Microneedling
Microneedling
Also known as collagen induction therapy, microneedling is one of the newest, most effective approaches to rejuvenate the skin, improving texture and firmness. The treatment works by creating tiny punctures in the top skin layer. These micro-needles trigger your body to create new collagen and elastin in order to heal.
It’s an ideal approach for treating:
- Fine lines
- Wrinkles
- Crow’s feet
- Sun damage
- Hyperpigmentation
- Stretch marks
- Acne scars
Results
Real results and really happy clients…
Check out more examples of our work!
What does it feel like?
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How many treatment sessions will I need?
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Cosmetic Regenerative Medicine
Cosmetic Regenerative Medicine
A major focus of aesthetic medicine is that of regenerative medicine. While we already offer some regenerative treatments at our Glam + Glo Medical Aesthetic Spa locations, there are some new innovative products that have been launched. What is regenerative medicine though? The Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics at the Mayo Clinic describes it as such: “Regenerative medicine is focused on developing and applying new treatments to heal tissues and organs and restore function lost due to aging, disease, damage or defects. The human body has the natural ability to heal itself in many ways”, particularly, the human skin. Did you know that your skin is the largest organ on your body? How often do you stop and think about your skin being a vital organ? When we view it for what it is, it’s easier to understand why it’s so important to take care of our skin using SPF and skincare products as well as regenerative modalities.
Regenerative treatments and products for the skin focus on correcting our skins textures (think dry and dull skin, enlarged pores, scars) as well as pigment irregularities, and loss of collagen and elastin. As we age, our skin cell turnover slows down. Our skin cells go through a cycle of being produced at the cellular level to rising to the surface where they die and shed off as new skin cells come forth to replace them. When the process slows it leaves that dead dry skin sitting on the surface longer than we would like. Dark spots or hyperpigmentation are also formed at a cellular level and rises to the surface always to be followed by more layers of pigment to come. Loss of collagen and elastin is also a key factor in aging. These two components of the skin are partly responsible for loose, lax, and sagging or drooping skin as we age. Collagen production begins to decline around the age of 20-25 and elastin drops off significantly around the age of 40. By 45 we have lost 25% of our collagen and will continue to lose 1% annually. The areas of collagen and elastin loss, skin texture, hyperpigmentation, and overall skin healing is where regenerative medicine is significantly impactful.
Dr. Joshua Crose describes regenerative medicine in aesthetics by stating, “The basis for most of aesthetic medicine is the very principle of using the body to improve itself. We cause some sort of insult with the expectation that the body’s response will produce a positive result.” At Glam + Glo we offer several treatments that work to induce the body to produce it’s own collagen and elastin. These treatments include Sculptra and Radiesse hyperdilute injections as well as traditional microneedling, aqua gold microneedling, Morpheus8 microneedling with radio frequency, and Intense Pulse Light treatments. To compliment these treatments we now offer Exosomes as well as our NeoCutis and Obagi Skincare lines.
Sculptra and Radiesse hyperdilute are both injectable biostimulators that address the underlying cause of aging, collagen loss. Sculptra specifically improves collagen type I and helps to restore volume loss. Radiesse hyperdilute aids in stimulating collagen type I and III as well as elastin. By increasing the collagen and elastin production you improve the scaffolding of the skin and create tighter skin with improved hyaluronic acid as well.
Microneedling of all types work to stimulate collagen production through controlled wound healing. By creating micro injuries in the skin via the micro needles our bodies will then work to repair themselves. This repair process leads to remodeling in which the wound is replaced with new dermal tissues and blood vessels which are comprised of rich collagen and elastin proteins. These proteins improve skin youthfulness. Morpheus8 takes this a step further with deeper depths achieved as radio-frequncy is emitted through the micro needles.
Microneedling can be boosted with the application of Exosomes. Exosomes are a new and improved state of the art alternative to platelet rich plasma (PRP). Many of you have heard of the Vampire Facelift in where a patients blood is drawn, platelet rich plasma is separated from the blood sample and used to place back on the skin. The problem with PRP is that it’s effectiveness is dependent upon the individual. An older patients plasma may not contain PRP that works as well as a healthier or younger patient. Enter Exosomes! Exo-xom is the most cutting edge scientific biotech breakthrough for harnessing the power of stem cells. Exosomes are derived from a healthy young patient, screened similar to blood after it is donated, and they contain potent growth factors, peptides, coenzymes, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. There is no fluctuation in the quality of the product, like with PRP; therefore they can elicit a 600% increase in collagen and 300% increase in elastin when applied topically to the skin. Additionally they are anti-inflammatory, as opposed to PRP being inflammatory, and can improve the skin’s healing and decrease downtime after treatments.
5 Things to Know Before Upping Your Anti-Aging Game
5 Things to Know Before Upping Your Anti-Aging Game
Over the last decade, the medspa industry has taken off. Social media sites showing videos of patients receiving treatments are at your fingertips. Models, celebrities, and socialites are all sharing their experiences and opening up about their anti-aging treatments.
Celebrity before and afters are posted side by side and provide a fun guessing game for trying to decide what the star has had done:
Botox? Fillers? Rhinoplasty? Or just great make-up contouring.
With this wealth of internet knowledge also comes photos of botched treatments and warnings regarding their safety. And, just as you can see all the beautiful work, you also get a glimpse of the not-so-pretty work. Lips are enhanced well beyond their natural shape and symmetry. People are moving from simple anti-aging to full on facial transformations, resulting in them looking “un-natural.” Others may comment that they don’t even look like themselves.
