A friend (let’s call her Jane) recently asked me what she could do to help her skin, what treatment could give it a bit of life? Her skin was just feeling blah, so I suggested the Blush Advanced Facial as it contains an efficient form of exfoliation in the form of a peel and our LED Light Therapy (as well as all the other bits and bobs).
Here is a little of Jane’s back story. She went off the pill last year and her skin just started to go downhill. Nothing too major, just a few spots here and there, but she didn’t want to go back on the pill, nor did she want to worry about breakouts. This is a familiar scenario that we deal with at least once a week. Contraception pills such as Ginette and a few others have the ability to keep skin clear by managing hormonal fluctuations. When you come off the pill it takes 6 months to 1 year for your body to right itself and for hormones to go back to your new normal. However, if you were predisposed to breakouts before, there is a good chance you will be again.
Often, pills like Ginette are prescribed when we are in our teens, and we come off in our 30’s or maybe earlier to start a family. This can often mean that hormones have settled, but unfortunately this is not the case for everyone.
To manage Jane’s skin coming off the pill earlier last year we introduced a serum to help combat the hormonal influences causing the break outs, which after a few weeks worked well. But then she just hit a glitch and her skin was feeling downright yuck.
I am happy to say the facial did the trick, which led to the question how often should one have facials and what can she do at home in between facials?
I said – I’ll write a blog!
Her big splurge is using O Cosmedics, and in my opinion, it is always better to invest in great skincare that you will use twice daily than it is to spend money on a facial. However in saying that there are times when your skin just needs a good clean out.
Myself and my team always offer the best honest advice we possibly can.
I always ask two things when looking at correcting a skin concern.
What are your constraints-?
Time or Money?
For Jane she cannot stretch to a facial once a month, so she wanted to know how often is she should be having a facial.
It’s always better to have a facial than no facial
Once or twice a year is a great option to give the skin a boost, but I would suggest something with a bit of grunt containing a peel and an LED Light
Having a facial at the change of seasons is a really great way to keep your skin looking good as it is often when our skin is having to deal with a change in temperatures.
4-6 weekly is a great option if you are wanting to see a visible change or correct a concern
When dealing with acne we often get you in a few times a week to go under the LED light and add in a peel once a week and then onto twice a week, but once your skin clears we suggest once a month for an LED light treatment to maintain your clear skin
To gain great skin health and make a change an LED light treatment once a month can do wonders.
So if you are in the camp that can only manage one or two facial’s a year here is my advice.
Find a great skin focused salon (some one like us!) and book a consultation. Get your skincare right from the get go. The products may have a higher price tag than you are used to but they contain large percentages of active ingredients than products you find elsewhere. Also remember your therapist is prescribing the skincare for your face, not someone else- she is sitting there looking at your skin and listening to your concerns and will come up with a plan just for you.
Use your skincare twice a day, up your game by using a serum (these correct concerns and are the gamechanger) and wear an SPF30 daily.
Once or twice a week use a scrub or peel at home. Do this at night so that you can apply your serum and hydrator afterwards and the next morning your skin will have a new lease of life.
We have many options for you to do skin treatments at home.
Here are my absolute faves
Using the O Cosmedics 3in1 Peel, leaving it on for 15 minutes – then applying their Exfoliating cleanser dry on top and doing a 1 minute scrub all over the face. Leave for a minute then repeat this time using water. Wash off. This is the equivalent to a gentle salon peel and together these two products make up a kick ass team
To make this duo even better finish off with the Aspect Gold hydrating mask and sleep in it.
For a skin that is prone to blackheads and/ or breakouts apply the O Cosmedics Corrective Peel and Cleanser. Shake the bottle and apply to a dry face with dry hands avoiding the eyes. Leave on 3-5 minutes. Add water and lather cleanser up and then rinse off.
This will help to dissolve any blockages in the pores, but is not suggested for a dry skin. Once a week is more than enough for this cleanser.
Home rolling with a skin needling device
You can use a home skin needling device up to 3x per week at home. Use at night after cleansing and this will, increase skin circulation, improve skin texture, help with skin blockages (Don’t roll over an infected spot though) and can help with fine lines and wrinkles.
It can be used with a serum to target different concerns such as pigmentation and ageing.
Any serum you apply after needling will tingle as you have irritated your skin.
I hope you have learnt something from this blog that you will be able to use to help your own skin.
If you are after more advice email us on tracey@blushbeauty.co.nz and we can help you out with a little more advice.
Wishing you happy clear skin.
Tracey Keefe