Medical Skin Rejuvenation vs Cosmetic‑Only Treatments | Lifeboost
Skin Rejuvenation is a broad category of treatments that aim at restoring a youthful and healthy appearance to the skin. Treatments range from simple techniques like reducing fine lines and wrinkles to improving skin texture, tone, and elasticity. Each of these improvements benefits both the skin and the individual receiving treatment, refreshing, restoring, and revitalizing their self‑confidence in their appearance.
It should be noted, however, that there is a distinction between those skin rejuvenation processes that have only cosmetic benefits versus those that involve medical skin rejuvenation concepts or skin care processes and procedures. Understanding this difference is important as an individual seeks to obtain long-term success with their skin rejuvenation treatments and is also vital for ensuring that individuals select the appropriate skin rejuvenation option that protects the skin by treating both its appearance and its underlying skin health.
What Is Medical Skin Rejuvenation?
Medical Skin rejuvenation is not just a visual enhancement; Skin rejuvenation also focuses on how the skin functions and appears biologically (the way the skin operates) at the cellular level. By utilizing advanced skin rejuvenation technology, the skin can be treated for a number of conditions including Cystic Acne, deep pigmentation, and various types of scarring, as well as loss of elasticity and overall health of the skin.
How Medical Skin Rejuvenation Works?
In the medical setting, these types of procedures can only be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician (doctor / nurse) or a physician’s assistant.
Key Characteristics of Medical Skin Rejuvenation Procedures
Technology: Medical skin rejuvenation treatments typically utilize medical-grade technologies, such as medical-frequency RF microneedling and deep-penetrating chemical peels.
Products: The majority of products that are supplied by medical establishments have much higher concentrations of active ingredients (retinoid, AHAs) than the maximum concentration allowed for sale on a retail basis.
Focus: In addition to giving the patient a short-term “plump” effect, medical skin rejuvenation also stimulates the body’s natural wound healing mechanisms to create new collagen and healthy skin cells. The effects of this type of rejuvenation can last several months to several years.
What Are Cosmetic-Only Treatments?
The pampered side of Skin Care is Cosmetics. The cosmetic services most often take place at salons, beauty clinics, and in high-end spas.
Surface‑level sophistication: Cosmetic facials typically include massages, pleasantly scented masks, and gentle exfoliation. However, these services only affect the outermost layer of skin—the stratum corneum. These types of skin care procedures are excellent for touch ups just before going out for a big night, or for maintaining already healthy skin.
Key Characteristics:
- Non-Medical Environment: Cosmetic services are provided by beauticians or estheticians in relaxing and luxurious environments.
- Maintenance not Correction: Cosmetic services provide excellent hydration at the surface as well as eliminating dead skin cells; but from a structural standpoint, they lack the “horsepower” to correct deeper issues like hormone related melasma and deep wrinkles.
- Immediate Payoff: While you may leave your cosmetic service with desired results, they only last for several days to perhaps a week because deeper layers of skin were not altered.
There Are Four Ways Medical Rejuvenation Is Different Than Cosmetic
Knowing what the words mean isn’t as important as how those definitions interact to help you make decisions on how to move forward with your skin. The following points are the four main reasons why medical rejuvenation is not just a cosmetic treatment.
Key Differences between Medical and Cosmetic Treatments
The single most important factor that makes Medical Professionals so distinct from Cosmetic Professionals is their education and experience level.
Medical Supervision: People who’ve received training under Dermatologists, Physicians or other Medical Professionals to perform skin rejuvenation services possess an advanced knowledge of the structure of the skin and how it reacts to various types of damage, in addition to knowing how to handle rare complications that might occur.
Non-Medical Providers: On the other hand, a Cosmetic Treatment provider (e.g., an Esthetician/Beauty Therapist) may have some experience dealing with skin types and cosmetic products, however, they do not possess a License that would allow them to utilize equipment that penetrates the deeper layers of the dermis.
Medical-Grade Equipment: The medical-grade equipment used in Cosmetology has been approved by the FDA and is capable of safely treating the dermis (the layer of skin that houses collagen). The equipment used to treat your skin is referred to as “medical grade.” The difference between medical-grade products and regular products is that medical-grade products are manufactured with stabilizers, making them more effective when they enter the skin.
Cosmetic Devices: Most cosmetic devices used in spas (such as basic microdermabrasion devices and LED light devices) have been developed with “safety ceilings” and, thus, are designed to be low-risk devices. Because they are low-risk devices, they are generally low-intensity devices, meaning they are good for polishing the outer surface of the skin, but they do not affect the underlying structures.
Safety and Personalization Go Together
To put it simply, there is no “one call for all” plan for medical skin health. Medical Skin Health is about creating an individualized plan.
Individually Tailored Medical Plan: A medical professional will perform an assessment that includes your personal history and information about your hormonal health, along with details about your skin’s genetics. Based on these details, a personalized map will be developed for you, and you will receive precisely what your skin needs to maintain its optimal chemical balance.
Cosmetic Treatments Offer a Common Approach: Cosmetic treatments offered in spas are typically a one-size-fits-all approach. Each client’s treatment may be different based on whether the client has oily skin, dry skin, etc., but the protocol remains the same.
Long-Lasting vs Temporary Results
This is where you see the value of the money you spend.
Long-Term Benefit: Medical regeneration is the ability of our bodies to create new collagen and elastin through the process of remodeling. The results from medical rejuvenation usually take many weeks to develop, but can become permanent. They also result in a complete transformation of the skin’s health.
