Ageless Skin Hydrating Serum

Ageless Skin Hydrating Serum

This is one of Skin Scripts best sellers. I haven't had a client who hasn't gone crazy over this serum. Everyone who has sampled it always purchases it. That says a lot in the skincare world. Skin Scripts line is a natural, effective, cruelty free skincare line. The prices are very affordable & the products produce amazing results. This serum reminds me of Skin Ceuticals hydrating B5 gel but a fraction of the cost. The main ingredient is Hyaluronic Acid, which binds moisture to the skin & plumps the skin. This product contains 60% Hyaluronic Acid, making it a wow product. 

Functions:

-Multi-functioning serum that binds moisture to the skin. 

-Balances surface lipids

-Reduce visible wrinkles

-Improves cellular respiration

-Plumps skin

Who is it good for? 

All skin types, especially dehydrated, dry, milia& Acne-prone skin. 

How to apply: 

Morning & Night after cleansing & toning the skin. Apply a moisturizer after to seal the serum in the skin. Usually half a pump to one pump gets the job done. 

How it works on milia? 

Milla is a lack of free water in the skin. Our skin is made of bi-layers which have perfect oil to water balance. Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) happens when the skin isn't properly hydrated. What happens to oil in bi-layers  without water? The oil crystallizes into hard balls on the skin. This serum puts the water back into the skin. In 4 weeks of using this serum, you can extract the milia. Within 8 weeks the milia should dissolve itself. Drink lots of water and use this serum am & pm to get rid of milia. Use this all the way up to the lash line.

How it works on acne? 

Enzymes help with natural desquamation (shedding of dead skin cells). Enzymes need water to be active. Skin cells on dehydrated skin leads up to a build up of dead skin cells causing acne. Using this serum helps stop acne in its tracks. Many of my acne prone clients use this serum in place of a moisturizer. I like to use this serum and follow up with Skin Scripts light aloe moisturizer. 

Find out why all of my clients & myself love this serum. Contact me at 859.619.2155 to try some today. Positive note it is only $30. WOW

BENEFITS OF A FACIAL

Many clients who come in for microdermabrasion or other services will ask, what are the benefits of a facial? Well tonight's post is all about the benefits of a facial. A facial is a professional service to improve and rejuvenate the skin. Facials maintain the health and correct certain skin conditions through deep cleansing. The skin is the largest organ in the body, take good care of it.

Benefits of facials:

• Deep Cleanses
• Exfoliates
• Increases Circulation & Detoxifies
• Slows down pre-mature aging
• Treats skin conditions such as dryness, oiliness, breakouts.
• Softens wrinkles & aging lines
• Clears up blemishes & minor acne. 
• Relaxes the senses, nerves & muscles.
• Speeds up the cellular turnover rate.
• Promotes collagen production. 

So what exactly does a facial include? All of my facials are customized to each skin type. I use Skin Scripts products, a natural skincare line that provides amazing results. Ask me about a gluten free facial.I recently switched up my facials and clients are loving it. My facials typically include:

-Skin Consultation: After reviewing your client intake forms, we will discuss your skin concerns & expectations. 

-Deep Cleansing: Using a treatment cleanser, I cleanse the skin of dirt, oils & makeup. This allows me to analyze the skin and determine the best products and treatments for you. 

-Steam: Steam softens the skin and hardened oil in the pores, it is also hydrating. 

-Enzymes: Depending on your skin type & conditions, I will choose an enzyme tailored to your skins needs. Enzymes are mild, natural, and great for sensitive skin. Enzymes are ingredients designed to dissolve keratin proteins on the surface of the skin, resulting in exfoliation and softer, smoother skin. I love skin scripts enzymes. They are fruit based enzymes that smell amazing.

-Exfoliaton: Speeds up cell turnover, dead skin cells shed naturally every 28 days (this process slows down as we age). This helps rid the skin of the dead cells to reveal healthy fresh skin. Exfoliation is done manually through a scrub or microdermabrasion or chemically with a chemical peel, depending on your skin. 

