10 Skin Care Resolutions You Need To Make For 2012

What's your skin care resolutions for 2012?  Even the best of us do things we know we shouldn't... we sleep in our makeup, we skimp on sunscreen, we skip our regular appointment with our dermatologist.  There are many things we can be doing to help make us look and feel younger, and many of them are as simple as moisturizing regularly!

Check out this great article I found on Allure.com for the top 10 things you can do for your skin this year, and let me know what you think!

~Sandy

Avoid the Holiday Blues

Top 10 Ways to Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain Blues

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just ahead — the time for parties, shopping, friends and family and lots and lots of eating! What can you do to ensure that while your blessings overflow, your waistband doesn’t? 

First of all, don't try to actually LOSE weight during the holidays.  Your priority should be to maintain as healthy of a lifestyle as possible so that once you pass New Years you can jump right back into your healthy habits.  

Here are My Top 5 Ways to Maintain Weight During the Holidays

1. Put down the chips, pastries and ice cream
2. Put down the remote
3. Get off the couch or off the computer
4. Get outside and get some exercise
5. Walking is good; jogging is better and active sports are great – just keep moving for at least 1/2 hour every day.

While you are outside exercising, don’t forget your broad-spectrum sunscreen!

Five More Ways to Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain Blues

1. Eat smaller portions and skip seconds
2. Snack on nuts, fruits and raw veggies
3. Save desserts for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas and avoid them at all the parties and meals in between
4. Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary beverages
5. Get plenty of sleep. Not getting enough sleep can trigger wight gain - and wrinkles!

~Sandy

Holiday Treats that Affect Your Skin

We all know that holiday treats bring on the dreaded December bulge... but did you know that many of the treats you have during the holiday season can actually be bad for your skin?

I found this great article on The Real Style Network's website that talks about just this.  All the fun parties with alcohol, processed food, sugar and sweets can really take their toll.  Add that to the winter weather, and your skin really needs extra attention.  Give me a call and we can schedule a facial or I can make some recommendations on some products that can help get your skin back into shape!
~Sandy

QUIZ: What is your skin's age?

So, I know we all want to have young looking skin, and I certainly see my fair share of men and women who wonder "how old do I look??"  The thing is that there are lots of things that affect your skin's age.  Sunscreen, diet, healthy habits... you get the picture.

I found a fun quiz on Women's Health Magazine's Website that walks you through and helps you deterimine your skin's age.  It's definitely not the last word in skin, but it's a fun quiz to check out!

Remember, I can always help erase those little missteps and issues you may be battling yourself.  I have a ton of facials, chemical peels, and more that can (in the words of the beautiful Cher) "turn back time."

Take a look at the quiz and see what you think - then give me a call and let's get to work!

~Sandy

Winter Waxing

The winter weather is upon us and now that you’re putting away your tiny-weeny bikini’s and pulling out your winter jackets and scarves, I want to prevent you all from experiencing the winter waxing woes!! What I'm trying to say is, although you aren’t wearing shorts, tank tops and bikinis during the winter, you’ll still need to keep up with your waxing routines. Here are some reasons to get you into the salon on a regular basis, even if the weather outside looks frightful:

• So what if you want to stay warm this winter? That doesn’t mean you want a beard warming your chin this winter or any facial hair for that matter! You can’t use the cold weather as an excuse for slacking on your eyebrow, upper lip and chin waxes!
• The dry, windy weather and relentless central heating sucks moisture right out of your skin during the winter, leaving it tight and itchy and all around uncomfortable. Under these conditions, how could you possible look or feel your best? A great way to prevent yourself from feeling these types of winter woes and help yourself feel good is to keep up your waxing routine and stay smooth throughout the winter season! 
• If you’ve been thinking about starting to wax your bikini area, believe it or not, the winter months are the ideal time of year to begin! Getting started in early winter with your bikini waxes will mean that by summer time, you will have waxed all of your hair growth cycles at least once!  Also, it is much easier to grow your hair out to that pesky ¼ inch during the winter months!
• Covering up too much this winter can lead to fabrics against your skin that can cause irritation and flaking, or not allowing the skin to breathe.  A great way to combat this is to keep your legs lovely so you can show off your favorite pair of winter boots with a pair of beautifully smooth and freshly-waxed legs this winter!
• Don’t forget to exfoliate!! Keep a gentle body scrub and a less abrasive facial exfoliant in the shower. Using them both at least once or twice a week in addition to keeping up your regular facial and body waxing routine will get rid of built-up dead skin cells and expose a fresh layer of skin ready to suck up all the moisturizer you’re going to apply when you step our of the tub.
• Finally, and most importantly, keeping up with a regular waxing routine increases the comfort level for your future waxes and decreases the amount of hair follicles that will grow back. That means winter waxing results in less hair and better waxing session for you this summer!

~Sandy

Holiday Skin Stress?

This time of year, your skin can get really worked out.  Between indulging in rich foods, party treats and cocktails, your skin reacts in many (sometimes unwelcome) ways.

By paying attention to the products you're using, and keeping your sking extra moisturized, you can have a healthy holiday glow instead of a holiday drab.  I found a great article on WebMD that talks about things you can do to help - check it out, then give me a call and we'll get a super moisturizing treatments going to help too!
~Sandy

How Microdermabrasion Works

I get lots of questions about what microdermabrasion is and how it works. It's truly an amazing process, that while once only available to "Hollywood types" has crossed into the main stream.

This is a great article on microdermabrasion by Discovery Health. In it they explain the process in very easy-to-understand terms, as well as talking about the benefits:

"The idea is that if you remove or break up the stratum corneum, the body interprets that as a mild injury and rushes to replace the lost skin cells with new and healthy ones. In the first hour after treatment, this causes mild edema (swelling) and erythema (redness). Depending on the individual, these side effects can last anywhere from an hour to two days.This process has a few beneficial effects. With the stratum corneum gone, the skin's surface is improved. The healing process brings with it newer skin cells that look and feel smoother. Some of the skin's visible imperfections, like sun damage, blemishes and fine lines, are removed.

Also, without the stratum corneum acting as a barrier, medicinal creams and lotions are more effective because more of their active ingredients and moisture can find their way down to the lower layers of skin. As microdermabrasion temporarily removes some moisture from the skin, it is always followed by the application of moisturizing creams.Early studies suggest that repeated microdermabrasion treatment at regular intervals may influence the way the lower layers of skin grow, as well, removing deeper blemishes over time. Some evidence seems to indicate that the rapid loss of skin moisture may be what triggers the lower skin layers to work overtime in speeding healthy cells up to the surface."

What a great article to familarize yourself with the process! Take a look, then give me a call and schedule your session now!