As spring break season approaches, it’s no secret we all want to look our best when we hit the beach. Though it may still be winter, now is the perfect time to start your vacation skin and body preparations–especially since certain procedures, like lasers, are ideally only performed in the fall and winter months.
You can think of the expert team at Entre Nous Aesthetics in Menlo Park as your pre-vacation beauty prep gurus. After an initial consultation to learn your goals and timeline, we can create a plan completely customized to you.
Keep reading our helpful pre-vacation tips to learn more about what bikini-friendly treatments we recommend.
What aesthetic treatments will help me look my best for spring break?
Just like no two Entre Nous guests are the same, neither are their aesthetic journeys. Depending on your concerns and the area(s) you’d like to address pre-vacation, we may suggest one or several of the following treatments to make sure you feel confident enough to show some skin 👙
CoolSculpting®
You’ve worked hard to earn your vacation and you shouldn’t spend it worrying about “sucking it in.” One of the best pre-vacation treatments we offer is CoolSculpting.
CoolSculpting is a branded version of cryolipolysis—a technique that involves freezing temperatures to kill fat cells. When you shrink fat cells through working out and/or eating in a caloric deficit, those cells can still expand if you begin eating too much food for prolonged periods of time. But with CoolSculpting, once fat cells are gone, they’re gone for good!
Even though CoolSculpting has only been around for the past eleven years, cryolipolysis has a longer history that goes back to the 70s! It all started with popsicles (yes, we’re being serious). In 1970, scientists noticed that children who ate popsicles lost more fat in their cheeks. Coined “popsicle panniculitis,” the phenomenon led to the discovery that lipid-rich fat cells were more susceptible to cold injuries than the water-rich cells that surround them.
As a result, professional cryolipolysis treatments like CoolSculpting can effectively target fat cells without freezing or harming the surrounding water-rich cells (such as your skin cells).
Since the device is so versatile, we can use CoolSculpting to treat fat on areas such as your:
- Chin
- Love handles
- Thighs
- Muffin top
- Belly
- And more!
When your provider sets the device over the treatment area(s), it uses suction to pull excess fat into the handpiece for proper cooling. This suction technique ensures that fat cells don’t retreat deep under your skin’s surface after being introduced to freezing temperatures.
A built-in safety control monitors the temperature of your skin and will shut off if temperatures fall below a safe level. So if you’re wondering whether CoolSculpting is safe, then your answer is 100% yes!
EMSCULPT®
EMSCULPT is an innovative treatment that stimulates muscle contractions to help you shape and contour the muscles in your abdomen and buttocks, meaning you gain real results faster than lifting weights at the gym 💪
Using High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) field technology, Emsculpt induces up to 20,000 supramaximal contractions per 30-minute session! When used to get a toned tummy or lifted booty, the technology forces your muscles to remodel their structure. This can include creating new protein strands to increase muscle density and volume.
As a bonus, the supramaximal stimulus signals the brain that it needs more energy to supply the contractions. Remember, your body burns its fat stores to get energy. Therefore, EMSCULPT can help you tone your abs and buttocks, which leads to increased fat burning in the future (especially if you keep up a resistance training regimen).
To get the full benefits of EMSCULPT treatments in time for your vacation, we recommend starting treatments 8 to 10 weeks out. You can go through an initial series at this time and there’s time left for additional treatments, if needed, to achieve the results you desire.
QWO® Cellulite Reduction
Cellulite is a common concern for our patients. In fact, 9 out of 10 women will have it in their lifetime. What makes cellulite more frustrating is because it’s so common, it’s not necessarily an indicator of health and fitness. For some people, no matter how healthy they eat or how much they work out, their body still forms cellulite.
Cellulite is not fat, so it is not affected in the way fat is with diet and exercise. This is why QWO® was made: a fantastic non-surgical cellulite reduction solution 🙌
QWO® is made from special enzymes called collagenases to treat moderate-to-severe cellulite. These enzymes are thought to target the structural causes of cellulite underneath your skin, including the fibrous bands that pull to create dimples.
When injected, QWO® releases these fibrous bands to help smooth out the skin, redistribute fat cells, and stimulate new collagen production!
There is little to no downtime associated with QWO. It’s common that patients experience initial soreness, bruising, and tenderness in the treatment area, but these side effects resolve over time. Most patients achieve visible results in 10 weeks!
Aquagold Facial
If you want a solution that addresses fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring, decreased skin elasticity, dull skin, and loss of facial volume all at once, we can’t wait to introduce you to Aquagold® Fine Touch™!
Aquagold is a microchannel delivery device that painlessly and effectively delivers solutions tailored to your needs via 24-carat gold plated surgical grade stainless steel needles, thinner than a human hair!
Aquagold delivers products such as Botox®, PRP, vitamins, peptides or hyaluronic acid into the skin, giving our guests remarkably smoother, more youthful looking skin. Results are seen within several days after treatment and typically last approximately 3 to 4 months. We can perform the procedure as often as every 3 months. Scheduling several treatments throughout the year will continue to improve the overall appearance of skin.
There is no downtime, though the treated skin may be red for an hour or 2. Many of our clients come the day before a big event or dinner to look glowing by the evening!
Photofacial
Photofacials, sometimes known as IPL or Intense Pulsed Light therapy, are a facial rejuvenation treatment used to treat skin conditions associated with a decline in skin quality, like aging, active lifestyles, and sun damage.
