Posts Tagged ‘skin damage’
5 Things NOT To Do To Your Skin this Summer.
5 of the worst things you can do to your skin during Summer.
1. Aggressive Facials
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By aggressive I mean any treatments that involve advanced exfoliation techniques, or includes terms such as chemical peels or microdermabrasion.
Also any facial procedures involving invasive techniques – cosmetic surgeries, nips, lifts, tucks – anything that pierces the face, should also be put off until the fall or winter, unless you would be recuperating in some retreat, indoors and far, far away from the hustle of life in the fast lane where the rest of us will be. If you would be at such a retreat, gwaan on along with your treatment and please do us all a favour and, like a good friend, not mention how ‘ super awesome’ it was.
Exposure to UV rays already increases skin’s sensitivity. No need to make this sensitivity worse by dousing your face in glycolic acid. This combination can result in your worse nightmare, including, but not limited to blisters, darkening of skin areas and disfigurement.
2. Skipping moisturizer
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Typically most skin types are more oily during the summer months. Those of us with naturally oily/ acne prone skin tend to forgo moisturizer altogether, thinking that this excess oil means that the skin moisturizes itself on it’s own. Increased oil production is usually a sign of dehydration, therefore it is important to replenish water levels in skin by increasing the amount of water you drink yes, but it’s said that only something like 10% of the water we drink actually make it to the skin. This is not something that you can quote me on, but considering that most of us barely pass the 2-glass mark daily for water, anything less than 115% absorption of this water we drink is cause for concern.
Therefore, applying a water-based, oil free moisturizer can help replenish the water levels in the skin. These types of moisturizers usually are labeled as such, may be referred to as a ‘gel’ or ‘fluid’ moisturizer and usually list ‘Water’ as the first ingredient.
Stay clear of anything that is labeled a ‘cream’, passes the ‘Dairy Queen’ test (you can turn the opened jar upside down and the contents not fall out), or contains mineral oil (or any such oil) in it’s ingredient listing.
3. Showering less
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“So many fun things to do, so little time!”
No papi. Not so fast.
It’s summer. It’s warm, and it’s humid. Bacteria are in love. They breed, and they multiply, which inevitably results in an odour. YOUR odour, aka B.O.
Hygiene in general needs to be thrown into high gear, and on autopilot. Automatic. Noone wants to out more fires than necessary at the BBQ lime.
Let’s remember the Summer watchwords – Shower & Shave.
4. Not exfoliating
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Closely related to #3, exfoliation of the body helps to remove excess oil buildup that may occur during the day. It helps skin to breathe, look instantly refreshed and ‘glow’, as manually exfoliating the body increases blood circulation.
You can cop one of those kazillion commercial body scrubs on the market and and get it on in the shower. However, I find most of them oily, and hardly worth their cost as most contain very little exfoliating ingredients.
Alternatives?
Dry brush your skin using a dry body brush before you shower, brushing in strokes that lead toward your heart (the direction in which your blood flows). I’ve read that dry brushing, among many other benefits such as shedding dead skin cells, rejuvenating the nervous system and assisting in lymphatic cleansing to name a few, also assists with decreasing the appearance of cellulite… could be as good a reason as any to try it I’d say. Hey, I’ve done more for the promise of far less.
I find dry brushing more effective than brushing your skin in the shower (wet brushing I presume, though this term makes me feel like I need handcuffs), as the bristles of the brushes, shown to the left, get softer in the shower.
I prefer my massage-pressure firm though, so if you are more of a light-pressure person, perhaps an in-shower brush-exfoliation may work. I do this twice a day – morning and evening.
For good measure, once a week I also do a body scrub, using a combination of cornmeal, honey and, for some slip, a bit of whatever body wash I’m using at the time. Sometimes I just use ground coffee beans and body wash. Whatever is convenient. For more on body exfoliation see Smooth Criminal.
5. Not using sunscreen
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To my melanin-challenged folks, we aren’t all skin-kissed, bronze goddesses, I get that. But that is no reason to opt to play Cancer Roulette. Besides, sun-burns aren’t sexy, no matter what reality TV says. If wanting a tan is your reason to ride the sun-wave buck nekked, get a sun-less tan. There are tons on the market. I’m familiar with the brand Fake Bake – it’s fairly easy to use, it’s sold where I work, doesn’t leave you looking like like you belong on the Jersey Shore cast, and so this particular brand comes to mind, but there are many other brands. Try that route.
For those of us who are doing backstrokes in the melanin pond, don’t believe the hype that “Black Don’t Crack”. Not only can it crack, it can get mad spotty and unslightly – dark spots, light spots, uneven skin tone – you name it. Skin damage is not known to discriminate.
Be responsible with your skin, and, for wrinkles sake, use sunscreen.
