One look at Gray ONeill’s before and after photos would convince any woman with deep wrinkles and pigmentation to shout: “I WANT WHAT SHE HAD!”

What 69-year-old Gray had was a CO2 laser treatment with the Lumenis UltraPulse,  the most powerful CO2 laser in aesthetic medicine. Dr. Gilly Munavalli performed the two-hour procedure in his Charlotte, NC, office nine months ago, and both he and his patient are mighty pleased. “She just keeps getting better and better,”  he said.

Gray’s dry aging skin, lined with wrinkles and ridges from solar elastosis, made her a perfect candidate for the UltraPulse resurfacing treatment,  said Dr. Munavalli, who has done hundreds of CO2 treatments during the last 18 years. “Lumenis has been a consistent market leader in this category.  I can always count on it for sound technology,” he added.

Firing a 10,600 nanometer wavelength of infrared light to heat the water in the skin, UltraPulse vaporizes the skin surface and removes the aged and damaged skin. “I like its high peak power and its speed. And, it can penetrate deeper than any aesthetic ablative CO2 laser I’ve used,” Dr. Munavalli noted. After a short healing period, the new skin has normal collagen, normal color and normal texture, and is often tighter,  he explained.

UltraPulse offers a range of treatment modes, including DeepFX for wrinkles, acne scars and other deep cosmetic lesions; ActiveFX/MaxFX for full and fractional treatment of texture and pigment inconsistencies; ScaarFX for deep, thick lesions, and IncisionFX for clean, precise incisions.  

“I’D LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND GO ‘EW!’”

Interestingly, Gray met Dr. Munavalli through her daughter, who happens to be a dermatologist in Greenville, SC, about two hours away. “She often visits a professional dermatology site where doctors share questions and stories, and even though she didn’t know Dr. Munavalli she was really impressed by his comments about everything,” Gray explained.

“I asked my daughter about the lines around my mouth and down my cheek, and she said a heavy-duty laser was the only thing that would work on my skin and satisfy me,” Gray explained. Her deep wrinkles and uneven skin texture were no surprise, considering how much time she spent in the sun when she was growing up in Charlotte in the 1960s. “Oh yeah, I went out as much as possible to get just as tan as I could get. We even went up on the rooftops and rubbed iodine mixed with baby oil all over our bodies,” Gray chuckled.  

“When I was almost 60 years old a decade ago I’d look in the mirror and go ‘ew.’ My skin definitely made me feel older and less attractive,” said the mother of five and grandmother of seven.

“My mother was a freckled redhead who also had deep wrinkles, and I remember going with her when she had a dermabrasion treatment at a famous, and recently deceased, New York dermatologist back in the 70s,” Gray added. “She even flew back the same day of the procedure, with her face entirely covered and oozing. But mom’s treatment was too aggressive and it took over a year before she looked completely normal because they removed so much color from her face. Eventually she looked amazing.”

Aside from skin peels, a series of light laser treatments when she was in her 40s, and an eye lift, Gray hadn’t had anything substantial done to her face. Although her mother’s experience made her a bit apprehensive about a “heavy-duty laser” treatment, “I knew it was going to be worth it when I met Dr. Munavalli and saw his B&A photos.  He’s a sweet and gentle man and extremely smart,” she said.

TRANSFORMATION DAY

“When I arrived at Dr. Munavalli’s office I was prepped for the procedure, placed on monitors and put right to sleep in the office (with conscious sedation).  When I woke, they put lots of cream on my face and I went home! My wrinkles were gone and my skin felt as smooth as silky as a baby’s bottom, even if was too pink to look normal,” Gray recounted.

“Pleasantly surprised” by the minimal pain she felt, Gray said her face felt warm and looked red and swollen. She was glad to have the fan and ice pack Dr. Munavalli recommended. She also suggested an electric toothbrush for anyone having the treatment because “you don’t want to open your mouth to clean your teeth.”  And, if you don’t feel like going out, make sure you have a friend or relative who can get takeout for you, she added.

Content to stay home in her PJs and watch TV while she healed, Gray took a nap every afternoon for about two weeks, which was “really odd” for her.  As instructed, she washed her face very carefully every day and applied Vaniply ointment to help protect her skin while it healed. “It took awhile for my natural color to return, but I could tell my skin was getting better and better. I could apply mineral powder if I didn’t want to go out looking, pink,” she noted. She’s still supposed to use Retin-A to avoid getting milia on her cheeks, which are tiny white bumps that develop when tiny skin flakes become trapped in small pockets near the skin’s surface. “The aesthetician in Dr. Munavalli’s office told me the epidermal cells are still healing and milia are a normal part of the healing process,” Gray said.

