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14Jan

All staff at Lasermed are acutely aware of safeguarding the health and safety of our clients. As such we follow a strict Covid protocol.

On-property attendance is capped at the number of clients booked in with our operators and therapists. Only one client per treatment room. Please don’t bring friends/ family members along.

Staff members wear masks all the time. Rooms are cleaned using a three-step protocol that includes at least two passes of a medical-grade cleaning solution. Throughout the day we follow a regimen of sanitising and cleaning all reception surfaces. Linens are cleaned using a commercial-grade solution and high heat.

On arrival, please sanitise hands, apply a face mask and receive a courtesy temperature check. Arrive with only your purse, car keys and cell phone.

As is standard practice now, please cancel your booking: if you’re awaiting COVID-19 test results and the results remain unknown at the time of your appointment; you have knowingly been exposed to, or lived with, someone who has had COVID-19 during the 14 days prior to your appointment, or you’ve travelled internationally within 14 days prior to your appointment.

14Jan

Commonly known as ‘liver spots’, sun spots (solar lentigos) are the bane of many sun worshippers. These brown macules are caused by an over-production of melanin because of excessive sun exposure.

Unfortunately, the bad ways of your youth will manifest in later years as sun spots. With age, they increase in number and tend to stay. Smooth and flat sun spots are harmless, but unsightly. Those that are raised and rough should be assessed by a dermatologist as they may be a precursor to cancer.

Sun spots typically appear on the face, chest, legs, arms and dorsal hands. As common as brown sun spots are, white spots also occur. White spots are hypopigmented lesions which means that the sun has stripped the skin of its pigment. This can’t be reversed.

But help is at hand. This is what you can do.

TREATING SUN SPOTS

Sunscreen

Apply sunblock twice daily, 30 minutes before going outside. If you’ve been swimming, reapply your sun block immediately. Wear protective clothing (long sleeves) and a wide brimmed hat. But importantly, avoid the sun during the peak times of 10am to 4pm.

Topical lightening creams

Some are available over the counter. Creams that contain kojic acid, licorice, mulberry extract and vitamin C are said to be effective. Stronger creams containing hydroquinone and retinol require a prescription.

Liquid nitrogen

It’s a cost-effective, quick and often effective treatment, especially for rough and raised sun spots. Liquid nitrogen may, however, leave a white mark.

Chemical peels

Gentle fruit acid peels will lighten sun spots and even out the skin colour with time. Rather do this treatment in winter.

Laser Therapy

A variety of lasers may be used on smooth, flat sun spots. As such, the laser will shatter the melanin production and initially the sun spots will appear dark before fading. Winter is a good time for this treatment.

Topical creams available from Lasermed to lighten sun spots:

Neostrata: Enlighten Range; Skin Tech: Blending Cream, Atrofillin; Obagi: Pro C Serum, Exoderm, Exoderm Forte, Blend FX; Zone: Day and Night Creams; Avéne: D-Pigment Cream

Lasermed stocks these sunblocks:

Heliocare, Photoderm, Skin Tech Melablock, Obagi Professional C, Avéne

15Dec

Being on holiday doesn’t mean that skincare takes a back seat. In fact, with time on your hands, follow these best practices.

Always use skin products for your particular skin type. An oily skin has different needs to those of a dry skin. When cleansing, respect the natural balance of your skin with a pH-neutral make-up remover such as Bioderma Hydrabio H2O cleanser. The eye area is particularly fragile, so use a gentle routine for this area.

Exfoliate at least once a week. Choose a product which smooths and purifies the skin while maintaining its natural balance – NeoStrata Skin Active Exfoliating Wash is wonderful.

Use an antioxidant serum to fight free radicals. Obagi Professional-C Serum is a daily Vitamin C antioxidant that improves signs of photo-ageing by helping to smooth texture, even skin tone, stimulate collagen synthesis and improve pigmentation. It helps to reduce inflammation of the skin and gives the skin a youthful radiance. The 10% concentrated formulation is for dry, sensitive, reactive skins.

Use a moisturiser which balances the level of water within the skin. Obagi Hydrate Moisturiser locks in moisture and hydration for up to 8 hours.

To avoid the risk of allergies, choose hypoallergenic make-up which meets the needs of all skin and eye types.

A good night cream is always a good idea, allowing the product to work while you sleep. NeoStrata® Bionic Lotion is a light-weight, exfoliating face and body lotion. It contains multiple skin conditioners that gently exfoliate and provide soothing hydration without irritation or the richness of a normal cream. It has been clinically shown to improve dryness, redness, and flaking associated with eczema.

When you need to cool down after sport or a hectic day, you can’t get any better than Avène Thermal Spring Water spray. It’s a refreshing, soothing spritzer. Use for facial redness, sunburn, skin irritation, nappy rash, during sport or travel and after make-up removal, shaving and hair removal.

