Making Sense of Skin Care Ingredients - Part 1 - Acids

With so many skin care systems and different ingredients on the market today, it can be challenging to decide where to invest your skincare dollars to achieve the maximum desired results.  Much will depend on your age and skin care goals.  To help wade through the waters of acids, vitamins, and other ingredients, my next few blog posts will give you a basic overview in terms easy to understand.

Your skin is constantly in a process of renewal.  While new cells are created in lower layers, dead skin cells emerge at the surface and need to be sloughed off.  These cells will slough off slowly, on their own, or we can aid the process using mechanical or chemical exfoliators.  Mechanical exfoliators can come in the form of granules or micro beads in your skin care products or by way of microdermabrasion - but that's a whole other topic.  Chemical exfoliators can come in the form of Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids used in skin care products.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA)

Glycolic Acid - an exfoliator used to speed up skin cell renewal.  By increasing collagen formation and epidermal thickness, it helps to improve the appearance of fine wrinkles and rough skin texture.

Lactic Acid - an exfoliator that has been found to increase ceramide levels.  This is a benefit because ceramides compose the bulk of the lipid layer of the skin and help hold the skin cells together in a smooth firm structure.

Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA)

Salicylic Acid - an exfoliator often used in acne treatments and oily skin products because it penetrates deep into the hair follicles to clear compacted or un-sloughed skin cells that clog follicles and cause blemishes and breakouts.

Cell renewal is important to the overall health of your skin so it just makes sense to aid in the process by sloughing off dead skin cells.  Make exfoliating a part of your regular skin care routine!!

Next time, in Part 2, I will review the vitamins often found in skin care products.

Sources: Skin Care Science, Marty Glenn; The Esthetic Institute, Betty-Ann Newton

Tick Removal was Not Supposed to be on My Service Menu

As part of my goal of helping to educate people about skin care, I want to share a personal story to help raise awareness about ticks, their bites, and the diseases they carry.  I feel it is important to share this now, as we approach the summer season.

Growing up in Alberta, I heard about ticks and how you should wear a hat when walking in the woods so if they dropped out of tree, they would bounce right off and not attach to your skin.  OK, well sometimes I wore a hat and sometimes I didn't but I never had a tick bite and neither did anyone else I knew.

Fast forward to parenthood and I now see stories warning about ticks almost every year, complete with pictures of these crawly creatures (creepy, ugly, and scary looking, especially when magnified...but that's just the opinion of a self-proclaimed bug and arachnid hater).  I still had not heard of anyone I know actually getting a tick bite.

So imagine my surprise (shock, disgust, horror, ugh) when my daughter asked me what was on the back of her neck.  She lifted her long gorgeous hair to reveal a tick, with it's jaws clamped onto her baby soft skin.  Try to remain calm, I told myself while inside I was screaming nooooooooo!  I knew it was a tick, I had seen pictures recently and we had just returned from a trip to BC where we were outside a lot.  Don't panic....I know there is a special way to remove them, we can do this.

Thanks to a quick-thinking music teacher and a smart phone, we found the instructions for tick removal.  We were so fortunate that same lovely teacher also had tweezers handy! This is a job for a steady hand and let me tell you, it would help if your "patient" is also calm and remaining still!  So, with much convincing, I finally had our "patient" as still as possible and removed the offending creature with more force than I had hoped (and much screaming - think broken leg kind of screaming). Dropping it onto a tissue, we then quickly flushed away the ugly beast with a piece of my darling's tender skin still in it's grasp!

After that episode, what does any parent do?  Well, go home and google everything possible about tick bites of course.  Yes, I spent hours learning about what I did right (removing it a soon as possible) and wrong (not saving for testing).  I learned about the diseases carried by ticks (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, etc.) and the symptoms to watch for (infection, fever, rash, flu-like symptoms, etc.).  I learned that they don't necessarily fall from trees, they often cling to grass, just waiting to hitch a ride when you pass by.  I learned how to prevent a tick bite in the first place (hint: stop thinking it won't happen to you).  And I made a doctor's appointment, just to be sure (the result - so far, so good)!

