Blog Post For Laura Skin Care Petaluma, CA

Caring for Dry Skin

Laura Pagliaroni Skin Care Mar 19, 2022 Comments Off

Even if you’re one of the lucky ones who has never had a problem with dry skin, it can become more of an issue with age, especially without a good skincare routine.

Let’s take a look as to the reasons dry skin issues can sneak up on you and what you can do to keep skin hydrated and healthy.

What Causes Dry Skin?

A hot, dry climate can not only dry out your skin, but you’ll be battling against those extremely damaging UVA and UVB sun rays.

Another culprit is age. Skin becomes dry due to years of sun damage catching up to us, hormonal changes, slower skin cell turnover and less production of natural oils.

Here are some ways you can care for dry skin.

Caring for Dry Skin

Cleanse

Although a hot, steamy shower or face wash might sound relaxing, using warm water is much less drying for your skin.

Along with a gentle, exfoliating cleanser, you’ll get clean without stripping the skin of much-needed natural oils.

Use a gentle touch when cleansing your skin and always pat, not rub, your skin dry.

Avoid Harsh, Oil-Stripping Skincare Products

Don’t use harsh alcohol-based astringents or toners on your skin because they strip away too much of the natural oils your skin needs to stay plump and moisturized. Stay away from fragrance additives.

Moisturize

Using hyaluronic acid on slightly damp skin, along with a creamy night cream, goes a long way to keep skin hydrated during the night. When you sleep and are at rest, your skin is busy with cell renewal and rejuvenating itself. Nighttime is the best time for your hydrating creams to soak in and combat dry skin.

Using body and face creams containing ceramides also works to fight dry skin. Ceramides are a type of fatty molecule that are found in up to 40% of your epidermis, or outer skin layer, which is most prone to dryness. Ceramides help lock in moisture to keep skin hydrated.

A gentle retinoid, a derivative of vitamin A, is not only great for boosting skin’s collagen for a firmer look, it also helps combat the effects of past sun damage and keeps wrinkles and fine lines at bay.

A topical retinol cream at night also helps minimize pigmentation issues like age and sun spots.

Sunscreen

Damaging UVA and UVB rays from the sun dry skin out. You’ll know you’ve had too much sun when your skin feels tight or becomes flaky.

Sunscreen prevents immediate skin cell damage in addition to protecting skin from damage in the future.

Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and by using a creamy sunscreen, you get the extra benefit of a moisturizer.

Steam / Humid Air

Dry skin responds extremely well to a light steam. Steaming opens up your pores and following up with a topical hyaluronic acid or ceramide cream keeps moisture locked in.

A humidifier works well in spaces where the air is dry. Even running a desk-size mini humidifier keeps the air moist and keeps the dry air from air conditioners or heaters from drying out your skin.

Skin-Saving Vitamins

Vitamins A, C, E and CoQ10 contain powerful antioxidants that fight off free radical damage, which ages and dries the skin due to cell and tissue damage.

Try adding fatty omega-3 or omega-6 supplements like flax or fish oil which help replenish skin’s natural oils.

H20

Drinking more water not only keeps skin plump and hydrated, but also eliminates toxins in the body.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with dry skin, let the experts at Laura Skincare in Petaluma work with you for a one-on-one consultation and complete treatment plan.

Tips for Stimulating Collagen

Laura Pagliaroni Facial Mar 09, 2022 Comments Off

As you may already know, one of the keys for youthful looking skin is collagen. Collagen is a fibrous protein found in your tissues, bones, muscles, blood vessels and skin. It’s like the glue that keeps your skin lifted and taut.

As time goes by, collagen production decreases which is why at a certain age, you notice your skin begin to become loose, wrinkle and sag.

The good news is that there are things you can do to stimulate and boost collagen production in your skin.

Add Supplements

Ideally, getting all those good nutrients and vitamins to feed your skin comes from a healthy diet. But even with the best of intentions, we sometimes give in to cravings or eat foods that aren’t the best choices for our skin.

This is where supplementing your diet with skin-loving vitamins comes in. For a boost in collagen production, add these vitamins to your diet and daily routine.

Vitamin C

This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that strengthens the immunity system, heals wounds, is good for your bones and teeth and more. It is also one of the best vitamins you can take to help promote collagen production.

Vitamin E

This vitamin helps repair and restore skin. When coupled with vitamin C, it helps fight off the negative effects of UV sun damage to the skin, which is important in preserving collagen.

Together, they make excellent partners to boost collagen production.

Collagen Supplements

Whether you take collagen supplements as a daily supplement in pill form or you mix collagen powder with water, tea, juice or in your favorite yogurt or smoothie, it gives your healthy beverage or snack an added collagen boost.

