When you look in the mirror, do you notice fine lines and wrinkles and wonder where to start? It can be a very overwhelming process but you are not alone. There are several ways to reduce the signs of aging. 

Having an effective, consistent skin care routine is extremely important. You want to have at least a cleanser, vitamin C/ antioxidant, retinol, moisturizer, and sunscreen. You want to cleanse your face at least once a day but most people can benefit from twice a day. It is best to apply vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night. You can moisturize one to two times a day depending on your skin's needs. The absolute most important step in any skin care routine is sunscreen! You need at least a 30 SPF, sun damage is the fastest way to age skin. 

Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and accelerates cell renewal. This allows for a faster skin turnover and an increase in collagen production. All of which aids in improved skin tone, texture, and the reduction of wrinkles. With retinol, you may experience anticipated reactions which can include dry, slightly inflamed skin, and purging acne. These symptoms do go away and can be lessened by starting with a lower percent Retinol such as a 0.25% and only applying every other day until you know how your skin will react. 

Laser treatments are a great way to refresh skin. There are many different treatments such as broad band light therapy that has minimal down time and can address sun spots, fine lines, redness, or acne. There are also deeper laser treatments such as ablative and non-ablative lasers. This approach requires a longer social down time; however, results are achieved much faster than a broad band light treatment. Chemical peels are another effective way to quickly remove the damaged top layer of your skin. Depending on how aggressive you want to be, we have treatments that vary in intensity. There is a light peel that does not involve any actual peeling or a deep chemical peel that requires sedation. The deeper peel would give a much more satisfying result but would include several days of social down time.