On the flip side, you have a growing amount of the population who wants to “age gracefully” and/or “wants a natural” remedy for aging. Essential oils, supplements, and natural creams like coconut oils are being positioned as effective anti-aging treatments. With the multiple ideas on how to age , there is somewhat of a rift in where people stand on these medical treatments. Here’s what you need to know to make a more informed decision on how you choose to age. This segment will weigh in on what I’ve seen as a practitioner and discuss how I’ve cultivated my personal viewpoint on anti-aging.
Strength and beauty are the blessings of you; temperance ,however, is the flower of old age. -Democritus
First:
What is anti-aging?
To me anti-aging is an attempt to freeze the aging process in its tracks and many times even reverse the aging that has occurred.
Many patients do come in for enhancements, ie “I want my lips bigger and better”, not just restored to their youthful selves, or to change their look all together, ie non-surgical nose jobs or chin projections; however, the majority of the patients I see are looking for an actual anti-aging solution. They want to slow down the aging process and look like they did before they had fine lines and sagging skin.
To clarify:
anti-aging does not equal un-natural enhancements.
You will know you’ve achieved a natural anti-aging look when you have botox or filler and your friends say, “Wow you look great.” or “You look rested….what did you do differently?” They know you look refreshed, glowing, and overall rejuvenated, but they can’t tell what you did. They don’t look at you and say OMG your lips!
Second:
You get a choice in how your anti-aging process goes.
Your practitioner will give you all the steps and information needed for a full anti-aging treatment. This will likely include skincare, neurotoxins (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin), fillers, collagen stimulators and resurfacing treatments. You get to choose where you want to start. I always suggest skin care as an initial step with or without a neurotoxin. Remember, aging is a process and so is its reversal. When using medical aesthetics instead of surgery, you will have to back out of the state of aging you are in. This takes time, and is also the reason that you wont look like a “freak” after just a little botox or one syringe of filler.
Those oversized lips and large apply cheeks on your girlfriend, who needs to pump the breaks on her injections, didn’t happen over night. That was a few trips and multiple syringes later that lead her to that point. Relax, if her look isn’t for you, that’s ok, you can request a more natural look.
You get the choice to tip toe into this. Any good practitioner will sit down with you and discuss options, but most importantly, they will listen to you. For example, I had two patients come to my office, around the ages of 25-29, wanting to start the anti-aging process with a little Botox. They were nervous and excited and terrified. They did not want to look frozen, but rather wanted to jump on the “baby Botox” wagon. Fair enough! After discussing all the risks and benefits of using neurotoxins, what to expect with the treatment, and post treatment expectations, I gave them my assessment of how much product I would recommend. Even a light dose scared them, so we went a little lower. We discussed that the risk of lowering the dose meant it would wear off sooner and/or not be as effective, but they were ok with this. So, we did what was comfortable for them. They returned a few months later, satisfied and ready to do more.
Third:
Not all anti-aging involves putting a synthetic product or “toxin” into your face.
Welcome all of my organic and natural friends. If your all natural oils and coconut cream based products are woking for you, awesome! But I have to say, I’ve had several patients filter into my office using these products, but feeling they need something more. Well, I have that too! I am a firm believer that good skin starts with good skincare. There are several amazing lines that are organic and natural that work. A few things I recommend adding to your oils are vitamin C and hyaluronic acid products. Vitamin C has been used in the cosmetic and dermatologic world for a long time. It’s one of the most researched products we use. We know it works! However, not all serums are created equal, so make sure you do your homework. Also, there are a lot of mild laser based treatments that can help boost collagen stimulation and help you maintain your natural glow and youthful look without all the needles and toxins. This however, does lead me to another point. Wether you use toxins or not, it is good to know that there is Xeomin, a purified neurotoxin, that is now available for the naturalist in you! And, it works amazingly.
Forth:
Start now! The sooner you start your anti-aging journey the better.
Don’t’ worry , if you started late, there are still a ton of options that don’t involve going under the knife. But, start now! The younger you start, the less you will need per sitting of injections, and the less noticeable it will be that you’ve done anything. Starting a good skin care routine now will help you maintain your youthfulness in the years to come. Trust me, your future self with thank you! I’m pretty sure none of you will look back in 30 years and say, “I wished I hadn’t taken such good care of my skin!”
Fifth:
It’s an investment. I’m going to get a little ranty here, so brace yourselves!
We spend hundreds of dollars getting our hair done and another hundred per month (at least) getting our nails done. We will spend $150 to a few thousand dollars for a handbag and another for the perfect pair of shoes. Yet, we will turn our noses up at a $200 skin care product. In 5 years you will likely have a different handbag, worn those shoes out, and wont even remember what color your nails were this time last year, but you will still have to look at yourself in the mirror. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and spend the money to invest in a good skin care regimen and anti-aging treatments. Your body is a better investment than the things you wear on it.
-end rant 🙂
So basically, all anti-aging starts out looking natural. It’s your choice as to whether you end up looking “over done.” Make a pact with your girlfriends to talk to each other should one of you start to get to the carried away side of things.
Talk to your practitioner about your goals and ask them to scale back if even their idea of a minimal treatment freaks you out! Start small, good skincare is a great start and your practitioner can guide you towards the best products. Don’t forget, anti-aging is for everyone! Unless of course, you’re ok with looking older than you have to. No judgement if thats your plan, but as for me, I’ll choose to still look 40 when I’m 50.
Have a beautiful day,
♔Queen Cosmetic Injector
