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Facial Sculpting Tools – Hope or Hype?

   Facial  Jul 18, 2022  Comments Off on Facial Sculpting Tools – Hope or Hype?
Facial Sculpting Tools – Hope or Hype?

This season, facial sculpting tools continue to be the go-to for a toned, lifted, smooth and yes, youthful summer look.

Not only do these facial sculpting tools claim to calm and de-stress skin, they also claim to massage, tone, tighten and fight off aging effects.

Do these tools deliver everything they promise or are they too good to be true?

Gua Sha

The gua sha massage, also known as Chinese “scraping” therapy, involves using a handheld massager, typically made of stone. By performing just a few minutes of massaging, upward strokes on various areas of the face and neck each day, it claims to deliver the following benefits:

  • Improves circulation
  • Reduces stress
  • Reduces puffiness, swelling
  • Aids lymphatic drainage
  • Lifts, tones, sculpts skin on face and neck
  • Reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

While the gua sha may help reduce stress, mildly improve circulation and reduce some forms of skin inflammation, lasting improvements to the skin tend to be short-term, especially if the massage is not performed frequently and consistently.

Anyone recovering from surgery, taking blood thinners or is at risk for blood clots should not use gua sha massage.

Jade Face Roller

The jade face roller is a handheld massager, which works by rubbing a jade stone over the face for massage.

Using upward strokes, the face roller can be used to massage your neck, jawline, entire face and smoothing forehead lines. Move each massaging stroke towards lymph nodes located under your ears and other areas of the face.

For more refreshing, cool the stone face roller in the fridge before use.

The jade face rollers claims to deliver benefits such as:

  • Eliminates puffy skin
  • Increases circulation
  • Drains lymph nodes
  • Lifts and sculpts contours of the face and neck
  • Decreases appearance of wrinkles
  • Stimulates collagen
  • Tightens pores
  • Reduces skin inflammation

The truth is, any kind of facial massage will improve circulation, because it stimulates the tissues under the skin.

Positive results from a jade roller may feel great but are usually temporary.

The only way to truly stimulate collagen is with retinoids, laser treatments or acid peels, which cause the trauma to skin needed to activate more collagen production.

Face Massager with Heat and Vibration

A face massager uses the power of vibration and heat to give you a relaxing facial and neck massage. You can use a face massager on other areas of the body like backs of hands or other sore muscles in your arms or legs.

Benefits:

  • Stimulates collagen production
  • Reduces look of fine lines and wrinkles
  • Smooths skin
  • Skin more receptive to absorbing skincare products
  • Reduces tension in the face muscles
  • Decreases puffiness
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Aids in lymphatic drainage

While these benefits sound great, once again, it may feel good in the moment, but results are temporary.

Conclusion

Unless using facial sculpting tools are used incorrectly or not disinfected, there isn’t harm in using them. Truthfully, they are all more of relaxing, self-indulgences than long-term skincare solutions.

For professional long-term solutions, call Laura Skincare in Petaluma for organic products, facials and an individualized skincare routine that delivers noticeable results.

Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen

   Skin Care  Jun 19, 2022  Comments Off on Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen
Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen

You already know how important using sunscreen is to the health and beauty of your skin.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, daily use of sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15 reduces the risk of squamous cell carcinoma by approximately 40% and melanoma by 50%.

Additionally, sunscreen also reduces the risk of bad sunburns and premature aging.

While choosing either a mineral or chemical sunscreen is a personal preference, the most important thing is to choose one you’ll use every day.

Daily Skincare Routine

If it’s not already, sunscreen should be an important part of your morning skincare routine.

The difference between a mineral and chemical sunscreen is in how each protect skin from the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays.

As part of a morning skincare routine, there is a major difference in the order of application for the sunscreen to be effective.

Mineral Sunscreen

A mineral (sometimes called “physical”) sunscreen works by sitting on top of the skin, providing a protective barrier to block out UV rays.

You can identify mineral sunscreens by the ingredients, which typically use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Mineral sunscreens are typically heavier than chemical versions and take a bit more work to rub in completely. They are the ones that leave that white, creamy residue on the skin if not rubbed in completely.

In a daily skincare routine, after washing your face and applying moisturizer, apply mineral sunscreen as a last step to provide that protective UV barrier.

A mineral sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes prior to sun exposure.

For daily use, choose a mineral sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15. If you’ll be spending more time outdoors, up the SPF to 30 or higher.

