Beauty Comes From Within

Much of my career focuses on outward beauty, yes. Taking care of your skin, keeping up on the latest trends in facial rejuvenating ect ect. If you have been following my blog the past few months you also know that I am a firm believer in taking care of what you put in your body also. It is so vitally important to your overall well being and to looking your best by eating the healthiest we can.



BUT that is not where it ends!

Is this you?

We can put nourishing foods into our bodies and get adequate exercise and still not be at a place of optimum beauty and health. A key ingredient is that we need to feed our well being. We need to be able to de-stress from the everyday problems and situations that life hands us.

The spa is a place where you take your weary bones and your sagging stress laden shoulders. When you come into the spa you can leave your everyday stress at the door. During this recession I have seen people that are so overwhelmed with the day to day struggles. Every single one of us has burdens to bear. Some more than others.



We offer a place where you can come in with a frown and leave with a relaxed smile. Massage, facials, pedicures, manicures, body treatments. What ever your pleasure you will leave feeling better than when you arrived. That is our mission at our day spa.



We have a wonderful staff of well trained Massage therapists and Estheticians. When you arrive you can get a warm cup of tea, a warm neck wrap and start to feel the tension leave your body.

Many people say that can’t afford a trip to the spa, yet they find money to spend on things that will do nothing to help their well being.

I say, how can you afford NOT to?

Treat yourself or a loved one to a spa service. Mothers and Fathers day are coming and what better way to show your appreciation than to treat them to a stress free spa service.



***stay tuned for information on our Contest to treat a very special mother to a spa day. Details soon to be announced on the spa website, face book and here.

Safe Tanning: How to get the best color from self tan lotions

We all remember this ad don't we? Well it was before my time also but I am sure we have all heard or seen people with orange skin from those old self tanners.

Well they have come a long way since then!

First let me state that we all need some sun. 20 minutes a day is what we need for vitamin D absorption. After that we are leaving our skin open to damage.We all like to have some color. How can we do it without ruining our skin? This is where self tanners come in.

You will need some supplies

Products needed

1. Disposable Plastic gloves

2. Self Tanning lotion or foam (Medium tone, NOT dark) unless you have a naturally dark completion never go darker than medium.Get the kind where it goes on with the tan color in it.

3. Body scrub-I prefer a sugar based one (or you can make your own from Brown sugar and olive oil) two parts brown sugar one part olive oil to form a paste. *NOTE make sure your scrub does not leave an oily or creamy residue,this will get in the way of your self tanner absorbtion

4. Soft Natural bristle brush will work if no Body Scrub is available

5. Your favorite body lotion



First things first!

EXFOILATE- EXFOILATE- EXFOILATE

This is key to getting an even tan from your self tanner. Get in the tub and apply your sugar scrub in circular motions starting at the neck and work down all over your body. A slight bit of water mixed with the scrub will allow you to move it around your skin. But don’t dilute it too much or you will sacrifice the exfoliating.

If using a dry soft brush use the same circular motions. After you have done your body you can use whatever facial scrub on your face also. The homemade brown sugar scrub will be safe to use on your face, some of the store bought ones may be too harsh for your face.

Rinse well.
Dry off



Next the application of the self tanner. Read this completly before starting application.

Put on your disposable gloves!!!

I mix 2 parts self tanner with one part body lotion and rub it together.you can also put some in a small bowl and mix it. I start on the large part of my thigh and rub it all over blending it in well. Then take a smaller amount and do your calves. When you are down to just a small amount left on your gloves take it and brush it over the knee area, do the feet and ankles the same, just using a small light amount there. The knees and ankles and feet are the easiest areas to turn blotchy, so go lightly in those areas.

After finishing the legs work the self tanner/lotion mix on the body. The back is a hard area to reach and you may want to get someone to help you with this, you will need another pair of gloves for that.

Last do the arms taking care to do the same on the elbows and hands as you did with the knees and feet.

