Blog Post For Laura Skin Care Petaluma, CA

Moisturizer Stopped Working? Here’s Why…

Laura Pagliaroni Skin Care May 19, 2022 Comments Off

You probably already know the importance of a good, consistent skincare routine that focuses on cleaning, exfoliating and moisturizing.

Just when you think you’ve found a five-star moisturizer and your skin looks great, it stops working after a few months.

Here are some reasons why:

Seasonal Changes

Your skin changes in response to the changing weather conditions.

Cooler temperatures can make skin red, irritated or dry while humid weather can turn skin oily or cause perspiration that clogs pores. Whether it’s hot and humid or downright chilly, switch out your moisturizer to accommodate the weather changes that affect your skin.

Hormones

Pregnancy, menopause or any other hormonal shifts can wreak havoc on your skin. The key is to watch what is going on with your skin and treat accordingly. Don’t use an alcohol or harsh astringent before moisturizing dry skin or a thick, heavy moisturizer for oily or acne-prone skin.

Medications

If you are taking a new medication or using antibiotics to kick an infection, it can affect your skin and how your normally fabulous moisturizer responds.

Some medications can either make your skin oilier and acne-prone or go in the opposite direction causing tightness, dryness, irritation and inflammation. Either way, switching your moisturizer during this time can save your skin.

If your skin doesn’t calm down or gets worse even after switching moisturizers, talk to your doctor.

Check Expiration Dates

If you’ve been using your product for quite some time or re-discovered a product in the back of a cabinet, keep a close eye on the expiration date. Any opened product begins to lose effectiveness after its opened, especially 3-4 months down the road.

If your product isn’t living up to its prior awesomeness, it may just need to be replaced. While shopping for another bottle, check the expiration date before purchasing.

Exposing products to direct sunlight or hot, humid conditions can break down the effectiveness of active ingredients. Retinoids and vitamin C infused products in particular lose effectiveness in these conditions.

Read product labels for proper storage instructions which may even include refrigeration after opening. Keeping products cool not only prolongs their lifespan, but the coolness feels really refreshing when applying to your skin.

Exfoliation

If you aren’t exfoliating at least a few times a week, the surface layer of dead skin cells resting on your face stops the moisturizer from penetrating into the skin.

Exfoliating not only removes the dull, dry layer of surface cells to reveal healthier skin underneath, it also stimulates circulation, collagen production and clears the way for your moisturizer to work more effectively.

Consistency of Skincare Routine

Although it seems obvious, you need to be consistent with your skincare routine to see and maintain good results. It’s easy to put things off for one night. One night leads to two and then something else comes up and before you know it, you’ve lost consistency.

To know for sure that you’ve got a go-to moisturizer that delivers consistent results, you need to use it consistently.

Find Product Alternatives

After using the same product for months, your skin may simply become used to it and therefore, isn’t as effective as it was in the beginning of your journey together.

Having a good alternative moisturizer changes things up, and your skin will likely respond more positively when changing up hydration products every so often.

It’s also possible that you’ve been using a lower strength product, especially with retinoids. It may be time to upgrade your moisturizer to a higher concentration of the active ingredient for more noticeable results.

Sunscreen

While using a retinoid product is best applied at night to avoid direct sunlight, it’s also very important to protect your skin during the day by applying a high SPF sunscreen.

If you don’t, powerful UV rays continue to damage your skin and you’re basically undoing the work of the night moisturizer.

Remember that UV rays cause fine lines, wrinkles, breakdown of collagen, and photosensitivity for unprotected skin, especially after treating with a retinol-based moisturizer.

For your skin’s best protection and to enhance the efforts of your moisturizer, be generous with the sunscreen every day and repeat throughout the day as necessary.

Conclusion

Next to a high SPF sunscreen, an effective hydrating moisturizer is key to maintaining healthy skin. Understanding why your favorite moisturizer isn’t delivering results will help you make the changes needed to get your skincare routine back on track.

For skin treatments to prep your skin for the best results from your moisturizer, get started today by scheduling an appointment with Laura Skincare in downtown Petaluma.

Understanding and Treating Hyperpigmentation

Laura Pagliaroni Facial May 09, 2022 Comments Off

Hyperpigmentation by definition is a common issue in which darker patches of skin appear in and around surrounding skin. It’s caused by underlying skin cells that overproduce the melanin pigment.

While cells produce melanin to protect skin from the harmful effects of damaging UV rays, too much melanin sometimes results in uneven, darker patches of skin.

Hyperpigmentation shows up in the form of freckles, age spots or acne scars. It can manifest anywhere on the body, but typically appears on the torso, hands and especially the face.

If you want to get rid of a blotchy, uneven skin tone, read on to find out the causes and treatments for this condition.

Why You Have Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation is caused by the overproduction of melanin, which is a pigment responsible for the color of our skin. Typically, it’s a harmless condition and affects anyone of any age or skin color.

Various causes for onset or worsening of hyperpigmentation include:

Overexposure to sun
Heredity
Aging
Medications
Acne scarring
Pregnancy or other hormonal changes

Types of Hyperpigmentation

The most common types of hyperpigmentation are:

Sunspots

Results from overexposure to the sun in the form of freckles, solar lentigines (age, liver spots) primarily on the face and hands.

Overexposure to the sun or tanning is hyperpigmentation in action. While a tan looks healthy, it’s actually sun damage and your skin responds by overproducing melanin for protection. A tan may look great until you start seeing patchy, muddled areas of darker-colored skin.

