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Author Archives: Laura Pagliaroni

Serve Up Flaxseeds for Beautiful Skin

   Facial  Jul 20, 2023  Comments Off on Serve Up Flaxseeds for Beautiful Skin
Serve Up Flaxseeds for Beautiful Skin

There are a lot of fairly easy things you can do to have youthful-looking, beautiful skin.

Wearing sunscreen is a big one. A consistent skincare regime is also important. Keeping skin hydrated and moisturized goes a long way to achieve your skincare goals.

Another key ingredient to skincare success is enjoying a healthy, balanced diet. A very simple way to ramp up nutrition and give skin a healthy boost is to add flaxseeds to your daily diet.

Discover Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are small, brown or golden plant-based seeds full of antioxidants, fiber, and a healthy source of omega-3 fat (similar to fish oil).

Going back literally thousands of years, flaxseeds have played a significant role in Asian Ayurvedic medicine practices.

Flaxseeds are so healthy because they are high in antioxidant-rich compounds like lignans, ferulic acid, tocopherols, and phytonutrients.

Today, flaxseed is available in many forms from tablets to powders to oils to ground seeds. Thankfully, these options make it simple to add to a healthy, nutrition-packed diet.

Benefits of Flaxseeds

Although not specifically endorsed by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), flaxseeds have been found to improve overall health. Some overall benefits of flaxseed include:

  • Antioxidants fight back against free radical damage
  • Lowers “bad” cholesterol levels and blood pressure
  • Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Reduces risk of some types of cancer
  • Lowers risk of diabetes
  • Promotes healthy brain tissue
  • Protein helps support healthy muscle mass
  • Eases arthritis symptoms
  • Reduces severity of hot flashes
  • Promotes regularity

Skin-Specific Benefits

  • Anti-inflammatory properties prevent rashes and skin irritations
  • Balances estrogen levels, reducing excess sebum production that causes acne
  • Restores skin’s pH balance
  • Wards off fine lines and wrinkles
  • Promotes a smooth complexion
  • Helps keep skin taut and lessens sagginess
  • Helps retain skin’s moisture

Adding Flaxseeds to Your Diet

Flaxseeds have a delicious, mildly nutty taste. The taste is comparable to a mixture of sesame and sunflower seeds.

Adding a daily dose of these healthy seeds is very easy.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Sprinkle on top of yogurt, oatmeal, or low-fat cottage cheese
  • Add 2 tablespoons in with your favorite smoothie
  • Add to granola, trail mix or cereal
  • Mix into muffin or bread batter
  • Sprinkle in with your green salad

To go easy on your digestive system, eat ground instead of whole flaxseeds.

Before adding flaxseeds to your diet, check with your healthcare professional if you have allergies to seeds/nuts, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have breast or uterine cancer, using meds to lower cholesterol, blood thinners or other anti-inflammatory drugs.

Wrap Up

For a simple way to improve your skin, all it takes is 1-2 tablespoons of flaxseed added to your favorite snack or meal each day.

For one-on-one help with chronic skin conditions or recommended treatments, call the skincare experts at Laura Skincare in downtown Petaluma.

What is LED Light Treatment?

   Facial  Jul 09, 2023  Comments Off on What is LED Light Treatment?
What is LED Light Treatment?

If you’re looking for a non-invasive yet effective treatment for chronic skincare issues or taking your anti-aging efforts to the next level, consider how LED light treatment might help you reach your goals.

What is LED Light Treatment/Therapy?

LED (Light Emitting Diode) therapy has been around for generations.

First discovered by a Nobel Prize winning scientist, Niels Finsen, in 1903, LED therapy was used to treat soft-tissue injuries, arthritis, and chronic pain conditions.

Fast forward to the 1980s when more research and expansive testing concluded that pain treatment was just the tip of the iceberg for this innovative therapy.

Since then, LED therapy has been used and widely acclaimed to treat not only tissue-related conditions, but found to be healing for chronic skin conditions, including those related to aging.

By using LED therapy in varying degrees of light-emitting wavelengths, light penetrates into deeper layers of skin to produce desired results.

Types of LED Light Treatment

LED light treatments involve the use of either red or blue lights, depending on the skin treatment.

Red LED Light Therapy

Red LED treatments are effective because the wavelengths of light focused on the skin easily penetrate the epidermis, or outermost layer of skin.

