Chemical peels

Chemical peels are one of the most commonly requested aesthetic procedures, and for good reason - they peel away signs of aging and refresh your appearance. Whether you have a dull complexion, fine lines, or age spots, a chemical peel can eliminate the problem. Chemical peeling is a technique used to improve the appearance of skin found on the face, neck, décolletage and hands. A chemical component is applied to the skin to remove dead layers of skin. New regenerated skin is formed and is much smoother in texture. As a result, fine lines and wrinkles are softened, uneven pigmentation lightened, skin texture improved, acne breakouts cleared and scarring reduced.

Skin Peel Treatment Options

Treating Adult Acne

We associate acne with our troubled teenage years but actually adult acne is more common than people think. It is not unusual for some adults to develop acne just as everyone else is outgrowing it – or even into their 40s and 50s – and it can be just as unpleasant and difficult to deal with.

What is Acne?
Acne is a breakout of pimples, papules and pustules. A pimple is formed by a collection of fat, skin and keratin stuck in a hair follicle. When this is open, it is a blackhead, and when it is closed, it is a whitehead. Whiteheads can cause the walls of the hair follicle to rupture – and this causes the redness, irritation, inflammation and infection we associate with acne. It is most common on the face but can also occur on the neck, back, shoulders and upper arms. It can be embarrassing and painful for sufferers, irrespective of age.

Types of Acne Pimples

So what causes it in adults and how can you make it go away?

There are a few different factors that could trigger a breakout of acne as an adult. It is not poor hygiene, a common misconception. Hormonal changes are one – when your body experiences a spike in hormones it can cause more oil production, which clogs the pores of your skin leading to pimples forming. Stress is another important factor – an increase in stress can cause more cortisol to be released in your body. Cortisol a steroid hormone that tells your body to produce oil that in turn clogs your pores. Your diet is an obvious one. Food that causes your blood sugar to spike – generally carbs and sugar, as in bread, pasta, and desserts – can lead to inflammation of the skin, triggering a breakout. Some people also have a reaction to dairy due to the hormones that are found in many dairy products. When it comes to dairy, buying organic where possible can often help. But oftentimes, unfortunately, it is nothing you have done – it is just a reaction of your body that you have to deal with as best you can.

Don’t forget a few key facts when dealing with acne, and these are true for both adults and teenagers. Hard scrubbing, or washing too often, does not make acne go away and the irritation may in fact make it worse. So clean your skin gently a couple of times a day and pat dry afterwards. Keep your hands and hair clean – it is best not to touch your skin at all, which is almost impossible, but make sure your hands are clean and your hair is washed regularly. Tanning can temporarily mask acne but too much exposure to the sun can cause dryness and irritation, making breakouts more severe. And don’t pop and squeeze – this only pushes more bacteria to the surface.

In addition to these day-to-day actions you can take to limit the appearance of acne, there are plenty of products available on the aesthetic market that can both limit the appearance, and treat the root causes. The difficult comes in knowing what is best for your skin.

Ageing Insights – what you need to know

With age, the skin goes through natural wear-and-tear, just like the rest of our bodies. But much of what we think of as natural aging is in fact due to sun exposure and other factors. That means it can be avoided, and it's never too late to start.

What is skin ageing

Under the skin is a fibre meshwork of collagen and elastin proteins that keeps the skin firm. When the skin is stretched, this protein matrix snaps it back into place.
Primary factors contributing to ageing skin are exposure to the sun and pollution, and loss of subcutaneous support (fatty tissue between your skin and muscle). Other factors that contribute to ageing of the skin include stress, gravity, daily facial movement, extreme weight fluctuation and irregular sleeping patterns.

Signs of skin ageing

• Skin becomes rougher.
• The loss of the elastic tissue (elastin) in the skin with age causes the skin to loose elasticity.
• Skin becomes more transparent due to the thinning of the surface layer of the skin.
• Skin becomes more easily bruised due to thinner blood vessel walls.

Combatting Chronic Redness

A delicate blush to the cheeks is never a bad thing when one is shy or embarrassed by a neatly turned compliment, or even a delicate tinting of the skin thanks to a subtle application of blusher. It is, in fact, rather attractive. But when it is a burning bright red which will just not go away, that is a totally different matter.

