Skincare Tips A Beauty Influencer Learned From An Esthetician

 
Today I will share with you seven tips I learned from an esthetician.

I have been working in the skincare industry for over ten years. During this time, I've gained tons of knowledge, training, and education. You see, I am not just an international awarding beauty blogger/influencer. I also have my own marketing boutique where I provide marketing services for those in the beauty industry, primarily skincare. I offer various services from handling social media to email marketing and being a ghostwriter for multiple clients within the skincare realm catering to different skincare brands, dermatologists, plastics surgeons, and of course, estheticians.

And as with anything in life, experience comes education but also comes from mistakes. And today, I am going to debunk some things I've learned over the years that were incorrect. Skincare tips I relearned from my favorite esthetician, Pila from Heaven on Earth Day Spa, in Aspen, Colorado.

Tip 1: Your Skincare Doesn't Suck; It Has Reached A Plateau
I now love saying this to people. But the truth is it's not a matter of your skin getting used to the products. A product can only do but so much. There comes the point where those ingredients have done all they could do for your skin... They have hit a plateau. Just like when you have been trying to lose weight and hit your positive energy balance, you will stop losing pounds. When this happens you try something new-maybe recalculate your caloric intake, add more protein, or try a different workout.

It is the same with your skin: You found a fantastic skincare line, you see the viable improvement, but then it comes to a halt. Or this that happens to me frequently. There is a skincare product so many love; I try it, and it doesn't do anything for me, and I think this product sucks. No, the ingredients are still working, but they're maintaining a new normal. Your skin has come accustomed to that ingredient or skincare product. So if you’ve been doing the same-old-same-old, you’ve hit a plateau, and your skin is not getting where you want it to, your skincare doesn't suck. It's time to try something new!

Tip 2: You Can Over Exfoliate The Skin
If you follow my blog regularly, you will notice I talk about exfoliation all the time. Exfoliation is an essential part of a skincare routine. You see, as we age, the process of desquamation slows down, meaning that our body is slower to shed dead skin cells and produce new ones. Exfoliating is a successful way to speed up your natural cellular turnover to uncover the fresh, healthy skin underneath the layers of dead surface skin cells. Also, which is why I talk about exfoliating the skin so much, it is fantastic at...

• Diminishing fine lines and wrinkles
• Minimizing the appearance of age spots and other sun damage
• Evening out skin tone and texture
• Unclogging and reducing the appearance of pore size
• Stimulating blood flow to help improve the skin's elasticity
• Offering better penetration of your skincare products
  

Exfoliation sounds like youthful perfection, doesn't it? Well, that is what I thought until I found out from Pila, we can overdo it. If you exfoliate the skin too often, the skin’s barrier function can become compromised. Your skin can become dehydrated, and capillaries can become damaged (the capillaries are something I see from my thinning skin).

Generally, the skin should be exfoliated only one to two times per week to help expedite skin cell turnover without causing damage. Yup, one to two times per week...WHAT??? If you’ve been slathering on the exfoliating acids daily or using a sonic cleansing device, like myself, there’s a good chance you are over-exfoliating.

Tip 3: Your Face Is Not Your Stomach, So Stop Putting Food On It
The expression you are what you eat; has never been more real than when it comes to your skin! Healthy skin starts with healthy foods containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are good for the body and your skin.

Leave it to Instagram, where some have taken this to all new heights by applying actual food on your face. While this may seem like a good idea, in theory, it is a bad idea, according to my esthetician! But why?

Your face, stomach, and digestive tract work in quite different ways. Our skin is our largest organ, and it serves many purposes. One is to protect and keep things out of the body. Your stomach absorbs necessary nutrients and then delivers them to your skin via the blood.

Hence, putting food on your face with the hopes of getting the nutrients to where it is needed to make a difference isn't the best solution. Why? Because the molecules from food are generally too large to do any good and will most likely end up irritating your skin, not helping it.

Skincare products are created using ingredients that are chirally corrected (or purified). With chirally correct ingredients, skincare products will provide better, more potent and effective results with minimized irritation or adverse reactions. So, if you are looking for skincare with ingredients from fruits and vegetables. An excellent skincare line is SKINFOOD.

Tip 4: You Should Not Use Coconut Oil On Your Face
Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't... coconut, that is! Boy, do I love me some coconut oil. I use an organic brand of coconut oil that is hardened to exfoliate and cleanse my face, and it works wonders for me. Which is why I was surprised when I was told, "Coconut oil is comedogenic and will clog your pores as it sits on top of the skin."  So my new solution? Use a cleansing oil like Purify Botanic Cleansing Oil that includes active ingredients like squalene, a fantastic antioxidant that is great at improving the skin's appearance and health.

Tip 5: You Can Use A Microneedle On Your Hand
Our hands are one of the places that can show your actual age, and the truth is they are often an afterthought when it comes to anti-aging treatments. While many may put on a lotion, we usually only do it during the winter, when our hands are dry and chap. But not thinking our hands need anti-aging treatments as well.

The truth is there’s less muscle volume and very little fat and collagen on our hands. The small amounts of collagen break down quicker than other parts of the body. Making our hands more prone to wrinkles and, worse, a loss of collagen, and the skin becomes loose and starts sagging. I'm looking at my hands now, and they look about 20 years older than the rest of my body! Yuk!

And this is where Micro-needling, also known as Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), can help as it aids in tightening the skin on the hands and gives it a smooth texture.

Tip 6: Dryer Sheets And Fabric Softener Clogs Your Pores
While those dryer sheets may smell so wonderful, they are not so wonderful for your skin. I knew this, as I am sensitive to a lot of fragrances. I was not aware that they could leave a waxy residue that will clog your pores. Especially in the days of Maskne, this is something we need to be thinking about when washing and drying those darn face masks.

Tip 7: Pore Strips Cause Broken Capillaries
While this does not personally apply to me as I would never use pore strips as I know they are not safe, I did not know they can also cause broken (collapsed) capillaries. For us beauties over forty, the skin is already becoming weaker and thinner, making us more prone to broken blood vessels. You do not need to add to that by using a pore strip.

For those currently using pore strips, why not consider replacing them with an exfoliator containing salicylic acid, clay-based masks, and even prescription-strength retinol (which will also increase cell turnover). Just what us beauties over forty want!

So there you have skincare tips I learned from my esthetician. And if you want to keep up on all things skincare, make sure to subscribe to Pila's newsletter by clicking here. Or better yet, schedule a virtual facial where Pila is bringing the spa experience to you virtually.

Until next time!