Does my Foundation Count as SPF?

A typical dialogue from me to clients goes something like this. Hello and welcome to Essential Esthetics by Zoey. I am excited to meet you! Let's go over what you already use for your skin. Cleanser? Check. Exfoliant? Check. Mask? Moisturizer? Eye Cream? Check, check, check. What about an SPF? ... Well, I wear foundation and it has SPF in it. Does that count as my sunscreen?

I may try not to cringe or be harsh, but remember that I'm a shoot straight from the hip kind of gal and esthetician. The answer is no, it doesn't count, but it is great for an extra added layer of protection!

I once saw a YouTube video where I watched the amount of foundation that had to be applied in order for it to have the amount of SPF as it said it had. Do you know how many pumps? (Well, I do, because honestly, I couldn't believe that it was actually happening...) It was NINE pumps! N-I-N-E PUMPS of foundation to get the protection on the skin. Could you imagine? Our faces aren't that big. For foundation wearers, the average amount would be two pumps. This is a generous amount but allows you to use a brush or sponge or beauty blender to make it look like your normal skin and to blend down your neck. Watching him apply NINE pumps to the skin was absolutely hideous. 

The absolute BEST thing that you can do for your skin is to wear a daily SPF. This is your insurance policy. A broad spectrum sunscreen will protect you against UV-A and UV-B rays. Many also contain ingredients that also help with free radical damage, which is a major contributor to early aging. Don't have one you love? No problem. I do!!! And I'm happy to show you how to use it so that you'll be a raving fan!

Don't forget to 

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE 

Sunscreen and Vitamin D

So you are educated and savvy, knowing that wearing your sunscreen daily helps protect the skin from the dangers of sun and skin cancer. But you also know that over 60% of those living in North America (studies range on the percentage) are Vitamin D deficient. Our body converts the sunlight into Vitamin D. D3 is stored in the fat cells and isn’t released into the body to be utilized. Melanin blocks Vitamin D, so the darker your skin, the more likely you are to be deficient. With the recent Covid pandemic, there has been additional light shed on Vitamin D.

So, if you know you are lacking in Vitamin D and you know that sunshine converts to Vitamin D in the skin, how do you get the right amount and still protect your skin? Is there a win/win scenario here?

Low levels of Vitamin D contribute to thinning and fragile skin, a decrease in the elasiticty, suppleness and structural support, and dryness and wrinkles due to loss of hydration.

Having adequate Vitamin D levels protect the telomeres and dna damage. Telomeres are like the end caps of the shoe laces. When damage occurs, these plastic sleeves come off and start to shorten and fray. This shortening process is directly correlated to biological aging. Vitamin D combats against free radicals and oxidative stress, enhances skin’s immunity and healing capabilities.

The good news is that multiple studies show that use of a daily sunscreen does not lead to Vitamin D deficiency. Rarely do people use enough sunscreen to block all of the sun’s rays. Since the skin receives the leftovers of each nutrient, it’s always helpful to treat the skin topically versus internally.

So the answer is, yes! Please wear your sunscreen daily. And yes, treat your skin with amazing skin care that has great ingredients that the skin can recognize and absorb. If you believe that you are low in Vitamin D, check with your doctor about receiving your labs to determine your number. Then listen to his/her advice on how they would like to address your situation.

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

How Can I Combat Redness?

Every face tells a story. A story of fun summer days, memorable trips and numerous smiles with laughs along the way. Your skin also will tell you what it needs, but often we are not paying attention to the cues that it gives us. If your skin looks (or feels) red, it’s time to start addressing what it is telling you. Below are four of my top suggestions to help your skin heal and take on that normal color again.

First and paramount is sun protection. Since the sun is the skin’s enemy number one, it’s important to use sunscreen everyday. Yes, each and everyday, and not just on the days when you are out. Regardless of how simple (or complex) your home care routine is, this will be your very last step. When you are regularly using SPF and continue to do so, this alone will help with the red ‘tint’ that our skin takes on.

Second is hydration! So many clients will tell me that they drink 8 glasses of water and eat all the right things. Wahoo!!! This is SO important, but the skin will get the left overs after the other organs have taken what they need. Simply put, the best way to address the skin’s needs is to apply it topically. Using professional products with high quality ingredients is exactly what the Esthetician ordered!

