Article: Exercise Your Skin? A New Concept in Skincare.

If you’re like most women, you’re rushing from work to home, to sports, to school functions — cutting corners along the way- while still hoping to get the most out of life. Kim Marinetto, RN and Master Aesthetician at AVIE! MedSpa and Laser Center in Leesburg, VA has a unique philosophy when it comes to taking care of your skin. Exercise it! What? How does one exercise their skin you say? “Our skin is an organ, just like our hearts and lungs,” says Kim, “if we don’t take care of it, exercise, feed it the right nutrients, provide it an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate, and minimize stress – then we’ll be looking at skin that reflects wear and tear. It deserves attention, it’s our largest organ!”

“Exercising your skin is like going to the gym,” explains Kim, “you wouldn’t go to the gym for 3–4 months and expect those results to last if you didn’t continue to work out, would you? Visualize a new mattress; it’s perky, bouncy and has firm coils. Over time however, it begins to breakdown — it doesn’t have as much spring or support anymore. It develops divots (like wrinkles), begins to sag in spots and shows areas of wear and tear. The mattress is like our skin.” The solutions for aging skin are prevention, stimulation and maintenance.  Medical spa skincare and laser treatments stimulate the fibroblasts in the skin which allow the skin to generate new collagen. When stimulated properly, skin is able to repair and rebuild itself. Even years of sun damage can be reversed with the right treatments.

A woman in her 30s has different skin issues than a woman in her 40s or 50s. A 30 year old‘s skin generally doesn’t show a lot of aging yet. Their cell turnover is still normal; therefore they can afford to focus on preventing damage and maintaining their skin. A person who is 40 or 50 years old typically needs a more aggressive approach. The focus for this patient will be around correction, stimulation, maintenance and prevention. First we must stimulate the skin. Their cell turnover has slowed down significantly. Issues such as lax skin, wrinkles, sun damage / brown spots, hormonal acne and redness are common. Treatments such as fractional laser skin resurfacing correct issues such as texture, enlarged pores, scars and lines. Whereas, photo facials or photo rejuvenation addresses pigment issues; removing the effects of sun damage (brown spots and wrinkles). Laser skin tightening stimulates fibroblasts, which increases collagen production that firms and tightens the skin.

At AVIE!, new patients receive a thorough complimentary consultation. Understanding health choices, environmental factors, skin structure, your current maintenance program and the establishment of realistic expectations are all part of patient education and lead to successful results. A good skin care program, like a workout routine, should be based on your current conditions and your goals.

“We’re excited about one of our newest treatments: Brighten & Tighten™— our patients are raving about the results!”says Kim. A special combination of photo rejuvenation and skin tightening treatments are performed on the face and neck. Brighten & Tighten™ begins by lifting brown pigment from the skin and shrinking blood vessels, thus reducing redness. We then follow with laser skin tightening which stimulates collagen and elastin production, correcting crepe-like and saggy skin. The anti-aging benefits are amazing. Studies show that patients who had their skin corrected and received maintenance treatments 1–2 times per year had brighter, tighter and plumper skin with noticeably smaller pores. Best of all, their friends and family are saying “Wow! You look fabulous — have you been on vacation?”

AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center offers the latest cosmetic medical spa treatments in a relaxing spa setting in Leesburg, VA. Owner, Kim Marinetto, RN and Master Aesthetician, in conjunction with Medical Director and Co-owner, Betsy Vasquez, MD provide customized programs so each client's needs are addressed on an individual basis. Treatments have minimal to no downtime. Services include: ProLipo™,  Zerona™,  Botox®,  Juvedérm™,  Chemical Peels, Laser Skin Rejuvenation, Skin Tightening, Laser Hair Removal, Clinical Facials and Medical Weight Loss. Consultations are complimentary and financing is available. For more information call 703.348.2265 or visit www.aviemedspa.com