The aging experience is different for each of us. The one thing that unites us is that we can all expect our skin to show certain signs of aging, like lines, wrinkles, and changes in tone and texture. What used to be an overwhelming ordeal requiring several kinds of treatment now can be addressed with one revolutionary treatment. If you’re unhappy with the signs of aging plaguing your appearance, call Artful Aesthetics in Oakland, CA to discuss how Vivace can restore a youthful complexion and boost your confidence.
What Is Vivace?
Vivace is an FDA approved system that combines the power of microneedling and radiofrequency therapy in one powerful treatment. This appealing non-invasive treatment requires no downtime and, because of the specialize numbing cream that is part of this system, is virtually painless. It’s this combination of two powerful treatments that sets Vivace apart from other treatments available to our clients.
What Does Vivace Address?
This treatment combines two very powerful modalities at up to 31 varying depths of penetration. This is what allows this system to treat so many different concerns. If you’re bothered by the appearance of any of these issues, this could be the perfect treatment for you:
- Lines and wrinkles
- Minor skin laxity
- Hyperpigmentation
- Sun damage
- Uneven skin tone and texture
- Large pores
- Acne scars
- Dull complexion
To understand how this treatment addresses these issues, it’s necessary to understand what the two individual treatments do.
What Is Microneedling?
Microneedling is also called collagen induction therapy. Traditional microneedling uses a handheld device with multiple hair-thin needles. When gently passed over the skin, it creates micro-injuries into the middle layer of your skin called the dermis. These micro-injuries trigger the body’s natural healing process, which is to stimulate the production of collagen. It’s this natural response that provides such amazing results.
The Body’s Healing Process
When any part of your skin is injured, your body produces collagen in that area to repair the damage. Collagen is the most prevalent protein in the human body and is responsible for the way youthful skin stays strong, smooth, and taut. Collagen is very fibrous and, when we’re young, tightly packs together under the surface of our skin. When the fibroblasts are packed together, there are no areas of weakness so our outer layer of skin, the epidermis, lies on top of it smoothly and without imperfection.
Collagen makes a firm surface for our skin cells to regenerate on and helps them renew quickly and healthily, creating and maintaining a bright, vibrant and healthy complexion. When we have a lot of collagen, we also have plenty of elastin and hyaluronic acid.
Elastin
Elastin is the protein responsible for our skin retaining its flexibility and elasticity. Young skin has plenty of this protein too, so it snaps back to place each time it’s moved, pulled or pinched. We can make repeated expressions and our skin won’t show it because we have so much of this protein. Elastin works with collagen to hold all the layers of our skin not only tightly to each other but also to the structure of our face.
We have a layer of fat and muscle under our skin, and when the layers of our skin are strong, they hold close to the structure of that muscle. That keeps our skin looking tight and all of our features prominent. We don’t have sagging skin, so areas like our jawline remain strong and defined.
Hyaluronic Acid
This is a naturally produced sugar used to keep our skin, eyes and connective tissues lubricated and hydrated. This is a powerhouse of youthful-looking skin, responsible for a supple and dewy complexion. When the skin is young, it has a glow and doesn’t require heavy emollients to stay hydrated. Each molecule of hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. These molecules not only hold on to water but also attract it, so young skin rarely looks dehydrated.
This sugar works with the proteins collagen and elastin to provide moisture deep within the skin to ensure even the deepest layers of our skin remain hydrated. This keeps each layer, from the inside out, plump and supple. This combination adds up to a beautifully glowing and healthy-looking complexion.
Why We Lose Collagen
When we’re in our early 20s, we lose about 1% of our production of collagen each year. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s responsible for most of the signs of aging we find so displeasing. The middle layer of our skin that was once tightly packed with collagen will show weaknesses throughout. When this happens, those weaknesses lead to crevices. The top layer of our skin doesn’t have the strength it used to, so it falls into those valleys, creating wrinkles and lines.
As we lose collagen, we lose elastin and hyaluronic acid too. This means our skin’s ability to stay tightly affixed to our muscles and bone structure also fails and our skin sags and droops in places like our chin, neck, and places where we’ve lost volume, such as our cheeks. It’s not just time that causes us to lose collagen. There are lifestyle choices we make that can speed its decline, like:
- Unprotected sun exposure and damage
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Dehydration
- Long periods of unmanaged stress
- Long-term lack of sleep
- Insufficient skincare routine
- A diet high in processed foods and sugar
What Is Radiofrequency Treatment?
