The SkinLess Project

May 081, 2012

It's time to grow up!

In my profession, I see women that are seeking beauty and want help with their skin every day. Some are struggling with breakouts, some are worried about aging, and they aren't sure how to fix it. I, myself, have always struggled with acne and I can identify with their frustration and even the low-self esteem that accompanies imperfect skin.

But what I cannot understand is when they think I can fix their skin in a treatment and without any change in their lifestyle. One of my clients has spent over $6,000 on her face this year, but still is smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. She is always asking what product she can use to help with the wrinkles....but doesn't want to change her lifestyle habits. Instead of spending money on treatments that give limited results, she would be better off to take care of her skin from the inside out. So would many others that come in for expensive treatments, but continue to damage their skin by laying out in the sun! They are just wasting their money and time, and honestly, they are doing more damage than good.

Your skin is a reflection of your health and your lifetstyle habits. Poor eating habits, sun exposure, lack of skin care, and all stress that you have endured througout your life, reflects on your face. It's just like when you need to lose weight, you can't expect one workout to undo all the extra calories you've consumed over the years! You have to make real life changes! It's time to grow up and realize that to get different results, you have to do different things! Your skin is a reflection of your health and your lifetstyle habits.

I say, it's time to grow up and realize that healthy skin doesn't come in a fancy bottle, but from a healthy lifestyle!

April 1, 2012

Beauty Redefined for the Next Generation

My daughter, who is 11 years old, told me the other day that she thought that I was the most beautiful woman she'd ever met. We were doing our daily rituals in the bathroom, primping and fixing our hair and, needless to say, I didn't feel so beautiful when she said that. But before I could say my usual detraction, "No, I'm not beautiful." or "Yeah, right, sure!", I actually had a revelation !

I thought, in that split second,  "What am I teaching her with my negative responses?"  Am I not teaching her that women should be insecure and put themselves down when they recieve a compliment? How many times in a day do our daughters, nieces, students, etc. hear us put ourselves down? How many times do they hear us criticize ourselves? How many times do they see us turn a compliment from a friend into a cut down? Or how many times do they hear us say we need to diet, or change the way we look, or complain about a small imperfection?  This is not how I want my daughter to be!   But how can I empower my daughter to be confident and love herself?

I knew I had to change my answer...

So I told her, "Well, I wasn't always this beautiful, you know?" See, I owned it!  I didn't reject her compliment!  I accepted her compliment without hesitation!  And hopefully, be doing so, I empowered her to own her future compliments, too!

"Really??" she said. Ha! I knew I had her then! She was definitely interested in what I was going to say!

"Yeah, I didn't always take good care of myself" I told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, to be this beautiful takes a lot of work and care.  And when I was younger, I had a low self-esteem so I never took care of myself.   I suffered from acne, I was overweight, and very shy. And I had to learn, throughout the years, that no one is "naturally" beautiful, no woman just wakes up gorgeous.  Even the models in magazines get fixed up for hours before a photo shoot, and even then, they throw out all the bad pictures and only show you the best.  And it's not just what you do in front of the mirror, either, that makes you beautiful."

"Why? What else makes you beautiful?" she said.

"Well, you have to take care of yourself from the inside out.  You don't have to be perfect or look like anyone else but you can be the best version of yourself. Good skin and a healthy body comes from eating right, staying active, and having a positive outlook on life!  True beauty is being healthy from the inside out. Healthy Body. Healthy Mind. Healthy Attitude ."

And then she rolls her eyes and says, "Mom, I'm not one of your girls in your Beauty Revolution classes! I know what real beauty is!!!!" Great! She got it! I've made her an empowered girl with an attitude!!

So I promise to own all of the compliments that I recieve and give women eveywhere the permission to feel beautiful and be confident! Maybe if we all do this, our daughters, nieces, sisters, etc., will be empowered to redefine beauty for the next generation!

March 1, 2012

What cleanser is the best for your skin?

The market is full of different cleansers! And they all claim to be for you! Which one should you use to keep your skin clean? How often and how vigorously you should cleanse?

The answer actually depends on you skin type, daily activities, and the environment.
While some people still use only water to remove dirt, using soap helps to remove surface oils, oil based make-up, cellular debris, sweat, and microorganisms.

Here's some tips for each skin type:

For normal skin, you should wash your face no more than twice a day with gentle, low-foaming cleansers. Avoid very hot water, and use a low alcohol astringent or an alcohol free toner after each washing. Toners help restore the skin's natural acid pH, which is necessary for healthy skin. You should exfoliate only one a week.

For oily skin, wash three times a day, especially after exercise, and never use "gentle" or "rich" cleansers. If you also tend to break out, use a medicated cleanser with salicylic acid or zinc to help remove bacteria on the surface of the skin. Foaming cleansers or gel cleansers that foam are good because they tend to strip more oil. You can use hotter water than most, and use an astringent with a high alcohol content after each washing, and exfoliate twice a week.
For combination skin, use the same regimen as those with normal skin, but use an astringent for oily skin just in the forehead, nose, and chin.

For sensitive skin, limit washing to once a day and use a very gentle cleanser, one that does not foam or lather. Use lukewarm water and do not use abrasive scrubs, washcloths, puff-buff pads, or rub with a towel vigorously.

Your skin type may change due to hormones, stress, weather, or just as you age, so don't think one cleanser will work all the time. I personally have a summer time cleanser, an acne cleanser for when I'm stressed, and a gentle milky cleanser when my skin gets dried out from winter.

So no matter what an advertisement might say, use what is right for YOUR skin! Believe me, your skin will thank you for it!

February 1, 2012

Mind, Heart, and Skin!

Have you ever woke up from a sleepless night and could see it in your puffy eyes the next morning?  Or you were worried and stressed about an event and then broke out with a pimple on your face? Have you ever seen a friend age quickly during a stressful time in their life?

Can emotions really influence our skin's health? Is there a connection between what you feel and how your skin behaves?

In short, yes!

Researchers at Harvard University discovered that our skin contains a network of shared interactive chemicals that link the mind and body, specifically, the skin.
They found that our skin manages it's own independent stress-response system that acts like the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.  It can produce the stress hormone, cortisol, in an instant, which then releases pigment and oil from hair follicles.  It also makes it's own beta-endorphins, serotonin, and melatonin, which are hormones linked to our mood. This confirms what we have known instinctively for centuries, that our emotional state has a direct impact on our looks!  And this also explains why and how stress triggers skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and rosacea.

Stress hormones release other chemicals in the skin that break down our connective tissue, the collagen and elastin that keeps our skin firm. Managing stress and keeping a positive outlook may play a larger role in maintaining a healthy and youthful complexion than previously thought.

Our thoughts ARE powerful things!
So next time you have a bad day, or are worried about the future, treat your skin to a good thought instead!  It just may be what keeps you young!