Photofacials have been a trending topic amidst the aesthetic and beauty world for many years and have been recently gaining even more popularity. This treatment was invented in the 90’s and it has come a long way, PhotoFacial, IPL and BBL are all terms for light energy delivered safely to the skin. At Blume Skin & Body, we are no strangers to photofacials, our office has the Lumenis M22 IPL, Sciton Joule BBL and two Sciton Mjoules with in motion BBL and the MOXI laser. Our expert Certified Laser Technichians have been able to offer many more options in terms of light and laser treatments to lift pigment, smooth out wrinkles, get rid of unwanted texture, and clear blemishes for the face and body. Read on to learn more about the different treatment options available with this one machine and which one may be right for you!

IPL/BBL Photofacial Treatments
One of the newest treatments available is BBL with the Sciton Mjoule. Many patients are familiar with the IPL (or Intense Pulsed Light) treatment, and the BBL Photofacial is very similar with the updated Broad Band Light technology. At Blume Skin & Body, the BBL Photofacial is our most popular treatment because it covers a wide array of our clients’ concerns. In Arizona especially, the sun causes so much damage to the skin, resulting in collagen destruction, added wrinkles, sun spots, and broken capillaries – all of which the BBL, IPL Photofacial can treat.

Photofacials produce amazing results for those battling pigmentation issues, including sun damage, rosacea, acne scarring, and more. Interestingly enough, photofacials have also been shown to treat dry eyes because it reduces inflammation and vascular activity around the tear duct. The Lumenis M22 IPL has gotten FDA Clearance for this amazing treatment to help with inflammation and dry eye. Check out the information on the Beautiful Eyes Treatment on our website for more information.

The Photofacial is quick, comfortable and produces amazing results from the first treatment. Patients will experience a bit of redness and perhaps swelling on day one, which will reduce quickly and in the following days, dark spots will begin to lift from the face and eventually slough away.

The BBL Photofacial is recommended to be done in a series of three, with each treatment being done four weeks apart. After the initial three treatments, patients will only need to do the treatment every 6 to twelve months for maintenance, depending on their skin and lifestyle.

Forever Body BBL
The Sciton Mjoule also allows us to recreate the stunning results of a Photofacial all over the body with the Forever Body BBL. Chest, arms, shoulders, legs and more can all be treated with ease because of the in-motion attachments on the Mjoule machine. The Forever Body BBL treatment is comfortable and quick, with little downtime, just like Photofacials!

Also recommended in a series of three treatments, the Forever Body BBL can help reduce vascular issues, redness, and dark spots to improve signs of aging anywhere on the body. Results are seen within 2 – 4 weeks.

Forever Clear BBL
Over 50% of Americans struggle with acne, but with Forever Clear BBL treatments, acne can be controlled without the use of topical creams or prescriptions. This treatment can also be done with the Sciton Mjoule, Lumenis M22 or Sciton Joule, and utilizes three different wavelengths of light to kill p.acne bacteria that causes breakouts, calm down redness and reduce inflammation. Patients who struggle with acne can receive these treatments 1 – 2 times a week and will begin to see results soon. Multiple treatments will most likely be needed, but fortunately these treatments are quick, comfortable and do not require any downtime!

Moxi + BBL Photofacial
The BBL Photofacial treatments have excellent results with little downtime, but it does have a few limitations. Those with certain skin conditions like Melasma, or darker skin tones would not be a candidate for the BBL treatments. However, that is where the Moxi laser treatment comes into play! The Moxi treatment is unique because it is safe for all skin types, allowing the providers at Blume Skin & Body to treat even more patients.

The Moxi Laser treatment is a 1927 true laser that can help even out tone and texture of skin, induce collagen production, decrease pore size, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and the Moxi can even picks up on complicated pigment that the Photofacial may miss.

This treatment can be done in combination with the BBL treatment, creating a super-powerful light and laser treatment. However, for those who aren’t a candidate for the BBL treatment, the Moxi can be done on its’ own and still provides great anti-aging, preventative care that is perfect for everybody.

Learn more about our IPL, BBL, Moxi and combination treatments by viewing our website, or set up a free consultation today to finally see clear, rejuvenated and radiant skin!

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So much skincare, how to choose the best concoction for your skin care concerns? With skincare cocktailing you can mix premium skin product brands to design the perfect skincare routine for you. What skincare products can I mix together safely? Here is a general rule of thumb with choosing skincare products according to specific skin types.

