But permanent hair removal does take time. Many laser hair removal candidates fail to realize that the process may take up to six months and should therefore be started in the winter in order to enjoy the results in the summer. Our doctors recommend 5-6 treatments, performed about 4-6 weeks apart. Why? Hair grows in three different phases. First, is the active growth phase when the follicle actually generates the hair. Next, the mature phase when the hair stops growing. Finally, the dormant phase when the follicle gets ready to shed the old hair and begin the entire process all over again. In order to fully treat and remove hair growth in each follicle it must be treated at every stage.

At AMA Skincare we are yet to see a patient, who has completed all six treatments, that is not satisfied. Glamour Magazine documented one writers journey from her first laser hair treatment appointment to her last. When asked if she thought the process was worth it she said, “Yes, I do. Every time I go, it’s exciting to see how much less hair grows back. I just wish it would hurry up! Summer’s almost here!”

Now is the perfect time to start your very own laser hair removal journey. Start today and finish just in time for summer!

At the start of the new year millions of American’s sat down to make their “resolutions” for 2012. But what most people don’t realize is that your body actually needs damage control to reverse some of your failed 2011 resolutions in order to succeed in 2012.  In Marie Claire’s January issue editors and experts help teach readers how to handle Postholiday Stress Disorder, helping readers not only set new goals but also make up for lost time.

Here are our three favorite tips from Marie Claire:

1. Reserve dehydrated skin and fine lines caused by cigarette smoke. The remedy? Mega-moisture.

Medical experts explain that smokers are easily identified by a web of line lines on their skin. But they say it’s not too hard to get that fresh, young look back. First, editors write, “ditch the Marlboros already.” Second, just use a high quality resurfacing moisturizer such as Epionce’s Skin Barrier Repair Kit available in our store.

2. Reverse hyperpigmentation such as brown spots or uneven patches caused by too much sun. The remedy? Lasers and daily sunscreen.

At AMA Skincare our specialty is giving your skin a natural rebirth, often times using a wide array of lasers. Marie Claire experts say, “the quickest way to get visible results is via new laser technology.”  Their doctors recommend the Fraxel laser, available in our office. This laser can help reverse spots from that recent holiday getaway or from years past. Realistic downtime is five to seven days but before long your skin will be back to its natural, even state. To protect against future damage be sure to use a daily sunscreen such as La Roche-Posay’s Anthelilos SX Daily Moisturizer as SPF, which is available in our online store.

3. Banish Rosacea Flare-ups caused by stress, temperature changes, spicy foods and red wine. The remedy? Lasers.

For millions of people who suffer from Rosacea winter is a dreaded time of year. Redness flairs up and your topical cream may not be doing the trick. Medical experts tell Marie Claire that lasers can help zap the problem. Experts say vascular lasers, which are available at AMA Skincare, will help remove some of the visible blood vessels in just one to two treatments. And if you are heading out for a snow vacation, make sure to shield that skin from harsh cold temperatures and winds.

To find out more about our online store or our laser treatments call our office to set up a FREE consultation at 949.428.4500 or 310.460.2444. For more on how you can do damage control – pick up the January issue of Marie Claire on newsstands now.

Thank you to all who participated in our social media giveaway. We had an excellent response and are excited to announce our winner.

The recipient was chosen using a random number selection from random.org.

Drum roll please… the winner of AMA Skincare’s 5 FREE Facials is:

Monica Quiñones

Congratulations Monica!

Our staff will be emailing you soon and you can redeem your prize.

To find out how you can participate in future social media contests like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Happy New Year!

Coming soon:

A “Watch it Disappear” series you won’t want to miss.

Stay tuned.

Here are our top 10 picks for every budget:

#1 The Clarisonic Skin Care System.

This 7 piece set will help soothe both teenage and adult skin. It was recently featured on Dr. Oz’s 2011 Age Defying Products. It is available in our store for $195.

#2 The Chroma White TRx Brightening Regimen for Hyper Pigmentation.

This is a 6 piece set that will help reduce the appearance of melasma. Available in our store for $188.