Temporary Benefit: Cosmetic treatments provide a “glow.” They are used to help remove dead skin cells and add hydration to the skin to help make us feel alive for a short time. Because they do not alter the structure of the skin, they cannot keep decreasing everyday actions on the skin for very long; we will find that as soon as we stop using our cosmetic products, the same behavior of our “old” or dead skin cells returns. Therefore, most people have to return every few months for costly maintenance of the “thin” skin layer that was rejuvenated.
What is Right for You?
If you want to have skin that looks fresh and brightened before your wedding or a big event, then cosmetic treatments are a great option. They are an excellent form of exercise for keeping your skin looking healthy and fit.
On the other hand, if you are trying to deal with deeper-seated problems such as severe sun damage, sagging skin or scarring, you would need medical treatment in order to fix those problems. Medical skin rejuvenation gives you the opportunity to pay for services as well as help with your long-term biological health of your skin’s largest organ.
Why Medical Skin Rejuvenation Is the Safer Choice?
When considering your facial appearance, “safety” involves more than just avoiding accidents; it encompasses the long-term maintenance and well-being of your skin. While DIY kits available for purchase at retailers and entry-level facial treatments from beauty salons may appear to be quick-and-easy solutions, medical skin rejuvenation provides a level of assurance found only in a clinical environment.
1. The Importance of Accurate Skin Assessment
When you seek medical skin rejuvenation services, your path forward begins with a diagnosis—not a marketing pitch.
Underneath the epidermal layer, many other elements contribute to the health of your skin, including UV damage, evidence of vascular health and products of sebum production.
A qualified team of medical professionals is able to assess these and other conditions accurately—both before and after treatment. A physician-led team can quickly differentiate between what appears to be a simple “sun spot” and may in fact be an underlying health issue needing further evaluation by a trained specialist.
2. Decreased Chance of Complications
Chemical peels can lead to some very common complications when used improperly (i.e. hyperpigmentation, scarring).
Controlled Environment: The medical clinic provides an environment for treatments with a strict focus on sterilization and safety measures.
Immediate Treatment: Should there be an adverse reaction during treatment, the medical provider can obtain and apply pharmaceutical treatments immediately (i.e. topical steroids, recovery serums), ensuring no long-term damage occurs.
- Eliminating the Issue at its Source
Many patients come in looking for a rejuvenation treatment to help with an issue that is actually a result of a medical condition (i.e. rosacea, cystic acne, hormonal melasma).
Comprehensive Approach: The medical provider does not “cover up” the issue, but instead provides combinations of oral/topical prescriptions to help prevent or minimize the chances of these conditions returning.
By treating the underlying cause of these concerns (either inflammatory or hormonal), the results produced are longer-lasting and much more successful.
Who Should Choose Medical Skin Rejuvenation?
When you invest in medical-grade treatments, you are investing in your skin’s biological health. If you belong to one of these groups of patients, you are likely to be a good candidate for medical skin rejuvenation:
Patient Profile – The primary goals for the patient who is seeking treatment for age-related change will be to have a clear and defined plan to see improvement with the things that concern them such as fine lines around the mouth, droopiness of the cheek area, and/or volume loss.
Pigmented Lesions – In the case of patients with much pigmented lesions such as Melasma and/or sun damage, the best treatments are prescription-strength products or professional chemical peels. However, most patients do not respond as well to these products as they do to professional treatments.
Skin Texture – For patients who are experiencing raised acne scars, large/fat pores, or other irregular textures on their skin, professional microneedling is the preferred method to treat those areas.
Concerned for Safety – If you are prone to sensitivities such as allergic reactions (e.g., itchiness rashes), nervous about the risk of “trying” anything on your skin, especially new products that you’ve never seen before, or have a physician do a patch test to determine the safest and best heat setting for your individual potential tolerance against the heat.
Think Ahead – If you’re tired of wasting money on expensive skincare products that don’t deliver. If you’ve invested in multiple expensive skincare products that don’t perform to your expectations, and are now looking for a scientifically proven long-term investment that actually produces results.
Why Choose Lifeboost for Skin Rejuvenation?
Choosing the right partner for your skin rejuvenation experience is as important as the treatment itself. Lifeboost provides luxury, combined with clinical excellence, in order to make your journey to beautiful skin one that is both comfortable and based on sound scientific principles.
1. Medical Supervision
At Lifeboost, we take your safety very seriously. Unlike most other aesthetic clinics, every individual procedure is overseen by medical professionals whose number one priority is your wellness. Because every individual procedure is supervised by a medical professional, a thorough understanding of dermatology is critical.This means that every injection and every chemical peel is delivered in a precise manner that is anatomically correct.
2. Advanced Technology
Skin science is continually changing and evolving. As an industry, we continually invest in the latest and greatest technologies with the purpose of providing our patients with the best treatments possible. At Lifeboost, we use only industry-leading, FDA-approved machines such as advanced radiofrequency devices. Because these machines are designed to penetrate deeper into the skin and allow for quicker healing times, they provide the basis for all skin treatments.
Conclusion
Medical dermatological procedures provide results that are significantly greater than just cosmetic improvements. Because they utilize highly evolved technology and therapeutic-grade products in treatment modalities, the benefits of medical-grade procedures extend to improved skin health and overall resilience.
When you select a Medical Environment, you gain access to unique advantages like expert diagnosis, clinical strength and predictable results. Because your skin is your body’s largest organ and is the first barrier of defense, it should not be treated with a “one size fits all” formula. You are encouraged to go beyond your local department store and visit a professional for Medical Skin Rejuvenation.
If you are ready to begin your journey to transformation, please contact Lifeboost to set up your Complete Skin Assessment and receive a Rejuvenation Plan specifically developed for you and only