The Plateau Effect Explained

Ever wondered why some skin care seems great at first, but then just stops working for you after a while?

I come across this a lot during consultations with clients where I ask what line they're currently on. A lot of people will say "Well I'm using this (insert name here) brand and I actually really liked it at first, but now my skin has gone back to the way it was before. It's frustrating, nothing seems to work for me in the long term."

Some people get so fed up they stop using skin care all together and go back to plain old water and moisturizer while all the ghosts of their skin care past take up the space under their bathroom sink.
You're even picturing the exact cupboard all your old skin care is sitting in and collecting dust right now, aren't you?

It's alright...we've all done it, and we all have that cupboard!

No, you're not just imagining the lack of results. The skin plateaus since the skin care being used isn't made to progress the skin any further.

It's sort of like if you started a workout routine at the gym...10 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of light weights...but did only that for the next 5 years.
Sure, you might notice an improvement in your fitness or muscle tone at first but without progressing to a more intense program to fit your new and improved level of fitness, you're never going to see anything more.

It's the same idea with your skin.
Most of us know there are 2 main layers to the skin. The dermis and epidermis. What you may not know is there are even more layers within these.
The epidermis is actually made up of 5 different layers and contrary to popular belief, it is very much alive. The only layer of the epidermis that is dead is the very top layer called the Stratum Corneum.

The dermis is made up of 2 different layers and is just above the layer of fat tissue, or subcutaneous tissue.

So without getting too far into the anatomy of the skin, my point is the skin is alive and is our barrier to the outside world. Beyond that it has many more jobs like heat regulation, sensation, secretion, excretion and absorption.

To do all those things properly it needs to be nourished, like any other part of our body does.
The skin needs vitamins, antioxidants and peptides (just to name a few) to function at its best.

But if you only ever feed your skin the same concentration/dosage of these things, it will never continue to improve. You will always plateau.
This is why so many people bounce around from one line to another. They're desperately trying to find something new to keep the results going, but unfortunately this chase usually ends in frustration and in money not-so-well spent.

Enter Environ!!!!

This is one of the reasons Environ has their unique step-up system.
They make different concentrations of their corrective serums and moisturizers to keep the improvements going and going.

Using the Youth-EssentiA C-Quence Serums (my all time favourite) as an example...you start on level 1 and it goes all the way up to 5.
Each serum lasts about three months so the skin has time to adjust to the dosage, improve, become stronger and repeat with each step up! This way you're constantly seeing positive changes.

...and I know what you're thinking, "What about when you get to level 5? Won't you just plateau at that point?"

NOOOO! That's the wonderful, amazing, ingeniousness that is Environ!!

Once you move up to the higher levels in the serums, you can start to add in Retinol (which also comes in two different levels) to further improve.

Now this is where it gets sort of tricky.

Since one of the very important jobs of the skin is to be our protection and barrier...when you make it stronger through vitamin therapy like this, it naturally becomes increasingly difficult for the vitamins and other nourishment in topical products to penetrate into the skin where it needs to be.

This is where cosmetic needling comes in!
I know, sounds sort of scary right? I promise it's really not!!

Environ makes a cosmetic needling device that you use at home for this very reason. Now that the skin has become so resilient and strong, we need to find a way to continue getting all the nourishment in the right place.

Imagine a miniature paint roller, except on the rolling head you have 0.1mm tiny needles.
They're only big enough to open microscopic pathways in the superficial layers of the skin so all the active ingredients applied afterwards, can get inside!

Even looking at the roller up close in person, it can be difficult to see the tiny needles at all. It sort of feels scratchy on the skin and can leave the face a little flushed for a few minutes afterwards, but that's only due to drawing extra blood flow to the area.
In case you're wondering, no! It does not cause any pin point bleeding at all! You'd have to use a roller with needles about 1mm in length to make that happen (just to give you a comparison).


