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!
In a city like Edmonton in Alberta, the seasons change drastically and we get to experience many diverse climate conditions! Whether the seasons are changing or you’re moving to a different part of the world, your skin will react to its surroundings. This is why it is important to acclimate your skin to the climate conditions of your environment. Adding or exchanging certain products in your routine can help avoid breakouts during seasonal skin changes.
Environmental influences
We all have our skin type to work with, however, seasonal skin changes are due to environmental influences. For instance, the summer tends to be hotter with higher humidity levels resulting in much higher water loss. In addition, the longer days often mean we receive more sun exposure. As a result, your skin is more likely to become damaged and dehydrated. You will collect excess buildup from sweat, makeup, and dirt which can clog your pores.
We recommend using products that cleanse away that build up. Also, exfoliation becomes more important in the summer because it helps to remove the surface layers of the skin.
Can skin types change with the season?
Normal combination skin types that border on dry skin can experience full-on dryness in the wintertime. This is due to changes in the environment, for example, cold exposure. The cold can be harsh on the skin as well as cause wind rash. We recommend physically covering you skin with a scarf during the winter months. Just remember to keep the scarf clean!
In addition, in the winter you get double sun exposure coming directly from the sun, and the reflective exposure that bounces off the snow. For this reason if you find yourself on a mountain, or going skiing or doing anything outdoors, make sure you wear sunscreen! Plus you’re more likely to get a chapped sunburn/windburn so make sure to protect your skin.
On the other hand, normal combination skin types that border on oily skin can become full-on oily in the summertime and are more prone to breaking out due to heat exposure or high humidity. They should switch to a lighter, oil-free moisturizer in the summer.
Treating seasonal damage
In the fall, skin starts to dry up a little. Summer damage should be lifted with skin treatments such as photofacials or chemical peels. Ideally, these treatments should take place at the end of summer or the beginning of fall.
The goal of the treatments is to remove the cap of dead summer skin and rejuvenate your skin. This will help the ingredients in your products actually make it to the cells that need the extra hydration and nutrients.
We recently had a client who was concerned about using hyaluronic acid out of fear that it would remove her freckles. This left us puzzled because out of all the acids used to remove hyperpigmentation, hyaluronic acid is not amongst them. So that got us thinking…
“Where could this myth have come from?”
Hyaluronic acid does not have the ability to remove freckles or other forms of pigmentation. It is a molecule that is found within cells that interacts with water, not melanin.
However, hyaluronic acid would a good accessory and support system to pigment removing serums or products. This is due to the fact that every function in the skin needs water. Hyaluronic acid supports water retention in the skin. Picture hyaluronic acid cells like little sponges that can hoard water. They can hold one thousand times their weight in water!
So, if someone was inadvertently using products with ingredients that remove pigmentation, the hyaluronic acid would have powered that product right up, hence creating a myth.
Purposely removing freckles and other forms of pigmentation
On an acid level, our personal preference to remove deep pigmentation, for example, freckles, melasma, and other stains or splotches on the skin, is glycolic acid.
Glycolic acid stimulates exfoliation and treats flaky or dull skin and hyperpigmentation. The smaller a molecule, the more easily it gets into the skin and penetrate deeply. Because glycolic is the smallest of all the acids, it yields the most dramatic results.
On the other hand, if a person is experiencing uneven skin tone, for instance, the forehead or around the mouth is a little darker than the rest of the face, then we recommend lactic acid.
Lactic acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) derived from sour or fermented milk. It has skin softening abilities and also leaves a fresh glow.
Are there dangers to using hyaluronic acid?
There are none whatsoever because hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring and lives within your skin. In fact, no matter what age or skin type you are, hyaluronic lives gets depleted as you get older.
In addition, because its a water molecule, anything that causes evaporation is going to deplete your hyaluronic acid levels, for example, being out in the sun a lot or not drinking enough water.
What happens if you don’t shave before your IPL Hair Removal treatment?
The reason we ask that the hair is shaved flush to the skin is because the target is melanin. If there is hair that is long enough to cast a shadow on the skin or fold over on to the skin, that area will get the get unnecessary heat at the surface of the skin which may cause burns.
Also, your results are not going to be as good as they would be if that hair wasn’t taking up that extra energy. In other words, all the energy would go straight to the source we are targeting, which is the bulb. That hair strand is already dead so we don’t need that interfering. We need the live bulb.
Can you shave after IPL laser hair removal?
Most definitely. You can shave after IPL laser hair removal as often as you’d like or not shave at all. However, you cannot do any form of hair removal that involves pulling the bulb out of the skin, for example, waxing. In addition, you should not use corrosive hair removal creams that can potentially absorb into the skin and have an effect on the bulb.
