Skin Treatments

Skin treatment is a wonderful way to clear away blemishes and fortify your natural glow.  A Better You Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Center offers medically-supervised skin care programs.  These treatments provide you with a minimally-invasive alternative to surgery in rejuvenating and improving your skin tone and texture.  The proper skin care regimen can also maintain and prolong your cosmetic surgery results.

To learn how skin treatments can benefit your complexion, contact our Corpus Christi office either online or by phone: (361) 881-9999.  We also offer virtual consultations to best suit your lifestyle and schedule. 

Long Term Care and Maintenance

Over the years, our skin encounters several damaging factors such as sun exposure, smoking, hot and cold changes, hormones, chemicals, and other environmental toxins.  These are all part of the natural aging process, which ultimately results in the diminishment of our soft, clear and smooth skin. 

Your use of a daily medically-supervised skin care/health program can help you maintain a youthful complexion and correct some of the damage that has occurred over the years.

To understand your options in skin care treatment, it helps to have some basic knowledge of skin and what the latest available products can offer you.  The skin is composed of two main layers: the outer layer called the epidermis and the inner and deeper one, the dermis.  The cells of the epidermis constantly divide and rise to the surface.  When these dead, dried skin cells pile up on each other, our skin appears dull, dry and rough.  In some cases, dead cells can clog pores, leading to acne formation.  Pigment (melanin) can accumulate at the bottom layer of the epidermis and cause blotching or age spots.  

The dermis layer is the thicker of the two layers of skin.  It contains water, hair follicles, blood vessels, nerve endings, sweat and oil glands.  The substructure of the dermis is supported by a network of proteins called the extracellular matrix (ECM).^[1]  The ECM contains collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the human body, as well as elastin, which is responsible for the elasticity of our skin.  Keratin comprises the very tough and protective outer layer of the skin.  It is composed of proteins that act as a barrier to the outside world.

Common Skin Conditions

Environmental Damages

The elements take their toll on the complexion.  When seasonal changes damage the skin, the body responds by replenishing dead cells naturally.  But as we mature, we produce fewer cells to replace the old ones.  This results in the pile-up of dead cells, loss of oils, and other depleted protective factors.  The skin begins to appear dull and dry.  In more severe cases, one can observe precancerous skin lesions.  If you need help identifying and treating environmentally damaged skin, please contact A Better You. 

Hyperpigmentation 

Specialized cells called melanocytes are responsible for giving our skin its signature hue.^[2]  But when melanocytes become overactive, they can produce uneven colorations such as age spots.  This type of skin condition is usually the result of photosensitizing agents and/or hormonal changes such as pregnancy and menopause.  Sun exposure always worsens hyperpigmentation. 

Hypersensitive Skin

Thin skin is generally attributed to heredity.  Genetically vulnerable skin may become injured when confronted with environmental conditions such as wind, sun exposure, detergents, etc.  Thin skin also lacks epidermal lipids, leading to a weak skin barrier.  When the skin’s armor is ineffective, it permits moisture evaporation, resulting in tiny cracks and fissures in the skin.

Acne-Prone Skin

Healthy skin can lose its textural balance when oil glands become overactive due to various stimuli such as hormones, stress, diet, sun exposure, etc.  The overabundance of oil attracts debris and provides an ideal condition for bacteria to grow, resulting in enlarged pores and bumps under the skin.  All ages can be affected by acne-prone skin.  Active acne has a genetic predisposition in which there are contributing factors such as cell-shedding dysfunction, oil irregularity, environmental conditions, stress/hormones and personal habits.  Acne is controllable but not curable.  Most cases can be managed through home care and skin care treatments.  Teen acne and adult acne must be treated differently.  A common agent used for both is Benzoyl Peroxide which penetrates the skin, releasing oxygen.  This helps clear the complexion.  Active acne requires antibiotic treatment such as Tetracycline or Erythromycin.  If you have acne, you must be careful to avoid sun, stress, cosmetics, drugs and certain foods.  Pregnancy can also aggravate acne breakouts.

Medical Grade Skin Care Products 

Aesthetic skin care products condition the skin through deep cleansing and exfoliation (removal of the dead surface cells and debris).  Certain products improve lymphatic/blood flow and restore the protective keratin layer.

Most of these products contain a mild acid such as naturally occurring fruit acids that are available in different strengths according to your particular need.  The action of these acids is to chemically penetrate and separate the most superficial layer of your skin and peel it away.  These products are then combined with bleaching, cleansing and moisturizing agents to give you smoother and softer skin.  You obtain a healthier complexion because these products tend to bolster skin elasticity, normalize oil production, restore the skin’s protective effects, and improve skin tone.  The right product regimen can even diminish fine lines and wrinkles.

