The body electric

Oh the body, it's such a wonderful landscape of cashmere and silk, hills and valleys... and sometimes forests of hair and expanses of desert-like dryness. Let's talk about the body. It's far more neglected than the face, and yet it seems to get by okay for the most part. A few reasons that the body seems to generally hold up better than the face:

The muscles of the face are attached differently. The muscles of the face attach directly to the skin instead of to bone. That allows us to make facial expressions, which is a very important part of basic human communication. Eventually as we age, the muscles tugging on the skin of the face causes expression lines. It's part of what makes Botox so appealing, because it inhibits the muscle contractions that cause expression lines... But also the expressions that come with the muscle contraction. Which is why all of Hollywood looks like the Mona Lisa. Lineless and serene, but also boring and vacant.

Okay... I'm off topic already. We're talking about the body. So the body muscles are much larger, and they're designed to do more than just communicate an expression, they are for stabilizing and moving the body. While I'm on the topic of muscles I'll touch on what to do when they get sore. If you have muscle soreness from working out, try an epsom salt bath. Don't be shy, put at least a cup or two of epsom salts into the tub with you. When you're done, apply a layer of arnica-infused oil to the sore area to disperse the lactic acid and fluid buildup. Both of these things are extremely helpful when it comes to muscle soreness. When your muscles are sore from strain, it's best to do the RICE protocol and apply arnica-infused oil as needed.

Two last tips on muscles in general: Stretch! Take a yoga class, a pilates class, a barre class, or just stretch on your lunch break or before bed. If you don't, you will slowly but surely lose your ability to stretch and then you run the risk of injury. Last but not least, get a massage! Yes, that's a direct order. You don't need them every week (most people don't) but at least every other month. It's stress relieving, keeps your posture in good shape, detoxifies, and keeps you in a good mood. Find a massage therapist that you like, and be sure to communicate what feels good to you and what doesn't. The more you tell the massage therapist how you feel about the pressure and everything else, the better your chances are of getting your needs met and getting an amazing customized treatment.

So now let's talk about skin. There's a lot to cover here, so I'm going to focus this installment on cleansing & moisturizing...


My all time favorite body cleansers:

Kiehl's Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil This is like a cleansing oil for the whole body, and we all know how much I love cleansing oil. This is meant to be applied to wet skin, it's great for shaving and it helps keep ingrowns and bacne at bay with salicylic acid. $27


Aesop Body Cleansing Slab is a super mild soap that smells divine and doesn't have any harsh chemicals in it. $26

LUSH Gumback Express is a body cleansing cream starring mashed bananas and crushed almonds for super hydration and the yummiest real-food smell ever.







Now for my favorite body creams, lotions and oils:


Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is amazing. It sinks right in on damp skin after a shower, leaving a bit of a sheen and a deliciously real, fresh coconut fragrance. It's gentle enough for very sensitive skin, and it doesn't contain any synthetic fragrances or preservatives. It's my go-to summer body moisturizer. It also layers well under a body cream for those with really severe dry, irritated skin.



Hylunia Healing and Restoring Cream is incredibly hydrating, with tons of magically healing and rebuilding Hyaluronic Acid. It works on all skin types, and it's just handy to have around because it clears up irritation and rashes like no other. It doubles as a super cheap and very effective night time anti-wrinkle face cream. 

Osea Undaria Algae Oil is a lightweight powerhouse anti-aging treatment with babassu, sesame, acai, and passionfruit oils. The Undaria algae is full of firming B-vitamins to tighten and tone the skin.


Ecco Bella Vanilla Body Lotion is a very light textured nourishing lotion with  plenty of smoky, mysterious natural vanilla fragrance. It's super sexy, so be careful where you wear it!

Avene Eluage Retinaldehyde-h.a.f. Anti Aging and Restructuring and Moisturizing Cream for Body it's a mouthful, but retinaldehyde will whip your lax, weight-fluctuated or chemotherapy'd skin into tip top shape. Perfect for loose skin, body wrinkles, sun damage, pigmentation, rough texture, and stretch marks.

Ilike Circulation Revitalizing Body Lotion is like my favorite paprika brightening peel... but for the body! Kiss your cellulite goodbye.