Third is an elimination diet (so to speak.) Remove any products that may be irritating to the skin. Specifically, if you have redness, you’ll want to remove the scrubbie exfoliants, any product that has added fragrance, and hot water to wash off your cleanser, exfoliants, and masks. Use tepid water instead (trust me on this one.) If one of your skin care products feels tingly on the skin, you may also want to consider removing it from your current line up and see if your skin does better without it.

Finally, you may want to add in a serum or concentrate that helps with redness, especially if this is your top skincare concern. Making sure that it is gentle and soothing is a must. Some may find benefit in adding a serum that works on the blood vessels of the skin, ensuring that they are not in a dilated state all of the time. Your Esthetician can help direct you to something that will fit your needs.

Did you find which one of these you need to do? Or maybe it’s all four! Let’s get your skin back to its natural baby coloring again. Are you ready?

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

If I can Spend Money on One Product, What Should I Purchase?

As with anything, there is a lot of debate among professionals on this topic. If I can spend money on just one product, what should I purchase? I think we can all agree that it's the products that stay on the face the longest that are the ones that would have the biggest impact. And the ones that you would be willing to invest in.

Which products stay on the face?

Cleansers, exfoliants, and masks are all applied to the skin and then properly removed. So, the products that stay on the skin would be: treating mists, serums, moisturizers, SPF, eye cream. Since these products are on for hours before cleansed off the skin again to reapply, these would be where I would spend my money.

If you ask your esthetician Zoey what you should spend your money on, I would say that there are really 2 of the steps that are worth it and should be considered, even when on a budget. Those 2 products would be serums and SPF. Let me explain.

Serums are a smaller molecule size, which means that this product can penetrate the skin at a deeper level, providing a powerful punch. Most serums are more liquid or gel texture which make the ingredients glide into the skin easily. When the ingredients are able to go past the outer layer of skin, they can really change the skin cells by providing more hydration, calming sebum production, or sending signals to the cells to relax and unwind so that wrinkle production is minimized. Theses are just a couple of examples of what a serum can do for the skin.

When talking about basic steps in a skincare routine though, serums would not be the first up. For clients that aren't doing anything (or very little to their skins, we want to make sure that we start with cleansing, then moisturizing (which includes SPF). After these 2 steps are added, I like to make sure that they would add in the treating mist, exfoliation, serum, then an eye product. Finally a mask would be recommended. If you have a very specific skin concern, the recommendations from you esthetician may also change. At the end of the day, it's all about what we can do to improve your skin.

Sunscreen It Is!

So if serums wouldn't be the first up in a general routine, then that means that having a great SPF would be the ONE PRODUCT that you should purchase. There are 2 types of sunscreen available - chemical and physical. But my unpopular opinion as an esthetician is that the best SPF is the one that you are going to use and love using.

SPF stands for sunscreen protection factor and is the number of the amount of defense from the sun's rays. SPF 15 blocks about 93% of rays. SPF 30 blocks 97%. SPF 50 blocks just 98% and so on. Don't be fooled by large numbers! You want an SPF of at least 15 to wear on a daily basis. If you live in a tropical area, you need a minimum of at least SPF 30 to wear daily. 

If you are out and about, or at the ball field all day, you will need to reapply your sunscreen every 80 to 120 minutes. Make sure that you follow the instructions on your specific product. If you are at the beach or pool, you'll also want to apply a water resistant product where possible. Along with apply on your face, make sure that you apply to the neck, decollete, and the back of your hands ladies. (These places show your age more than your face does!)

I'd love to show you my very favorite SPF. It may have taken me 3 years to find it, but I don't go a day without it and you won't want to either! 

Don't forget to 

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

Looking at Sunscreen and Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for the body. This one is great for bone strength and also helps with digestion, immunity, circulation, and your nervous system. It is estimated by Mercy Medical Center that approximately 42% of Americans are vitamin D deficient. There are many signs that are linked to be low in vitamin D including fatigue, getting sick often, and depression. Since these also are signs for other illnesses, you won't know for sure unless your doctor checks your levels, generally through labs. 

There are many ways to bulk up your vitamin D numbers. Eating a balanced diet, rich in fatty fish, seafood, mushrooms, and egg yolks is definitely recommended. You can use a UV lamp and even try adding in a quality supplement. One thing that each article you will read on google will agree on is that being in the sunlight will help your body absorb vitamin D. After all, vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin!"

With professions like dermatologist and estheticians passionately advocating for sunscreen usage to prevent again skin cancers, there are many (myself included) that don't leave home without our SPF! Is it possible to boost your vitamin D levels while protecting yourself from sun damage?