If you want to do your face ,do the application the same way you apply your make up(if you wear make up),working it in well till blended.



Ok you are done with the application! Oh, leave on for 6 to 8 hours before showering. When you shower some will wash off, pat dry lightly so as not to scrub off.

Now to answer a couple questions you may have.

Why mix the lotion in? Well self tanners have an odor to them that is not very flattering. The lotion cuts this odor. But even more important it allows you to apply the self tanner much more evenly.



Ok, now that you are done with the first initial application you can build up on the tan by applying this mixture every other night or every night for a week or so. After a couple weeks you may want to do a scrub again. You do not need to scrub before every application. But once a month for sure.


What about those lotions that turn you tan gradually? They are great after you have built up with a regular self tanner first!



What is even better than the above? Going to the spa to have the first application done!! At our spa we have a Sugar scrub/Self tanner treatment. It is a great way to get an all over application and then you can maintain at home! Is relaxing also! Wear loose fitting clothes that you won’t care if they get some self tanner on them.

And now you look like this! LOL! well it may take more than self tanner to achive this look but we all look good with a bit of color

Enjoy!!

Liquid Face Lifts :the latest trends in Non-Surgical options

Facial Fillers


In my last post I covered some of the surgical options to help with ageing and sagging skin. For those of you not willing or able to go that route there are the options of injectables.Injectables are more non evasive than surgery and the down time is next to nothing. Slight bruising or swelling may result at the injection site but that is usually the only side effect. The results are not as long lasting as surgical but they are a preferable choice for many people. Some prefer to combine surgical and injectables together.

I am going to talk about three of the newest injectables that many of you may not have heard about yet. I know you have all heard and are familiar with Botox Cosmetic. It has been around for several years now. This first one I am going to talk about is fast becoming the replacement of Botox. And if all I have read about it is true, it will soon replace Botox.



DYSPORT: This is a wrinkle Smoother. Dysport has been used in Europe and Brazil for 10 years now (we are always the last to get the anti aging treatments. Europe is always way ahead of us in this area). Dyasport uses a different type of protein complex derived from Botulinum than Botox. But it has a similar effect. What Doctors are finding is that Dysport works much quicker than Botox (24 to 48 hours) and the results last longer.

**Risks: bruising or swelling, temporary spreading past the injection site if improperly administered.
**Cost – Approx $400.00 lasts 3 to 4 months.



JUVE’DERM: Plumps skin. Unlike Bovine collegen, which some people can have allergies to,Juve’derm is made up of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring biocompatible complex sugar. If you have read some of my past posts on skin care ingredients you know that Hyaluronic acid is one of the most hydrating substances we can use on or in our skin. Juve’derm has great staying power, lasting 6 to 9 months. This has shown to work great on the lines that run from the nose to the mouth.

** cost approx $600 to $ 800.
** Risks: bruising or swelling at injection site.


I have saved the best for last!

SCULPTRA : Boosts collagen production. This is exciting because it encourages our body to produce more collagen where this is injected. The down side is that it can take 3 treatments over the course of a few months to get the desired effect. But the results have been very good. Doctors are seeing very smooth results allowing them to give you a nice lift without the tight skeletal look that plastic surgery can sometimes give.

**cost $1000 to $1500 per treatment. Last up to two years.

These are some of the latest trends in injectables that you will start hearing about this year if you haven't already.

To cut or not to cut. Plastic Surgery, is it right for you?

How to make sure it’s a kind cut and not a permanent horror story.

This is a post that I thought about for some time. Do I talk about this or not? How is this relevant to skin care ect, ect. I finally figured what the heck, tackle it. Plastic Surgery is relevant to the times we live in. Most importantly it is relevant for the simple fact that it is an attainable solution for many people who are dissatisfied with some aspect of how they look.