Our skin care lines include Nerium AD, Obagi and others.  Remember: products that you can purchase in stores are deliberately low strength and designed to cause minimal reactions.  Over-the-counter creams and lotions are usually more expensive than they are worth.  The stronger products that we offer under our medically-supervised care program will produce stronger results.  Some of these products are photosensitive and require you to avoid sunbathing.  The use of sun-blocking agents, sun protective clothing and other protective measures are recommended at all times.

Obagi Skin Care

The Obagi skin care treatment is a supervised medical program designed to renew and restore your skin.  You will benefit from this tailored program especially if your skin is environmentally damaged, discolored, acne-prone or hypersensitive.  The Obagi treatment is formulated to improve such concerns as skin clarity and tone, pigmentation problems, dryness, firmness and elasticity, as well as the appearance of fine lines.  These skin care regimens work at the cellular level and are not to be confused with the skin products sold in various department stores.  Obagi products are extremely effective for all skin types and their purpose is cleansing, correction, stimulation and protection.  Often Retin-A is prescribed simultaneously to enhance the result.

Retin-A

Retin-A is a cream derived from vitamin A, which penetrates the skin and stimulates the formation of new collagen.  This topical treatment can correct damaged skin and improve the fine wrinkles and lines with a peeling effect.  The Retin-A procedure results in redness and scaling, which is common and expected, but disappears with time and usage.  Therefore, sun exposure must be avoided.

Kinerase

Kinerase contains a natural plant growth factor (furfuryladenine) that slows aging in plant cells and appears to have similar effects in vitro on human epithelial cells.^[3]  It helps to reduce skin photoaging, retain moisture and reduce fine lines and wrinkles without irritation.  This non-photosensitizing effect may be the greatest advantage of Kinerase, allowing you to perform everyday activities while taking only the normal precautions against sun exposure.

Obagi Blue Peel

You may have already heard about OBP since it has swept the world of skin rejuvenation with great success.  This remarkable, 20-minute, in-office procedure is the hallmark of the Obagi skin care program.  It can enhance the face as well as the neck, arms, hands and legs.  OBP promotes and restores healthy skin and can remove many of the sun damage spots and fine lines.  The product’s bluish tint, where it derives its name, washes off in 24 hours and within one week, you are generally all healed.  The peeling should not disrupt your lifestyle and it is safe, controllable and economical.

Benefits of Skin Treatments

Personal Consultation

Skin is the ultimate conversation piece.  It speaks volumes without saying a word.  We want to understand your skin’s story, so please contact us online or call (361) 881-9999 to schedule an appointment.

In the meantime, feel free to read through our blog for insights and information about cosmetic wellness.  Dr. Hervé Gentile is an unparalleled expert in the field of skin maintenance and improvement. 

Skin Treatment Procedures

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion goes by many names.  It is also known as Particle Skin Resurfacing, Power Peel, Derma Peel, etc.  No matter what you call it, microdermabrasion is an inexpensive, non-surgical procedure designed to make your skin smoother and younger.  By systematically removing dead cells and textural impurities, the microdermabrasion device can literally make your skin glow.  Often two or three treatments are optimal to get the results that you desire, which you can then maintain with our medically-supervised skin care program.

Chemical Peels

Facial peels are deeper and stronger than you can achieve with over-the-counter products.  Medically-administered chemical peels require more healing time when compared to a lighter peel such as the Obagi Blue Peel.  Since comprehensive peels affect deeper layers, their potential results are also greater.

Amazing Results

We could speak breathlessly about the wonderful benefits of skin treatments here in our Texas clinic, but we prefer to let our clients speak for us. 

Check out our reviews page and see how our patients’ kind words glow as brightly as your complexion will!

FAQ

References

1. Stamov, D. R., & Pompe, T.  (2012).  Structure and function of ECM-inspired composite collagen type I scaffolds.  Soft Matter.  8 (40) 10200-10212.  Retrieved from: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/sm/c2sm26134k/ 
2. Briganti, S., Camera, E., & Picardo, M.  (2003).  Chemical and instrumental approaches to treat hyperpigmentation.  Pigment Cell Research.  16 (2) 101-110.  https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0749.2003.00029.x
3. Barciszewski, J., Rattan, S. I., Siboska, G., & Clark, B. F.  (1999).  Kinetin—45 years on.  Plant Science.  148 (1) 37-45.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9452(99)00116-8