In November 2013, Oxford Dictionaries awarded "selfie" as the word of the year. As a middle-aged woman, I think most of my peers would agree that selfies are not something to revel in unless your under the age of 35. At a certain age, we just don't want to see how rapidly our skin ages - especially with menopause. However, a personal "selfie library" could be the best way to track your skin care investments in 2014. By investment, I mean every penny you put into a product, facial, injection, laser or surgical procedure.
Here's a simple plan to follow.
1. Your baseline selfie
Find your favorite spot and take your picture. You should have a full facial image, left and right side images, and if you want to improve a specific feature (i.e. your eyes, lips, neck, etc.) take another image of these target areas. Every month, repeat these selfie positions in the same room with the same lighting and facial position to track your progress.
For brighter-looking skin with less wrinkling, find a room with multiple light sources. This will prevent any shadowing of the face. If you want to see all the fine lines and wrinkles, take your selfie in a room with a single light source. This will cause shadowing of your wrinkles, letting you know where each one is.
2. Consider your home care
Your home regimen dictates the results you see over time. Good skin care products are formulated to prevent ultraviolet damage and the signs of aging. Like your closet, your home regimen should change with the seasons. No matter how much you love one product, changing it can be more beneficial to your skin health and help you meet your long-term skin care goals.
Every regimen should include a good cleanser, daily sunscreen, antioxidants and exfoliation to prevent environmental damage to the skin and premature aging. Start young, stay young: mother's teach your daughters a healthy skin care regimen while they're young.
3. Get a facial every 4 to 6 weeks
Our signature facial procedures are designed to drastically improve the look of your skin over a long-period of time and should be balanced with a progressive home care regimen. Professional chemical peel solutions are not the same as home exfoliation. Advanced Rejuvenating Concepts chemical solutions are used by aestheticians and aesthetic nurses throughout the nation. These specially formulated solutions improve the look of dull skin and hyperpigmentation, smooth surface texture and decrease the frequency of acne breakouts. They are also integral at protecting your larger skin care investments: laser, IPL, injections and plastic surgery.
Your aesthetician can boost your results by adding microdermabrasion or ultrasonic technology to your facial. These procedures are also great for teen skin to help build their self-esteem and confidence by reducing acne blemishes.
4. Look into medical aesthetic procedures
Neurotoxin injections (like Botox), injectable fillers, laser resurfacing and surgical procedures are all in the medical realm of skin rejuvenation. Medical aesthetic procedures can deliver dramatic results for a variety of skin conditions. At Skin Rejuvenation, I train my aesthetic team on consultation techniques that give a clear path to your goals in the least amount of time with the most cost-effective means. It also helps demystify medical procedures and tells you how to protect these investments with regular facial procedures and cosmeceutical home care products.
As they say in strength training, "if you don't use it, you will lose it." The same philosophy can be applied to injected, laser and surgical procedures. You achieve a desirable result, but intrinsic and extrinsic factors will continue to age your skin. Keep your results and a youthful look by practicing your due diligence at home and with your aesthetician.
Every month, track your beauty revolution in a personal selfie library. Make every investment in your skin count - this is how you are going to get your results and look flawless. Talk to your skin care provider, because at any age - in our modern age - a more youthful look can be achieved.
Here's a simple plan to follow.
1. Your baseline selfie
Find your favorite spot and take your picture. You should have a full facial image, left and right side images, and if you want to improve a specific feature (i.e. your eyes, lips, neck, etc.) take another image of these target areas. Every month, repeat these selfie positions in the same room with the same lighting and facial position to track your progress.
For brighter-looking skin with less wrinkling, find a room with multiple light sources. This will prevent any shadowing of the face. If you want to see all the fine lines and wrinkles, take your selfie in a room with a single light source. This will cause shadowing of your wrinkles, letting you know where each one is.
2. Consider your home care
Your home regimen dictates the results you see over time. Good skin care products are formulated to prevent ultraviolet damage and the signs of aging. Like your closet, your home regimen should change with the seasons. No matter how much you love one product, changing it can be more beneficial to your skin health and help you meet your long-term skin care goals.
Every regimen should include a good cleanser, daily sunscreen, antioxidants and exfoliation to prevent environmental damage to the skin and premature aging. Start young, stay young: mother's teach your daughters a healthy skin care regimen while they're young.
3. Get a facial every 4 to 6 weeks
Our signature facial procedures are designed to drastically improve the look of your skin over a long-period of time and should be balanced with a progressive home care regimen. Professional chemical peel solutions are not the same as home exfoliation. Advanced Rejuvenating Concepts chemical solutions are used by aestheticians and aesthetic nurses throughout the nation. These specially formulated solutions improve the look of dull skin and hyperpigmentation, smooth surface texture and decrease the frequency of acne breakouts. They are also integral at protecting your larger skin care investments: laser, IPL, injections and plastic surgery.
Your aesthetician can boost your results by adding microdermabrasion or ultrasonic technology to your facial. These procedures are also great for teen skin to help build their self-esteem and confidence by reducing acne blemishes.
4. Look into medical aesthetic procedures
Neurotoxin injections (like Botox), injectable fillers, laser resurfacing and surgical procedures are all in the medical realm of skin rejuvenation. Medical aesthetic procedures can deliver dramatic results for a variety of skin conditions. At Skin Rejuvenation, I train my aesthetic team on consultation techniques that give a clear path to your goals in the least amount of time with the most cost-effective means. It also helps demystify medical procedures and tells you how to protect these investments with regular facial procedures and cosmeceutical home care products.
As they say in strength training, "if you don't use it, you will lose it." The same philosophy can be applied to injected, laser and surgical procedures. You achieve a desirable result, but intrinsic and extrinsic factors will continue to age your skin. Keep your results and a youthful look by practicing your due diligence at home and with your aesthetician.
Every month, track your beauty revolution in a personal selfie library. Make every investment in your skin count - this is how you are going to get your results and look flawless. Talk to your skin care provider, because at any age - in our modern age - a more youthful look can be achieved.