Last night my boyfriend was gone and I enjoyed a very “girly” evening (albeit a very early evening too)! I watched three episodes of the Kardashians. I started watching the show years ago with my daughter…back when Caitlyn was Bruce, Kendall and Kylie were just little girls, and the show was more like just watching a crazy family rather than the 50 minutes of photo shoots and selfies that it has now turned in to.
Nonetheless, I needed a trash TV fix. I ate pretzels and “crack dip” in bed (crack dip recipe at the end of the blog), drank some kombucha, had a few fruity snacks, smoked on my vape and went to bed before 10. I slept so hard I didn’t even hear my daughter and her 3 friends come in late and blow up an air mattress in her room. (Thank you sleep meds).
Anyway! One of the episodes was about Kris gifting a face and neck lift to her friend. Kris mentioned she had previously had a face lift. Seeing two women the same age next to each other - one with work done and one without - was a sobering moment about the truth of aging. It also made me think of a woman I know in her mid 60s who I think looks completely fabulous…and she recently told me she had a facelift at 60. Dangit! I know where I’m headed eventually.
I used to think I wanted to age gracefully, with full acceptance and love of my natural looks. I don’t think that anymore. If there are things I can do to slow aging, or simply to look better, I’m 100 percent going to do them.
The new laser platform we recently took on, the Joule, is a veritable fountain of youth. Literally. The Joule is a laser machine that has various modalities. The ones we have are BBL, Halo, Micro and Nano Laser, and Skin Tyte. I’ve previously written about each of these. Now I want to touch on the Halo in terms of long-term anti-aging goals. At 43 (44 in December), it’s pretty clear time is rushing on.
Injectables vs. Laser Treatments
Working at a med spa, we see high dollar tickets every day. From a few hundred to several thousand. People generally don’t scoff at two syringes of filler for $1500, but definitely there is a reluctance to commit to a laser service of the same amount. If I had to choose between getting my lips done and getting some Botox, or getting a Halo laser treatment, I can see why I may very well choose the filler and Botox over a laser treatment like the Halo.
But why? My initial thoughts are: filler is instant results, the only down time is really just some swelling (maybe a small amount a pinpoint bruising), and my Botox is going to smooth out my face in just a week. A laser resurfacing procedure that costs me the same amount has the “disadvantage” of results that are not immediate, coupled with a week of downtime where I’ll be dry, flaky and red.
But if I begin to think of the bigger picture of aging - the inevitable and unrelenting breakdown of collagen and the symptoms of that: crepey skin, wrinkles, sagging skin, the slippage of fat pads in the face, and the overall drooping of the skin, it makes sense to start prioritizing my beauty desires to reflect a more long term plan.
So for the price of 2 syringes of filler, I can receive a treatment that will not only resurface my entire face, but it will also treat deep into the skin to rebuild collagen. Collagen is the support structure for the entire face: it’s like a scaffold for the fat and skin above. When it starts breaking down everything above it starts sagging and wrinkling. You can fill that volume loss with filler, but why not repair the actual structure?
Halo Laser Resurfacing and Collagen
Halo is an ablative and non-ablative treatment, so it can treat multiple issues at once. The ablative portion targets the upper layer of skin and focuses on improving pore size and textural issues. The non-ablative portion targets the deeper layers of the skin, addressing deeper sun damage and other pigmentary issues, and most importantly, stimulates collagenesis (collagen regrowth).
A few facts about collagen:
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, found in the bones, muscles, skin, and tendons.
It is the substance that literally holds the body together. Collagen forms a scaffold to provide strength and structure.
It gives skin it’s strength and elasticity.
Collagen occurs throughout the body, but especially in the skin, bones, and connective tissues.
Cosmetic topicals that claim to increase collagen levels are unlikely to do so, as collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin. Several prescription-level products (like Skin Better and Neocutis) do have patented technology that allows for certain collagen molecules to permeate the skin.
With age, the body produces less collage and the structural integrity of the skin declines. Wrinkles form, and joint cartilage weakens.
Women experience a dramatic reduction in collagen synthesis after menopause.
Lucky us! If you’re like me and you’re ready to start seeing your anti-aging plan go from immediate gratification to long term results, add a Halo treatment in to your plan. The downtime is truly doable. If you schedule on a Thursday, your skin will be ready for going back to work by Monday (you may still be a little dry or flaky). If you’re worried about makeup coverage, we have Colorescience products here. It’s mineral makeup and will not go into your pores. A blog on that to come!
Halo is $1650 and includes three Neocutis post-procedure products with growth factors that will speed your healing time. October is perfect timing for this procedure. By Thanksgiving and Christmas your skin will not only be showing the benefits from the ablative, more surface aspects of the Halo, but you should also be seeing the results from the non-ablative portion, with an improvement in elasticity and clarity.
And one last perk: Think how much better your injectables will look after you've started treating the "canvas" of your skin. With your skin smoother, plumper, and more pliable, those lips and tear troughs and cheeks are going to look that much better!
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Fiesta Dip (a.k.a. Crack Dip) Recipe
– 1 bell pepper – 1 jalapeno pepper – 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese (brought to room temp).... I do the 1/3 less fat or fat free version – 1 small can of black olives – 1 can of corn (drained) or similar amount of fresh corn – 1 packet of ranch dip seasoning mix
Remove seeds from jalapeno (I only remove half of them). Dice bell pepper, jalapeno, and black olives. Add cream cheese, corn and ranch mix. Combine and refrigerate for about an hour. (Or eat it with pretzels right away if you're starving like I was).