THE SKINNY ON CO2 FROM DR. MUNAVALLI

“Gray healed very well,” Dr. Munavalli said. “Dermatologists really know the skin, and Gray needed extreme rejuvenation and resurfacing to eliminate the aging. Plastic surgery (a cutting procedure) wouldn’t have helped her skin texture and appearance.  Plus, she got an added benefit of some contraction of the jowls so it almost looks like she got a lift. If you have a great deal of sagging skin, plastics is the only way to go. But even if Gray had had a facelift, she wouldn’t have seen this kind of result since a facelift can only do so much to improve wrinkles in the central face. And, the damage from the chronic sun exposure is not something a facelift can improve.  Facelifts can’t improve skin quality or texture. Resurfacing can.”

If Gray’s skin was any darker, Dr. Munavalli would have been much more hesitant to have performed the treatment, he said. “Her skin was on the cusp for doing CO2. You can’t do it on darker skin because it can likely cause more hyperpigmentation, but other lasers like the Erbium may be an option.”

Dr. Munavalli believes a core doctor should have advanced training on the UltraPulse so he or she can feel completely comfortable using it. “You have to push the envelope a little to get the kind of result we saw with Gray. It’s easy to go too far when you’re resurfacing to this depth, which you definitely don’t want to do. It will take three to six months for you to see if you made a mistake during treatment, and by then additional treatment might be necessary to fix the problem if that’s even possible,” he explained. “I really needed to hit a home run because Gray’s daughter is a dermatologist!”

AND SOME FINAL THOUGHTS FROM GRAY

“My close friends told me ‘you look like a little girl.’ My children said I look great. I was getting tired of looking in the mirror and being really dissatisfied with those wrinkles around my mouth and cheeks. The experience was so worth it. It’s almost like I have teenage skin.” 

To My FOFriends, Please visit Dr. Munavalli’s Facebook, Instagram and practice Instagram pages. You’ll love the work he does!

This is a “sponsored post.” Trophy Skin compensated FabOverFifty with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own.—Geri Brin

You’d jump at the chance to have those new skin treatments that will help get rid of the “age spots” on your cheeks and crow’s feet around your eyes, but you simply can’t afford them.  As it is, you’ve invested in costly creams and serums that include high-quality ingredients, like retinol and hyaluronic acid, to treat your skin concerns. But realistically you know they can just do so much!  Ladies, now you can get affordable skincare tools to use at home that operate on the identical technology as the expensive machines used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medi spas.

The man behind these innovative beauty devices is Imran Karim, who owned one of the most successful medi spas in Dallas, TX  “Our skin treatments transformed the way thousands of clients looked and how they felt, so I knew the technology worked, but only a limited portion of the population could afford them,” Imran told me. “So I thought, how can we take this very effective technology, scale it down and allow it to be affordable and convenient for more people?”

After a couple of years of research, development and rigorous testing with doctors, scientists and product engineers, Imran launched Trophy Skin. Each of its three professional-grade skin care tools-–MicrodermMD, RejuvaliteMD and Jenu Plus–have been clinically proven to do exactly what they promise to do, including revitalizing our skin, reducing wrinkles and furrows, sun damage and age spots.  “We met with the same manufacturers who produced the equipment for my medi spa to determine how to create at-home products that didn’t have to be used by doctors and trained professionals,” Imran explained. “They may not be as powerful as the professional machines, but we work with doctors on our clinical studies to ensure that each device is correctly tested and is highly effective. We also have FDA clearance when it’s required.”

Today, I’m introducing you to RejuvaliteMD, one the company’s top sellers. Using state-of-the-art LED light therapy, it safely and effectively stimulates skin healing and collagen production to improve skin elasticity and firmness and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. RejuvaliteMD also improves skin tone by reducing inflammation, redness and the appearance of age spots and sun damage.

“Some devices use only red light, but RejuvaliteMD utilizes four UV-free wavelengths–red, yellow, amber, and infrared light–to treat multiple signs of aging on different levels of the skin,” Imran explained. It’s also hands-free, so it’s much easier to use than other devices.

All you have to do is put on the goggles that come with the device, push a button and get a five-minute, painless, full-face treatment. “The panel is large and powerful, so it basks the whole face in all four wavelengths of light at once for maximum results,” Imran added. RejuvaliteMD is ideal for thinner, sensitive skin since the light therapy works from four to six inches away from the skin, so nothing mechanical or abrasive touches it.

Look at these superb results from a 6-week Trophy Skin clinical study, not to mention the extraordinary before-and-after images.

