In your 20s, it seems like taking care of your skin is pretty minimal: wash, moisturize and sunscreen. Even without any additional care, your skin is pretty much radiant and even. In your 40s, depending on how much sun damage you have (from not wearing your sunscreen in your 20s) and due to natural aging, your skin may begin to show fine lines and deeper wrinkles. So what about in between? We all age at a different rate and depending on genetics and how well we've taken care of our skin - that will determine what may be needed to make our skin look it's very best, regardless of age.

Actual Before and After Results of Clear + Brilliant, 1 Month Post 6 treatments
Images Courtesy of www.clearandbrilliant.com.com
As seen on The Dr. Oz Show, one solution for women in their 30s or women who have generally good skin and do not need quite as aggressive fractional laser resurfacing treatments yet, is the Clear + Brilliant Laser System. From Solta Medical, the makers of the popular aesthetic laser skin treatments Fraxel and Thermage, Clear + Brilliant received it's FDA clearance earlier this year and the laser device was launched at the World Congress of Dermatology in Seoul, Korea in late May, 2011.
Having already received it's CE Mark in the EU, Clear + Brilliant offers an option to the younger subset of the population - people in their 30s who are beginning to notice signs of aging or sun damage. Creams and serums may not be doing the trick anymore but these patients are not in need of aggressive treatments such as Fraxel or Thermage yet. The Clear + Brilliant Laser System is an ideal solution for these patients - offering a laser procedure that addresses aging and light sun damage and yielding better skin texture, brightness and tone.
Actual Before and After Results of Clear + Brilliant, 1 Month Post 6 treatments
Images Courtesy of www.clearandbrilliant.com.com
The two key components in skin that keep it tight and youthful-looking are collagen and elastin and unfortunately, as we age, these two proteins begin to break down at at a speed faster than our bodies can replenish them. Therefore, for patients in their 30s, they may begin to see wrinkles, lines or sun damage manifested as brown spots or hyperpigmentation that were previously not there. The Clear + Brilliant is an option for younger patients to address their early signs of aging and stimulate more collagen growth so skin is more radiant, even, smooth and youthful appearing.
According to the manufacturer, the Clear + Brilliant utilizes a laser to gently resurface the skin and may be safely used on all skin types. For this particular aesthetic device, water in the skin is the primary absorber of laser wavelength in the Clear + Brilliant. The laser uses an Intelligent Optical Tracking System (IOTS?) to deliver uniform treatment to the skin - IOTS senses skin contact with the rollers in the tip of the hand piece.
A series of treatments are recommended, between 4-6 for the best results and cost is approximately $350 per treatment. The treatment takes between 20-30 minutes and most patients experience little downtime. Post treatment, patients can expect slight redness, swelling for about 12 hours and some pain, but this is easily managed with over-the-counter pain medication.