Medical Grade Skincare: Colorado Got You Looking Like a Crouton?

Interview with Amber Lewis, Owner & Lead Aesthetician / Cosmetic Injector / Surgical Assistant / Medical Assistant

Colorado is tough on your skin. Between the dry climate, high-altitude sun exposure, and the changes that come with age and hormones, even a solid at-home routine may only get you so far. We asked Amber Lewis of Luminous Medical Aesthetics how she approaches medical grade skincare for Colorado skin—from a quick boost before an event to a longer-term plan for healthier, more hydrated skin.

We live in Colorado. We’re a little bit older, our skin is drying out because of hormones and climate, and we’re exposed to a ton of sun. What’s the quick fix for not looking like a crouton?

If you came to me and said, “I’m dried up. I feel like a crouton. I feel crusty, dusty, musty. I feel all the things,” it’s really easy to start addressing that with injectable skin hydration. One of my favorites that I’m working with right now is Skinvive, and it’s directly correlated with hydration of the tissue. It instantly goes in and hydrates your tissue. That’s one of my favorite products for the biggest bang for your buck because right then and there, you instantly feel good.

Then I like to do a little bit of Botox or Dysport, depending on what you need. That can help with those crepey fine lines you’re seeing and give your skin a little bit of a glow. The combination of those two is fantastic.

Then we can layer on more medical grade skincare at your two-week follow-up. We can do a medical grade facial with LED, or we can do a little microstamping and infuse stem cells and exosomes. That’s the package right there. Within a month, you’re going to feel good, and depending on your skin cycle, you can feel good for three to six months. But you’re really going to see everything come together after a couple of weeks.

Why do you like combining treatments instead of relying on just one treatment?

The combination of Dysport, Skinvive, and then coming back for microstamping or microneedling, depending on the depth and downtime we have, works fabulously together. We’re treating the skin from all channels. We have below the tissue, the top of the tissue and the muscle, so we have everything working together to give you that really hydrated look.

Nothing is permanent when it comes to skincare like this. Of course, it’s not a one-and-done treatment for 10 years. You’ll assess and see when you need more, but typically that combination is your fastest, biggest bang.

What if somebody wants a more affordable medical grade skincare option or just needs to look great for an event or vacation?

I love a dermaplane. A lot of people think it’s just for that thin vellus hair and think, “Oh, I can shave my face at home.” But when I’m giving you a dermaplane, I’m using a medical scalpel to exfoliate that tissue. I’m exfoliating all of those dry flakes off.

I geek out over it. When somebody’s really dry and they’re lying down and relaxed, they have no idea what I look like back there. I’m getting in there like, “What is this? Is this a dry patch?” I love it. I love it. I love it.

I’m able to manually exfoliate those dry cells off. Once I have those dry pockets off that we often accumulate from our Colorado weather, I can add a nice, light chemical peel on top of that. You shouldn’t notice any peeling at home. That’s all happening in the office. It’s an enzyme that eats up those little dead cells and those superficial pigmentation areas that you see. It’s not treating the deep hyperpigmentation where you need a good, deep peel, but it gives you that superficial glow.

That’s also a really fun one, and it’s a little less expensive than doing injectable hydration and Dysport. It’s a good option if you’re on a budget, have an event coming up or you’re going on vacation and want that instant refresh.

Now, what about when you've lived in Colorado for years, you’re over 40, hormones are disappearing and you have years of sun damage. What does the advanced level of medical grade skincare look like?

During the consultation, I’m going to determine what’s really bothering you and what you’re looking for because I’m here to serve your needs. But if I have my magic wand and I can do anything I want, I want to replace the structure of the face and the structure of the skin. I want to give you back that lift and tightness to the tissue.

I’m probably going to start you on some skincare. I’m going to give you a facial and do your consultation. Maybe we do a dermaplane with a tiny peel, an oxygen bubble facial or another light peel so I can start prepping your skin and getting it ready.

After maybe a couple of weeks of using a skin-lightening agent, I’ll have you come in and we can do fillers to replace some of that structure and start lifting a little bit if it’s needed. Just because you have skin texture issues doesn’t mean you have loss of volume in the face or structural issues. This is if somebody needs it all.

If we’re talking about 40 or 50 years of Colorado sun exposure, along with the bone loss and everything else that happens as we age, we can go in and replace some of that structure. Once we have the structure of the tissue replaced, we can also use Dysport to relax those fine lines and wrinkles and bring some glow back to the skin. Dysport can help provide that glow and soften those crepey areas you’re noticing.

Then we can go in with injectable skin hydration as well. After that, we take a look, assess and see what you need. If your skin needs more, a series of three chemical peels or a series of three microneedling treatments is a good place to start.

We’re getting the skin looking good, but we’re also taking care of future you by focusing on creating healthier tissue. We’re trying to create those things our body is no longer producing as efficiently.

How important is maintenance once you get your skin healthy again?

Maintenance is really key. Are you coming in every three to six months to maintain your skin with a professional medical grade chemical peel? What are you doing to maintain with a facial? Then, in a year, we can reassess and see where your skin is.

Our bodies change. Maybe you went through an illness three months after you did all of this great stuff and now your face isn’t looking the way it did three months ago. Maybe it’s hormones. Maybe you had a stressful event or a death in the family. These things unfortunately happen, and they affect the way we look.

Maintaining your medical grade skincare and coming in regularly is really going to be key versus waiting years and years because then we’re starting all over again. It doesn’t always have to mean huge downtime. Maybe you come in and say, “Hey, Amber, I have this big event and I feel like I just need some glow.” Wonderful. We can do that. It’s much easier to maintain healthy skin than to wait three or four years and try to restart everything again.

Great skin doesn’t have to mean doing everything at once. The right medical grade skincare plan starts with understanding what your skin actually needs now and building from there. Schedule a consultation with Amber at Luminous Medical Aesthetics to create a personalized treatment and maintenance plan that works with your skin, your goals and your lifestyle.