Skin Care FAQs

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Learn the answers to frequently asked questions about skin care at our Orlando medical spa. From information about treatments for conditions such as acne and melasma to help choosing the right skin care products, you'll find the help you need to achieve healthy, radiant skin.

Note: This information is not intended to be taken as medical advice. It is based on Dr. Kenrick Spence's many years of experience helping thousands of patients benefit from skin treatments and facial rejuvenation at his skin care practice. At Hillcrest Plastic Surgery, we offer the latest techniques and technology to provide you with the joys of radiant skin.

Take the first step on your journey to beautifully textured and toned, healthy skin. Request a consultation online. Or, call Hillcrest Plastic Surgery at 407-999-2585, and our knowledgeable staff will be happy to help you.

Meet Dr. Spence

With extensive knowledge and skills, Dr. Kenrick Spence specializes in achieving a beautiful, healthy look you'll love!

Skin Care Questions Answered by Dr. Spence

Although melasma does not have a cure, there is hope for melasma patients who choose Dr. Spence. He specializes in designing treatment plans targeted to the individual patient's specific melasma type, skin concerns and aesthetic goals. His goal is to provide you with evenly toned, healthy skin.

To minimize and control the extent of melasma, Dr. Spence uses three effective treatments:

  • Palomar® Lux 1540 non-ablative laser therapy
  • Chemical peels
  • Topical bleaching creams and sunblock

Yes, we have had great success with customized skin care protocols for treating hyperpigmentation from acne. In addition, we use carefully chosen chemical peels. The combination is particularly effective at providing a more even skin tone.

These are often solar lentigos, or sun spots. We use a variety of treatment options to minimize these areas, including chemical peels, microdermabrasion and Intense Pulse Light (IPL). Dr. Spence also customizes skin care protocols for his patients to help prevent such problems in the future.

Dr. Spence does not recommend laser resurfacing for dark skin, as the risks of scarring and pigmentation changes are significant. Non-ablative lasers, however, can be used for this purpose. To achieve the desired results, be sure to select an experienced medical professional with extensive knowledge of different skin types.

At our medical spa in Orlando, skin care treatments are precisely customized by Dr. Spence, using his many years of experience, in-depth knowledge and aesthetic skills to create the ideal solution for each individual. The peel that gives you the best results will depend on your skin type, amount of sun exposure, whether your skin is oily or dry and the amount of downtime that you have available. These factors may be very different for you than for your girlfriend.

In general, photofacials (IPL) work well for skin problems resulting from aging and the environment, such as sun damage, wrinkles and brown spots. However, for deeper scarring, more extensive resurfacing procedures are needed. Microdermabrasion, medium depth chemical peels or laser resurfacing may be needed for acne scarring. Be sure to select a medical professional who is familiar with the nuances of your skin type.

Yes, many modern lasers do produce skin-tightening effects, and when coupled with dermal fillers such as Sculptra® Aesthetic, they can produce rejuvenating results.

A Jessner chemical peel contains salicylic acid, resorcinol, lactic acid and ethanol. This light, uniform peel causes significant exfoliation, which can help with conditions such as acne and concerns such as fine lines and skin discoloration.

We place patients who have cold sores on anti-herpetic medications before and after their chemical peels. This helps prevent breakouts while they heal from their treatment.

During a micro-needling procedure, Dr. Spence uses tiny needles on your skin to stimulate collagen and to increase the absorption of your customized skin care regimen.

Yes. Both dry and oily skin can exist on the face as well as on other parts of the body. For example, depending on the density of oil-producing glands, the central T zone of the face may be oily while the perimeter may be dry.

Both alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) peels, such as those containing glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy peels, such as those containing salicylic acid, are used for acne. In Dr. Spence's experience, salicylic acid is excellent for penetrating oily skin and provides anti- inflammatory benefits.

Yes, we have used chemical peels for patients with dark skin and olive skin. Using his expertise in skin care for different skin types and colors, Dr. Spence customizes a skin regimen to achieve smooth, evenly toned results. Learn more by reading Skin Care for Skin of Color.

Intense Pulsed Light works very well for facial redness and veins. However, it is also important to determine the right skin care regimen to correct those concerns. Based on his extensive experience treating men and women with similar Orlando skin care conditions, Dr. Spence has determined that regimens that increase blood flow to the skin may actually exacerbate the flushing. Calming topical anti-inflammatories and antioxidants work better.

In addition to protective clothing, sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat, adding an antioxidant to your sunscreen is helpful for preventing sun damage. Reapply your sunscreen frequently during the day.

At our medical spa in Orlando, patients are no longer limited to hydroquinone as a bleaching cream. Dr. Spence will evaluate your skin and determine the most beneficial treatment for you. Among his favorites are natural skin brighteners such as bearberry extract and licorice extract.

Men and women have very different skin types. Men have thicker, more sebaceous skin with hair growth, which typically requires different cleansers. If they shave daily, they also mechanically exfoliate, which must be taken into consideration. In addition, if your husband's exposure to the sun differs from yours, then his sunblock and antioxidant regimen should differ as well. For those reasons, Dr. Spence recommends that your husband visit us for his own individualized skin care regimen. Learn more by reading about Skin Care for Men.

Not all moisturizers are created equal. Some are occlusive, keeping water in the skin, and some are humectants, pulling water from the atmosphere into the skin. If you use a humectant at the wrong time of year, you can actually lose water from your skin, causing it to look dry and unhealthy. When you visit our spa, we provide you with the right moisturizer to enhance your skin throughout the year.

Acne has many possible contributing causes. Washing your face can help only with one of those causes, which is bacteria. Other factors include your hormone level and the thickness of oil secretions. If you have a serious acne condition, over-the-counter products typically cannot achieve the level of improvement that you desire. At Hillcrest Plastic Surgery, Dr. Spence uses his skills and experience in treating acne to help clear up active acne and minimize the potential for long-term scarring. Many patients do not seek care soon enough to prevent scars.

That depends on the extent of the sun damage. An aggressive program of exfoliation with retinols, vitamin C and other antioxidants such as green tea can provide dramatic improvements, while a series of light peels can also be highly beneficial.

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