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

Understanding Skin Care Buzz Words

There are so many buzz words these days, especially in skincare because ingredients, technology and science are always changing. It’s exciting to see the development in products, but that may leave you feeling a little confused and unsure. Here is an overview of some of them you may have heard floating out there - acids, anitoxidants, plant sources, proteins, and vitamins.

Acids

Acids are wonderful ingredients that help exfoliate the skin, keeping the skin looking and feeling healthy and glowing. You might be thinking that acids are just in chemical peels, but you’d be surprised to know they are in many cleansers, serums, and moisturizers. Different acids target different areas of concerns and reach different levels in the skin depending on the molecule size.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants protect the skin from free radical damage and other environmental pollution that we encounter on a daily basis. Have you ever seen an apple turn brown once you cut it? Well, the same thing can happen to our skin. Antioxidants prevent sun damage, help the skin repair itself, and they can even out your skin tone, making it appear brighter and healthie

Plant Sources

Plant sources are directly linked to natural botanical extracts. Many skincare lines have found that sources in nature are easily accepted into the skin, especially when using high quality, lab tested ingredients. They help fight inflammation and protect your skin from damage and early signs of aging.

Proteins

Proteins are chains of essential amino acids that act like the building blocks for protein in your skin. Peptides are also included in this category and act like little bosses that tell the skin cells what to do and to do those functions properly.

Vitamins

Vitamins are essential for cell functions, helping to boost the immune system, suppress pigmentation, stimulate collagen and provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

While using one of these ingredients is good for the skin, just one is not going to give you the results that you are looking for to keep your skin healthy and youthful. It’s important to choose quality skincare that uses ingredients that work synergistically in the skin. Also, ingredients that are not recognized and absorbed in the skin are not going to be able to perform their claims. Work with your Esthetician in first communicating your personal skin care goals, and then to find the right products that contain ingredients to get you to your goals.

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

What Causes Wrinkles? Preventing Aging by Slowing the Clock

Every year, the cake comes complete with candles, family and friends, and the traditional song, right! And each year, we are aging. <clear throat> Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear beautiful! Happy birthday to YOOOUUUUUUUU! As we see the numbers go up, we also see a loss of the fat pads in the face and additions of the wrinkles. Other things also become more noticeable. 11s in between your brows, the long horizontal lines on your forehead, short lines around your twinkling eye, and the marionette lines around your mouth. Simply put, wrinkles are caused by a breakdown in the elastin and collagen fibers. Over time, our muscles continue to make contractions when we smile, laugh, frown, or wink! This movement in the muscle will eventually form a small fine line. The fine lines over time become deeper and create a wrinkle.

So now that we know the basics of how a wrinkle is formed, let's dive into how we can slow the aging clock, but externally and internally.

Three External Slowing Recommendations

#1 - Sunscreen/SPF

The sun is the number one external aging factor, so it stands to reason that the number one suggestion should be using a quality sunscreen or SPF. You need to apply daily (and repeat applications if you are outside.)

#2 - Antioxidants

Antioxidants in skin care help protect the skin against free radicals and pollutants that are found in our environment. One of my current favorites is Vitamin C. While this ingredient may be in a lot of over the counter options, this is one not to skimp on because many are not shelf stable, can be pore clogging and inflammatory in the skin.

#3 - Retinols (aka - vitamin A)

Yes, you’ve heard my back and forth through the years on this ingredient. But the skinny is that if you find a high quality product that contains retinol and doesn’t irritate your skin, USE IT! When you start using a Retinol product, let’s ease your skin into the routine. Definitely get with your Esthetician to find the right product and routine for you!

Three Internal Slowing Recommendations

#1 Reduce your stress

Again, since stress is our number one internal factor of aging, reducing this component of course would be number one! Find what helps you to reduce your stress - like meditation, yoga, breathing, etc. What works for one person, won’t necessarily work for you, so keeping trying and looking.

#2 Low stress diet

Yes, you read that right! Think high in fiber and greens and low in white stuff. Sugar creates glycation in the skin and makes the collagen and elastin brittle … which causes fine lines to become wrinkles, etc. So pay attention to what goes into your body. It will thank you for years to come in many aspects!

#3 Pay attention to your cues!

If something doesn’t feel right in your body, don’t ignore it! Address it! See your doctor, read quality articles about it, and then figure out what you can do to make small and simple changes that will help. Again, added stress in all formats will lead to faster aging.

Using both external (SPF, Antioxidants, Retinols) and internal options (stress, stress, stress - haha), you can definitely do your part in slowing what your mother and father passed down to you. Let’s do our own evaluation and see what we can do better, and then start today! I look forward to pointing you to the right direction for skin care that will work to slow your aging clock.

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, Le