Jhoenna has taken her 15 years of experience in the beauty industry and known expertise to develop the Dérmica line of results-driven esthetic treatments that are sure to surpass your expectations!
When using a BHA such as salicylic acid at home as a treatment or for maintenance for the skin, the ideal dosage is between 0.5-2% for professional products. Anything lower than that is ineffective. Salicylic acid for home care use typically comes in the form of a serum. The serum can be combined in a moisturizer. It can also come in the form of an exfoliant or a cleanser.
If you are using a salicylic-based serum it is important to combine it with a moisturizer. More specifically, a moisturizer that contains hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Acneic skin types should go for an oil-free moisturizer.
On the other hand, if you have a sensitive skin type or rosacea, you would benefit from a soothing moisturizer that has calming ingredients such as aloe vera.
Notes for BHA Home Use
If you are using salicylic acid serum, it is important to let it sit until it is fully absorbed before applying a moisturizer. If you have sensitive skin or if you are new to using acids on your skin, it is recommended that you apply 2-3 times a week in the evening after cleansing and before your moisturizer. Do this for two weeks or until you notice that the sensitizing effects have reached a plateau. From there you can start using it on daily basis and even up to twice a day.
Avoid using salicylic acid serum around the eye area as it can be drying.
Product recommendations for cleansing
If you are looking to introduce salicylic acid into your routine in a cleanser, try the Purifying Gel Cleanser. It is good for oily skin, congested skin, and for acne maintenance.
However, if you have severe acne or inflamed acne, try the Beta Clarity Cleanser. This one is also great for use on back acne.
If you have Rosacea or sensitive skin, try the Hydra-Bright Polishing Cleanser because you can use it as an exfoliant but also as a mild foaming cleanser on a daily basis.
Product recommendations for moisturizing
If you are using salicylic acid at home, you should be moisturizing as well.
For combo to oily skin types, we recommend an oil free moisturizer. Very oily to acne prone skin should try the Oil Control Emulsion. Keeping the skin hydrated when using salicylic acid is very important. Both of these moisturizers contain effective dosages of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid attracts and maintains hydration to hold 1000 times its weight in water.
On the other hand, if your are using BHA to treat sensitive skin, we recommend the Phyto Calm Aloe Hydrator. As the name implies, the aloe vera improves skin hydration and delivers strong anti-inflammatory benefits.
The betahydroxy acid (BHA) in your chemical peel works by lifting the stratum corneum (the upper layer of the skin). As it lifts, it dissolves the lipid layer between the dead skin cells. As a result, a fresh layer of skin cells is exposed that has a healthier and more active cell function than the dead layers that were exfoliated with the treatment.
Better Absorption of Products
In turn, the BHA in the treatment allows for better absorption of products applied to the skin. This is especially true for serums or other topicals being used to treat acne or blemishes; They are better able to reach the pores and target inflammation since there is no longer a layer of excess oil and dead skin blocking the way.
After a BHA chemical peel, you will also be able to achieve deeper cleansing on a daily basis. Again, this is due to decreased pore congestion and a reduced amount of oil barrier at the surface. Your cleanser is able to get into those pores and keep them clean which helps you maintain results.
Inflammation and Sensitivity Reduction
BHA chemical peels can also be used to treat inflammatory conditions of the skin, as well as sensitivity. This is due to the strengthening effects of betahydroxy acids. Also, BHA is part of the same family as anti-inflammatories such as aspirin. So, the BHA in chemical peels has anti-inflammatory properties.
Who should avoid BHA in chemical peels?
BHA is not suitable for people that are allergic to aspirin or other similar medications. People that are taking medications that cause photosensitivity or adverse reactions to the skin should avoid BHA treatments.
In addition, avoid BHA if you are using topical medications for skin conditions or are on oral medications for acne. It is always best to consult with your dermatologist, physician, or pharmacist, and go by their recommendations.
Seemingly perpetual dry skin in the winter is more common than you may think. When faced with cooler temperatures, your skin’s natural response is to slow it’s metabolic rate. This includes the rate at which your skin regenerates, known as the cell turnover rate.
The cell turnover rate of your skin determines how frequently dried cells at the surface shed and regenerate. When this process slows down, you get a buildup of dead cells that result in flaking skin, fine lines, and dry patches. These layers of dead cells also block vital nutrients and moisture from absorbing into the fresh cells. This is why no amount of product seems to relieve the dryness.
Introducing regular exfoliation to your skin care routine during the winter will help increase your cell turnover rate and maintain it at an active level.
Types of exfoliation
Exfoliation is achieved using chemical or manual exfoliants. While both offer resurfacing benefits, they differ in procedure and interaction with the skin.
Manual exfoliants (skin scrubs) will give a great skin scrubbing massage while sloughing away dead skin cells. Manual exfoliants are not recommended for sensitive or acneic skin types, or for people with large pores.
Enzymatic exfoliants contain fruit enzymes, AHA, or BHA. They react with the skin on a chemical level by dissolving the binding matter between the skin cells causing them to gently lift and rinse away. The active ingredients and intensity vary depending on concentration level and quality of the acids and enzymes.
