Why get old if you don't have to Part Deux

Now that you've figured out your options, and discussed them with your esthetician, let's talk about what to do on a daily basis to improve your skin. If you do just treatments, you'll see great results, and if you use just the following products you'll see great results. But if you want to see better than great, if you really want to dream BIG then do both. They really, truly go hand in hand. I think a series of microdermabrasion or chemical peels with LED light therapy, with regular follow ups, and the use of super powerful products will give you Results with a capital R. That is how I do it, personally and professionally.

So here goes nothing, let the big dreaming commence. Let's start with cleansers. A cleanser doesn't have to be just a way to cleanse the skin, it can also infuse nutrition and antioxidants, and exfoliate the skin. It's not a miracle in and of itself. It's just that whatever touches your skin should be affecting positive change. Why bother using it if it isn't?

Cleansers:

iS Clinical Cleansing Complex is a resurfacing, exfoliating, deep cleanser. If you have the double trouble of acne and wrinkles, get this cleanser and never look back. If you have normal/combo/oily skin, this is the one for you.

Osea Ocean Cleanser is remineralizing and filled with firming proteins. It smells so awesome that everyone will want to use it, but works best for combo/dehydrated/slightly dry skin.

Hylunia Facial Cleansing Lotion awesome for sensitive, dry, aging skin. It cleanses without drying, and infuses skin with a ton of Hyaluronic Acid to plump wrinkles and rehydrate.

And now a little hint on toners, they can be almost as amazing as serum, full of active ingredients and very hydrating. Always avoid toners containing grain or SD alcohol, they will the skin and remove the protective mantle, which contributes to premature aging.

Toners:

Osea Sea Vitamin Boost is a pomegranate and red wine antioxidant treatment with ultra firming undaria algae. Spray it on throughout the day to hydrate or swipe it on with a cotton round after cleansing for a more deep cleansing rinse approach.

Bioelements Power Peptide is a collagen stimulating treatment in spray form. It's not technically a toner, but not technically anything else, so I say why not use it as one? The more collagen stimulating, the better!

Revision Skincare Exfoliating Facial Rinse is one way to go, if you want to double task your exfoliating & toning. This is mild enough for everyday use, with Glycolic and Salicylic acids to refine and stimulate cell turnover. Just swipe it on after cleansing.

Natura Bisse The Cure Hydro-Gel Toner is just plain ooey gooey yumminess. Super hydrating gel-textured deep cleansing toner. Yum yum yum for the dry skinned folks. For a cheaper thrill, try Hylunia Revitalizing Toner.

Exfoliants:

iS Clinical Active Serum is AWESOME! Yes, it's worth yelling about. It's so good I want to rent a loudspeaker and run around town telling everyone how great it is. It works like a charm, it's light as a feather, it's easy, it's fun, everyone's doing it and so should you. If you're sensitive or recovering from Chemotherapy or suffering from Rosacea or dermatitis, get the PolyVitamin Serum instead.

Cellex C Speed Peel is something I've talked about in previous installments of Skincyclopedia. I can't get enough of this stuff. I love it. It's the coolest exfoliating gommage treatment ever invented. It's all stimulating and cool and minty and then it's all whoa, my skin is so smoooooooth. It is incredible and amazing and every other really good adjective. It's a weekly wunderkind.

I know it seems like I should post more options, but the iS Clinical just blows everything else out of the water so just get some and you will like it I promise. Next up, the good stuff! Serums are the most concentrated products that you'll use at home. The active ingredient percentage is higher, and the aim is more focused on providing results than a nice scent or texture.

Serums:

iS Clinical Pro Heal Serum Advance +. Oh yeah? I know I mention iS Clinical a lot. Take it up with them, not me. If they would stop making such fabulous products then I'd stop talking about how great they are. But they rock. Hard. So I will continue to tell you to buy it and if you do, you will thank me. Pro Heal is my favey fave BFF serum. It's more about healing, rebuilding, stimulating growth. It's great for sensitive & acne prone skin. They also make Super Serum Advance +, which is more about the firming, sun damage, wrinkle smoothing action. They both rule, the Super Serum is more for severely aged skin that can handle whatever you throw at it (don't throw things at your skin, be nice). They also (God, when will they stop being so awesome, it's hard to keep up) make a magic potion called Youth Complex which is like.... heaven.... in a very expensive bottle.