Party on!
b FiercelyFabulous
Cavities, Fat and Wrinkles
We are all more than familiar with the addictive power of sugar. Despite the fact that increased sugar consumption has been associated with increased blood sugar levels, which can result in the storage of excess fat, studies have shown that the average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar, per year. Talk about sweet nothings! (more…)
Natural Sexy vs. Science Sexy
Spy vs. Spy
The ‘Natural’ bandwagon is hugantic. It may not be the most sophisticated or fun at times, but damn, the hype that surrounds it is hella huge. Marketers have caught on to this trend, and are milking it for all it’s worth *squirt *squirt Yummy.
On the other hand, although science has helped us greatly, the term ‘synthetic’ has taken quite a hit at the expense of all things ‘natural’. People love to give the natural vs. synthetic ultimatum, but is it at all necessary? Can’t we all just get along?
Is‘Natural’ necessarily always good, and is ‘Science’ necessarily always bad?
Yes? No? Maybe so?
Science & skin care
With respect to skin care, rather than just assessing the situation stereotypically, perhaps taking a deeper look at the ingredients in the skin care products may be a more productive argument.
Natural Skin Care Ingredients
Natural is great. There is this feeling of wild abandon that accompanies the thought of ‘au naturel’. “Clean”. “Simple”. ”Fresh”. “Good for you”.
However, as with everything else in life, ‘good’ things usually do not last forever. Under the right conditions, natural things are known to rot, decay, or otherwise disintegrate in quality. For example, with respect to plants, fruits, veges – typical sources for most natural skin care ingredients – there is only a small window that’s considered ‘prime for picking’, so one must take this into consideration, especially when a cleanser or moisturizer will typically sit on your shelf for at least 6 months, or longer depending on the product in question.
Things to consider for natural products:
~ Using natural ingredients directly
Of course there is the argument that you can just pick something off the tree and slap it on your face.
If you live in such a place where you can do this I truly envy you, for that used to be me. Womp. For the rest of us, we can hardly eat fruits and vegetables these days without being shot up with pesticides, so want to put that on your face too?
Remember, ‘natural’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘organic’. ‘Organic’ is the one where certain pesticides (not all) are required to be absent. No such is the case with ‘natural’, don’t believe the hype.
~ Nature differs from batch to batch.
This means that you can buy one batch of product that not only has a different colour from your previous batch, but the strength of the particular active ingredient can be different also.
This is not a leather bag we are talking about, where the value and character of the product is heightened by the fact that there is a huge ‘imperfection’ (their term not mine), for which you are expected to pay the not-so-little extra for. It’s not that kind of party with skin care; we don’t go out of our way to look for imperfections in products, but rather we try to minimize them.
In some products this lack of apparent quality control is not a deal breaker. If a product doesn’t contain any ingredients that are considered ‘active’ (read ‘results’) by the FDA, then it really doesn’t matter if you use a product or water.
However, in that expensive serum that derives it’s antioxidant function from those ‘berries’, it might be a problem if the super star ingredient, the Vitamin C say from the berries, is as effective as the ones in the serum that doesn’t contain Vitamin C. Yeah… might wanna check that.
~ Stability of natural substances outside of their environment
Talking about Vitamin C, it’s known to be a powerful antioxidant – it protects the skin from sun damage and helps slow down the physical signs of aging… yadda yadda yadda, but it’s not very stable once exposed to air, a couple minutes max.
All that freshly squeezed orange juice you just made? Most of the good stuff (Dr. C) just poofed* vanished before you’ve finished mixing the ingredients together. I used to be called “Juice Mixer” in university (Chem. Eng.) by all the other engineers so, trust me, not that I’d like to recall the name calling but, I’d know 
With this understanding, Vitamin C in it’s natural form is not going to do much for your skin sitting in a jar for a couple months. It’s usually also quite acidic in nature wherever it’s found (oranges, lemons etc.) so putting that right there on your face is its going to do an excellent job of stripping your skin’s protective barrier, dehydrating your skin and leaving it more susceptible to harmful bacteria.
Fantastic? No.
So then, on to the next one.
Synthetic skin care ingredients
The word chemical is not a synonym for dangerous.
According to the Oxford dictionary, a chemical (noun) is a substance that has been prepared, or purified, (usually) artificially.
You can concoct something that is dangerous or, you can prepare something that is effective, yet harmless.
Of course, there are dangerous chemical substances, but there are also dangerous natural ones. Cyanide anyone? One sugar or two?
So, for example, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, is a very stable form of Vitamin C – one that is stable enough to be used in skin care products. The skin’s enzymes then work to break down this ingredient into ascorbic acid, naturally found in most fruits like citrus and berries, which has been found to inhibit the formation of melanin (pigment) as well as assist collagen formation.
Doesn’t make sense to pay the extra for active ingredients that aren’t… active, does it?
However this form of stable Vitamin C doesn’t just morph into a stable by it’s lonesome, it is the end product of research and development i.e. it is born out of a laboratory, and such is considered to be ‘synthetic’.
Why use synthetic ingredients?
So sure, it’s not for everybody, but if the proverbial horse has already bolted out the gate, the skin situation has long surpassed ‘preventative’ and you are actually looking to treat clear and present skin damage, i.e. if you are looking for results, you are going to need to look a little further than mother nature to help you in your mission to ‘age gracefully’.
