Tattoo MD will soon be providing esthetician services, such as microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and facials on Monday mornings.  Angela is joining our staff as a second esthetician and will start out on Monday mornings.  She comes with a several years’ experience and is knowledgeable in the menu of services offered at Tattoo MD Medispa.  See more info about Angela soon on the about us page of the CLS website.

Please join us on SAT. APRIL 25TH    10AM- 6PM

There will be Food, Fun, Drawings, and Freebies!
FREE DRAWINGS FOR:
JUVEDERM

BOTOX

LASER TATTOO REMOVAL

LASER HAIR REMOVAL

FREEBIES:            MINI FACIALS OR WAXING (BY APPT. ONLY)
LIMITED SPACE – CALL EARLY TO
SCHEDULE

Please stop by the office on the party day and fill out an entry form to
be eligible for drawings.  Good Luck!!

Please welcome the latest addition to the Tattoo MD team, Mark Ofuji, a licensed massage therapist.  Mark brings years of experience in massage therapy and personal training.  His skills include shiatsu, deep tissue, Swedish, sports massage, and reflexology.  Our massage menu with introductory prices is up on our massage page.  If you are interested in massage, please call to set up an appointment.

This has been long in coming, but therapeutic massage will soon be available at Tattoo MD.  This is another service that we think will enhance our menu of offering for skin care, beauty and relaxation.  Maybe a massage is a good way to unwind after a tattoo removal session?  Service will first be offered on a limited number of days per week.  Look for more information on our website in the coming weeks.

Every month, keep an eye on our prizes and drawings page.  This is a new page where you can find information on the current drawing of the month.  No purchase is usually necessary.  You just have to give us your contact information.

The drawing this month features the aromatherapy body scrub and polish.   This amazing treatment refreshes and revitalizes the skin and body.  It’s an $85 value and a great gift for Valentine’s Day.

Kasey, our licensed esthetician, has recently received specialized training on deep tissue sculpting.  Deep tissue sculpting is a beginning myofascial release technique.  The therapist uses his/her elbows, sides of forearms, heel of palms, thumbs, fingers, and knuckles.  The actual technique is either slow, deep, and sinks into the muscle belly or slow, deep, and sinks into the insertions, proceeding to a smooth deep sculpting stroke up through the muscle belly to the muscle origin. The results can be threefold: a realease of deep muscular tension, heightened myoskeletal awareness, and the release of emotional tension in the body.

This is not a separate service.  Rather, Kasey will be integrating this technique into her current practice of facials and massage.  Just one more reason to try our esthetician services!

We often get patients at TMD that are concerned with abnormal darkening or spots on the face that they want treated.  One of the most common types of darkening or hyperpigmentation is melasma.  We see patients with it frequently and often recommend the Vi Peel and microdermabrasion for it.
Melasma is the abnormal darkening of facial skin that typically occurs in women in association with pregnancy or hormonal therapy, such as with oral contraceptives.  Dark patches may be distributed on the cheeks, cheekbones, upper lips, nose and forehead, but can occur elsewhere on the body.  Certain ethnic groups, such as Native Americans, are more commonly affected, especially in regions of high sun-exposure.  There is definitely a genetic component.

Treatment of melasma has focused on topical agents and ablative agents.  Topicals include hydroquinone 2 and 4%.  Hydroquinone inhibits the enzyme that creates melanin in the skin.  Hydroquinone 4% along with other natural compounds, including kojic acid, azelaic acid, arbutin, and licorice extract are the active ingredients in the Vi Derm Bleaching Cream that we offer at TMD along with our Vi Peels.  This cream is also good for long-term maintenance.

For significant melasma, especially when one wants more immediate results, the Vi Peel is an excellent technique.  The peel works quickly and quite effectively yet is gentle on the skin.  A short series of Vi Peels may be all you need to take away the melasma.  Microdermabrasion is a good adjunctive technique as it helps to remove melanin built up in dead skin.  Call to schedule a free consultation with our licensed esthetician regarding melasma or the Vi Peel.

Eyelash extensions are a cosmetic technique used to lengthen eyelashes one lash fiber at a time.  Like hair extensions, this technique has gained much popularity in recent years.  In the past, it was more common to use a lash “strip” that would be applied over the end of the eyelid, above the natural lashes.  This would be criticized as looking “fake” and could also be easily removed.

Modern eyelash extensions are a far-cry from the “fake lashes” of the past.  The technique involves bonding a single synthetic fiber to each eyelash, one lash at a time.  The bonding process produces a durable, longer eyelash that you can sleep and shower with.  Excessive use of oil-based products can break down the adhesive, however.  Due to the labor-intensive nature of the service, the cost is higher than strip-lashes, but the difference is evident at once – natural-looking long lashes versus a garrish look that is anything but natural.

At TMD Medi-Spa, our licensed esthetician provides this and many other services.  In the month of November, we are promoting eyelash extensions for only $125 for a full set (50% off our regular prices)!

At Tattoo MD, we often get patient inquiries regarding treatment during pregnancy or breast-feeding.  Patients want to know if they can get a tattoo removed during pregnancy or get Botox while breast-feeding, etc.  The answer to this is often “no,” but not for obvious reasons.  Laser tattoo removal, for instance, is avoided during both breast-feeding pregnancy.  Research has generally not been done to prove that any such procedures are not safe or vice-versa.  We generally follow the principle that if any chemicals could be produced or added that are not normally present in the body, then we avoid the procedure during this time.

For instance, laser tattoo removal breaks tattoo pigments into smaller components and mobilizes them to distant sites away from where the tattoo is.  Although it is not known whether these pigments could cross the placenta or enter breast-milk, we assume that it’s possible.  Laser hair removal by itself does not introduce any foreign chemicals but topical anesthetic cream is used, so it is avoided for that reason.  Botox injections are avoided also, although the chance of causing a problem with a fetus or nursing child is extremely low, since it has never been tested in that setting, and probably never will be.  Injectable fillers, such as Juvederm and Radiesse are composed of natural ingredients, hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxyapatite.  However, lidocaine is injected or applied topically, so these are also not used during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

So what services can we offer during this period?  Actually, quite a few.  Microdermabrasion is completely safe.  It does not introduce anything and works on the surface of the skin.  Sclerotherapy of spider veins is also safe, since it uses natural salt water in minute amounts that are only active locally at the site of injection.  Most of the other estheticiain services, such as waxing, facials and eyelash extensions are safe, but Vi Peels are not done.

To the pregnant or nursing mothers out there – just hang in there!

TMD Medi-Spa is pleased to now offer the incredible Diamondskin oxygen facial.  This unique one-hour microdermabrasion facial uses a mist infused with 87 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and oxygen, to moisturize and revitalize every cell of the facial skin.  Because oxygen is introduced to the skin at the cellular level, it bonds to red blood cells, providing additional strength to the collagen and elastin fibers, which in turn will help to improve the elasticity of the skin.  Come check out this and the many other esthetic services at TMD Medi-Spa!