Hello and Welcome to Spring! My favourite time of year! The daffodils, the spring lambs, the sense of hope that the cold months are over and Summer is almost here!
Many of us are feeling this year has gone far too fast right? Anyway, we can't stop time but we can do things to slow it down somewhat, or at least make it feel like it!
I am definitely guilty of not stopping to "smell the roses" so to speak, it's so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of lifes chores and expectations.
I am actively trying to make sure I have days/hours where it is strictly time for me to do something for myself, and something for/with my children and family. I find achieving this helps keep my bucket full! How about you? What do you do for yourself outside of work and daily chores?
Some of my wonderful clients tell me I am one of their "me time" moments, and I love that I can help them with this. I love being able to watch my client bliss out while I give them a treatment.
Today for this blog, I wanted to talk a little bit about skin, including some of the skin concerns I get in salon, and what I can offer to help you with it.
Firstly, a big one that I personally love to help with is acne. Being a sufferer myself for many years, I have done ALOT of study, research and reading about this topic. And there certainly is no one size fits all. It is very much an individual journey, but one you can get help with.
If you have tried a lot of different lotions and potions, maybe even some medication yet are still struggling, do consider booking in for a skin consultation with me.
I will talk through your main concerns, what your diet and lifestyle might be like (no judgement by the way!) what you are using, have used, what has worked and what hasn't. I can talk you through some product suggestions and treatment options, including referrals if I think you may be out of my scope, but sometimes going back to basics is all it takes.
Some of the things I suggest;
First of all OMEGA 3/Essential Fatty Acids. Why? Particularly for acne cases, when we are deficient in this oil, our skin sebum present in our pores stay particularly gluggy and harder to shift from the pores, resulting in lumps and bumps we would much rather not have! Our cell turnover also is slower, meaning our skin cells on the top layer that should be removing themselves as they die, stay there instead, creating more of a lovely layered up messy environment for more bacteria to grow and multiply.
Does that make sense? So please, take your omega 3s everyday via flaxseed, fish oil or hempseed oil. Taking as a supplement will ensure you are getting adequate amounts, and you can add extra through your diet through oily fish, walnuts and chia seeds. There are other dietary considerations to be made also. Things like Energy drinks are a massive trigger for acne, aswell as excess refined sugar and sometimes gluten and dairy can be a major contributor.
Secondly, you want to be using skincare that maintains your barrier function while gently cleansing and removing the excess dead skin cell build up.
I understand moisturiser is sometimes avoided for fear of further breakouts and greasiness. When you have the correct moisturiser for your skin type you should not have this issue. And failing to use any type of moisturiser can sometimes make the issue worse when the skin is stripped of natural oils via cleansing and over cleansing.
A non-oily moisturiser like Sabore Rebalance Moisturiser is perfect for acne skins, soothing, healing and balancing the skin with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory organic ingredients. Another option is the Sabore Clarity Moisturiser due to its alpha hydroxy acid ingredients such as salicylic acid that encourages the exfoliation process, getting rid of those excess dead skin cells and helping clear the pores. This is also a light textured cream.
Cleansers are also particularly important as the wrong one or wrong technique can be too strong for the skin stripping all the goodness and creating havoc on the skin.
In salon treatments are a way to get a head start on reversing acne, and also work on scar tissue. Enzymatic peels or fruit acid peels combined with the healing effects of LED Light Therapy can have positive impact on blemishes and scarring by gently removing the excess build up without over stimulating the skin.
A series of LED Light Therapy is also highly beneficial. Blue LED light therapy is known for helping to kill the C acne bacteria in the skin, but the Red LED is also very healing for the skin cell and works wonders for the overall skin condition and healing process, so a combination of both can be good.
You may have also seen we have just introduced a very exciting treatment that can be used on active acne. This is called SQT bio micro needling, and is an excellent way to target the acne & the scarring head on and achieve fast results.
To book in your own individual skin consult please book here under skin consult or skin reveal treatment.
Another one we get asked a lot about is pigmentation, sunspots and signs of ageing.
With coming into Spring, sun protection is number one. Especially if you are considering work on your skin, if you don't protect it, you will only go back to square one.
Finding a sunscreen that is light and feels comfortable on your skin is half the battle! Both of Sabore SPF options are light and have a matte non-greasy finish. If you would like to try a sample before you choose, let me know!
Omega 3s is also still top of the list (see above), this time for maintaining the health of the skin cell, and improving cell turnover.
Adding Akasha collagen powder is also an excellent way to improve your skin & body health from the inside out. Yes there are collagen products out there that will do little to nothing for you, but I can assure you this one is the bees knees!
Thoroughly and tirelessly researched by its founder, Melanie, this collagen is a pure marine French collagen with no taste (so is not hidden with flavours and other ingredients, sometimes a tell tale sign that the product isn't the best quality).
There are clients using this for their joint health alone, let alone the improvement of the skin firmness, gut health, age lines, hair and nails!
If we are treating pigmentation, it is also not a one size fits all, and it can be tricky. In salon treatments are really the only way to experience a significant difference, as we are able to use stronger treatments such as Kojic peels and now the SQT bio micro needling resurfacing.
Once you have started the correction process and your skin is in optimal condition you can consider skincare options such as Sabore Lighten Up Serum and the Clarity range, full of antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids and peptides that aim to further even out skin tone and brighten without harsh chemicals.
If you have any skin concerns, particularly the ones mentioned, please reach out and book in an appointment to get you started on your skin journey.
If you start now your glowing skin will be ready to show off to the world for the Summer months!
HAPPY SPRING!