Puy your best face forward

Put Your Best Face Forward
Mother’s Day idea: skin care pampering

By Carina Hume 5/4/09

As a mom, finding time for “me” is scarce. But an opportunity to experience customized skin care from knowledgeable, certified staff, along with skin products that really work and a younger looking me – what’s not to love about that?
I opted for a visit to Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center, with locations in Traverse City and Petoskey.
“Our slogan is, ‘All cosmetic, all the time,’” says Courtney Sumpter, P.A.-C, who is clinical director of both non-surgical centers. “We take care of fine lines, broken blood vessels, brown spots, excessive hair -- just any sort of cosmetic things that are bugging people.”
Opened by Dr. Gustav Lo, and Sumpter in 2001, Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center has seen tremendous growth over the past eight years.
“Initially, [the business] started off doing just hair removal and some microdermabrasion,” says Sumpter. “But, it’s getting to the point where a lot of the population has a cosmetic provider -- sort of like a hairstylist. They might come in every month and they might come in twice a year, but people have little issues that they want dealt with and that they know can be treated.”

SHOW US YOUR BEST FACE
“When you’re 20 years old, you get new skin cells to the surface every 20 days,” says Sumpter. “As we age, the skin cell turnover slows down, so it’s nice to get just a few of those dead layers off, and your skin looks more radiant.”
Popular procedures include anti-aging, aesthetic, skin rejuvenation and hair removal.
“We do a lot of laser hair removal, and honestly, a lot of it is facial hair,” says Sumpter. “A lot of women develop facial hair post-pregnancy or they’ve had facial hair since they were young. We do laser hair removal anywhere, and after five treatments your hair’s permanently gone – like 80 percent of it.”
More aggressive treatments – like lasers, heavier peels and injections – are often requested by clients concerned with brown spots, wrinkles and unflattering skin texture. “We’re the biggest Botox practice north of Grand Rapids,” Sumpter says. “And that includes dermatologists, plastic surgeons, everybody.”

PROFESSIONAL TOUCH
After an initial free consultation, I was scheduled with aesthetician Sarah Schornak, whose 11 years of experience guides
her in choosing the right products for each client’s skin.
A personal concern – teenage acne – led to her career in the skin care profession. “I was always interested in what makes the skin tick,” Schornak says. “It definitely is trial and error to find the right fit for your skin; and then, unfortunately, skin changes with age and hormones.”
An array of treatments – nothing too severe for my sensitive skin – comprised my facial experience: warm water cleansing, steam, warm towel mask, toner, moisturizer, eye and lip treatments, along with a relaxing hand massage somewhere in the middle of it.
“One thing that’s nice about the facials – especially when people do the peels and the microdermabrasion – is the exfoliation helps break down that layer that builds up on the skin which kind of holds everything in,” says Schornak.
“And, it also keeps everything out, including the products that you want to be using on your skin. So, quite often after people have treatments, they feel like their products are working a little bit better because they can get on to the skin and they’re absorbed.”

CUSTOMIZED SKIN CARE
Three main factors go into skin rejuvenation, Schornak says. These include a Retinol treatment of some kind; skin exfoliation “to help even out the skin tone and texture and help clean out the pores and minimize pore size”; and the use of an antioxidant during the day to help protect the skin.
An explanation of the products selected for my skin was included in my visit: NIA 24 face wash and eye repair cream to help prevent further sun damage, Eau Thermale Avène to help my skin’s redness; and SkinMedica facial cleanser and eye cream and ultra sheer moisturizer – the most nourishing I’ve ever used – for daily protection.
A return visit might include a bareMinerals makeup demonstration or laser treatment to lighten a few brown spots. I’ll probably learn to live with my biggest wrinkle – my concentration line right between my eyes – but there would definitely be a fix for that, if I ever wanted one.

To contact the Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center in Petoskey, call 231-347-7395 or visit them at 116 W. Mitchell St. In Traverse City, call 231-935-0414, or visit them at The Village of Grand Traverse Commons, 800 Cottage View Dr., Suite 1080. Check them out on the web at www.petoskeyskin.com.

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