#3 The PRESCRIBEDsolutions Hair Retardant Cream.

This cream is proven to produce noticeable improvements in hair production. It is an excellent affordable option to laser hair removal. It retails in our store for $70.

#4 Eminence The Stone Crop Collection Tube

This tube includes all of the basics to naturally renew your skin. It includes a stone crop gel wash, masque and whip moisturizer. It is available in our store for $59.

#5 Demalogica Age Smart Starter Kit

This is the perfect gift for your family and friends who are starting to notice the beginning signs of aging. This kit is an excellent start to an age defying regimen. Get it for $50 in our store.

#6 Eminence Organic Pear and Poppy Seed Microderm Polisher

Looking for a fun body scrub? This is one of our favorites. The microderm polisher will soothe your skin and scuff off any dead cells. Plus, it leaves you smelling delicious. It is $46 in our store.

#7 Neova Makeup Remover

Neova make-up remover is the perfect stocking stuffer. Every woman is in need of a high quality, gentle make-up cleanser. Only $18 in our online store.

#8 La Roche-Posay Ceralip Lip Repair Cream

An excellent cure for those chapped winter lips. The La Roche-Posay Ceralip Lip Repair Cream will fix cracked lips leaving you with a smooth glow. An affordable $16.96 in our store.

#9 The Dermalogica Exfoliating Face Brush

This $15 exfoliating brush will help face scrubbers of all ages remove debris and impurities. The brush is an excellent way to encourage those teens to get scrubbing.

#10 La Roche-Posay Cleansing Bar

This is an easy $10 gift that is sure to help improve your loved-ones overall skin health. La Roche-Posay helps soothe the skin with almond oil. It is recommended for daily use.

Don’t forget to enter our social media giveaway.

Win 5 FREE FACIALS with a few quick clicks.

Hurry! The giveaway ends January 1, 2012.

]]> http://youthfulskinforever.com/2011/12/19/ama-skincares-2011-gift-guide/feed/ 0 http://youthfulskinforever.com/2011/12/13/your-free-customized-medical-aesthetic-facial-awaits/ http://youthfulskinforever.com/2011/12/13/your-free-customized-medical-aesthetic-facial-awaits/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:48:37 +0000 admin http://youthfulskinforever.com/?p=1497

As part of Social Media Giveaway we thought we would share a short sneak peak into AMA Skincare’s Customized Medical Aesthetic Facials. These calming medical-grade facials are preformed based on your specific skin condition and needs. Our various types of facials can help heal acne, reduce wrinkles, boost collagen and restore your overall skin health. These medical-grade facials cannot be administered at your local spa. Under the care of our doctors, AMA Skincare aestheticians can help you holistically rejuvenate your skin giving you the results you’re looking for.

Enjoy the video and don’t forget to enter to win 5 FREE FACIALS from AMA Skincare before 12/1/2012.

The holiday season brings cooler temperatures, more travel and less time to pamper yourself. Sadly, winter often leaves our skins with a lot more than rosy cheeks. Dry skin is one of the most common complaints during the winter, even in Southern California. With a little help from Elle Magazine, we have compiled 5 Quick Tips to Dodge Winter Dryness.

#1 Seek a Specialist

The best thing you can do for dry winter skin is visit your skincare specialist, according to WebMD. Dry skin may surface during the winter but you could have a more serious condition that can be diagnosed by one of AMA Skincare’s doctors. Our office offers a free consultation to diagnose your specific skincare problem before we offer you a product or treatment. Based on your specific needs our doctors may recommend a Customized Medical Aesthetic Facial, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or a simple cream or potion to help solve your problem.

#2 Add Aloe and Vitamin E

Elle magazine editors say the key to a glowing winter face is glycerin, aloe and vitamin E. “Glycerin and vitamin E help lock in moisture, and aloe helps to calm and soothe,” said Dawn Diorio, national trainer and aesthetician for Ahava. “It also stimulates circulation and helps rid toxins from the skin.” One of our favorite products is Demalogica’s Super Rich Repair, which contains both vitamin E and glycerin to help restore dry skin. In addition to your skin regimen, you may want to consider adding extra omega-3s to your diet during the cooler months. Consuming extra omega-3s from salmon, nuts, tuna or seeds can help reduce that pesky dry skin.