Ok, let’s say you have done everything you possibly can to take care of your skin. Eating right. Using sunscreen. Putting good healthy ingredients on your face to keep it hydrated and to help with repairing damage. The skin looks as good as you possibly can get it. BUT you still don’t like what you’re seeing in the mirror….. Your chin line has softened and sags. Your eyelids are droopy. They even seem to get in the way of your peripheral vision at times. In fact you sometimes find yourself with watery eyes a lot because the lids are down right irritating. People say you look tired even when your not. You have a double chin that you can’t help but see every time you look in the mirror. You avoid having your picture taken because you just don’t seem to like the way you look anymore. If any of this describes you, you may be a candidate for plastic surgery. And I am not just talking about women here. Many men are choosing plastic surgery to correct the signs of ageing.

Now some of my younger followers will not be able to relate to what I am talking about here, but trust me, some day, you will…

I see allot of different age groups in my practice. But by far the larger group lies in the age group of 40 to 60. Why is this? Well this is when the ageing process really starts to kick in and you see some not so pleasant results of this in the mirror. Previous sun damage starts to show in uneven dark spots and pores start to look larger from the collagen/elastin breaking down in the skin. People come to me asking for HELP!!. I can improve the skin, yes. I can recommend laser treatments to help rebuild collagen and elastin. What I CAN NOT do is take away loose skin.

Sorry folks ,surgery is the only thing for that. To cut or not to cut is a VERY personal choice. My personal opinion is this. If YOU feel you would feel better about yourself to get surgery done, than I say. GO FOR IT. BUT do your research first. I can NOT stress this enough. Not all Doctors are created equal. Be realistic about your expectations. And above all,

Do it for YOU, Not for anyone else. Let’s face it, looks DO matter. But what is more important is how YOU feel about yourself.

Any surgery comes with risks, so you must know what you’re getting into BEFORE you go into it. I have seen some good surgeries and I have seen some not so good surgeries.

In this day and age looking good is still very important. As men and women approach middle age they start to feel threatened in the work force and in their personal life. We want to look good as long as we can. I say this can be achieved with some caution and care in choosing what is right for you



I will give you some choices here. Again I am NOT advocating any of them. This is just for informational purposes only. I firmly believe that less is better when it comes to plastic surgery. What I mean by this is. Do small things more often if possible. A mini lift will make you look fresher, younger, with out making you look stretched and unnatural. There is also a quicker recovery time with smaller procedures. The S lift or mini lift is all many people need. Who has weeks to recover? Most of us live busy lives and taking 4 weeks out of your life to heal is not appealing. That is why smaller surgeries of this type in my opinion are usually preferable.

Before

After

An Eyelid lift can take years off of a person’s appearance and improve the eyesight and watery eye problems. Weather you need upper and lower lids done is up to your surgeon. BUT please choose a PLASTIC surgeon for this. NO offense to the eye doctors that are into doing this now. I have seen jobs done by both Plastic Surgeons and Eye Doctors and the plastic surgeons look better. Again this goes back to go to the right doctor for what you are getting done. Plastic surgeons are doctors trained in facial plastic surgery. Eye Doctors are trained in eye problems. They may be legally in the right to do this surgery, but maybe they just don’t have the best training. AGAIN, this is just my personal opinion based on what I have seen. There is always the exception to this rule. If you know of a person that swears by their eye doctor to do a good eyelift, than by all means check that out for yourself. Ask for people to speak with that have had the procedure done that you are getting. That can be very helpful!

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Research the doctor you are going to use before your surgery. ASK QUESTIONS about recovery time, how the procedure is done, what you can expect from the outcome ect ect.

I have clients that have had many procedures done. From Breast enlargements and reductions, full face lifts, mini lifts, Eyelid lifts. Liposuction, Laser skin resurfacing ect ect.



A note about laser skin resurfacing. GO TO SOMEONE WHO DOES THIS A LOT!! You want a person very familiar with what they are doing when it comes to this procedure.



