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Wash Your Face. Please.

One of the most basic functions of personal hygiene is of the sudsy variety, and I’m sorry but your mother was right- you really should wash your face before you go to bed, every single night. Washing in the morning is great, but if you’re going to bed with an unwashed face you’re constantly pushing the rock up the hill starting from the bottom every day.

Proper cleansing removes sebum, perspiration, toxins, pollution and various other particles that we gather throughout our day, and imparts other benefits as well. Cleansing physically massages the skin and muscles of the face, stimulating blood flow and improving circulation, as well as loosening dead cells and emulsifying debris so it can be washed away. Cleansers contain elements that can soothe and calm the skin, creating optimum conditions to receive and fully absorb ingredients in serums and moisturizers.

The face should be washed with a cleanser at least nightly, based on Skin Type- Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination, Acneic, and/or Sensitive- more on skin types further down. Most Dry and Sensitive skin types benefit from a creamier formula, while most Acneic, Oily and Combination skin types are best served by a gel or lotion, and a sudsy lather. What’s the difference among cleansers, how do you know what’s what?

About cleansers- there are 4 basic types. Oil-based, Cream, Lotion, and Gel.

Oil- based cleansers– These are hydrophilic in nature, so they are great for everyone, of every skin type and almost every skin condition. Hydrophilic means that these oils that actually love water and can stick to it, instead of repelling it. Oil- based cleansers dissolve makeup, SPF, oil, and sebum, and combine with warm water to rinse them away.

Dry skin types can be prone to dullness and irritation, so oil-based cleansers are a great way to massage and soften the skin, stimulate blood flow, and loosen dead cells without irritation.

Oily skin types can also be quite prone to irritation, and many products designed to fight oil can be stripping, stimulating even more oil production and kicking off a chain reaction of irritation and reaction that leads only to a very inflamed and sad place. Oil-based cleansers help to break that cycle by removing sebum gently and letting it rinse away. Then we can follow with a cleanser with ingredients to target anything we’d like to treat.

Dermalogica’s PreCleanse is one of the first oil-based cleansers to be widely used by professionals in the skin care industry, and is still an excellent product. A drug-store equivalent is something like Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil.

Cream-based cleansers– These are cleansers that have an oil-in-water base that is very emollient and soothing for skin types that are dry, sensitive, and/or mature. The formula is occlusive and can trigger breakouts in acneic skin types, so be sure you understand your skin type before choosing a cream-based cleanser.

An excellent cream-based cleanser can be found at the Grown Alchemist or find Yes to Avocado at your neighborhood drug store.

Lotion Cleansers– Water-based formulas that are tolerated very well by most people, especially for those with dry, dry-normal combination, normal, and sensitive skin types.

Kate Somerville’s Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser is a good choice, and this cleanser by Cetaphil is a classic go-to

Gel Cleansers– These are terrific all-around cleansing products, but may be too drying for those with a tendency to dry skin. Gel Cleansers are great for normal/combination, normal, oily, and very oily skin types.

I like the Ormedic Balancing Facial Cleanser by Image Skincare, and the Essential-C Cleanser from Murad is another good one.

It’s important to know and understand your skin type, as skin type is fundamental to choosing appropriate products; It’s also important to know and understand yourself in order to choose the most appropriate products. Let me explain.

The most effective product in the world is the one that is used consistently. All the fancy ingredients in the world won’t help your skin if the formula just sits in the bottle. Consider the budget that you’re comfortable with, because if you’re washing your face consistently every morning and evening you’ll have to replace your cleanser every 4-6 months. Make sure that you can live with the cost. The most advanced products are mostly pointless if not used regularly, and there are plenty of great products that are also easy 0n the wallet.

Let’s discuss Skin Type and what that means.

In general, Skin Type is determined by oil production within the follicle, and reactivity to potential triggers such as sunlight, pollen, and stress. These factors can change over time, and in different climates. Estheticians often “map” the faces of their clientele to keep track of such changes, but for our purposes let’s keep it simple, and focus on what is typical for your skin.

