iPixel

Fractional Laser

iPixel is the fractional laser we have here at Astoria. I know most of you are thinking... why did you do it? you are so young, you didn't need it, you are crazy! However when you see the effect it had on my skin, you will realize it was defiantly needed. 
This treatment helps with:

• Sun Damage
• Acne Scars
• Hyper pigmentation & Uneven skin tones
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Promotes healthy skin growth

It uses pinpoint laser beams to penetrate beneath the skins surface to eliminate old and damage skin. Later the body's own natural healing process will replace the damage skin with fresh, glowing, and healthy skin!

Before the iPixel

I started with cleaning my skin with a good cleanser that will remove all oils and debris.  

After I applied ointment 

The beautiful Nuha doing my treatment

Immediately after treatment

My talented co-worker Nuha performed the treatment on me. She covered my eyes because it is a laser and you want to protect your eyes. As you can see my face was red immediately after the treatment. For test purposes, I tried two different post care products. Left side of the face was Resurfix and right was Combat-Ready Balm.You need to apply post care products to assist in the healing process and protect your skin from the environment. On top of these products, I also put SPF 50.

...Couple of hours after the treatment

Just a couple of hours later my face was starting the healing process. Started to get brownish- reddish, meaning it was starting to scab. Even though you don't see in the picture, but I wore big sunglasses and a hat to protect my face from the sun. It was very important to do this because otherwise you can give yourself hyperpigmentation!!! You don't want that!!!

Day 2 

Day 2 

The next day my face continued to scab and turn more brown. I applied both of the post care products with SPF.

Day 3 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Third day I was completely brown. My face was starting to feel stiff because of the scabbing. However when I applied the post care products, it felt much better. The products kept my skin moisturized and protected.  

Day 4 

  

Day 4 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Fourth day I began to peel around my mouth. The peeling always usually starts from the mouth because we use this muscle the most. I was still working during my healing process, so I was talking clients and explaining what I got done.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          



Fifth day the peeling was spreading further up my cheeks. I was still appling left side Resurfix and right side Combat-Ready Balm with a SPF spray of 50. At night, I washed my face with gentle cleanser at home and applied a light moisturize. Despite getting this procedure done, you still need to continue with a home-care regime.

Day 5 

Day 5 

Day 5 

Day 5

Sixth day the peeling of the scabbing was almost all gone. When I was washing my face morning and night the peeling was rubbing off. It was important to remind, while peeling DO NOT PICK at your skin, DO NOT PEEL the scabs. If you do... you run the run the risk of hyperpigmentation by prematurely peel the skin. DO NOT EXFOLIATE your skin during the healing process. DO NOT USE ANY BRUSHES. Your skin is already exfoliating and peeling therefore it will just irritate the skin and cause hyperpigmentation.

Day 6 

Day 6

Day 6 

Day 6 

Day 7

                                                                                                                

OK last day for me was day seven. The only peeling left was around my hairline and sideburns because those muscles we don't use as much. But however, with washing my face with a gentle cleaner the scabbing fell off.

Now to answer all your questions... 

• my acne scars are gone
• my skin is even
• my skin lighter
• my skin brighter
• my skin healthier
• my sun damage is gone
• my skin is fuller with new collagen 
• and even though some of you think I was too young to do it, that's not true. Doing an aggressive once in a while for my age group is good. It will prevent aging and help remove all the sun damage that had accumulated from earlier years. 

Day 7 

Day 7 

Day 7 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The test I did with the post care... Combat-Ready Balm was the best. Despite with my oily skin type it was able to moisturize and heal my skin. Resurfix gave me mila, whiteheads and oily feeling.

Check out the video of the treatment on our facebook page : Astoria Laser Clinic & Med Spa

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to make an FREE Consultation appointment with me at Astoria Med Spa. iPixel can be done on most skin type but however during the consultation I can see your skin and recommend what path to take to achieve the skin you desire! 

Lunch Time Facelift

Clearlift

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you my favorite treatment! Clearlift! I'm in love with this amazing treatment. This treatment is done by Alma Lasers, its a volumizer laser. This can take place of fillers and botox. It delivers a controlled dermal wound without harming the overlying epidermis (top layer of the skin). Plus its gentle enough to treat area that are typically too sensitive to treats with traditional ablative laser; like under eyes, neck, mouth, and chest.  

Clearlift ...

• improves fine lines and wrinkles
• the appearance of small veins
• plumps up the lips
• reduce the appearance of sun damage
• gets rid of age spots
• promotes collagen growth 
• pain-free 
• no numbing required
• no downtime
• BONUS! we do a microdermbrasion before the Clearlift treatment 

There at Astoria, its our Red Carpet Treatments, you can get this done the day of an event and not worry about redness or downtime. Unlike other lasers, this treatment is comfortable.