There are many debates on this topic and I have yet to find a clear yes or no. Here's what we know! UVA is aging rays and penetrates the skin deeper. UVB is considered burning rays. It is a short ray in the skin, but also accounts for the vitamin D. A broadspectrum SPF 15 protects against 93% of UVA/UVB rays. SPF 30 is 97% and SPF 50 is 98%.

The lighter skin you are, the less time that your body needs to absorb vitamin D. In a Healthline article, the study showed that light skinned individuals wearing shorts and a tank top for 10 - 30 minutes three times a week is adequate to supply the body of the right amount of sunshine vitamin.The darker you are, the more sun exposure you would need. In Shawn Stevenson's book, Sleep Smarter - 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success, he suggests getting sunlight between the hours of 6:00 - 8:30 am for at least 10 - 15 minutes when possible due to seasons.

When we are applying sunscreen to our bodies, the real truth is that generally we don't apply enough so some rays will be able to be absorbed. That sunlight is just what we need to produce more vitamin D. Yes, we need to protect ourselves from skin cancer. And yes! We need vitamin D. Be smart about your sun exposure everyday (as more often than not, sunburns come on cloudy days.) If you think you are low on vitamin D, consult with your doctor first and foremost! And consider adding in a quality supplement and beefing up your diet with things like fish and mushrooms. 

Don't forget to 

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

6 Hints to Glowing Wrinkle Free Skin

The ever aging clock is something that many woman don't want to face. The truth is that there are many things that you can do to slow down the process that are easy, simple, and within your reach! Forget about the mistakes you may have used on your skin 5 years ago or even a month ago. Make a commitment to yourself and your skin that you will do your best starting today!

Consistent home care

Like with exercise, consistent time working on your goals will yield great results. A person that works out once a month vigorously for a couple hours may not see the same results at the end of a year as a person that works out for 30 minutes 5 times a week. Be consistent in making sure that you remove your makeup and the dirt, oil, and environment off of your skin every night. The minimum steps would be cleansing, applying a hyrdating mist, and finishing off with a moisturizer. After you feel comfortable and confident in those steps, add in regular exfoliation, masks, and eye cream.

Regular facials

Along with making sure you are doing work at home on your skin with a cleansing routine, seeing your Esthetician will boost your progress with your skin. Regular facials gives you an immediate glow and an increase in hydration. This is done by removing dead skin cells and getting rid of impurities on the surface of the skin. Many of the products in the treatment room are not available for use at home. Licensed Estheticians can use products with a higher percentage of acids or active products. Facial treatments will also help promote relaxation from everyday stressors. (Stress would be the #1 aging factor in my books.) Every month is my recommendation for how often to come receive a treatment.

Retinols

The ever popular Retin-A developed by James E. Fulton and Albert Kligman in the late 1960s is still going strong. As we age. our skin cell turnover rate begins to slow down. It is also why it takes longer and longer for the body to heal. Retinols speed up that rate so that the newer skin cells are revealed. My advice with using these products are to

Purchase from a professional and check in with them on a regular basis (products over the counter have to be for everyone and we want to get you into the right product straightway)

Start slow (about twice a week) and increase

More is not better --- having a higher percentage does not mean that your results will be quicker or better. It actually means your skin could be more sensitive and pink.

Sleep on your back

This one isn't for everyone, but your face will definitely thank you. Sleeping on your sides or stomach will put pressure on the face during the night. Over time, you can cause wrinkles to appear from the pillowcase and pressure. Remember how your mom always said that if you kept making that face that it would probably stay that way? Well, turns out your mom is right!!!

Treating your neck and hands along with your face

When treating your face, almost every client will stop at the jawline line. Guess what areas are still being exposed to the sun and have makeup, dirt, oils, etc. on it? That's right! The neck, decollette, and hands. Many experts say to see the true age of a woman, look at her decollette and the back of her hands. It takes only a few more seconds and a little more product to include these areas in when we are doing our cleansing routine for the day and night. Pay attention to these delicate areas and you will see the aging clock slow down.

Using your insurance policy - SPF

You are paying good money for a skin care routine and regular facial services. You definitely need protection! Would you drive a new car off of the parking lot without insurance? Absolutely not! Then why are so many willing to do the exact same thing with their face? Take time to find a sunscreen that you like and will use on a regular basis. If you are going to be out in the sun for a longer period of time, reapply. If you sit by a window at work, reapply. If you... well, you get it by now. And... having SPF in your makeup is not enough ladies! Watching a video one time, I was shocked to find out that to get that SPF 15, you needed to apply 9 pumps. Wow! Do your research and then just apply and reapply!

