What it is
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, a routine is built around a few products that do the work: a retinoid, an antioxidant such as vitamin C, a pigment corrector when needed, and a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen.
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.
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.
Book a consultation
Call 207-264-8128 or stop by at 79 Elm Street, Camden, Maine and learn more!
This page is general information, not medical advice. Individual results vary.