Hydrating Ingredient: Hyaluronic Acid

Winter time can wreak havoc on everyone's skin. Dry and dehydrated skin can lead to irritation, redness and flaking. Try adding a product with Hyaluronic Acid into your skincare regimen. Don't let the word acid throw you off, Hyaluronic Acid does not strip the skin or dry it out. 

Skin Scripts products that contain Hyaluronic Acid are : Pomegranate Cleanser, Ageless Serum, Cucumber Toner, Light Aloe Moisturizer, Ageless Moisturizer and Acai Berry Moisturizer.

What does Hyaluronic Acid do? 

-binds moisture to the skin

-naturally occurring in the dermis of human skin

-assists in distribution of nutrients

-increases skin suppleness and strength

-strengthens the intercellular matrix

-smoothes 

-keeps skin plump and hydrated

Skin Scripts Ageless Hydrating Serum: ($30)

This is my favorite way to get extra hydration, it's like giving my skin a big sip of water. Use this product AM & PM after cleansing & toning. Follow with a moisturizer to seal into skin. 

Benefits of this product: 

-Contains 60% Hyualronic Acid

-suitable for all skin types

-improves milia

-improves hydration

-balances surface lipids

-reduces visible wrinkle

-improves cellular respiration

-plumps skin

Add Hyaluronic Acid to your regimen to ensure good hydration this winter. Not sure the best product to benefit your skin with HA? Contact Licensed Esthetician, Megan Johnson at skinstudiobymegan@gmail.com for a complementary consultation. 

Happy Monday to all. 

Xoxo, 

Megan Johnson, Licensed Esthetician

Spot Treating Breakouts

Breakouts...most people have experience with them (if you don't lucky you), but do you know the proper way to handle those pesky pimples? Today we are talking about how to handle breakouts & the best way to treat them. 

-ICE ICE BABY: Ice is a great way to bring down the inflammation of a pimple. Wrap a piece of ice in a paper towel and rub over breakouts or all over the face. This will help reduce the size of your breakout.

-Don't pick: Picking at pimples will only leave you with scabs & scars. Picking can be a habit for some but please kick this habit to the curb. 

-If you have a scab over your pimple: If you picked and now have an ugly scab over your pimple, you need to heal it not treat it. Treat it as an open wound (because it is). Do not use any acne products, instead use skin healing products.

-Don't Pop: Especially do not pop cystic acne. Cystic acne is the deep underground breakouts that are usually hormonal and come around once a month. Cystic acne never comes to a head, so it can not be popped. When you try to pop cystic acne, the bacteria can explode under the skin leading to more breakouts. It is always best to leave your pimple popping to a licensed professional. We are trained in how to extract and you will not be left with scarring. 

-Leave it to the professionals: As I just stated it is always best to have a professional esthetician extract any breakouts. 

-High Frequency: A high frequency machine creates a gas that kills bacteria under the skin. Aka a zit zapped. I LOVE high frequency machines and have had much better luck with this than any laser I have had for acne. 

-Professional Skincare: Try a spot treatment from a professional skincare line. My favorite is Skin Scripts Blemish Spot Treatment. I will talk about it more below. 

-Hormonal Breakouts: If you only breakout once a month when Mother Nature comes, try scheduling a microdermabrasion or chemical peel right before or during your monthly cycle. This will help combat any breakouts. Also you can have a professional extract your breakouts.

Skin Scripts Blemish Spot Treatment: AKA the holy grail. What I love about this over any other spot treatment products I have tried is it clears up your blemish without drying out your skin. It also helps heal the skin & reduce post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. 

How to use: Use daily up to three times per day to rapidly heal blemishes. Will penetrate through makeup. 

Benefits:

-soothes skin irritation

-reduces inflammation and redness

-clarifies & heals breakouts

-assists in boosting hydration levels

-limits pigmentation and scarring 

Active ingredients: 5% Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Witch Hazel & Spin Trap.

This spot treatment by Skin Scripts is only $17. 

5 Skincare Mistakes You Might Be Making

We all make mistakes...but skincare should not be one of them. Today I am talking about 5 mistakes you might be making in your skincare regimen. 

1) Leaving the house without sunscreen. 

This is a big NO NO. You should apply sunscreen everyday and every season. UV rays actually reflect off of snow, so yes winter time you need SPF. I recommend at least SPF 30. 

2) Over cleansing, over exfoliating, over medicating.

Even as an esthetician I can be guilty of this sometimes. Especially when a pesky pimple appears, I always want to apply a million products to clear it up. When we over cleanse & exfoliate, we actually can over-strip the skin. When our skin is over-stripped, it produces more oil to compensate. More oil means more breakouts. Cleanse your skin only twice a day AM & PM. Discuss with your esthetician on how many times a week you should be exfoliating. 

3) Not getting an annual mole check. 

It is very important to make your annual checkup at your dermatologist. It could save your life. 

4) Buying products because your friend uses them or sells them. 

Chances are your friend who sells Rodan & Fields or another MLM skincare line is not a licensed Esthetician and is just trying to make extra money on the side. They have no clue what skincare products you should be using. Don't let them pressure you.

Another line I hate is "my friend uses this product and her skin looks amazing so I started using it". Your friends skin type is probably a lot different then yours and you should not use the same product as her. Unfortunately most of the time they just have good genes and that is why their skin looks so good. Always ask your esthetician what products they recommend. I will recommend products I don't retail. I want your skin to look good,  and products to be beneficial for your skin type. 

5) Not using Vitamin C or a Retinol. 

Everyone should be using a Vitamin C serum. It lightens, tightens and brightens the skin. It is "coffee" for your skin, waking it up in the AM & giving your that beautiful glow for the day. My favorite Vitamin C serums are Skin Ceuticals (high budget) or Skin Scripts Vitamin C ($36). Vitamin C is full of antioxidants to fight off those damaging free radicals. 

Retinol or Retin A is a topical vitamin A product. What this does is speed up our cellular turnover rate. Every 28 days our cells turnover, this slows down as we age. Topical Vitamin A will help keep up our cellular turnover rate. You can have your dermatologist prescribe you a retin A or you can get a Retinol (lighter version) from your esthetician. Skin Scripts Glycolic/Retinol pads ($22.50) are my clients favorite. I can't keep them in stock. Use these 3x/week or as directed by your esthetician. 

Start today fixing these skincare mistakes you might be making. Today is the first day of February & that means Valentines Day is right around the corner. Ask your loved one or treat yourself to good skincare products. Your skin is the largest organ of your body, treat it right. 

New Year New Skin. Skin Care Resolutions 2016

NEW YEAR. NEW SKIN.

Thursday January 1st I posted my first Skin Studio By Megan blog post. The purpose of this blog is to share with all of my beautiful clients & friends skin care tips & tricks. I honestly didn't think anyone would ever read this. I am so thankful every time you all text or comment on how a post has really helped your skin or helped you learn more about products/ingredients. AND can I get an AMEN to those of you who have thrown away products that are terrible for your skin.

My first post was 5 Skin Care Resolutions of 2015. You can read it HERE!!!!!!
For those of you who have read it, some of these might be on repeat. However I have learned so much more this past year from my wonderful skincare line Skin Scripts training & webinars. This line is amazing and their online training has really helped me grow as an esthetician.


Here are 7 quick Skin Care Resolutions to make for 2016:

1) SPF: I know its in every post I make, but I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing SPF everyday. Apply your sunscreen not only to your face but your entire body including the back of your hands. Doing this everyday will prevent pigmentation (save money on treatments, lasers, etc.) and premature aging. My favorite as many of you know is Elta MD sunscreen. I love their UV physical tinted sunscreen. This one is safe for all skin types including sensitive and post procedure.

2) Retinol: Everyone should be on some form of topical Vitamin A. This year try adding it into your skincare regimen. You can get prescription strength Retin-A from your dermatologist. Retinol is a lighter form of Vitamin A that you can purchase from your esthetician. I use Skin Scripts Glycolic/Retinol Pads a few times a week. This is the perfect amount of retinol to make a huge impact on my skin without the harsh side effects of prescription retin A. I also use twice a week a prescription Retin-A. Topical Vitamin A products promote fast cell turnover. This is great for anti-aging and also great for keeping acne-prone skin under control. When first starting ANY form of Vitamin A, start slow and progress as skin becomes tolerable. Side effects are dryness, redness and flaking/peeling. After the first few weeks, your skin will tolerate it just fine.

3) In 2016 I will NOT drink from a straw: Drinking from a straw can cause wrinkles around the mouth. Tons of clients who are non-smokers have what we refer to as "smoker lines" above the top lip from drinking from a straw. This year lets try to cut back on the straws.

4) Workout Your Skin: No ladies, we do not have to go to the gym to work out our skin. Schedule a facial, chemical peel, or microdermabrasion to train your skin and whip it into shape. Skin cells can be trained and like routine. Our dead skin cells shed every 28 days (slowing as we age). Professional treatments get rid of the top dead layers of skin. If you are oily or acne prone I recommend every 3-4 weeks. If you have normal to dry skin I recommend every 4-6 weeks. Treatments need to be kept up for maintenance of your skin.

