When it comes to heavy duty skin-care treatments, I sometimes feel a little behind the pack. As a 44-year-old beauty editor, you would think I’ve tried everything at this point, but that’s not the case. I’ve had more than a few facials, but other than that, my daily routine consists of creams with a noticeable absence of harsh active ingredients that can irritate my sensitive skin.
Recently, I felt that I needed to do something more—and by more I mean more than a facial but nothing as intense as a laser. I wanted to reverse skin damage, tighten pores, reduce lines and wrinkles, and give my face a much-needed refresher. Enter radio-frequency microneedling, which can target acne scars and early signs of aging, like fine lines and sagging.
Because it uses tiny needles to make micro-injuries in the skin, I was not only worried about pain and discomfort, but also anxious about having to hide out for days on end. To help alleviate my worries, I decided to pair my microneedling treatment with a skincare product that’s been clinically proven to help speed up the recovery process and boost results: ALASTIN Skincare’s Regenerating Skin Nectar with TriHex Technology® ($195).
Pre-Treatment
“It is an amazing innovation that rejuvenates skin, expedites healing, and improves the outcome when used post-treatment,” says Westport, CT dermatologist Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD. Why does it work so well? Dr. Robinson explained that pre-treating the skin with ALASTIN helps accelerate the post-treatment process as the peptides and botanicals in the formula help to clear out dysfunctional and damaged collagen and elastin proteins. “It’s also simulating the synthesis of new collagen and elastin proteins, which yield visible changes at the skin’s surface.”
Two weeks before my treatment, I started using the ALASTIN Skincare’s Regenerating Skin Nectar with TriHex Technology® ($195) every morning and at night. I loved how the serum felt weightless while gliding on my skin, and I could already see smoother, more even looking skin before the treatment even started.
Treatment Day
Fast forward to my treatment day and the pain and discomfort I was worried about were nonexistent thanks to the numbing cream. It takes several weeks to see the full benefit, however immediately after my treatment I noticed brighter, smoother and firmer skin. That evening, I used only the gentle ALASTIN Skincare’s Regenerating Skin Nectar with TriHex Technology® ($195) to help accelerate my healing and bring down the redness and irritation that came with the treatment. The following morning and night afterward, I resumed my routine which included a gentle cleanser followed by a thin layer of the ALASTIN Skin Nectar ($195) morning and night. There were some places, like around my mouth and chin that became drier and slightly flaky, but the Nectar acted like a balm to nourish those sensitive areas while continuing to encourage collagen production.
“ALASTIN Regenerating Skin Nectar ($195) has been shown to be effective with resurfacing treatments in reducing redness and downtime, but also improving results,” explains Philadelphia dermatologist Nazanine Saedi, MD. “I have really found that patients who come into the office wanting procedures are motivated to use topicals to maximize their efforts.”
ALASTIN has additional skin-care products designed specifically to help improve recovery and outcomes for different in-office procedures. The INhance Post-Injection Serum with TriHex Technology® ($55) helps minimize post-injection swelling and bruising and the award-winning TransFORM Body Treatment with TriHex Technology® ($195) has been proven to help accelerate the natural removal of broken-down fat cells when used in conjunction with body-sculpting procedures and reduce the look of crepey skin.
“For body-sculpting treatments, such as CoolSculpting, my go-to product is ALASTIN’s TransFORM with TriHex Technology® ($195),” says Delray Beach, FL dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby. “Studies reflect that this product supports clearing the cellular debris and fat fragments left over in the tissue after a treatment. The desired results can be seen more quickly and robustly when consistently used at least eight weeks after a treatment.”
Final Results
Just two weeks after my microneedling appointment, you’d never know I had miniscule puncture wounds with radio frequency heat applied to my face. I’m happy to report I had zero downtime, no nights at home hiding out—and I saw a renewed skin tone and texture. My face has never felt so tight or looked so flawless, it’s as if I’m walking around with a filter on my face. The post-procedure period was so easy as using my ALASTIN Regenerating Skin Nectar ($195) as my only source of post-procedure skin care. I loved that I didn’t have to follow a complicated routine and I could incorporate one product to give my skin what it needs. Now that I’ve seen the results, I did not hesitate to sign up for my next session.