Once the light penetrates the epidermis, underlying cells are stimulated by the light as are the collagen proteins found just below the epidermis.

An increase in collagen production helps skin look smoother, diminishing the appearance of those fine lines and wrinkles.

Blue LED Light Therapy

Blue LED treatments are most effective in resolving chronic skin conditions such as scarring, rosacea, or acne because they target glands found in the deeper layers of your skin.

The treatments help to decrease oil production for acne, in addition to healing damage found deeper within the skin layers and tissues.

Skin Conditions Treated

LED light therapy is a helpful tool in resolving skincare issues such as:

  • Acne
  • Scarring
  • Rosacea
  • Eczema
  • Sun Damage
  • Increased collagen production for firming
  • Reduction in appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots

How to Get Started with LED Light Treatment

The most effective LED light treatments are performed by a professional who really understands how to treat skin conditions.

The treatments take less than 30 minutes, are painless and there is no downtime. LED therapy is safe as it contains no harmful UV rays like the sun.

A professional can set up a treatment schedule and if necessary, an after-care plan to give you the most beneficial healing and resolution of the specific skincare issue.

Wrap Up

When trying to resolve a chronic skin condition or looking for a refresh of tired, aging skin, consider adding LED light therapy to your treatment plan.

To find out if LED light therapy might be beneficial for you, contact the professional skincare estheticians at Laura Skincare, located in historic downtown Petaluma.

Summer Care for Acne Prone Skin

   Skin Care  Jun 19, 2023  Comments Off on Summer Care for Acne Prone Skin
Summer Care for Acne Prone Skin

It’s the time of year most all of us have been waiting for. The kickoff of summer brings a lot of social time with parties and cookouts with family and friends.

It’s also the time to break out the hot weather wardrobe and show off healthy sun kissed skin. Except for those summer acne breakouts.

Find out why those summer days and steamy temperatures can aggravate skin and trigger acne breakouts and what you can do to tame it.

Why Acne is Worse in Summer

As temperatures heat up, you’ll find yourself sweating more often. This causes an increase in your natural oil production which in turn clogs pores. The result? More oily skin and acne flareups.

Other aggravating factors include exposure to chlorine in pools, bug repellent ingredients, and touching your face with sweaty hands.

Simple Summer Skincare

The key to controlling acne breakouts this summer is an easy, smart skincare routine.

Clean Skin

Although you may be tempted to use astringents and cleaners to strip skin of excess oil, these products may dry out the skin and remove too much of your natural oil. This process over-dries skin which also causes breakouts.

The goal is to strive for a balance of clean skin without stripping too much of the natural oils.

Blackhead breakouts respond well to cleaning products containing salicylic acid, while benzoyl peroxide is the go-to for those common red, inflamed pimples.

A gentle cleanser used twice daily to remove the excess oil produced by sweat glands activated by increased heat and humidity should do the trick. If twice isn’t enough, consider adding up to a third gentle wash.

If oil is really a problem, add an astringent to your skincare routine. While astringents are used to sop up extra oil, remember that most of them contain some level of alcohol. Alcohol can make skin extra dry, which triggers breakouts.

Don’t use astringents excessively. An alternative is witch hazel, which does a nice job of keeping oil under control and while not drying out your skin.

A small spray bottle of witch hazel misted on your skin throughout the day helps control oil without stripping away too much.

It’s important to shower daily to remove all the sweat, oil and products from your body and face, especially after working out and whenever working up a strong sweat.

Moisturize

Although you may feel like moisturizing is counter-productive, it’s important to keep skin hydrated. The secret is to change to a lighter formula.

Choosing a lighter, less creamy moisturizer gives you much-needed hydration without the heavier, greasier feel.

Sunscreen

It goes without saying that when enjoying the heat and sun in upcoming summer months, you need to apply sunscreen every day.

A tinted sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 (higher SPF is even better) is an excellent choice. The added tint eliminates the need for foundation or layering make up on skin that’s prone to clogged pores and acne breakouts. Tinted sunscreen gives you sun protection and allows your skin to breathe.

Wrap Up

Enjoy the summer season this year with a simple yet effective cleansing and moisturizing skincare routine.

To kick off the season right, go in for effective acne-prone skin treatments with the professionals at Laura Skincare in downtown Petaluma.