So perhaps the best bet is to take the best of what nature has to offer, and combine it with the best of what science brings. It’s a win-win situation.
The products last longer, there is less wastage, the ingredients remain active and are therefore more effective, and you get the value for your money. Everyone’s happy.
Food for thought:
It’s like that chick who is so blatantly hot, so much is on display even Stevie Wonder can see it, vs. the librarian chick. Everyone knows the immediate benefits of the blatant hottie. You can milk it almost immediately and get a great high albeit one that is, more likely than not, short lived.
Now enter the librarian. Sure, there’s a good chance that you may not live on the same planet, but there is an even greater chance that you may get longer lasting, stable, surprisingly flexible benefits, that comes with intelligence.
Moral of the story? Never underestimate the librarian.
b FreakinFabulous
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Time Lines
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Ain’t nothing like crepey hands to really jack up an otherwise youthful situation.
Your hands are one of the first places to age, and by age I mean get wrinkly, sallow looking, dehydrated, spotty/ hyper-pigmented (mixture of darker or lighter areas). All kinds of fun. All kinds of uber unfabulousness in the mix.
Right after the hands, a few other places that age pretty quickly are around the eyes (otherwise known as crows feet), the neck and the decollete/ chest area.
These parts age more quickly because the skin in these areas are typically thinner than the skin on the face or the body perhaps, where the skin, and fat content primarily, are thicker.
As skin in general gets thinner and thinner as we age, these aforementioned areas are then already at a disadvantage. Noone said life is fair, but geeze. Cut a body part some slack.
Hands are even more particularly at risk with all the harsh hand/ dishwashing detergents we use daily, not to mention the incredibly stripping alcohol-based hand sanitizers we use so that we don’t make social with other people’s bacteria/ germs.
The following are some tips to help slow down the appearance of aging on the skin in the areas (around eyes, neck, decollete and hands) that are naturally prone to age faster than the rest of the body:
1. Moisturize hands after cleansing
Seems obvious, but judging from the number of people who don’t normally moisturize their body after having a shower, I’ll say it anyway.
2. Include your neck and decollete in every step of your usual skin care routine.
How many ever steps you already have – cleanse/ exfoliate/ mask/ tone/ moisturize.
3. Exfoliate hands.
In addition to the usual cleanse and moisturize steups that we follow with our hands, exfoliating hands helps refresh the skin, and helps impart a healthy glow. You can use a normal spherical/ micro-bead scrub or you can get fancy and use a gentle enzyme or hydroxy-acid exfoliating scrub.
The use of a super hydrating hand moisturizer, after cleansing (and exfoliating, if applicable) the hands helps replace the moisture that is often lost by (often harsh) cleansers that we normally use for keeping our hands dirt/ germ-free.
4. Adopt a night time hand routine
If your hands are chronically dry and crepey, spritzing the back of your hands with toner after cleansing at night just before bed, then following with a thicker moisturizer with both hydrating (e.g. hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA, lactic acid, cucumber) and emollient ingredients (e.g. shea butter, aloe and squalene) will assist in combatting dehydration.
Silicones such as cyclomethicone and cyclopetasiloxan, as product ingredients, help seal in the moisture while allowing the skin to breathe, which is a ‘hell yes’ step-up from mineral oil.
5. Use a specialized cleanser and moisturizer for eyes.
That is, one that is specifically formulated for this delicate area.
If you are concerned with any fine lines and wrinkles that have already started appearing around the eye area, an eye cream that contains Vitamin C and a minimum SPF 15 (for day) should be standard ingredients in your eye cream.
6. Include neck, decollete, and hands in your sunscreen application.
This is especially for those of us who drive and/ or are stuck in traffic in the beating hot sun. The sun’s UV rays filter right though the average windscreen, and take a toll on hands that are tightly wrapped around the steering wheel.
FreakinFabulous
Photo Credits: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Antioxidants.
How do they work and why are they an important part of an ‘anti-aging’ skin care system?
Simply put, antioxidants are substances that protect the skin against the damaging effect of free radicals, i.e. unstable atoms that are generated by:
- Sunlight (UVA & UVB radiation)
- Pollution
- Smoke
- Stress
- Certain foods
- Drugs
- Exercise, etc.
The presence of these free radicals not only assist causing disease, but they also accelerate the skin’s aging process. Antioxidants are substances that increase the body’s (or in this case the skin’s) defense against the damaging effect of free radicals.
With the understanding that exposure to the sun accounts for 80% of the aging that we can prevent on our skin, it would seem that addressing this issue alone can go a long way to preserving the face we have for a few more years.
Think it’s all hogwash? Maybe.
How do ‘antioxidants’ work?
Well, let’s see. Perhaps the best analogy would be the case of the apple.
Slice an apple in half. Leave one half exposed to the atmosphere for a few minutes and the other half you sprinkle some lemon juice on. What would happen?