Clinical Stats-6 weeks after starting RejuvaliteMD

91% OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS SAW A DECREASE IN WRINKLE DEPTH AND LENGTH

81% OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS NO LONGER DESCRIBE THEIR SKIN AS AGED OR LEATHERY

89% OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS NO LONGER DESCRIBE THEIR SKIN AS INFLAMED, RED OR SENSITIVE

The RejuvaliteMD reviews are phenomenal, from women of all ages.

and receive 20% off RejuvaliteMD, exclusively for the FOF community. Be sure to enter code FABFIFTY at checkout.  

P.S. You can try RejuvaliteMD for 60 days and return it for a full refund if it doesn’t meet your expectations!

 Special Offer Expires on Thursday, June 6, 2019 

This is a “sponsored post.” Trophy Skin compensated FabOverFifty with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own.—Geri Brin

You’d jump at the chance to have those new skin treatments that will help get rid of the “age spots” on your cheeks and crow’s feet around your eyes, but you simply can’t afford them.  As it is, you’ve invested in costly creams and serums that include high-quality ingredients, like retinol and hyaluronic acid, to treat your skin concerns. But realistically you know they can just do so much!  Ladies, now you can get affordable skincare tools to use at home that operate on the identical technology as the expensive machines used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medi spas.

The man behind these innovative beauty devices is Imran Karim, who owned one of the most successful medi spas in Dallas, TX  “Our skin treatments transformed the way thousands of clients looked and how they felt, so I knew the technology worked, but only a limited portion of the population could afford them,” Imran told me. “So I thought, how can we take this very effective technology, scale it down and allow it to be affordable and convenient for more people?”

After a couple of years of research, development and rigorous testing with doctors, scientists and product engineers, Imran launched Trophy Skin. Each of its three professional-grade skin care tools-–MicrodermMD, RejuvaliteMD and Jenu Plus–have been clinically proven to do exactly what they promise to do, including revitalizing our skin, reducing wrinkles and furrows, sun damage and age spots.  “We met with the same manufacturers who produced the equipment for my medi spa to determine how to create at-home products that didn’t have to be used by doctors and trained professionals,” Imran explained. “They may not be as powerful as the professional machines, but we work with doctors on our clinical studies to ensure that each device is correctly tested and is highly effective. We also have FDA clearance when it’s required.”

Today, I’m introducing you to MicrodermMD Home Microdermabrasion System, the company’s best seller.  A beautifully designed tool, it smoothes, brightens and revitalizes rough, crepey, dry skin as well as reduces pitting, pockmarks and light acne scarring.

A diamond particle encrusted tip and a pore extraction tip restore radiance to the skin by gently but deeply exfoliating dead skin cells and suctioning away the dirt, oil and makeup residue that cause the skin to look dull, aged and lifeless.  MicrodermMD also reduces or eliminates enlarged pores and buffs away fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. It can be used on the neck and body too.

The device features Auto Mode that directs you through the process on an LCD screen and automatically adjusts the suction level for each section of your face. Sensitive Mode provides gentler suction levels, and Manual Mode lets you create a custom treatment. Skin can be treated up to twice a week. “You’ll immediately feel softer, smoother skin after the first five-minute treatment, but when you remove the filter you’ll be surprised to see the amount of dirt and oil that came off your face. You’ll be left with smooth, soft, perfectly clean and bright skin,” Imran explained.  

An infusion tip included with the MicrodermMD kit is designed to be used after your treatment to help gently push the active ingredients in your creams and serums deeper into the skin. The suction motor on the device opens your pores so products can more effectively be infused into the skin.

Trophy Skin has custom-developed Argan Stem Cell Serum especially for use after microdermabrasion because your skin will be a little pinkish red, which actually is the sign of a good treatment. Soothing and gentle, Argan has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, algae and mugwort extracts to hydrate, protect, calm and renew skin from the inside out.  When used consistently, Argan Stem Cell Serum reduces fine lines and wrinkles, diminishes age spots, increases skin firmness, tightens and refines pores, and supports collagen and elastin production.

Look at these superb results from a 6-week Trophy Skin clinical study, not to mention the extraordinary before-and-after images:

6 weeks after starting MicroDermMD

80%  SAW DECREASED PORE SIZE

80%  EXPERIENCED DECREASED WRINKLE DEPTH

95%  HAD SOFTER, MORE HYDRATED AND REFRESHED SKIN

100% WOULD RECOMMEND MICRODERM MD  TO THEIR FAMILY & FRIENDS

The Trophy Skin reviews are phenomenal, from women of all ages.

