Glossary of Skin Care & Anti-Ageing Treatment Terms: Definitions

Anti-aging and skincare treatments continue to evolve rapidly, as new technologies for treating the skin become available in Australia. If you’ve ever felt confused about what a certain skincare term means, read our Skin Care Glossary, below – or phone us during Clinic Hours on (03) 8849 1400 and ask to speak with one of our Dermal Clinicians or Senior Nurse Injectors.

Skin Clinic Terms	Glossary of Skin Care Treatments & Skin Care Definitions
Acne and scarring	Acne is a common skin condition impacting individuals of all ages, but often more prevalent in teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24. Acne results from skin blemishes or clogged pores, typically caused by excessive oil production along with the accumulation of dead skin cells and bacteria in the skin pores. Frequently accompanied by inflammation, redness and skin irritation, acne can lead to long-term pitted-types of scarring or skin discolouration. Our Dermal Clinicians can treat Acne with special skin treatments, skin peels and the right medical-grade home-based skin care products. Please note: store bought and internet products do not have track records in reducing acne; but our Dermal Clinicians can help you to significantly reduce your breakouts and acne.
Ageing Skin	Ageing skin is skin that has begun to lose it's strength, firmness, vascularity and collagen levels. Ageing skin is often characterised by laxity, wrinkles, lines and potential skin sagging over the bone structures (your bones also atrophy with age). There are numerous high-tech skin treatments to rejuvenate your skin and stall the visible signs of ageing, including light based therapies, collagen induction treatments (CIT such as DermaPen), ablative and non-ablative skin laser treatments and active ingredients in serums and cosmeceutical-grade skin care products such as Medik8, Obagi, DNA Renewal, PCA Skincare and Cosmedix. For vaginal skin rejuvenation, there is also MonaLisa Touch treatments.
Anti-ageing skincare and skin maintenance	A variety of cosmetic approaches that are used by Dermal Clinicians and Cosmetic Injection Clinicians to reduce or slow down the visible signs of ageing. Most commonly used on the facce, anti-ageing procedures can also be used on other body parts including hands, chest area/décolletage area, breast skin, buttocks skin and tummy skin. Some of the common methods to fight visible signs of ageing include low level light therapy (LLLT) with Healite II, deep Skin Peels, Lasers and cosmeceutical medical-grade skin care products.
Anti-wrinkle Injections	Anti-wrinkle injection treatments are commonly called by their brand names (not publishable by name in Australia, but household names for anti-wrinkle injections that you'll be well familiar with). These are known as minimally invasive procedures, and may combine muscle relaxant injections with injections in other areas of the face using dermal volumisers (skin volumisers or dermal fillers, such as used on lips). These cosmetic injection procedures are used to restore volume to the treated areas and block signals going to the muscles underneath the wrinkles. Anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers can help your skin look smoother, younger and firmer. By reducing wrinkles and restoring lost facial volume, cosmetic injections can provide a rejuvenating effect to your entire face (as wrinkles and lines can make you look tired or worried).
Cellulite	A skin condition characterised by a dimpled, lumpy appearance of body fat underneath the skin, often partially in relation to changes in skin tension, combined with cumulative fat stores in certain areas of the body. Cellulite is often most noticeable on the buttocks, thighs and other areas with underlying fat deposits; and both men and women can get cellulite. Liposuction cannot remove cellulite but reduced fat stores may help minimise the appearance of cellulite.
Collagen Stimulating Laser Treatments	Collagen stimulating lasers are relatively non-invasive procedures that make use of targeted light based technology (lasers) to stimulate the body’s natural wound repair mechanisms. Some of these lasers create a controlled wound or controlled injury to the skin in the target area. Examples of highly effective lasers to help stimulate new collagen and skin renewal processes include DOT Therapy (CO2 Laser) and Fraxel Restore.
Cosmeceutical Skincare	Cosmeceutical skin care is sometimes called 'medical grade' skin care. This is the combination of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and involves active ingredients that have a noticeable impact on the appearance of the skin over time. The medical-grade Cosmeceutical skin care products offered by Coco Ruby include these highly rated clinic brands: Medik8, Obagi, DNA Renewal, PCA Skin and Cosmedix.
DEKA Mona Lisa Touch treatments	MonaLisa Touch treatments offer a form of Vaginal Rejuvenation. MonaLisa Touch treatments make use of an innovative fractional CO2 laser to help rejuvenate the vaginal area tissues. This treatment can help reduce painful intercourse (dyspareunia), improve vaginal lubrication or restore normal tissue moisture levels for women who are post-menopausal or who have had cancer treatments, reduce skin laxity, combat vaginal atrophy and vaginal dryness, and even improve vaginal skin tightness after child birth. Mild incontinence is also often improved after MonaLisa Touch treatments. Treatments required: 3 treatments at 4 week intervals.
