Institut’ DERMed

This spa is an institution and a place where Buckhead socialites have been going for premier anti-aging skin care for more than 15 years. The 3,200-square-foot spa is soothing simplicity, with clean chic decor, crisp lines and muted tones, emphasizing its para-pharmaceutical product lines. Located in the posh Buckhead area of Atlanta, DERMed offers its clients a full menu of personalized treatments, from chemical peels and microdermabrasion to botox injections, Fotofacials and laser hair removal. With the spa’s own line of cosmeceuticals, a medical director, and Zen waterfall, clients eliminate wrinkles under the care of its friendly, efficient staff. Popular founder and President, Lyn Ross is revered by Atlanta’s elite, who visit often.

Institut' DERMed is part of the alternative/preventative health care category," said Ms. Ross. "Doctors are more often prescribing massage, exercise and diet as preventative medicine. This is part of that—blackheads can become acne, skin lesions can become cancer, wrinkles can get worse and sensitive skin can be exacerbated."

A Baby Boomer herself, Ms. Ross acknowledged that anti-aging is a major category within the medical spa market. The driving factor behind this, said Ms. Ross, is the need to look and feel better than our mothers. "We are the largest segment of the population and also the first segment that grew up with fitness," Ms. Ross explained. "We don't want to look like our mom did at 50; we want to look like we did at 30."

Ms. Ross noted that by age 40, women begin to notice alterations in the skin around the eyes and the mouth due to lower estrogen levels. Most women have tried everything at the department store counter with little success, she said. The newest Dermed products contain spin traps, a powerful skin reparative system; hormones such as a precursor to estrogen that helps the skin retain moisture; high concentrations of licorice to soothe the skin and arbutin, a skin lightener. All Dermed products are based on chiral technology, a system utilizing the two receptors found on human molecules. These products work with the receptors to reduce irritation, make absorption more efficient and allow for higher concentrations of ingredients. Dermed products are sold in 250 salon and spa outlets in the U.S.

Institut' DERMed COSMECEUTICAL SKINCARE AT HOME

Institut DERMed an -Atlanta-based company that has its own spa featuring advanced skincare technologies and touch therapies, also offers a line of products for serious skincare at home.

I tried their new Cell Renewal Polish, a gentle scrub formulated with zeolite minerals, similar to clay minerals, which the company uses to help strengthen the skin’s network system and assist in opening blocked energy pathways. Dermed also says the zeolite maximizes the absorption and neutralizing of toxins. Other active ingredients are date palm seeds, jojoba seeds (a traditional Native American remedy for skin and hair conditioning containing three forms of Vitamin E) and horse chestnut extract, the benefits of which are listed as anti-inflammation, an antioxidant, antiedema and assistance to the health of the veins.

The polish comes in a paste form which you are directed to massage gently into your face and neck for 2-5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and follow with a designated masque. I found the polish gentle and pleasing, although I did use a little water on my hands during the massage to keep the thick paste from pulling facial skin. Even after the first time I rinsed it away (a process that takes a few minutes), my skin was plumper, smoother and firmer. The company says Cell Renewal Polish removes dry, flaky skin to uncover hydrated cells and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, and it certainly did that for me. Even the creases beside the nose were reduced.

Cell Renewal Polish is recommended for use at least twice weekly and can be used every day, so I tried the daily route. After a week the results were noticeable enough so I was complimented on how rested I looked, and this was during a very stressful week with insufficient sleep. My skin tone also evened out during that time.

I couldn’t resist trying the polish on my hands, which take a beating and where veins and tendons have a distressing tendency to show themselves front and center. My hands, too, plumped up and the veins and tendons concealed themselves decently again; now I’m considering what it could do for my feet.

I also applied the company’s Anti-Oxidant Rich Cream, which contains Black Tundra Moss Extract, a potent anti-oxidant billed as protecting skin against free radical reactions that occur from exposure to sunlight. It is also recommended as a lubricant and protection against harsh winter weather, so it could be a very good friend on the ski slopes this winter.

Packaged in a pump bottle, the cream is rich but very quickly absorbed and certainly leaves the skin soft and flexible. DERMed says its Chiral technology isolates the right and left sides of molecules to correct the way they fit into the skin’s receptors, which increases the product penetration. The effect certainly lasts longer than most similar products.

Both the Anti-Oxidant Rich Cream and the Cell Renewal Polish are priced at $40.

Lyn Ross, the president of the company, is licensed by the Georgia Board of Cosmetology as a Master Esthetician; she spends considerable time educating doctors and nurses on the benefits of clinical skin health care. She is concentrating on creating products and therapies for healthy aging.

Dermed stresses the distinction between pharmaceuticals and cosmetic products. A cosmetic product remains on the surface of the skin and does not reach the dermis; therefore, it is not absorbed by the capillaries. Products that penetrate the dermal layer are classified as pharmaceuticals and regulated by the FDA. Their “Cosmeceuticals” are described as bridging the gap, remaining in the epidermis to perform specific functions: managing the way melanin is diffused in the skin, facilitating water retention (yes, you do want that in the skin) and neutralizing free radical reactions.

Institut DERMed Master Esthetician Lyn Ross, founded Institut DERMed in 1989 to meet the needs of those interested in skin rejuvenation. That she has done and then some. The facility offers the most advanced products and therapies for healthy aging, with customized treatment plans that help clients see and feel immediate results from medical spa therapies.

www.lynnseldon.com

Atlanta’s Institut’ DERMEd (www.idermed.com) has also helped with Stella Nova’s training, service, and product marketing success. The company provides a long list of products, an array of training options, and even two of their own MediClinical Spas in the Atlanta area.

“The synergy of medical, clinical, and spa treatments with a highly trained staff support provides a one-stop opportunity for clients to experience a full spectrum of healthy aging options, giving them greater confidence in their appearance, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being,” says Institut DERMed founder and president Lyn Ross. “We’ve worked quite well with dayspas in the areas of training and the use and sale of what we’ve come to call cosmeceuticals.”

Along with dozens of products used in Stella Nova treatments and sales, Institut DERMed offers a wide range of training options. These include one- and two-day intensives (Product & Treatment Certification, Advanced Treatment Techniques, and Microdermabrasion Plus) and the popular Institut DERMed Five-Day MediClinical Spa Intensive (Medical Aesthetic Certification, Clinical Aesthetic Certification, Spa Aesthetic Certification, and Sales & Marketing Certification).

Ross, a dayspa veteran, believes in big-time support to clients like Stella Nova. Along with products development, training, and sales support, other staff members work diligently to spread the word to both consumers and those in the industry.