Skincare Archives | La Jolla, San Diego | Tim Sayed, MD, FACS
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It’s Wintertime – Be Kind to Your Skin

Winter can be one of the best times of the year — just not for your skin. In response to the colder weather, you might turn your heater on full blast and take longer, hotter showers. Unfortunately, these winter survival tactics can dry your skin. At the dawn of 2022, the last thing that should be on your to-do list is worrying about the chapped, uncomfortable skin that comes from the cold winter elements — even in sunny California.

While a healthy skin care regimen can go a long way toward ensuring a glowing, healthy complexion, sometimes even the most expensive skin care products cannot reach the damage at the deepest layers of your skin. At Tim Sayed MD Plastic Surgery, double board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tim Sayed offers an array of options to help protect your skin all winter long and resurface, smooth, and brighten your complexion. Here are a few of our favorites.

HydraFacial

The HydraFacial is a revolutionary three-in-one skin care treatment that provides patients with healthy, hydrated, and glowing skin. The HydraFacial uses a patented Vortex-Fusion delivery system that simultaneously cleanses, exfoliates, extracts, and protects the skin. During this luxurious 30-minute procedure, your provider will pass a handheld wand across your face. Attached to the wand’s tip is a HydraPeel tip technology that delivers Vortex-Fusion treatment to remove impurities and unclog pores while simultaneously applying a nourishing serum. With this all-in-one treatment, you’ll notice a dramatic improvement to your skin’s overall texture, tone, and appearance.

CryoPen

The CryoPen is a handheld device that uses pulsed controlled cold created by nitrous oxide that safely and effectively removes all undesirable skin imperfections. This device is excellent for treating skin concerns, including freckles, sunspots, age and liver spots, warts, and skin tags, while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged. CryoPen works by hyper-freezing areas of the skin with pinpoint precision. The nitrous oxide destroys the unwanted skin cells by freezing the fluids inside the cells. Once frozen, the fluid crystallizes, thus rupturing the cell membrane and destroying the cell.

SkinPen Microneedling

SkinPen microneedling is a clinically proven microneedling device that can improve neckline wrinkles, acne scars, discoloration, and textural issues. Done in three sessions, it can help improve skin health and appearance so you can enjoy the confidence boost with soft, even, glowing skin. Our advanced microneedling tool creates thousands of tiny wounds. These act as channels that stimulate the body’s natural healing process while keeping damage to a minimum.

Ready to Enjoy Healthy, Glowing Skin This Winter?

Dr. Tim Sayed is proud to offer plastic surgery to his patients all over Southern California, including San Diego, Newport Beach, Orange County, and Los Angeles. With a heart for ethical care and impeccable surgical skills, talent, and compassion, we work hard to uphold our motto of aesthetics done right. For more information on skin care products, call our office at (858) 247-2933 or contact our office here.

 

What are Some Non-Invasive Options for Facial Rejuvenation?

Restoring a youthful appearance is the goal of many patients who visit Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach. In the past, surgery has been the most effective course of action to reduce the signs of aging and rejuvenate the face. While surgery such as facelift and browlifts certainly provide outstanding facial rejuvenation results, some patients would prefer a non-invasive, non-surgical approach. 

Fortunately, there are many ways to bring back a youthful appearance that don’t involve surgery.

In this article, we explore some of the options available for non-invasive facial rejuvenation. You’ll learn about the benefits and pros and cons of many different treatments, including Botox® injections, dermal fillers, the liquid facelift, the hydrafacial, and two newly available procedures at Dr. Sayeds Newport Beach Plastic Surgery Clinic, the Cynosure Potenza RF Microneedling Device, and the ICON 1540HNM laser.

Botox® Injections

Botox® – or botulinum toxin – is a purified nerve toxin that’s used to treat muscle spasms and other conditions. When injected into the skin, it temporarily paralyzes muscles, making them less active. It’s also used for cosmetic purposes to reduce wrinkles and crow’s feet, giving the face a youthful glow. Dr. Sayed uses it in various forms to help people with their facial rejuvenation. Botox® is a great way to reduce wrinkles and puffiness in the face without surgery temporarily.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are substances that can be injected into the skin to smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, giving the face a more youthful look. The most common type of filler is made from hyaluronic acid, which naturally occurs in the human body. This substance is injected into wrinkles around the eyes and mouth to plump them up – or to reduce them. By using dermal fillers, you can make your face more youthful-looking without surgery.

