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Laura Skin Care

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Category Archives: Skin Care

Should You be Using a Serum?

   Skin Care  Jan 19, 2022  Comments Off on Should You be Using a Serum?
Should You be Using a Serum?

Although it can be tricky to find a skincare product that will deliver the results you are looking for, a serum can certainly boost the time it takes to achieve your skincare goals.

Find out what a serum can do for you.

What is a Serum?

A serum is a highly concentrated skincare product meant to treat, hydrate and protect your skin.

It packs a skin-saving punch by delivering a more concentrated dose of active ingredients than a cleanser, toner or moisturizer alone can give you. A serum gives your daily cleanser and moisturizer the power to give you visible results even faster.

Benefits of a Serum

Aside from faster visible results, you can customize your serum to the type of skin issue you want to correct. There are different serums available to address just about any type of skincare issue.

Here are some of the most popular:

Anti-Aging

Most anti-aging serums are designed to help rejuvenate the skin and boost the production of collagen, which combats sagging skin and fine lines.

Most contain some type of retinol, in a concentrated form.

Hydrating

Hydrating serums are designed to help the surface layers of skin retain moisture, which in turn makes it look plumper and more youthful.

Most contain hyaluronic acid, which has molecules that bind with water in the skin to retain its moisture. The plumping effect also helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines.

Another common ingredient in hydrating serums is vitamin B5, which also helps to hydrate the skin.

Skin Brightening

One of the effects of aging and tired, dull skin in general is due to overall skin tone. Skin brightening serums work to rejuvenate and refresh the appearance of skin, giving off a healthier, youthful looking tone and glow.

Skin brightening serums often contain antioxidants to help accomplish this goal. Correcting skin imperfections like pigmentation and dullness with ingredients like vitamin C, and skin-loving glycolic, lactic or ferulic acids work wonders on improving skin tone.

Acne Serum

To calm and correct the problems with acne-prone skin, acne serums contain anti-inflammatory ingredients, in addition to salicyclic acid or vitamin B3, to soothe and hydrate irritated and sensitive acne-prone skin.

Using a Serum

Laying a moisturizing cream over a serum produces the best results.

A serum is lighter, almost a gel or liquid consistency, which delivers active ingredients to your skin quickly. It goes on first after cleaning your skin.

By first using a serum, you address issues like dullness, fine lines, acne or discoloration. By following up with a protective layer of moisturizer, you lock in moisture to keep the skin hydrated.

Use a face serum once or twice a day. Typically, any time you clean and/or tone your skin, it’s the next step or base layer under any type of moisturizer, sunscreen or makeup.

Wrap Up

A serum is a great addition to your current skincare routine to correct and prevent your unique skincare issues more quickly and effectively.

If you need help with choosing a serum, reach out to the skincare experts at Laura Skincare in Petaluma, CA for advice and answers to your questions.

Retinol vs. Hyaluronic Acid…How to Choose?

   Skin Care  Jan 10, 2022  Comments Off on Retinol vs. Hyaluronic Acid…How to Choose?
Retinol vs. Hyaluronic Acid…How to Choose?

More than likely, you’ve heard a lot about the importance of retinol and hyaluronic acid in combatting skincare issues.

All the discussion about these two skincare products leads to the question of which one to use. Is one product better than the other? How do you choose?

Retinol vs. Hyaluronic Acid – The Differences

The main difference between retinol (a form of vitamin A) and hyaluronic acid is that one is increases cell turnover and the other hydrates. But it goes deeper than that.

Retinol

Retinol is an antioxidant, or a molecule that slows down free radical damage to your skin cells. Free radicals are unstable molecules produced by your body that attack healthy cells, causing collagen breakdown, fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots.

Retinol is scientifically and clinically proven to change your skin on a cellular level. It increases the rate of new skin cell turnover, shedding dull, dead skin cells from skin’s surface layer while replacing with fresh, healthy skin cells.

Retinol works to:

  • Improve collagen production to tighten and smooth saggy, wrinkled skin
  • Increase cell turnover
  • Improve skin tone while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
  • Decrease melanin production to reduce skin pigmentation
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Unclog pores
  • Treat acne-prone skin while improving and preventing acne scarring

Because a strong dose of retinol, especially at first, can make existing skin conditions worse or irritate skin, it’s important to use a gentle formula, use sparingly or and build up frequency of use over time.

Hyaluronic Acid

Scientifically speaking, Hyaluronic acid is classified as a glycosaminoglycan capable of retaining skin’s moisture and holding up to 1000 times its weight in water, which makes it an excellent choice for hydrating and moisturizing.

It is found naturally in your skin, but with age comes a decrease in the production of natural hyaluronic acid. As you age, skin is prone to dehydration and dryness, which increases the odds of enlarged pores, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin.

