I wanted to share my personal laser experience with everyone.  About 2 weeks ago, I had a very aggressive microlaser peel and ProFractional treatment on a Monday.  My goal was to diminish wrinkles and sun-damage.  We took pictures after the procedure every day for 5 days.  These are available for you to view at the clinic.  I can tell you that the day I had the treatment, I looked SCARY!  But, I still went out to dinner that night….and got a lot of strange looks.  I healed very quickly though, and by Day 4 I looked just a little red.  The post photos are pretty amazing showing a very significant improvement in the wrinkles around my eyes and sun-damage.  I had no pain during the treatment, and none during the “recovery”.  What we do realize more and more is that the more aggressive we get, the better the results.  Stop by and see my day-by-day pictures and the before and after pics as well.  They tell a great story!  I have been working with lasers for 11 years, and this combination treatment is the most effective I have ever seen!!

Matt Taranto

We all know that doing a variety of exercises is much better for your body than just doing the same exercise over and over.  The same holds true for your skin.  My recent trip to the American Academy of Dermatology meeting really hammered home this point.  We see much better results on wrinkles, sun-damage, acne, and acne scars when we utilize a variety of skin treatments.  Keep in mind that while very thin, you skin is a very complex organ, in fact it is the largest organ of the human body.  When we address the outer layer (stratum corneum), the epidermis, and dermis, we see results that are very impressive.  As well, keeping your skin nourished, hydrated, and protected not only enhances the outcome of our treatments, but is very helpful in slowing down the visible signs of aging.  This is why we highly recommend a routine that includes advanced facials combined with light chemical peels and/or crystal-free microdermabrasion.  Remember, think of your skin as an organ with many parts, and if we treat all the parts, the “whole” of the skin will look great!

Matt Taranto - President

So….I had a facial on Monday for the first time since last summer and it was amazing!  My face feels so clean, even 2 days later!  I found out that I am doing  a very mediocre job of removing my makeup and cleaning my face on a daily basis.  I first started taking better care of my skin in high school when my mom bought a really expensive line of products for me at an upscale department store.  The woman that sold the products to us told me that I needed to splash my face with water 30 times before my cleansing would be complete….and I listened….so this probably explains why I have always thought that simply splashing my face with water was good enough.  Not so…especially when you use mineral-based makeup.  I found out that all of the clogged pores and loose “skin” around my nose could all be attributed to nasty buildup.  The solution is simple…a washcloth!  Yep, that’s right….all I have to do is incorporate a washcloth in my daily cleansing routine to slough off all of the residue left behind on my face.  Why didn’t I know that????

I have been blessed with dark, thick hair (thank you, mom).  That same blessing has also been a curse (thanks again, mom).  I could give more details on the curse and how it relates to my affinity for laser hair removal, but I really want to talk about brows because I just had a great brow wax and important brow lesson.  (note: you cannot and should not use a laser to shape your brows)  We all have unique face shapes and our eyebrows ”frame” our face so ungroomed or overgroomed eyebrows can really make a difference in our appearance.  I look back at high school pictures of myself and am disgusted that I walked out of the house with my bushy & unkempt brows.  I have the same look of horror when I look at college pictures where I had overly tweezed and waxed brows.  Why oh why did I think that looked good??  I finally found the right “frame” for years, but lost it somehow in the last year.  I tried to fix mistakes that I made or that others made (no names mentioned).  These attempts were unsuccessful. The esthetician at Aestheticare sat me down and showed me where I need to grow my brows after she waxed and plucked the hairs that needed to get off of my face.  She took the time to explain to me how my brows should be shaped and WHY according to my face shape and features.  I am confident that I will get the right frame on my mug again soon, but it is going to take patience and Revitalash!

It was bound to happen and it finally did last week…I got my first injection bruise.  Unfortunately, the bruise was in plain view for all to see.  It was not the injector’s fault at all.  Usually I schedule treatments ahead of time and plan accordingly.  I know what I have to do the week leading up to an injection in order to prevent a bruise: lay off the green tea, fish oil pills and advil.  However, I decided on a whim to do a Radiesse touch-up on a Friday afternoon so I enjoyed my green tea lattes that week, popped my fish oil pills religiously and even took advil for menstrual cramps and paid for it with a big purple bruise on my face!!  I started moping about my bruise when the esthetician at Aestheticare came to the rescue (like she frequently does for breakouts, flaky skin, etc.) with a cute little vial of Vitamin K.  Apparently, Vitamin K does the trick because my bruise was gone after two days of rubbing it on my bruise and that bruise would have been around for at least a week if I had gone with my original plan of moping and heavy makeup.  So…if you can’t stay away from all of the things that you are supposed to before an injection or make a last-minute appointment, make sure you pick up a vial of Vitamin K…just in case.