#3 Cut Down Shower Time

Believe it or not, showering can actually dehydrate your skin. Nicknamed the “winter wolf in sheep’s clothing” water can disrupt natural lipids on your skin cells. Following your (quick) shower simply pat dry rather than wiping down completely. Leaving a little moisture on the skin will help your moisturizer soak into those dried cells.

Trying to cure itchy dry skin with a long bath? Instead of soaking in pure water, try an oatmeal or baking soda bath to cure the winter itches. If that doesn’t work seek help from one of our professionals. You may need a prescription or a specific in-office treatment.

#4 Exfoliate

Don’t be afraid to shed that flaky skin! During the winter doctors recommend exfoliating one to three times per week depending on your particular dryness. However, be careful not to over exfoliate. Shedding too much skin can break down natural barriers and actually make the problem worse. You can find a wide variety of exfoliation products in our online store. One of our favorites is the Pear and Poppy Seed Microderm Polisher by Eminence. This easy to use product organically restores dead skin cells. As for that “exfoliating loofah” – trash it! After one use it is covered in bacteria.

#5 Hydrate

As temperatures cool your body’s need for water heats up. To cure skin dryness go back to the basics – watching what you put in your mouth. Doctors recommend drinking a minimum of eight full glasses of water per day, even more if you are exercising regularly. Elle editors point to fruit to add an extra boost in your water intake. Melons are an excellent source of water. If simply adding H20 doesn’t do the trick, try green-tea. The tea variation is “loaded with antioxidants and protects the skin from UV stress,” said celebrity nutritionist Paula Simpson.

Following these 5 Quick Tips will help you escape winter dryness and look your best during the holiday season. If you have any questions regarding your dry skin contact AMA Skincare at 949.428.4500 or 310.460.2444 to set up your free consultation.

Preventing age spots is not only about protecting your skin on the outside with a good sunscreen, it’s about taking some extra preventative measures with the following three key initiatives you need to do to make sure your skin is looking healthy and beautiful!

The first key is making sure you get plenty of vitamins A, C and E—through diet and nutrient-rich creams as these are the key antioxidant vitamins. Most important to skin is Vitamin A as it helps rejuvenate and turn on cells to make more collagen and elastin—to give your skin that lift and volume that helps to maintain our youthfulness.

Another nutrient that is important to incorporate into your diet is niacin. This nutrient prevents melanin from reaching the skin and reduces the production of the staining compound. Natural licorice extract to slow the creation of melanin.

The third key part of a healthy skin routine is exfoliation. Exfoliation really helps to remove dead skin cells and reveal refreshed skin underneath. Our skin has a natural cellular turnover rate (our skin’s natural exfoliating system) that unfortunately slows down as we age – starting as early as our mid 20′s. Exfoliating twice a week with a mild exfoliant works wonders to help our skin “turnover” and look its best. Did you know that we shed dozens of pounds of skin a year? Over time our bodies will shed sun-damaged areas, but depending on our cellular turnover rate – the older we are the longer this will take.

Integrating twenty-plus years of research into the development of a highly effective cosmeceutical, non-prescription, dermatological product line, this breakthrough skin care collection has been proven effective by over 12 independent clinical studies to reverse and prevent the effects of visible skin aging and certain common skin diseases. Epionce is a comprehensive and innovative skin wellness line designed to optimize the appearance and health of the skin by working at the core of the skin’s own protective and reparative systems. Combining a unique sub-layer delivery system and patent-pending botanical formulations, Epionce is a new paradigm in skin wellness delivering:

Powerful Therapy – Epionce strengthens your skin’s own mechanisms, helping to improve function, restore the barrier and reverse destructive skin inflammation— delivering you beautiful, healthy skin.

Patent Pending Formulations – Epionce unique therapeutic skin treatments contain patented active ingredient complexes for common skin diseases, conditions and aging.