So which one is your personal favorite? What can you do better? Remember to start today and that we will work together to make consistent steps of progress for your skin!

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

Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician

The 4 S's in Skin Care - Stress, Smoking, Sun, and Sugar

Skincare is all emcompassing. Not only are we dealing with genetics, but we are dealing with internal factors as well as the environment that we live in. There are so many do's and don't's and it seems like every expert has their opinion. Am I right ladies?

Well, I'd love to break down what I call the 4 S's in skin care - Stress, Smoking, Sun and Sugar. Small gains over a long period of time can help slow down the aging process for everyone. Where can you improve?

Stress

There... I said the one that we've all been thinking about. Everyone has stress. Whether home or work, finances or sleep (which could easily be yet another S) ... we've got something to worry about. Stress will not only cause those baggy, puffy eyes to make an appearance, but it will aggravate any skin condition that you currently have. For example, if you suffer with breakouts, you make be getting more pimples more frequently. Wrinkles can be more pronounced, seeing that you may furrow your brow more often. Definitely not where you want to hear the word more.

Here's another fun one for you. When I speak in public, there's a rash that starts on one side of my neck and slowly "grows" all the way across to the other side. What's it from? STRESS!

Learning healthy ways to deal with stress is important! Exercise, meditation, breathing, lots of water and even sleeping can help your body deal with all that cortisol. But if it's still not helping, don't let stress linger in your life. Seek out a professional to help give you the proper tools or a doctor that can give you further recommendations.

Smoking

This could be #1 on any list that you seek out. We all know that smoking causes cancer, but do we know that it causes premature aging? No one wants to age faster.

Here's the skinny on this S. Smoking weakens blood vessels and decreases your circulation, so there's a lack of oxygen for the healthy cells. Smoking also creates free radicals. As my teacher in school explained free radicals... "A free radical is like a hussie in a bar. She doesn't have a man, so she steals yours. And then you don't have a partner... which creates a cascading effect that just won't stop." (School was years ago, but trust me. I'll never forget about free radicals and the HUSSIE stealing my man! Haha)=

What do brown fruit and a rusted car have in common? They are exposed to free radicals which can cause oxidative damage. And that's what happens to our skin when we smoke.

Seek out professional help to quit if you need. And don't start smoking because you're stressed! (See what I did there?)

Sun

Ladies, let's talk a moment to talk about summer and how great it is to be outside in our beautiful weather. Okay, let's move on to talk about sun exposure. Sun damage occurs over time and is one of the things that we can improve!

Did you know that genetics makes up only 10% of our aging? The large majority goes to the winner... Sun! (80-85%!!!) There are 3 types of UV rays... UVA, UVB, and UVC. A stands for aging, B stands for burning. C rays don't make it through our atmosphere. The A rays are long and penetrate deeper into the skin, causing damage in the collagen (plumpness) and elastin fibers (skin's elasticity and "snap back"). B rays are shorter and considered to cause most of the cancers. They shorten the cell's lifespan, cause free radicals (see the HUSSIE listed above), and work hard to break down tissue.

So while we do need sunlight and the vitamin D, we also need to be careful and cautious about our sun exposure. Using an SPF product that feels good and is easy to apply is great! Wearing your foundations with SPF is not enough. Reapplication is important.

As a side note, SPF that is 15 covers 93% of rays, 30 covers 97%, and 50 SPF covers 98%. I wouldn't pay the extra big bucks to get more SPF to cover an extra 1/2 %.

Sugar

I saved my hard one for last. When you eat a diet high in sugar, your blood sugar can rise. When you blood sugar raises and remains raised, glycation happens. Glycation is when sugar attaches to the collagen in the skin and makes it hard and stiff. And even sagging skin! That's what happens when you eat sugar! There is also connections between the sugar we eat with the stress hormone, cortisol and inflammation. Neither are great for the skin OR your body!

What can you do? Figure out a way to limit those artificial sugars while still enjoying life. You'll not only sleep better, but your skin will thank you in 20 years!

Have you learned anything? Which is your nemesis? What changes can you make to help slow the aging process? I can't wait to partner with you to help you make a necessary change, hook you up with an awesome sun care product, and get rid of those hussies at the bar.

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

Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician