MANILA, Philippines?The desire for beautiful skin knows no age, gender, or occupation. And the increasing trend, especially with those that have more to spare, is undergoing treatments.

Peeling treatments in particular are the favorite of many dermatological customers. It?s also the most frequently recommended treatment for quickly achieving the desired results.

Last July 23, Physicians? Care Alliance Skin and Clinical Care Products, a new alternative and development to peeling treatments and skincare was formally launched in Manila. PCA Skin was established 20 years ago in Arizona. It expanded years later, distributing products across the United States and internationally.

Jennifer Linder, MD, a board-certified dermatologist who also holds a clinical faculty position at the Dermatology Department of the University of California, San Francisco, flew to the Philippines to launch and educate local dermatologists on PCA Skin.

?The goal is to get healthy skin,? Linder says. As opposed to other philosophies, she says healthy skin, not beautiful skin, is the preference because ?achieving healthy skin is how you get beautiful skin.?

Comprehensive

She explains that PCA Skin differs from other brands and skincare lines because it offers comprehensive solutions, having product lines that respond to different skin types (sensitive skin, sensitive and oily skin, skin with pigmentation, sensitive skin with pigmentation, acne, occasional acne, anti-aging for oily and for dry skin).

Since PCA Skin is only available through certified dermatologists, the product lines have also been specially designed to help both the consumer and physicians to better identify the patients? need.

Another unique aspect to the products is how it is ?progressive rather than aggressive,? Linder says.

If one has ever been recommended for peeling treatments, then one would know of the downside to a serious and intensive peeling session?the deliberate burning of the skin to induce skin renewal. That means, forget work or school, or any public place for a couple of days. Staying at home or downtime to recover from the burn, itch and flaking of the skin. But not everyone has the luxury of time for that.

?The word ?peel,? is almost like a misnomer. Because what?s happening is you?re triggering cellular change on the inside of the cells in terms of getting the cells to a healthier place.?

A peeling session with the product line would not result in burnt skin that stings. Instead, a patient can readily go back to his or her regular schedule and fine peeling or flaking will occur only three days after the session.

Optimum results

To achieve optimum results in treatment, active ingredients are applied to the skin after the pigments (like brown spots) are lifted.

?If you do one of the PCA peels, which work hand-in-hand with the home-care products, the skin or pigment is lifted and when the skin is opened up by the peel, that?s when you can put specific serums on top to activate change,? says Linder.

She also recommends that peeling sessions like these be performed a series of times to get steady changes and results, rather than one major treatment which may end up in side effects. The frequency of special peels differs with cases.

Linder says that roughly, patients being treated with hyper-pigmentation should get treatments every three weeks, patients with acne every two to four weeks, and for anti-ageing every month.

?It really depends though with what you are having treated. That?s why having a dermatologist performing the treatments is very important,? she says.

The PCA Skin home-care products and peeling treatments vary in ingredients (peeling treatments alone have 14 different kinds) like lactic acid, salicylic acid, kojic acid, trichloroacetic acid and dosage for different corrective purposes.