Proven Results – The effectiveness of Epionce has been proven in double-blind clinical trials conducted by independent, nationally recognized research organizations.

Epionce was founded and created by Dr. Carl R. Thornfeldt. He is a practicing dermatologist with 25 years of skin research experience, 22 U.S. patents granted and over 20 scientific publications in the area of treatment of skin diseases and conditions, including chapters in five dermatological textbooks. Along with these accomplishments, he has also spent nearly two decades focusing on researching the skin barrier and cutaneous inflammatory conditions. Because Epionce is perfectly in line with the skin conditions that we work to treat at AMA, we find Epionce to be an incredible addition to our practice. All of our patients and staff utilize multiple products from this line and have enjoyed incredible results, where most have seen physiological improvements within their skin in just under a month.

Skin consists of 70% collagen, which in turn accounts for up to 90% of the connective tissues (dermis). Collagen is capable of retaining as much as 8 times its weight in water. Therefore collagen is by far the skin’s major moisturizing element. Consequently with time, collagen undergoes many different phases of weakening. In our prime, collagen fibers are filled with water. They perform to their fullest because they are constantly supplied with “collagen fibrils” which attach themselves to these fibers, providing them with vitality and moisture.

Although “the production of collagen fibrils” deteriorates with time, our collagen itself is never lost. However, the aging process is instrumental in the decrease of natural nourishment caused by the slower production of fibrils. As collagen fibers no longer receive adequate nourishment from the fibrils, their potency to retain moisture is on the decline, and with time, they become thinner and slowly dry out. La Maison Clayton Shagal has produced a collagen capable of penetrating the dermis and replenishing the skin’s dwindling supply of much needed collagen fibrils.

This line is unique not only because it specializes in infusing collagen to deeply nourish, repair and hydrate the skin at the cellular level, it works directly with the skin’s natural regenerating process and addresses three principal components of the skin: COLLAGEN, ELASTIN and WATER. This specialized skin care line tends to the skin care needs of both younger and mature skin types for both men and women alike, and at American Medical Aesthetics we simply cannot get enough of the fabulous results we have encountered. Both our staff and patients love using Clayton Shagal skin care, because the purity and effectiveness of each product’s delivery system is unsurpassed. The anti-aging and regenerating properties possessed by each and every one of their products is what consistently keeps our medical aesthetics team on top of what is most effective and on the cutting edge of beauty. When it comes to the specialized treatments and skin care we provide from Clayton Chagal, after just one Medical Aesthetic Facial Treatment or a few applications at home your eyes won’t believe your skin.

Collagen is the major structural component of the dermis and is the tissue that is most responsible for the youthful appearance of our skin. When we are young, Fibroblast cells in our dermis make abundant amounts of new collagen fibers, which are linked together by cross-bridging and organized into tightly bundled, dense “laminar” layers. Throughout our lives, our collagen becomes continuously damaged from a variety of factors such as oxidative stress internally (like cigarette smoking) and sun exposure externally. Fibers deteriorate, cross-bridges break, bundles become disorganized and loose, which results in enlarged pores, thinning, wrinkled and sagging skin. If you are looking to boost the volume and all around health of your skin, there are three different modalities that AMA provides to help you achieve younger and healthier looking skin……safely and effectively.

COLLAGEN FACIAL – PURIGENEX TRANS-DERMAL COLLAGEN FACIAL TREATMENT

One of the most premier anti-aging and collagen restoration treatments available. This collagen facial fills out and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles in the epidermis by promoting healthy, natural cell-regeneration beneath skin’s surface. Wrinkles around your mouth and eyes will be reduced as improvement in your skins overall health actually lifts and corrects creases in deeper layers of your skin. This treatment has been found effective by anyone seeking to repair and prevent skin damage caused by sun exposure, aging, discoloration, or acne scarring. Regular treatments will improve the integrity of your existing collagen, making it plumper, smoother, suppler, and more youthful. Additionally, skin nourished with PURIGENEX collagen functions more effectively as part of a healthy body’s natural defense system. This type of cutting-edge treatment has never before been offered as part of a facial treatment system, and it was once available in only the most exclusive medical offices. Now, our experienced Medical Aestheticians can offer you this dramatic, skin-improving treatment stand-alone, or as part of a fully customized Medical Facial.