Liquid Facelift

Liquid facelifts are the non-surgical alternative to a surgical facelift. They’re very similar in the way they work – but require less downtime. A liquid facelift involves injecting a tailored mix of Botox® and dermal fillers into the skin around the mouth, throat, neck and lower face. This solution acts on skin tissue just like a dermal filler. It plumps up wrinkled areas and gives the rest of the face more volume.

Hydrafacial

A Hydrafacial is a non-invasive facial treatment that uses a device to exfoliate, stimulate circulation and do facial massage for the purpose of better skin health. The procedure removes old skin cells while firming up the new underlying cells, giving the face a much-rejuvenated appearance without needing surgery.

Cynosure Potenza RF Microneedling Device

This device from Cynosure is the new standard in RF microneedling with revolutionizing enhanced topical penetration. With four different RF modes, monopolar, bipolar, 1 & 2 MHz, this system can treat all skin types in all different seasons on any part of the body. This novel technology can smooth and tighten the skin in highly precise areas, improve localized skin blemishes, and can also be used to firm up larger areas of skin.

ICON 1540HNM Laser

Icon’s well established and highly regarded fractional laser skin resurfacing treatment fixes numerous skin conditions with minimal downtime. Delivering light energy through the skin cells, the ICON 1540 fractional laser stimulates skin coagulation in columns, surrounded by healthy skin, enabling the body’s natural collagen production process and creating new, younger, healthier skin around the treatment area.

The industry-leading procedure can treat acne scarring, surgical or traumatic scars, and can resurface skin that has impaired texture, tone, or other blemishes caused by sun exposure or the aging process. Stretch marks from pregnancy, growth spurts, and significant changes in body weight can also be treated with the ICON 1540HNM laser.  

Non-Invasive Facial Rejuvenation in Newport Beach, CA

Feeling and looking rejuvenated gives patients a new breath of confidence in their day to day lives. With these non-invasive procedures, patients can look and feel younger without needing downtime, and for very affordable prices. Reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA on (858) 247-2933 or via this online form to arrange a quick virtual consultation to discover how we can help you look and feel your best.

Easy Skincare Routine for Busy Moms

As any mom knows, being a mom is one of the most challenging roles on earth. 

As a mom, you keep your household in order, keep the kids in line, and with work as well, it can be hard to find time for yourself. 

At Tim Sayed MD Plastic Surgery in La Jolla and Newport Beach, CA, we want to help you look your best without taking time away from your family. That’s why we’ve put together this easy skincare routine for busy moms.

A Comprehensive Skincare Routine

The goal of any skincare routine is to keep your skin healthy while looking its best. To do this, we need to protect the skin, keep it clean, remove old skin, and keep the skin hydrated. 

These four elements – cleaning, exfoliating, hydrating, and protecting, form the basis of a quick and easy skincare routine that you can complete within 10 minutes every day.

Clean

To help protect the skin and also as part of thermoregulation and sweating, our skin secretes oils.

These natural oils are essential to skin health, but they can also build up, collect dust, and clog pores (particularly during sleep and physical activity during the day). With this in mind, a healthy skincare routine involves cleaning your skin when you wake up and before going to bed.

Your morning and evening shower offers the ideal time to cleanse your skin, as it can become habitual along with brushing your teeth. 

Exfoliate

Our skin cells are constantly growing and dying, but frequently we need to help our skin shed the dead outer layer of cells to reveal the healthy, young, fresh skin cells lying underneath.

Exfoliating your skin with a gently exfoliating scrub and sponge is ideal for keeping your skin looking young and vibrant.

Hydrate

Keeping skin well hydrated is essential to looking your best. Hydrating the skin helps lock in moisture and prolong the elasticity and structural integrity of youthful skin.

Ideally, moisturize morning and night, straight after cleansing and exfoliating your skin. Again, moisturizing only needs to take 1-2 minutes.

