I don’t want you spending months on a skin plan and still wondering whether anything is actually working.
You’re investing your time, your money, and your trust. You should understand why we recommended a treatment, what we expect it to do, and how we’re going to assess your progress. And if things aren’t going the way we expected, you deserve more of an explanation than, “Let’s just do another one.”
That’s a big reason we brought Aura Reality 3D skin imaging into Skin!.
Yes, I am very excited about our fancy new camera. But what I’m most excited about is being able to sit down with you, look at your skin together, and have a more informed conversation about what it needs. We can document where we’re starting, use that information to help build your plan, and come back to it as we go.
Because “I think it looks better?” is a starting point for a conversation. I would like us to have a little more to work with.
What is the Aura Reality skin analyzer?
Aura is a camera and imaging system that creates a detailed, three-dimensional model of your face and neck. We can rotate that model and explore different views that highlight pigmentation, redness, and texture. It also allows us to assess features such as pores, lines, and facial contours.
Think about looking at your skin in your bathroom mirror versus your car mirror. Somehow, you are having two very different days.
Lighting, angles, and positioning affect what we see in a photograph, too. Aura uses controlled imaging conditions to help us create more consistent records, rather than trying to compare a casually taken “before” photo with an “after” that has completely different lighting.
The camera gives us images and measurements to work with. My job is to put them into context: what they mean for you, which findings actually matter, and how they fit with your history and examination.
What are we looking at in those images?
The brown, red, and texture views help us separate concerns that might otherwise get lumped together as “my skin just looks uneven.”
That distinction matters when we’re deciding what to address.
Browns: A closer look at pigmentation
The brown view highlights pigmentation patterns so we can examine their distribution more closely.
But seeing pigment doesn’t automatically tell me why it’s there or which treatment you need. I still want to know when you noticed it, whether it followed a breakout or a procedure, what you’ve been using, and how your skin has responded.
That information helps guide our recommendations. We may focus on your home regimen first, discuss an in-office treatment, or decide we need to address irritation before moving forward.
I don’t want to recommend a brightening treatment simply because the camera showed us something brown. I want to understand what we’re treating.
Reds: Is your skin asking us to slow down?
The red view emphasizes redness patterns that may be less obvious in a regular photograph.
This is where your experience is especially important. Does your skin sting when you apply products? Have you become more reactive? Are you flushing, breaking out, or noticing redness that wasn’t there before?
The image cannot answer those questions for you, and it doesn’t diagnose rosacea or another condition on its own. We interpret it alongside what you tell us and what we see during your examination.
Sometimes that conversation leads to a treatment recommendation. Sometimes it leads to me asking you to stop adding things to your face for a little while.
More is not always what your skin needs.
Texture: Separating uneven color from an uneven surface
The texture view helps us look more closely at irregularities in the skin’s surface.
This is useful when we’re discussing concerns such as acne scarring. You may have both discoloration and changes in contour, and those are different things to address. Seeing them separately helps explain why your plan may involve more than one approach.
We can talk through which concern each part of the plan is intended to improve, rather than expecting one treatment to do everything.
And before anyone becomes alarmed by seeing their pores this clearly: pores are normal. We are not looking for every possible “flaw” to treat. We’re looking at the concerns that brought you here.
How does this change your treatment plan?
Anyone who has talked skincare with me knows I want to know what you’re using at home. That includes the products you use consistently and the exfoliant you occasionally bring out when you feel like your face needs a fresh start.
Your home routine matters. So does your treatment history, how your skin feels, your goals, and what you can realistically commit to.
Aura gives us another layer of information to bring into that conversation.
Two people can both ask for smoother, clearer skin and need very different plans. One may have irritated, reactive skin that needs a simpler routine before we consider a procedure. Another may have stable skin and residual scarring that we can begin addressing.
Giving them the same package would not make sense.
With your images in front of us, we can explain what we’re prioritizing and why. We can connect your skincare recommendations to your in-office treatments, discuss the order we would approach things, and establish when we’ll reassess.
I want you to leave knowing what your products and appointments are supposed to accomplish. You should not have to go home and piece that together yourself.
Here’s the part I care about most: Is the plan working?
The first scan is useful. Being able to return to that baseline is what makes this especially valuable to me.
As we move through your plan, we can compare images and available measurements with where you started. We can look at the concerns we agreed to address and discuss whether we’re seeing the changes we expected.
We also need to know how your skin feels. A change on a screen is only part of the picture; your comfort, tolerance, and experience matter, too.
If something isn’t working as expected, we don’t blindly continue it. We reassess.
Maybe we need to adjust your products. Maybe the timing or type of treatment needs to change. Maybe your skin needs more recovery time, or we need to reconsider what is contributing to the concern.
That doesn’t mean changing everything after one appointment. Some improvements take time, and I will absolutely tell you when patience is part of the process. But I also want to explain what we’re waiting for and when it makes sense to evaluate it.
The camera doesn’t guarantee a result. It gives us more information to help decide whether we should continue, adjust, or pause.
To me, that is a much more useful role for technology than producing an impressive image that we never look at again.
How is Aura different from VISIA?
You may have had a VISIA scan before. VISIA is another skin-analysis system that can assess concerns such as pigmentation, redness, pores, and texture, and help document changes over time.
What drew me to Aura was the way it brings skin analysis and three-dimensional face-and-neck measurements together in an interactive model. We can discuss what’s happening at the skin’s surface alongside facial contours, rather than treating those as completely separate conversations.
The systems use different imaging approaches. For example, VISIA includes ultraviolet imaging, while Aura produces its pigment views using filters and software without requiring UV light. VISIA also has 3D options, so I’m not going to tell you that Aura is the only system capable of that.
For me, the value is in how we use it during your care. I want the images to help you understand our recommendations, and I want us to revisit them when we’re evaluating your progress.
A good camera is useful. What your provider does with the information matters just as much.
What if you’ve already had treatments and aren’t happy with your skin?
You are welcome to come in without knowing what you need next. That is something we can work through together.
Maybe you’ve had several treatments without seeing the improvement you hoped for. Maybe your skin has become more reactive or uneven. Maybe you have so many products that you no longer know which ones are helping.
Before recommending anything else, I want to understand what happened.
Aura cannot tell us exactly why a previous treatment didn’t work or what caused a reaction. It can help us document how your skin looks now, while your history and examination help us decide what needs further attention.
Sometimes the next step is another treatment. Sometimes it’s changing your home routine, allowing your skin to settle, or looking more closely at the underlying issue.
You do not need to arrive prepared to buy another package. Come prepared to tell us what’s been going on.
What to expect at your consultation
We’ll start by talking about your skin, your goals, and what you’ve tried. Then we’ll capture your images and review the relevant views with you.
The capture is quick. We spend the meaningful part of the appointment discussing what we’re seeing and how it affects our recommendations.
We’ll talk about priorities, realistic expectations, your home regimen, and which in-office treatments may make sense. Budget and downtime belong in that conversation, too. A plan needs to work for your life, not just look good on paper.
You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions. I would much rather explain why we’re recommending something now than have you leave wondering whether you actually need it.
Let’s get to know your skin
I brought Aura into Skin! because I want us to have more useful information at the beginning of your plan and as we work through it.
I want you to see what we’re seeing, understand our recommendations, and feel comfortable asking whether we’re making progress.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to figure out what to do after a disappointing experience, we would love to meet you.
Book an in-person consultation at Skin! Medical Aesthetics in Denver, and let’s build a plan for your skin.
Aura imaging takes place in the clinic and supports our clinical assessment. It does not replace a medical examination.