Peel Season is Here!!!

We are about 2 days away from fall! And we get a full moon along with the official day. :)
I love fall for so many reasons! The beautiful color changes in the leaves, the crisp air, pumpkins, fall fashion, and PEELS! Spring and fall are the perfect times to get peel treatments. Time to shed the summer and get ready for a radiant winter.
Have you had facial peels before? I would love to know your experiences with peel treatments.
With the proper at home care these treatments can be very productive for many types of skin concerns. My personal favorite skin to work with is acne. But, with any epidermal focus comes imperative communication between the technician and the client at hand.
Allergies MUST be covered. That means food allergies, medications, etc. The clients Fitzpatrick scale is another imperative piece of information necessary to create a proper client profile.

So, what is a peel? How do they work? These are very common questions I hear. I also notice a timidness clients have to receive a facial peel. Not all peels are created equal. There are many different solution strength levels and combinations.
But, lets start with the basics. Peels are designed to resurface the skin, by bringing new skin cells up to the surface at a more rapid rate. In doing so the old skin cells begin to shed, thus creating a "peeling". Some peels are mild enough to give results without the downtime of sloughing dead skin off. You would just have a tightness to your skin and possibly feel a bit dry, maybe including flaky patches. These types of mild treatments begin to show long term effects with a series, usually about 3-6 treatments.
Medical peel treatments typically offer downtime. The treatments can be pretty strong with some discomfort. The results can appear quicker, meaning less treatments. But you will most likely be peeling. Depending on the treatment had you could have what looks and feels like a bad sunburn/windburn. Chapped, dry, red, flaky skin.
Now, don't think I am not for medical treatments. I feel that at times the medical peels and/or laser treatments should be a last resort because of the downtime and how pricey they can be. I also believe that you don't have to be so invasive to get the results you want.
There are many types of peels available. Some of the most commonly used are:
Glycolic Acid - Great for targeting wrinkles, fine lines and firmness.
Lactic Acid - A more mild resurfacer perfect for the sensitive.
Salicylic Acid - Helps alleviate inflammation, bacteria and is great for acne prone.

Depending on the company that is manufacturing these products, sometimes they are blended. For example Image creates a Lactic/Kojic Acid blend. Kojic Acid is derived from several species of fungi. It is a melanocyte suppressant. (It helps with dark spots in the skin)

All in all, there is a peel treatment for everyone. Ask your skin care professional what their suggestions would be for you to achieve the desired skin!


Do you have any specific questions you would like answered about this topic? Pick my brain! :)


Fun Fact: Glycolic Acid, a commonly used ingredient for resurfacing, is found in some sugar crops. Including sugar cane!

Sun!

Got back from our beautiful vacation a couple days ago. It was beautiful! Hawaii is probably, well at least at this point, my favorite place to be. I always feel at home and find peace within myself there. I still don't know why I got on the plane to come back to Cali. But, on the positive side I am going to start surfing again. I haven't been out for maybe 5-7 years! I just gotta get a good wetsuit, the waters out here are freezing!

So, let's talk about the fact that the sun is out and we will hopefully all be able to enjoy a beautiful summer! Sun rays are stronger than most think. Both UVA and UVB penetrate our atmosphere and play huge roles in premature skin aging, eye damage, and skin cancers. They can also suppress the immune system, reducing our body's ability to fight off these and other maladies. I always say, "Our first defense against solar damage is Solar Defense!"
Even if you are working in an office I recommend my clients apply at the very minimum a 15 SPF. These sun rays, especially the UVA, can penetrate through glass and our clothing.
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. That doesn't mean the amount of protection you are receiving from the product. It indicates how long it will take those UVB rays to get your skin red while using a sunscreen verses no sunscreen. Example: If you applied an SPF 15 it will take 15 times longer to redden than without it.
Both UVA and UVB are damaging to the skin. Which is why finding a broad spectrum SPF is necessary. Now, I also believe that finding sunscreens with a zinc base are the most beneficial. Zinc Oxide protects against UVB,UVA2, UVA1 rays. It's the only ingredient that gives that much protection and is nearly insoluble in water.
The other big mistake is not reapplying. You must reapply about every 2 hours or immediately after swimming or sweating.

Now, go have fun, enjoy the summer and please protect your skin. It's the only one ya got!


Skin Tip: An SPF 15 sunscreen screens 93 percent of the sun’s UVB rays; SPF 30 protects against 97 percent; and SPF 50, 98 percent.

Ok, OK!

I really am not good at this blog thing. Well, at least being consistent with it. :-\ Things have been crazy though, in my defense. In the past few months I've moved and work got so insane, I didn't even have time to make my flowers! Things have slowed down at The Spa recently and another esthetician was finally hired, so we aren't short staffed anymore. Yay!
Last night I cranked out a ton of flowers! Beautiful colors too, I have some gorgeous jewel tones and of course I got started on the red for Valentines Day and green for March. I also was asked to sell them out of a local store, so I really needed to step it up and make as much as my little fingers will allow.

So, since this blog is supposed to be about Aesthetics, let's talk about some skin care! I am loving B. Kamins. Absolutely amazing line. They use their Bio-Maple™ compound, a phenomenal exclusive ingredient that is in all of their products. This ingredient creates a gentle, hydrating and mildly exfoliating line.One of my many favorites from B. Kamins is the Vegetable Cleanser. This cleanser is oil free, fragrance free and is gentle enough for any skin type, even rosacea. It is also great for eye makeup removal! Oh, and P.S. it's made from corn! Yeah, crazy.

So, there you have it. I could go on and on about this product and so many others from B. Kamins. We can get into more of them next time. :)