Striving For A Higher Standard

These days it seems like everyone and their dog is a skin care expert, it can be confusing to know how to decipher the real information and the trending now, gimmicky kind of information...i.e. 24K gold, collagen, Himalayan salt, coconut oil, and charcoal ingredients that all promise to transform your skin.

 

First off, many people will be surprised to learn that to be a skin care professional there are no requirements or standards set in place. Not even in spas or medi-spas, and of course anyone on the planet (and who knows, maybe even seriously their dog!?) can sign up and start selling skin care from pyramid type companies.

 

Without needing to write an entire separate blog, we’ll just say that the skin is an organ. The largest organ of the body, and just like any other organ it needs proper nutrition to be healthy.

The cells in the skin are growing and dividing constantly, just like all the cells in the rest of the human body. These cells need vitamins and minerals to function normally. When you come across new, trendy skin care you might want to approach with some healthy skepticism.

 

Skin care that provides high quality vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, peptides and hydration are products that will feed, and change the skin. These types of products are placed in a separate category all together, called cosmeceuticals. They are highly concentrated, active products that are only sold through spas or clinics with trained professionals.

 

Even more terrifying, the same goes for the laser and light industry. No requirements, no standards, nothing needed to get behind a laser and start treating people. That being said, it’s always important to do your homework when you’re choosing to hand over not just your money, but your face to someone.

 

Many clinics and spas choose to set higher standards and will only hire estheticians or laser technicians who have gone to school and have experience in the industry.

Some clinics and spas however, do not. So the onus is on the client to research, and to even simply ask what kind of education their esthetician or technician has and what the hiring policies of the establishment may be.

 

While getting bad skin care advice may not be the end of the world as it may only turn out to be a waste of money and dissapointment in the lack of results, a bad laser or light treatment can be far more costly.

Burns, infections, scarring, permanent pigmentation and eye damage are just a few of the complications that can arise from a treatment gone bad.

 

Of course, this article is not meant to instill fear in those who are looking into laser or light treatments. After all when done properly, the results can truly be amazing and well worth the investment.

 

However it’s important to know that these treatments don’t just involve a point and shoot method. Laser and light physics and the interaction this energy has with tissue is a science and something that needs to be well understood by those delivering treatments.

Be diligent, don’t trust blindly and do your homework!

3 Reasons to Break Up With Your Facial Scrub

At first you may ask yourself “where has this product been all my life??” since like with most new relationships, it seems exciting and fruitful. In the beginning your scrub may seem to deliver instantly soft, smooth skin and before you know it you’re hooked!

 

You find yourself scrubbing nearly every day and you can’t picture ever wanting to give it up. But unfortunately, we have some bad news…your scrub is actually hiding some nasty secrets from you.

 

1. Inflammation

If you were to look at a facial scrub under a microscope most of them would look like jagged, uneven, rough grains of sand. When rubbed across the skin these grains cause microscopic lesions and damage to the surface of the skin. As a result the skin automatically goes into a state of repair which leads to inflammation. When done on a regular basis you’ll actually find your skin can become quite sensitive and prone to redness and other irritation. That’s because it’s inflamed and constantly in a state of healing.

 

2. Thinning

As we get older our skin, like all the cells in our body, reproduce as a slower rate. This means it takes longer for our skin to make new cells than it did when we were younger. In our 20’s it can renew as often as every 28 days, and in our 30’s, 40’s 50’s and on it can slow down to as little as every 55-75 days or even longer! Now you add in a constant exfoliant like a scrub into the mix and you’re wearing down your skin before it even has time to renew. The result is thinning skin which is more prone to premature aging.

 

3. Bacteria and Oil

Not only do the scrubby beads in these types of product pick up and spread pre-existing bacteria (which is an exceptionally bad idea if you have acne) but it also strips the natural water/oil barrier on the surface of the skin called the “acid mantle”. This barrier keeps the skin protected from environmental elements including bacteria , and it keeps the skin moisturized and clean. When this barrier is removed the skin is prone to more damage and as a response the oil glands kick into hyper-drive to produce much more oil than normal to replace what was stripped away. The result is a vicious circle of stripped vulnerable skin, and excessive oily skin.

Now What?

Of course, we do need to exfoliate so you may be wondering what to do. Chemical exfoliation will be your knight in shining armor to save you from the nightmare that is facial scrubbing. Chemical exfoliation involves the use of gentle enzymes or acids to dissolve dead skin cells, excess oil and to kill bacteria.

It will show your skin so much love that it will in fact speed up how fast your skin renews itself, which will give you a healthy dewy youthful glow. It will thicken your skin over time and help to lift pigmentation, reduce the appearance of pores and smooth your skins texture.

 

So what are you waiting for? Tell your scrub to take a hike and get ready for the best relationship of your life!!