Come see me for a head to toe ritual at re:surface skin. www.resurfaceskin.com

Aging + Inflammation

As an esthetician, I've always known that when a client comes in with rosacea or seriously inflamed skin and wants to focus on anti-aging, the best way to target signs of aging is to target the inflammation. First of all, the inflammation can't be ignored. No amount of anti-aging peptides or acids or retinoids provide any kind of results on inflamed skin until the inflammation is resolved. Inflamed skin can't tolerate any active ingredients that are too strong, too stimulating, or too exfoliating. I treat (and respect) the inflammation first and foremost in the treatment room, and I always recommend products that are specifically appropriate for sensitive skin for home care.

Inflammation, according to an article I recently read,  is the body's response to a perceived threat. It throws the body into attack mode, as if it were trying to protect against, say, a bacterial infection... Even if the culprit is, say,  cigarette smoke or sunlight (UV rays). The body can't win the fight because it's fighting against a trigger which doesn't fight fair (it doesn't behave like an infection, it's usual sparring buddy).

When the inflammatory response has begun, for whatever reason, it doesn't stop. Inflammation is cyclical and self perpetuating, and this "attack mode" is indiscriminate, causing serious tissue damage. Inflammation decreases ATP which is the main energy source of your cells, so your cells don't work as well or as quickly. As it's decreasing the energy source of your cells, it's increasing oxidative stress which causes aging. If we can control inflammation in the skin,  we can help control signs of aging.

Here's what you can do:

Oral antioxidant supplements are very helpful, but rarely are effective for the skin. Still, I want everyone to take an antioxidant supplement regularly. Two of the great ways to incorporate antioxidants into your diet are to drink more green tea, and to eat more turmeric (an ingredient of traditional yellow curry). If you prefer a tablet or capsule, try Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Antioxidants which is a great multivitamin with antioxidants.

When you're trying to affect change on the skin, there really is no better way than to use potent products topically. With inflamed skin, it's best policy to use products designed to be used on sensitive skin and not try to go for the "strongest thing out there". You'll have better results if you keep in mind that we're trying to calm the skin, not overload it. Hylunia Healing and Restoring Cream is specifically for very sensitive skin, used with iS Clinical Pro Heal Serum Advance + you can effectively treat aging and inflammation in one go, without overstimulating the skin.

Come see me at re:surface skin for a re:covery facial to help calm inflammation and heal tissue damage from inflammation. You can pick up the Hylunia cream and the iS Clinical serum while you're here!
www.resurfaceskin.com

Current love affairs...

1. Osea Cleansing Mudd
This is a wonder-cleanser. The minty tingle is verging on painful, just the way a masochistic esthetician like me prefers my tingle (minty or otherwise). It foams very very mildly, looks like mud from some secret cave in Sedona, and has an almost gel-like consistency from the insanely high concentration of red algae (which gives it that seaweed-silky texture). I like to use it in the shower so the steam can activate the minty-ness and I generally leave it on for a few minutes as kind of a mini-mask. I have very sensitive skin, and although I find it invigorating I never experience irritation from this beloved product. I use it about twice a week, it's all about decongesting and clarifying and brightening.


2. Hylunia Healing and Restoring Cream
This is the most soothing, calming cream I've ever had the pleasure of falling in love with. Recently I gave myself a 55% Lactic Acid chemical peel with a salicylic/lactic prep, and my skin was peeling so much I felt like I was moulting. I slathered this cream on, at first it stung a bit because my skin was so raw (masochist, right?) but I just layered it on and when it absorbed I layered on another coat. After only a few hours it was in much better shape, and a few days later, I'm almost back to normal. It's really a miracle. If you're using a prescription retinoid, this needs to be part of your night time routine. It's meant as a body cream so it comes in a huge tube and retails for only $30! I think it's an amazing night cream for dry, sensitized skin.

3. iS Clinical Super Serum Advance+
Whoa. I thought SkinCeuticals made some awesome vitamin C products... Until I met this bottle of bliss. This doesn't sting like the SkinCeuticals, it doesn't smell as much like a hot dog stand in summer, and it
works BETTER. I mean like way, way better. I can't live without my vitamin C serum, and now I can't live without this stuff. My skin is calmer, more even, firmer, smoother, and younger looking.

http://www.resurfaceskin.com/