Category: Skin Health

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SKIN CARE CONCEPTS THAT DIDN’T SOUND RIGHT

I am not a traditional facialist to say the least, but I was taught that way.  Much of what I was taught just didn’t make any sense to me. Those electronic skin care devices such as galvanic currents, the pretty colored light therapy that ranged from blue, green, yellow and red, and of course the draconian steam.  I called this the “fluff facial”.  Its has all the bells and whistles that most clients expect in a facial.  Many customer and clientele came in expecting this treatment.  Was it helping, of course not, but it sure gave the impression it did, and it looked pretty impressive to the customer, and in their mind they were convinced by the technology and believed results were happening.  But I honestly had to tell them, “Sorry, that’s not what I do.”  This was when I began to think out of the box.  I would tell them, when you lay on my treatment bed, you will not hear music, or have steam thrown in your face, or me massaging your shoulders, or will I be inundating you with unique scents….When come to see me you will not have all that, you will hear me talking…and talking skin.  Teaching you and telling you what you need to do to take care of your skin.

What happened, was that I realized everything that I learned in school didn’t sound right.  Placing steam, pretty lights and electronic devices on clients skin; was it really making a difference and transforming their skin?  Were they getting the results they expected? Were they happy and satisfied? Or the question was, did they even care?  We reached out to a niche market of clients unsatisfied with traditional facials, and wanted rational answers and most of all, a rational treatment regimen that made sense and gave results.  This initiated my search and destroy method of the current status quo thought to skin care.  And to this day many listen, then cringed, then listened again, then cringed less, and the transformation of new skin care thought and perception began, of course, in so many words.  This is what made me get up every morning and continue to strive for new, simple and basic skin care concepts that make sense, and I know it is successful when our clients our reaching their goals, and telling me, “Vivian,  seeing is believing”.

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SWEATING: DOES IT COMPLEMENT MY SKIN?

What’s important to remember is that when you sweat, sweat complements your skin. Well you may ask, how can that be? Isn’t it considered dirty and attracts bacteria and odor? Well I have news for you. Not quite true. Your skin maintains a natural pH of 4.5-5.0 which is scientifically mildly acidic. The pH of Sweat is around 4.0-6.8. When skin is bathed with sweat it helps to maintain the natural acidic pH of skin. It doesn’t stop there, there is indeed a purpose. Sweat helps to maintain the natural healthy pH of the skin. It becomes an effective protective barrier to the elements. Are you still afraid to sweat? Well it also kills bacteria. This brings back the article I wrote regarding Skin and The French Connection, whereby overwashing the skin can create an unhealthy skin, this is because healthy skin is naturally acidic. It’s acidic for a purpose. Sweat; is a salty, watery solution produced by sweat glands, together with sebum, an oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands. The main role of sebum is to waterproof the skin and hair. When sebum mixes up with sweat on the skin surface, the combo forms a protective layer often referred to as the acid mantle. Acid Mantle, helps protect skin from “the elements” (such as wind or pollutants), acid mantle also inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi. If acid mantle is disrupted or loses its acidity, the skin becomes more prone to damage and infection. The loss of acid mantle is one of the side-effects of overwashing the skin with soaps or detergents of moderate or high strength, and we all know what happens then. Mainstream cosmetic companies are always trying to sell you the concept of toners, to re-acidify the skin after using their alkalizing facial wash. Therefore look for a neutral to low alkaline facial washs, you won’t have that problem. Now, does sweat complement my skin? Absolutely, it may not always be a vision of beauty, but it does make your skin healthy, and the result of healthy skin is beauty.

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SUNLIGHT: THE BODIES NATURAL ENERGY SOURCE

From fire and water came the spark of life of which emerged a complex biological system of what we know now as the human body. The purpose, the biological purpose of how are body was designed in order to survive the challenges of our environment is not only rudimentary, but primordial in origin. Sun exposure, temperature changes, food intake, immune strength; these our all elements that effect and challenge our bodies future level of survival. A lack of sunlight, for example, can have an effect on lowering Vitamin D levels which could result in larger health issues later. A lack of Vitamin D can also increase the risk of many types of cancer and lung diseases. This is the top reason for our need to be exposed to sunlight in order that our body receives and produces enough Vitamin D. The fact that electrons from the sun must pass through the skin to be processed in cells is example which demonstrates that ‘skin’ is a natural receiver or conduit of sunlight, in the form of electrons. These electrons are then processed within our skin to produce active levels of Vitamin D which maintain healthy processes within our body. This is another reason why we should not overlook the importance of maintaining healthy skin in relation to sun exposure. Ten minutes daily is sufficient. Sunlight also prevents many bacterial and viral infections. More importantly, sunlight strengthens our immune system by providing the platform to build our white blood cell count, and having a normal healthy level of White Blood Cells by which our body maintains a healthy immune system. The importance of maintaining our skin should not stop at our appearance, it now becomes a health issue pertinent to the very nature of our survival.