Protect

One of the, if not the most important, aspects of a quick skincare routine is protecting your skin. If you adequately protect your skin, you won’t need to pay much attention to it later!

Sun damage is the main culprit for skin blemishes and even more sinister ailments such as skin cancers and melanomas. By simply applying sunscreen before you plan to go outside, you can add years of life to your skin by preventing sunburn. Focus on your face, neck, upper chest, arms and hands, as these are the areas that get the most exposure to the sun.  

Skincare in Newport Beach, CA

To summarize, a busy moms skincare routine needs to include:

  • Cleanse and hydrate morning and night
  • Remove dead skin cells by exfoliating twice a week
  • Apply sunscreen before going outside

Follow these three simple rules, and in as little as ten minutes a day, you’ve got a skincare routine that fits into any schedule and will prolong the health of your skin for as long as possible.

Reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA, at 858 247 2933 or via this online form to arrange a quick virtual consultation to discover how we can help you look and feel your best.

Refresh Your Spring Skin Care Routine With These Tips

As the chilly winter months slowly begin to warm into spring, you might find you need to change more than your wardrobe.

When the ambient temperatures, humidity, and sun intensity all change, you need to adapt your skin care routine to make sure you’re giving your skin the love it needs to be healthy, glowing, and protected.

In this post, Dr. Tim Sayed will offer expert advice on the essential skin care updates you can make this spring, along with a few cosmetic procedures that can get you ready for a new season.

Exfoliate

With dry air and less sunlight, winter can easily lead to dry and flaky skin.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it’s a good idea to shed your “winter coat” before you start to show more skin this spring and summer. The best way to get rid of your winter skin and reveal your fresh underlying skin cells is through exfoliation.

Exfoliating your skin helps the remaining tissue better absorb nutrients and other skin care products. While you can exfoliate at home, you might also wish to consider a powerful procedure like the HydraFacial for a radiant complexion.

Double Down on the SPF

As the temperatures rise and the sunshine becomes more enticing, it’s only natural for you to spend more time out under the sun.

While this gives your body essential vitamin D and is an utter joy, you need to protect your skin as you play outside.

The best way to do this is with SPF 30+ sunscreen lotions and wearing protective clothing whenever practical. Failing to take proper sun care precautions can lead to sunburn, uneven skin tone, sun blemishes, and in worst-case scenarios, skin cancers. 

Look after your skin in the sun.

Eliminate Already Sun-Damaged Skin

If you already have some sunspots, skin blemishes, or freckles that you’re unhappy with, consider a non-invasive procedure such as laser skin resurfacing. By removing your skin’s outer layer, laser skin resurfacing removes flaws and provides you with a smooth, youthful skin canvas to start the spring season with.

Hydrate

Moisturizing your skin in the spring, particularly before going to bed, is a great way to keep skin smoother and looking youthful for longer. It helps keep skin firm and prevents signs of fatigue while also encouraging restoration from sun exposure and minimizing any damage done by unfortunate over-exposure to the sun.

Get Outside and Exercise!

While a more general piece of health advice, regular exercise is ideal for skin health in that it encourages blood flow and circulation to the skin, while sweating helps flush your facial pores of dirt and oil.

If you have any particular skin concerns, or want to get more personalized advice on properly caring for your skin this spring, reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA. Please call us at 858-247-2933 or via our online form to arrange a quick virtual consultation and discover how we can help you look and feel your best.

Why Facelifts are Growing More Popular with Younger People

From large breast implants in the ‘90s to a now more athletic appearance, to the development of full, pouting lips achieved with dermal fillers, what society at large deems attractive and beautiful is changing faster than ever.

One of the most popular plastic surgeries in the U.S., the facelift, was once a preferred procedure of patients entering into their later years. However, we are seeing this trend change as younger people are starting to choose a facelift to preserve their youthful appearance.

A perfectly understandable question, therefore, is what is causing this trend to change?

Here, Dr. Tim Sayed looks at the two potential reasons motivating younger people to opt for a facelift procedure.

