Mary Lee Amerian

The New Year Resolution Makeover for 2012

To mark the start of the new year, our office is offering exceptional facial rejuvenation packages. The start of a new year offers a fresh beginning for every one of us. We invite any of our patients who would like to begin 2012 looking younger and more refreshed to take advantage of these special opportunities.

The packages begin with a patient selecting which of three facial rejuvenation procedures to undergo. A patient may choose to have Thermage CPT, a series of three Fraxel Dual laser treatments, or a single Fraxel Repair treatment. The packages also include a treatment with Botox to two areas of the face or a treatment with one full syringe of Juvederm. We are offering these New Year packages at the special price of $2500 for Thermage CPT, $2750 for Fraxel Dual, and $2950 for Fraxel Repair. These prices represent more than a $750 discount from our regular prices. In addition, zero interest financing through CareCredit is available.

The Thermage package is best suited for patients who have mild to moderate facial laxity and wish to achieve tightening of the face and upper neck. The Fraxel Dual package is best suited for patients who need to improve fine lines and brown pigmentation in the face. The Fraxel Repair package is best suited for patients who wish to obtain tissue tightening, improve fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots, and complete their rejuvenation in a single procedure.

In our office, these procedures are all performed by Dr. Anterasian. Dr. Anterasian has performed over two thousand Thermage, Fraxel, and Fraxel Repair procedures with consistently excellent results. He has been honored by selection to "America's Top Surgeons" by the Consumer's Research Council of America for the years 2008 – 2011.

Dr. Amerian and Dr. Anterasian will be happy to assist any of our patients choose which package is best for them. In addition, we will be happy to give a recommendation to anyone (perhaps a husband or spouse?) who might wish to give a Facial Rejuvenation Package as a gift. These special offers will be in effect until February 28, 2012.

Wintertime Skin Care

Q: I have noticed that as we head into winter, my skin is feeling dryer. How should I take care of my skin during the winter months?

A: Winter is hard on skin because cold temperatures, harsh winds, and low humidity remove moisture from the skin and dry the skin out. These environmental factors impede the proper functioning of the skin's lipids (molecules of fat), which normally help to keep the skin hydrated. The following tips will help you keep your skin healthy and looking its best during the winter months.

• First, don't overheat your home. Heating the air will reduce the humidity level in your home and lead to drier skin. Also, don't sleep under an electric blanket. The heat from the electric blanket will suck out the moisture from your skin.
• Try to limit washing the face to twice a day, as more frequent washing will tend to dry the face excessively.
• Do not take long hot showers. This will remove the natural moisturizing lipids (fats) from the skin. It is better to take a short lukewarm shower, no longer than ten minutes. Use either a non-irritating fragrance-free soap, a cleanser that contains oils and emollients, or a moisturizing body wash. Bubble baths are not helpful and will dry the skin. However, soothing oils can be added to bath water to moisten and help hydrate the skin.
• After your shower or bath, gently pat the skin until almost dry, and then apply a good body moisturizer while the skin is still damp. This will help lock in the moisture in the upper layers of the skin. In general, the drier the skin, the thicker the moisturizer you should use. We generally advise our patients to apply their moisturizers twice a day, but women with very dry skin might want to apply moisturizers even more frequently.
• A facial moisturizer should be applied after washing and gently towel drying, when the skin is still slightly damp. In choosing a facial moisturizer, it is important to know what type of skin you have. For normal skin, choose a highly protective day cream that also contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and provides at least SPF 25 sun protection. If you normally have dry skin, then first use a moisturizing facial cleanser followed by an emollient or oil-based moisturizer. Glycerin, dimethicone, and hyaluronic acid are ingredients that will be found in emollient or oil-based moisturizers.
• Remember that dry winter air will make the skin more sensitive to many anti-aging products. For this reason, women who use Retin-A, Renova, or Tazorac might have to reduce the frequency of application during the winter. In addition, certain alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acids such as salicylic acid, can exacerbate dry and irritated skin; their use may also have to be diminished during the winter months.
• It's important to continue to protect your skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays, so use a sunscreen or a sunscreen with moisturizer that has an SPF of at least 25. Please remember to use a generous amount of sunscreen and to reapply your sunscreen regularly. In addition, use a lip balm with sun block on your lips throughout the winter.
• Finally, make sure you eat a well-balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Taking care of the skin during winter months often requires some changes in the normal skin care regimen. By taking these basic steps, you can keep your skin looking healthy and beautiful all winter long.

Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter!

The Santa Monica Laser and Skin Care Center is now on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on the icons below. We will be posting special offers, discounts, and announcements on our Facebook page that our Facebook followers can take advantage of.

In addition, we will also use Twitter to inform our patients about special offers and discounts. Be among the first to learn about new procedures as well as discounts on Botox, Juvederm, and skin care products. If you wish, you can even receive our Twitter announcements as a text message on your cell phone!