Your best booster for beautiful skin

Whether you are in your early 20s or in your 50s or older, you need to exfoliate the dead skin off of your face.

by Linda Leibl — 

Did you know that your skin follows a biological time line for each decade of life? During your 20s and 30s, your first wrinkles will start to appear. Your skin becomes less resistant as elasticity declines and gravity begins to take hold.

During your 40s and 50s, you will begin to see your first permanent wrinkles from repetitive facial movements, as well as from sleeping on your face. (A travel pillow can be purchased for under $20 that allows you to sleep on your back, and will help prevent facial creases and wrinkles.) After you turn 40, your skin and muscles begin to sag. This is caused by genetics, gravity, and a decrease in collagen and elastin.

My clients are always shocked at the following statement: Ninety percent of all visible signs of aging are caused by the sun and free radical exposure, and only 10 percent of aging is inherited. That means you can have 90 percent control of the aging process on your skin. Yes, 90 percent — that’s a lot of control!

Interesting fact

In the United States, 98 percent of skincare and personal products available for purchase contain mineral oil, petroleum, petrolatum, animal products and animal by-products, artificial colors and fragrances.

Looking for results

You want to look younger and feel and look your best, so the first thing to do is seek out a seasoned aesthetician with more than 10 years’ experience in the field. Look for one who offers gentle yet powerful exfoliating treatments that can be easily tolerated on the most sensitive skin types.

Whether you are in your early 20s or in your 50s or older, you need to exfoliate the dead skin off of your face. Just think of it as washing your car — all that build-up of dirt and grime starts to look unsightly after a few weeks. This scenario is even worse on your skin and can lead to more severe conditions over time.

Ask your aesthetician for a description of treatments and whether a range of exfoliating and light peels (from light to medium) is offered. These treatments should be less than $200, and make sure there is no down time after the treatment — meaning you could get off the facial table, put on light makeup and attend a meeting, if you needed to. Ask also if she is running a special, and ask what exactly is involved. Call three or four skincare salons and interview the aestheticians. They should be happy to explain everything you need to know for your skin treatments.

Exfoliating benefits

• Softer skin
• Helps skin look more radiant
• Helps prevent acne and oily breakouts
• Helps reduce creases, lines and wrinkles
• Reveals healthier-looking, beautiful skin
• Encourages new collagen renewal, repair and rejuvenation
• Removes dead skin cells from the top surface
• Unclogs pores by removing pore-clogging dirt
• Keeps skin healthy, thus preventing more breakouts
• Allows moisturizers to penetrate more deeply
• Improves overall skin texture, making it more vibrant
• Helps retain tan when you exfoliate before applying self-tanners and/or sunscreens
• Evens out skin tone and lightens hyperpigmentation (due to sun damage and sun-spots)

Important concerns

Exfoliation can be done at home; however, the only products available to you may be filled with mechanical scrubbing agents that can scratch and harm your skin. This is why I always suggest seeking an aesthetician if you want professional results.

You can severely damage your skin if you use the wrong product for your skin type, using it too often or combining it with other scrubs, exfoliates, fruit acids, Retin-A, retinals, glycolic, etc.

Do not use exfoliating scrubs if you have acneic skin, as you will only spread your condition. See a professional dermatologist. If you are on Accutane or tretinoin, you should not use any exfoliates or scrubs whatsoever.

If you have any allergies, you may have a reaction to your products. And if you are on some prescription drugs, like Retin-A, Differen or Tri-Luma, you may experience some sensitivities.

Linda L. Leibl, B.S., a therapeutic aesthetician, founded Advanced Skin Technology in 1993. 480-443-3445 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number  4, Aug/Sept 2009.