Getting Ready for a Facial? Tips for Your First Time!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to have a facial yet, I invite you to come and experience it! If you’ve had a massage, you might already know a little of what to expect. At Essential Esthetics by Zoey, I LOVE treating clients to a facial that I would want to receive over and over again. I like to marry results with relaxation. While product is sitting on your skin, we are wrapping your feet with hot towels, putting your hands into the warming mitts, and lots of light massage.

If you are using retinols or very active products, it is recommended to stop using them 3-5 days before your facial. If you are on Accutane, you’ll need to avoid facials for up to a year after you discontinue the medication. You don’t need to wipe off makeup or really do anything before a facial. We will cleanse, exfoliate and use the LED light therapy every time. Most facial treatments include a mask of some kind as well. If you have any questions before your facial, please ask! Estheticians want to make sure that treatments are right for you. We’ll consult beforehand about your skin goals, and I’ll give you all the details of what I’d like to do to help you achieve them. This will include that day’s appointment, future appointments and recommendations for home care.

After your facial, you’ll want to drink extra water, stay out of the sun, wear SPF and reapply throughout the days coming, and change your pillowcase. You also want to avoid exfoliating and using retinols for a couple of days. If you have questions after your facial, don’t hesitate to ask those as well. We want your skin to be glowing and your experience to be amazing.

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

How Do I Get Rid of These Sunspots?

Maybe you noticed some extra color on your upper lip. Or when you were pregnant, you experienced a butterfly mask. Or perhaps, one side of your face is experiencing sun spots. All of these concerns are under a big umbrella of a term called ‘hyperpigmentation.’ Sometimes these age spots are called sun spots or liver spots. So how do you get rid of these sun spots?

First things first. You HAVE to use a broad spectrum daily sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. You will need to reapply. Foundation that includes SPF is not a replacement for still wearing the sunscreen that is separate from your makeup. This step prevents the sun spots from getting worse and is critical from getting rid of these sun spots.

The next thing that you need to do is to make sure that you are using antioxidants and ingredients that will stop inflammatory reactions in the skin. Antioxidants include vitamin c, green tea extract, vitamin e, licorice root extract, and more. The skin will utilize these ingredients in protecting the skin as well as lightening the sun spots that have already appeared.

My third suggestion is to include exfoliation in your home care and spa treatments. AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids) not only help to remove dead skin cells, but it will help with texture, wrinkles, and also sun spots. Utilizing chemical peels in the treatment room (light, medium or aggressive - there are lots of options out there) will also help your home care products to penetrate the skin better.

Progress may be slow, which is why I recommend to do pictures, at least on a quarterly basis. Once you start seeing changes, don’t let up on the home care steps. You need to stay the course. Continue to use SPF, antioxidants, and exfoliation to see those sunspots lighten.

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

My Eye is on Milia

Have you ever noticed a small, hard white bump on your skin? If you've gone to pop it and had zero luck, you may be dealing with milia. Most commonly, milia are on the eylids or cheeks.

Like any form of acne, keratin (dead skin cells) get trapped on their way up to the surface of the skin causing a cyst. Milia most often occurs due to using pore clogging ingredients in the area. The skin cannot slough off the dead skin cells fast enough and they glom together to create this pearl like hard bump. Long term exposure to the skin as well as genetics can also play a role in the creation of milia.

Think you can wiggle these out on your own? Think again! These pesky bumps will need exfoliation or extraction. Exfoliation can be through mechanical, chemical, or enzymatic. What does that mean?

Exfoliation

Mechanical are the "scrubbies" - make sure that you use a scrub where they are uniform and not jagged nut particles. These scrubs will not off the top bricks (dead skin cells) helping work these further up the skin to the outer most portion. The microderm treatment is a great one for deep cleaning the face. Spacell also helps at home to keep that exfoliation process continuing.

Chemical are the lactic, gycolic, etc - all of those acid names that are going to eat away the mortar of your brick wall, similar to pac man. Retinols are also considered a chemical exfoliant and work well for acne and anti aging clients. Chemicals like these should not be used close to the eye. Stop at the occipital bone.

Enzymatic are similar to chemical but through are fruit enzymes (chemicals are through fruit acids) - they work like pac man to eat keratin in a more gentle way.

Extraction

Oftentimes when faced with milia, you will want to see a dermatologist or esthetician to perform extractions (removal). This have to be done with a lancet and the right technique. But insto presto... they are out and gone!

Prevention

What do you need to do for your skin in the future if you are prone to milia? Here are a couple of my recommendations.

1) Use appropriate cleanser to remove eye makeup every night.

Look for something that is for the eye area and make sure to remove all product thoroughly. You'll also want to cleanse the skin with something hydrating and appropriate for your skin type.

2) Use a light weight eye cream or gel.

Let's face it. Eye cream, especially for anti aging is important. It is not appropriate to use facial moisturizer around the eye. The skin around the eye is different than the rest of the face. When applying the eye cream, make sure to gently rub it in (ring finger only and very, very light!!!) Do not just set it on the top of the skin.

3) Exfoliate the skin.

Every skin type needs a little help in this department unless you are in your early teens and lower. Consult with your esthetician to find a professional product that will do its job. One of my phrases is more is not always better. The same applies here.

4) SPF is key.

Always, always use SPF. Skin that is damaged by the sun has more tough layers, which makes exfoliation very difficult and is a breeding ground for milia.

