alcohol

Witch Hazel. Is it Good for Your Skin?

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Updated: October 2017

Witch Hazel– Did you know that alcohol used to be added to this so that it would evaporate on contact and create a cooling sensation? Nowadays it goes through the same distillation process to draw out essential oils and natural extracts.It is often used in toners and moisturizers to hydrate the skin, lessen oily skin soothe redness in skin and cleanse problem complexions.

Please note: Witch Hazel Astringent found in drugstores does contain alcohol and should definitely be avoided!

I love Hydrating Moisturizer (contains witch hazel) from Skin Script! It is what I use on my skin every morning.

HydratingMoisturizer

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Cleansing Towelettes- What I Really Think!

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Updated: July 2017

I get asked about these all the time and I know these are quite popular especially for those of you that have late nights. They are easier and at least you aren’t going to bed with makeup and your whole day on your face, right? Wrong. Kind of. 🙂

For the most part, I would prefer you not to use these. There are so many varieties and most are not good for your skin. I simply cannot try every towelette and read all the ingredients to determine which are acceptable and which are not. However, I will give you a couple to use and some to absolutely stay away from completely.

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A lot of these contain alcohol so they are super drying to the skin. Then you have the ones that have a lot of fragrance and that can irritate the skin and since you are not washing after, the ones that can be hydrating may leave a film on your skin.

If you have oily or acne-prone skin, I would run from these towelettes. I haven’t seen any that are good for your skin types yet. In fact, the only skin type that can really tolerate these, generally speaking, are those with dry skin. As always, there are exceptions to the rules but do you want to find out if you are that exception? You only have 1 face! The more you irritate it, even if you don’t see it now, can cause damage down the road and make you age faster. Now I know you don’t want that!!

That being said, here are my recommendations, as promised, for the good and the bad towelettes…

Good– Neutrogena has 2-  Night Calming and Hydrating Towelettes; most brands that are for dry skin will probably be ok because they will have way less alcohol and fragrance in them. This is still not a recommendation to use.

Bad– Olay Facial Cloths for Combination/Oily; as I said above, most brands for oily and acne-prone skin will not be good for the skin. Avoid!

Cleansing your face properly is the best way to keep your skin clean, postpone aging and stay hydrated. If you find yourself using these, try to keep it to “every once in a while, only when you need to” situations. Your skin will thank you! (and you’ll thank me when all you friends are jealous of how great you look! 😉 )

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Protect Your Skin! The Damage is Lurking…

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Did you know that it takes about 10 years for your skin to show damage? That is why in your 30’s you will all of sudden start to feel like you are getting older. You will start seeing more sun spots, freckles, wrinkles and dry skin. What we do NOW is important to how we look later. It’s easy to live in the moment and think, “oh, I’ll worry about that tomorrow” but I promise you, you will regret it. I hear it everyday from my clients. Protect your skin!

Here is a breakdown of what smoking can do to your skin:

Teenager: Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals that dehydrate your skin. Quit now and it’ll stay smooth and bright.
20 plus: Smoking can age you by ten years or more. Lines appear on the cheeks and lower jaw.
30 plus: Signs of wrinkles, lines and crow’s feet. Dull, sallow skin due to cigarette heat.
40 plus: Definite facial wrinkling and hollow cheeks through repeated sucking on cigarettes. Skin lined around lips and eyes.
50 plus: Wrinkles are deep and pronounced. Skin sags and is grey in colour. Teeth are brown with nicotine stains.

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Exposure to the sun causes:

Pre-cancerous (actinic keratosis) and cancerous (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) skin lesions – caused by loss of the skin’s immune function
Benign tumors
Fine and coarse wrinkles
Freckles
Discolored areas of the skin, called mottled pigmentation
Sallowness — a yellow discoloration of the skin
Telangiectasias — the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin
Elastosis — the destruction of the elastic and collagen tissue (causing lines and wrinkles)

Protect Your Skin!

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Rosacea

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What is Rosacea? A very common skin disease that affects people over the age of 30. It causes redness on your nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. Some people get little bumps and pimples on the red parts of their faces. Rosacea can also cause burning and soreness in your eyes.

What Causes Rosacea? Experts don’t know what causes this yet. They do know that something is irritating the skin but they know it isn’t an infection caused by bacteria. Usually those with fair skin or who blush easily are prone and it seems to run in families.

Symptoms? Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead. Small visible blood vessels on the face. Bumps or pimples on the face. Watery or irritated eyes.

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There is no cure for Rosacea but some food and beverages can trigger the symptoms (alcohol and spicy foods are common) as well as anything that normally causes your skin to get red, like working out. It’s up to you to figure out what causes your flare-ups. Ignoring this condition can possibly make it worse, researchers have found.

What to Use: All products should be calming and gentle for the skin. Hydration is very important! This is what I recommend as far as Skin Script and Le Mieux products go…

Pomegranate Cream Cleanser or Green Tea Cleanser, Iso-Cell Solution, Hyaluronic Acid Serum (Le Mieux), Derma Relief Serum (Le Mieux), Vita-C Serum, Moisturizer (maybe the Canteen Balancing Moisturizer but there are other options), SPF. Not all of these need to be used so book a consultation with me so we can decided what is best for you.

Vitamin C can definitely help this skin condition but, unfortunately, it cannot fix it.

I can do a great facial for Rosacea clients using calming ingredients. If you have a more serious case or are looking to do something a little more intense, photo-facials can be great.

In more severe cases, medicine or antibiotics might be necessary. Make an appointment with your doctor (Dermatologist) and see if you are a candidate.

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