I am proud of how brave my daughter was through this struggle with a bad bug!  She has even turned it into a mini research project so she can teach her grade 2 class all about ticks and tick removal!

With this trauma over for now, I wanted to pass along my story in the hopes that you and your family stay safe from ticks.  Check out this link for more information on ticks:
http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/lyme-disease.html

That UP-lifting Feel of Spring is in the Air

I just love the feel of Spring!  It's so UP-lifting. That smell you notice on the prairie as the frozen manure thaws and the scent wafts UP in the air - OK well maybe I don't love this so much but it is a sure sign of spring on the prairies and does remind me of my youth and the carefree feel of spring! So much to look forward too!

The weather is warming UP.
Flowers are starting to pop UP.
Buds on trees are poking UP.
Spring clothing colours are showing UP.
Green grass is bursting UP.
The sun is now rising as I wake UP.

It's like a new beginning as we emerge from our winter hibernation! Many people feel a new energy in the Spring and get ready to tackle some fresh projects. It's also a great time to re-focus on taking care of you.  Make the best of Spring, get UP and get going!

If you are doing some Spring Clean-UP, don't forget your skin care products.  Check your bottles, tubes and containers - most recommend tossing them once they have been open for 12 months though some are six months and some may be as long as 24 months.  After this time, they may start to break down and the texture may not remain the same. They may also lose some of their effectiveness. While you're at it, check the expiry date on your sunscreen and toss it if it's time is done!

Spring is also a great time to consider switching things UP with your skin care routine.  It may just be time to invest in a good quaility line that works with your skin type.  I'd love to help you find what's right for you!  Since my goal is to help you feel great about the skin you're in, I'd also be happy to discuss with you how microdermabrasion or a laser facial can take things to a new level and really brighten UP your complexion!

Finally, as you start to spend more time outdoors, remember that while a small dose of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, can be a good thing, you should always protect your skin with sunscreen if you'll be out for too long. I recommend Serene UVA/UVB Sheild in an SPF 30.  A good way to make sure you are protected is to include a facial sunscreen with your morning skin care routine - that way you are ready to step UP and get outside.

Cheers to Spring! Now turn off your computer or device and get UP and get going!

Lest We Forget

I am a proud Canadian, grateful for the freedom we enjoy.  I cannot imagine life in a country where my husband and I could not raise our family in relative safety and work to support them through our own business ventures.  I cannot imagine the worry over safety, health and education that so many in this world face daily. I cannot imagine life in a war-torn nation, the loss, the misery, the fear.

I am ever grateful for the sacrifices made by Canada's Service Men and Women; past, present and future.  They have defended our country's freedom and so many have paid the ultimate price. I remember too, the loss and pain for their families left behind - thank you for your sacrifice also.

I am pleased to see that in our schools, Remembrance Day is still important.  The power of this day in keeping the memory alive has been embedded in my heart since I was in school.  I remember preparing for the school's celebration through art, poetry, song, and especially drama.  Creating a piece of theatre each year, to bring the importance of this day home to so many younger students, remains a force in my heart each year at this time of remembrance.

Now I am honoured to see my own children, at such a tender age, grasping the meaning of this important time.  They ask to be the wreath bearers for their class, they participate in the school ceremonies with the seriousness and respect appropriate for the occasion.  They wear their poppies with pride.  And now, my daughter prepares with her class for a special presentation of "Ordinary Love" where they will use music, song and movement to pay their respects and help us all to remember.

I am a proud Canadian.  I Remember.

Ellen, Oprah, Is it Too Good to Be True?

I've often heard that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I agree.

Like the phone call my husband received on the weekend announcing he had just won $3.5 million in a raffle.  Well, of course there was no raffle and the scam required a payment of $2500 to claim the prize.  But he was much too smart to fall for that one!

What about that cruise I just won?  Except that it requires me to fly to Florida at my expense, pay for a bunch of other things (blah, blah, blah - I tuned out) and listen to a high pressure sales presentation. No thanks!