Can you use IPL on stubble?
If there is a shadow being cast on the surface of the skin by that hair growth you should not. By shadow, we mean that it causes a greyish appearance and its apparent that hair is present.
What about men that want to get rid of their beard?
IPL Hair Removal is an excellent choice to get rid of an unwanted beard. However, clients need to make sure they are clean shaven before their appointment.
What happens if you stop using IPL before you get to your results?
If you stop IPL laser treatments prematurely, there will be a short period of time before you start seeing some growth come back. Most areas that clients have treated are influenced by hormones that drive growth. Therefore, it is inevitable that the hair will come back because hormones change.
In conclusion, stopping treatments prematurely will decrease hair growth but won’t get you maximum results. Furthermore, stopping IPL prematurely will not result in more hair than you started out with.
What happens if you stop IPL after reaching your goal?
Once you finish your full treatment course and we get to your goal, you will see an extended period where you wont have any hair growth at all. Very seldom do clients experience earlier regrowth, and if they do, when they do it is significantly less hair, typically thinner, and takes a lot longer to grow to the point of needing to shave more than once every few months. It takes about 3-5 years on average before you need a touch up.
Can IPL make hair growth worse?
No, typically in most cases it does not have that effect. On the rare occassion that this occurs, this is considered an adverse reaction symbolic of something abnormal going on in the body.
Your skin will go through some processes depending on how severe the sunburn is. Sunburn relief treatment consists of soothing and protecting. Sunburn recovery treatment will depend on the flaking process.
Sunburn Phase 1
First, you will experience a burning sensation, stinging and possibly blistering. This will be followed by some scabbing or flaking of the skin. During this initial period where the skin really sensitive, we recommend using a barrier balm over top of a soothing gel that contains grape seed oil or aloe vera.
Aloe Vera improves skin hydration and delivers strong anti-inflammatory benefits.
Aloe vera is very good for calming the skin and keeping the area hydrated. It helps the healing process along by acting as a protective shield against environmental pollutants. This in turn helps retain moisture which helps repair damage to epidermal cells.
Try using the Glo’s barrier balm. It will lock in hydration and prevent any extra water loss while protecting from the elements. In addition, it contains vitamin E which helps the skin heal faster.
Sunburn Phase 2
After the initial period you will see the flaking process. While this means having new fresh skin, the process will either leave you with hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation.
Hyperpigmentation is the result of the sun bringing out excess melanin in the skin. This can appear as sunspots, freckles, or blotches on the skin.
Hypo-pigmentation happens when damaged skin and the surrounding skin has been tanned by the sun but the fresh cells don’t have that tan which leaves blank spaces or “hypo-pigmentation”.
To resolve the after effect for hyperpigmentation we recommend photofacials, for hypo-pigmentation we recommend chemical peels.
Can you get rid of sunburn overnight?
In short, the answer is no. However, you can soothe sunburn and prevent form getting worse. As soon as you notice, you need to pull that heat out of your skin. Draw the heat out by using ice packs or anything else that cools the skin. After that, you have to hydrate immediately. Soothing gels that are water based are excellent for protection. However, even if you act promptly, chances are you’ll still have damage because once the skin has been damaged you cant reverse it, only heal it.
Is Vaseline good for sunburn?
Vaseline is a good sunburn treatment in the sense that it will keep moisture in the skin but it does not allow trans-epidermal movement. So, while you’re not losing moisture, you’re also not getting extra moisture in. This won’t hurt but it wont help to heal. The faster you heal the less chances of extra damage.
There are some post-treatment instructions to follow after microblading. Knowing the post-treatment instructions beforehand can help you best prepare for the big day. A common question clients ask is, “How many days after microblading should I shower?
Technically you can shower right away after microblading as long as you avoid soaking the area. Soaking can result from shampooing or washing. As long as you have visible scabs, you should be quick with your showers, or opt for baths.
You are safe to return to regular once those scabs have shed and your skin is smooth and healed. Until then, soaking can result in you losing those scabs prematurely. This is problematic because your skin needs to heal around that colour first, and drop the scab naturally. If removed prematurely, even one tiny fibre, it may end up pulling an entire hair stroke.
You can wear makeup anywhere around your face and lashes. However, we recommend that you avoid anything over the brow area.
In addition, stay away from makeup that contains any type of shimmer/metallic glitter. Whether it’s on the face or around the eyes this should be avoided at all costs. These products have small metallic particles that can get lodged in the colour causing it to change shades or cause infection.
