The Alchemy of Glowing Skin

Achieving beautiful skin is like getting to your perfect weight – there isn’t just one road to success. It takes a myriad of efforts – home care, regular visits to the aesthetician or dermatologist, etc. – to achieve the alchemy behind glowing skin.

First and foremost, you have to lay a solid foundation by getting your skin to function in a healthy manner. It doesn’t matter how tight you have it pulled or how much botulism toxin you inject--if your skin isn’t getting the proper nutrients, it won’t look good. Feeding your skin is like feeding your entire body. If you use quality ingredients, you will get quality results.

Start from the inside with healthy skin supplements like flaxseed and evening primrose oil for luster, and turmeric to keep inflammation at bay. I love Trader Joe’s Women’s Formula for Hair and Skin. It’s totally affordable and skin friendly. Keeping your water intake consistent is also vital for supple skin. Take your weight, cut it in half and that’s about how many ounces you should be drinking each day.

Next, let’s turn our attention to the products you use topically to nourish skin. For the body, stick with products like Burt’s Bees or Avalon Organics that don’t use lanolin or parabens. Skin on the face is more complicated with the sheer number of oil glands and closely packed follicles.  I love Rhonda Allison products. They are naturally effective with nothing included that sounds fake. Keep your skin exfoliated with a little baking soda in your cleanser twice a week to keep it looking fresh and unclogged and for products to penetrate more effectively. I don’t care how many glasses of wine you had with dinner--don’t go to sleep with makeup on. That’s like playing in the mud and then rolling into bed without showering. 

No matter what your skin tone, don’t skip the sunscreen on your face, neck and décolleté.  I know you olive and ebony toned ladies think you can get away with it since you don’t burn, but guess what?  UVA rays will cause wrinkles and threaten skin cancer just like they do to your Irish friend. 

Getting facials isn’t just for those over 50 or acne sufferers. There are a multitude of reasons why you should seek a recommended aesthetician and make her or him your new best friend.  One reason is she can do treatments to your skin that only a professional should perform, but gentler than a medical grade procedure. It’s like liposuction and working out. One is a procedure you may have done once; the other is maintenance to keep your results. Facials are great for those who don’t want to go under the knife (or needle) and great to maintain results for those who do. An extra bonus is for an hour of your month, you have a pro give you their total attention in making you look and feel amazing.

As for medical procedures, it’s a personal decision. Being in the business, I have had laser procedures on my face and Botox injections, so I know what to expect and am able to explain the procedures to my clients from firsthand experience. A good aesthetician should be able to educate you on treatments you are considering and give you an honest answer, especially when they don’t monetarily benefit from you getting it done. 

“This all sounds so expensive!” you may say. Well, what are your priorities? It may be that you will drop a boatload of cash for that Louis Vuitton bag, and then turn around and buy cheap drug store skin care products. But remember, you only have one face, and unless you want it looking like your leather Louis, you shouldn’t cut corners on caring for it.  

Tiffany Vitale has been a clinical esthetician and skin care advocate since 2001. She loves all things beauty, from at-home remedies to medical grade products; we all have unique skin and our desire to keep it glowing