The Best Skin Care Investment!!!

“Love Love the MicrodermMD!!!! The first two sessions I set the mode for sensitive skin, the 3rd session and after I stepped out of my comfort zone and set the mode on manual. I have sensitive skin and I could tolerate the suction. I am not saying that this would be a good idea for everyone but OMG my pores are starting to disappear, my skin is soft like a baby’s behind, and I’m slowly noticing the age spots fading and the wrinkles are not so prominent. Skin looks brighter as well. I use the MicrodermMD twice a week and I do not regret the purchase.” —50-something Mary K.

Magic in a wand

“This has been quite the experience for me. I never realized what a filthy face I walked around with until I started using MicrodermMD…lol. I haven’t had it for very long but I can say I love how easy it is to use and how well it does, just like it’s advertised. I’ll be ordering a couple of other things as I’d like to do more than just my face. Thank you so much for selling a product that does what you say it does.” –50-something Tammy L

 

and receive 20% off MicrodermMD, exclusively for the FOF community. Be sure to enter code FABFIFTY at checkout.  

P.S. You can try MicrodermMD for 60 days and return it for a full refund if it doesn’t meet your expectations!

 Special Offer Expires on May 2, 2019 

You’re trying on dresses for an important event. “That looks darling on you,” the saleswoman gushes about a style that makes your tummy and boobs look bigger than they are! Now, think about beauty products. Whether you have facial redness, uneven tone, or crow’s feet, saleswomen always seem to have just the products for you. Unfortunately, you trust them more than the woman in the dress department because you can’t tell what the moisturizer or serum are going to do for your skin. So you decide to give them a try.

Here’s the truth: Even if you buy high-priced skincare products from the ritziest stores in town, don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’re getting the best advice on which are best for your skincare concerns. Salespeople are trained to vigorously push the brands they represent, not to deal with each of our unique needs.

“Every day, my patients come to see me with arms full of products, trying to find solutions for their skincare issues. Considering the overwhelming number of creams and serums in the stores, it’s becoming more and more confusing for them know which ones will address their specific concerns. In our office, we use a scientifically-based system to select products for each patient,” said Dr. Karyn Grossman, an LA and New York-based, board-certified dermatologist who developed a passion for treating skin when she was a second year medical student at Boston University.

A Derm Treatment In a Bottle  

But, you don’t have to fly to Santa Monica, CA, or Park Avenue to personally consult with Dr. Grossman (Gwyneth Paltrow and models Linda Evangelista and Molly Sims are patients), because she’s created an eponymous skincare collection to deal with many of our most pressing skincare issues, she says confidently. KARYNG (“caring for yourself and the world,” Dr. Grossman notes) is a precisely curated collection of six products with “active, high-performance ingredients that target the key signs of aging–fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, uneven pigmentation, inflammation, and dullness–to help give us a fresh appearance,” the doctor explains.

Inspired to develop her own line after working with some of the biggest names in skin care, such as Estee Lauder, Dr. Grossman’s wanted to thwart “the long-term effects of skin inflammation” that she repeatedly saw as her patients aged. “Inflammation is the root of many skin concerns,” she explains. Produced with rich antioxidants that help repair and restructure our skin, each of the six KARYNG products features “Pro-Verte Technology,” a proprietary and patented formula designed to maximize anti-aging and anti-inflammatory results.

Responding also to her patients’ increasing concerns about the “safety of their skincare products,” Dr. Grossman wanted her own collection to be as natural as possible, without sacrificing anti-aging benefits. As a dermatologist offering comprehensive cosmetic treatments, from lasers to fillers, liposuction to thread lifts, she is known for her deep commitment to giving her patients natural-looking, refreshed results. The KARYNG line is produced with the same guiding principles.

Manufactured in the United States, and packed in sustainable cartons, KARYNG features 90 percent “safe and gentle, yet potent, natural ingredients,” with 10 percent bioengineered ingredients, such as peptides. “It’s the best of both worlds,”  Dr. Grossman says. “It’s super elegant and a super-easy program to follow to get results, as opposed to the 26 products you use or have sitting on your bathroom shelf.” A single, working mother of two, Dr. Grossman believes our skincare routines should be as effortless as possible.