1) More Natural Results

One of the most apparent trends in plastic surgery is the search for natural-looking results. Understandably, patients want plastic surgery’s aesthetic benefits without evidence that they have undergone any particular procedure.

With this in mind, many patients are choosing a facelift earlier—late-30’s to early 40’s—as a way of creating more natural results. This is due to surgical results being less-drastic than if the procedure were performed when they were older.

This pre-emptive approach to aging can also prolong a facelift’s results, which is another reason to consider getting a facelift earlier than tradition has dictated in the past.

In addition to facelifts, many non-surgical alternatives have also become highly prevalent among younger people. For younger patients, combining minimally-invasive facelift approaches with injectables (like Botox®, Dysport®, and fillers), microneedling, and topical skincare products can serve as the foundation for a beauty maintenance regimen carrying patients into their later adulthood. A non-surgical “liquid facelift” is also available for those who want to look younger but are not quite ready for surgery.

2) Professional Goals and Pressures

For many individuals, the most professionally productive years are between 40-60. With the changing demands of professional careers and the undeniable trend of larger companies wanting to hire young, competitive talent, experienced individuals in their late thirties desire to look younger during their peak career years. As such, they choose a facelift to give them a more youthful, vibrant appearance. 

The anti-aging benefits of a facelift in Newport Beach or La Jolla are undeniable, and younger professionals realize the aesthetic benefits a facelift can bring them.

Having smoother, softer, more youthful facial skin can bolster confidence, which may directly impact performance. As such, if you are starting to become concerned by encroaching signs of aging, particularly a loose jawline, jowls, or frown lines, a facelift might be the perfect solution to your problems.

Partner with an Expert

Taking proper care of your appearance is essential to looking and feeling your best. Discover how a leading double board-certified plastic surgeon can help you look your youngest for longer. Reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA, by calling 858 247 2933 or via this online form to arrange a consultation to discuss any aging concerns you may have.

3 Skincare Trends That are Here to Stay


Our skin is our bodies’ first stage of defense against the outside world. As such, it is susceptible to irritation and ailment if we don’t properly care for it.

However, if we take proper care of our skin, we can be rewarded with glowing, vibrant, and tight skin that will protect us for decades and help us look our best at all times.

While many trends and fads come and go in the health and beauty industry, proper skincare is not one of them – it is constant, unwavering.

With this in mind, Dr. Tim Sayed examines three skincare trends that have been around for a long time and are here to stay.

1.    Moisturizing

Our skin is roughly 64% water, and if we don’t drink enough water or moisture regularly, this water content drops, leaving our skin dry, wrinkly, and flaky.

One skincare trend that has stood the test-of-time is moisturizing. From antiquity, with the goddess queen Cleopatra bathing in milk, even the ancients understood the importance of moisturizing the skin.

Nowadays, we have advanced serums and moisturizing lotions such as TNS essential serum— making it much easier to moisturize our skin than bathing in milk. Nonetheless, regular moisturizing is here to stay.

2.    Exfoliation

As far back as ancient Greece, people have understood the importance of exfoliating the dead skin cells from the top layer of our skin. The Greeks, and later, Roman soldiers were equipped with a sea sponge for this precise reason, to keep their personal hygiene up to scratch.

Sea sponges remain a viable exfoliating device, and when combined with exfoliating creams, can provide a smooth, delicate appearance to the skin.

There are also non-invasive in-clinic treatments available to remove the outer layer of skin to reveal the underlying healthy skin, such as laser skin resurfacing and Fraxel laser treatment.

3.    Cleansing

The skin can get oily, which is a good thing as this oil helps protect the skin and prevent foreign particles from entering our skin pores.

However, we must regularly clean the skin to wipe away this oily grit that accumulates during the day.

If we fail to remove this grime, we risk clogged pores. This is a leading cause of acne and other skin irritations. Cleaning our skin day and night is one essential skincare practice that has stood the test of time and will remain a crucial step in anybody’s skincare routine.

For those who suffer from severe acne and perhaps have scarring, expertly administered dermal fillers can fill in the acne scar and make it unnoticeable.

Partner with an Expert

The skin is not only our first line of defense, but it is also our first impression to the outside world. Taking proper care of your skin is essential to looking and feeling your best.

Reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA by calling (858) 247 2933 or via this online form to arrange a quick virtual consultation to discuss any skin concerns you may have, and discover how a leading double board-certified plastic surgeon can help you enjoy the healthiest skin you can imagine

Types of Scars and Their Treatments

Our skin is one of the most astounding and versatile organs in the body. Though it does a spectacular job keeping our organs safe from day to day, injuries can leave lasting marks. Burns, cuts, or other traumas like surgery sometimes cause scarring.

By themselves, scars are relatively harmless and don’t usually pose any medical issues. However, if you end up with a large scar in a visible area, you may be wondering how to treat it other than hiding it under clothing. The simple answer is: Everyone’s skin heals differently. Some of us develop stretch marks or scars much more readily than others, and the same goes for how quickly these heal or fade over time.

Of course, genetics aren’t the only thing that affects how your scars heal. Environmental factors like sun exposure, stress, and diet can all play a part. And, there are some proven habits and methods to help reduce the appearance of scarring.

How Do Scars Form?

Scars are one of the body’s natural ways of healing after an injury. Their appearance and treatment vary widely depending on several factors such as the depth and size of the wound/cut, and the location of the injury. Your age, genetics, gender, and skin type all play a role too.

The Types of Scars

Scars come in several different types.

Keloid Scars

This type of scar is the result of your body overly aggressively healing. Over time, keloid scars can extend beyond the initial injury and may even hamper a full range of motion. There are several treatment options available, including surgical removal, steroid injections, or silicone sheets to flatten the scar’s appearance.

In cases of a small keloid, cryotherapy – or precision freezing using liquid nitrogen – can be very effective. You can also take preventive measures, including the use of pressure treatments or gel pads, early on. Keloid scars are most common among people with darker skin tones.

Contracture Scars

After a burn, the body can develop what’s known as a contracture scar. These scars have a tendency to tighten skin, impairing movement. More severe injuries can cause this type of scarring to affect deeper tissues such as the muscles or nerves.

Hypertrophic Scars

Hypertrophic scars are red, raised scars similar to keloids, but that stay within the boundaries of the initial injury. Steroid injections and silicone sheets can flatten the scar and provide treatment.

Acne Scars

If you’ve struggled with severe acne, you probably know all about acne scarring. There are several types of acne scars, ranging in severity from deep pits to scars that appear wavelike or angular. Treatments vary depending on the type of scarring.

What Are My Treatment Options?

We’ve discussed a few of the available treatment methods. However, that only scratched the surface of the many medically proven ways to help scars fade faster. Over-the-counter or prescription gels, ointments, and creams can all help in treating scars caused by injuries, cuts, or other wounds. If you’re concerned about the appearance of a scar following a cosmetic procedure, be sure to talk with your doctor about these products to see if they are an option. If not, some prescriptions can help. These treatments can include oral antihistamines or steroids to reduce itching or discomfort caused by sensitive scarring.

Similarly, if you’re struggling with scarring caused by severe acne, talk to your dermatologist. Your doctor can assess your unique situation and recommend the use of pressure treatments to treat scarring and act as a preventive care step.

For deeper scars, surgical techniques are available to remove or treat their appearance. Some of the most popular include excision, skin grafts, dermabrasion, or laser surgery. Skin grafts use skin from another part of the body, often for patients who’ve suffered severe burns.

If your scarring impairs function, surgery can also work to address functional issues. If a recent surgery caused scarring, it’s best to wait at least a year before deciding on scar treatment. Over time, most scars fade and become less noticeable, especially when kept out of the sun.

Steroid injections can also be an effective way to treat scars that stick out, like hypertrophic or keloid scars. Dr. Tim Sayed can use this treatment alone or in combination with other methods. In some cases, the use of collagen or other fillers may help reduce the appearance of pitted scarring, though this is not generally a permanent solution.

Schedule a Consultation

If you have any further questions about scarring or scar treatment, Dr. Sayed is here to help. To schedule an in-person consultation at our San Diego or Newport Beach offices, please give us a call at 858-24SAYED or contact us online today.