Dry skin types feel dry or tight after cleansing, before moisturizing, and most of the time. They may experience an oily shine after dinner, after a workout, on hot days, or never. Dry skin is also known as allipidic, which means that it lacks sebum, the oil produced by our skin. This leaves the acid mantle deficient, and may leave skin vulnerable to irritation, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, scarring, redness, and wrinkles.

Normal skin types might feel dry or tight after cleansing, before moisturizing, if using a more drying cleanser. Normal skin types usually manage to stay free from most skin irritations, and breakouts, and aren’t usually bothered by an oily feeling until later in the day, between lunch and dinnertimes.

Combination skin can be any combination, and can be quite frustrating to get dialed in. If the skin is oily in the T-Zone and dry on the cheeks and neck, which way do you lean for a cleanser?? The answer to this is in balance- balance the pH of the skin and restore the acid mantle and the skin mostly fixes itself.

Oily skin can be both a blessing and a curse- hear me out! The sebum manufactured by our follicles protects and lubricates the skin, preventing TEWLs (trans-epidermal water loss, check the B-Estiest Glossary for definition) pretty much nonstop, and for that reason can help to preserve youthfulness all by itself. It so happens that the ingredients that boost cell turnover to reduce acne, and the ingredients that oily skin types use to stay matte are highly effective for anti-aging benefits. If you’re a true oily skin type, you’re seeing an oily shine before lunchtime, and you can probably see the pores in your T-zone. Oily skin can be difficult to live with, but treating oily skin with care and tenderness is the key to happiness.

Sensitive skin can be dry, normal, combination, or oily in terms of sebum production. Skin that is sensitive is over-reactive to the environment. It can be troubled by excess oil production, particular ingredients in skin care or makeup, spicy foods, alcohol, dry air, pollution, personal or work stress, pollen or other allergies, and our main goal is to keep the skin calm. Steering clear of triggers helps to prevent triggering hives, redness and wheals, and soothing ingredients can help to mitigate the damage.

Acneic skin can also be in any combination of oil production, but is m0st c0mmonly seen in oilier skin types. Acneic skin can be more sensitive to sebum production, the sebum produced thicker, stickier, and can be triggered by an entire host of culprits. Stress, sugar and iodine in the diet, makeup, personal habits, medication or illness, fragrance, pollution, dehydration, hormones, even tooth decay, all can exacerbate acneic skin.

So, now that we have a better understanding of skin type, let’s talk about the cleansing process itself. There’s no one right way to wash your face, but there sure are a lot of wrong ways about it, starting with when.

Please, wash your face every night before bedtime. At night our bodies regenerate while we rest. The reason we strongly recommend washing especially at nighttime is because the skin is a semi-porous organ– it can absorb substances that are applied to it. This is why Retin-A and other strong topical ingredients are contra-indicated for pregnant people- that substance can pass thru our skin into our blood, as can steroids such as cortisone. When we’re resting the skin has a chance to really get to work, rebuilding collagen and elastic, and repairing all the little things we did to it during the day. There is no other time that the skin is more receptive to topical ingredients than while we are sleeping. If you must skip a wash, please let it be in the morning- splash some water on your face before you slap on some SPF please, but do not ever skip that nightly cleanse.

Next, the best way to cleanse, is always the double. Always the double cleanse- the first, oil-based cleanser rinses away all the stuff on the surface of the skin so that the ingredients in your second cleanser, and so your fancy serums and creams can actually benefit your skin as they’re intended to. All skin types should cleanse first with a nice oil- as discussed this warms and softens the skin, stimulates blood flow, breaks down dirt, oil, makeup, and tension, and should be savored, in my opinion. I really do enjoy this part of my day, and take a solid 60-90 seconds mushing my face all over with the oil, then add warm water, emulsify and remove.

