Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a minimally invasive procedure used to renew overall skin tone and texture.  It can improve sun damage, wrinkles, fine lines,  age spots, acne scarring, melasma, and other skin-related concerns and conditions.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the national average cost of a microdermabrasion procedure in 2017 was $137.  Total cost will depend on the provider’s fee and geographic location.

I work with a Diamond – tip hand piece which is designed to gently exfoliate dead cells in your skin.  At the same time, it will suction them off immediately.

The depth of the abrasion may be affected by the pressure applied on the hand piece as well as how long the suction is allowed to remain on the skin.   

Prepping for Treatment:  This treatment is a nonsurgical and a minimally invasive procedure.  There’s very little you need to do to prepare for it.  It’s a good idea to avoid sun exposure, tanning cremes, and waxing for about a week before treatment. 

Common side effects of Treatment:  You may experience some mild tenderness, swelling, redness and rarely some bruising.  These usually go away with in few hours.

There is no down time.

Post Treatment:  Keep your skin hydrated and use gentle skincare products for a few days.  Sunscreen is a Must!  Your skin will be more sun sensitive.  I also recommend No swimming in salt or chlorinated water, and no waxing for 7 days.  

We can discuss what your skin concerns are, and then we can come up with a treatment plan. 

Let’s Use What’s In Your Pantry for Dry, Irritated Skin  

Milk As A Soothing Compress

Milk has natural anti-inflammatory properties.  It contains lactic acid which is a mild, natural exfoliant.  It’s also very soothing to irritated skin.

Start by using  a gentle cleanser to wash your face.

Take some cool milk out of the refrigerator and  let it sit for a few minutes, so it’s not so cold.

Using a soft wash cloth soak it in the milk and pat it into your skin.  Do this several times for about 5 minutes.  Follow with this nice hydrating 

Rich Creamy Avocado Mask

You’ll  Need:

1/2 Avocado and 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon honey (if really dry, and irritated)

Mix well

Apply this mask and leave on for 15 – 20 minutes.  Wash off using a soft washcloth.  Your skin should feel nice and hydrated.  If you want some added hydration add your day or nighttime moisturizer.

Hope This Helps.. Share with first responders as their skin maybe affected from wearing a mask all day.

 

 

Let’s Use What’s In Your Pantry Hand Treatment

With the spread of COVID-19 on everyone’s minds, we are (rightfully) washing our hands more than ever.  As the CDC have pointed out, washing your hands is the most effective way to combating the spread of Coronavirus.  For some, though, excessive hand washing can lead to uncomfortable dryness.  What’s worse, though, is that dry skin can leave you more vulnerable to bacteria or infection.  Why?  Due to lack of moisture, the skin on the hands gets tighter, which can result in micro-breaks or tears.  These which are not visible to the naked eye, create a great entrance point into the body for bacteria and illness.

Doing a once a week hand treatment can really help to keep your hands hydrated and feeling really good.

So…

If you don’t want to utilize your expensive facial cleansers, exfoliants, or masks for a hand treatment.  Here is a good alternative, I’ve tried and really like the results.

Let’s Use What’s In Your Pantry…

Start with a mild soap and gently cleanse hands and go up arms to your elbows.

Then mix some sugar and some oil.    (I used regular white sugar and olive oil)

Gently rub this mixture all over hands and arms.  It’s really messy so I did it over the kitchen sink.  

Rinse with warm water

It will feel a little greasy, that’s alright.

Put a nice heavy crème on top of that and just let it set in.

You could put a plastic baggie over this and use a damp hand towel, warming it in a microwave and wrap around hands and relax for a few minutes..

My skin, arms and even my dried out cuticles feel and look so much better.

Hope This Helps..

The Return Of Retinol

Take your skincare to the next level and add retinol into your routine during the winter months.  Retinol is a form of Vitamin A it’s often found in anti-aging products.  It’s considered a gold-standard do-it-all ingredient.  It helps minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, environmental damage and blemishes while rejuvenating the overall look of collagen-depleted skin.

Retinol is also known for causing irritation, peeling and dryness.  It has the ability to exfloliate and keep healthy cells on the surface is both a blessing and a curse.  You can reap the benefits if you incorporate it strategically.

• Start with a lower concentration of retinol.
• Retinol comes in different delivery systems. At Image they use kemspheres, oil-soluble encapsulations that deliver retinol in a stable for to maximize effectiveness while reducing chances of skin becoming red and irritated.
• Mix and match properly. Retinol doesn’t mix well with some ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide usually in acne products.
• For best results, use products that contain ingredients that contain peptides, and anti-aging ingredient for younger-looking skin. Apply sunscreen and avoid harsh cleansers and toner.
• Hydrate, Hydrate and Hydrate…Add products to potential avoid dryness. Try Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic Filler, it contains six unique forms of hyaluronic acid, that will infuse hydration into even the driest of skins.
• Start nice and slow. Introduce any retinol-based product slowly into your routine.  Start one to two times a week, nighttime only, and then increase frequency as the skin builds up a tolerance.

5 Tips To Renew Confidence In Your Skin

1)  Always clean your skin at night.  Dirt and grime builds up and seeps into your pores during the day.  It’s so important to clean that grime off your skin at night, even when not wearing make-up.