Dermal Fillers	Dermal volumisers, known as "dermal fillers," are temporary acting materials injected into the skin to plump the areas of the face or restore lost facial volume to cheeks, lips, temples and jawlines. By increasing the volume and restoring feature definition where bone atrophy has led to an aged appearance of the face, dermal fillers can significantly help to conceal the more visible signs of ageing. Longevity: Dermal fillers can last from several months to up to 12 or 18 months for some areas of the face. Lip fillers usually last 4 to 6 months but this can vary.
DermaPen - Skin Needling	Is an advanced vertical skin needling technology which makes use of multiple needles that pierce the skin in order to stimulate increased natural collagen production and faster repair mechanism. Treatments required: Typically 3 treatments for best results.
DOT Therapy - C02 Skin Laser	DOT THERAPY is also known as Dermal Optical Thermolysis therapy. It is a highly effective skin rejuvenation procedure that makes use of carbon dioxide energy which penetrates the skin layers through columns or channels. This treatment stimulates the skin and encourages collagen growth and the formation of new, healthy skin tissues for a rejuvenating effect. Downtime: Approximately 2 weeks of swelling, redness and skin peeling. Treatments required: Typically 3 treatments for best results.
Facial Injectables	Cosmetic Injections or injected products such as temporary-filler-solution based dermal fillers or anti-wrinkle injection solutions.
Fraxel Laser 1927nm and 1550nm	A Fraxel laser treatment is a skin rejuvenation procedure which can make use of non-ablative laser wavelengths: the 1927nm wavelength which targets the outer layer of the skin, and the 1550nm wavelength which penetrates deeper into the skin. Your Dermal Clinician can advise which treatments will be best for your primary skin concerns.
Healite II (LED or low level light therapy, LLLT)	Healite II Is a form of low-level light therapy (LLLT) which makes use of safe wavelengths delivered onto the skin. These lights are delivered in a particular way that helps stimulate the body’s natural cellular repair mechanisms. Healite II and other low level light therapy treatments have been shown to improve surgery recovery time or reduce skin treatment healing times, relieve joint and muscle pain, and provide increased circulation, healing and collagen stimulation. One of the benefits of Healite II is that it is relaxing, has relatively little down time, and can be safely used on nearly all skin types.
Hyperpigmentation or Skin Pigmentation concerns	Hyper-pigmentation is a common, often harmless skin condition in which skin patches become darker than the surrounding skin. This often results from overproduction of melanin, which is the brown pigment in your skin responsible for producing the colour of the skin. Hyperpigmentation often results from sun damage and can be effectively treated by an experienced Dermal Clinician and using the right cosmeceutical skin care products at home, as well as avoiding damaging sun exposure. Common places people experience pigmentation problems include the face, scalp, hands, arms, and decolletage or other areas where sun exposure is frequent and cumulative over time. Sun burns can also produce pigmentation concerns and are linked with the development of melanoma.
Injectable Fillers (Dermal Volumisers)	Injectable fillers are similar to dermal fillers (See above). Dermal Fillers are essentially dermal volumisers that can temporarily re-plump the skin, such as the lips, cheeks, jawline or tear troughs, to help reduce the visible signs of ageing skin and facial ageing.
IPL Laser and Hair removal	IPL stands for "Intense Pulsed Light." IPL is another form of light therapy that makes use of multiple wavelengths, and these help destroy the follicles/hair growing cells responsible for growing hair in unwanted areas, such as the underarms, bikini area or upper lip and chin area of the face.
Laser Hair Reduction or Laser Hair Removal	Laser Hair Removal is a non-invasive hair reduction procedure which makes use of light therapy (laser therapy) to purposely damage the hair follicles to minimise hair regrowth on the treated areas. Multiple treatments are usually required for best results; and laser hair removal is not always suitable for all skin types. The sensation of hair removal can sometimes be compared to a short-lasting stinging sensation or similar to a rubber-band snapping on the skin; but everyone has different skin sensitivities. Numbing cream can sometimes be used to improve your comfort levels during hair removal. Repeat treatments may be required over time for maintenance but laser hair removal is a convenient way to minimise the need for recurring shaving, frequent waxing and other hair minimisation treatments.
Leg veins, angiomas and venous lakes	If your leg veins become swollen and enlarged, they may vary in colour, become more visible under the skin and can look unattractive. They tend to show up on the lower legs and even younger people can get them. Highly visible leg veins often result from valve malfunctions within the veins, and can often be treated.
