Back At It!

So after a long hiatus, I have taken a job as an esthetician at a wonderful salon & spa! While I will miss teaching, I'm excited for the new adventure. That also means I will have more time to update way more often! See, quite the plus! So stay tuned for some cool posts I'm working on but in the mean time if you have any skin questions--feel free to pick my brain! And if you are in the Dallas area, come see me! 

While you're at it you can like my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Monetskintreatments

Excited to get to reconnect with you all...much love!

Get Your Lymph Working!

Have you been feeling sluggish lately?
Feel exhausted a lot?
Your skin breaking out or looks dull?

Surprisingly, a massage might be your miracle cure! Who would turn that away though right? Medical studies that have been conducted are saying that massage is not only good for us physiologically but also physically. There was even a study by the Touch Research Institute on infants that said that if you regularly massage your baby not only do they have a pleasant disposition but that it also helps strengthen their immunity system. So I was curious...

First off, when thinking about massage in general, there are many benefits to receiving a massage. Whether it be Shiatsu, European, Deep Tissue, or Swedish! Of course your disposition is going to be better after relaxing for an hour but there are more:

• Stimulates blood and lymph
• Improves metabolism
• Tone muscle
• Detoxifies and softens impactions of the skin
• Exfoliates
• Reduces edema and congestion
• Improves product absorption

All amazing!

I was introduced to a particular massage that has been utilized both in day spas and also in the medical industry known as, Manual Lymph Drainage. This has been a technique used both before and after surgeries to help with swelling and to help remove waste from the body quicker, thus leading to a quicker healing time. While massage in general can help improve lymph drainage, this is a more concentrated technique. Think, that's why you are encouraged to drink water after a facial or massage, because toxins are stimulated and need a medium in which they can be removed from the body or you're going to feel lethargic or sick afterwards.



You may be wondering what exactly is lymph? Well, lymph is a vital part of our Immune System ( it's also referred to as Lymphatic System) that acts a medium to transport waste from our cells to the lymph nodes in our bodies. After lymph is filtered through the lymph nodes, the waste is then removed through perspiration and what we eliminate. Lymph is easily congested and so back up can occur. If you suffer from acne, this could be why you might have some of your breakouts.

This is a video that demonstrates a full body lymph drainage massage. I'm not saying this is the crème de la crème of videos but it's a good illustration.

Look for a massage therapist or esthetician who is certified or knowledgable about Manual Lymph Drainage (M.L.D.) to receive the amazing benefits in your treatments. It is a practice that needs to be done correctly and if not will not be beneficial so make sure to do your research. Now remember, full body MLD treatments can only be performed by a massage therapist and for a MLD skin treatment you'll have to go to a licensed skin therapist. Or if you're lucky, a professional that has both licenses! Also if you have a physical challenge, there are some physical therapy offices who offer these services as well.

So now you can go tell your significant other that you need massage for your wellbeing AND health :)

 

That Little Problem Called Pigmentation

You may be a victim already and don't even know it....or maybe it's something that has made you conscientious for a while. I'm referring to, of course, the pigmentation problem.
To be more direct, it might be areas of your skin that are darker than the rest. AKA "sunspots", "age spots", and sometimes "freckles". In the biz it's called hyperpigmentation. If you are a nerd like me...the prefix "hyper-" meaning excess and "-pigmentation" for color. Hyperpigmentation is an overproduction of melanin created by the skin cells. And another disorder related to pigmentation is hypopigmentation or "lack of color". These patches that are lighter than the rest of your skin or that contain no melanin. Hyperpigmentation can be treated where as hypopigmentation has no cure and can only be changed with permanent cosmetics. So being forward focused, let's talk about what we can do to prevent and treat!

Why ME?!

Well, hyperpigmentation can occur for many different reasons- horomones, trauma, chemical reactions. These factors cannot cause pigmentation without one thing...UV rays. It's kind of like the factors are the ingredients for a cupcake, but we all know that the ingredients combined aren't a cupcake until they are baked in the oven. UV is our oven people! 
Let's break it down a bit-
Horomones can cause our skin to be more sensitive and to be more vulnerable to the sun. That's why a condition called "Melasma" occurs with pregnant women. Also, when we are stressed, a horomone is secreted that also can cause us damage. So when we've had a hard week...no wonder we feel like we got drug through the wringer! Medications can alter our horomones as well, so that's why women who are on birth control experience very similar results.
Trauma to the skin is a factor that most people know about. Think about it, when you had that pesky breakout and you picked at it or even tried to it "pop it". After a couple weeks, when that breakout was gone you still saw a residual "shadow"- that's hyperpigmentation. That angry little thing was inflamed and inflammation is an indicator of damage. Where damage is present there is a compromised barrier that allows things to penetrate deeper, especially UV.
Chemical Reactions car range from just spraying perfume on your décolleté to recently receiving a chemical peel. Perfume dries out the skin because of the alcohols and weaken the skin. Think about when we age, what skin is one of the first to show our age? Our hands and our chest because of all the sun exposure. And chemical peels or resurfacing treatments exfoliate the skin and re
move cells. Two things can happen, because skin cells are removed then this can allow UV to damage cells and their DNA. Also, should you have had the peel recently, the heat can reactivate the acid to penetrate too deep which can cause trauma to the cells. Double edged sword right there.