You will notice a browning colour starting to appear on the exposed inner parts of the part of the apple .
However, what would happen if you were to drizzle some lemon juice over the other half of the apple and let it sit for a while? The result? Nada.
The original colour of the sliced apple is preserved, enabling you to still serve it to your guests after having it sit out for some time, or have your kids actually eat the apple at school rather than throw it away because it was ‘rotten’.
This browning process is called oxidation, and it’s the same thing happens to silver, or almost any other metal that is exposed to the atmosphere (the mixture of water and oxygen primarily) over time. Rust, for example, is the extreme case of a metal that’s been oxidized. Your skin is no different. Like the lemon, antioxidants in skin care assist in slowing down this ‘oxidzation’, which accelerates aging.
Gold, platinum and palladium do not oxidize at room temperature, which is the reason they are used in jewelry and electronics. Stainless steel, titanium, tantalum and niobium are highly resistant to oxidation… not sure how I traveled so far on this tangent, so let me hop off here.
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Back to the skin, this is not to say that you ought to put lime or lemon juice directly on your skin of course. Well you can, but that wouldn’t be very intelligent.
Lemon juice may work for the apple, but it is much more acidic than the natural pH of the skin’s surface. The skin’s natural barrier would be degraded leaving your skin more prone to, among a host of other things, increased dehydration (less moisture) and inflammation (more redness/ sensitivity) in skin, both of which accelerate the skin’s aging, which will bring you to square negative five (-5).
So, as I said, not very intelligent move.
However, Vitamin C is a very powerful, common antioxidant. So how can we capitalize it’s effect on our skin?
With the understanding that the Vitamin C that is freshly squeezed out of an orange breaks down before you can top up your tumbler and add that umbrella, a more stable form of Vitamin C needs to be packaged for use in skin care products.
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a very stable form of Vitamin C, stable enough to be used in skincare. After all, we’ve all been told to up our Vitamin C intake to prevent the common cold, and to boost our immune system in general.
In the same way, you can have vitamins for the skin. These “Skin Vitamins” can be thought of as Antioxidants.
Ingredients, Ingredients, Ingredients.
Some of the best antioxidant ingredients found in skin care (and their cosmetic ingredient names) are:
- White Tea (the most powerful) or Green tea (Camellia Sinensis)
- Soy (Glycine Soya Protein)
- Vitamin C (Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and other Ascorbic Acid derivatives)
- Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate)
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza)
The presence of any of the above in your skin care products, hopefully as one of the first few ingredients rather than the last, will assist in the fight against the damaging free radicals that your skin encounters from day to day.
Because free radicals are also found inside the body, having a diet loaded with antioxidant foods will assist you immune system in general. And, as you thought I’d say, don’t forget the sunscreen, a minimum of SPF 15 daily.
b FiercelyFabulous.
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Ever see someone your age and wonder if he/she was REALLY in class with you? I mean like seriously? You either look like their youngest child, or their grandparents. What’s even more ‘wtf?’ is when you see an 18 year old who looks more like… 30tylate at best. What’s happening here?
‘Exposed’ aging y’alls. The result is far from fab as this right here is a first class ticket to looking twice your age.
So what is ‘exposed’ aging and how does it differ from ‘unexposed’ aging?
Unexposed Aging.
This is often referred to as ‘aging gracefully’. The grandparent for example, who doesn’t look like a 20 year old spring chicken obviously, but clearly looks ‘better than’ most in his/ her ‘age’ bracket.
It this is largely the skin that has been protected from UV rays. Unexposed aging comprises of:
- Thin, smooth skin
- Fine lines and wrinkles, usually associated with superficial dehydration and light diagonal lines
- Inelastic, saggy skin
- Skin is usually ‘dryer’ (less oily) than skin was 20 years ago
- Growths on the skin are usually benign rather than malignant, and are associated with aging rather than photo-aging.
And this is unexposed aging. Ready for the exposed aging?
Exposed aging
Exposed aging refers to skin that as been indiscriminately exposed to the sun’s damaging UV rays. It has been determined that 80% of extrinsic aging (aging that we can control) is attributed to the sun’s rays.
This skin appears:
- Rough in texture, may be even classified as ‘leathery’, skin may also feel very ‘thick’
- Coarse, deep, wrinkling
- Significant loss of skin’s elasticity, and there may be the presence of broken capilaries (redness)
- Dry and scaly
- Darkened spots/ patches/ areas on skin aka hyperpigmentation
- Both benign and malignant growths
Overexposure to damaging UV rays can create long term damage to various layers of the skin. The protective outer layer (barrier function or acid mantle) of the skin is damaged which can lead to dehydration of the skin, as well as inflammation which, especially in darker skin types, can lead to all kinds of pigmentation issues, and darker skin already doesn’t need much help in the scarring/ darkening department.
