We also incorporate the blue light for all acne facials to help dry up the excess oil in the skin and prevent potential breakouts.

To give you a little information about LED, what it is, how it works and why it is beneficial for your skin I thought I would write a little blurb.

LED is a cold low level laser originally developed by Nasa’s Marshalls space flight center and Quantum Devices Inc. It was initially created as a way to help plants grow in space. During the development of this light it was discovered that the LED had a similar effect on human tissue as it did on plant tissue.

The biochemical reaction of the LED on the skin stimulates the human cells to convert the light energy into cell energy. Which in turn stimulates the healing and rejuvenation response in the skin. It does this by stimulating the ATP chemical in our cells. Otherwise known as the battery or fuel of the cell, which is a very important factor in cell metabolism.

When we stimulate the cells ATP we stimulate the cell to do what it does naturally, only at a faster rate. This will prompt the skins fibroblasts to produce new collagen and elastin proteins, along with the skins healing response. This means it works also to heal wounds.

Studies show that cells exposed to LED have been found to grow 150% to 200% faster due to the enhanced metabolism and the repair and replenishment of damaged cells.

The RED light

660nm – 720nm is beneficial in treating problems close to the surface of the skin, such as wounds, cuts and scars. It activates the skins cells and promotes blood circulation.

Some of the benefits of the RED light are

- Stimulation of Collagen and Elastin

- Increases the energy of the cell

- Stimulates cell turnover

- Reduces mild scarring, hyper-pigmentation, pore size, wound healing time and inflammation

- Smoother and improved skin

- Reduces pigmentation caused by acne lesions

- Increases circulation and moisture retention

Penetrates into the sebaceous (oil) glands, is antibacterial and produces singlet oxygen. A bactericide that is deadly to acne.

This is just a short blurb about the benefits of LED and what it can do for your skin and general health. We hope that you take advantage of our unique facials and healing treatments that benefit you from the inside out.

What does IPL Mean?
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. The entire spectrum of light is penetrated through a Safire crystal. Because of this and the proper use of filters we can use IPL’s for a variety of treatments. For example we do laser hair removal with the same machine we do photo-facials with. (Please see note on IPL Laser hair removal) In order to direct the light to do what we need it to, we place appropriate filters into the hand piece, which isolate certain aspects of the light spectrum, each penetrating into a different depth of the human body.

Photo-facials for Sun-Damage

In a Photo-facial for sun-damage we place the correct filter into the hand piece and the light penetrates into the same depth of the damaged cells. The light also increases the cell turnover rate of the skin bringing all of those damaged cells to the surface to be sloughed off naturally. This can also be used on individual spots.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Depending on the extent of the sun-damage the average person needs only 1-5 treatments, (give or take) to completely remove the sun-damage. Many people continue with photo-facials after the sun-damage is gone because of the added side effects of photo-facials that stimulate collagen production. The skin continues to improve, becoming more toned and tightened with an increasingly even skin tone that all increases after each treatment.

Is It Permanent?
All the sun-damage is gone permanently, however we cannot control new sun-damage appearing if you choose to go into the sun or tanning beds. If you do choose to go into the sun it is always a good idea to use SPF sunscreen.

Photo-facials for Rosacea

In a Photo-facial for Rosacea we would put on a filter that would target blood in the depth of the capillaries. The light would then cauterize the capillaries, reducing the amount of redness on your skin.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Depending on the extent of the Rosacea you may only need from 1-5 treatments, (give or take) too completely remove the Rosacea. Many people continue with photo-facials after the Rosacea is gone because of the added side effects of photo-facials that stimulate collagen production. The skin continues to improve, becoming more toned and tightened with an increasingly even skin tone that all increases after each treatment.

Is It Permanent?
Since Rosacea has many causes, three months after you have completed your series of treatments the Rosacea may return. Because your body is always repairing and replacing capillaries throughout the body. That is why at the SKN Holistic Rejuvenation clinic we recommend combating Rosacea internally as well as externally. With acupuncture and an appropriate herbal plan you can help target the internal causes of Rosacea while the IPL Photo-facials help to rapidly target the external appearance of this condition.

Photo-Facials for Acne

In a Photo-facial for Acne there are two different filters, one filter that isolates the blue light that penetrates into the sebaceous glands, helping to control the excess flow of oil in the skin. Then a second pass with a filter that isolates the yellow light, that kills bacteria.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Depending on the extent of the acne you may need 1-5 treatments to be completely acne free. Many people continue with photo-facials after the acne is gone because of the added side effects of photo-facials that stimulate collagen production. The Skin continues to improve, becoming more toned and tightened with an increasingly even skin tone that all increases with each treatment.