UV stimulates the brain to secrete a melanin-stimulating horomone that tells a melanocyte (a cell that creates melanin, the pigment) to create more melanin to be sent to the skin cells that are in the "line of fire". The melanin is then sent to the 36 cells that are designated to that 1 melanocyte. Once the skin cells receive the pigment it surrounds the nucleus to act as a bodyguard and protect it from damage. So, this is actually one of the body's defense mechanisms against excessive sun exposure. That's what happens when you tan also. However, because of factors outside of our control, some cells receive too much of that melanin and that's when hyperpigmentation begins to haunt us!

Hypopigmentation can be caused by these factors as well if they are killed or destroy the DNA of the cell. Vitiligo is a disorder where the melanocytes (cells that create melanin) are damaged . Some hypopigmentation can be genetics ( an example would be albinoism) Wanna know more? Check this out!

What do I do to help?!

If you've never gotten to experience a Wood's Lamp or Skin Scanner, do it! Talk to your local esthetician or skin care professional. This is a device that can actually show you conditions your skin is experiencing. It can also show you hyperpigmentation that hasn't reached the surface yet. If you see a faint brown or light purple spot...by the age of 50, if you don't take any measures to speed up cell turnover, that hyperpigmentation caused by the sun will make it's way to the surface of your face.
 The goal to treat the pigmentation is to encourage cell turnover so that more cells are reproduced and pushes the cells that contain that extra melanin to the surface so that they can be exfoliated off or treated with vitamin C or other lightening/brightening ingredients (kojic berry, licorice for example). Treatments that would encourage cell turnover- microdermabrasion, chemical peels, exfoliating treatments/products, any services that stimulate blood circulation are ideal. But make sure before you jump into a treatment bed that you understand what you are getting yourself into! Not all are suited for these types of treatments. Again, talk with your skin therapist on the right path for you.

Only you can prevent pigmentation...

Obviously the common denominator behind pigmentation are UV rays given off by the sun so preventative measures includes building up your barrier and protecting with sunscreen! To read more about sunscreens and the new regulations check out my sunscreen post. So if you are being conscientious of these factors and taking the steps to protect yourself from UV, then problem no more!

Is Your Skin Care Regimen the Problem? FINALE

Toners, Fresheners, Astringent…oh my!

Toners are valuable to all skin types and one of the most forgotten steps in many regimens. Toners are meant to help remove excess product that may be on the surface of the skin. Also, they are used to help balance the pH of the skin. It is important for the skin’s functions to have the skin’s pH maintained at 4.5-5.5. But more on that later…

Fresheners are very beneficial to dry, prematurely aging, and aging skin. Fresheners do just that…freshen the skin. Delivering hydration to the skin and in return, helping strengthen the skin. 

Astringents are going to be best suited for oily skin types. Really, for excess oil production. Astringents will help remove the excess oil and dry the skin to allow other products to penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin. So this would be beneficial who have acneic skin too, however would not be great for dry skin types. Even those who experience a little oil, it may be too much for. 

Moisturizers and Your Skin

Moisturizers are important for every skin type. Oily skin types may try to avoid it but they really do need it. All skin types can experience dehydration (lack of water) and so finding the right product is important. The more oil your skin produces, the lighter the moisturizer you are going to need…and vice versa, the drier the skin the thicker the moisturizer needs to be. 

Whew! And finally! The regimen list is completed!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? 

I'm itching to write a research post on this product line that my class just experienced...so prepare yourselves, it's a doozy.

Where To Start Your Smart Skin Decisions

Growing up I've always heard, "beauty is only skin deep..". 
A cliche we've all come to love and know. However, as a licensed esthetician I've grown to understand it's true meaning. To really appreciate beautiful skin is to chase after it like millions of us around the world are!

Maybe I need a little introduction- my name is Chelsea and I'm a licensed esthetician and esthetician instructor. So I assure you, this comes from a good place! Obviously my students have a ton of questions but I also have many clients who all wonder the same things...what will work for me? So this blog as stemmed from those pleas! So here we go...

Did you know that $53.7 billion have been spent by the U.S. alone in 2013 on COSMETICS? Cosmetics are defined as products "intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions." That's a lot of money being invested in our beauty wouldn't you say? The majority of that money stems from make-up which is used to enhance your beautiful features and conceal the less attractive...but the rest? The rest of that money is spent on those skin care products that fill that space under your bathroom sink. And why does it sit there out of sight? Because those products don't work for you or they don't live up to expectation. How do you know which products are for you?

Or what about that cool  skin treatment you just saw on that reality TV show about over-privledged sisters? Does it really work? In 2011, the spa industry's revenue was recorded at 13.4 billion dollars!  Not only is that money spent but what about the hours spent at the spa? Is it worth it? No worries, you have the internet...the answer to all your problems! Maybe. You can go on Youtube these days and find people doing chemical peels on themselves at home with no education whatsoever! For every successful one there is probably 5 botched "at home treatments". Is a chemical even the right treatment for you? So please, don't burn your face off!

As a professional, my ultimate goal is to educate everyone on not what's the trend but really the basics and foundation that you as a consumer need to know.  It's only then that you can come to a conclusion on what your skin care regimen should entail, what ingredient best suits your needs, what plan of action is going to help you with your skin care challenge. Not only am I here to tell you what you need but how your skin represents your internal health. With my background and knowledge I hope to answer some of your questions and infulence some of your smart skin decisions!

Looking forward to jumping right in!