Cell renewal, i.e. the ability of the skin to exfoliate and regenerate itself in order to reveal reveeal younger, brighter, more supple skin, slows dramatically and skin can have a sallow devitalized appearance. Collagen and elastin in the skin also breaks down. This sucks major donkey balls as for starters, only 3% of the ‘true skin’ (the layer of the skin where all the action happens) is elastin – that substance that gives the skin it’s elasticity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. *poof*
So what’s the remedy?
That’s where all this ‘anti-aging’ marketing talk started and so here it began.
Remedies
Basically, any remedy, regardless of the cost, will seek to:
1. Help exfoliate the dead skin cells lingering on the surface, that the skin is unable to do because of it’s decreased cell renewal, which happens naturally after the age of about 25.
2. Stimulate cell renewal i.e. decrease the length of time it takes for new cells to make it to the outermost layer of the skin
3. Control darkening (hyperpigmentation) 0f the skin
4. Hydrate skin i.e. add moisture which will help reduce the appearence of the superficial fine lines that is normally associated with skin that is dehydration.
5. Calm skin. Sensitive skin is the skin type that ages the fastest, after this is dry skin. Reducing any sensitivity or inflammation on the skin
6. Restore the skin’s protective barrier to a healthy state
Any product/ action that enables any combination of the above can be considered to help in preventing accelerated degeneration of the skin/ and as a result can range from having a skin care regimen that target your main concerns (dehydration, sensitivity, breakouts) to of course the hard core approach of paralysing nerves in an effort to prevent wrinkle formation or flat out plastic surgery.
Ingredients, Ingredients, Ingredients.
Regardless of the brand, it’s what’s IN a product that will get you the most results. What are the top 5 ingredients in the product? Are they ‘active’ ingredients, or are they fillers? For example, in that ‘Hydrating’ moisturizer, is the first ingredient Water, or better yet Hyaluronic acid or Sodium PCA or is it Mineral Oil? You do the math.
You reap what you sow.
The earlier you start paying attention to your skin’s needs, the better off you will be. You can switch up your hair and get a new wardrobe, but the passport that is your face stays with you forever.
be FiercelyFabulous.
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She got it from her mama
Humans are an interesting bunch.
We are so technologically advanced at times, yet at the same time it’s amazing the things we accept as truth. “Anti-Aging” for example, must be one of the most overused words this decade, yet when you really think about is, is ‘anti-aging’ possible?
No.
A perfect example of marketing at it’s finest.
Truth is, although aging (an alteration in structure, appearance and function of skin as taken in this context) cannot be prevented, it can be accelerated.
Aging is a continuous process that starts the day that you were born. It is one of life’s harshest realities; the degree of harshness of course, is dependent on many factors including both Skin Type (genetics) and Lifestyle (how you choose to live your life) – just how much you didn’t care about your skin in your 20s shows up in your 40s, if you’ve paced yourself socially, earlier if thought then that life was running away from you.
As you can imagine, there are many factors that influence how a person ages. These factors may be classified as being either Intrinsic or Extrinsic in nature.
Intrinsic Aging refers to that which may be naturally expected to happen with time. It is said that 10% of our aging is intrinsic i.e. 10% of how we age is beyond our control and is affected by:
1. good old Father Time and
2. Genetics, that which your parents were so kind enough to give to you, like those allergies, and those toes.
A whooping 90% of our aging however, is extrinsic, meaning that it is under our control. Can you imagine that? Ninety percent.
What we eat, what we do, where we go and how we go there, as well as what we don’t eat, what we don’t do, where we don’t go and how we don’t go there can determine how well or how dreadfully awful we age.
Extrinsic factors would include:
- Diet, nutrition and overall health
- Lifestyle
- Exposure to UVA and UVB radiation, like the sun’s rays)
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Medication
- Environment, or other such external factors, for example if you injured yourself or otherwise did some damage to your skin. Or for example, if you live day in day out in metropolitan smog or if you live your life breathing in the fresh Caribbean breeze in some laid back tropical paradise.
- Hormonal
As you may, or may not, imagine, a significant amount of extrinsic aging may be attributed to aging as a result of the damage that is done to the skin as a result of the over exposure to UV radiation, which is otherwise referred to as ‘photo-aging’, a state where the skin is irreparably damaged.
Photo-aging may occur on it’s own or as a result of other ‘lifestyle’ factors. For example, the heightened sensitivity to the sun’s UV rays that occurs within the skin when something like alcohol is ingested. Smoking, quite a few over the counter medications as well as poor nutrition can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays aka burn more easily when you are outdoors.
So yes, she may have got it from her mama, but if she’s over 35 and can still get carded, best believe that there are a whole lot of other things that she, and her mama for that matter, have been doing right, like using a cleanser that’s an upgrade from soap perhaps, or using sunscreen… for starters.
be FiercelyFabulous.
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Dirty Little Secrets (Pt. 2)
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Further to the discussion on secrets that you ought not keep from your skin therapist, we will now address various conditions that require disclosure.
Although they may not entirely prevent you from having a skin/ body treatment, the presence of any of the following will mean, at the very least, a customization of the treatment.
