Treat These Summertime Problems: Sweat, Cellulite and Brown Spots

Now that summer has rolled in, there’s a whole bunch of (totally) normal weather-related things to factor in your daily routines. You’ve got to be more consistent with shaving, moisturizing and keeping frizzy hair tamed. That’s just a couple of things on the list. Below are some typical concerns people have when the warmer weather is here. But fear not, we’ve listed a few solutions and treatments on how to deal with them.

Sweating

Sweating is inevitable when it’s sweltering hot. You could take refuge in the shade or shed off a few layers of clothing to stop sweating. But if you find that you sweat excessively—even when it’s not summer—you might have to consider other options to stop it.

How to stop sweating

You can try miraDry or Botox to disable your sweat glands in certain areas of your body. To permanently stop underarm sweating, miraDry is your solution. It’s a non-invasive treatment that uses controlled energy to eliminate underarm sweat glands. Once they’re removed, they won’t grow back. Results are permanent. And as an added bonus, miraDry treatments also remove underarm hair permanently.

Botox injections, on the other hand, provide temporary results. If you find that you tend to sweat a lot on your armpits, hands or feet, Botox injections helps this problem. Once an injection is made to the problem areas, the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate sweat glands get blocked. Within 10 minutes, you won’t have to worry about sweating for up to 6 months.

Cellulite

Souce: SpaMedica. From left to right: mild cellulite, moderate cellulite and severe cellulite.

Does your cellulite make you hesitant to wear certain clothing or swimwear? You’re definitely not alone. In fact, cellulite is seen in up to 95% of women of all shapes and sizes. Cellulite is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Diet does matter when it comes to cellulite. Consider bulking up on food that’s rich in vitamin C as they’re known to boost collagen levels in the skin.

How to get rid of cellulite

Sometimes you want to see more immediate results. Look into cellulite removal treatments like Venus Freeze. Your technician moves the radiofrequency applicator back on forth over your problem area. Once the electrical current heats the skin and soft tissue, this helps stimulate collagen production. It also reduces fat cell content. Each treatment takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. Without the need for recovery time, you can get back to work or regular activities after Venus Freeze treatments.  

Brown spots

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photos of a patient who had laser brown spot removal on her hands.

Make it a habit to wear sunscreen or limit time in the sun if you don’t want to increase your chances of developing brown spots. Sun exposure and ultraviolet light exposure are some factors that may cause brown spots (also known as age spots). Areas that are more likely to develop brown spots are the ones that are most exposed to the sun such as: the face, back of hands, forearms and shoulders. While brown spots aren’t harmful, some people simply dislike the appearance of them and decide to remove them.

How to treat brown spots on skin

There are several laser brown spot removal and intense pulsed light treatments available to fade your brown spots within minutes. If you decide to get IPL treatments, the brown spot darkens first and the lesion then fades over the course of 3-6 weeks. With laser treatments, the area where your brown spot used to be becomes crusted. This area is covered with ointment and bandage until it falls off after 7-10 days.  

Interested in any of these treatments? Book your appointment online with us today.

What Dermatologists Do To Give You Gorgeous Skin

Having healthy and clear skin is a priority for many people. Who wouldn't want to have smooth and blemish-free skin? It also doesn’t hurt that you don’t have to feel any anxiety or embarrassment when communicating face-to-face with others, either. While some very lucky people are born with flawless skin, the rest of us have to purchase endless products or seek treatment to get it. Sometimes over-the-counter products will do the job, but when they don't, a good step to take is seeing a dermatologist. 

Dermatology is a field that focuses on healing and treating skin conditions related to the skin, hair and nails. It’s not just anyone who can treat and figure out how to address these specific concerns. That’s what a dermatologist is for. So if your concern involves wrinkles, brown spots or acne, they’re the best people to see and talk to. Of course, these aren’t the only concerns they deal with—dermatologists can diagnose and treat over 3,000 diseases.

Below is just a couple of the most common skin concerns dermatologists address on a daily basis.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient received acne and acne scar reduction treatments

Acne

Acne is just one of those things that always bother each and every one of us. Nobody likes it and nobody wants it. Unfortunately, many of us deal with it during puberty or even adulthood. An article by Best Health Magazine says that more than 70% of adults between ages 20-50 experience acne breakouts.

Sometimes acne can be controlled or treated with products you can buy over the counter. But when this doesn’t clear breakouts, you should consider laser acne treatments to help clear your skin. SpaMedica combines medical treatment, laser and topical solutions to treat acute acne.

Acne treatments start with a SonoPeel, an ultrasonic microdermabrasion treatment. The ultrasound waves liquefy and break up sebaceous plugs that block the exit of sebum from the hair follicle glands in your skin.

Your treatment provider then applies a mild topical chemical called keratolytic. It helps to remove your skin’s outer layer. This allows medical acne skin care products to penetrate your skin better, which in turn reduces inflammation and increase your blood flow to fight against acne bacteria. This is just the beginning of acne treatments—there are more steps involved to clear your skin. Four to six appointments gives you anywhere between 75-95% reduction of acne breakouts.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient received laser treatments to remove brown spots on her hand.

Brown Spots

Brown spots (also known as age spots) show up on exposed skin areas such as your face, neck, back and hands. Main causes are usually due to age, genetics or too much sun exposure. Brown spots are brown (that was a no-brainer), tan or black in colour and flat. Brown spots are typically seen in people over 50, but that doesn’t mean younger people aren’t getting them. Anyone who spends a lot of time out in the sun without any sunscreen will increase their chances of developing brown spots.

Luckily, brown spots can be treated fairly easily. By combining different laser systems, intense pulsed light and radiofrequency devices, your brown spots fade after one or two laser treatments. The results gradually improve with pulsed light. The treatment itself only takes a few minutes and you can go back to work or regular activities right after.  

Get Clear and Healthy Looking Skin Now

This is just the tip of the many concerns dermatologists see and treat. Sometimes removing small things like moles, scars and spider veins can make all the difference in your confidence and appearance. If you’ve got any dermatology-related concern, don’t hesitate to ask us questions or book your appointment online.