Photofacials are one of the most powerful skin treatments on the market and have the ability to provide dermal renewal, address acne & acne scars, and treat pigmented or vascular lesions. It also actually helps reverse the aging process of skin cells at a genetic level! BBL uses broad-spectrum visible and infrared light to selectively heat layers of skin to target and eliminate undesired pigmentation, redness, and other unwanted skin conditions. This technology is perfect for both pre-vacation AND post-vacation!
Forever Young BBL™ is proven not only to correct sun damage, but also to prevent the signs of aging skin by delivering BBL energy to the epidermis and dermis. This stimulates improvements in skin tone, texture, elasticity, and pigmentation with visible, long-lasting results after just one treatment.
More after sun skincare tips –>
There is no downtime, though some clients may experience redness and slight peeling or flaking after treatment. Clients can wear makeup the day after a BBL treatment to hide lingering redness or (temporarily) darkened areas of hyperpigmentation.
Profound Skin Tightening
The primary concern that Profound RF microneedling treats is skin laxity, or loose, sagging skin. This works by using small “micro” needles that penetrate the dermis and release radiofrequency (RF) energy.
By itself, microneedling can help improve the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, scars, stretch marks, and small areas of loose skin. But when it’s combined with radiofrequency, microneedling does all of this and then some with thermal heat from the radiofrequency.
Profound RF microneedling tightens and smoothes the skin in many treatment areas:
- Cheeks
- Jawline
- Around the mouth
- Neck
- Décolletage
- Abdomen
- Arms
- Thighs
- Knees
Treatable conditions:
- Skin laxity
- Sagging skin
- Enlarges pores
- Volume loss
- Lines & wrinkles
- Scars
- Stretch marks
- Cellulite
Other benefits of Profound RF microneedling
Profound RF microneedling doesn’t just improve skin concerns in a variety of areas. It also gives you dramatic results in a single treatment, is minimally invasive, and safe for all skin tones!
Profound is the perfect pre-vacation treatment for anyone who wants to tighten up or minimize stretch marks and reduce cellulite before hitting the beach.
Do skincare products matter on vacation? What should I bring?
To answer the first question above, Y-E-S! Your skincare regimen is just as important as the treatments you book at Entre Nous Aesthetics.
If you do not adopt healthy habits and take care of your skin with medical-grade products, you risk diminishing the results of treatments you’ve invested your time and money in.
To answer the second question, see our product recommendations below for our recommended pre-vacation skincare shopping 😊
Cleanser
In warmer temperatures, the extra heat and humidity means it’s absolutely essential to cleanse away the harmful dirt and oils accumulated on the skin morning and night to keep summer skin looking matte and feeling clean, especially on beach days.
We like Cosmedix Benefit Clean. This bestseller is perfect for all skin types. It’s an ultra-gentle facial cleanser that lifts away dirt, oil, impurities, and stubborn makeup while also soothing and hydrating the complexion
Exfoliator
Turning over dead skin cells is key to a consistently clear complexion. It’s important to slough away dead skin all over your face and body once or twice a week to keep it looking healthy.
Find a sugar or salt-based body scrub to slough away dead skin cells, excess oil, and harmful dirt and debris on your body. Use chemical exfoliants on the face, like the Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm or the ZO Skin Health Exfoliation Accelerator to keep bright, fresh skin shining at the surface.
Moisturizer
Some people think they can skip moisturizer in the summer because of the humidity and excess oil production, and we will be the first to tell those people they’re wrong.
While you should put away your rich, heavy creams for vacation or summer, it does not mean your skin can just fend for itself to get healthy moisture. Instead, just lighten up! The team at Entre Nous loves the Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel for perfect hydration without the weight.
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!
While many would describe tanned skin as a “healthy glow,” skin actually darkens when exposed to sunshine as a protective measure against UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays.
Skin cells make themselves thicker with melanin (what we see as tan) to prevent UV radiation from penetrating deeper into the skin and harming your internal tissues and organs, where it can actually cause damage to the DNA in your cells 👎
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, “UV exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer.” Most cases of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, are directly attributed to UV exposure.
The experienced skincare specialists at Medical Aesthetics & Laser, alongside the AAD, encourage everyone to practice safe sun during summer and on vacation, making the proper use of SPF protection our number one vacation prep tip.
We offer many physician-grade sunscreen options, including ones from SkinMedica, Obagi, Alastin, ZO Skin Health, and more!
Why come to Entre Nous Aesthetics?
Entre Nous Aesthetics is proud to be the premier med spa in the Bay Area. Licensed medical assistants and aestheticians perform all of our consultations and treatments, so you can relax knowing you are in the most skilled and practiced hands in the region.
Dr. Jane Weston, a renowned plastic surgeon, oversees our office and even performs several of our aesthetics treatments herself.
Besides our highly trained providers, we also invest vast amounts of time, energy, and money in research and continuing education to ensure we offer the best aesthetic care with the latest technology.
Schedule a consultation at our med spa in Menlo Park today!
If you want to get in tip-top shape for vacation, a big event, or just want to take better care of your skin, come consult with us at Entre Nous Aesthetics in Menlo Park. We can help!
We can’t wait to help you achieve the healthiest skin of your life with our range of vacation prep treatments near you.