-Foaming Cleanser- is a great option for that “clean” feeling and preferably those with combination or oily skin.
-Lotion/Creamy Cleanser- gentle enough for all skin types and also a great makeup remover. Preferably those that have dry skin, sensitive skin, reactive skin and using topical prescriptions and retinol.
-Exfoliating Cleanser- not advised for active acne, or rosacea, but great for clogged pores and once weekly exfoliation.
-Antioxidant Serums- designed for brightening and free radical protection. Great for all skin types except acne.
-Hyaluronic Acid serum- perfect for everyone, even acne
-Growth Factor and Peptide Serums – excellent choice for antiaging and overall skin health
-Retinol- recommended to be advised by a medical aesthetician for dosing. Not recommended for pregnant woman, breastfeeding woman or taking Accutane.

Those were just a few standard skincare products to choose from. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Your mom’s neighbor’s daughter is selling a multilevel marketing skincare line and you are interested in learning about the products because you have been on an uphill battle with your skin. This line seems simple, there’s a “kit” for acne, a “kit” for anti-aging, a “kit” for dry skin. Easy peasy pick a kit and abracadabra your skin is fixed! Not quite.

The pre-picked skincare kits sound great, with no thinking required. The trouble with this method is that not everyone can tolerate every product in an acne “kit” morning and night. Or the products in the anti-aging “kit”. Or any of the “kits”. Our skin is so complex. For example, there are a number of different varieties of acne. Hormone related, stress related, diet related, oil production, and so much more. It takes specific training and education to identify them. Along with aging skin, dry skin and sensitive skin.

For the majority of the population, a combination of these categories is typical. We need to take into consideration each individual’s skin type. Do they breakout still? Are they dry or oily? What’s their sensitivity level? Are they reactive? This must be done BEFORE anything else. A good skincare routine is necessary to protect your investment in any laser treatments, chemical peels or photofacial treatments.

For many, helping to erase and prevent fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation are the goal. Of course, skin care alone can’t turn back the clock, but skincare alongside good medical grade treatments can. But throwing them a cookie cutter anti-aging skincare “kit” isn’t always the answer. Is the individual oily? If they are, the products may be too heavy for them. Are they prone to breakouts? Perhaps this would lead to unwanted blemishes. Then we have to fix acne and aging. A fun combo. Your Medical Aesthetician and Certified Laser Technician can help guide you through the maze of choices.

Even treating acne can be tricky. A standard acne skincare “kit” can be extremely harmful to the skin. Typically, acne geared skincare can contain a combination of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, lactic acid, physical exfoliants and retinol. These are all amazing ingredients to help fight acne, kill bacteria and prevent future breakouts. But when these are used every day, twice a day, your results will be the complete opposite of what you were trying to achieve.

The rule of thumb when cocktailing any skincare together is, if you are using any products that are drying, or that compromise the surface of the epidermis (retinol, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, etc.), you should be using a mild cleanser, a sunscreen and a denser moisturizer to balance out the dryness from the more aggressive products. Hyaluronic Acid is another amazing product to incorporate into your routine. Hyaluronic Acid is recommended for all skin types, especially acne. Using products that help to kill bacteria will leave the skin feeling dry and irritated. That’s when Hyaluronic can play a major role is deep hydration without adding heavy moisturizer.

Here are a few popular combinations for skincare cocktailing:

Three Step Simple Routine – Normal/Combination Skin
Epoince Lytic Cleanser AM & PM
Neocutis Bio Serum Firm AM & PM
Skin Medica Mineral Shield Tinted SPF 32 AM
Valmont Prime 24 PM

I Love My Serums Routine – Anti-Aging Routine
Valmont Illuminating Foamer AM & PM
Skin Medica Lumivive System Day & Night AM & PM
Valmont V-Line Lifting Serum AM & PM
Skin Medica Neck Correct Cream
NeoCutis MicroDay AM
NeoCutis Bio Cream Firm PM

High Maintenance 12 Steps – Love my Skin Routine
Valmont Icy Falls Makeup Remover PM
Epionce Gentle Foaming Cleanser AM & PM
Valmont Illuminating Toner AM & PM
Valmont Clarifying Infusion AM & PM
Skin Medica Advanced+ Serum AM & PM
Skin Medica Neck Correct Cream PM
Valmont V-Line Neck Cream AM & PM
NeoCutis Nouvelle PM
NeoCutis Lumiere Eye Cream AM & PM
Valmont Hydra3 Eye Serum
Epoince Renewal Lotion PM
Elta MD Clear SPF 47 AM

Dry Skin
Epionce Milky Lotion Cleanser AM &PM
Neocutis Bio Serum Firm AM
Valmont Hydra 3 Serum PM
Neocutis Bio Cream Firm PM
Neocutis Lumiere Eye Cream AM & PM
Neocutis Nouvelle PM as directed by you Aesthetician

Oily Skin
ZO Gentle Cleanser (AM & PM)
Neocutis Hyalis (AM)
Elta MD Clear (AM)
ZO Complexion Pads (PM every other night or as directed)
Epionce Renewal Facial Lotion (PM)
Neocutis Nouvelle (every other night or as directed by your Aesthetician))
Epionce Lytic TX (as needed)
Neocutis Lumiere (AM & PM)

Are you overwhelmed? Blume Skin & Body offers complimentary skin analysis with suggestions to add to your current routine or start fresh with new products. The Medical Aestheticians are eager to help you maintain your skin health with skin care and skin treatment suggestions. Please check out all services and products on the website.