All surgery has risks. Numbness around incision sites that could be permanent. People that are in good health and do not smoke recover better and get better results from plastic surgery. Follow your doctor’s advice and instructions before and after any procedure.



To sum up, the overall opinion from people I have spoken with about these procedures are that they have been satisfied when they went to a well qualified doctor that listened and cared about their needs. There is no shame in wanting to look your best. This is very personal and only you can know what is right for you.



I will be doing a post on the non surgical options available out there soon .Botox, and other injectables. What is commonly referred to as the Liquid face lift.

Out Damn Spot!! Controlling Hyper pigmentation problems

Sure they look ok on this guy! But not on our skin!

Many women and men find that after age 40 they start to see pigmentation issues. These can be any thing from a couple of small brown spots appearing on the face to vary large blotchy areas that are darker in tone than other areas of the skin.

In men it is usually caused from sun damage or previous acne. With women it can be those issues added with the large changes in hormone levels that start to occur during Peri-menapause and menopause. Much as a pregnant woman can get what is called “pregnancy mask” women going through “the change” can experience the same issues. Also women on hormones such as the birth control pill or patch can find themselves noticing some Pigmentation issues.

I have encountered many women that find these brown spots or patches very hard to cover with make up and it causes them to be very self conscious.



To understand what happens when skin areas darken you need some basic knowledge of the skins pigmentation.

Skin Tone

Weather your skin is a deep ebony or as white as alabaster it comes from a natural pigment called Melanin.

When you body is in balance and there are no external or internal factors, your skin Tone is smooth and even.

Well, we all know life and our bodies are rarely in perfect balance. Trauma to the Dermis (skin) varies in forms. When there is trauma the melanocytes over produce in one area causing dark areas.

Other factors that contribute,

Anti-oxidant deficiency
Drug Reactions
Cortisol (too much stress)
Estrogen/Progesterone imbalances
And again,accumulated SUN DAMAGE

Age spots are different as these occur from ageing. But Sun damage also contributes as you can notice that skin that has been covered by clothing most of your life will have a more even unspotted tone than skin that has been exposed to the elements

How can we treat it?


It is important to state that most all hyper pigmentation problems are also tied to inflammation. Treatments that included anti inflammatory properties will be the most successful. Good ways to help control inflammation are to boost the body’s defenses.

Internally that means boosting your Vitamin C intake and to keep well hydrated. A diet rich in vegetables and some fruits will help to boost your defenses and help to repair. Eat less sugar,and refined foods.

People that work near heat sources such as hot ovens or closely to light sources must be even more careful as this can cause the inflammation to constantly flair up. Wearing a mask over the face can help protect the skin, along with sun screen.

On the outside there are several options open to Estheticians and Dermatologists to help treat these conditions.
First a HYDRATING Moisturizer is essential. Along with a good Vitamin C Serum.

For mild pigmentation problems you can use mild chemical peals.

Followed with the use of Retinoic acid (Vitamin A) and Hydroquinone at home.

For deeper problems the use of I.P.L. Lasers are a good source for lightening.I have had much success with what is called a Photofacial for lightining a couple of my pigmented areas. This treatment also helps with pore size and over all collegen rebuilding.

I stress that you must get the advice of a Dermatologist or an esthetition to find the best solution for your skin pigmentation problems.



Sun Screen will become your friend! Even with the faithful use of Sunscreen and a hat many people find that the pigmentation issues can flair up. There is no easy fix for this, but the options are better now than they used to be a few years ago. Don’t suffer with this problem, Seek out help if it is something that bothers you.

How our food is making us sick!

I know I know...this isn't exactly a post on skin care or items related to it. But in a way it is. I have been really busy with helping my daughter get her new home ready to move into that I have not finished the research on my next post.
So instead I am posting about a movie that I watched this weekend that I feel is so important that EVERYONE should view it.

This movie will show you how what we are buying in our super markets is directly affecting our health and the health of our loved ones. And most importantly it will show you how you can change what they put on our shelves for us to buy! We directly effect our choices by what we choose to purchase.