Happy New Year!  I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted from the holidays.  All of the traveling, family gatherings and obscene amounts of food took a toll on my skin.  So one would think that I would be sick of holidays, but instead I found myself looking to the next holiday…and while I admit that Valentine’s Day is not my FAVORITE holiday…it is a holiday and should be celebrated in some sort of fashion.  I have an embarassing sweet tooth, so my attention immediately turns to Valentine’s Day chocolates and candy.  Botox is the candy of our industry so it only makes sense to run a Botox promotion for Valentine’s Day, but anyone that has had Botox knows that it takes up to 10 days to see results so…we are going to have three fun-filled days of food and Botox specials on February 5, 6 & 7.  We are offering our injections at $12/unit on those days (regularly priced at $14/unit)…but you have an incentive to bring a friend…$10/unit if you bring a friend with you.  That’s right, you can bring a friend or your special “Valentine” and both of you will get your “candy” for $10/unit.  Keep the resolutions going!

Both external and internal consumption of aloe works wonders on skin. Compounds within aloe vera make it a highly moisturizing substance, while at the same time it stimulates fibroblasts within human tisssue. Fibroblasts are responsible for the production of collagen which strengthens new tissue formation. Aloe helps  to reverse scarring, speeds healing, has five natural occuring anti-inflammatory agents and has growth factors. I also recommend to drink Aloe juice as well. It contains 20 amino acids, vital minerals, enzymes and vitamins. Your skin absorbs aloe up to four times faster than water. Drinking aloe juice daily can help detox, promote healthy digestion, natural immune support, reduce inflammation and help with collagen and elastin repair.   Our Aestheticare Solutions Rx line has Aloe as the first ingredient in these  products: Bio Amino Anti-line Concentrate, Moisture Infusion, Rescue Treatment Cream,and Soothing Zinc Gel Mask. Trust me, adding all or any of these wonderful products to your daily regimen will enhance your beauty.

I have started on a raw food journey.  I have done alot of research on the beauty and skin benefits of following a raw food diet.  Raw food??? Isn’t that what hippies do? Like most of you reading this, I grew up a meat and potatoes midwest girl. A raw food diet is definitely a new concept to me. But what if I told you eating that way can help REDUCE wrinkles, age spots(a.k.a sun damage), eye bags, and even help clear up acne? Research shows that people who have adopted a raw food diet report healthy, radiant skin. Raw foods contains active enzymes that help you digest your food more efficiently and improve your body’s immune system and overall function. These changes reflect on your skin. Alot of skin problems could be related to all the chemicals that are in processed food. These chemicals build up in your cells.  Acne could be an allergic reation to these chemicals.  As an esthetician, I am always looking for ways to help my clients maintain healthy skin….and as  a woman turning 40, I am always looking for ways to look good as I enter into this next decade…So I am jumping on the raw food movement…I am challenging all my clients to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegtables into their diet as well. Let’s age gracefully together!!!! 

As an esthetician I am always asked, “What can I do to improve my skin and slow down the aging process?” After 15 years in the skin care industry, I have seen gimmicks and trends come and go. What remains? Products that will stand the test of time.Those products are: Vitamin C, Glycolic Acid and Peptides. Antioxidants, such as topical Vitamin C, protect the cellular structure from free radical damage. Glycolic acid, another necessity in battling the aging process, stimulates cellular and collagen production and can help the overall texture of the skin look radiant. Finally the third and maybe the most overlooked product ingredients are Peptides. Peptides support skin cells, promote the formation of collagen and elastin, and increase circulation. Look for a peptide serum that contains a neural peptide called Acetyl Hexapeptide 3, which stops the release of neural transmitters and relaxes the facial muscles. Peptides can be considered “nature’s botox®”. These three key products will improve your skin, keep it looking beautiful and support all the skin care services you invest in, such as facials, IPL treatments, microdermabrasion and the latest most advanced laser treatment, ProFractional.