Skin Care Product of the Month

TNS Essential Serum & 

TNS Eye Repair 

by SkinMedica

 During the month of December, receive a complimentary SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair ($95 value!) with the purchase of a TNS Essential Serum     

TNS Eye Repair:

• Moisturizes with hyaluronic acid
• Antioxidant vitamins protect, nourish and brighten
• Smoothes, softens and conditions the skin
• Peptides aim to keep the eye area youthful-looking
• Rejuvenates the eye area for a bright, rested appearance

TNS Essential Serum:

• Features two anti-aging formulas
• Smoothes fine lines and wrinkles
• Lightens and brightens age spots
• Repairs damage, reduces inflammation, and fights against environmental damage
• Combines growth factor serum with potent antioxidants, peptides and other anti-aging ingredients to regenerate your skin

Offer expires on December 31, 2014, while supplies last.

Laser Treatment For Men And Women Eliminates Unwanted Hair

Shaving, bleaching, plucking, waxing, or trimming unwanted or excessive hair on your face or body may grow tiresome over time and may irritate your skin. That’s why we have been offering safe and effective laser hair reduction treatment for men and women since 1999.

How laser hair removal works

One of the most popular laser treatments, hair reduction and removal allows you to put away the creams, razors, and tweezers for good. Light energy targets the pigments in each hair. As the light is absorbed, it creates heat energy, which eliminates the hair follicle and stops hair growth.

To prepare for the procedure, patients are asked to refrain from waxing or plucking hairs so that the hair is present in the follicle. Shaving immediately before the treatment maximizes the effectiveness of the laser, allowing the laser energy to penetrate into the follicle to heat and destroy it.

Who is a candidate for laser hair removal?

Laser hair reduction works best on patients who wish to remove darker hairs. Because the laser focuses on pigmentation, grey, blonde, or white hairs are not responsive to treatment. Laser hair reduction effectively removes undesired hair on the face, chin, neck, back, underarm, legs, and bikini area.

How many treatments are needed?

Treatments vary by patient, pigmentation, and thickness of hair to be removed. Hair grows in cycles so the procedure is typically scheduled to address each new growth cycle for optimal results.

For a confidential and comprehensive consultation with our board-certified dermatologist, call us today.

Understanding Skin Pigmentation Problems And Causes

You are uniquely you. Just as no two people will have identical thoughts, beliefs, body shapes, or hair texture, your skin tone and pigmentation are unlike any other individual.

Understanding pigmentation

Pigmentation is the color and tone of your skin. Certain cells, named melanocytes, exist in the surface layer of the skin and produce the pigment, melanin. The level of melanin that is produced determines the color of your skin. If these cells create too much or too little melanin, skin pigmentation problems occur.

Types of pigmentation disorders

Skin disorders or problems with discoloration may affect small patches or your entire body. If your cells produce too much melanin, skin will darken. Overexposure to the sun, Addison’s disease, and hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause your skin to become darker.

If your melanin production is decreased, skin will turn lighter. Vitiligo is a skin problem that occurs when the melanocytes are destroyed, and it results in patches of white skin. Albinism is a genetic condition in which production of melanin is restricted, resulting in no pigmentation in skin, eyes, or hair.

Other factors that can affect pigmentation include the abnormal development or clustering of blood vessels, such as hemangioma and nevus flammeus, also called port wine stains. Moles, scars, burns, infections, certain health conditions, and blisters can also contribute to discoloration.

If you would like to know more about pigmentation problems and gain a better understanding about how to care for your skin, call us today for your comprehensive consultation.

Grow Into A Healthy Skin Care Regimen

Here at the Lupo Center, we offer a variety of anti-aging and skin care treatments from injectables and lasers to chemical peels and facials. Our in-office treatments offer a great way to prevent or reverse the signs of aging, but in order to get optimal results from these treatments, patients need to care for their skin at home as well.

Overall skin rejuvenation is essential for everyone, and our doctors and trained staff can help select an individualized at-home skin care program. We understand that home life can sometime be hectic, but it’s important to have a few basic steps in an at-home skin care regimen.

Below is the GRASS skin care guide to maintaining the best skin possible. Because we want to help our patients “grow” healthy skin, this month we are giving away one step in the GRASS skin care regimen. When you purchase three of the five steps in the GRASS (Growth factors, Retinols, Antioxidants, Specialty products and Sun protection) skin care regimen, you can receive a complimentary NEOCUTIS RéACTIVE Anti-oxidant Serum ($70.00 value). Available through April 30, 2014, while supplies last.

Receive Complimentary Makeup with VOLUMA Treatment

Brilliant Distinctions® members enjoy a Colorescience® Pressed Mineral Cheek Colore when they receive at least two syringes of JUVÉDERM VOLUMA™ XC. Patients must be treated with at least two syringes during their visit; this promotion is not available for pre-purchase. Available only while supplies last. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

Not a Brilliant Distinctions® member yet? Sign up here.

EYE Love You Enhancers

Even though aging is an inevitable process, we never want our eyes to say we are older than we truly are. There are several factors that cause the eyes to age prematurely, including lifestyle, emotion, sleep patterns and the environment, all of which diminishes a person’s youthful, fresh appearance.