In conclusion, that solves the on going mystery of why the initial improvement from typical skin care never seems to last. It's just not made to do anything more.

So, maybe it's time to switch over to something that will actually work for you in the long term and won't ever leave you feeling disappointed!!

Just sayin'!


To book a consultation with me text or call 403 991 1663, message me on Instagram @lauras_lasers or email at lauraslasers@gmail.com

How To Treat Your Acne Scars At Home

To be clear, this is not an article on how to torture your skin with house hold products...if you've read my previous blogs you may know I'm not exactly the biggest fan of baking soda masks, lemon juice peels or apple cider vinegar in place of toner.

Instead this blog is about how to get the most out of your home care routine (with the correct products that were made for human skin) to lighten scars from acne.

To start off, there are actually two different kinds of scars that acne can leave behind.
The first is called Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH for short) and these are the scars that appear pink, red, purple or brown in colour and are flat, not indented in the skin.

The other kind are scars that are pitted and indented in the skin, and these can come in different shapes and have different names such as "box car" or "ice pick" scars.

These types of scars cannot be fixed with home care, so this blog is addressing the PIH scarring only.
I'll quickly say that to treat indented scarring you need to look into things like laser resurfacing, needling,  injectables and skin care as these scars are the most difficult to treat. It is do-able however so those with indented scars should no be deterred by this article.

Do your research and look into someone who has experience treating different types of scars on different types of skin (...hi!!) and go in for a consultation to get all the details.

Now as for those PIH scars...I have to say this is a very common concern as these scars can stick around for a very long time, can be embarrassing and a pain to try and cover with make up on a daily basis.
As someone who has been there and done that, I know how frustrating it is to constantly be reminded of those breakouts from the past and wondering when the spots will finally fade away.

Good news is the spots do tend to improve in most people over time, bad news is that it can take years and ain`t nobody got time for that, am I right?

First thing you have to do is ditch all the skin care I'd bet you're currently using that is slowing your progress down and likely damaging your skin. Make the switch to high quality effective products and once you start to see a difference, you'll be so happy you did!

Astringents

Sometime these products hide behind the word "toner" when they're actually full of alcohol and medicated ingredients such as peroxides, tea tree oil and salicylic acid.

While I don't have anything against those last two ingredients on their own, when formulated into an astringent with a bunch of alcohol it really does suck the skin dry of all moisture and hydration.
You know that tight, squeaky clean feeling it gives you?
Ya, that's not a good thing!

When you strip the skin of all its natural oils and moisture you're removing the protective barrier on the surface which leaves the skin open and vulnerable to environmental damage. It also stimulates the oil glands to work extra hard and produce more oil to replace what was lost. Excess oil can also contribute to more breakouts, and therefor more scars.

Replace your astringent with a real, proper toner. A true toner should balance pH and instead of taking away, it should give back to your skin.
Environs Moisturizing Toner was my first true love and what ultimately got me hooked on the rest of Environs incredible products.
The toner has vitamins, botanicals and lactic acid which all work together to even skin tone, lightly exfoliate, balance pH and add hydration. The product should be used morning and night after cleansing.


Scrubs

I don't care what brand it is or how much you paid for it, all scrubs are evil.
They increase inflammation, strip the skin, spread bacteria and will actually slow down how quickly your skin renews itself, which means it's slowing down how quickly those scars can start to fade away.

Use the rest of your scrub up on your feet, knees and elbows and switch to an exfoliant that will do much more for you. Environs Revival Masque, or Teoxane's Perfect Skin Refiner are both wonderful options.

Environs Revival Masque has lactic, malic and asiatic acid to dissolve dull, dead skin cells, kill bacteria, stimulate a faster renewal rate of the skin and prevent future breakouts at the same time.
I like to think of the Masque as a mini at-home chemical peel. Used 1-2 times a week and left on for 25 to 45 minutes at a time, it really helps to fade pigment, even skin tone and gives a beautiful dewy glow!

