5 minute read
Renew Your Skin
Ways To Renew Your Skin
As with most things, skin care can be as basic or as complicated as a woman wants. For women who have generally gone the basic route, they may find that as they age, their skin begins to require a little more specialized care beyond just buying something from the beauty aisle at Target. Fortunately, there are expert local aestheticians who can provide one-on-one consultations to help no matter your age.
NO INTIMIDATION
Some women may feel intimidated by the idea of seeking individualized care for their skin. They may worry that there is no point; that nothing can help their skin look better. They may feel like they shouldn’t spend the money on something they may consider a little frivolous.
There are generational differences in how women have been taught to think of their skin. Jamie Bryant, co-owner of Avanti Skin Center of Louisville, says younger women are focused on preventive skin care, where Gen Xers and baby boomers often weren’t taught to be as careful about their skin. “It’s a very different mindset,” she says. Those of us who sunbathed with baby oil or used tanning beds as teenagers may now be needing help to address the resulting fine lines and age spots.
There is no shame in seeking skin care help. As Denise Willinger, owner of Serenity Spa says, “the days of the snooty girl at the cosmetic counter are gone” so there is no need to feel embarrassed or intimidated. “Women deserve to feel their best. Coming to the experts to learn more makes perfect sense,” she adds.
BEFORE A VISIT
Most local aestheticians offer some kind of consultation to learn what a client’s skin is like and explain the options for what can be done, but it is important for women to have thought about several things before they go. “Think about what skin issues bother you the most,” says Ashley Snellen, co-owner of Avanti Skin Center of Louisville. She also encourages women to think about where they want to start [for example, eyebrows or chin], how much downtime they have, and what their price point is. While some procedures have zero recovery time, others may require a week or more for the skin to begin looking less red.
– JAMIE BRYANT
Here are some areas of the skin that might have you seeking help.
FACIAL HAIR
Of course, even when some hair is thinning on our aging bodies, most of us have unwanted hair in other places such as on the chin or around the lips. Some techniques for dealing with wrinkles, such as dermaplaning, can also get rid of the tiny vellus hairs that cover a woman's face, although these hairs will grow back. For a longer fix, waxing might be an option or laser treatments that can remove hair altogether.
TOPICAL OPTIONS
The beauty aisle in every grocery or drugstore has tons of products, and it isn’t uncommon for women to have countless bottles of creams and ointments in their medicine cabinets. But are those bottles and tubes full of products that actually work? Even if a woman visits an aesthetician and opts not to do any kind of procedure on her skin, she may very well benefit from the topical products that can only be found at aesthetic spas.
Often, the products sold by aestheticians contain more of the active ingredients than what you can find at a local drugstore. Plus, aestheticians know these products, what they do, and can provide that education to clients. “We know the products inside and out. A good aesthetician can eliminate the guesswork,” Denise says. Preferred brands like SkinMedica and Skin Script are typically only available through a skin care professional.
WRINKLES
Depending on one’s skin and goals, something as simple as a facial can make a world of difference, but there are many options for reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Dermaplaning is a technique whereby a tiny blade is used to scrape dead skin and tiny hairs from the skin, leaving a smooth surface. Some women might benefit from a chemical peel to exfoliate their skin and remove scars or skin discoloration. Still others might like the idea of Botox injections to smooth frown lines. For women who have more time to recover and money to spend, they might find that laser resurfacing, a technique that removes thin layers of skin to encourage the growth of new skin, is their best option.
EYEBROWS
Hair thins as people age, and this includes the eyebrow area, but there are options to help. Eyebrow tinting is one possibility, but some women prefer microblading which involves injecting pigment into the skin with tiny needles to form a semipermanent tattoo that typically dissolves in 18 to 36 months.
By Carrie Vittitoe
Spring 2022 / TodaysTransitions.com