The second cleanse should be the one chosen for your skin type- so creamy or gel depending on how much oil you’re producing during the day, and can multi-task to accomplish more than just cleansing the skin. Ingredients, such as alpha-hydroxy acids glycolic, lactic, malic, citric, penetrate the outermost layers of the skin to start to dissolve the bonds holding skin cells together, lighten and brighten, hydrate, deep-clean, and prepare the skin to receive treatments that can be left on. Soothing oatmeal extracts, allantoin, chamomile help to relieve redness and irritation. Aloe is a simple and reliable hydrating ingredient, that also offers anti-bacterial benefits. Salicylic Acid is a beta-hydroxy acid that is attracted to oil, and is aspirin, so it can loosen impactions in congested skin, while also reducing redness and inflammation. Glycerin is a popular humectant, as well as hyaluronic acid- these substances draw moisture from the air and attract it to the skin. Squalane oil, mineral oils nourish and protect skin from dehydration.

Now that our skin is properly cleansed, we are ready to either exfoliate, or apply our treatments for bed.

Seems like such a simple thing, and yet, the number of people who rarely or never scrub their mug before hitting the hay is astonishing. It’s 10 minutes or less, make the time for yourself!

Check back next week for the basics about exfoliation. It’s only one of the most important topics in skincare, so don’t miss it!

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Drop me a comment or a question!

And as always, thank you for joining MEB

Love, Ali xo ❤

Protest Skin Care

There are lots of events out there, where you might be outside for an extended period of time in the weather. How to care for your skin out there?

Number one is always to make sure you put down a moisture barrier on freshly cleansed skin. Number two is always to put down an SPF barrier, even if it’s going to be cloudy out.

That’s it! Just be safe in the world, especially in crowds, and take care of one another. Keep your head on a swivel, be kind, and don’t litter xo

Exfoliation

Hi Besties!

Because we’re at the end of the summer season, I want to briefly discuss exfoliation. This word is often used when we’re talking about getting results in skincare, but how much do we understand what it means, and the differences between the results and therapies for different methods?

For my fellow estheticians and our colleagues in dermatology, we get it, we live for skincare, but with so much information available online and so many people clamoring for treatments, not every practitioner is breaking down the processes for each. We use words like enzymes, acids, peptides, microdermabrasion, resurfacing, peel and so forth when we talk about the end result.

Skin care divas and devotees need to be educated as to how these therapies work so they can choose the best type of therapy for their skin type, their desired results, and so they can maintain their desired results.

First let’s talk about the different types of exfoliation- there aren’t that many. Enzymatic, chemical (acid), mechanical, and lazer. They’re all powerful and can produce amazing results, but not every skin type can tolerate every method of exfoliation, and everyone is different. Some conditions can be very stubborn, some can be very sensitive, and for certain conditions such as eczema, exfoliation may not be appropriate in any form.

Next we must understand what contraindications are, and what happens if we get a wrong treatments at a wrong time because those results can be devastating. I’ve seen people with hyperpigmented stripes, bruises, scabs, scars, bald spots, dark spots, light spots on their face. On their beautiful face. Please understand that modern treatments and therapies are actually quite powerful and effective, most are designed as a series of treatments to be completed over a prescribed period of time. This is to aid the healing process and minimize downtime. Results must be maintained by observing a very regular routine of self care, we have to commit to ourselves if we want those results.

Contraindications are any conditions that would cause a complication with a treatment or therapy, such as an allergy to an ingredient.

Common contraindications can be, but are not limited to:

Allergies – to ingredients or equipment are common

Use of certain drugs – blood thinners, accutane, recent peels or treatments

Pacemakers

Autoimmune diseases

Diabetes

Pregnancy.

Being contraindicated for a certain ingredient or treatment does not make a person contraindicated from all products and therapies, and it’s not hard to work around such factors. For example, if I have a client who is allergic to aspirin, I’m keeping the salicylic acid away from them. If they’re allergic to pineapple, no bromelaine enzyme. Taking blood thinners? No extractions, no chemicals, no abrasives, nothing but the most gentle of touches that skin will result in the most hideous bruising.

If we have a skin that has been exposed to a lot of sun and wind, or is thickened and tough, it will take some extra care to get through the corneum so that products can be effective, without causing irritation. If we have a skin with an active condition such as acne or rosacea, we may need to get some activity calmed down before we start exfoliating, or exfoliate more gently than we might if we were looking at a situation with scarring, or general congestion, or a skin type that has had many treatments.