Teoxanes Perfect Skin Refiner has hyaluronic acid and glycolic acid to deeply hydrate the skin while the acid goes to work. This is a great option for anyone with severely dry skin, or those who want a product where you can put it on and forget about it as it's used as a night time lotion 2-3 times a week. Men usually love this product!


Skin Bleachers

I know it's easy to become frustrated and want a quick easy fix no matter the product or cost, but please don't go the skin bleaching route!
Hydroquinone or "HQ" has been banned in several countries around the world as it is considered a potential carcinogen, or cancer causing.

The chemical works by poisoning the pigment producing cells in the skin, called melanocytes.
Long term use of the chemical risks melanocyte death, and once a melanocyte has been destroyed there is no coming back.
This means you can be left with permanent white patches in the skin where there is no pigment at all. If however, you stop using the product before you get to that point the melanocytes often rebound after usage has stopped and produce way more pigment than ever before.
So, the problem comes right back and can even be worse than it was before!

A healthy alternative that is even more effective is something like Environs C-Boost Lotion. 
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and helps to lighten and brighten the skin naturally by simply blocking the signals to the melanocytes, so they never get the message to make more pigment!
Besides that it stimulates healthy collagen production, protects against sun damage, evens skin tone and hydrates all at the same time.
The product can be used twice a day for years and it will only make the skin more healthy and resilient.


For any questions or to book a consultation with me you can contact me through my Instagram page which is @Lauras_Lasers or call/text 403 991 1663

The Miracle of Collagen Creams! ...Not.

We’ve all seen them…beautifully packaged and yummy smelling body or face lotions (that can also come with a serious price tag!) that promise firmer, younger looking skin. The secret ingredient? Collagen of course!

 

Collagen is the sexy protein fiber in the skin that gives it structure, firmness and therefor youthfulness! The younger you are, the more of it you’ll have! Due to natural aging, sun exposure, diet and other factors we lose collagen as we age (about 1-2% each year), so doesn’t it make sense to start applying it on our skin every day to stay looking young forever?

 

Well…no.

 

I have to give it to the skincare companies marketing angles, I mean it works right? We see the word collagen and immediately think “Anti-aging in a bottle! I must have it!”

 

The sad reality is this is just a great way to sell products. Similar to other gimmicky ingredients like activated charcoal, 24 karat gold, Australian clay, Co-Enzyme Q10, Himalayan salt, algae, fish caviar extract, plant stem cells, coconut oil, snail mucus…please, someone stop me. I can’t even.

 

There are simply too many of these ingredients to name but they all serve the very same purpose, to sell sell sell! And unfortunately your skin doesn’t actually benefit much. The size of a collagen molecule is huge when you’re talking about a substances ability to penetrate into the skin, which is meant to keep things out! It would be like trying to get a whole cucumber to fit through a spaghetti strainer, it just ain’t happening.

 

Why don’t we just say, for fun, that collagen could penetrate into the skin. Skin care products don’t contain human collagen; they typically contain bovine (cow) or fish collagen. Okay, so now we have a different species collagen in our skin. What is it going to do? Is it going to magically intertwine with our own collagen to give us more?? Nope! Even if it was human collagen it still doesn’t work that way.

 

Collagen is produced in the skin by cells called fibroblasts. Fibroblasts need nourishment such vitamin A, C and peptides to make lots of healthy collagen and elastin. Peptides are chains of amino acids and are specifically formulated into skin care to stimulate collagen production. Laser and light treatments will also stimulate healthy collagen production as this is your skins way of healing, by producing collagen.

 

Therefore, if you’re going to invest your hard earned money into the health of your skin you should invest in the right products to do so. Don’t go for the hottest trending product. Choose professionals who can sell you medical grade, top of the line skin care proven by science and facts.

 

Oh, and that collagen laced cream you just splurged on? Best possible outcome is it’s going to bring a little more moisture to the surface of your skin, since collagen does hold some water. That’s about it though.