Finally, don’t forget the sunscreen! Use daily, whatever the season and re-apply regularly. The Heliocare sunscreens are classified as advanced anti-ageing photo-immunoprotectants. You can’t go wrong with one of these.

All products available at Lasermed. Happy holidays!

10Dec

In the hands of professional laser operators, such as our team at Lasermed, Dermapen Advanced Microneedling is an extremely effective treatment for reversing, as well as preventing signs of ageing. The micro-injuries created by rolling a roller with tiny needles across the skin stimulates the body’s natural wound healing processes, resulting in cell turnover and increased collagen and elastin production.

Microneedling actually works the same way lasers do, only the skin is being injured mechanically instead of using heat or light. So these micro-punctures enhance the absorption of skincare products and plump the skin simultaneously. And the resultant increase in collagen production minimises fine lines and acne scarring over time. In fact, a study has found that microneedling may be as helpful lasers and other resurfacing devices for reducing acne scars.

Experts reckon it’s also a great option for minimising stretch marks. What happens is that microneedling improves the colour and appearance of stretch marks by creating tiny pinhole injuries in the stretch mark itself. When the skin subsequently produces new collagen, the broken dermal layer is filled. As the dermal layer expands, the colour fades because the skin thickens and the blood vessels that give early stretch marks their pinkish-purple colour, retreat.

The ability to stimulate growth of collagen and elastin is probably the number one benefit of microneedling. Reason being that both collagen and elastin are key to new, youthful-looking skin. This is then also why many medical professionals recommend microneedling: using the body’s own natural healing mechanisms, thus providing natural results.

Said Lasermed’s Alta van der Merwe, “The final verdict is that this is an excellent maintenance treatment for people who are trying to stave off the signs of ageing.”

25Nov

Whether you had permanent lipliner, permanent eyebrow tattoo, or permanent eyeliner done at some stage, do these now look less attractive than you imagined? Or has it lost its appeal? No need to fret, because at Lasermed we use the gold-standard Q Switched ND:YAG to remove undesirable tattoos effectively without scar formation or pigmentary changes.

Alta van der Merwe explains, “Tattoo removal results vary from person to person, depending on the tattoo’s colour(s), age and whether amateur or professional. But these days, we can remove tattoo ink with fewer treatments and treat ink colours that were once difficult to remove.”

There’s actually a lot to consider before removing a tattoo. This includes: how long you’ve had the tattoo; how deeply the ink penetrates your skin; the colours in your tattoo; where the tattoo appears on your body/face; your health; the medicines you take; and if you’ve ever had a raised scar.

A consultation about tattoo removal can be helpful for you too. It gives you an opportunity to ask questions, plus can see before-and-after photos of other tattoo removals. Lasermed offers you a free consultation.

Alta continues, “When you get a tattoo, the tattoo artist layers the ink. A laser cannot safely break down all the layers in one treatment session. Time between treatments is also necessary for your health. Your skin needs time to heal. After laser tattoo removal, you may see some redness, swelling, and a little blistering. Your body also needs time to flush out the ink.”

“When the laser’s light hits the ink, the light shatters the ink into tiny particles. Your body must flush out these tiny particles.”

After each treatment, your tattoo should lighten. Keep all your appointments for laser tattoo removal because each treatment removes more ink.

Alta warns, “It’s also important to follow our at-home care instructions after a laser tattoo removal session. Apply Bactroban ointment for a few days. Slathering on moisturiser and covering the area until the skin heals are also important. And importantly, use sunscreen liberally and wear clothing that covers the area. If the tattoo removal took place on your face, wear a hat.”

9Nov

When you’re born, your skin is rich with proteins called elastin and collagen. These proteins give your skin structure and elasticity. As you age, your body’s production of these proteins slows down. As a result, your skin starts to lose its elasticity.

Thanks to gravity, pollution exposure, stress, and the hundreds of movements that your facial muscles make every day, your skin might start to appear stretched or saggy. Other factors, such as pregnancy and weight loss, can also contribute to stretch marks and sagging skin.

Additionally, as you age, your body’s supply of hyaluronic acid. At the same time, your ligaments, which provide the support structure that keeps these building blocks in place, start to weaken, resulting in thinner, saggy looking skin.

It’s important to understand the ageing process and how different our bodies are because this influences what will be effective for you and why your results may differ from someone else’s.

Nonsurgical skin tightening treatments target areas of your skin that have become loose and stimulate collagen production underneath that skin.

At Lasermed, we use ultrasound energy in a device called Utims Mini for skin tightening. This safely tightens and lifts muscle, as well as stimulating collagen production – perfect for heavy eyelids, nasolabial folds, loss of jawline definition and sagging of the neck and chin. Within three months you’ll notice an improvement, but best results for skin tightening are seen nine months later.

It’s suitable for men and women between ages 45 and 55 with mild to moderate skin laxity.

This skin tightening procedure doesn’t replace surgery, but is a good alternative for someone not ready for surgery. Essentially a skin tightening treatment is an investment in collagen.

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