Call for a Complimentary Consultation Seattle: (206) 402-3063, Lynnwood: 425-640-5900 | Make an Appointment

Skin Rejuvenation Plans on a Budget

While modern dermatology provides us with healthy and youthful skin, the most common obstacle isn’t technology, but money.  Money is a limited resource for most people, and they need to be sure they’re getting the best value.  First of all, skin care should be a regular, planned, and budgeted expense.  Just as good health practice has a woman visiting a gynecologist for a yearly exam, so should a woman see her dermatologist for her skin’s health.  It’s worth spending money (and time) on skin care, both in youth when it has the maximum rewards for later in life, and as we age, into our 50′s, 60′s, and even 70′s.  With a dermatologist, you should be able to formulate an affordable and effective skin care plan.  When devising a skin care strategy and budget, think first in terms of repair, and then maintenance.  For patients over 40, a repair phase can last anywhere from 6-12 months, and is more time and money intensive.  Afterward, maintenance is easier and costs less.  Here’s how to get started:

Under $500

At less than $500, focus on skin care products and light peels or microdermabrasion.  For skin care products, focus on four phases of: cleanse, moisturize, sunscreen protection, and skin repair.  For customer on a budget, drugstore products can certainly perform an adequate job.  For customers who can afford a bit more, we recommend IMAGE Skin Care, a medical skin care line.  IMAGE Skin care is a scientifically advanced formula, creating pharmaceutical grade skin care products to licensed etheticians for professional treatments, yielding unparalleled results.  After skin care products, treat your face with a chemical peel to exfoliate the outer layers of dead skin and unclog pores.

For younger patients on a budget, whose skin runs oily and acne prone, we recommend saving money with drugstore products, then applying the savings for peels and microdermabrasion treatments to unclog poors and hydrate the skin.  For older patients on a budget, where the skin is dryer, we recommend utilizing the IMAGE Skin Care line to hydrate, protect, and repair skin.  Then, use the money left over for a light peel or microdermabrasion to reduce fine lines and restore glow.

Under $1000

If you skin is in good shape, then less than a thousand dollars can certainly be adequate.  However, if you’re over 50, have skin blotchiness, sagging, or wrinkles, then a thousand dollars is a good start, but realistically, is incomplete.  Still, the important point is just to get started!  For less than a thousand, focus on:

Breaking these down:

Skin care routine: Include a gentle cleanser, a good moisturize, a sunscreen that blocks UVA, a vitamin A-cream, and an antioxidant serum or cream.  You can also add an eye cream and gentle scrub.  Radiant’s recommended skin care line IMAGE Skin Care.

Peels or microdermabrasion: Use these routines to remove dead skin cells, clean out pores, improve skin texture, and reduce fine lines.  This is much more affordable than a laser series; however, the results from peels don’t last as long, so you will need to repeat every couple of months.

Budget Botox: Target the one the most obvious wrinkles, the frown lines or crows feet, whichever is worst.  Also, join Radiant Medspa’s frequent Botox club.

Great Makeup: Radiant Medspa’s favorite makeup vendors include Jane Iredale, MAC, and Laura Mercier.  We’re also a fan of MakeupAlley.com for  makeup reviews and ratings.

For a reasonable amount of money, you can make significant improvements in your skin.  If you can afford it, we recommend getting a microdermabrasion or light peel every 4-8 weeks, in a series of 3-4.  Then, skin care products should last 3-4 months before running out.  For maintenance, Botox will need to be repeated three times the first year (depending upon your age and muscle strength).  Afterwards, when the muscles relax in about a year, then get Botox performed every six months or so.

Under $3000

For under $3000, you can perform some significant skin repair, such as removing brown or age spots and redness, undergo an all-over face tightening with Thermage, and fill in wrinkles with Botox, Restylane, or Juvederm.

Skin care products: As with the other plans, start off with a skin care product regimen that includes a gentle cleanser, a good moisturizer, a sunscreen that blocks UVA, a vitamin A-cream, and an antioxidant serum or cream. You can also add an eye cream and gentle scrub.  Radiant’s recommend skin care line is IMAGE Skin Care.  For patients over 40, we recommend adding Vitamin A products for cell growth.

If your main issue is wrinkles, then we recommend Botox and fillers:

If your main issue is blotchiness, age or brown spots, or redness, then we recommend photorejuvination.  Photorejuvination is a series of Intense Pulsed Light laser treatments emitting a range of lightwaves.  The lightwaves are turned to target the hemoglobin (the red blood cells) or melanin (the skin’s pigment).  The light beam passes through the skin and is absorbed by either the hemoglobin or melanin, breaking them up, without damage to the surrounding skin tissue.

If your main issue is skin laxity, of mild to moderate sagging, common for patients 40-60, then we recommend Thermage.  Thermage is a non-surgical procedure tightening the skin.  Thermage produces radio waves creating a uniform heating effect within the deep dermis.  This gentle heating tightens existing collagen and stimulate the production of new collagen. Thermage also reduces wrinkles, lifts the brow, checks, and jaw line.

With a $3000 budget, you can make significant improvements to your skin. Although you will not be able to do everything you want at once, you can certainly improve your main problem areas.  Also, there’s no real rush.  Treatments extended over longer periods of time will still get you to your goal.

Over $5000

Total nonsurgical facial rejuvenation.  While money is not the object, doing too much, too soon, can introduce new problems besides solving old problems.  At this price point, a patient can address all issues:

Sometimes, doing too much of the right thing can be a problem in itself. So, take skin care slow and solve one problem at a time.

Last Thoughts

First, treat skin care as a slow and persistent process.  Second, accept that no matter what you do, natural and intrinsic aging occurs (as you already know).  However, there is a big difference between a 47 year old smoker with sun damaged skin and a 47 year old who takes care of her skin.  Between these two extremes if affect by what you do, both the big treatments and the small daily habits, which promote your skin’s health.

Bottom Line