Is It Permanent?
Since there are many causes of Acne, i.e. improper skin care, diet, exercise, medication, hormones, detox etc… your acne may return a few months after your series of treatments. That is why at the SKN Holistic rejuvenation clinic we recommend that you target the internal causes of the acne with acupuncture, acu-facials and or a herbal plan, while the photo-facials target the external appearance of this condition. This will give you the longest lasting and hopefully permanent results in helping to balance your skin.

Photo-facials for Skin Tightening (Skin Tyte)

The Skin Tyte Photo-facial is by far the deluxe photo-facial treatment. In simplest terms the Skin Tyte Photo-facials uses extreme heat and cold to help contract and tighten the collagen in your skin. While at the same time stimulating the skin’s healing response triggering your body to produce more collagen which will help to continue to tighten and tone your skin. It can also be used on areas other than the face, like the stomach after pregnancy, or any areas with dramatic weight loss that leaves areas of the skin loose.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?
You will notice results immediately and each treatment is accumulative. Depending on the level of collagen loss or skin sagging already present you may need one to five treatments to get the desired result.

Is It Permanent?
About 6 months to a year after your series of treatment you many need another touch up simply to maintain to results you have.

Since collagen loss is a natural part of aging we can only slow down this process and keep you young looking for as long as possible. Allowing you to age gracefully without the pain of plastic surgery.

At the SKN Holistic Rejuvenation clinic we advise you try acupuncture, acu-facials and or a tailored herbal plan to help even further to slow down the visible signs of aging in your skin. Lessening the need for skin tightening down the line and allowing your skin to age gracefully and in the healthiest possible way.

Stone Chi Massage is a deeply relaxing, invigorating and healing form of massage therapy.  This unique form of massage combines traditional Chinese medicinal theory with Hot Jade stone massage. It is a rejuvenating experience whereby the muscles, bones, cells, even down to a DNA level are balanced through hot and cool stones.

Dena will be able to determine which of your energy centers may be experiencing imbalance, through the use of touch and symptoms described by the client. Then hot and cold stones are placed on key acupressure spots to help release any blocked energy and balance your chi as she deeply massages your aching muscles with heated Jade stones.

When Jade stones are heated they emit negative ions which help to rejuvenate and re-energize your body while the far infrared rays emitted by the Jade stone bring your body back into balance.

Apart from the overall healing of your body, you will be extremely relaxed. It is not far fetched to say you will be drooling.

Dena is the only one in Vancouver who does Stone chi massage. Come see her down at the SKN Holistic Rejuvenation Clinic for your treatment. Your body will thank you.

IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light. The IPL is penetrated through a Safire crystal to target pigment in the hair follicles during the active stage of growth. For example, if you were to pluck out a hair and see a bulb on the end, that is a hair that is currently in the active stage of growth. The rest of the hairs are in the resting phase or they are getting ready to shed.

The IPL can target all types of hair except for blond, grey and red hair. It cannot target blond or grey because there is no pigment. Red hair is the same color as the light and therefore not able to be targeted.

Why do I need more than one treatment?

During an average growth cycle approximately 10% – 20% of the hairs are in the active stage of growth. These are the hair follicles that are cauterized by the light during a treatment.
For approximately 2 weeks after your treatment the hairs will push their way out of the skin and fall out. During the course of the average 6 week growth cycle, all the hairs will grow back minus 10% – 20%. The hairs that do grow back are finer and lighter. When you return for your second treatment we repeat the process to target another 10% – 20% and so on etc… until all the hair is gone. The average person needs between 5-8 treatments to be hair free.

Will it work for me?
It is important to note that no machine can guarantee 100% permanent hair removal because there are so many things that affect hair growth such as hormones, pregnancy, certain medications, different stages in life etc… However with IPL we can offer a drastic hair reduction and in many cases all of the hair is completely removed. The hairs that are destroyed cannot come back, however we cannot control new hair growth that happens as a result of the aforementioned reasons like hormones, medication etc…

What should I know before coming in for a treatment?
1.)Since the light needs pigment in the hair follicles to target, it is important not to remove the hair from the skin before a treatment. No waxing, tweezing, depilatory creams etc… If you were to wax the area then come in for a treatment there would be no pigment for the light to see and essentially nothing would happen. However you can shave as much as you like, never having to go through the awkward hairy stage that is always needed for waxing.

2.)Be sure to shave before your first treatment to ensure that no hair is singed to your skin.

3.)It is important to check with your doctor if you are taking any kind of photosensitive medication like Accutane, retinol creams or photosensitive birth controls. If you are taking anything photosensitive you run the risk of hyper-pigmentation, which can be very uncomfortable and unsightly. For your safety we would need to wait until the photosensitive medication is out of your system before beginning treatments.