Oxygen Pur serum is all about the glow. That glow you had when you were 17, after a day of rollerskating and eating cotton candy and laughing and jumping rope and all that stuff you don't have time for. If you have like 5 seconds, you can get that glow back. Why wear foundation, blush, and concealer when you can just wear this and look twelve again?

GM Collin H50 Therapy Serum this is what you want if you're 50+ or experiencing early menopause.This is everything your skin needs to bounce back after the hormone levels go south. If you use this at night, and one of the iS Clinical serums in the morning, you will be an unstoppable force of nature. While you're at it, use the H50 Therapy Cream. Don't forget to look carefully at the label, because they make one for DRY skin which literally has the texture of butter and is way too rich for most of us, and then a lighter formula for normal/oily/combo skin.

                                              Avene Retrinal serum is turbocharged retinol on crack. It's super effective for stimulating cell turnover and firming and retexturizing your skin. I wouldn't use this with the Active Serum, it's redundant and possibly like, crazy. If you're crazy and your skin can handle crazy, then give it a whirl. Use the Retrinal at night & Active Serum during the day. If you want to use the strongest OTC retinol product available, this is IT. Use responsibly, and only at night, and only if you use SPF religiously during the day.Avene Retrinal

Cosmedix Refine 4% is a slightly more forgiving retinol treatment. Choose this one over the Retrinal for sensitive skin, or try this first & work your way up to the Retrinal over time.

Moisturizers:

Moisturizers don't have to be just hydrating. Stop listening to Olay. They are full of crap, and so are their products. Hydration is important, but RESULTS are way more important, that's what we're aiming for and that's why we're forking over our money. Not because of some marketing campaign that we are forced to endure between segments of Glee. I am well versed in the best, most effective moisturizers out there for anti-aging and now I get to share my savant-like depth of knowledge with you! Yay!

GM Collin AGE Total Defense is the most radically effective anti-aging moisturizer for sun damage and those of us under 50. This stuff has an epic, almost ridiculous amount of peptides and antioxidants. The texture is a tiny bit sticky, but if you follow my standard advice of applying moisturizer to damp skin you'll be fine. I use this at night atop my Retrinal. I would SO bathe in this magic potion.

Osea Advanced Protection Cream. Amen. Of the first three ingredients, two are super active firmers. DPHP and Undaria Algae.  The texture is a bit rich, but it absorbs very easily and doesn't leave skin sticky or greasy. I recommend it for dry, dehydrated, aging skin (age range 30-45ish).

Sanitas PeptiDerm Moisturizing Cream is super pricey but the results are so freaking amazing. It's excellent. It's a little lighter than the GM Collin AGE Total Defense, and more focused on firming, less on repairing sun damage and wrinkle reduction. I'd say it's more for all skin types and those that are 40+.

GM Collin H50 Treatment Cream is for hormonally-challenged skin. Generally 50+, but also applicable for laxity resulting from early menopause or hysterectomy. I mentioned it already in the serum section, take a peek. This isn't for everyone, it's specifically to replenish what hormone-depleted skin needs. Men and 20 year olds need not apply.

What else can you do at home to up the ante? You can get your own LED light from LightStim. The Anti Aging light is made for home use, it's a great thing to have! I recommend it over the individual colored units because it's more affordable, less expensive, and it's best to get your professional LED treatments from, you know, a professional. That way results can be monitored and a treatment plan can be structured and tailored for your skin's needs. It's not as strong as the lights used by a professional, but it also won't blind you on accident (which is a plus). LED will stimulate collagen, give you a glow, even out your skin tone, and reduce lines & wrinkles.

There's also the NuFace, which isn't as user-friendly and you have to continually buy the Conductivity Gel, which is $25 per tube. It's a good piece of equipment IF you actually use it. Most people find that it ends up languishing in a drawer, but if you pull it out and use it regularly, it will reward you with results like firm skin and less wrinkles and laxity.

The last thing you should consider is facial exercise. There's a good, cheap, download-able book called Ageless If You Dare. This is a great option for the lines around the mouth, and all it takes is a little time commitment.

Come in for a consultation, a facial with microdermabrasion and LED light therapy, or to get started with your anti-aging regimen. I've got the iS Clinical, Hylunia, and Osea products at my skin studio.

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