Non-Surgical Skin Treatments

The quality of our skin is affected by many factors – sun exposure, diet, age, scarring from acne or trauma and diseases, to name a few. So it only makes sense that many different treatments may be needed.

Age, sun exposure (which accelerates aging) and repeated cycles of weight loss and gain all cause thinning of the skin, loss of elasticity and fine lines. Active acne is both disfiguring and causes long term scars and discoloration. Scarring, whether from acne, stretch marks or trauma, leaves uneven irregularities in the deeper layers of the skin.

The main types of treatment include:

Skin care regimes – ongoing use of agents applied to the skin to protect it from sun damage, dehydration, etc., to improve cell turnover and exfoliation and to even irregular pigmentation.

Botox type injectables – paralyse the muscles causing certain facial wrinkles.

Removal of the outer layers of the skin – microdermabrasion, peels, IPL (intense pulsed light) and certain lasers directed at the outer layers are used to improve discoloration and overall skin quality.

Stimulation of collagen production in the deeper layers of the skin – microneedling (trauma plus allowing agents applied to the skin to penetrate deeper), fractional lasers (light energy) and more recently RF microneedling (electrical energy) all deliver energy where the collagen is to tighten and thicken the skin, improve elasticity and repair uneveness from scarring.

Other lasers target “broken” blood vessels and remove unwanted hair. The newest technology is the AviClear laser that the FDA has cleared for treatment of all grades of acne. Three treatments typically give long term relief from acne.

Injectable fillers – used to fill in uneveness causing lines or from scars. When fat is used as a filler, it also seems to improve the quality of the skin over it, perhaps as a result of the naturally occurring stem cells in fat.

For advice on skin treatment in Orange County, please click here to contact Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Bailey, for a consultation. We offer medical grade skin care products, injectables, IPL, seven different lasers, including the new AviClear laser and RF microneedling.