If you receive the treatment in full and ‘as is’ it is very possible that you either experience discomfort during the treatment or develop complications sometime down the road, after having left the facility.
The following is a common list of ‘concerns’ and why it’s necessary that you disclose them to your skin therapist, and is by no means comprehensive.
Always consult with your doctor/ dermatologist before receiving any type of skin or body treatment.
CONCERNS
In General
1. Diabetes
Because of the slow healing process and low sensation levels that is characteristic of diabetes:
- No metal extractions should be performed on these clients.
- No electrical equipment (e.g. high frequency and galvanic treatments) should be used as chances are that a diabetic client would not feel the sensations fully enough to give the skin care therapist enough feedback on what intensity is correct for him/ her.
- The cuticles on the hand and feet of a diabetic should never be clipped in a manicure/ pedicure service.
2. Heart Problems
Also applies if the client is wearing a pacemaker.
- Head should be elevated during the treatment, to assist blood flow.
- No electrical equipment should be used as they may alter your heart rhythms.
- Heat levels in the treatment also need to be monitored
3. Epilepsy
- No electrical equipment is used
- No treatments involving flickering lights can be performed, e.g. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). Additionally anything involving a flickering light, on or over the client, is avoided. This also means turning on the magnifying lamp before the client enters the room perhaps rather than over the clients face while he/she is on the treatment bed.
4. Cancer
Quite a few skin care treatments may only be performed on a client that has been free from cancer:
1. for at least 1 year AND
2. With a doctor’s note from the doctor who is/ has been treating them for cancer
This is because, even the basic skin treatment involves movement of the blood and lymph fluids which is customarily not a good thing for cancer patients.
5. Thyroid problems
- No electrical equipment may be used
6. Sinus conditions
- A focus on certain accupressure points by the skin therapist can help alleviate some of the discomfort felt by sinus conditions
7. Hormonal Imbalances
May explain
- breakouts on cheek and neck
- The presence of melasma (darkening or hyperpigmentation)
- Excessive hair growth
8. Braces and Dental work
This includes dental x-rays.
- There may be redness in the associated area as well as breakouts. The area is also generally dry and, in some instances, may appear flakey.
9. Diuretics and Laxatives
Diuretics are drugs or other substances that cause the increased passage of urine. Some substances other than drugs that are known diuretics are
-Tea
- Coffee
- Alcohol
Both diuretics and laxatives may explain a dehydrated state of the skin.
10. Medications
It is important to list all medications that you are taking, from multivitamins, fish oils, herbal supplements, prescription drugs, cialis, anti-depressants, epileptic meds you name it, this is not a time to be embarrassed about anything.
Medications may explain anything from mild to extensively dehydrated skin, heightened sensitivity, breakouts, darkening or redness of the skin etc.
11. Stress Level
May be characterized by breakouts along the jawline and neck, as well as muscle tightness.
12. Products currently using.
This is important on many levels
1. So that the skin care therapist has an idea of your routine, and how many products you are comfortable using.
For example if you are currently a ‘soap ‘n water’ client, your skin therapist would know that you need to be introduced to maybe just one or two products at a time, perhaps a cleanser and a moisturizer, rather than send you home with a day and night routine that requires the use of 7+ products.
2. If you are currently using any products with active ingredients like retinol or glycolic acid for example, your skin care therapist will select products that are suitable for use with these products.
3. Some clients use products with ingredients that actually worsen the condition that the client would like to improve. If this is the case, the skin therapist can suggest other products that contain ingredients that may be better suited for the client’s needs.
13. Implants
Metal plates or otherwise, as well as piercings.
- No electrical equipment is used, in the the case of piercings,metal pins or plates in or around the general area of the face.
This is because it is not impossible for metal plates/ pins to be dislodged with electrical activity.
- If the metal plates are in the feet, the skin therapist may proceed with caution.
Areas with implants and piercings are avoided in massage treatments, because it can be comfortable for the client.
14. Allergies
So that you don’t break out in hives after your treatment. Listing your allergies will ensure that your skin therapist knows to stay clear of any product that contains any ingredients that you are allergic to.
Specifically Women
15. Pregnant or Lactating
Certain substances that may be used in skin care treatments, such as essential oils, have been shown to enter the blood stream; they have been found in excreted bodily fluids, such as urine.
As such, these substances, or products that contain these substances are eliminated from the skin care treatment so that they do not enter the milk produced by the mom or her womb, to reduce the risk of any potential harm to the unborn kid.
16. Menstruation
The client is typically more sensitive to pressure/ pain so electrical equipment is avoided and light to medium pressure during the massage is used rather than firm.
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As a result it is important your skin therapist take the time to do a thorough client consultation with you before each treatment, whether you are a new client or a returning one.
If you are a returning client, the consultation may be shorter, but you still need to let the skin therapist know of any changes, updates, .. anything that you did differently since your last visit.
So fill out your client consultation form properly, this is not autofill.
Remember also that this is a written record. Neither the skin care facility nor the skin therapist can be held liable in the event that any complications may arise as a result of you NOT disclosing information you were clearly asked.
