Summer Sun...Our Favorite Love/Hate Relationship

Oh how we love the way the sun feels, but

oh how we hate what it does...

to our skin, that is.

Yes, the sun does make flowers bloom and trees grow, but flora was designed for that purpose.  Human skin on the other hand, was not designed to withstand the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun, especially lighter skin. 

But if feels sooo good, how bad can it really be? Let me tell you about my hot tub.  It lives in my backyard covered with a Kevlar cover.  That’s right, the same stuff that stops bullets. And yet every 3-4 years I have to replace it because it is shredded by the SoCal sun.  

Your over exposed skin, even with its rather magical regenerative and healing capabilities, doesn’t fare much better because of the inevitable effects of a sun induced process called “Solar Elastosis.  Your fabulously strong highly organized, resilient, pliable and sexy collagen is broken down by the sun and replaced with short, stubby, disorganized and defective elastin fibers. Consequently your dermis thins and loses it structural integrity, causing your skin to wrinkle and sag. In extreme cases, so much of this defective elastin is created, that your skin actually thickens and becomes extremely wrinkled and leather like.  Our patients that play on the senior PGA tour are perfect examples of how extensive sun exposure causes deeply wrinkled leathery skin. (Such wonderful people, with some of the most sun-damaged skin we have ever treated!)

If ugly looking sun-damaged skin isn’t bad enough, chew on this: 90% of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure.  While Basal and Squamous Cell carcinomas are relatively minor issues, Melanoma is an outright killer that can easily and quickly spread throughout your entire body.  Take this seriously; a small pea-sized spot of melanoma on your skin can spread (metastasize) to multiple organs in a matter of weeks.

So what’s a southern California gal or guy who loves the outdoors to do?

1. First and foremost, love your life and do the things you love to do with passion and enthusiasm. I am serious about this; joy is an essential prerequisite to health. Do not diminish your joy in living because of a future possibility of a health challenge, especially one that can be minimized by simply being disciplined and smart.
2. Be disciplined, smart and deliberate about minimizing direct sun exposure whenever possible.
3. Sun-block sun-block sun-block sun-block.  Applied religiously on a daily basis.  Use at least spf 40 that is “broad spectrum” (blocks uva & uvb), and when playing outdoors apply it before you leave your home and again at high noon. Note: all sun-block creams lose their protective potency in 4-5 hours.
4. Wear a hat with as wide a brim as you can tolerate, as well as long sleeves and long pants if sensible.
5. Keep your skin well moisturized and hydrated.  Did I mention sun-block?
6. If anything on your skin looks suspicious, especially if anything has suddenly changed, don’t hesitate to see your dermatologist ASAP.  If your skin has many spots and/or moles (nevi), take digital photos every 3-4 months so that you can verify and document changes that might be happening.

Finally, the good news:  From our vantage point of over 13 years of conducting extensive research and performing over 65,000 advanced comprehensive skin treatments, we are certain that your skin has an enormous and natural regenerative capacity that can be tapped and stimulated.  The expanding array of high-tech, state-of-the-art energy devices such as lasers, synergistically combined with a variety of natural and integrative modalities, allows for holistic customization of protocols to fit everyone’s skin on an individual basis. Whether you think your skin needs just a little “tune-up”, or whether you’ve concluded that your skin is a hopeless train-wreck, we have seen even the worst cases come back to life with fresher, younger, stronger, healthier and much more beautiful skin.  We call this the physiological “rebirth” of your skin, which can be achieved without invasive procedures.  Bottom line, your skin can physiologically function as it did when you were in much younger, rebuilding and “rebirthing” itself from the inside out. It doesn’t matter what caused the damage, cystic acne, melasma, rosacea, stretch marks, sun damage or aging, your skin can look years younger, healthier and more beautiful because it actually IS younger and healthier.

CALL AMA SKINCARE TODAY

for a free consultation

949.428.4500 or 310.460.2444

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What is Melasma?

Melasma is a very difficult and tricky condition to resolve.

Generally speaking, there are two types of Melasma – Stable and Unstable.  A Stable Melasma is typically a result of a singular incident or trauma that stimulated an over production of melanin in the affected skin of the face. The prime example is the hormonal onset of Melasma during pregnancy, known as the “mask of pregnancy”. Typically, a stable Melasma is exactly that, “stable”.  It doesn’t change much regardless of sun exposure. An Unstable Melasma is usually associated with an underlying systemic physiological condition that, for unknown reasons, has caused hyper-pigmentation on the face.  Unstable Melasma characteristically “flare up” with little aggravation.  Even a few minutes in the sun or even the heat from a sauna can flare it up.  Stable Melasmas are fairly straight forward to treat, and we have great success treating them. Over 90% of our patients have been happy with the results of their treatments, with no re-occurrence for many years.  However, Unstable Melasmas are difficult and tricky.  Because of the hidden underlying systemic causes, they often resist treatment, or come back, either partially or completely a few weeks or months after treatment.  Even in the most successful cases, our patients with Unstable Melasmas are educated to understand that they may have to "chase" this condition for the rest of their lives, or until the hidden underlying cause resolves. 

In every case, no two Melasmas are the same, each requiring individualized assessments and a customized treatment protocol.  In many cases, in order to "consult the patient's physiology" we will perform a number of small test treatments on a given patient in order to establish which protocol their skin responds to best.  We do not charge for these test treatments.  

Lastly, in cases of an unstable Melasma that is resisting treatments, we often "go back to the drawing board", administer additional tests with a variety of technologies and protocols, in order to get the skin "back on track".  We also do not charge for these treatments.

We have over 25 lasers, a number of which can be effectively used for pigmented skin.  Given that we specialize in using lasers in combination, there are a huge number of protocols that can be employed to advance progressively better results.  We also integrate other holistic modalities with our laser protocols, such as Physiological Regulating Medicine, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, pharmaceutical and natural lotions, and IV nutritional therapy.

Please note, that with ALL medical technologies, the magic of producing satisfying results is not inherent in the technology itself, but in how it’s used; in the insight of the practitioner, and the customization of the protocol according to the particular needs of the person that is being treated.

Bottom line, when a patient's unstable Melasma is not resolving as we all hoped, we go the extra mile - at our own cost - to do whatever we can to get better results.  We hope that our unstable Melasma patients will be patient with their own skin and with us, as we search for the best customized solution to their individual condition.  It truly matters to us.

We understand and embrace the frustration that any patient might have with their Melasma. We hope that anyone suffering from Melasma who is reading this, might be willing to give his/her skin and our practice the necessary time to figure out the best course of treatment for his/her particular condition. 

 AMA Skincare doctors

CALL AMA SKINCARE TODAY

to learn more about this limited offer!

949.428.4500 or 310.460.2444

Based on your overwhelming demand and positive feedback AMA Skincare is happy to announce that we are offering the QDI Special again, just in time for Mother’s Day!

Got Spots?

Got Wrinkles?

Got Sagging?

Got Broken Capillaries?

Imagine them gone!

You asked for an opportunity to try our unique laser protocols in a simpler, quicker, less expensive package and we are answering with spectacular results and exceptional savings!

CALL AMA SKINCARE TODAY

to learn more about this limited offer!

949.428.4500 or 310.460.2444