Hyaluronic acid is both hydrating and nourishing to your skin but does little for exfoliation or skin cell turnover.

The hydrating benefits of Hyaluronic acid include:

  • Improved skin elasticity
  • Reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (dry, dehydrated skin is prone is more wrinkles and sagging)
  • Reduction in inflammation
  • Prohibits growth of bacteria

How to Choose

The good news is that you don’t have to choose one over the other. In fact, research suggests that they not only work well together, but compliment the benefits of each other after only 4-8 weeks of consistent, continued use.

Used together, the benefits multiply:

  • Retinol induced skin inflammation is reduced by the use of calming hyaluronic acid
  • Increased skin cell turnover due to improved levels of hydration
  • Long-term use of retinol boosts production of natural hyaluronic acid, while daily use of

hyaluronic acid produces instant hydration benefits

How to Use Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid Together

Because retinol may cause skin irritation, it’s best to use once a day, preferably at night. Hyaluronic acid should be used twice a day to take advantage of its skin-drenching hydration qualities.

Build up a tolerance to retinol by starting use once per week, then twice a week and so on until your skin adjusts and to prevent damage to your skin. It’s still effective and working even if you only use once or twice a week.

You can dive right in with hyaluronic acid because it doesn’t cause skin irritation and provides immediate hydration benefits. It’s recommended to use hyaluronic acid twice a day, after cleansing the skin. Follow up with a moisturizing cream after applying hyaluronic acid to lock in the moisture.

Hyaluronic acid should be applied to damp skin as it’s easier for it to bind to and penetrate into damp vs. dry skin.

Retinol should be applied to skin after patting dry with a clean towel.

If using together, apply retinol first, let dry, then apply hyaluronic acid and seal with a heavier moisturizing or night cream.

Wrap Up

Whether you want to slow down and improve the effects of aging with retinol or take skin hydration to new levels with hyaluronic acid, know that you can use both together to maximize healthy skin effects.

For more information on retinol, hyaluronic acid or the benefits of professional skin exfoliation and peels, contact the experts at Laura Skincare in Petaluma, CA.

Skin Care for a Fresh Fall Look

   Skin Care  Nov 08, 2021  Comments Off on Skin Care for a Fresh Fall Look
Skin Care for a Fresh Fall Look

As summer turns to fall, there are definite signals marking the transition.

As temperatures cool down and warmer clothes come out of storage, your skin care routine needs to transition, too.

With a bit of extra care, it’s easy to breeze through the season with beautiful skin.

Sunscreen

Just because temperatures dip doesn’t mean UV sun rays are any less damaging to your skin. The most effective beauty treatment is to use sunscreen every day.

Before foundation, apply a coat of sunscreen, sunscreen-infused day cream or tinted sunscreen. This ensures you get the protection you need for great-looking skin.

Rich, Gentle Creams

Switching to richer creams or serums at night re-hydrates your skin to prevent the chafing, redness and dryness that tends to show up in fall.

Avoid using alcohol-based astringents or toners that strip too much oil from the skin. Switch to a gentle, vitamin-rich toner to clean, tone and combat the effects of wind and indoor heat on your skin.

Hydration

Along with sunscreen, the best defense to fight back against dry indoor environments and cool outdoor winds is to keep your skin hydrated. Hydrated skin not only looks fresh and healthy, but also keeps those fine lines and wrinkles at bay.

Hyaluronic Acid: Using a night-time cream with hyaluronic acid seals tons of moisture into your skin. It makes skin plumper and super soft on the face, neck, chest and hands.

Retinol: If you use retinol for a smoother, line-free complexion, switch to a gentle cream which soaks into the skin without stripping natural oils. A gentle retinol cream will still work on those fine lines without over-drying or damaging skin.

Hydrating Serum: It only takes a little serum to provide skin with a deep moisturizing experience at night when cell turnover is at its peak.

Gel-based Creams: Gel formulas use natural ingredients that penetrate deeply into skin, supplying deep hydration without clogging pores or causing breakouts.

Vitamin-rich Moisturizers: Choose organic moisturizers containing vitamins B-3, E and C for brightening.

Peels: Start autumn out right with a professional chemical peel for a fresh seasonal look. Fall is a perfect time to clear away what’s left of a faded tan, remove damaged surface skin layers and promote faster, healthy cell turnover.

Consult with your local Petaluma, CA esthetician  to get just the right peel for your skin type.

The key to looking fresh and fabulous throughout the entire fall season is to adjust your skin care routine now.

For great advice on jumpstarting the season with a peel or organic skin care solutions to bring out the best in your skin, visit Laura Skin Care in downtown Petaluma for a consultation with our skin care experts.