Your results don’t stop when you leave the office.
We exclusively carry Alastin® Skincare, one of the most respected medical-grade skincare lines designed to support and extend your in-office results.
- Alastin® Skincare
Focuses on skin regeneration and recovery, enhancing treatment outcomes and improving overall skin quality
Our team will design a customized home regimen to complement your treatments—ensuring your skin continues to improve between visits.
Learn More About Medical Grade Skin Care
Medical-grade skin care means products with proven active ingredients at strengths that change the skin, chosen for you by a clinician. Some, such as tretinoin, need a prescription.
At Blue Harbor Medical & Aesthetics, we carry ALASTIN Skincare along with prescription tretinoin, hydroquinone and azelaic acid, and Silagen scar care, which is sold only through physician offices. Your routine is chosen for your skin by a clinician and kept short: a few products that work, used consistently.
Why it helps
Skin ages mostly from sun exposure, and what you put on it every day does more over time than any single procedure. Store shelves are full of products with the right ingredient names at strengths too low to matter.
A clinician-chosen routine also protects what you paid for. It prepares skin for lasers and peels, speeds recovery and keeps results longer.
Our favorite ALASTIN products
ALASTIN is the line we use ourselves and recommend most, and three of its products do the heavy lifting in almost every routine we build.
| Product | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum | A vitamin C antioxidant serum that defends skin against damage from sun and pollution and brightens dull, uneven tone | Morning, under sunscreen |
| Restorative Skin Complex with TriHex Technology | ALASTIN’s flagship anti-aging serum. Its peptide blend is designed to help skin clear out old, damaged collagen and elastin and support new. Targets fine lines, firmness and texture | Morning and evening |
| HydraTint Pro Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 36 | An all-mineral tinted sunscreen that is lightweight, leaves no white cast and evens out skin tone | Every morning, year-round, and after procedures |
If you buy only one, make it the sunscreen. Nothing else on this page works if the sun keeps undoing it.
Prescription and physician-only products
Some of the most effective skin care ingredients are available only by prescription or only through a physician’s office.
| Product | What it treats | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tretinoin (prescription) | Fine lines, rough texture, acne and sun damage. The best-studied anti-aging ingredient there is | Start slowly. Dryness and peeling are common early on. Not used in pregnancy |
| Hydroquinone (prescription) | Dark spots, melasma and uneven pigment | Used in planned courses with breaks, under supervision |
| Azelaic acid (prescription strength) | Redness, rosacea, acne and dark marks | Gentle, and a useful option for sensitive skin |
| Silagen | Scars from surgery, procedures or injury. Medical-grade silicone helps soften and flatten them | Sold only through physician offices |
Benefits
- Retinoids: more collagen, smoother texture, fewer fine lines and clearer pores.
- Vitamin C: protection against sun and pollution damage, and brighter, more even tone.
- Pigment correctors: fading of sun spots and melasma.
- Daily sunscreen: prevention of wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer.
- A short routine, so you stop buying products that do nothing.
Risks and side effects
- Retinoids: dryness, redness, peeling and stinging in the first weeks, and more sun sensitivity. They are not used during pregnancy.
- Vitamin C and acids: tingling or irritation, mainly on sensitive skin.
- Hydroquinone and other pigment correctors: irritation, and with long-term unsupervised use, a rare darkening of the skin. We use them in planned courses with breaks.
- Allergic reactions or breakouts from any new product.
- Too much at once. Layering several strong products damages the skin barrier, which is why we start slowly.
Results take time. Expect 8 to 12 weeks before judging a new routine.
Frequently asked questions:
What does “medical-grade” skin care mean?
It is not a legal term. In practice it means products with clinical research behind them, formulated at effective strengths and sold through medical offices, where someone qualified matches them to your skin.
Is it better than what I can buy at the drugstore?
Often, yes. Many store products contain the right ingredient at a strength too low to do much, or in a formula that breaks down before it reaches your skin. A good drugstore cleanser is fine. Your actives and your sunscreen are where quality pays off.
Why buy from your office and not online?
Two reasons. Products from unauthorized online sellers can be expired, diluted or counterfeit. And buying here comes with advice on what to use, in what order, and what to stop.
Do I need a prescription?
Tretinoin, hydroquinone and prescription-strength azelaic acid require one, which we provide after an evaluation. ALASTIN products and Silagen do not.
What order do I apply everything in?
Morning: cleanser, C-RADICAL Defense, Restorative Skin Complex, then HydraTint sunscreen. Evening: cleanser, tretinoin as prescribed, then Restorative Skin Complex or moisturizer. We write your routine down for you.
How long until I see results?
Give a new routine 8 to 12 weeks. Brightness and texture improve first. Fine lines and dark spots take longer.
Will tretinoin make my skin peel?
Some dryness and flaking in the first few weeks is normal and settles down. We start with a low strength a few nights a week and build up, which keeps it manageable.
Can I use these products while pregnant or breastfeeding?
Tretinoin and hydroquinone are stopped during pregnancy. Mineral sunscreen and vitamin C are generally fine, and azelaic acid is often used. Tell us, and we will adjust your routine.
I get Botox or laser treatments. Do I still need skin care?
Yes. Daily skin care protects those results and makes them last. We also adjust your routine before and after a laser or peel.
How much sunscreen do I need in Maine?
Every day, including February. UVA comes through clouds and car windows all year, and it is the main cause of wrinkles and brown spots.