Remember a couple posts back when I posted about how the things we eat affect our skin? Well consider this movie to be part two of that post! Make your choice right now today to eat healthier food!

Let the light shine on you! LED Technology and how it helps the skin.

Today I am going to write about a device that we have had at our salon for over 12 years now. It has just become mainstream in the last year or so for use with pain management, healing and skin rejuvenation.


The trademark name on the machine we use is, Rejuvalite by Cosmopro.

They were one of the first companies to introduce LED technology to the United States.

Now there are many of these machines available all over the web. Word has spread about its benefits and everyone is very happy to get in on selling an item that can be so beneficial with very few, if any side effects.

What are Light Emitting Diodes?

First let me be clear on what they are NOT.

LED’s are not Laser light. Do not confuse this with many of the laser treatments available for skin care
LED’s are not the type of light that is used in tanning beds. That is UV light. UV ‘s are harmful to the skin.

What they are
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are solid-state devices that convert electric energy directly into light of a single color. There is a wide spectrum of light and many of them are helpful for many different things. I personally have a device I use at home that I have found works very well on my knee pain. I can use it for 10 to 15 minutes and it takes away the pain I get in my bad knee pretty much completely!

I am going to educate you today on how this type of device can help in skin rejuvination.

The following is a list of the many benefits you can achieve from LED’s

• Infrared Improves skin tone and  helps to clear blemishes.

• Smoothes skin texture lessens coarseness and reduces pore size.

• Minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, crow's feet, smile lines, nasal-labial folds, and worry lines.

• Regenerates skin by activating fibroblast cells to increase production of collagen and elastin.

• Helps improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin and irregular pigmentation.

• Enhances skin moisture which helps skin regain its youthful fullness.

• Increases circulation which helps reduce melanin production, the cause of brown age spots.

• Promotes nutritional elements existing within the skin.

• Stimulates and activates metabolic function in skin cells.

• Reduces skin degradation caused by age and environmental exposure.

• Reduces the appearance of overall redness and flushing. Very helpful for Rosecea!
. Helpful in treating undereye dark circles

How it does this,The infrared light produced by LED lamps, aka photo rejuvenation, stimulates fibroblast cell activity in the skin, which increases the production of collagen and elastin—the proteins responsible for your skin's tone and elasticity. I compare it to a plant that leans tward a light source to grow. Our cells are drawn to the LED's which then stimulate the cellular activity.

The effects of infrared LED light therapy on the skin and body have been reported in over 2000 scientific reports and documents. NASA has studied and uses this technology.

It has been shown that our bodies need light as well as food for energy. Living and working indoors fully clothed prevents us from absorbing the sunlight’s full spectrum of frequencies. Also the concern for absorbing the harmful rays of the sun has caused us to wear sun block which also prevents us from absorbing the healing light frequencies.

Some of the most common questions concerning this type of treatment,

How often should I get this treatment?

We recommend clients get two treatments a week for 4 to 6 weeks to properly activate the cellular activity. If you purchase a device to use at home it could be used daily without any side effects. Also because the skin ages continuously, you must do a maintenance routine to keep up with the benefits you achieve. We recommend once or twice a month.

How soon can I see results?

Most people on average see results in about 3 to 4 treatments. Because of difference between people and the amount of damage to the skin varies the results also vary. A person starting this treatment at age 30 is going to get better lasting results than a person at age of 60. But I have seen wonderful results in older people.

Is there any harmful side effects?

If you have a thyroid condition, are pregnant, or are on photosensitive drugs you may want to consult a physician before using LED’s. If you have had Botox injections it is advisable not to use this treatment for at least a month after the injections.

Is there pain or discomfort?

Not at all! In fact many people say they feel relaxed and rejuvenated after one of the light treatments.

I highly recommend this treatment! Feel free to investigate this healing type of light further yourself!