Beauty And The Blog

Archive for the ‘Skin Care Solutions’ Category

Image copyright Clarisonic

OK, so I have been bad.  I said I would be posting soon. Soon turned into months, but I never forgot about this new thing I wanted to tell you about. Something new I was trying, and loving, and making a part of my daily regimen

OK, ’nuff said.

It’s called the Clarisonic. It’s a little bundle of facial cleansing joy. No, really.

I can hear you now, “…great another gadget.  Just what I need, something else that plugs in sitting on my bathroom counter.”

Just. What. I. Need.

But seriously you do. As did I. If you have only one gadget sitting on your bathroom counter (well other than an electric toothbrush, and maybe a hair dryer…) this is the thing to have. Seriously.

If you get the impression that I am recommending it, spoiler alert: I am!

I have been using it myself since last December. I love it. I had read about, I had heard from customers about it. And I had been thinking of buying one. But so many expensive gadgets make all these empty promises and end up gathering dust with the Flowbee at the back of your bathroom cabinet. And the cost of some products, including the Clarisonic… well I stayed on the fence. Funny thing happened though. I won a sales contest at work and won one. So yes I use it daily, but it was a freebie.

Now that I have used it I see why it is so popular. And why dermatologists and estheticians are recommending it for home care. It works. Your skin is so clean is glows.

I started using the Clarisonic last Winter. I wasn’t unhappy with my skin, I like the products I was (and still am) using.  But what the heck, I had it, so I used it. Not that I wanted to add work load to my skin care routine, but I’d always cleansed my skin morning and evening without fail anyway. For maybe like fifteen seconds, manually. So now its sonic vibration (oddly familiar buzzing noise, hmm…)  oh yeah, for one minute of cleansing. A whole forty five seconds longer than usual.

Clarisonic claims to “cleanse your skin via a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second.” Gently, so gently, it almost tickles. While your hand is guiding it’s little dance on your face, it is also “removing  twice as much dirt and oil plus six times more makeup as compared to manual cleansing.”

When your skin is that clean, believe me, it will glow.  But that’s not the only benefit. All those creams, lotions and potions we use to fight fine lines and wrinkles, you know the ones, I bet you’ve got a cabinet full, they will work better. Efficacy increases when there isn’t a mother lode of dirt, oil and leftover makeup sitting on the surface of your skin. As we all know, well cleansed and exfoliated skin is much more receptive to skin care treatment products.

I could go into the Clarisonic sales pitch but they aren’t paying me nor did they give me one in expectation of a good review. I wanted one, I got lucky and got a freebie. So no sales pitch, but here it is, the reality.

I use it twice a day. One minute each time. 20 seconds on the forehead, 20 seconds on the nose, upper lip and chin, 10 seconds on each cheek. It pauses when it’s time to move to the next area. Nice touch when you are still half asleep in the morning.

I have less break outs. I don’t usually get many. Now I get less. My skin feels smoother to the touch.  It looks smoother too. Fine lines seem diminished. My complexion looks healthier than ever.  That’s enough for me, I like it. I like it a lot.

Is the sonic vibration enough to stimulate an increase in collagen as Clarisonic suggests? I don’t know. I am more familiar with ingredients that penetrate the skin, such as peptides that stimulate the fibroblasts to imitate a younger skin and produce more collagen. Having said that, using the Clarisonic will allow peptide containing products to do a superior job for you. Remember, super clean exfoliated skin is more receptive to anti-aging ingredients.

Does my face look fuller, more collagen rich due to the use of the Clarisonic? I can’t tell. I’d like to think so, but probably not.

If you are wondering about any special cleansers you should use with a Clarisonic. No. And yes. Of course the company would love to see you use the cleanser they make. But they come right out and say it works with any skin care system.  So use what you like.

My Bottom line recommendation: get one of these, Now.

Microdermabrasion is an anti-aging and restorative skin care procedure being used by many women. There are good candidates for this treatment and some who should stay way clear of it. In general, this is a great tool for treating aging skin, dark and unwanted pigmentation, acne scarring, blackheads, fine lines or wrinkles, and thickened or dull skin. It is also useful in reducing the appearance of enlarged pores.

Women who have any of the following issues should not consider Microdermabrasion. Rosacea, active acne, dermatitis, any type of lesion, eczema or psoriasis, cold sores, hepatitis, active diabetes, broken or fragile capillaries, and anyone taking prescription blood thinners. Anyone who has taken the drug Accutane should wait 6-12 months before having treatment. Your skin is in a highly sensitive state after the use of Accutane. If you are pregnant or nursing Microdermabrasion should be avoided. And if you are 14 years of age or younger. These last two issues are hormone related, you could end up with permanent discoloration.

OK, so now we have that out of the way. Are you a candidate? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently I met a young woman via the web that expressed great concern about acne scarring. I know personally how devastating acne can be emotionally, as I had a short lived run in with the dreaded stuff myself. Mine was what they refer to as Adult Acne, and responded well to a short term treatment plan. And I was fortunate not to have any scarring at all. But I know that if I had I would not be happy. So I felt compelled to try and find an answer for this young woman.

So I consulted with a few skin care contacts as to what product or tool is most effective in the minimizing of acne scarring. Microdermabrasion came up, as I expected. I knew this was a first line of treatment. Minimally invasive but expensive over the long run. Very invasive and very expensive, but very effective is a medical laser procedure. Laser requires a long down time for healing which can be inconvenient. And it is a cosmetic procedure not covered by medical insurance. Chemical peels work, less down time than laser but again, can be quite costly.

I was looking for something that is affordable. The home version kits for microdermabrasion are an option, but they are considerably less powerful and effective when compared to a professional treatment. I wanted something that was going to really deliver for this young woman. Read the rest of this entry »