Skin Care
Daily maintenance of the health of your skin may be one of the most important and easiest ways to keep a refreshing look as well as to protect it against the harmful effects of the sun. Ultraviolet rays from the sun cause not only increased wrinkling and pigmentation (discoloration) but excessive exposure also leads to skin cancers. Proper skin care can never be started too early since the damaging effects are additive over time.
The skin begins to lose its ability to maintain moisture even as early as your 30’s. There is loss of elasticity of the skin. Imagine a rubber band that is no longer able to snap back in place. There is loss of collagen which is the building block for the deeper layers of the skin.
The main goals of any good skin regimen include:
- Replenishing moisture and hydration
- Improving the texture of the skin
- Evening the tone and pigmentation
- Ridding the skin of the old superficial dead skin cells to allow healthier younger cells to come to the skin surface
- Promoting growth of healthy collagen in the deeper layers of the skin
- Closing large pores in the skin
- Protecting from sun damage
OBAGI Medical Skin Care
Dr. Liu carries the full line of OBAGI® skin care products. Skin care is an equally important part of facial rejuvenation and balances out any surgical procedures. Skin care is by far the easiest way to achieve mild to moderate improvement in age and sun related facial skin damage. It improves the quality of the skin, skin texture, very fine lines, and pigmentation spots.
The OBAGI® products are available as single products or in kits. The 4 primary steps in the kit include:
- Preparing the skin to clean and make the skin more receptive to the medications
- Correct – this step lightens dark spots, evens the skin tone, and smoothes the skin
- Stimulate – penetration to the deeper layers of the skin to enhance production of new collagen
- Protect – sunscreens to prevent further damage. The typical lifespan of a skin cell is about 6 weeks. This is roughly the time that it will take for the full effects of the medication to occur.
The Blue Peel® is a TCA (trichloroacetic acid) chemical peel that is performed in the office. This is a light-medium depth peel, but should only be performed after the skin has been placed on a pre-peel regimen for maximum effect. Healing typically takes 10-14 days. Within the first day or two, the skin will turn red and begin to exfoliate. For maximal results, sometimes more than one peel is necessary. The chemical peel may often be combined with other surgical procedures.