5) I promise to stop using crappy products on my skin:

Using good skin care products will make THE biggest difference in the appearance of your skin. Professional treatments every 4 weeks won't make a huge difference if you are going home each night and using St. Ives scrub and wash. "Invest in your skin. It is going to represent you for a long time". Skin is the largest organ of our bodies, why would you not treat it like royalty. Remember, more expensive is NOT always more quality. Skin Scripts is the line I carry and currently use. It is an all natural, professional grade skin care line that is SO affordable. I have tons of clients who spend more money on crappy products at walgreens, target, ulta etc. when they could be spending less on Skin Scripts and get much better quality products. The biggest difference in over the counter products vs. professional products is the amount of active ingredients. I love to do skin care consults and switch over your skin care routine. I will recommend products I do not even sell. I am not a huge pushy sales woman, I just want you to invest in good skincare.
Thanks to Skin Scripts here is an amazing look at the differences:

6) I promise to drink more water: This may or may not be on my resolutions list every year. Having kidney stones & problematic skin, it is so important to drink a ton of water each day to flush out those toxins and hydrate. This year I downloaded an app to help me track my daily water intake. I also have started adding one tablespoon of liquid chlorophyll to my water twice a day. Reece Witherspoon swears by this to keep her skin clear. I have only been doing this a few days but I am loving the results. Do this daily or a week before your cycle to keep hormonal acne away.

7) I will use a Vitamin C Serum every morning: EVERYONE should be using a Vitamin C serum. Vitamin C and Retin-A are the two most anti-aging must have products. Vitamin C lightens, tightens and brightens the skin. It is a great dose of antioxidants to combat free radicals. It is good for UV protection (also apply your SPF) and it gets rid of previous damage from UV rays. Apply in the morning for a dose of "coffee for your skin" it will brighten you up & you will look more awake. My favorite brands of Vitamin C are Skin Ceuticals and Skin Scripts.


I hope you all will challenge your self to better your skin this new year. Remember it is your largest organ, take care of it.

Eye Serums-for all budgets

Previously working in the medical esthetic field I have tried every high end eye cream/serum. Honestly there is only one that I loved the results, iS Clinical Youth Eye Serum. While I loved the results, I didn't love the high end price. I have searched high & low for a product that provides amazing results just like that serum. My favorite line Skin Scripts had the perfect match, Peptide Eye Serum. 

Skin Scripts Peptide Eye Serum lightens and opens the eye zone for a refreshed youthful appearance. It is beneficial for skin with dark circles & puffiness. Improving dark circles 50%. 

Benefits: 

-Alleiviates under eye circles

-Reduces puffiness

-Improves circulation

-Plumps eye tissue

-Lessens the appearance of wrinkles

-Soothes & calms

-Tightens & firms

Usage:

AM & PM

I use half a pump for both eyes, a little goes a long way. The serum goes on smoothly for perfect application. 

What are peptides? 

Peptides boost collagen, reduce wrinkle depth & promote healing. Check out more information about peptides on my previous blog post here: 

http://www.skinstudiobymegan.blogspot.com/2015/08/power-of-peptides.html?m=1

Kiss those crows feet, dark circles & puffiness away for only $30. 

What pumpkins can do for your skin.

Fall is here and that means everything revolves around pumpkins. Did you know that pumpkins have amazing benefits for the skin? My favorite pumpkin product is Skin Scripts 15% pumpkin orange enzyme. I also have a pumpkin mask, however the pumpkin enzyme gives amazing results. 

What does the pumpkin orange enzyme do? 

Packed with Vitamins A & C, this enzyme will exfoliate and reduce oil. It dissolves dead skin while the orange provides a beautiful glow to the skin. Contains 11% lactic acid. 

Who can use it? 

This is a strong enzyme. Use on resilient skin. Peeling may occur. Has a tingle sensation. 

Benefits: 

-resurfacing and pore refinement 

-antioxidant 

This enzyme smells amazing. Try adding pumpkin to your facial treatments this fall. Your skin will love you. 

Skincare for your 20s

I cannot stress how important it is to start caring for your skin at a young age. Prevention is key. I have so many clients in their 40/50s wishing they didn't cleanse their skin with dove soap for years. They also wish they didn't bake in the sun for years & had clear non pigmented skin. Ladies in your twenty somethings or even late teens, start caring for your skin now. Here are some tips for skincare in your 20's. 

It's never to early to start an anti-aging routine. 

Start adding in anti-aging products & treatments now, prevention is key. 

Don't skip the sunscreen. 

Yes I mean year round. 

Start using an eye cream. 

It doesn't need to be a heavy cream. Use something with peptides like this Skin Scripts peptide eye serum. Prevent those crows feet now ladies & combat dark circles/puffiness. 

Wear sunglasses. 

Squinting causes crows feet. 

Don't drink from a straw. 

Drinking from a straw (and smoking) cause wrinkles around the lips. 

Retinol is a must. 

Try a product with Retinol. My favorite is this Skin Scripts Retinol pads used a few times a week. 

Antioxidants. 

Antioxidants protect the skin from environmental stress. They fight free radicals. I love to get mine from Skin Scripts Vitamin C serum. 

Don't pop your pimples. 

It causes scaring & discoloration. Let them heal naturally or have an esthetician lance them. Use ice to bring down swelling. 

Exfoliate at least 1-2 times per week. 

Depending on your exfoliator use it 1-2 times per week. Make sure not to over due it & over strip the skin. 

Stop Tanning. 

Because pigmentation is ugly.