-Ultrasonic Skin Scrubber: This little tool is amazing. Check out my blog post here ULTRASONIC SKIN SCRUBBER BLOG 
                                                    Here is its three functions:

1. Soft Peel & Cleansing Mode: During the first step, the machine is loosening dead skin cells.The peeling step of this process pulses water quickly into the skin to bring out trapped dirt and oil.

2. Nutrition Mode: During the second phase of ultrasonic, the skin scrubber penetrates product deeper into the skin. This allows the product to reach deeper into the skin than it normally would. 

3. Firming Mode: During the final step of ultrasonic, the machine allows the esthetician to tone and lift the face. This results in elasticity to the skin, eliminates fine lines & wrinkles, and shrinks the appearance of pores.

-Massage- Facial massage is relaxing and increases circulation.

-Mask: Lowers the temperature of the skin, reduces redness, hydrates & delivers key ingredients. 

-Products: Customized to your skin type, eye creams, serums and a moisturizer will be applied.

-Protect: You will always leave with sun protection at Skin Studio By Megan.


After the facial we will discuss recommendations for future skin care treatments and products. Remember good home care is necessary for optimal results. One facial is not a miracle in an hour, but it will promote healthy, glowing skin. I recommend a professional exfoliation treatment (facial, microdermabrasion, chemical peel) every 4-6 weeks. As I stated earlier, our skin cells shed every 28 days, this helps remove dead skin cells and rid the skin of impurities. 

I found this on pinterest and shared it on my facebook page awhile back & I just love it. 

Chemical Peel 101 & Giveaway

It amazes me how many clients are scared of chemical peels. I think we have all seen the Sex And The City episode where Samantha's skin looks crazy post peel. I blame that episode for the fear in many clients. I also think the name "chemical peel" scares people off a bit. Tonight we are going to discuss different types of peels & why you should try one at your next appointment. I love alternating clients between peels & microdermabrasion...it is good to switch things up! 

                             

Many clients don't understand there is generally 3 levels of peels...light, medium & deep. Being acne prone and working in the medical field I have tried just about every peel ranging from no peeling to my face falling off in sheets. I have found I have better results doing light "lunch-time" peels more frequently rather than a series of deep peels. Not to mention the down time is much better. Let's discuss chemical peels. 

Benefits of chemical peels: 

-improves skin texture

-reveals healthy glowing skin 

-removes dead skin cells 

-preserves youthful appearance 

-increases moisture retention

-improves skin barrier function 

-stimulates collagen & elastin

-reduces surface pigmentation 

-reduces fine lines & wrinkles 

-reduces acne & acne scarring 

Downtime: 

All the peels I perform at Skin Studio By Megan are "lunch-time" peels. They can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes per treatment. Lunch time peels speed up renewal process on top layer of skin. The downtime is very minimal if any. The skin may appear red after treatment and that will fade within 30 minutes to a few hours. No makeup for at least 2 hours. You also may feel tight & dry for a few days. A few of my peels have minimal flaking for 3-5 days. The downtime is similar to microdermabrasion. 

Types of peels: 

Lactic: 

milk-based 

hydrating & exfoliating 

normal-dry

sun damage 

hyper pigmentation 

lightening 

Glycolic: 

-dissolves desmosomes that hold skin together

-normal, oily, acneic & dry

-minimizes poor size 

-mild-moderate acne 

-pigmentation 

Salicylic: 

-normal, oily & acneic 

-resurfaces & refines skin & pores

-dries up oil

-excellent antioxidant 

-inhibits inflammation 

TCA:

-re-texturizing 

-melasma 

-acne 

-hyper pigmentation 

-evens skin tone 

These are just a few popular peels at Skin Studio By Megan

Remember there are tons of different peels out there. Just because you had a glycolic peel at one office doesn't mean it will be the same at another. Peels vary in pH levels & percentages. 