<---After the Clearlift treatment, you can see a flawless finish to the skin. Lips feel and look plumper. Skin instantly feels tighter and smooth! 

                  

               Me before the treatment! --->

<---The Beautiful Marisol doing my treatment! 

                

The Battle of the SKIN TIGHTENING

Venus Freeze vs. Ultherapy

New technology is constantly hitting the market. As a consumer you don’t always know what is better. Advertisement, commercials, and social medical just seems to get in the way.

Skin tightening is a major topic. Venus Freeze and Ultherapy are technologies that I have personally used and seen results. However you have to be an educated consumer. Both are great treatments but then again you have to see what is better for you.

Ultherapy uses ultrasound energy to penetrate deep in the skin causing the body’s natural healing process to lift, tone, and tighten skin. Unlike Laser, the ultrasound technology bypasses the top layer of the skin and goes directly where collagen lives. This treatment can only be performed on the face and neck.

 (Not my client)

This non-invasive treatment takes around 60-90 minutes depending on the area being treated. The Ultherapy website says, “No preparation whatsoever is required…” but I believe you need to prepare yourself for some discomfort. Some clients need numbing cream, over-the-counter or prescribed medication prior to the treatment… It is a painful treatment! The hand piece is like a topically laser hand piece. (For a technician point of view, it is heavy and can be a long 60 minutes. Not to mention while holding the hand piece you have to press a button on top each time.)   

Venus Freeze is a technology that uses a combination of Radio Frequency and Magnetic Pulses to safety and comfortably reach deep within the skin. Collagen fibers are heated up which results in skin tightening and fat reduction. The thermal reaction in the tissue stimulates the body’s natural healing response. Resulting in new collagen to form and produce new elastic fibers.


This non-invasive treatment can be used to reduce circumference, improve cellulite, skin tightening, and reduce the appearance of wrinkle! The Venus Freeze can be done on the body and face, which including arms, abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck and face. Treatments usually take 25-30 minutes per treatment, per area.

 (Not my clients)

What more could you want! ... Plus it’s painless! BONUS POINTS! Some clients even find the treatment relaxing and compare it to a hot-stone massage! The wands used for the treatment gives a smooth feeling.

[If you follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or instragram, I posted pictures of my husband after I did his treatment.]

So which one do you pick? I no longer work for a practice that provides Ultherapy though you can find a provider near you on their website I do however work at Astoria Med Spa that does provide Venus Freeze. Mention this blog and I will offer 1 free Venus Free to try out. Just cause I love my followers =]

Forever Young... I wana be young forever! (Jay-z Song)

Prevent Yourself from Aging

We all want to be young forever, but are you really working towards being young forever? We stop producing collagen as early as the age of 18! Collagen is what gives us the firmness and the youthful appearance to our skin. If you follow my jewelry page on Facebook Lishkara Beauty , there was a trivia question about collagen.

The only pure form of collagen you can get is from a placenta, that's if you are a female that recently give birth Placenta was the topic on a recent Keeping up with the Kardashians episode, the sisters wanted to feed the family a placenta. EW! You do not eat it! You storage it until you need it and get it injected into the area you want. I know what I am doing with my placenta when I have a baby =) 

If the placenta is not an option for you there are other ways to delay the process of aging. You may not get the purest form but there are plenty of products that are very close to it. (which I will mention in later blogs... =] so stay tune)

Wear SPF! YES this will help you delay the process of aging. No more sun bathing and lathering on baby oil (That's BASICALLY ASKING FOR SKIN CANCER!) Wear SPF no matter if you are inside the office or the beach, it's a MUST! Also make you have a good mixture of chemical SPF and physical SPF. Chemical SPF will absorb the sun rays and physically blocks/deflects sun rays.

The ingredients for physical blocks are:

• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) 
• Zinc oxide (ZnO).

For chemical block ingredients are:

• Octylcrylene
• Avobenzone
• Octinoxate
• Octisalate
• Oxybenzone
• Homosalate
• Helioplex.

So be an educated consumer! Also recently the FDA has passed a law that sunscreens cannot be label more than 50. So when you see SPF 75 or 100, just know its false advertisement. Look for SPF of 50 and PA+. PA means the protection grade from UVA rays, more the plus signs the better. 

Your diet is another major part of the aging process. Try to stay away from GMO products and smoking. Incorporate natural ingredients, and local raised meat. I know it is hard with our busy lifestyles; but not only will you look good later, you will feel energetic and be fit! Avoid smoking. Period! Smoking defiantly speeds up the aging process! Instead drink more water! Eat fruits and veggies! You can do it! Drinking alcohol is another factor that will speed it up. Red Wine is good once in a while (I'm defiantly a wine lover 0=), but excessive hard alcohol drinking will damage your liver... and face.

 OK, that was good overview of how to prevent aging for now. Later I will post products that help keep your youthful appearances last longer.