Light Chemical Peels	Also known as AHA chemical peels, glycolic acid peels, or salicylic acid chemical peels, light peels are a non-invasive skin treatment option that removes dead skin cells to help exfoliate your skin and encourage increased cell repair.
Lines and Wrinkles	Fine lines are usually considered to be 1 to 2 millimetres in depth, while wrinkles are considered lines or skin indentations that are deeper than 2 millimetres.
Liquid Facelift	A "liquid facelift" is a cosmetic procedure that involves only injections, not surgery. This procedure involves placing adequate amounts of dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections into the face, at strategic locations, to reduce wrinkles and lines and give the face a rejuvenated appearance.
Liquid Nose Job	Similar to non-surgical rhinoplasty, a "liquid nose job" is where small but attractive changes can be made to the nose (usually the bridge or nose tip) using dermal fillers or anti-wrinkle injection strategies).
Permanent Hair Reduction	Similar to laser hair removal, permanent hair reduction reduces hair growth in certain areas, but does not tend to fully eliminate all hair regrowth. Top ups and maintenance are usually required but you will tend to notice significant reductions in hair after laser-based or IPL hair reduction or hair removal treatments.
Post surgery scar therapy	Post surgery scar reduction or scar revision therapy can involve a number of different therapies. Often, these make use of laser therapies to create a grid pattern of pin-sized holes onto the target scar area, to stimulate healing and production of new healthy tissues. Another method is to use microneedling or skin needling (CIT - collagen induction therapy using a DermaPen and other methods). Healite II treatments and silicone strips can also reduce scars after surgery. Ask your Dermal Clinician team or your Plastic Surgeon about your options for scar reduction or scar revisions.
Redness or Rosacea	Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that is characterized by skin sensitivity, flare-ups and remissions of skin irritation or flushing of the skin, often along the cheeks and nose but sometimes involving the entire facial area. It is accompanied by mild to severe facial redness that may vary depending on what you use on your skin topically, what you injest in terms of food, and your overall circulation (often becoming redder when you are stressed or exercising, for example). Our Dermal Clinicians have excellent options for managing Rosacea. Phone (03) 8849 1400 if you are wanting to explore Clinic treatment options and the best at-home cosmeceutical care regimes using medical grade products for sensitive skin.
Reveal Imaging (Canfield REVEAL) - Special Photography used in Skin Consultation	Canfield's REVEAL system is a computer-controlled skin imaging or photography processing technique which has the ability to take pictures of your skin in order to reveal pigmentation within the area, inflammation, and other vascular conditions. It is a great tool to visualise what is happening beneath the skin.
Rosacea	(See Redness and Rosacea, above). A chronic skin condition characterized by flare-ups and remissions, mild to severe facial redness and skin sensitivity or 'skin flushing.'
Skin Laxity	Also known as skin sagging or loose skin, skin laxity results from a variety of factors including natural ageing processes, genetics, lifestyle factors including substance use or weight changes, and environmental factors including exposure to chemicals or pollution.
Skin Redness	Skin redness often results from blood rushing to the surface of your skin in response to either a chemical or skin irritant, excess sun exposure, an emotional upset such as embarrassment, or other factors. Read more under "Redness or Rosacea" above.
Skincare or Skin Care	Your Skin is your largest organ, and serves as a protective barrier for your underlying organs, nerves and tissue structures. Skincare can encompass a number of aspects of skin well-being. Effective skin care often requires a holistic, Clinician guided approach that supports skin integrity including proper hygiene, good nutrition, avoidance of prolonged sun exposure, proper hydration, and proper use of medical-grade skincare products personally selected for your primary skin concerns or skin problems. Skin care might give you the best results if you use the right products at home and get regular skin treatments for any problems or concerns, such as ageing, acne, redness, rosacea, pigmentation/hyper-pigmentation or lines and wrinkles.
Spider Veins	"Spider veins" is a colloquial term for a skin condition that visually resembles viens appearing in the form of “spider legs.” It often results from dilated superficial blood vessels secondary to increased pressure within the veins.
Sun Damage	Sun damage leads to premature ageing and can result in melanoma or other skin cancer formation. Sun damage is an injury to the top layer(s) of the skin, caused by prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The best way to avoid sun damaged skin and premature ageing is to use high quality, medical grade sun blocks and physical protection such as hats and quality sun glasses.
Varicose Veins	Varicose Veins are swollen, enlarged, twisted looking veins that are present under your skin’s surface.
Vascular lasers	Vascular treatment lasers are special types of lasers which selectively target unwanted or abnormal blood vessels under the skin, whilst reducing trauma or injury to the surrounding area.