How Does Weather Affect Your Skin?

Cold makes the skin DRY.

Hot makes the skin OILY.

How do you change your skin care routine when the seasons change?

How do you take care of your skin when there are 20-30 degree temperature changes in ONE day?

I customize all of my facials to what the skin needs.

At home if you are feeling like your skin is dry, you can use a moisturizing mask once per week.

If you are feeling like you are having extra breakouts, like I am... (I always get a little breakout on my jawline and forehead during the transition from winter to spring.)

First be kind to your skin and DON'T pick. Come see me instead!

If you want to treat minor breakouts at home, you can use a spot treatment on the breakout itself.

5 things that Spring weather can do to your skin. (I have two them!)

• Acne breakouts.

• Insect Bites

• Seasonal eczema

• Contact Dermatitis

• Grass and Pollen Allergies

A facial can help you recover from both an ACNE breakout and DRY skin!

If you have any questions about spot treatments or moisturizing masks, please reach out or book an appointment.

What does self love mean to you?

What does self love mean to you?

It is a lifelong quest and its a hard practice.

Recently, I was meeting with my virtual assistant and I asked her what self love means to her.

And, she introduced me to this practice that brought tears to my eyes.

This is how she answered my question.

"When I was 18 or 19, I read a book that said the purpose of life was to learn how to love yourself. So, for years, I 'tried' to love myself. In a yoga class one time, the teacher invited us to think of something we love, cultivate that love and give it to ourselves.

Later another mentor, Katie Hendricks, taught the practice of love drops.

This is the practice:

Think of someone or something that you love without a doubt about it, with no strings attached, no baggage. Fill yourself up with that love and then drop it on yourself. Or, better yet, drop it on something you hate about yourself."

At age 7, I really wanted a spiritual practice. And, I didn't even know what that meant.

I always felt there was something else, something more, something bigger than me out there.

And at age 18, I also started reading books... buddhism and taking yoga classes as well as a meditation class. It was taught free at university at CSU.

Looking back on it, it was Buddhist. It wasn't called that... But it was focusing on your breath. Now I practice a Buddhist meditation.

My practices of self love are:

• meditation and yoga

• being outside

• taking care of my skin

• getting facials and massages

• spending time with people I love and my animals

• and being aware of the negative self talk

I'll be incorporating the love drop into my practice now.

Feel free to share your self love practices with me. I always love to hear what you have to say.

Please reach out and book an appointment.

As always,

Live in Beauty,

Sasha

PS Just for fun... the rest of the month of February I will be making a Chocolate Cherry facial mask! It will have dark cocoa powder which has high levels of anti-oxidants that help promote cell repair. The cherry comes from cherry kernel oil which also has anti-oxidants AND has oleic acid which improves dry skin. A couple of other ingredients I will add are Shea butter and hyaluronic acid.

Peels: Less is Better.

I think it is interesting that all of the peels are called Chemical peels. They are made from fruit. The sugars from fruit make up the chemicals!

Chemical peels can be light, medium or deep. Differentiating between the peels depends on the ingredients and their percentage that are used. This is a method where a solution, usually and acid, is applied to the skin for a certain period of time. The solution penetrates into the upper most layers of skin creating the skin cells to peel off naturally. When you remove skin cells, the skin makes new cells.

By removing the upper layers of the epidermis you are creating small wounds that the skin repairs. By doing that, you are replacing old cells with new cells. When you slough off the old cells, it can help to remove sun damage, scarring, and fine lines. Of course, as with anything, one peel is not going to magically make everything go away.

I always use the analogy that working on your skin is like exercise for your body. The better you take care of it and the more consistent you are with getting facials and peels, the better results you will have.

There is a caveat to peeling the skin, one in Colorado in particular: most of us are outside all year round! So, that needs to be taken into consideration, if you decide you want to start receiving peel treatments. You do not want to do anything other than a light peel if you are going to be outside after.

Being an outdoor person, I will do light peels on myself and ride my bike a day later. But, I apply sunscreen every two hours.

I think that aggressive peeling can be done in short increments; but, you don’t want to be doing them all of the time.

