Sunscreen

Going into the summer months, I can not stress enough the importance of SPF on your skin. It protects the skin from ultraviolet rays. The UVB rays are what cause sunburn and the UVA rays are what cause the long-term damaging effects such as wrinkles and premature aging.Skin damage from sunlight builds up with continued exposure, regardless of whether or not sunburn occurs. According to the Melanoma Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer at some point during their lifetime, which makes this the second most common cancer for women in their twenties.And while SPF is indispensable during the summer, it’s equally important year-round. UV rays are just as harmful during the winter as they are in the summertime. If you spend days working indoors, know that UVA rays can penetrate window glass, which means you are exposed during your drive to work and even at your desk, if your office is filled with natural light. And though you might not think it, UV rays are especially harmful on snowy days, since the rays – and potential skin damage from the sun – are multiplied by the reflective nature of the snow. Studies have shown that the #1 cause of damage and aging to the skin is sun exposure. Excessive exposure to the sun’s rays can cause wrinkling, a leathery skin appearance, and in worst cases – skin cancer. It’s also been proven that overexposure to the sun can interfere with your immune system. Currently, sunscreen products containing a recommended SPF rating of 15 or above play an important role in helping diminish the harm of the sun’s rays.

So please, please make sure and apply your sunscreen everyday of the year! Rock that paleness and you will thank yourself later! One of my favorite sayings is, ” I may be pale now, but you’ll be wrinkly later.”

Exfoliation

You all have heard about it and have heard how important it is. But why is it so important, what types of exfoliation are there and what do we offer?

Our skin is constantly forming, new healthy skin cells. As these new skins cells come to life, dead skin cells need to be removed. Without proper exfoliation our skin can look dull and become problematic. Exfoliation declines the aging process by allowing the pore of the skin to breathe. It can also allow for a more even makeup application leaving the skin looking young and radiant.

There are three types of exfoliation; manual, chemical and enzyme. Manual exfoliants will literally knock the dead skin cells off the skin’s surface. These usually include ingredients such as jojoba beads, ground nuts or other various seeds. Chemical exfoliants will slough off the dead. That means after a few days of a chemical peel, the dead skin can be removed using a wash cloth or even with your fingers. These use chemicals such as alphahydroxy acids or betahydroxy acids to loosen the bond between skin cells. Enzyme exfoliants are used to break up and dissolve dead skin cells. These enzymes are naturally found in fruits.

We offer all three types of exfoliation by Skin Script at Katie's Esthetics. The manual exfoliant we offer is called, Retinol 2% exfoliating scrub with Kojic. The Retinol encourages the breakup of blackheads and clogged pores, and the Kojic lightens age spots and scars left from blemishes  while the jojoba beads exfoliate dead skin cells. The enzyme exfoliants we offer are offered in service only. They include, passion fruit, raspberry/peach, coconut/papaya, lemon zest, pomegranate, pumpkin/orange, and blueberry. The correct enzyme in chosen after a proper skin analysis is completed to best serve your skincare needs. There are three different chemical exfoliants that we offer as in service as well. We offer a 30% glycolic peel, 20% lactic peel and a cranberry turnover peel. The glycolic and lactic peels are best performed in a series of 6 peels spaced 1-2 weeks apart to get the maximum effects. Glycolic peels will weaken the bonds between cells which allow dead skin cells to dissolve, restores circulation, and promote growth of healthy probiotic bacteria to strengthen skin immunity. Lactic peels will slough off dead skin, improve roughness, slow melanin production and correct uneven skin tone.

Exfoliation is only one part of healthy skin, but is sometimes the most overlooked. Keep that skin glowing and healthy!