Giveaway: 

I am giving away a FREE chemical peel to one lucky winner. Here is how to enter. Like the giveaway on Instagram or Facebook. Comment which peel you think is best for your skin type. Share this post. (If private comment that you shared so I will know). The winner will be chosen Monday June 15th. Tag a friend on Facebook or Instagram to be entered twice. 

INSTAGRAM LINK

FACEBOOK LINK

Skin Scripts peels are good for all Fitzpatrick types. Most companies peels are not recommended for darker skin types. 

Here are some testimonies from clients about chemical peels.

 "Best chemical peel experience ever! I've always been so scared to get one done but Megan did an amazing job my skin has never looked or felt better!" -Devan W

"I just wanna take the time to give a huge shoutout to Megan Johnson!!!!!!!! Received a chemical peel and different sorts of her fabulous treatment two days ago, and my face already looks and feels so much better! Thank you Megan you are amazing!!!! If you are having troubles with your skin I recommend setting up and appt. with her!!!" -Hannah G

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. 

SHRINK THE APPEARANCE OF LARGE PORES

MYTH: Products that claim they shrink the size of the pore....that is IMPOSSIBLE. Pore size does not shrink or grow. However you can shrink the appearance of the pore. Pores seem large when they are filled with dead skin cells & sebum (oil). Pore size is genetically determined (thanks mom & dad for the big oily pores).Here are a few ways to help reduce the appearance of your pore size. 

1- Salicylic Acid Peels-
My 20% Salycilic Acid peel from Skin Scripts is amazing for oily skin. This peel is oil based and will dissolve the oil therefor making the pore size appear smaller. You can expect mild flaking with this peel for about 3-4 days. Some clients have no peeling at all. I LOVE this peel. Recommended for oily & acneic skin. 

2- Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is polishing the top layers of the skin. The diamond wand tip gently sloughs off the top dead layers of the skin, while the vacuum suction pulls out debris inside the pores (dead skin cells, oil, dirt). By doing this, our pores appear much smaller instantly. Check out more information on microdermabrasion on my previous blog post HERE

3- Deep Cleansing
Facials are a great deep pore cleansing treatment. For at home, I recommend Clarisonic brushes for a good deep cleanse. I have had my Clarisonic for years (I change out the brush head) and have never had issues with it. It might be an investment for some...but it is worth every penny! Make sure not to over use your Clarisonic. 

4- Glycolic Peels
Glycolic Acid dissolves the desmosomes between cells to keep skin cells exfoliated. Also opens up acne impactions. By dissolving the desmosomes we are helping to shrink the appearance of the pore. 

5-Wear Sunscreen
UVA & UVB creates free radical damage which slows down cell production. Basically it makes your skin & pores look rough & flaky. My favorite sunscreen is ELTA MD.

6-Moisturize
Most people with large pores and/or oily skin are often afraid of using moisturizer. I always hear from clients well moisturizers break me out...WRONG. If your skin is dried out it will go into overdrive creating more oil leading to more breakouts. Talk to your esthetician and see if you are using the right moisturizer. Most clients are NOT because they hear about a great moisturizer from a friend or AD. About 99.9% of the time your friend who recommended a product has completely different skin then you. Just because products work well for them does not mean the product will benefit your skin.

7- Ice Cube Facials
I love doing ice cube facials, however I don't do them as often as I should. Take an ice cube, wrap in a paper towel & rub them over your face. It reduces inflammation (great for acne), reduces redness & shrinks the appearance of the pores. It has a nice tightening effect instantly on the skin. It gives the skin a fantastic glow. 

I hope these tricks & tips help you out. Make sure to consult with your esthetician about your skin type & the best treatment for you. I hope everyone is having a fabulous Sunday & a great weekend. My Sunday will consist of blogging, cleaning my house & watching Skin Scripts webinars, I LOVE that company & their educational webinars.