4.)The most important instruction I can give, and I can’t stress this enough is, absolutely no tanning for 4 weeks before your treatment! If you have ever heard any horror stories about laser hair removal 9 times out of 10 it is because there was tanning.
When you are in the sun your body begins to produce melanocytes to create the tan. When the melanocytes are in the active stage (which can last for up to 4 weeks) the machine may not be able to tell the difference between the pigment in your follicles and the pigment in your skin, which could result in hyper or hypo-pigmentation. This can be very painful and unsightly, and could take up to a year to go away, if it even goes away at all. I cannot stress enough how important this piece of information is. If for some reason you have been tanning, like a vacation or a beautiful day in the park etc… simply wait four weeks before your next treatment. It will not ruin your treatments if you need to wait a little bit. Better to wait than risk a burn.

Will it hurt?
Most people say it feels like an elastic band snap. The pain is very similar to waxing only a different kind of pain. Waxing is more stingy whereas laser is more achey. However once the zap has happened the pain has stopped. It does not continue to ache for hours and hour, only a split second. If you can handle waxing you can definitely handle IPL.
If you are someone who happens to have a low tolerance for pain there are many things you can do to ease the discomfort.
1.) Take an Advil or some kind of pain killer an hour before your treatment.

2.) If you are female, you will be more sensitive to pain a week before and during your period. So we recommend you wait until you are done before coming in. (However if you still want to come in during that time you are more than welcome to, you may just be a little bit more sensitive to pain.)

3.) Emla numbing cream. Only recommended for those who have a very low tolerance to pain as Emla can be quite awkward to use. But if you need it I highly recommend it. Simply go to the drug store and purchase it from the pharmacist. No prescription is needed. Apply a thick layer 1hr before your treatment and cover the area in plastic wrap. You need to wear it until we begin the treatment. You then take it off and we begin the treatment.

Is it worth it?
In the long run IPL hair removal is worth the time and effort. You never need to go through the hairy stage in between treatments. The hair removal in majority of cases permanent and only needs to be done 5-8 times, then your done. As opposed to waxing that needs to be done every six weeks for the rest of your life to be hair free. This will not only save you time, but money in the long run. The pain is no worse than waxing and most of the treatments are 10 times faster than waxing. If you are someone who has had to deal with the frustration of hair removal, never having that smooth feeling, ingrown hairs, or the endless hours of time consuming shaving, permanent hair removal can be that simple procedure that gives you one less thing to think about in the morning.

At SKN we always do a complimentary consultation and test patch for anyone interested in giving IPL hair removal a try. In the consultation we go into as much detail as possible so you are fully informed about the procedure, and you get a test patch to see if you are a good candidate for the machine. The test patch will also give you a good idea as to how it feels. There is absolutely no pressure to have a treatment if you decide not too. If you do decide to go through with a treatment, be assured that the treatments are very discreet and in no way rushed. We take our time to make sure the treatments are accurate and effective and so that each person gets the attention they need.

I hope this has answered any questions you may have. For further information I hope you will take advantage of our free consult. Hope to see you there.
Kirsty

Interested in learning more about Laser Hair Removal?  visit Vancouver Laser Hair Removal

It has played a very important role in the ancient Maori tribes of New Zealand. Often call Greenstone, it was considered to be a treasure. They also made tools, weapons and ornaments of it.

It was used in Mesoamerica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Grenada, Montagua valley of Guatemala among others. To the ancient Mayans it was considered to be an elite gem, and used in rituals. It was often inscribed with hieroglyphics, and made into figurines.

The largest piece of Jade known in the world is in India, where there is a 5 ft tall stature of Mahavira.

In ancient Egypt, Jade was admired as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and balance.

However no other place on earth has honored the Jade stone like that of ancient china. Jade was placed in the tomb with buried royalty and became associated with high status and royalty ever since.

In ancient East Asian medicine, Jade was used to heal stressed organs and discharge toxins. Pumiced Jade was applied to the cheeks for beauty and absorbed into the skin for health.

In Modern times we now know that Jade helps to slow down the process of aging as it has the ability to strengthen the body’s natural defenses and healing abilities. It contains vital elements the human body needs for health and vitality such as calcium, magnesium and water.

Jade also transmits FIR (far infrared rays) in the same wavelength of the human body and emits negative ions, both necessary for ultimate health and vitality.

The FIR reaches the body the same as light does and heats the body, dilating the blood vessels, and increasing chi, which allows the red and white blood cells to carry nutrients and oxygen to circulate through the body faster. Helping to remove toxins, damaged cells and tissue faster. It then returns to the kidneys and lungs to regenerate and allow the filtration process to occur faster.

When heated Jade also emits negative Ions, also known as the vitamins of the air, and are essential for human health. All of nature, plants, trees, and the ocean all emit negative ions. Which is why we feel so rejuvenated when out in nature. Whereas objects such as computers, TVs, and most electronic equipment emit positive ions, which can often leave us feeling tired and drained. 85% of Negative ions are absorbed through the skin, whereas only 15% is absorbed through the lungs. Making Jade a perfect deliverer of skin health and general well being. It is no wonder that Jade has been valued and honored by almost every culture in the world for thousands of years.

Kirsty