Trust me, there was a time that I felt the opposite of glowing, but with time and a balanced lifestyle I noticed a huge change, and the glowing skin was one of the first things I noticed. The quest for healthy glowing skin is something that most of us can relate to. Nutrition aside, there is lots I have learned about how to achieve healthy looking skin AND to slow the sign of aging, and I wanted to share my experience with you.
There's so much I want to share , that I'll divide it into two posts. Today is Part 1 in my Glowing Skin Tips & Tricks!
1. Sunscreen - Should you wear it? Ok, here's the thing...I never bought into the notion that you should use sunscreen EVERY day on your face. In fact I still don't always apply it on my body when enjoying the sunny days - I think we need a balance of exposure (for vitamin D levels and overall health) and protection. I do recognize the need to protect ourselves from excess UVA and UVB exposure, and for that I now use natural or safer sunscreen options. Did you know that chemical sunscreens actually absorb and scatter the suns rays along the skin surface, whereas mineral based sunscreens bounce the UV rays off the skin? Think of it like li
quid clothing!
And what's the difference between the different UV rays?
There's so much I want to share , that I'll divide it into two posts. Today is Part 1 in my Glowing Skin Tips & Tricks!
1. Sunscreen - Should you wear it? Ok, here's the thing...I never bought into the notion that you should use sunscreen EVERY day on your face. In fact I still don't always apply it on my body when enjoying the sunny days - I think we need a balance of exposure (for vitamin D levels and overall health) and protection. I do recognize the need to protect ourselves from excess UVA and UVB exposure, and for that I now use natural or safer sunscreen options. Did you know that chemical sunscreens actually absorb and scatter the suns rays along the skin surface, whereas mineral based sunscreens bounce the UV rays off the skin? Think of it like li
quid clothing!And what's the difference between the different UV rays?
Here's a simple way to remember:
UVB = BURNING
UVA = AGING
BUT WHAT ABOUT BLUE LIGHT??
Did you know that BLUE LIGHT is emitted by electronics (computer screens, tablets and phones) and causes free radical damage in the skin? This causes an increase in the signs of aging (it breaks down the skin's lipid layers causing a decrease in elasticity and increase in wrinkling and age spots (who wants that??).
Obviously this is a modern day concern, but one that we can address by consuming plenty of antioxidants in our diets, but also using the right botanicals on our skin. If you are interested in a line that contains both the UV blocking ingredients AND Blue Light blocking botanicals, check our the entire COUNTERSUN line by Beautycounter - they contain antioxidants from California Poppy that blocks BLUE LIGHT and slows the signs of aging (and is a non-toxic sunscreen rated top 12 by the Environmental Working Group). If you want to try out one of these products, scroll down to check out my FREE GIFT for your first order!
Back to the face for a moment...so in the past I didn't worry about using sunscreen on my face for the reasons noted above, however a few years ago I started noticing DARK hyperpigmentation (age spots) in several areas of my face. I didn't like how it looked, and it bothered me knowing my skin had been damaged by the UV rays. I accelerated aging on my face by not wearing protection, so now I'm CONSISTENT about wearing SPF on my face. I assess the level of exposure I will get, and either select a tinted moisturizer with SPF (my favorite is DEW SKIN) or I apply an actual sunscreen if I'll be out on the lake, vacationing or out for a long run. But what about those horrible dark spots?? Ok, this brings me to my second experience AND HOW I GOT RID OF THEM...
2. Sun Spots - How do you remove them? I know there's all sorts of creams, treatments and potions that claim to remove the hyperpigmentation caused by UV rays, but from my experience I've never seen them fade more a few shades (and they usually return after sun exposure).
That's not to say that creams can't brighten and even skin tone - this is a great approach for minor sun damage OR for maintenance, but from my experience the most effective (and relatively non-invasive treatment) for sun spots is a LASER treatment.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
I opted for 3 treatments (spread out by 4 weeks between each) of IPL Laser (Intense Pulsed Light) which targets the melanin under the skin and blasts it away - the day after your treatment the dark spots resemble coffee grinds on your skin, and usually fall off in a day or two. There was no downtime (although I had my treatments on my day off from work so that I didn't have to apply makeup. It's relatively painless (feels like a rubber band against your skin, the intensity of which is adjusted by the technician to your pain tolerance. The results were noticeable after just one treatment! I continued with the other two treatments because of the added benefit of stimulating collagen formation and removing broken capillaries in my cheeks!
UVB = BURNING
UVA = AGING
BUT WHAT ABOUT BLUE LIGHT??
