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Friday, August 27, 2010

Microdermabrasion vs. Skin Care

I have many clients who want to skip their daily skin care routine and just get the benefits microdermabrasion has to offer.

So, let me again explain the difference between the two. Home microdermabrasion is a great product. The first step contains the gritty grains that exfoliate, removing all the dead skin. It's second step is fabulous as it replenishes and hydrates the skin.

Because most people find that their skin is super soft after a home microdermabrasion treatment, they tend to ignore their daily skin care routine. Home microdermabrasion systems should only be used 2-3 times a week, at the very most.

A daily skin care program consists of a cleanser, exfoliator (which can be replaced by a microdermabrasion system), freshener, moisturizer, and a protector (sunscreen or foundation or both). The daily skin care routine should be done twice a day: morning and night.

Think of your dialy skin care routine as brushing your teeth: a maintenance that needs to be done twice a day. Then, think of the microdermabrasion as your 6-month dental cleaning. You wouldn't only clean your teeth every 6 months, would you? Just like you wouldn't skip brushing your teeth daily, you shouldn't skip your daily skin care routine.

That "6-month checkup" is an extra boost to clean your teeth, as your microdermabrasion should be an extra boost to add to your skin's softness and health. Microdermabrasion shouldn't replace the daily care you get from you skin care routine. I hope this analogy helps clear things up!

Subscribe to our Zap Wrinkles Blemish Free Skin Newsletter and get the Free Skin Care Guide by submitting your info to the right. Your info is always kept confidential and is never shared with 3rd parties...ever!

Remember, take care of your skin because your face is the first thing people see!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Pregnancy Hormones Causing Acne Breakouts

Help is on the way for those who find themselves pregnant and their skin is out of control!

How often do you or someone you know have completely different skin when you become pregnant? Well, blame it on those lovely pregnancy hormones. I only know of one person, who has oily skin, whose skin actually clears up and looks better when she's pregnant!

But, for the rest of you, getting acne and blemishes may be a new thing that you don't know how to combat. So, here is what you do.

Temporarily, you must change the formula in your skin care routine. It is obvious that you now have acne and blemishes and you must use something to combat those, versus just using your same old skin care for your pre-pregnancy skin type.

So, to get you through those short months of having unfamiliar skin problems, do the following:

1) Cleanse your face twice daily. It is tempting to skip this since your energy levels are probably shot and you feel gross and don't feel like doing anything. You can quickly get your skin under control if you simply change to a cleanser appropriate for acne-prone skin.

2) Exfoliate: your skin may be doing double time in trying to slough off dead skin cells because of pregnancy hormones. If you don't keep up with exfoliating 2-3 times a week, the dead skin cells can clog your pores and give rise to worse acne.

3) Freshen: this helps clean out and tighten your pores. Use a freshener that is for oily or acne-prone skin, since this is what you are trying to combat.

4) Moisturize: again, use a moisturizer for acne-prone or oily skin. Moisture or water is different than oil and you won't make yourself break out more, but will help your skin fight off the acne if it is properly hydrated.

If you find that you are pregnant and have only a slight increase in acne, it may not be necessary to change formulas in your skin care routine. You may be able to just get away with using an acne treatment gel on the trouble spots.

Remember, this is only temporary, so don't stock up on your new skin care. You may even consider just getting the skin care for oily or acne-prone skin in a travel-size. As soon as you see that the skin care has cleared up your skin, don't switch back to your previous one too quickly unless you notice that suddenly (due to that fabulous shift in hormones) your skin is drying out too much.

Congratulations on your new little bundle! Eat healthy and take care of yourself!

Subscribe to our Zap Wrinkles Blemish Free Skin Newsletter and get the Free Skin Care Guide by submitting your info to the right. Your info is always kept confidential and is never shared with 3rd parties...ever!

Remember, take care of your skin because your face is the first thing people see!