Advanced skin treatments
Photofacials and chemical peels are excellent ways to eliminate flaking skin and bring plump new cells to the surface. Amongst the many benefits these treatments offer, they also speed up the skin’s cell turnover rate, boost collagen production, resurface, brighten complexion, and restore vital moisture and hydration.
Keeping your skin happy during the winter months is really quite simple…watch for the hints and DO as it asks! After all, your skin is your first line of defence and will show you who is BOSS when not tended to.
Extra oily this winter?
Your skin is constantly fluctuating with changes in the temperature and moisture levels in the air. With the winter being a dry season both indoors and outdoors your skin is under an accelerated rate of trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), an evaporation and diffusion of skin hydration.
Although water is what your skin requires, it compensates for the lost moisture by producing more oil. This causes a buildup of dead cells saturated in excess surface oils, clogged pores, and frequents breakouts. In order to restore your skins moisturizer balance and hydration, choose products containing hydrating (water) ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin E.
Stay away from heavy creams and oil based products as these will only block and clog further.
Addressing WINTER oily skin at home
Use light gel cleansers free of parabens and sulfate. A thorough cleanse in the morning and double cleanse at night gives your skin the fresh cleanse it desires without stripping away vital moisture.
Using a hydrating toner or mist. This gives your skin a boost of hydration which helps your skin absorb moisture from deeper into the skin.
Moisturize regularly. Using a lightweight oil-free moisturizer morning and night while skin is still moist will provide the right amount of moisture without leaving your skin feeling heavy or greasy.
Spa treatments for WINTER oily skin
Photofacials, chemical peels, and traditional facials are a great way to give your skin a fresh start, balance pH levels, and deliver a much needed boost of nutrients for the season. They also help clear clogged pores, excess oil, remove painful blemishes before they spread, and diminish existing scars.
BHA is used to treat a variety of skin conditions. It is an organic acid derived from willow bark. In the skincare industry it is known as a chemical exfoliant. The ph level of this acid is typically between a ph of 3-5.
BHA is considered to be a fat soluble solution. In other words it dissolves in fats. As a result, it can break through the lipid layer which is the oil layer of the skin. For that reason, it is recommended for oily and acne-prone skin types.
However, that is not the only use for BHA on the skin! It is also a recommended treatment for sensitive skin types because it has a lower risk of irritation versus other types of acids.
How does BHA interact with the skin?
BHA produces exfoliating benefits by dissolving the build-up at the surface of the skin which then balances the oiliness of the skin. It is also able to penetrate into the pores which then dissolves the build-up in clogged pores.
It treats conditions that involve scaling or overgrowth of skin, like milia.
BHA helps with milia because it has resurfacing properties. So, not only does it help remove excess oil on the skin, but it helps to exfoliate by removing the dead skin cells so it dissolves the binding glue or the lipids that hold the dead skin cells together so it reveals a fresh new layer of skin at the surface which then pushes impurities up to the surface such as milia and deep acne.
Anti-inflammatory properties
BHA also has anti-inflammatory functions which makes it a suitable treatment for inflamed acne and/or rosacea. Compared to other acids such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid has a more superficial affect on the skin by interacting mainly with the lipid layer.
In other words, it is not as irritating because it won’t penetrate as deep. However, it will promote exfoliation which in turn promotes cell growth. These new skin cells have been strengthened by that process and so the skin is improved overall.
Finally, BHA is also very good at treating Keratosis pilaris which a is a condition that affects the back of the arms and legs.
Located in Edmonton, we offer an eyebrow lightening service in our spa menu: The Brow LITE.
How does eyebrow lightening work?
Have you recently dyed your hair and now you want your brows to blend better with your new ‘do?
Try the Brow LITE. This brow lightening service works in similar fashion to hair lightening. In other words, we are lifting the colour out of the hair rather than depositing colour into the hair. Similarly, the solutions used are a creme bleach and a peroxide-based developer.
These products are a lot milder than what you would use on the scalp and are intended for use on the brows. The setting time is also a fraction of what you would do on the scalp.
How much can Brow LITE lighten my brows?
As far as how much it can lighten the brows depends on the client’s preference. We can lighten various shades. For example, we can take a dark tone eyebrow to a very light tone because its such fine hair. Typically with the Brow LITE, like other hair lightening services, we are not simply bleaching the colour out of the hair. We are also sealing and depositing new colour into the hair which neutralizes a lot of the brassy undertones you get when you bleach out a darker hair. This helps to achieve the right hair tone and colour level.
How long does eyebrow lightening last?
Any hair that has been bleached out will permanently be lightened until it starts to grow out. You will eventually start to get a demarcation where you have the new growth versus the bleached growth. So, the lightening itself lasts until your treated hair naturally sheds, but the toner that is applied afterwards can last anywhere from 3-4 weeks before it starts to fade.
Brow Lightening Safety
The contraindications for brow lightening are the same as any other lash or brow tinting service. Let your esthetician know if you have sensitivity or allergies to peroxide-based products or if you are taking oral medications that sensitize the skin. If you have previously reacted to hair lightening products or hair colour you should avoid this service.
Other contraindications include the use of strong topical products (normally prescribed) or recent advanced skincare treatments such as chemical peels, light-based resurfacing, or other deep exfoliating treatments.