If you've got your eye on milia, or the other way around, find a professional to help evaluate what you can do to improve your skin!

Don't forget to Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician

How Often Should I ...? Part I Home Care

One of the questions I get asked the most is often often clients should be using certain products and when to come back to see me for another treatment.

Skin care is very important at home because 90% of changes that can be made to the skin or preventives done to the skin are done at home. So it makes sense to start with home care. Just like when you hire a personal trainer, and Esthetician will meet with you and "work out" your skin in the treatment room every so often. But it's up to you, the client to do the homework in between our sessions.

Your homework should include at a minimum 4 steps. These steps are cleansing the skin, using appropriate treating mist, apply moisturizer (yes - even oily skin needs moisturizer) and finally using SPF. This is also the order that I suggest clients add in products as well. So, if you aren't using anything now, start with cleanser and go from there. (If you'd like a summary, scroll down to the bottom and then refer up when in question and needing more specifics.)

So, let's break down How Often Should I...

How Often Should I Cleanse the Skin?

The answer here is different for everyone, but at least morning and night. So twice a day. If you are a heavy makeup wearer OR have very oily/acenic prone skin, the answer will be up to four times a day. Twice in the morning and twice at night. I like to use two different cleansers for these clients. So product one would be the first cleanse. And product two would be the second cleanse for both morning and night cleanses.

How Often Should I Mist the Skin?

The short answer: use a treating mist or toner immediately after cleansing the skin. Which would be twice a day. (Don't mist in between cleanses if you are cleansing twice in a row.)

Using a treating mist or toner is great to help balance the skin and lay a perfect foundation for more anti-aging products afterwards. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, you have stripped off the natural acid mantle (the barrier for the skin protecting it so that other organisms, etc. cannot enter our shield). The skin then goes into hyperdrive to produce more oil (which serves as a protectant). Repeatedly doing this causes much harm to your defensive layer. An astringent (super tingly product with alcohol) is NOT a toner or mist. Stay away from these products.

How Often Should I Moisturize the Skin?

Differing beliefs on this are across the board, but my personal opinion remains that adding moisture, especially in our dry climate is good and reduces excess oil production. It is important to work with your skin trainer (aka Esthetician) to find the right moisturizer for your skin. Also, some clients prefer to have a daytime (lighter) moisturizer and a night time cream that is heavier weight and/or with more anti-aging benefits. Twice a day after you mist, you will moisturize.

How Often Should I Reapply SPF?

Every SPF is different, but my generic response is every 2 hours when going outside. I hear all the time that your makeup has SPF... which is awesome, but it DOES NOT REPLACE applying SPF every morning and before leaving work with another product besides your makeup. For SPF to be most beneficial, you need to reapply throughout the day. When wearing makeup, you can reapply by adding setting spray with SPF as well. By and large, look for ways to be compliant with this step instead of finding excuses of why you can't!

My favorite analogy for sun protection is a new vehicle. You wouldn't drive off the car lot without having car insurance. SPF IS your car insurance. Have it, use it, and don't leave home without it!

Those are your 4 minimum steps. Want to step up your game at the gym? Here are a couple of ideas and general suggestions.

How Often Should I Apply Eye Cream? Twice a day

How Often Should I Exfoliate? This depends highly on what type of exfoliant. Consult your skin trainer, but most often I suggest one to two times per week.

How Often Should I Mask My Skin? Once a week

You don't need good luck in your bathroom. Consistency is key and where you will see long term results. Starting at a healthier skin type means that you will focus more on prevention (which is always easier than reversing the skin damage that happens over time.) You can do this! Make sure to consult your Esthetician for exactly what YOUR skin needs, as we are all different.

SUMMARY: (Refer to longer paragraphs for more information)

How Often Should I Cleanse the Skin? Twice a day for normal/dry skin; Twice morning and twice night for oily/acenic skin

How Often Should I Mist the Skin? Twice a day

How Often Should I Moisturize the Skin? Twice a day

How Often Should I Reapply SPF? Every 2 hours or what's recommended on you tube of sunscreen

How Often Should I Apply Eye Cream? Twice a day

How Often Should I Exfoliate? Once a week

How Often Should I Mask My Skin? Once a week

Stay tuned for Part II of How Often Should I?

Don’t forget to Breathe . Let Go . Relax .

Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician

After the Skin Treatment

Facial Treatments are not only fun and pampering, but also quite effective in helping keep that youthful glow and encouraging skin cells to turn over at an optimal rate. I offer several Facial Treatments, but a couple of my favorites are the MicroNeedling, Microdermabrasion (or Microderm for short), and the 90 minute Signature Facial. Everytime you have a skin treatment, be sure to follow your esthetician's post care advice. Here's what I recommend:

Wear SPF. I cannot say this enough. Environmental factors are the #1 cause of aging. Yes, that's right (not genetic factors.) Your skin may be more suspectible to rays for a couple days post treatment, so SPF is a must! I recommend the GM Collins Dry Touch 50 SPF. Easy to reapply and compliments any skin care that you are currently using.

Drink extra water. Hydration is key to our skin, though our other vitals organs take the majority first before they get to the largest organ (the skin). I add a very relaxing facial massage to my treatment, so bump up your intake the day you come to see me.

Change your pillowcase. We've exfoliated your skin and put some incredible serums on your skin to work on your targeted concerns. The last thing that you want to do is put your face on a dirty pillowcase. Simply to do, right?

Don’t forget to Breathe . Let Go . Relax .

Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician