Understanding skin health using advanced skin treatments

Knowing that the skin is our largest organ and certainly the most visible one, we would all agree that maintaining it in optimal condition is important. This is why the skin care industry is a billion dollar enterprise with a continuous growth even in struggling economies. Over the years, skin care experts, researchers and scientists have developed different products, treatments and devices to help keep the skin healthy and beautiful at different stages of one’s life.

The skin is a protective organ with very critical functions such as regulating temperature, forming a barrier against the ultraviolet rays, infections and toxins, excretion of toxins and of course giving beauty to the human body. Good skin has tremendous benefits socially and mentally. Your skin tells a lot about the state of your health, and your age.

Skin aging is a complex biological process influenced by a combination of endogenous or intrinsic and exogenous or extrinsic factors. Knowing that skin health and beauty is considered one of the principal factors representing overall “well-being” and the perception of “health” in humans, several treatments have become popular due to their ability to restore the skin’s healthy look and reverse the signs of aging.

Advanced skin treatments are being churned out constantly. Gone are the days when facials were considered the number one treatment offered by skin care professionals. From chemical peels, microdermabrasions, microneedling, lasers to name a few, the list is endless on the options of professional skin treatments available to rejuvenate the skin and turn back the hands of the clock. In summary, advanced skin treatments seek to replace lost collagen due to aging and increase the rate of skin cell turnover, ultimately revealing younger and fresher skin.

When it comes to aging, there are three major factors to consider: The re-sorption of bone; loss of muscle tone; and condition of the skin. These factors work together to cause aging.

Some of the more popular advanced treatments include microdermabrasion, chemical peels, microneedling, vampire facials, laser resurfacing/ rejuvenation renew the skin. Neuro-modulators like Botox control wrinkles from excessive facial expressions and dermal fillers which are used to correct volume-loss due to aging can also be considered part of advanced skin care as they ultimately affect the outward appearance of the skin. The more advanced treatments like Botox and dermal fillers are however strictly left to qualified medical professionals to perform.

Micro needling is a treatment that has gained popularity due to its ability to stimulate the body’s natural healing process, thus initiating collagen production for a healthy, luminous and toned skin.

If you are more conservative, you may want to simply go for a microdermabrasion treatment, which physically exfoliates the upper layer of the skin with the use of aluminium oxide crystals or a diamond tip. There is little or no down time with the microdermabrasion treatment.

In some cases, resurfacing treatments such as ablative or fractional CO₂ lasers can be used to resurface the skin, thus stimulating collagen production and improving the skin texture and appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

One of the oldest and yet still effective skin treatments is a chemical peel. Chemical peels have been used for years and are effective in treating several skin issues such as Acne, hyper-pigmentation, scarring and so much more. There are various strengths of acids used to reveal younger and more luminous skin.

Lack of understanding of the advanced skin care treatments has caused some of these treatments to be viewed with suspicion, more so because there are charlatans posing as skincare specialists who damage people’s skin. Choosing a properly trained beauty therapist, medical aesthetician, Dermatologist or Medical professional is paramount to achieving your goals of good, healthy and younger looking skin.

The Beauty Therapy Institute only trains beauty therapists and medical aestheticians to the highest standards in offering advanced skin treatments.