2)  Make sure your brows have been professional done for your perfect shape. If you are uncomfortable using brow make-up you may want to have a professional brow tint.

3) Highlight your best features.  If your eyes are your best feature, use the right color make-up to bring and enhance your eyes, line and apply mascara to make them pop.  Same goes with lips, find your complimentary color whether it’s a gloss or lipstick.

4) Exfoliate your skin at least once a week at home.  You could  use a product as gentle as a skin polish or something even as strong as  a retinol product.  Seek the help of a professional to find what is your best way to exfoliate if needed.  Professional peels work wonders, too!

5) Hydrate your skin on the outside as well as the inside. Daytime moisturizers should include an SPF to help protect your skin from sun damage.  Moisturizing with treatment cremes containing the ingredient hyrulonic acid is a must at night.  Drink coconut water with a splash of pineapple juice.

30 Minute Free Consultation with a $55 Retail Purchase.
Plus go home with $15 Free Samples.
Call to book an appointment 860.488.4464

What will hyaluronic acid do for my skin?

Hyaluronic acid is one of nature’s best moisturizers.  “It draws water into the stratum corneum, the top layer of the skin.  It is a humectant, so it gives an immediate improvement in the way the skin looks-less ashy, dry, dull,” said Dr. Fishman

Because of its molecular structure, hyaluronic acid can hold a thousand times its weight in water-in other words, it is a lightweight but heavy duty moisturizer.

Use it before your serum, creams, and oils.  Pat it around your eyes, lips and back of hands. You can add a few drops directly into your cream.

What is hyaluronic acid?

The “acid” part is misleading: It doesn’t burn, sting, or irritate the skin.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  “Since hyaluronic acid is a natural component of our skin, allergy is not a concern,” and neither is irritation, said holistic dermatologist Cybele Fishman M.D.

It’s found in high concentration in our synovial fluid – the stuff that keeps our joints limber and well – lubricated.

The Skin – Brightening Ingredient You Never Knew Was Natural

With hydrating, brightening, and skin-clearing benefits, hyaluronic acid is a wonderful product, especially for the colder months when skin tends to dry out.  If you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s simple powerful, and effective, but did you know that pure hyaluronic acid is also completely natural? It’s a compound our skin makes on its own (similar to collagen) and as such is totally safe for topical use.

I was introduced to this product line about a year ago through a good friend and esthetician, Theresa Edwards.  I started going to her for facials, dermaplaning and microdermabrasion and fell in love with the skincare line she used – IMAGE – and I slowly started purchasing products one visit at a time!  It wasn’t until my experience with my 1^st chemo treatment, that I became a “lifer” as you may call it, of this wonderful line.

 

On January 20^th, 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30.  Aside from the cancer diagnosis shock, I was not prepared for what my chemotherapy treatment was going to do to me both mentally, internally and externally.  My first chemo treatment came on Friday, February 7^th, 2014.  I had a surprisingly good experience with the infusion process and thought “I got this!”  Little did I know, the wrath of the symptoms would come flooding in on day 3 post chemo.  Aside from what was going on from the neck down, my most unpleasant, uncomfortable and visually unappealing symptom, was my face.  Within 48 hours I went from a complete clear complexion, never having to put an ounce of foundation or makeup on – to inflammation under the skin that was so painful I could barely open my mouth to eat or speak.  My face had a sunburnt look/feel and was covered in pustule acne.  Any movement in my face would cause them to break open and with chemo taking away my ability to heal, the pustules would remain open wounds.  I was in so much pain.

 

I had given Theresa a call and listed all of my skin woes.  She quickly gathered IMAGE products for an at home care system that would help soothe and heal.  The very first thing I used was the Ormedic Gel Masque.  It had given me instant cooling relief and I was in heaven!  In addition to that, The MAX Facial Cleanser and The MAX Stem Cell Serum were gentle enough for me to use daily while the pustules were at their worst.  I became very fond of the tinted moisturizer, since my end goal was to protect my skin during this phase and prevent as much scarring as possible.  The Ormedic Balancing Biopeptide crème as well as the Total Skin Lightening Serum are both favorites of mine to this day.  The lightening serum has done wonders on bringing back a balanced/even tone to my face.  So much so that I have recently stopped using foundation to cover up the leftover scarring because my skin looks wonderful!  During chemo, one of the most common symptoms is dry mouth/lips and from day 1 I have used the Lip Enhancement.  I put it on day and night and have experienced zero dryness or sores in or around my mouth!  This is definitely another favorite of mine and as you can see so far, I have quite the collection of IMAGE products and have only named a few!

 

I wanted to thank you for creating such a wonderful skin care line.  I truly am beyond thankful for what it has done for me through this difficult time in my life.  As women, we value what makes us feel pretty and look beautiful and at the top of that list is our skin!  Chemotherapy strips you of all vanity.  It has taken away my hair, my nails and has handed me a laundry list of symptoms that have hit me with zero remorse.  However, at the end of the day you look in the mirror and ask yourself “What can I control?!”  And at this time, for beauty sake, I can control my skin!  IMAGE products have allowed me to soothe, heal and bounce back very quickly from a terrible chemo reaction and I could not be more grateful!

 

Sincerely,

Shanna Crane

An IMAGE “Lifer!”

this is a great product!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=689njTaY6yk