Your skin is your largest organ. My goal is to educate my patients so they develop a healthy relationship with their skin. Ideally as a nurse I want to treat my patient’s skin issues, such as hyperpigmentation but I also strive to educate preventive measures as well. Patient knowledge is power.
The undisputed #1 cause of premature aging is “sun damage”. It is responsible for dry, wrinkly skin and often will lead to “hyperpigmentation.” Are you wondering what is hyperpigmentation?
Melanin is a pigment that is secreted by melanocytes. This pigment gives human hair, skin and eyes their color, based on thousands of years of adapting to a certain geographic location. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than light-skinned people. The skin is made up of several layers: the hypodermis (inner), the dermis (middle), and the epidermis (outer). The outer-most layer, the epidermis, is where the melanocytes are producing the melanin resulting in the color of the skin. When Melanin is in over production mode it causes the skin to react and hyper pigment.
The body’s natural sun protectant is melanin. Melanocytes are triggered when exposed to UV rays to produce more melanin. A “tan” is how your skin protects itself. However, that glow is far from healthy as it is damaged skin which can surface later as freckles, age spots, crepe/wrinkled and splotchy patches of hyperpigmentation.
IPL-(Intense Pulsed Light) treatment is a photo rejuvenation laser treatment and is most commonly used for:
- Lightening and removing “sun spots”, “age spots”, and brown blotches on the face, neck, chest, hands and other areas of the body.
- Lightening and reducing redness, rosacea, dilated blood vessels and “broken” blood vessels on the face, neck and chest.
- Helping to control flushing which is the temporary redness of the skin from rosacea.
- It also has the added benefit of improving skin texture through collagen stimulation and minimizes pore size by temporarily reducing oiliness.
IPL or photo rejuvenation, when done properly, almost always consists of a series of 3-5 treatments, commonly spaced three to six weeks apart. The benefits of IPL are achieved with little discomfort and minimal risk. Thus giving you back your clear skin tone.
Let me help turn back the clock on sun damaged skin. Call today for your free consultation and we will assess the right treatment plan for you.
For Additional Information:
Author: Raquel Merlini, RN
Phone: 248-524-0620
Michael J. Schenden, MD, PC
201 W. Big Beaver, Suite 1130, Troy, MI 48084
