Education

As much as leading a healthy lifestyle, following a professional skin care regime and avoiding prolonged sun exposure can delay the onset of the signs of aging, eventually we may need a little extra help with lines that are deepening and facial contours that are becoming less defined.

Thankfully strides in the use and application of  injectables such as hyaluronic fillers and botox over the past 10 years have provided a non-invasive and extremely flattering alternative to plastic surgery.

Now you can get it all done in one easy treatment- The Perfect Lift. Our clinical practitioner will consult with you about your concerns and design a treatment plan to give you a lift without the pain and recovery of the knife.

Hyaluronic fillers can be used to fill in loss of volume in the face (ie: cheeks, laugh lines, jawline and under the eyes) or even change the overall shape of your face and nose (non-surgical nose job, lip enhancement), while botox can relax over-used muscles that lead to deep expression lines around the eyes, forehead and mouth.

The Perfect Lift is a complete facial rejuvenation treatment and includes a take-home, clinical dosage nutricosmetic that prevents the break down of the injected hyaluronic acid filler and botox by free radicals and enzymes as well as inhibiting the break down of your skin’s structural collagen and elastin fibers.

The results of your filler treatment can last up to a year in certain areas, while regular botox treatments are required to maintain your results approximately every four months.

It’s a BIG step to make if you’ve never done this type of treatment before, which is why we offer a complimentary consultation for all of our botox and injectable treatments. Our expert medical practitioners will answer all your questions and concerns and help you make an informed  decision in the next step of skin rejuvenation.

And from what I’ve seen, people really love the results of injectables- a refreshed, relaxed and revitalized appearance. That sounds perfect to me!

This is a terrific article by Lucy Cavendish for the Guardian- “How to Look Younger… Longer.” in which she details her own experiences with the latest trends in anti-aging.

Check out filler before and after photos here.

I recently had the pleasure of treating a woman in her mid-thirties who had never had a professional skin care treatment. Why did I get so much satisfaction from this you may ask?  

There is no better instant gratification than the before and after effects that a professional skin treatment can have.  This women came in with dull, dehydrated and congested skin and left with a glowing and vibrant complexion. 

I often tell people that initiation into the self-care rituals of massage therapy and regular skin care treatments is like opening Pandora’s box- there’s no turning back!

This particular client had a rather curious question for me- are regular facials bad for your skin?- aren’t they really only effective for about a week?- that’s why you have to continue with them…?!

I’m not sure what the logic behind that idea is, but I do find that people rarely appreciate the benefits of habitual professional skin care. I liken it to regular excercise, eating well, brushing and flossing your teeth. If you don’t do these things regularly and consistently- it shows outwardly and inwardly. The same goes for your skin. Would you expect to stay in shape if you went to boot camp for a month and then stopped working out?

I’ve seen incredible changes in people’s skin, but it tends to happen gradually, over a period of about six months to a year. For instance, I did a series of microdermabrasion treatments on a client, one treatment a week for six weeks.  This client had a very bumpy and rough forehead with micro-comedones/ blackheads and more blackheads scattered throughout her cheek and chin area. After the treatment series, her skin had improved quite drastically, but it wasn’t until six months post-series that I saw the lasting results that come from regular treatments- spaced every five weeks for maintenance. Her skin had changed. It was smooth, clear and healthy with little to no breakout activity. 

Now that we’re using light therapy to treat the skin, the results we can offer are even more gratifying. I just completed a treatment series of skin tightening treatments with a gentleman in his early 70′s. Although skin tightening is not a replacement for a face-lift, I was astonished how much of a difference there was from his before and after pictures. The skin was definitely rejuvenated; his smile lines were softened and the definition of his jawline was improved.

So yes- with effort and consistency,  you can train your skin. Has a skin treatment changed your skin for the better? Post your comments here.

Other Site Links:

Skin Treatment Series: “Theory of Relativity” and “Cellular Salvation” packages 

Pre-Skin Tightening

Post-Skin Tightening

In the new year Spruce Body Lab introduced Micro Zone treatments to our menu of services.  This concept in approaching professional skin care treatments, at the time was relatively new to the Vancouver spa culture. It was originally developed by Dermalogica’s concept store in Los Angeles where they are constantly striving to innovate the way we treat the skin.

I will admit that I was a little skeptical about whether or not these treatments would take off.  The concept is that within a 20 minute span, you target a specific skin concern.  For instance, someone may just needs extractions, perhaps they need to heal some break out activity or hydrate the skin.  These can be treated within a quick 20 minute treatment, whereby the client doesn’t even need to get under the treatment table covers and they can go on about their day without having to set aside an hour or more of their time.

Can you really have an effective treatment within 20 minutes? The answer is yes. Some of my successes with this treatment have been truly remarkable- as detailed by my client Jenny’s experience below.

“I have never been one that goes to the spa to get facials but when I read about the Micro-Zone treatments I thought I’d give it a try.  The shorter time frame and smaller cost of the treatments were a definite attraction.  I’ve always struggled with acne and have a horrible habit of picking; so my skin was quite bad when I went for my first treatment.  Afterwards I noticed immediate results,  it calmed down the redness, sped up the healing and seemed to help diminish the up and coming break out!  After my second and third treatment, I was amazed at the results, all of a sudden my skin was clear of acne for the first time in a long time.  As a result I stopped going for treatments, but found that my problems came back so clearly the Micro-Zone treatment is something that needs to be part of my regular skin care from now on.”

I’ve also had a client who has alternated his Micro Zone treatments with full skin care treatments.  Again, the results of coming in every three weeks and working with professional products at home have made a world of difference with his skin. Having suffered from stage two and three acne, we’ve been able to down grade his skin condition to a grade one acne which means that the main concerns that we treat are blackheads and oily shine instead of pustules, papules and comedones (the scientific term for blackheads).

It’s so rewarding as a skin therapist to see these kinds of results and be able to deliver them in a timely and affordable fashion, but the greatest reward is for these client’s who have experienced the results.

Spruce Body Lab Micro Zone Treatments

Dermalogica Products