Did you know that BLUE LIGHT is emitted by electronics (computer screens, tablets and phones) and causes free radical damage in the skin? This causes an increase in the signs of aging (it breaks down the skin's lipid layers causing a decrease in elasticity and increase in wrinkling and age spots (who wants that??).
Obviously this is a modern day concern, but one that we can address by consuming plenty of antioxidants in our diets, but also using the right botanicals on our skin. If you are interested in a line that contains both the UV blocking ingredients AND Blue Light blocking botanicals, check our the entire COUNTERSUN line by Beautycounter - they contain antioxidants from California Poppy that blocks BLUE LIGHT and slows the signs of aging (and is a non-toxic sunscreen rated top 12 by the Environmental Working Group). If you want to try out one of these products, scroll down to check out my FREE GIFT for your first order!
Back to the face for a moment...so in the past I didn't worry about using sunscreen on my face for the reasons noted above, however a few years ago I started noticing DARK hyperpigmentation (age spots) in several areas of my face. I didn't like how it looked, and it bothered me knowing my skin had been damaged by the UV rays. I accelerated aging on my face by not wearing protection, so now I'm CONSISTENT about wearing SPF on my face. I assess the level of exposure I will get, and either select a tinted moisturizer with SPF (my favorite is DEW SKIN) or I apply an actual sunscreen if I'll be out on the lake, vacationing or out for a long run. But what about those horrible dark spots?? Ok, this brings me to my second experience AND HOW I GOT RID OF THEM...
2. Sun Spots - How do you remove them? I know there's all sorts of creams, treatments and potions that claim to remove the hyperpigmentation caused by UV rays, but from my experience I've never seen them fade more a few shades (and they usually return after sun exposure).
That's not to say that creams can't brighten and even skin tone - this is a great approach for minor sun damage OR for maintenance, but from my experience the most effective (and relatively non-invasive treatment) for sun spots is a LASER treatment.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
I opted for 3 treatments (spread out by 4 weeks between each) of IPL Laser (Intense Pulsed Light) which targets the melanin under the skin and blasts it away - the day after your treatment the dark spots resemble coffee grinds on your skin, and usually fall off in a day or two. There was no downtime (although I had my treatments on my day off from work so that I didn't have to apply makeup. It's relatively painless (feels like a rubber band against your skin, the intensity of which is adjusted by the technician to your pain tolerance. The results were noticeable after just one treatment! I continued with the other two treatments because of the added benefit of stimulating collagen formation and removing broken capillaries in my cheeks!
Downside? I now have to maintain the results by being VERY diligent with my sunscreen (see my post above) and doing 3-5 overnight treatments each week (I'll talk about these NEXT newsletter!).
If you are curious about the laser treatments and where I went to get them, shoot me a message!
That's a lot of information for this week - next time I'll share with you my favorite night-time treatments (for anti-aging, brightening, hydration and evening the skin tone) AND how to plump your skin up from the inside!
If you can't wait and want to join my Facebook group dedicated to safer skincare for the whole family, you can access it HERE!
FREE GIFT FOR YOU!
I'd love for you to make the switch to safer skin care products. As many of you know I have been making Olive Baby since 2009, and now have started working with Beautycounter as well (so that I can switch my beauty products to safer choices that actually perform). I want to give you a chance to try both!
Place a Beautycounter order of $75 through my link and receive your choice of Olive Baby Body Wash OR Talc-free Baby Powder for FREE!
Simply place your order HERE and let me know what product you would like!
If you are curious about the laser treatments and where I went to get them, shoot me a message!
That's a lot of information for this week - next time I'll share with you my favorite night-time treatments (for anti-aging, brightening, hydration and evening the skin tone) AND how to plump your skin up from the inside!
If you can't wait and want to join my Facebook group dedicated to safer skincare for the whole family, you can access it HERE!
FREE GIFT FOR YOU!
I'd love for you to make the switch to safer skin care products. As many of you know I have been making Olive Baby since 2009, and now have started working with Beautycounter as well (so that I can switch my beauty products to safer choices that actually perform). I want to give you a chance to try both!
Place a Beautycounter order of $75 through my link and receive your choice of Olive Baby Body Wash OR Talc-free Baby Powder for FREE!
Simply place your order HERE and let me know what product you would like!
All my skin care products have sunscreen protection and my lotion have SPF 50. Since I'm using skin care products to my face, I avoid too much exposure to the sun, I hope it works and also hoping best result.
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