It’s important for me to say, that this was my choice, and I don’t judge anybody for anything they do or don’t do. I wanted to do a few non-surgical procedures that I’d heard of to see how I’d feel afterwards.
Shawn
Shawn and I discussed what would be the best plan of action for me based on my comfort level. Together, we chose a plan that included clinical skin treatments like: microdermabrasion, skin peels, laser genesis, fillers, skin boosters, PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and PRF.
Microdermabrasion and skin peels remove dead skin cells so it helps to rejuvenate and brighten the skin, and laser genesis is a heat-based laser that stimulates the body to boost collagen and helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, as well as large pores and acne scars.
Fillers are basically hyaluronic acid, which our body makes itself. Fillers put volume back into our face where we tend to lose it as we age. We lose volume due to fat loss, bone loss and muscle loss. They key to getting fillers, as Shawn puts is, is to give you what you once had, not what you never had, so going to the right person is really important.
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) uses the growth factor in our white blood cells (the healing cells) to rejuvenate the connective tissue. When you combine it with PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) it improves the tone, texture, strength, and stretch of the skin. It can take up to 8 weeks to see initial results, and the results continue to improve for 6-9 months afterwards.
Skin Care Products
Something Shawn taught me, is that we need to start taking care of our skin in our 20’s because that’s the best time for prevention. When you’re in your 20’s you want to use a good non-toxic sunscreen for protection, and face cream for moisture.
By the time we get to our 30’s and beyond, our cell turnover slows down by 30 to 50%, and the slower that turnover is, the duller our skin looks, the less moisture it holds, and our make-up doesn’t apply as nicely. When I went to see Shawn for the first time, she could tell I had never done anything to exfoliate my skin.
To encourage cell turnover, we want to exfoliate our skin 2-3 times week. You can buy exfoliators at the store, or you can make our own by mixing together a face cleanser and 1-2 teaspoons of fine sugar. Rub it all over your face and neck (we don’t want to forget our neck because it’s usually the first place we see the signs of aging, also our hands).
Retinol also helps with cell turnover. Synthetic retinol can cause irritation and redness so plant-based alternatives are popping up, like Bakuchiol—which have been clinically proven to reduce wrinkles without the side effects, and it’s safe to use everyday. Beautycounter recently launched an anti-aging line called “Counter Time” that uses Bakuchiol. They have a hydrating serum that boosts hydration, a peptide serum with amino acids that help to firm the skin, a face cream that plumps the skin, and an under eye cream that helps to brighten the eyes. This is what I use everyday in conjunction with antioxidants.
Shawn also recommends using antioxidants on a daily basis to help reduce inflammation and free radical damage from things like pollution and the sun. Antioxidants also hydrate and firm the skin. There are some amazing organic anti-aging oils on the market like these from New Roots Herbal including marula oil, rosehip oil, and pomegranate oil, as well as “Skin Lover’s Oil*,” which is a blend of 6 oils including goji, rosehip, argan, cranberry, sea buckthorn and tamanu. You can add 5-8 drop in your face cream or directly on in your hands and massage into your face and neck.
Collagen & Bamboo Silica
When we’re born, we’re 90% collagen…that’s why babies have those beautiful plump faces. After the age of 21, we lose 1% collagen a year. Then when we get to menopause, we lose 30% of our collagen within the first 5 years!! Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body—it’s the glue that holds everything together including our skin, which is made up of 75% collagen. When we lose collagen it can lead to fine lines and wrinkles, and dry skin. Taking collagen internally helps to rebuild the matrix that holds everything together and helps to generate new collagen and hydrate our skin from the inside. WithinUs TruMarine™ Collagen has a line of wild-caught hydrolyzed fish-collagen sourced from wild fish scales. It’s tasteless and odourless so it’s easy to take with food or beverages. Research shows it takes 4-8 weeks to start seeing a difference.
Another supplement I take every day for its anti-aging benefits is bamboo silica. Silica is known as the “beauty mineral.” It improves skin elasticity and suppleness (makes it soft and bendable). Enerex makes a silica extract from bamboo shoots. Bamboo silica has 10x the amount of silicon found in other silica products. It’s also great for your hair and nails. Bamboo is a renewable resource is it doesn’t require any fertilizers or pesticides to grow it, which is great.
Silk’n & Jade Rollers*
One of my favourite devices to use at home is the Silk’n Titan Skin Tightening and Lifting device. It tightens skin from the inside. It naturally helps to restore our collagen and elastin fibres (collagen gives our skin strength, and elastin is what makes our skin stretch and then bounce back). It uses CER technology, and three sources of energy to activate our own body’s mechanisms to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles and repair damaged and sagging skin. You have to use it with a cooling gel; I like aloe vera, and use it twice a week for 10 weeks to see a difference.
Face rollers have been used for centuries as a beauty tool, and its principles are founded in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They stimulate lymphatic drainage so they help to increase circulation and bring blood to the surface of the skin making it glow. The rollers also help to reduce inflammation and puffiness, especially around the eyes minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. These are Happy Rollers, and they come with different stones so they each have different healing properties: Rose Quartz (love, heart chakra), Jade (inner peace and harmony), Obsidian (grounding, protection), Opalite (inner strength) and Green Aventurine (growth and confidence). You can use them every day or a few times a week.
* Audience giveaways
Rose quartz stays cool whereas jade tends to warm with skin contact.