Go ahead, kiss and tell.
POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Dirty Little Secrets (Pt. 1)
Skin Therapy | Saving Face
Skin condition | “Acne”
Fact Sheet : Chemical Peels
Anti-Aging Tip #5
Dirty Little Secrets (Pt. 1)
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Secret closets, we all have them.
Places where we stash certain things away , perhaps thoughts, dreams, our past, and sometimes even our potential.
Sometimes it’s best to keep certain information to ourselves, not necessarily that we don’t want anyone to know about them, but because sometimes people can’t handle the responsibility of TMI.
Sometimes, hiding information about ourselves or our habits can be detrimental. Hiding information about our health and our skin care routines (or lack of them) from our skin therapist is one of those times.
Why is it important to divulge your skin care and health history? you ask.
Because doing so will not only ensure that you receive the best treatment to address your specific needs, it may save your life.
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Among a host of other things, it is important for your skin therapist to know:
1. What is going on with you?
e.g. Lifestyle, stress levels, diet & nutrition, social habits, marriage, divorce, break up, moving house, migrating, you picked up smoking, you quit smoking,y you developed a drug habit, you started an exercise regimen, you’ve been overdosing on coffee etc.
Everything that you do (or don’t do) affects the health of your skin.
2. What is going on with your skin
Challenges, both longstanding and new – sensitivities, redness, darkening, acne, dryness, oiliness, loss of skin tone – whatever is of specific concern to you.
From a consumer point of view, this is to ensure that you are getting value for your money. If you would like clearer skin but you are being treated for fine line
Also, a skin therapist sees many a client, so it is very tempting for the lazy and/ or unprofessional to go into auto-pilot and give you a ‘generic’ skin treatment.
From a skin therapist’s point of view, this ensures that you are both on the same page.
3. What are your skin care goals?
What you would like to improve about your skin. Be as specific as possible. As with life, the more specific you are about setting your goals (i.e. following the S.M.A.R.T. rule) greater the chances of you achieving these goals.
4. What are you currently doing to achieve those goals?
Any medications that you’re on, any products that you are currently using, if you are on a particular diet
and if you aren’t currently doing anything
5. What action plan you are willing to follow to achieve those goals?
A measure of much time you are willing to dedicate to achieving these goals and your level of committment.
All of the above will determine the course of action that your skin care therapist will take in an effort to work with you to get you where you want to be:
- Healthy, glowing, Sexy skin that ages well,
- Keep the oil production under wraps,
- Deal with any pigmentation issues or chronic dryness perhaps.
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Contraindications
There are some conditions where a skin therapist will not offer treatment, and therefore if you fall in any of these categories you need to say. If you don’t say, is you to ‘ketch.
These are:
1. Malignant Melanoma
Usually associated with excessive exposure to the sun or indoor tanning
2. Cuts/ abrasions/ open wounds.
The entire area is avoided. The skin therapist may work around the area if applicable.
3. Infected Acne
Technically called “Grade 4 Acne”, this is the highest level of acne. The skin therapist is not qualified to treat this and client should be referred to a dermatologist.
4. Herpes Simplex
Contagious and may spread from one side of the mouth (cold sore) to the other as skin treatments involve the movement of blood an lymph fluid.
5. Impetigo
Highly contagious. It is dormant in the immune system. Lack of sleep, improper eating habits or stress may cause inflammation.
This you can pass on to your skin therapist as well as other clients in the Spa. Nobody is going to like you for that.
Other Concerns
There are other conditions that aren’t considered contraindications, i.e. the skin therapist can either work around the area or may have to adjust/ customize the treatment to facilitate it. These will be discussed in part 2 of this post.
Client Consultation
As a result it is important your skin therapist take the time to do a thorough client consultation with you before each treatment, whether you are a new client or a returning one.
If you are a returning client, the consultation may be shorter, but you still need to let the skin therapist know of any changes, updates, .. anything that you did differently since your last visit.
So fill out your client consultation form properly, this is not a time to rush.
Remember this is a written record. Neither the skin care facility nor the skin therapist can be held liable in the event that any complications may arise as a result of you NOT disclosing information you were clearly asked.
Kiss and tell.
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Skin Therapy | Saving Face
Exfoliating vs. Peeling
Fact Sheet: Microdermabrasion
Ingredient Spotlight: Hyaluronic Acid
10 Top Skin-Care Faux Pas
Skin Therapy | Saving Face
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Gone are the days where skin treatments (facials) were luxury. These days it’s a requirement to maintain the Sexy. Depending on the depth of your pocket, there are quality treatments and products that are available to address your skin’s individual concern.
The following tips can be used by both men and women, although, in all honesty, women are normally more concerned about aging, possibly because society sees wrinkles on a woman as ‘old’ = Not-so-Sexyand wrinkles on a man as ‘experienced’ = Super Smoking Hot.
Double standard? Sure but whatevs. It is what it is, so let’s deal with it accordingly.