Light peels can be “glycolic acid peels, AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) chemical peels, beta hydroxy acids, or salicylic acid chemical peels. Glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that occurs naturally in sugar cane, is the most common ingredient of light chemical peels.” -https://www.docshop.com › chemical-peel › type-light.

The www.docshop.com also says AHA chemical peels often contain:

• Glycolic acid (extracted from sugar cane)

• Lactic acid (extracted from milk)

• Malic acid (extracted from pears and apples)

• Citric acid (extracted from oranges and lemons)

• Tartaric Acid ( extracted from grapes)

“A medium chemical peel removes skin cells from the epidermis and from portions of the upper part of your middle layer of skin (dermis). It's used to treat wrinkles, acne scars and uneven skin tone.” -https://www.mayoclinic.org › about › pac-20393473

Medium chemical peels often contain:

• TCA (trichloroacetic acid)

• Higher percentage of glycolic acid, retinol and/or salicylic acid

• Pumpkin enzyme

Practicing in the scope of my license, I can’t go any deeper than medium.

Oral Health affects the Skin?!

Think that brushing and flossing your teeth is only good for your oral hygiene?

According to most dentists, oral health affects the appearance and health of your skin.

The bacteria that builds up in your mouth affects your skin. If you are noticing breakouts around your mouth or lower cheeks, it could be related to your teeth and gums.

Imagine if you have a cavity or gum disease, and every time you swallow, where does that go?

Do you floss?

Flossing your teeth is proven to be beneficial to your skin. It can even help prevent breast cancer and heart attacks.

If you are concerned about aging, you want to have regular dental check ups and a flossing routine.

We all know Sugar is connected to cavities. It is also connected to inflammation and affects on our Good bacteria/ Bad bacteria balance.

P. acnes, propionibacterium, the bacteria most often found in pimples is Propionibacterium acnes is “a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium present on human skin as part of the normal flora, as well as in the oral cavity, large intestine, conjunctiva, and external ear canal,” according to https://journals.asm.org › ... › Vol. 54, No. 4).

So, go to your dentist twice per year, and brush twice per day, and floss everyday. See if you notice a difference in your skin.

Audrey Fretz @parkstreet

7 Reasons why YOU need an esthetician in your life.

1. ADVICE. You would never take advice on your skin from your car mechanic… and vis a vis…. you would never take car advice from your esthetician. Estheticians are licensed professionals and we study skin anatomy and physiology. Having a deep understanding of this knowledge allows an esthetician to have the ability to recognize when you need to see a dermatologist, when an esthetician needs to see you, as well as optimizing your facials to best suit your skins needs.

2. PROFESSIONAL PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. I am a product nerd and love knowing about all of the ingredients in the products I sell and use. I can recommend the best products for you to achieve your skin care goals at home.

3. WELLNESS AND STRESS RELEASE. All my facials include at least one stress relieving technique such as gua sha massage, lymph drainage, or led light therapy.

4. MEDICAL FACIALS. Microderm abrasion, micro-current, LED light, nano needling, and lymphatic drainage are all specialized medical modalities that help your skin be at its optimal health.

5. BEING AN EDUCATIONAL PARTNER. I continue my education so that I can pass on the most up to date research and information in the esthetics world.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE. With both services and products that fit what you as the client need, I am here to help guide you in caring for your skin. You can ask me anything about your skin. I will do my best to give informed advice.

7. FRIENDS FOREVER. The bond we create while you are on the table goes beyond skin care and towards self care. Allowing yourself this time to nurture your skin not only helps you look younger, it keeps you feeling younger as stress and worry falls away. Our connection is important to me.

LED Light Facials

As a holistic skin therapist, I am always looking for modalities and products that help your body, skin, and face work at its optimal level in producing collagen and elastin.

This is why I chose my new piece of equipment.

The LED Light combined with the radio frequency help to firm up tissue.

Deep relaxation helps alleviate the stress of our modern world. Which in turn, helps to slow down the aging process.