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The year is 2002, you have a party to attend in a few weeks and you have been dealing with acne for months. Being unbelievably fed up is an understatement. Your best friend suggests going tanning or laying in the sun to dry up your acne. The thought of getting a little tan is enticing too. Having a little color may conceal the acne as well! Your friend has been tanning for a week and it’s helping her….. until it doesn’t anymore.

In theory this method makes sense right? The suns ultra violet rays can dry the skin. So if you are dealing with acne, you must have oily skin, therefore the sun will dry up the acne. It may feel like the sun is doing something to your acne for maybe a week or so, but this is actually the complete opposite and very dangerous for your skin.

The sun doesn’t actually dry out sebum (oil) on your skin. It dries the actual skin. As a result to the skin being dry, your oil glands will then produce more oil as a response to the dryness. Picture a little army of oil coming out with a vengeance trying to protect and hydrate the skin that is in need. “We must attack the dryness! Come on troops hydrate on the double!” As a result of the oily army’s attempt to protect and secret, this then produces more breakouts and deep rooted clogged pores.

Getting Down to the Basics

Acne is not all created equal, and each different type of acne should NOT be treated the same. The most common types are cystic acne, which is typically hormonal, very red, inflamed and painful, acne due to oily skin and acne due to dry skin (which is more common than you’d think). Adding UV light to inflamed painful acne is only going to inflame it more. Adding UV light to dry skin that has acne will only make it more dry and create more of a breeding ground for acne. Adding UV light to oily skin that has acne will only dry out the very surface of the skin, making it almost impossible for the oil to secret properly. Therefore creating more oil as your oil glands are trying to produce more since it is unable to secret thoroughly.

Now that we know what the UV rays can do to acne in the beginning stages of “trying to dry it up’. Let’s talk the aftermath.

Picture this, you fall on the pavement, scrape your knee. It bleeds, and scabs over. You treat it, maybe with ointment and a bandaid. You keep it covered so that it can heal properly, since there is brand new skin underneath that scab. We want to protect it so that it doesn’t scar. So let’s circle back to your face. The scab on your knee is the breakout on your face. It is healing skin that has been inflamed, irritated, and perhaps picked at (hopefully not). If the skin isn’t protected against the UV rays you can develop Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) and /or increased scarring. Acne prone/broken out skin is healing skin, combining healing skin to UV rays is a recipe for sun damage, which is even harder to remove than the acne itself.

Here are a few solutions to help treat the acne and keep it safe at the same time.

Facials:

Getting facials on a regular basis (4-6 weeks apart) can help reduce the amount of breakouts that pop up. Facials help to kill acne causing bacteria and soothes the skin from irritation that comes with painful acne. Extractions during a medical facial are extremely important. The bacteria that is lodged in the pores won’t just “come out” and you can’t just “scrub or wash it away”. It physically needs to be removed just the right way.

Peels:

Chemical peels are a great way to help kill bacteria from acne, break down the thick dead layer of skin on the surface of the epidermis, and target acne scars and hyperpigmentation (PIH). Deep set clogged pores can not be removed with a chemical peel as it works from the inside layers out. A facial like I stated above would be the best option to start.

Microneedling and Laser:

These minimally invasive treatments are fantastic for helping to eliminate acne scars, PIH, and redness (broken capillaries and broken blood vessels). However, if your acne is still active, meaning if your acne is still bacteria filled and inflamed, these methods will have to be put on hold until the acne is under control.

Lastly, finding yourself a highly skilled Medical Esthetician that is well versed in acne is huge. Like I stated above, acne is not all created equal. So treating it should be customized.

There was a time where doing at-home beauty treatments were all the rage, putting toothpaste on a blemish was the “go-to” and reading Cosmo was a great way to find beauty hacks. Well, its a new day my dear, and beauty is at the hand of the esthetician. One hand has all your customized treatments ready to take charge. The other hand is holding yours during this confusing time. We are here to help you all along the way of your skincare journey. Whatever your journey may be, we got your back.

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Everything changes when you get pregnant. LITERALLY. So when you get pregnant, all sorts of fun thing start to happen. You now become responsible for that tiny peanut that lives inside of you. So what you eat, drink, and put on your skin can affect that little peanut. Let’s talk about your pregnancy skincare routine! Is this going to be a life changing event for you skincare? Not necessarily.

