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Laura Skin Care

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Author Archives: Laura Pagliaroni


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The Delicate Balance of Skin Cycling

   Exfoliation  Aug 20, 2023  Comments Off on The Delicate Balance of Skin Cycling
The Delicate Balance of Skin Cycling

If you find it challenging to keep up with skincare trends on social media, you’re not alone. While there’s a fair share of bad information, sometimes helpful trends (or new life for forgotten trends) appear.

One of the latest skincare trends is known as skin cycling.

Read on to learn what it is, what it does, and if it’s worth trying for better at-home skin care.

What is Skin Cycling?

A term introduced by Whitney Bowe, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, “skin cycling” is the balance between exfoliation and resting the skin for both enhancement and protection of its outer-most layer.

The process is more about the frequency of applying skincare products and then giving skin time to breathe and bounce back on rest days.

Skin cycling works by using an easy-to-follow schedule each week for maximum benefit.

What Does Skin Cycling Do?

The goal of skin cycling is to exfoliate and use retinoids to remove the dulling and damaging effects that come from dead skin cells, irritants, and pollution it’s exposed to everyday. After that, the rest period allows skin to heal from the products, allow the products to complement each other, and help retain moisture.

By using products intermittently instead of applying layers of products on skin every day, the products’ active ingredients work better together. Adding rest days also helps reduce the risk of irritation, inflammation, and potential damage to the skin.

As you may know, daily exfoliation may be too heavy-handed for even normal skin types that don’t suffer from acne or other chronic conditions. Too much exfoliation tends to strip skin of the natural oils it needs to look fresh and healthy versus dry and flaky.

Benefits of skin cycling include:

  • Repair of outermost skin layer/barrier
  • Reduces risk of skin irritation by using less products less often
  • Increase effectiveness of active ingredients in products
  • Increase moisture, hydration, and appearance of skin

The Skin Cycling Process

Skin cycling is a pared-down, easy process. If you’re looking for a “less is more,” approach, skin cycling might just be what you’re looking for.

For skin cycling, you use only three products; an exfoliator, retinoid, and moisturizer.

Night #1 – Exfoliation + Moisturizer

  • Cleanse and pat skin dry
  • Apply exfoliator (consider a salicylic or glycolic acid)
  • Moisturize

Night #2 – Retinol/Retinoid + Moisturizer

  • Cleanse and pat skin dry
  • Apply retinoid (vitamin A) product
  • Moisturize

Nights #3, #4 – Rest/Recovery (Moisturize only)

  • Cleanse skin and leave slightly damp
  • Apply serum if desired
  • Moisturize (consider hyaluronic acid to retain lots of moisture)

Repeat

Note that the basic skin cycling routine can be tweaked to fit in with your specific skin care needs, and how well your skin tolerates retinoids.

Is Skin Cycling Worth the Effort?

Skin recycling is an excellent starting point for those just dipping their toe in the skincare routine waters. It’s also great for those with sensitive or dry skin, or those unable to tolerate retinoids well.

For those who want faster or need bigger results or can tolerate retinoids without damaging skin, skin cycling may not be enough for noticeable results.

Wrap Up

As with any skincare routine, consistency is key. Cleaning and moisturizing skin each day in addition to wearing sunscreen goes a long way toward keeping skin healthy at home.

For treating stubborn or chronic skincare issues, schedule an appointment with the experts at Laura Skincare in downtown Petaluma.

Is Hard Water Bad for Your Skin?

   Skin Care  Aug 09, 2023  Comments Off on Is Hard Water Bad for Your Skin?
Is Hard Water Bad for Your Skin?

When it comes to skincare, one thing you may not have considered is the water you’re using to clean your skin.

This may not be a concern, unless of course you’re cleaning your skin with hard water.

Find out if using hard water is bad for your skin.

Hard Water Effects

If you have a lot of mineral deposits, calcium, and staining your sinks, plumbing fixtures, and clogged appliances, it’s a sure sign of hard water at work.

Since hard water contains high levels of minerals, including calcium and magnesium, it not only clogs plumbing but destroys water-based appliances over time. Using hard water costs big money in appliance replacement like coffee makers, dishwashers, washing machines, and hot water heaters.

If it does damage like that to appliances, what can it do to your skin?

Hard Water and Your Skin

Although hard water isn’t dangerous to your health even with its high mineral content, it does leave behind a soapy residue on your skin. This residue can clog your pores, leading to skin inflammation and worsening skin conditions like eczema or acne.

Hard water also tends to strip natural oils from your skin, leaving it feeling tight and dry. Tight, dry skin is a stepping stone to fine lines and wrinkles.

In the short-term, hard water dries out skin. It may feel itchy, look flaky, and more prone to acne flare-ups. Along with itchy skin, your scalp may also feel itchy and hard water leaves hair looking dull instead of vibrant.

With consistent use and over time, all these active minerals in hard water promote free radical damage which breaks down skin’s natural framework of collagen. Collagen breakdown results in loose, sagging, older-looking skin.

Hard Water Defense

The easiest way to get rid of hard water is to install a water softener. If you do, you’ll notice an immediate difference in your clothes, hair, and skin. If that’s not a possibility, here are some interim hard water hacks:

  • Use soap-free, gentle cleansers and body washes on skin
  • Shorten shower time keeping the temperature moderate not extremely hot or cold
  • Dab skin dry instead of rubbing to decrease chance of flaking and over-drying
  • Apply a rich, moisturizing lotion after every shower while skin is still damp

Wrap Up

While hard water certainly presents challenges for your hair and skin, there are things you can do to minimize its effects.

By keeping water temperatures lukewarm, using soap-free cleansers, and using rich, skin-loving moisturizers, you’ll beat the effects of those hard water minerals.

For more expert advice and treatments, contact the skincare professionals at Laura Skincare in beautiful downtown Petaluma.

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.