If you are suffering from unrelenting chronic redness you probably have one of four very different conditions – psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis or rosacea. It is advisable not to diagnose yourself but rather visit your doctor first.

If you have rosacea or sensitised skin, the phFormula chronic redness skin resurfacing treatments not only ease the skin condition, but can reverse it and, at the same time, regenerate your skin. phFormula’s advanced treatment-focused, result-orientated skin resurfacing system specifically designed for rosacea or chronic redness achieves the same deep-skin healings as medical treatments, but without the side-effects.

What are the symptoms of rosacea?

Rosacea is common in adults and is often hereditary. It reveals itself as red, tiny dilated blood vessels. As the inflammation increases pus-filled bumps, pimples and swelling may also appear. Rosacea commonly affects the central third of the face, especially the nose, and its intensity varies over time. While there are different sub-types of rosacea, erythematotelangiectatic type rosacea (ETR) is the most common. It looks like, and is often known as adult acne, which is hardly surprising as it is characterised by:

• Persistent redness or flushing of the central third of the face including the nose and cheeks. It can also affect the chin.
• Visible broken blood vessels
• Swollen skin
• Sensitive skin
• Stinging and burning skin
• Dry, rough and scaly skin

What the rosacea influencers?

It is important to know what causes rosacea. The most significant influencers are capillary fragility, UV radiation, corticosteroids (cortisone-like medicines), anxiety, stress, and microbial bacterial infections. All of these lead to oxidative stress and this then has a knock-on effect. Oxidative stress is revealed in either facial irritation or capillary vasodilatation. Oxidative stress is the foundation for what happens next in the skin. When combined with a loss of vascular tone and increased infection, oxidative stress causes an increase in capillary permeability. When oxidative stress combines with infection and inflammation it causes flushing.

From there, flushing and increased capillary permeability result in telangiectasia, or enlarged veins, and couperose, or broken capillaries. The final result, rosacea or chronic redness, is caused by the combination of enlarged veins and broken capillaries..
It is best to avoid chocolate, alcohol, seafood and spicy foods as all of these can either cause or aggravate the condition. Find healthy ways to reduce the levels of anxiety and stress in your life.

Understanding Hyperpigmentation

Confidence is partly defined by how we see ourselves and the health of one’s skin is a huge part of feeling confident. Visible dark spots that appear on the face, hands, and other parts of the body that have been exposed to the sun can cause one to feel self conscious.

These visible markings, referred to as pigmentation, in the different areas on the body, can have various affects due to reason such as hormonal imbalance, sun exposure, damaged skin or hereditary reasons. It can cause the skin to look uneven and sun damaged, giving it a dull and worn-out appearance. Pigmentation is known to be caused by excessive production of pigment which presents itself in the form of a brown pigment known as melanin.

Types of Pigmentation

Freckles

Freckles are flat, brown circular spots that typically are the size of the head of a common nail. The spots are multiple and may develop on sun-exposed skin after repeated exposure to sunlight. These are particularly common in people with red hair and a fair complexion and may appear on people as young as 1 or 2 years of age.

Most freckles are uniform in colour, however freckles may vary somewhat in colour. They may be reddish, yellow, tan, light brown, brown, or black and are slightly darker than the surrounding skin. They may become darker and more apparent after sun exposure and lighten in the winter months.

Age Spots

Age spots, also known as liver spots and solar lentigines, are small dark areas on your skin that vary in size and usually appear on areas most exposed to the sun, such as face, hands, shoulders and arms. Age spots are very common in adults, however younger people can get them too, especially if they spend a lot of time in the sun.

Melasma

Melasma (pregnancy mask) seems to be the most common concern amongst women. This commonly appears in the format of pigmentation patches on the forehead, cheekbone and upper lip area and sometimes the jawline too. This is mostly caused by the variations to the skin which are caused by hormones that are in flux and sun damage! Estrogen, progesterone and the production of melanin are increased during a woman’s pregnancy cycle. With the correct skincare regime and diet one control, heal and maintain pigmentation by following a diet that contains foods that are rich in folic acid in combination with prenatal vitamins and a skincare regimen that will gradually address pigmentation while brightening and clearing the skin of dark patches.