Let’s discuss the different methods of exfoliation, at the most basic levels, starting with enzymatic. Enzymes are little chemical catalysts that cause other things to happen, and one of the things they do in skincare is break down keratin, the proteins that skin is made of, and digest it. One reason we like it in skincare is because it’s usually pretty safe for everyone because enzymes only break down only dead, dry skin cells and leave plump, juicy cells alone. Enzymes are usually derived from plant sources, so they’re sustainable, and there are a shocking number of things in every one of our kitchens right now that contain enzymes that we can use in skincare, especially fruits. By digesting the deadest of the skin cells on our bodies, enzymes brighten and refresh the skin. They enhance product penetration, and stimulate cell turnover.

Acids are found in a million things, in fact Glycolic acid comes from sugar. Lactic acid from milk, Malic acid from apples, Tartaric acid from grapes, and Mandelic acid from almonds are the most commonly used today, but there are other acids, including chemicals such as Phenol, that are very strong and should only be administered in a clinical environment by an experienced and reputable professional. Even a dilute solution of these substances can cause burns and scarring.

Acids work by dissolving the lipid compounds that hold our skin cells together. When those bonds are dissolved, the outer layers of skin come free and slough off. Different acids have specialties, some are more hydrating, some more brightening, but they all lighten and brighten and stimulate cell turnover in the skin. When using acids to exfoliate the skin, care must be taken to protect the skin at all times, from UV light, pollution, infection, contaminants, and TEWLs. This is best achieved by using a moisturizer appropriate to skin type, and something with SPF during the day. Acids are the work horses of skin care, which is why we find them in washes, serums, lotions, moisturizers, toners, masks, and targeted treatments, there’s an acid for almost everyone.

Mechanical exfoliation includes microdermabrasion, and dermaplaning, these treatments work by physically scraping or sloughing skin using a medium- Diamond tips, medical grade silica, scalpel, washcloths or pads, scrubs using beads or ground seeds or shells are all mechanical or physical exfoliation techniques. These techniques can be particularly effective for actinic damage, or old scars by scraping off stubborn layers of dehydrated skin buildup, and stimulating the tissue beneath a thickened corneum. These methods are not suitable for all skin types, however. Dry skin, sensitive or sensitized skin, and skin that is otherwise contraindicated should not use scrubs or abrasive methods of exfoliation as these methods tend to exacerbate dryness and irritation. If using such a method on dry skin, take care to keep skin protected with an occlusive moisturizer.

Lastly we have Laser resurfacing. This is an extreme exfoliation that uses the power of concentrated light to evaporate the top layers of the skin to a controlled depth. There are many advantages to laser resurfacing- it’s fast and incredibly effective. The risks for irritation and infection are reduced as the instrument does not come into contact with the skin, and there are no ingredients to go bad. The downside is really the cost, as this therapy is limited to medical esthetics and plastic surgery centers making it expensive, but this is the top shelf for exfoliating treatments.

Whichever method you prefer, make sure you research the ingredients and the company before using. Avoid diverted products which can often be found on resale sites at a discount, but these products have been diluted with whatever the seller found most expedient causing results that can be unexpected and unpleasant. Use real products, professional if you can afford it, and try to not be taken in by catchy names and packaging. Some of the best products out there invest in the products, not the packaging and marketing, but that doesn’t mean they’re not as good as the flashy, spendy stuff.

It is not necessary to peel your face off, spend buckets of money, or torture yourself for results however, as time and consistency can be almost as powerful at maintaining our lovely visages as a medical or targeted treatment. Be sure to remove all makeup, SPF, etc. before washing your face. Wse a mild cleanser with AHAs, moisturize every day and every night, use SPF every day, and results will appear over several weeks. Consistency is key here, make it a habit, a ritual, whatever you need to, but no fix is ever as effective as prevention, and even the fixes must be maintained rigorously.

What do you think about exfoliation? I chose this topic because it’s getting time to blast off the summer crusties and get ready for fall. This is such a brief discussion on an estheticians favorite topic, professionals and enthusiasts, what things have missed here?