Treat yourself to some extra love this Valentine’s Day with three new ways to say “EYE Love You.” Using one or more of our Eye Love You Enhancers – BOTOX, LATISSE and LUMIERE – you can rest assure your eyes will never reveal your true age.  During February, take advantage of our EYE Love You Specials – see below!

EYE ENHANCER 1: BOTOX

In September 2013, the FDA approved the use of Botox to treat crow’s feet, and Dr. Lupo was the only FDA investigator in Louisiana for the study of this newly approved treatment.  Crow’s feet are created by a variety of factors, but most commonly they are the result of overusing muscles while squinting or smiling. A small amount of Botox injected into the muscle around the eye will prevent the area from wrinkling when facial expressions are made.  The results give the eye area a smoother, younger look.

EYE ENHANCER 2: LATISSE

Longer, thicker lashes frame the eyes making them stand out to look more beautiful and youthful even without makeup.  Latisse is the first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eyelashes known as hypotrichosis.  Daily applications of Latisse will help eyelashes to grow, making them longer, thicker and darker.

EYE ENHANCER 3: NEOCUTIS LUMIERE

Everyone dreads waking up to find puffy, dark circles around their eyes.  Neocutis Lumiere is our number-one selling eye cream that reduce puffiness, dark circles and even fine lines.  This fragrance-free daily cream hydrates skin with hyaluronic acid, promotes new collagen with growth factors and uses caffeine to tighten and restrict blood vessels.

Skin Protection During The Winter Months

While we may be six months away from summer, now isn’t the time to shy away from sunscreen.  Daily sunscreen use is a must year round, and extra protection is needed for those hitting the slopes this winter.  “It is essential to use sun protection during the winter months because harmful UVA rays are still present even in cold weather,” says Dr. Lupo. “Full-spectrum sun protection, at least SPF 30, should be applied daily, and it is also important to maintain your anti-aging regimen with retinoids and antioxidants or growth factors.”  See below for sunscreen specials!

While we don’t necessarily have Winter Wonderland weather here in South Louisiana, the seasonal change can still take a toll on our skin.  To combat the cooler temperatures and decreased humidity, exfoliation and extra moisturizing will help eliminate dull skin.  Avoid hot baths that can strip essential oils from the skin and always moisturize immediately after a shower.  A change in diet may also be beneficial to your skin: fish high in omega oils will help hydrate the skin from the inside, and herbal teas, such as green tea, contain antioxidants that help fight off skin-damaging free radicals.

If a good at-home skin regimen doesn’t help to eliminate dry, itchy skin caused by wintry weather, a low-level non-ablative resurfacing treatment such as a SilkPeel, light chemical peels or facials may help to brighten the skin. Pigmentation and redness, which often contributes to the appearance of dull skin, can be treated with Fraxel, Clear+Brilliant, IPL and Laser Genesis.  To keep your skin glowing all year long, contact our office to discuss a skin care routine that is right for you!

Lose Inches From Your Midsection With Vanquish

“New Year, New You” is usually the motto of many during this time of year. After weeks of parties with delicious food and festive cocktails, many people are now trying to get back on track with diet and exercise. However, some still find it difficult to lose those extra inches brought on by the holiday season even with a healthy lifestyle. If you are one of those people, we want to introduce you to a safe, no-downtime alternative for body contouring called Vanquish.

Vanquish is a revolutionary, non-invasive system designed to deliver energy to the body to eliminate fat cells. Vanquish is a pain-free treatment that has been clinically tested on the abdomen and love handles and proven to be safe and effective. The Vanquish device eliminates fat without even touching the body. It selectively delivers the energy to the fat with virtually no risk of overheating of the skin, muscles or internal organs.

Vanquish treatments are effective without a strict diet or exercise regimen as long as current weight is maintained. Many patients decide to live a healthier lifestyle in order to improve the results they received from the treatments.  The only thing required to prepare your body is proper hydration.  Our patients are instructed to drink plenty of water the day before, the day of and the day after treatment.  This will help rid the body of excess fluid and toxins and aid in metabolic processes.

For optimal results, Dr. Lupo and her patients find it best to receive four 30-minute treatments that are typically scheduled one week apart. While some patients may experience mild redness and warmth after a treatment, these side effects last only minutes to hours and have no effect on daily life.  Improvement to the body may be seen days after the first treatment, but greater results are seen two weeks after the final treatment and continued improvement increased as the body rids itself of fat cells.

If you have troublesome areas on your body that aren’t corrected by diet and exercise, now many be the time to talk to our doctors to see if Vanquish or any of our other body contouring devices are right for you.  To schedule a consultation, call 504-288-2381.

Join Us In The Fight Against Hunger This Holiday Season

Big News for Juvederm!

On October 23, 2013, the FDA approved a new hyaluronic acid dermal filler from Allergan called Juvederm Voluma. It is specifically indicated for age-related volume loss of the mid face that causes the skin to sag and creates a tired and gaunt appearance.

Because of Dr. Lupo’s previous experience and knowledge with dermal fillers, she was chosen by Allergan to be on the Juvederm Voluma advisory board and to be a trainer of other board certified, core aesthetic physicians to teach them the best practices for this filler.

If you are interested in learning more about Juvederm Voluma or to see if it is right for you, schedule a consultation today.