Health & Weight Loss

Skin rejuvenation can be confusing to even the most informed patients, and understanding how directed and combination therapies act to deliver results, is crucial. In general, the degree of effect is directly related to the depth of penetration in the skin. Skin can be divided into three layers, the epidermis, constituting the outer layer, and the dermis, the inner two layers. Therapies are classified as superficial, medium, or deep based on their depth of penetration. The three most common treatment modalities used for skin rejuvenation are chemical peels, mechanical dermabrasion, and lasers.

All three modalities can be used for superficial, medium, or deep rejuvenation.Medical grade skin care products act to hydrate skin, increase exfoliation, build collagen, and treat skin discolorations and blemishes. Topical vitamin therapy is a common, minimally invasive therapy, of which, the most relevant to skin rejuvenation is tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative. It acts to rejuvenate, by thickening the epidermis and decreasing photoaging, including: dyschromias and brown spots, in the short term and increasing collagen production with a decrease in fine wrinkles with longer courses. Hydroquinone and Kojic acid are topical bleaching agents that inhibit melanin production: lightening age spots, imporoving melasma, as well as other causes of hyperpigmented blemishes.

Superficial rejuvenation primarily includes glycolic acid and jessner chemical peels and acts on the epidermis, decreasing discolorations and blemishes while allowing the germinal layer of the epidermis to regenerate. Additionally, they also act to increase superficial collagen formation in the dermis, improving fine wrinkles. Lasers can be used to perform “micropeels,” acting on the epidermis only, with benefits similar to the other superficial rejuvenation procedures.

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