5 Simple Steps to Achieve Spa Skin Care Results at Home

 Photo Credit: Aqua-Dome

Have you ever treated yourself to a facial treatment from a professional?  If you have, more than likely, it resulted in skin that was glowing and healthy looking.  Wanting to maintain that as long as possible, you might have purchased the products that were recommend, only to be disappointed a week or two later when your skin did not look that great anymore.   The products might have be great, even perfect for your skin, but there are a few major differences between skin care at a spa and skin care at home.

• During a professional treatment highly concentrated “professional” grade products are used on you skin.

• Sometimes advanced treatment protocols are used for product penetration and stimulation, such as ultra-sound, or galvanic current.

• For the duration of your treatment, you are in a reclined position.  This can be so relaxing; it is very common to fall asleep. 

• The therapist spends time massaging your face.

I’m guessing that you probably do not own professional grade products, ultrasound devices, nor recline while you wash your face, right?  Well there is not much you can do about the first two points, but you might be shocked by the difference a little reclining can make on the appearance of your skin.

I am not about to ask you to cleanse your face while on your back, but I am going to suggest that it would be great for your skin’s appearance, and health, if you reclined while putting on your moisturizer.  

The combined action of lying down, and massaging your face for five minutes, creates a rush of blood and oxygen to the face.  This stimulation assists the skin cells in the process of absorption, and elimination.  This means that a gentle facial massage helps product penetration by stimulating the cells into better acceptance of the active ingredients.  It also helps the cells that are holding toxins to release them.   This process is very simple and does not need to be time consuming to be effective.  Try the following routine 3 times a week for 2 or 3 weeks, and then revel in the results.

World-Class at Home Face Massage for Great Skin

1. Set up your bed, or couch in a way that your head will be flat on the surface, with no pillow.  Place the pillow down by your calves.

2. Go into the bathroom and follow your normal routine, but when it is time to apply your moisturizer, go to the place you set up in step one, and get yourself situated (with pillow under calves).

3. Apply a nickle-sized dollop of moisturizer on your chin, forehead, and cheeks.

4. With very gentle movements, move the moisturizer all over your face in smooth, fluid motions.  Use different pressures and speeds, but never pull hard or tug on the skin.

5. Do this for at least five minutes, and enjoy…you are doing your skin’s favorite thing.

When you finish, your face may appear a bit red. No worries: this is from the stimulation of the massage, and will subside quickly, leaving you with gorgeous skin.

[Personal Note] My personal preference is to do this at night, but if you do it during the day, be sure to follow with sunscreen.  Sometimes you may want to massage with a specialized treatment serum, or something as basic as sweet almond oil.  Feel free to experiment.

When you give yourself a face massage at home, you are giving your skin a similar physiological benefit as the professional treatment.  This benefit is very easy to achieve, and has lasting effects for remarkable skin.  Try adding a five minute face massage to your skin care routine today--your friends will comment on it tomorrow!

Dermal Fillers: 4 Things "not" to do before undergoing the needle

Photo by Joe Flintham

This post is for anyone who is considering going under the needle for dermal fillers, or Botulinum toxin (commonly know as Botox Cosmetic, or Dysport).  I am sure that your doctor has told you what to expect during the procedure you are having--but all too often, they forget to tell you what "not" to do prior to the visit.  As with any type of injection, bruising can happen, and commonly does to some degree.  The skin on your face is much thinner than nearly any other part of your body.  If bruising occurs from injection, you are more  like to see it on the face.

Things to avoid for one week prior to Dermal Filler Injections

(contact your doctor if you have any questions)

1.     Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and herbal formulations

2.     Pharmaceutical Blood Thinners: Coumadin (warfarin), Dicumarol (dicumarol), Miradon (anisinidione)—talk to your physician before modifying your intake of these drugs.