1. Schedule Face Time
Gone are the days where skin treatments are a luxury, we live in a world with too much stress, environmental pollution and chemically altered food for that kind of irrational thinking.
We tend to our hair and nails at least once a month, we change our clothing with the seasons or trends, we (should) maintain our teeth regularly, so what’s up with neglecting our skin? How many faces do we have again?
Monthly skin treatments are required not only to target our individual skin challenges (acne, darkening or hyper-pigmentation, environmentally sensitized skin, aging or prematurely aging skin etc.) but they can also help us maintain well-hydrated, smooth, supple skin, you know… that thing ‘they’ refer to as maintenance.
Talk with your skin therapist about setting up a skin therapy schedule that complements your at home regimen. Don’t have have an at home regimen? No time like the present to start – the sooner the better.
2. Use the right ingredients
Anti-aging products are all the rage, but as we’ve already discussed, not all products are created equal, largely because not all ingredients are created equal.
There is no regulation as to what a product needs to contain in order to be labelled ‘anti-aging’, as a matter of fact in some cases it only takes a hydrating ingredient, synthetically made at that, for a manufacturer to refer to a product as ‘anti-aging’. After all, all it takes is an hydrating ingredient to, (albeit temporarily), ‘smoothen out fine lines and wrinkles’.
Dry, wrinkly, sorry looking hands? Wet them. They instantly look a lot healthier, but that doesn’t mean that anything has been altered does it? And so what happens when the water dries? Dry, wrinkly, sorry looking hands again.
In reality, an ‘anti-aging’ product should assist in speeding the cell turnover (shedding) of your skin, in order that new skin be revealed. It is this ‘new’ skin that is partly responsible for having a youthful glow, as the presence of dead skin cells can give a dulling effect to the skin.
Typically, skin cell turnover occurs every 28 days, but starts to slow down after the age of 25. That’s pretty young isn’t it? So after 25, the skin doesn’t refresh itself as often and therefore assisting the skin with this task is recommended.
One way of doing this is to mechanically remove dead skin cells by the use of scrubs (mechanical exfoliation), but this can often be a harsh process and as a result is not recommended for use more than 2-3 times a week. Further, this is not recommended if your skin suffers from excess oil production or is acne prone, as it this rubbing action can stimulate already overactive sebaceous (oily) glands. So what do you do?
This is where ‘anti-aging’ ingredients come in.
Products that contain ingredients such as ‘Lactic Acid’, ‘Glycolic Acid’ or “Retinol’ help speed the skin cell turnover process by chemically nibbling away at these pesky, lingering, dead skin cells (chemical exfoliation) to reveal a fresh layer of skin, thereby reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and brightening darkened areas.
‘Salicylic Acid’ not only serves as a chemical exfoliation agent, but it also works well at drying up acne flares and blemishes, as well as keeps over productive sebaceous glands at bay, so it’s a good ingredient to look for if your skin concerns falls into this category.
These types of ingredients are especially beneficial, as skin gets exfoliated without the harsh rubbing action on the skin by scrubs (mechanical exfoliation). There are many products these days that contain these ingredients, some like cleansers, serums and moisturizers for example, contain a sufficient enough of these ingredients to facilitate exfoliation, but in a dose low enough so that they can be used every day – very effective for maintaing, smooth, healthy, glowing skin daily.
Always consult with your skin therapist before you start an at-home chemical exfoliation regimen, to protect both your health and the health of your skin.
3. Deal with blemishes effectively
Proper management of blemishes and breakouts is key to maintaining good skin, especially with skin that is prone to pigmentation, like darker or Asian skins.
In these cases, prolonged inflammation and/ or infection in the skin leads to darkening which can take months to disappear if at all. Urrrrgggh.
Keep a salicylic acid containing, acne-fighting spot gel for example, on hand always to immediately deal with blemishes that may pop up, and use a clay-based (kaolin and bentonite clays are the best) masque, for 5-10 minutes, to effectively assist in drawing out impurities from clogged pores.
If you are into guerrilla warfare, using a cotton tip, dab a bit of hydrogen peroxide** on the blemish to immediately kill any infection and follow up with same said clay-based masque as mentioned above.
**Hydrogen peroxide is highly drying to skin and can seriously alter the skin’s balance (pH levels), so using this over an extended area or prolonged period is NOT recommended. Instead follow alternate instructions above. But, for an emergency on a hot date night every now and then? Sure.
4. Use sunscreen
Over exposing the skin to the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays is the number one way to damage (read age) your skin, and sometimes irreparably so.
Be Smart. Incorporate a full spectrum sunscreen (one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays) into your daily skin care regimen – one that is either used alone or doubles as your daytime moisturizer. This simple activity can go a long way in preserving your youthfulness.
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
What is your skin cancer risk?
Skin condition | “Acne”
Anti-Aging Tip #5 – Use chemical exfoliating agents regularly
Fact Sheet: Microdermabrasion
Nutrition | Anti-Agers
Ingredient Spotlight: Hyaluronic Acid