Birth Control & Acne

Note: I am NOT a doctor. You should always discuss concerns with your skin & birth control with your physician. 

Birth control is used for many purposes but it can be used to help your acne. 

How does birth control help acne:

-regulates hormones 

-lowers body testosterone level, which can reduce acne (testosterone is the male hormone that increases oil production)

Before starting or stopping birth control remember these things: 

-sometimes your acne will flare up when starting or stopping birth control (hormones are changing) this may last around 3 months

-hormonal breakouts are typically cystic and located around the chin area 

Which birth control is best for acne: 

Generally skin is clearer when the pill has moderate to high forms of estrogen. 

Higher is estrogen and lower in androgen. 

A few examples include: 

-orthotricyclen 

-sprintec 

-zovia 

Which birth control is bad for acne: 

Higher in androgen and low in estrogen. 

A few examples include:

-depo-provera (plus you'll gain a TON of wait...trust me my body has never been the same)

-mirena or skylar IUD

-nuvaring 

Remember I am in no way a doctor but after researching and discussing with physicians I thought I would share these tips. Many of my clients struggle with acne issues and birth control so I thought this information could be useful. 

9 Summer Skin Tips

Summer is my favorite season...I spend almost every weekend at my parents lake house. As an esthetician my job is to inform clients on sun protection. I am not denying that I get some sun, I am just smart about staying protected! Sun spots, melanoma & freckles everywhere aren't a good look. Here are some tips for staying protected & summertime skin care. 

1- SPF: This is probably in every post I have..but who cares. It is the most important thing you can do to for your skin. Elta MD is the best sunscreen ever. Applying once a day isn't going to cut it people. I apply every 2 hours. 

2- HATS: Keep your face protected from the sun with a fabulous big floppy hat or your favorite team's baseball cap. Not to mention after taking a boat ride it helps conceal my crazy hair...WIN WIN. 

3-HYDRATE: I cannot stress the importance of staying hydrated from the inside out. I know it can be tough to drink 8 bottles of water a day, so try switching it up with this Aloe Gloe drink (organic section of Kroger). It is amazing for your skin. 

Or try this yummy cucumber, mint & lemon water detox drink I blogged about HERE 

4- GET THE GLOW: My favorite self-tanner is St. Tropez bronzing mousse. It is so simple to use & gives the skin a great color. 

5- Moisturizers: Now that it's summertime switch from an oil based moisturizer to water based. I also recommend Skin Scripts Ageless Hydrating Serum. Hyaluronic Acid binds moisture to the skin & this product is FULL of it. I am obsessed with this stuff! 

6- Foundations: Try switching up your foundations to a tinted SPF or water based foundation. Skin tends to lean towards oily in the summertime so look for matte foundations. 

7- Spritz Spring Water: La roche-posay thermal spring water is like magic. Minerals calm the skin while making the skin look dewy. This is also great to spray after applying mineral makeup to set. I always have a bottle around me in the summer months to spritz my face & body to cool me down. 

Contains a high concentration of Selenium, a powerful natural antioxidant.

Mineral-rich micro-droplets provide immediate, intense soothing.

8- Vitamin C: Vitamin C is SO important especially in the summer months. Vitamin C helps protect against sun damage as well as pigmentation on the skin from previous exposure. Check out my post all about Vitamin C serum HERE! 

I still love my Clinical Care Vitamin C Serum, however my new favorite is Skin Scripts Vitamin C with Green Tea Serum. It is the BEST. I apply Vitamin C morning & night along with my favorite Vitamin C gummies. Call me a child but they are delicious, I have to make myself not eat the whole jar.

9-Sunglasses: Not only fashionable but great to keep you from squinting aka causing crows feet & 11 lines. 

I hope everyone has a fabulous summer filled with lots of travel & time spent with family. Hopefully these tips will help you maintain healthy summertime skin. Thanks for reading. 

Buying Beauty Products Online

It is very easy to find high-end beauty products online at an extremely discounted price. I can't tell you how many of my clients say they found Latisse or Skin Ceuticals products on Amazon. Buying beauty products online is okay ONLY when it is directly from that companies website. Latisse found on eBay or Amazon is probably old & expired....that's why you found it $50 cheaper! 

Let's talk about why these products should not be purchased online: 

The authenticity, safety & effectiveness of the product cannot be guaranteed. Many have been watered down or altered.

I like to explain it like this to my clients...would you buy your skincare products at a yard sale? NO. Products that are sold online have no regulations of the temperature they are stored at or the age. Once a product expires or reaches a certain temperature the active ingredients go bad. 

Another bad thing about purchasing online is someone could have stuck their greasy fingers in the product, used it once & packaged it back up and sold it to you...yuck. 

Keep in mind when your product is shipped to you its temperature is not controlled. As I mentioned earlier some products go bad after they reach a certain temperature. 

Signs to look for with online products: 

-broken seal

-expiration date 

-obscure packaging 

-steeply discounted pricing 

-ingredients that have been banned from the FDA 

I am all about saving some money here & there, but when it comes to your products...don't skimp. Spend the extra ten dollars to make sure your product is the real deal! Your face & body will thank you! 

I found this photo on Facebook. This is the same product purchased at a professional salon vs Walmart or drugstore. YIKES 

The top is Walmart and the bottom in Salon. Notice how watered down the top is and how concentrated the bottom product is. You get what you pay for people. 

Most products state on their bottle that it is not guarantee unless sold from a professional!