Chemical Sunscreen

Instead of sitting on top of and blocking UV rays, a chemical sunscreen works by soaking into the skin. Once absorbed, the chemicals convert UV rays into heat, which is then released from your skin.

You’ll recognize chemical sunscreen by specific ingredients such as avobenzone, oxybenzone or octinoxate which are the active ingredients that convert those sun rays into heat.

Chemical sunscreen is lighter and absorbs quickly, so there’s less rubbing into the skin. There is no white residue left behind because the consistency is more like a lotion than a cream. The lighter consistency works well for those involved in outdoor sports.

Because these chemicals need to be absorbed by the skin, you’ll need to apply it right after washing your face. Apply your moisturizer after the sunscreen as a last step.

Due to its chemical composition, it may cause skin irritation. It may not work well for those with dry or acne-prone skin.

For effective results, chemical sunscreens should be applied at least 20 minutes before sun exposure.

Sunscreen Tips

  • Whether mineral or chemical, reapply sunscreen generously. The FDA recommends reapplication every two hours, but depending how long you’re out in the sun, consider reapplying every 90 minutes.
  • Reapply more often if swimming, sweating or on long road trips as the sun beats through car windows.
  • Peak UV times fall between 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM even on cloudy days, so keep plenty of sunscreen on hand.
  • Remember to apply sunscreen to often-overlooked areas such as tops of feet, back of hands, back of neck, your nose and ears, in addition to using an SPF-infused lip balm.

Wrap Up

By using either a mineral or chemical broad spectrum sunscreen every day and reapplying often, you’ll protect yourself from the risks of skin cancer and damage both now and in the future.

If your skin is showing the effects of past sun damage, schedule an appointment with the skincare experts at Laura Skincare in Petaluma for repair and restoration of your skin.

Warm Weather Skincare Trends for June

   Skin Care  Jun 09, 2022  Comments Off on Warm Weather Skincare Trends for June
Warm Weather Skincare Trends for June

While having a daily skincare routine is a must for healthy, smooth skin, there are always new techniques and trends that may be worth a look.

Here are some Sonoma County warm weather skincare ideas that are trending in June, 2022.

Trending: Streamlined Yet Effective Daily Skincare Routines

Warm weather activities pack even more into already tight schedules. Because of this, one warm weather trend is to maintain a good skincare routine in less time.

Who doesn’t love to try new products or use the latest and greatest products that promise to fix our skincare issues? If you find yourself collecting tons of skincare products, you may also find yourself adding more and more steps to your daily routine.

This doesn’t work for a couple of reasons. First, mixing multiple skincare products together may be counterproductive or even damaging to your skin. Secondly, adding more steps discourages commitment because it takes too much time.

Instead of adding more products, the trend is to lean towards simple, streamlined skincare routines.

Specifically, look for products that perform double or triple duty in one step. For example, one product that hydrates, moisturizes and tightens pores.

Trending: Sustainable Cleansing Bars

Cleansing bars are currently all the rage because you can customize the bar to address specific skin issues. Some available options help clear up acne, hydrate, tighten and reduce the appearance of pores.

Choose from super-fatty, nourishing, organic bars to ramp up the cleansing routine to a luxurious level while leaving your skin refreshed and looking healthy.

The added bonus of cleansing bars is that many of them come in environmentally-friendly, sustainable packaging instead of plastic containers with extra packing materials.

As an added bonus, choosing high quality, handmade cleansing bars supports local businesses.

Trending: Skin Loving Chemical Exfoliants

Chemical exfoliants may lead you to believe you’re in for a harsh, skin-irritating experience.

However, in place of facial scrubs, the new wave of trending exfoliants get the job done without damaging or drying out underlying layers of new skin.

Whether you need to exfoliant to reduce hyperpigmentation, scarring or just get a fresh-faced look, turn to gentle exfoliating acids to improve skin texture while leaving skin soft, smooth and hydrated.

Use gentle AHAs (or Alpha Hydroxy Acids) containing lactic, glycolic tartaric or malic acid for normal, dry or oily skin for correcting hyperpigmentation or fine lines/wrinkles.

Use gentle BHAs (or Beta Hydroxy Acids) containing salicylic acid for exfoliating oily, clogged or acne-prone skin.

Wrap Up

The latest warm weather trends focus on products that can perform multiple functions while still delivering clean, hydrated, fresh-looking skin gently and naturally.

Face the warm weather ahead by scheduling an appointment with Laura Skincare in Petaluma. Our skincare professionals offer facials and peels to give your skin the clean slate it needs, while recommending trending skincare solutions customized just for you.