Collagen Tea, White or Green Tea

High in collagen-boosting antioxidants, tea is a healthy way to work magic on your skin. The high antioxidant levels in tea fight off free radical damage, which is responsible for dull, tired-looking and aging skin.

There’s nothing more relaxing or indulgent than a steaming cup of tea which not only tastes delicious but is excellent for ramping up collagen levels.

Skincare Routine

A healthy skincare routine starts with clean skin.

In the morning, wash your face and don’t forget to apply sunscreen. Whether you apply sunscreen before applying makeup, or using a foundation with sunscreen mixed in, keeping skin protected from UV rays (even on cloudy days) helps prevent the premature breakdown of collagen and the onset of fine lines and wrinkles.

At night, follow these tips:

Thoroughly wash face to remove all dirt and makeup
Exfoliate to remove dead skin cells
Apply a gentle retinol or hyaluronic acid cream
Top off with a night cream

Facials

Giving your skin a simple massage while applying facial creams at night is a little extra step that stimulates blood flow, helps remove toxins and built up fluid in the skin and just feels good.

However, treating yourself to a professional facial is another way to really jumpstart collagen production.

Skin literally drinks in all the vitamin-rich, organic ingredients in the salon quality products applied during and after a facial. You will really be able to see and feel the difference in the appearance of your skin.

Professional facials use several different methods to boost collagen production in the skin. They include:

Exfoliation / Microdermabrasion
Acupressure
LED light treatments
Facial peels

Conclusion

In Petaluma, let the experts in skin firming and regeneration at Laura Skincare help boost collagen in your skin.

LED Light Treatments for Your Skin

Laura Pagliaroni Skin Care Feb 19, 2022 Comments Off

You may have heard about the benefits of LED light treatments during facials to treat skin conditions. However, the type of LED light treatment varies based on the skin condition needing correction.

What is an LED Light Treatment?

LED, or light-emitting diode, treatment involves directing different waves of LED light to penetrate layers of the skin. The idea is to penetrate into deeper layers of the skin to trigger cells to begin the rejuvenation process, which ultimately shows up on the surface layer of the skin.

LED light therapy treatment has shown positive results in both the growth of healthy human tissue and healing wounds.

Types of LED Light Treatments

There are several different LED lights used to treat skin conditions, but two of the most popular are blue or red light therapy.

LED Blue Light Treatment

One of the most common skin conditions for people of all ages is acne. LED blue light therapy has been shown to reduce the oil-producing skin glands, known as sebaceous glands, which when clogged, result in acne.

By using blue light therapy, the treated glands produce less of this oil, which reduces the number of oil-blocked pores, which helps reduce and improve acne symptoms.

Blue light therapy may also help kill off the acne-causing bacteria in the skin which causes inflammation and produces acne symptoms.

LED Red Light Treatment

Red light therapy gets the green light when it comes to improving other common skin complaints such as scarring, fine lines and wrinkles.

The reason for this is that the red LED light targets the skin cells which produce collagen, also known as fibroblasts.

As we age, collagen production slows down and due to less collagen to keep the skin tight and lifted, we experience sagging and wrinkles. Collagen is also needed to heal skin.

Red light therapy also helps reduce other skin inflammation conditions.

Skin Condition Benefits

The beauty of LED light therapy is that it penetrates into deeper layers of the skin, promoting better health and rejuvenation of skin starting at a deeper level.

Some of the skin conditions that benefit from LED light therapy include:

Acne
Aging (wrinkles, age spots)
Sun damage
Scarring
Rosacea
Eczema
Psoriasis

In addition, LED light therapy can help improve the appearance of overall dull, dry skin and other skin inflammation conditions.

Why LED Light Therapy?

Aside from the improved condition of many skin conditions, another huge perk of LED light therapy is that it’s safe.

LED light therapy does not involve damaging UV rays, nor does it potentially burn sensitive skin like a chemical peel or laser treatment.

Need to Know Tips

While LED therapy is a safe and effective skin treatment plan, it may require several sessions to see dramatic improvement and require follow up appointment for maintenance.

Professional LED light treatment sessions are more effective than at-home treatments.

Because of the non-invasive nature of the treatments, there is no downtime after sessions.

If side effects occur, they are typically short-term and mild such as slight tenderness, redness or rash.

LED light treatment can be used not just on the face, but mostly anywhere on the body such as neck, chest and hands. These areas are among the first to give away your age.

Wrap Up

To schedule a skin treatment consultation and LED light therapy session, reach out to the professionals at Laura Skincare in Petaluma, CA.

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