Radiofrequency (RF) treatment uses RF energy to deeply penetrate the skin, gently heating the deepest layers while leaving the surface intact and unharmed. This gentle heating of tissue also triggers the body’s healing response and production of collagen. This collagen is formed deep within the skin, strengthening it from the inside out. This addressed weaknesses in structure, helping with minor skin laxity, acne scars, and deeper lines and wrinkles.
The results from this treatment take a little longer to become apparent because the collagen building starts in the deepest layer of our skin called the hypodermis. Collagen forms its fibroblasts over time, which strengthens those previously weakened areas.
How Vivace Is Different
This powerful treatment combines these two amazing modalities to elicit results both deep within the skin and up near the surface. This ensures all layers of our skin are triggered into producing more collagen. The same sterile micro-needles are used to penetrate the skin, creating microscopic channels that go deep into the dermis. The microneedles of this treatment are different because all but the tips are insulated.
These electrodes deliver the bi-polar RF energy deep into the dermis. This thermal energy and its gentle heating trigger wound-healing mechanisms that promote the remodeling of collagen and elastin, which improves skin laxity. This system also includes a red and blue light-emitting diode. These pulses of light activate existing skin cells to increase their collagen and hyaluronic acid production to increase moisture levels and improving skin tone and texture. These lights also kill the bacteria that cause acne.
What to Expect
We will always conduct an in-depth consultation with each client to ensure we completely understand their specific areas of concern and their desired outcomes. We need to conduct a physical examination of our client’s skin, facial structure, and tissue condition. Once we decide this is the right treatment for you, there are very few instructions to follow before your actual appointment.
We’ll give you specific instructions that may be unique to your situation. In general, we ask you avoid any harsh or ablative treatments for a few weeks before this appointment. To reduce the very low risk of bruising, avoiding blood-thinning medications and supplements for a week before your session.
The Day of Your Appointment
When you show up, we’ll make sure your face is clean before we apply our specialized numbing cream. This takes about 45 minutes to completely numb the area and set you up for a very comfortable session. Once you’re ready to go, we’ll pass the special handheld device over your skin. As it passes over the treatment area, the microneedles create micro-channels as the RF energy travels down these channels to gently heat deeper layers of skin.
Once your treatment is over, we will apply the special serum and balm to your face to aid in recovery and results. When you’re done, you can go back to your normal routine. Many people schedule this during the workday and go back to the office. It’s a good idea to wait at least eight hours before wearing makeup.
After Your Session
We’ll send you home with a specialized set of facial products designed to speed recovery and increase results. We’ll give you specific at-home instruction to follow to maximize your results. You’ll receive a Soothe Weekly Mask and a Soothe Recovery System. This system includes a soothing spray, cleanser, and balm.
As you’re using this system, it’s important to stay out of the sun for a week or so and abstain from working out for 24 hours.
What Results to Expect
Because your body is producing collagen deep within the skin, you won’t see results right away. It takes time to see how collagen strengthens the skin from the inside out. As this happens, you’ll see lines, wrinkles and acne scars fill in, acne clear up, skin tone and texture even out and sun damage diminish.
Some clients may see significant results after just one treatment, and those tend to be clients with very minimal issues to address. We recommend most people opt for a treatment plan of three treatments spaced four to six weeks apart. You can expect results to appear and improve over the six months following your final treatment. It’s at about the six-month mark where optimal results are seen.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
If you have concerns about multiple signs of aging, acne scars, or an overall uneven and dull complexion, this could be a great solution. If you’re over the age of 21 and want to reverse the hands time, consider this treatment. Those clients looking for a minimally invasive, safe, and FDA-approved treatment that doesn’t include long periods of downtime will find this a good fit.
We need to make sure you don’t have an open wound, infection, or injury at or near the treatment areas. Only a consultation with our team can determine if this is the right match for your areas of concern.
Call for Your Consultation Today
If the results of this treatment sound like what you’re looking for to restore a more youthful complexion and aesthetic, call Artful Aesthetics in Oakland, CA and schedule your consultation. We love seeing our clients feel and look their best, and we look forward to helping you do the same!