3.     Wine

4.     Some herbs and supplements considered to have blood thinning properties include:

angelica root, anise, arnica flower, asafoetida, bogbean, boldo,

bromelain - Herbs with Anti-platelet properties.

capsicum, celery, chamomile,

clove - Herbs with Anti-platelet properties.

danshen, fenugreek, feverfew, fish oil,

ginger - Traditionally, ginger has been taken to curb motion sickness and arthritis.

ginkgo - Ginkgo leaf has been shown to decrease platelet aggregation.

horse chestnut, horseradish, licorice,

meadowsweet - Herbs that may contain salicylates.

onion - Herbs with Anti-platelet properties.

panax ginseng, papain, passionflower,

poplar - Herbs that may contain salicylates.

prickly ash, quassia, red clover,

turmeric - Herbs with Anti-platelet properties.

vitamin E -     * wild carrot, wild lettuce,

willow bark - Herb that may contain salicylates

Knick-Knack-Bladderwrack Throw your Skin a Bone

Bladderwrack, or Fucus Vesiculosus, is a mineral rich ingredient that helps to draw toxins out of the skin, and helps to reduce fluid retention.  Due to this, you find this ingredient most often in spa treatments such as body wraps.  However, scientists have uncovered some very interesting information that should put this powerful ingredient on your radar, and on your face.

Bladderwrack is known to have water-binding properties, which helps to hydrate the skin—always important for the health and appearance of the skin.  Additionally, Bladderwrack is chock-full of anti-oxidants, and you know we love the anti-O’s for their free radical fighting ways!

A Japanese study¹ has shown that topical use of Bladderwrack can induce the contraction of collagen gels (filled with fibroblasts), via an increased expression of integrin molecules.  What???  Ok, what that means is that the contraction reduced the thickness of the skin.  As we age, our skin thickens, and our elasticity decreases.  By reducing skin thickness, the elasticity stays firmer, longer.  In this study, a 1% concentration of Bladderwrack extract, applied topically two times a day, showed a significant improvement to the condition of the elasticity in just five weeks.  I would say that that is pretty darn impressive.

If you are looking to protect your elasticity, up your topical anti-oxidants, and hydrate your skin, you may want to look into to products that list this powerful ingredient.

Note: Bladderwrack is harvested from the seas of the North Atlantic.  It has an extremely high concentration of Iodine.  If you have an iodine allergy this may not be the product for you.  If you are not sure, a patch test should be performed.

¹  Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes its thickness and mechanical properties. 2002 Jan-Feb;53(1):1-9. Biological Science Laboratories, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi 321-3497, Japan. Fujimura T, Tsukahara K, Moriwaki S, Kitahara T, Sano T, Takema Y.

Tuesdays with Talent: Nancy Stukey, a.k.a Urban Corner

Hi! My name is Nancy Stukey and I’m a stay-at-home mother of two girls. I love being creative, original, making people smile and feel good, and most of all I love to dream. My business, Urban Corner, allows me to let loose on my creative side. I wanted to offer stylish jewelry with a rich look without the high market price tag. I take pride in my craftsmanship and I hope you enjoy my jewelry as much as I do.

                                                                       

 

Q: What would you say is your talent?

This may sound a bit quirky, but my main talent really is a juggler! I’m a Stay-at-home mother to my two wonderful daughters, who are 11 and 9 years old, and a wife to my husband who is works for the Fire Department. His schedule leads me to also be a housecleaner, plumber, gardener, animal caretaker, etc. Because he can be gone for 16 days on a fire, it is up to me to take care of everything.  Last but not least in my free time I like to express my creative side through my jewelry making.

Q: How did/when did you discover this talent (or passion)

I have always been interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and appearance. About 10 years ago, I decided to become an Esthetician.  This move was fitting for me because I loved helping people feel good about themselves.  Becoming an Esthetician opened me up to the world of natural healing methods which included healing stones. Last year, I started taking beading classes and dicovered how much I really enjoyed creating jewelry.  I’m looking forward to creating jewelry that I can incorporate healing stones.

Q: What need/problem/condition do you serve?