Post-Inflammatory

Changes in skin pigment resulting from skin trauma or inflammation (such as acne).

Melasma

This type of hyperpigmentation is caused by hormonal changes; there are varying degrees of melasma.

As you get older, you may have more of an issue with hyperpigmentation. This is because as you age, melanin tends to pool together to form age spots. As the skin (especially on the face and hands) loses hydration and thins, it’s easier for dark patches of skin to form and become more obvious.

Treatments for Hyperpigmentation

Now that you know what hyperpigmentation is and possible causes for why you have it, let’s look into the treatment options to restore your skin back to an even tone.

Skin Bleaching/Lightening

For very mild cases of hyperpigmentation, there are many over-the-counter products available to help lighten the skin. It’s important to follow directions to the letter to avoid poor results, harm or damage to your skin.

The main ingredients most commonly found to lighten skin are those containing hydroquinone, kojic acid, vitamin B-3, C or natural extracts like licorice or mulberry.

Vitamin C, a strong antioxidant in the fight against free radicals, not only slows down melanin production but also gives you a brighter complexion and firmer skin as it boosts collagen production.

Retinoids

When thinking retinoids, retinol is what most likely comes to mind. All retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A.

Over time with consistent use, retinoids penetrate deeper into skin layers, increasing the skin cell turnover rate which reveals new, more evenly toned skin underneath.

Because they increase skin sensitivity, retinoids are best used in the evening to avoid sun exposure. It’s also recommended to use a high SPF cream before heading outdoors in the morning.

Retinoids can cause inflammation, dryness and peeling of the skin so use according to directions. Pregnant or lactating women should never use a retinoid without first checking with a doctor.

Skin Peels

Skin peels should be performed by a licensed professional and according to your skin type and condition.

By using skin-healthy acids, peels work by removing damaged skin layers to reveal healthier, more evenly toned skin underneath.

It’s important to see an expert for any type of peel to prevent permanent damage and trauma to the skin such as burning, redness and even scarring, especially for those with sensitive skin.

LED Treatment

Another non-invasive treatment that produces great results is to treat the affected area with LED light.

Also known as a “photo facial,” LED treatment has been shown not only to lighten dark skin patches, but also to stimulate collagen production for firmer skin. As an extra bonus, LED light treatments also help minimize the appearance of large pores and fine lines.

For maximum results, treatment by an esthetician is recommended.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is an effective treatment method which involves a thorough, non-invasive exfoliation of dull surface layer skin to expose more evenly toned skin underneath.

This procedure requires the attention of an expert to not only deliver maximum results but prevent any potential skin damage.

Conclusion

Whether too much sun, aging or your genes are responsible for hyperpigmentation, treatment can restore your skin and boost your self-esteem.

In Petaluma, call on the skincare professionals at Laura Skincare to treat all your hyperpigmentation concerns and conditions. For the best results, we offer facials, microdermabrasion, peels and LED treatments to help restore your natural, even skin tone.

Hair Removal Gives You a Confidence Boost

Laura Pagliaroni Waxing Apr 19, 2022 Comments Off

With sunny, hotter days right around the corner, it’s the time of year everyone has been waiting for. It’s time to break out your spring wardrobe and showing off more skin.

According to a report Grand View Research, the hair removal products industry is expected to reach USD $3.2 billion by 2025 globally.

Here in the United States alone, people drop a lot of money each year trying to find ways to remove unwanted hair from all over their bodies.

Why? Because smooth, hairless skin is the status quo these days. When you fit into what the majority of people consider socially preferred and basic grooming standards, you’ll naturally feel more attractive and your confidence soars.

It’s a real self-confidence killer to constantly wonder if you’ve removed all that unwanted hair and spending oodles of time trying to get rid of it.

Here are some hair removal options to give your confidence a boost.

Shaving

While shaving is a tried-and-true method for removing hair, your smooth skin doesn’t last for long.

Shaving is a fairly quick process for removing hair, but you have to shave several times a week. As it grows back, you’ll feel the stubble on your legs, armpits or anywhere else you’ve shaved.

There’s the cost of shaving gel, razors and lotion to smooth on the freshly shaved areas to moisturize and protect the skin.

There is the risk of nicks, cuts, ingrown hairs, rash, itch and skin irritation.

DIY Waxing

Waxing at home has come a long way from the gloppy, messy, painful DIY experiences of the past.

Yet you are still at risk for burns, ingrown hairs, inflammation of hair follicles, rashes or bumps.

With DIY waxing methods, it may be difficult to reach certain areas of your body or get the results you are looking for without extra time spent tweezing stray hairs.

Professional Hair Removal Treatments

If you really want to amp up your confidence levels, a visit to a skincare salon is the answer.

When applied by a professional, the salon quality wax and treatment gives you a higher level of confidence that all the hair will be safely removed.

Although you have some of the same risks of skin irritation as with DIY methods, the risks are drastically reduced in the hands of a professional. Using high quality low temperature wax makes a big difference in the overall experience, you’ll be able to see a noticeable difference in the results.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, removal of unwanted air gives you the confidence to wear those skin-baring outfits, enjoy smooth skin and simply show off your best-groomed self.

This spring, nip your hair removal issues in the bud with the help of a professional esthetician. In Petaluma, call Laura Skincare to schedule your waxing appointment today.

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