*Disclaimer- always consult with your OBGYN prior to any changes being made to your skincare and lifestyle routine*

So there are a few thing that should always be avoided during pregnancy:

Ingredients. Reading your labels are going to be very important with your new 9+ month skincare routine.

Retin-A, Retinol, Retinoid and Retinyl Palmitate are all ingredients that stimulate cellular turnover within the skin cells. Which is fantastic! But must be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. There isn’t enough data to prove that these ingredients in skincare are safe for a developing baby. Some research has shown that these “R” ingredients have the ability to cross over into the blood stream, so they must be avoided.

Salicylic Acid. A great ingredient primarily found in skincare products that are geared towards acne prone skin. However, Salicylic Acid has been in other non-acne skincare products. Such as body lotions, shampoos, and hand creams. So again, reading your labels is huge. Like Retinoids, research has shown that salicylic acid does have the ability to cross over into the blood stream. So avoiding this ingredient is recommended.

Glycolic Acid. This particular ingredient is on the maybe list. I have always recommended to my clients to avoid glycolic acid. As stated above, making sure you check with your OBGYN first. Some will say it’s safe, some will say it should be avoided. For instance, using a glycolic based cleanser once a week versus getting a glycolic acid chemical peel are extremely different. So proper consulting with your health care provider is crucial.

Benzoyl Peroxide. Another ingredient primarily found in skincare for acne prone skin. BP dries everything up, excess oil and oily acne, which is great! But not when you’re pregnant. Whether it’s in a cleanser form, cream, gel, serum, or spot treatment, it must be avoided.

Antioxidants. Know your sources. Where are the antioxidants coming from? Vitamin C typically is safe, vitamin A is not safe. Vitamin A is technically retin-a. So as stated above, that should be avoided.

Hyaluronic acid. HA is very safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It’s so common for an expectant mothers skin to be more dry during pregnancy. So using hyaluronic acid based products are very beneficial to the skin during this time!

Since we covered skincare products to avoid during pregnancy, lets go over treatments.

Facials are perfectly safe to get during pregnancy. If anything, they are encouraged! Taking time for yourself during this joyous time is so important, not only for your skins health, but your mental health as well! If you are more prone to acne, or have developed acne due to your pregnancy, getting facials will help to improve your skin. Especially if you can’t use your acne skincare products. Always be upfront with your licensed esthetician prior to getting any facials or other treatments. Even if you are in the early stages of pregnancy. There may be  steps and products she has to avoid during your treatment that aren’t safe for pregnancy. Such as high frequency, peels or any of the ingredients I listed above.

Microdermabrasions are perfectly safe to receive during pregnancy. It will help relieve your skin of the excess dead skin, restore your glow and stimulate cellular turnover when you’re not able to use your retinoids.

Chemical Peels should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Glycolic, Salicylic or any type of a blended peel. Unfortunately there just aren’t enough studies to show safety during this time.

Microneedling, Lasers, Ultherapy, and injectables are all to be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Becoming a parent comes with sacrifices. Sacrificing warm meals, sleep, trips to the bathroom alone. But no one tells you about the true sacrifices. Giving up Botox, retinol, and laser treatments. But in the end its so worth it.

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Face Dandruff– The wonderful by-product of an exfoliating chemical peel. Those in “the know” will give you a wink or a thumbs-up as you leave a trail of falling skin in your wake.

Barnacles– I read where a dermatologist in Arizona referred to aging skin as the hull of a ship, accumulating barnacles on its journeys through the sea of life. Hulls of a ship? Yes, it makes sense, but mollusks on our faces? They belong on the beach! Not on our faces. These benign skin growths are the results of “maturing” age and heredity. One more thing we can blame on our parents. Our aesthetician, Sandra Caldwell, can use her handy CryoProbe and eradicate this pesky problem.

Turkey Neck– Just in time for Thanksgiving. No one wants to get stuck with the Turkey Neck, especially us ladies. As we mature, the skin on our necks loses its elasticity, resulting in the unwelcomed appearance of the dreaded Turkey Neck. CO2 Fractionated Pixel will tighten up this “Fowl” condition!

Jowls- When we are young, they are cheeks. Again, as we gracefully mature, they suddenly become jowls.  Even worse, they are referred to as sagging jowls. We just can’t get a break! Well, we have an amazing solution for SJ syndrome- Juvederm XC and Radiesse. I have seen the results with my own eyes. Dr Blume, I think you have found a cure for SJ syndrome.

I could continue describing various skin conditions, such as Liver Spots, Crepey Skin, Ice Pick Scars and Spider Veins. We tend to be our worst critics when it comes to our skin. There are solutions to these conditions so don’t be so tough on yourself. We are all on this journey together and we want to help you put your best face forward and age gracefully.

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Start planning now by scheduling your skincare appointments so that you have that holiday glow! You deserve it!

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