Repairing Sun‑Damaged Skin


As the summer begins to turn to fall, we look at our tans and remember all the fun at the lake, the rounds on the golf course and the enjoyment in our back yards and gardens. Even though that sun felt so good after the long, cold and brutal winter we had in Calgary last year, some of us are starting to see the long term effects of sun exposure without using any sunscreen. Anybody out there remember the 80's? We coated ourselves in baby oil and many other suntan enhancing products that only served to speed up the damage we were doing to our skin.

So how do we get rid of those dark areas, or SUNSPOTS, as they are often called?

Laser treatments, while effective in the short term, do carry some possible negative side effects. The least of these is that the spots will return, if the areas aren't diligently covered in sunscreen every time you go outside, even in winter. The worst of these can be hypo‑pigmentation, or a complete lack of pigment, in the area if it has been treated many times as a type of pigmentation management. Too many laser treatments, at higher than recommended settings, can and does damage melanocytes so that they won't even produce normal pigment levels. So now you can be faced with permanent damage that won't ever resolve, so instead of having dark spots, you have some very light, almost white spots.

At Innova Spa, we proudly recommend the Environ skin care products, a unique Vitamin A based, STEP‑UP system, which loads your skin with vitamins A, B, C and E. Retinyl Palmitate, the version of Vitamin A that is utilized by your skin cells for normal, healthy skin cell function, is at the core of the science of Environ. As an added benefit, Retinyl Palmitate acts as a natural SPF of 20 in your skin cells! The key thing here is that we are providing our skin with the vitamins, anti‑oxidants and cell nutrients that our skin cells need for normal, healthy cell functioning.

In the spa we have seen excellent results with our clients' skin health with a combination of micro‑needling treatments, some laser if we feel it is necessary, and home care with the appropriate range of either Skin Essentia or Youth Essentia products. Both lines pack a powerful punch for anyone just beginning to use Vitamin A based skincare. Where we see the best results are with our Focus Care Radiance range, once the client has had a 3 month adjustment period using Skin Essentia or Youth Essentia, combined with micro‑needling sessions, 2 weeks apart for a series of 6 treatments.

Our staff have all had exceptional results using these vitamin‑infused products for the past six weeks, since we brought it into our spa. We would love to share our personal experiences with you. We truly feel Environ is a product line for the health of your skin for life! Healthy skin is beautiful skin!

At Innova Spa our mantra is always 'Where Health Meets Beauty'!