Freckles are cute when we are six years old with braided pigtails and less than good fashion choices. Those endearing spots that sprinkle across our faces begin to change and darken as we being to age. Yikes! The tanning, all day sun exposure and lack of skin protection in our growing years comes back to bite us! And it usually bites hard! Those pinch your cheeks, cute freckles we started with grow into age spots and dark pigmentation that gives us an aged, uneven, dull skin tone that yields to older looking skin.
Now that I’ve officially depressed you, and built up your anxiety about your skin’s future or possibly present. I’d like to ease your worries. There is hope. I will not leave you on the terrifying ledge of your sink peering deeply into the reflection of your face. I promise!
Like I said, there’s hope. Depending on your skins level of unevenness, your willingness to get serious about your skin and a desire to be educated on what to do. I’ve got you! So, here we go.
B_LOCK IT UP!
I’m talking sunscreen and I’m really serious about this one! This is the single biggest principle in skincare to make sure that the “aging process” doesn’t hit you like a ton of bricks. Wear sunscreen everyday! Make it a habit. I recommend at a minimum, wearing a daily SPF moisturizer. Even if you are quote un quote “not in the sun ever.” You actually are! I’m sure you drive to work, walk to your car, grab lunch, get groceries, and though you may not feel like you’re in the sun, I’m sure you’d agree your outside. The sun is out to get you, even on a cloudy day! So wear sunscreen, everyday. If you want bonus points here are my extra sun skincare tips for running and vaca’s!
When outside for a run or walk: I personally like to use a spray on sunscreen when running. It makes the process easier when I have running clothes on rather than a bathing suit to just spray it on. I do everything that is exposed making sure to get my ears and behind my pony tail too. (This is not as precise as a rub on product but we’re taking baby steps!)
Vacation: I personally love the beach, the water, beach volleyball and all that comes with a summer on the coast. Although, y’all would laugh at me if you saw me on vacation! I am the girl slathered head to toe in sunscreen sitting with my toes in the sand under a huge umbrella with a hat! Reapplying my sunblock every couple hours like clock work. I’m not playing games with the sun. I get to see the damage on the faces of my clients on the daily. So for extra brownie points. Reapply! For the love of your skin. Most products yield to a 80 minute protection window. Meaning it doesn’t last all day! Gasp! Reapply, you’ll thank me next year, and in ten years, and for the lifetime of your younger looking skin.
LIGHTEN to BRIGHTEN
Here’s the cure! When dark spots are the issue, at home lightening products are a great go to! They can help brighten dark spots, even skin tone and bring a youthful looking glow back to the skin. As an esthetician I recommend lighteners and not bleaching products with hydroquinone. Lightening agents are safer and promote healthy even skin tones.
So what is a lightening product? It’s a active ingredient serum, or topical cream that works to target the dark areas of pigmentation and break it up to lighten your skin. It works on your entire face depending on where you are applying it. Brightening products applied to the skin are targeting the melanin or melanocytes in cells which are adding to the discoloration and overproducing dark pigment on the skin called hyperpigmentation.
DON’T HATE, EXFOLIATE
When it comes to getting serious about your skin, and striving to get true results you can’t just do to the basics. You’ve got to step it up. Adding in a cleanser with and exfoliating acid element to it like Glycolic, Lactic or even Salicylic acid can also help to lighten the skin tone while cleansing and exfoliating at home. It also ensures that you are allowing your active brightening serums to penetrate into the skin by taking of the dead skin layer. Exfoliating scrubs are awesome as well. I recommend throwing them in the shower, which makes it easy and less mess. Meaning, you’ll actually take the time to do it!
Depending on your level of pigmentation damage, you may also need to turn to facials, peels and microdermabrasion to begin working through the deep layers of pigmentation. Microdermabrasion and Resurfacing Peels can be a good go to, to start getting faster results than just an at home scrub. They both not only focus on lightening and evening skin tones but also are great for anti-aging and smoothing out existing fine lines and wrinkles. Win, win, win! Further, they are not as scary as they seem. When done by a licensed Esthetician who knows your skin, they can easily be customized to your skin.
INTENT to NOT PIGMENT
Finally, when it comes to the sun, sun damage, sun-block and not getting burnt out there it’s all about intentionality. You’ve got to be intentional about being outside and your everyday sun protection routines. It’s vital.
Begin loving the shade. If not for your entire body at least your face. Why not!? Every little thing we do and choice we make can make a difference. Im trying to change the world here!! haha. One face at a time!
Let’s knock this one! Tanning!? Really? Are we not done with the days of Jersey Shore? It’s excessive, addictive, unhealthy and unnatural. Not only does it look abnormal in an over cooked turkey kind of way but your skin hates you for it!
If you look at the runways, fashion mags, models, no one has the fake tan look. It’s always natural skin tones, effortless and true to color. Where did our culture get side tracked?
Forgive me! I needed to rant. Truthfully, I’m just passionate about this stuff. Sun protection is key. It’s unlocks living healthy lives, healthy skin and looking more youthful for longer. In many ways living longer as well!
Here’s my motto. Live life, truly live, get outside, swim, go do things just be intentional about it and the sun to maintain your health and your youthful skin. You’ll thank me!
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The Good Skin Trend 