I like to give back to our community whenever I can. I’ve been a Girl Scout Leader for my youngest daughters troop for five years. Through our troop we participate in Operation Gratitude, Casa Pacifica (which provides temporary shelter for children removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment) and serve many other community service needs. I’m also a big part in volunteering at my daughters schools. Twice a year during our fundraisers, I participate in a silent auction and I donate a portion of my sales to our school. I beleive the children are our world and the better we can educate them and assist them while they are growing up, they will become better people with good values.

Q: Who is your customer?

My target customer is the average person thats wants quality original jewelry and a rich look without the high-end price tag.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

My stay-at-home status allows me to spend time with my family and it allows me to have a flexible schedule. 

Q: What do you like least about your job?

I wish there were more time in the day! I think everyone can agree with me on this one. Because I stay home, one would think I’d have all the time in the world to make bracelets. Sometimes, I can go for a week without creating something new. I have so many ideas, but yet so little time. 

Q: What do you want our readers to know about your business?

As I create pieces, I truly put my heart into my work. I enjoy what I do and hope to put more of my ideas in my shop. I also try to promote and encourage others whenever I can. Communication is very important to me. When I create custom orders, I try to connect with my customer to give them exactly what they want in their piece.

Q: How can we reach you?

You can find my jewelry in my UrbanCorner shop on Etsy 

You can also follow me on twitter 

Finally, I'm on Facebook here

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you very much for featuring me.

You are welcome Nancy!  Here's an interesting tidbit...Nancy has a sister who is also very talented, and hopefully, I can convince her to be a Tuesday's with Talent Feature in the near future.

 
© 2011OC Skin Solutions, LLC

Sunscreen Sunday: Don’t Mess with the DNA

Next weekend is a holiday weekend here in the States.  We consider it our summer coming out weekend.  We get together with friends, we BBQ, we garden, we open up our swimming pools, we go boating, and we check the expiration dates on our leftover sunscreen from last year.  What???  You are not aware of this tradition? With much hope, by the time you finish reading this post, you will run, not walk, for your sunscreen and do the right thing.

Sunscreen works to protect the skin from Ultra Violet (UV) damage.  We all know that, but by doing that one thing well, it actually makes many physiological actions better.  Let’s look at visible aging. Sun damage creates a litany of problems for a youthful appearance, and healthy skin.

When ultra violet rays penetrate our skin’s protective layers, our healthy cells become inflamed, our blood vessels dilate, and our collagen degenerates at a rate significantly higher than our chronological aging would allow.  We see the results of this on our skin by noticing, fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, bruises, broken blood vessels and uneven skin tone. 

But why does this really happen? Here is a really basic description of what happens inside.  When we are born, we come with an owner’s manual—it’s called “Our DNA”.  Our DNA is a very specific code that was written for us individually.  This code is the rulebook for the health of our cells, and when the cells get damaged, our DNA instructs our body on how to self-repair (if possible).  Ultra violet rays have the potential to mess up the DNA in the cells they penetrate.  So, let’s say the code I was born with was “ABCD”, and ABCD has worked 43 years on my behalf, without fail.  Then one day I decide to plant a tree for Arbor Day.  Before I go into the garden, I forget to put on my sunscreen.  While I am out there, doing good for the world, the UV rays penetrate my skin, and scramble up the code in some of my cells.  Now, instead of reading “ABCD”, the affected cells read “BCAD”.  The damaged cells no longer understand the rulebook, and do not know how to work with the healthy cells, so they start fighting.  Who wins? Who knows—if you don’t get cancer (which you could), but you get saggy discolored skin, have the healthy cells won?  And by the way, the UV rays don’t discriminate, nor do they care if you have worn sunscreen every other day of your life.  If you don’t wear sunscreen, your skin will get damaged—that is an absolute.  Getting cancer from it is roulette (the worst odds in Vegas).

It has been said (and I am still looking for the original source) that if we all wore a [broad-spectrum] sunscreen, every single day, from when we were babies, we would have found the fountain of youth.  Who knew the fountain of youth could be found at Walgreen’s?

