Skin that seems to glow from within – this is the skin we strive for, but how do we make it happen? A combination of factors contributes to healthy, glowing skin. In this article, we share in-office and at-home treatments that can help you maintain brilliantly radiant skin for today and the new year ahead.

Why does skin look dull?

In order to address a problem, it’s important to know its cause. When it comes to a dull complexion, accumulated dead skin cells are often the culprit. The problem arises as our cell renewal process begins to slow in early adulthood. This cycle takes just 22 days in our youth, but becomes slower with time – dullness, flaking skin and congested pores ensue.

At-home solutions for dull skin.

Your daily skincare routine is your first line of defense against aging. Just as regular exercise and eating well contributes to our overall health and well being, the choices we make when caring for our skin make a considerable difference to its health and quality. Using medical-grade skincare products ensures that the skin is receiving high concentrations of active ingredients for improved skin functions. Integrating at-home exfoliation will also nurture a smooth and dewy complexion. Fine lines and pores are refined with regular exfoliation as well as improved efficacy of your skincare products. Active and moisturizing ingredients in serums and creams are able to perform more effectively when they aren’t hindered by a barrier of dead skin cells.

Oakville Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skincare recommends using a vitamin A or retinol cream in the winter months for optimal cell renewal. Using this type of cream nightly is a simple step for integrating exfoliation into your routine. Using retinol will prevent and repair the signs of aging in the skin. It’s important to note however, retinol is a photosensitizing treatment and therefore daily use of a minimum SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen is essential.

In-office solutions for dull skin.

Even with a dedicated skincare routine, which includes exfoliation, it’s not uncommon to experience persistent skin dullness. This is especially true in the winter months when skin dryness is at an all-time high. In-office treatments can offer enhanced results to reveal smoother and brighter skin. The concentration and intensity of these professional treatments can provide the kinds of results that cannot be achieved with at-home products. In the hands of a trained skin expert, professional exfoliation treatments are a safe and effective way of revealing fresh and rejuvenated skin.

Oakville Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skincare offers clinical peels to address the need for a deep resurfacing treatment. Clinical peels are widely acknowledged in the fields of dermatology and plastic surgery as a safe and effective anti-aging tool. While these treatments can be met with trepidation, they have come a long way in their safety and performance from the ‘chemical’ peels of the past. The intensity of a clinical peel treatment can be customized to an individual’s skin type and condition.

A clinical peel can result in mild dryness and skin flaking for two to three days post-treatment in cases where a large build-up of surface dead skin cells absorbs the majority of the peeling solution. Regular at-home exfoliation and subsequent regular scheduled clinical peels will prevent this result and lead to the desired outcome of smooth, fresh, radiant and rejuvenated skin. Clinical peels can be performed bi-weekly in a series of four to six treatments to rapidly improve the quality of skin texture, or monthly as part of an age prevention maintenance routine.

Integrating both at-home and in-office treatments to address skin dullness will not only yield luminous, glowing skin, they are essential steps for long-term age prevention. Making these steps a priority in any beauty regimen sets the foundation for healthy and more youthful skin for years to come. To learn more about the at-home treatments and clinical peels recommended by Oakville Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skincare, we welcome you to book a complimentary consultation with Bethany, our medical aesthetician. Call (905) 901-9545 or email [email protected] to request an appointment.