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.