Then there's the email about the $1 million inheritance I can receive from overseas, I just have to send $10,000 to help get the money into Canada. Delete!

There's also an amazing skin care regimen out there being supported by certain celebrities (and their airbrushed photos).  It's simple and you can get some "free" samples to try it out...but they aren't really free, if you don't return them after your 2 week trial, you are charged for them and added to the companies "autoship" so you get a new batch every month at a cost of $150 or more.  Really?

So, when it comes to your skin, ignore the empty promises and "too good to be true" miracle fixes! Your skin is always changing, new cells are born and older cells are dying all the time.  The real "secret" to great skin is to take care of it, all the time.  Twice a day.  Don't use soap, cleanse, exfoliate regularly, mask regularly, hydrate always, use sunscreen, keep your hands off!  That's the basic idea but I love helping my clients get the right regime for them.

With a great system of home care for your skin type, you are ready (if you choose) to pursue advanced facial treatments that will really help reduce the signs of aging, sun damage, broken capillaries, or acne. It's not one miracle cream or potion, it's a system.  It takes commitment.  IPL Skin Solutions, Microdermabrasion and Customized Facials can enhance your at-home regimen and will help you feel great about the skin you're in!  And that's not too good to be true!

Find out how at Pretty In Skin Laser Studio.  prettyinskin.ca

Gratitude should not be a lost art

Pausing to reflect as we enter the Thanksgiving Weekend....

I am thankful for my health and intellect,
I am thankful for the fingers I have to type this post,
I am thankful for the technology that has made this possible,
I am thankful for the roof over my head,
I am thankful for there is room under that roof for me to create a Laser Studio that is calming and relaxing, where I can invite you in to pamper your skin,
I am thankful for the education and training I am able to obtain so that I can make lives better while doing what I love,
I am thankful for the means to start my own business.

I am thankful to live in Canada and for the freedom and privileges we enjoy that make all of this possible,

But most of all I am thankful for the love of my family and friends and their amazing presence in my life!  I am thankful for my husband and the life we share and all that we have achieved together. I am thankful for my children who have changed my life in more ways than I could have imagined.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Skip Kijiji and Head Straight to Pretty In Skin for Falling Prices!

As I look out the window at the gorgeous colours of Autumn, I am reminded of the new beginnings associated with the turning of the leaves.  For most of us it brings back memories of a return to school and all the exciting changes that brings.  It may be even more exciting if you are parent watching your child go back to class (I know I did a dance of joy when my munchkins hopped back on the bus this year!)

As the leaves fall and the temperature drops, make time for a new beginning for you!  Most of us have something about our appearance that we would like to change, something that makes us lack confidence about the way we look.  My mission is to help you feel great about the skin you're in! When you feel great about your skin, your inner beauty will shine through!

Celebrate your new beginning this Autumn and focus on treatments like IPL Skin Rejuvenation, Microdermabrasion and Laser Hair Removal.  I have made it even easier to get the treatment you desire!  Check our website for all of our "Falling Prices" and great deals!  prettyinskin.ca

Fall is a great time to start a series of hair removal treatments.  You will need 6-10 treatments to reduce 95% of your unwanted hair.  Get started now so you can say goodbye to waxing and shaving by summer!

After several months of summer sunshine, your skin needs some pampering.  Microdermabrasion will remove unwanted dead skin cells to leave your skin soft and smooth.  Finish it up with a soothing collagen mask and your skin will thank you!

A series of IPL Skin Rejuvenation treatments can do wonders for the appearance of your skin.  If your issue is sun spots, broken capillaries, or fine lines, IPL is just what you have been looking for. This non-invasive treatment is tailored to your skin type and treats the skin issues that drive you nuts!  And, there's no downtime so you can resume most normal activities right away.

I look forward to hearing from you to see how I can help you feel great about the skin you're in!  And you can look forward to our "Falling Prices" and great deals on the treatments you choose!