COLLAGEN INDUCTION THERAPY (CIT)

Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) plays an important role in AMA’s collagen protocols as a stand-alone treatment, as well as in combination with our laser treatments. CIT is applied with tiny micro-needles that are used to create tiny micro-holes in the skin. The needles are exquisitely engineered to produce holes of a precise shape and that are so thin that they completely heal in a matter of minutes ensuring that the skin is not damaged at all. When expertly performed, micro-needling causes a change in micro-electrical-currents that flow between cells (demarcation currents) that trigger a cascade of growth factors production. These growth factors cause the formation of new blood vessels and critical new blood flow to the dermis followed by the migration of new Fibroblast cells. Consequently a harvest of new, strong and healthy collagen fibers fills the dermis. To accelerate and amplify this process, as we apply CIT we also infuse into the skin PRM formulations, which increases the overall efficacy of both the PRM and CIT treatments. (see PRM)

Thus, CIT is another example of how AMA’s unique multiple-modality protocols create a holistic partnership between your skin’s natural physiology and our advance medical science. You skin will look years younger, healthier and more beautiful on the outside, because on the inside it is physiologically years younger, stronger and healthier.

INTENSE COLLAGEN LIFT

AMA’s Intense Collagen Lift is designed to work on your skin’s collagen in three different ways in order to produce maximum stimulation of your collagen-producing cells. Therefore, this is the most effective, non-invasive wrinkle removal treatment available. Additionally, since we are working with your skins natural physiology, this protocol is completely holistic in nature. These unique collagen treatments incorporate three different procedures with three specialized laser modalities that work together to give you the lift you’re looking for… naturally!

1) DEEP COLLAGEN REMODELING AND DERMAL REGENERATION:
In this phase we will target old deteriorated collagen deep in the dermis (the cause of deep wrinkles, sagging and enlarged pores) in order to accelerate its removal by your body’s own natural processes. We will also target fibroblast cells throughout your dermis, stimulating them to produce amplified quantities of new young collagen… the kind that you had when you were a teenager…healthy, firm and toned. Simply put, this wrinkle removal occurs from the “inside out.” Wrinkles will actually lighten, lift and disappear, and your pores will shrink. Since the affect on your fibroblasts is cumulative, with each wrinkle treatment the production of collagen increases and lasts for longer and longer periods of time. Week by week, for nearly a year after the Intense Collagen Lift series, you will look progressively better as your skin becomes younger and smoother.

2) SPECTRAL, INFRARED TREATMENTS – TIGHTENING & LIFTING EXCESSIVE LAXITY:
The second phase of the collagen treatments utilizes a safe infrared light to heat the dermis well below the skin’s surface. This light-based platform provides a more uniform distribution of energy for heating the deep dermis than other energy sources (such as Radio Frequency). During this phase, we focus on areas that have excessive laxity (sagging), such as the jaw line, under the chin, and the “marionette lines” at the corners of the mouth. The intense collagen treatments will tighten and lift the skin back into its natural more youthful profile for a dramatic, beautiful non-surgical facelift. The results of these procedures can be dramatic even after your first treatment, and successive collagen treatments will typically result in tremendous improvement towards the transformed youthful profile you are seeking.

3) SUB-CELLULAR LED PHOTO-MODULATION:
During the third and final phase of the collagen treatments we utilize an amber LED light-energy device which reduces the signs of aging by drenching the all the cells in your skin with specially modulated frequencies that stimulate rapid healing, reverse cell damage and dramatically accelerate the production of collagen. Because this is a gentle and safe wrinkle treatment that does not require eye protection, we are able to focus more on the fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes (typically a problem area for most people). Although the mechanism of action is very subtle and occurs on the sub-cellular level (within mitochondria), the results have been scientifically proven to be dramatic. Overall levels of cellular ATP (the fuel of your cells) are sharply increased which dramatically increases the cell’s energy.