Now that you know this, if you could prevent/slow all this down by wearing sunscreen, wouldn’t you do it?  Of course you would, and you do when you go to the beach right?  But what about when you drive to work, or mow the lawn, or work in your garden?  Are you wearing it then?  The truth is that most do not.  I am just asking you to be conscious of what you might be taking for granted.  Please make wearing sunscreen, every single day, and part of your basic routine.  Your DNA will thank you!

Professional Tips:

1.     Apply sunscreen AFTER applying all other skin care products, but before make-up.

2.     Do NOT rely on the sunscreen in your make-up.  Better safe than sorry.

3.     Do not forget your lips.  Apply sunscreen to lips, then apply lipstick, balm, or go au natural.

4.     Do not forget the back of your neck, your ears and your chest.  Any area that will be exposed to sunlight needs to be covered (even if you have long hair).

5.     Re-apply if you find yourself in direct sunlight for longer than two hours, and after getting wet.

6.     Never carry over sunscreen from one year to the next.  I don’t care what the expiration date is, it is too important to mess with.  Buy new sunscreen at least once a year.

Wordless Wednesday: Flip Flop Massacre

New Feature! "Tuesdays with Talent"

I have been very fortunate, throughout my career, to meet some incredibly talented people.  I have decided to introduce you to one of these amazing people each Tuesday in a blog series called "Tuesday's with Talent".  Without further adieu, may I introduce our very first "Tuesday's with Talent" feature....

Nancy Stuckwisch of Silver Magpies has had a life-long fascination with vintage silver. She began Silver Magpies to sell antique and vintage silver and blogs regularly about it on Notes & Observations. She believes we should get the silver out of the cupboard, onto the table, and then into the dishwasher.  Get her (free) e-book Every Day Best: 7 reasons to get your silverware out of storage and start using it right now!

Q: What would you say is your talent?

A: Making sterling silver flatware an item of interest and worthy of everyday use for people.  We’re all so busy, and silver has an unfair reputation of being old-fashioned and high maintenance.  It’s neither of those things and fits very smoothly into modern life.  It’s one of those things that add to making Every Day Best. (My comment: Nancy is very talented at connecting people--you really should follow her)

Q: How did/when did you discover this talent (or passion)

My Grandmother inspired me when I was very small.  She used to tell me stories about “before you were born” and I was always fascinated when she would then show me an object owned or used by that person - amazing! I’ve admired and studied vintage silver all my life, it has always interested me.

Q: What need/problem/condition do you serve?

Silver Magpies addresses two issues.  The first is providing resources for people to learn about silver. The more my customers know about silver the better.

The second is to show people how silver can easily become a part of everyday life.  It doesn’t matter if you have a single spoon or a whole grand set.  Don’t store it away - just use it.

Q: Who is your customer?

My customer is confident and inquisitive.  They are certain of their own taste and feel comfortable living by their own rules. Many, many of my clients have told me they prefer quality over quantity and want their homes to be an expression of their taste, not a replica of someone else’s.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

I love, love, love finding a tarnished piece of silver and then diving into the books to track down as much information about it as I can.  It so incredibly rewarding, especially when a hunch about an obscure piece is correct!

Q: What do you like least about your job?

Without doubt it’s informing someone that a piece they thought was sterling silver is silverplate. It happens far more often than you might think and it’s always awful to do. It’s the main reason why I have added, and continue to add, identification resources to my site and discuss the issue on the blog.

Q: What do you want our readers to know about your business?

Silver Magpies is passionate about silver - not just for it’s physical beauty, but for what it can tell us about history, politics, art, economics, social and personal fashions at the time it was made. I want people to know that when they use a silver piece it is part of a tradition and history that stretches back for thousands of years.  That’s a lot to be packed into a single everyday spoon!

Q: How can we reach you?

The best way to reach me is via email: Nancy@SilverMagpies.com
On Twitter I’m @SilverMagpies
On Facebook I’m http://www/Facebook.com/SilverMagpies

If you search SilverMagpies or Silver Magpies on Google you’ll find me.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you so much for inviting me, I’m very flattered to be thought of as “Tuesday with Talent! It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you.


It it has been wonderful getting to know you as well!