The Cleanser

Healthy skin begins with clean skin, but you’ll want to gently deep clean, without stripping your skin, Dr.Grossman advises. KARYNG Replenishing Cleanser, fueled by the exclusive, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory Pro-Verte formula, includes super moisturizing coconut oil and coconut fatty acid, and glycerin, to help maintain the outer barrier of the skin and prevent dryness.  The cleanser can be used night and day on any skin type, removes makeup, and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

The Morning Product

Wishing to formulate an “all-in-one morning product that provides antioxidants, hydration and sunblock proved difficult, but we finally got it,” Dr. Grossman reports. KARYNG Complete Broad Spectrum SPF50 contains protective echinacea to help prevent age spots and make skincells more resilient to stress and environmental aggressors that cause wrinkles and fine lines. It also has coconut oil, glycerin,and the patented Pro-Verte Complex, so it’s an emollient moisturizer, anti-aging powerhouse, makeup primer and SPF shield. Available in two shades, it “evens out your skin and reduces redness, and it’s effective on all skin types,” Dr. Grossman says.

“As a dermatologist, I must convince my patients that they need to wear sunscreen every single day, both from a health issue as well as to combat the redness, acne and pigmentation that come with aging. Statistically, one in three caucasians gets skin cancer; one in five people of all skin colors gets skin cancer; one person dies every hour from skin cancer. There are more skin cancers in a single year than all cancers combined in a three-year period,” Dr. Grossman reports.“You don’t die at 60 anymore, so you need to start taking care of your skin even if you didn’t in the past. Having healthy skin isn’t optional.  You want to hold down the risk of something happening.”

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that we use a minimum of 30 SPF, but Dr. Grossman says that most people don’t apply enough sunscreen to get the proper protection, plus people often take medications or use skin products, like retinol, that make them sensitive to the sun. “It’s often difficult to get patients to use sunscreen because they don’t like the way it feels and smells, so my challenge was to find a sunscreen that people would actually wear every day,” Dr. Grossman adds. Complete Broad Spectrum SPF50 has become a “hero product,” she says. It works on light to dark skin tones.

To order the KARYNG line today.  Enter code FABOVERFIFTY for an exclusive 20 percent discount off your first order. Offer expires Sunday, September 30, 2018.

 

The Evening Product

We need hydration and correction at night, Dr. Grossman stresses. KARYNG Restructuring Night Cream is a “very rich, but light, moisturizer,” with ingredients including hyaluronic acid; coconut oil; shea butter; sunflower seed and olive oil; watermelon rind, lentil and apple extract, and the exclusive Pro-Verte complex. It helps repair the skin’s protective barrier, promote collagen production, boost energy production in the skin, increase cell turnover, reduce inflammation, and promote luminescence and noticeable firmness.  

The Eyes Have It

“For women who want to add eye cream to their morning skincare routine, KARYNG Revitalizing Eye Cream works on dark circles, lines and wrinkles, and puffiness. It firms, tones and contours the entire eye area, and absorbs really well into the skin so you can put your makeup over it,” Dr. Grossman says. The energizing cream is formulated with ingredients including antioxidant soybean extract, rich shea butter, glycerin, and the proprietary Pro-Verte Complex.

Anti-aging Gold Standard

Dermatologists consider retinol, also known as Vitamin A1, as the “gold standard” for anti-aging, because it can help speed skin renewal and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine line and age spots for firmer, smoother and more evenly-toned skin, Dr. Grossman explains. She decided not to include it her day or night cream, however, since “some people are sensitive to it.”

Dr. Grossman instead formulated a separate Retinol Renewing Serum with extra ingredients, including licorice, apple and lentil seed extract, plus coconut oil, so it’s not only effective, but can be tolerated by all skin types without causing redness and irritation. It reportedly reduces fine lines after two hours, and decreases pore size.

All six products in the premier KARYNG collection do not have parabens, petroleum, pesticides, propylene or butylene glycols, phthalates, BPA’s,PEG’s, TEA, DEA, GMO, glutens, or synthetic fragrances.

to order the exceptional KARYNG products. Enter code FABOVERFIFTY for an exclusive 20 percent discount off your first order. Offer expires Sunday, September 30, 2018.

Braided in the fifties. Teased through the sixties. Straightened in the seventies. Curly through the eighties and nineties. And, pretty much diminishing after that! My hair has been right there with me, through thick and THIN! But, it looked pretty much like it was going to leave me permanently, and I’d never have a good hair day ever again.

I tried one volumizing product after another, and even had an expensive hair piece made to give me fullness up top. The products just weighed down my already pancake-like style (if you could even call it a style), and it became a nuisance to maintain the piece.

Now, a revolutionary Hair Volumizing System called VOLAIRE has come into my life, and my tresses (and I) are doing a happy dance.

So are millions of women, including actress Kristin Davis. “My hair was full when I was young, then one day I went to put it in a ponytail and it wasn’t there. It had become thinner, drier and damaged,” the 51-year-old actress remembered. (more…)