Low grade everyday stress does cause the body to produce a stress hormone called cortisol. The body produces this as a natural response to stress.

Unfortunately, elevated levels of cortisol can cause aging of the skin such as fine lines and reduced immunity in the skin.

Not only am I using this modality, I also have created a very relaxing facial. Check out the video below to see what I have created for all of you.

I love creating new facials to keep your skin looking fresh and your cortisol levels low.

What is LED Light Therapy?

I use a skin safe, professional grade LED that also does radio frequency and ultrasound.

This low level light uses different colors and wavelengths to enter the skin at different depths.

Benefits of LED Light Therapy:

• Eases fine lines

• Makes the skin softer

• Stimulates skin cells called fibroblasts which help make collagen

• Collagen is important for healing wounds and keeps our skin bouncy and youthful looking

• Eases inflammation and redness

• Helps with acne

• Can help with pigmentation

Why I Became an Esthetician

I feel like people always ask me, “Did you have to go to school to do what you do?”

I started my college career at CSU thinking I wanted to be in the fashion world. As much as I loved fashion and clothes, the industry did not want to help people.

And, I always wanted to help people.

I have had this fascination with anatomy and physiology specifically the skin and why the skin does what it does.

In the 90s, I was working at the Oxford Spa as a massage therapist.

This amazing esthetician named Aya gave me my first facial introducing me to the world of esthetics.

And, I fell in love with it.

After six months practicing massage therapy, I realized I wanted to become an esthetician.

I went to Front Range Community College in Boulder for a year while working full time.

I did massage and esthetician work at Oxford. Then I got a job at Essentials and worked there for 17 years before I went out on my own.

Running my own business, I not only give facials, I offer lash extensions, lifts and tinting. I do sugaring. I am learning to make my own products. I enjoy coming up with new treatments to revitalize the skin and create a deep sense of relaxation for my clients.

Heated hand mitts with hot stones.

Are you getting enough rest?

"Science says, 'You can sleep your skin younger.'"

-Healthline.com

The Transition from summer to fall can disrupt waking and sleeping cycles.

Because the days are getting shorter and the nights longer, light exposure is limited.

As nights become longer we can be less motivated to exercise. Less exercise can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

Sleep protects your skin! If you get 7-9 hours of sleep your skin will be more hydrated and will be able to protect itself better from ultra-violet light.

Beauty rest is a real thing. Internal and epidermal recovery takes place as you sleep.

Some side effects from too little sleep are:

1. More fine lines

2. Dark circles under the eyes

3. Swollen eyes

4. Puffiness in the eyes and face

Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene:

1. Come in to get a restful and relaxing facial where you take a little nap.

2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday.

3. Spend 30 minutes outside in the daylight everyday.

4. One hour before bed, turn down the lights and turn off your screens. (Or at least put the blue light filter on or wear blue light filtering glasses.)

I want to acknowledge that resting is an integral part of keeping ourselves healthy.

I feel like there can be a lot of pressure for people to keep on pushing through things.

I give you all permission to REST.

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash

PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS -vs- Over the Counter Products

Why use Professional Products vs Over The Counter.

What is the difference between $40 moisturizers and $10 products?

The over the counter products are made in large batches.

This means they are made for the mass market and general consumption.

The products are intentionally made to have a lower risk of irritation and in doing that they have a much lower amount of actual effective ingredients in them.

In a nutshell, they have less active ingredients and more filler.

This reduces the cost but also reduces the effectiveness and quality.

For example, ULTA sells a hyaluronic acid serum where the hyaluronic acid is listed as the 11th ingredient. This means it doesn’t have a very high concentration. *Denatured alcohol is the 3rd ingredient.

One of the hyaluronic acid serums I carry has it is the 5th ingredient. And, it is way cleaner. With less preservatives and more hydrating ingredients. It has aloe and jojoba oil. And, it is also a plant based hyaluronic acid.

Having a licensed esthetician, who you see regularly, can help you choose the right products. A professional can also help you determine what product will help you address specific skin issues.

PS I am a skin ingredient nerd. If you have questions about ingredients and what they do, please email me.