Winter’s icy grip can wreak havoc on your skin but have no fear! Kendra Coppage, a medical esthetician at Kuy Plastic Surgery in Cincinnati, is here to guide you through the frosty season and its skin care challenges.
“The dry heat of the furnace, frigid weather and hot showers all dehydrate the skin,” Kendra says. Slathering on your favorite moisturizer, however, isn’t enough. “People tend to overload on heavy moisturizers. While that may be necessary and important, you should keep in mind that exfoliation during winter months is critical.”
The effectiveness of moisturizing lotion depends greatly on the surface condition of the skin to which it’s applied, Kendra explains. “You must remove the dry, dead skin cells to allow your serums and moisturizers to penetrate.”
Kendra, a seasoned skin care professional, focuses on helping her clients understand their unique skin care needs through personalized assessments. She collaborates with clients to develop care plans that may involve altering their home routines and incorporating noninvasive in-office procedures and treatments offered as part of Dr. Daniel Kuy’s expansive Swiss Medi-Spa services.
Unraveling the mystery of a client’s skin condition to determine what will be required for a healthier appearance involves an in-depth evaluation and sometimes a shift in thinking. “Clients often ask why, after using an abundance of hyaluronic acid, peptides and ceramides, their skin is still dry,” Kendra says. There could be several causes.
“You could be stripping your skin’s acid mantle with aggressive resurfacing agents,” she says. “The game plan in this case would be to replenish lipids to optimize skin barrier function, strengthen the skin’s natural DNA repair process and minimize inflammation.”
Alternatively, the problem could be a buildup of keratinized cells on the surface, in which case, she says, “you are essentially wasting expensive products that aren’t penetrating the epidermis.” In this scenario, Kendra recommends the VI Chemical Peel, one of her favorite winter treatments. “It’s a medium-depth peel designed to lift pigment, remove sun damage and alleviate acne and scarring, and it softens lines and wrinkles,” she says.
This particular treatment does result in skin peeling for several days and requires some planning.
“I usually tell clients to expect a week of shedding, although days three to five are typically the worst,” Kendra says, noting that the results are “definitely worth the little downtime required.”
Jessica King, an advanced esthetician at Kuy Plastic Surgery, encourages her clients to combat any skin damage incurred throughout the spring and summer during the winter months.
“Dermaplaning and the mixture of micro peels and medium-depth peels are key to resurfacing the epidermis to help reduce visible signs of aging, melasma, hyperpigmentation, acne and scarring,” Jessica says. Ideally, they can be done once a month to keep a strict, well-maintained regimen, she adds.
While the term “peel” might sound intimidating, Jessica assures clients that the few days of flaking skin they experience afterward are well worth the results. For those who prefer not to deal with visibly shedding skin, she suggests micro peels. “Micro peels do not cause any shedding or flaking. They rejuvenate the surface of the skin, causing your skin cells to turn over at a faster rate,” Jessica explains.
Dermaplaning, peels and Swiss Aqua Facials are only a few of the many treatment options available to Kuy Plastic Surgery clients to improve the look and feel of their skin. By stepping beyond their personal skin care routines, Kendra points out, clients gain access to the latest technology that accomplishes far more than what they can achieve at home. “We can utilize ultrasound, penetrating product into the cellular level, which is much deeper than manually massaging it in with your hands,” she says.
One of Kendra’s latest favorite tools is a microcurrent device that delivers an anti-aging lifting effect without surgery. She describes the results as “amazing.”
“The muscles in our face are directly attached to our skin, so when our muscles atrophy, we see sagging and laxity,” she explains. “The microcurrent stimulates those little muscles to fire and lift.”
Starting and sticking to a skin care routine may sound like a lot of work, but Jessica simplifies the process. She emphasizes the importance of a client’s commitment to maintenance. “My clients can think of me as their personal trainer for their skin,” she says. “You come in to see me, I put your skin to work, and then you must maintain the results at home.”
She endorses four must-have products — a gentle cleanser, vitamin C serum, broad-spectrum sunscreen and wrinkle-plus-texture repair with retinol —all from the Zo Skin Health skin care line created by dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi. “He says that real skin health takes work, and he’s right,” Jessica concurs. “I’m a firm believer in consistency when it comes to treatments and product use.”
According to Kendra, it is ideal for clients to receive a skin care treatment every four to six weeks because that is the approximate time it takes for the skin to regenerate, from the bottom layer to the top. However, she acknowledges that some clients may find it more feasible to have quarterly in-office treatments at each change of season.
“The majority of my clients book a Swiss Aqua Facial monthly, and then we decide exactly what to do when they come in,” Kendra continues. “That gives us adequate time to do whichever treatment is needed once we consult and analyze their skin that day. Nothing we do here is one size fits all.”
Impressive transformations await clients who are ready to customize their in-office visits with the help of Dr. Kuy’s team of skin care specialists and make the necessary adjustments to their at-home routines. Just as winter is only a season in a lifetime of seasons, one visit to a skin care professional or a single product switch at home is just a beginning for those in pursuit of consistently beautiful, healthy skin.
“Skin care is for life. It isn’t a one-and-done situation,” Jessica emphasizes. She advises starting with a consultation — meet face-to-face with one of our skin care specialists and create a step-by-step plan to achieve your skin and body goals.”
“My main goal is to listen to clients’ wants and needs,” Jessica says. “I am very realistic with skin care expectations, and I carefully customize a plan that every client can follow. I’ve always been more of a treatment-based esthetician, and I feel that by following a few steps you can see your skin transform in a relatively short amount of time.”
Ready to embark on your journey toward healthier, more radiant skin? Kuy Plastic Surgery Inc. is located at 3825 Edwards Road, Suite #550, in Cincinnati. To request a skin care consultation or noninvasive treatment in their Swiss Medi Spa, visit drkuy.com to schedule online or call 844-794-7763