to work real sunscreen into your daily skin regime: Cleanse, Tone, Serum and/or Eye Creme, Moisturizer and a sunscreen that is broad spectrum, and with an SPF of at least 30.  A broad spectrum sunscreen works to block out UVA rays, whereas organic actives work to block out UVB rays.. Your moisturizer serves to hydrate your skin to look and feel moist and plump, the sunscreen acts to keep those harmful UV rays off your skin. If you insist on having a moisturizer with sunscreen, another tip would be to mix a 30 SPF sunscreen with your moisturizer and apply to your skin. You do not need to purchase a pre-mixed solution, why not make your own!

Makeup should go on top of the sunscreen and it ideally should be a mineral makeup which gives you even more physical sun protection by bouncing the UV rays off your skin.. If you insist on enjoying the sun we’ve been having, make sure to wear a sun hat, and try to be in the shade as much as possible, and remember to re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours!

As you may or may not know, most of the undesirable skin changes we see with age like wrinkles, age spots and skin thinning are actually due to sun damage. Remember, you need sun protection all year round because even those winter UV rays cause skin aging and skin cancer.