Category: Skincare Tips

Skin Renewal versus Skin Stagnation featuring Plastics in Your Skincare

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It’s been a while. After much (much) soul searching, I found my beautiful center. And with that, proper skincare education must continue. Thanks for joining me!

This post is inspired by a client of mine who lives in New York and is working remotely with me through Skype, email and phone sessions to heal her imbalanced skin.  She sent me her skincare product and foundation ingredients to review during a phone session for her one on one skin coaching program. The formula is listed at the end of this post so we may focus on our theme.

The main focus will be on liquid plastic found in skincare products and its stagnating effect it will have on your pores overtime. Most likely it has already caused damage and overtime these teachings will bring you back to a healthy, flowing renewal mode within your skin.

Plastic offers incredible surface coverage while being incredibly cheap for the manufacturer.  It immediately covers brown spots, hides pores and distended capillaries, instantly fills in the fine lines while hiding reddened blemishes. It is usually paired with silicones to give you that nice silky slip you have come to expect from your skincare products when applying them. Over the years it adds layers of dead chemicals within the follicles which initially you may perceive this as visible repair and improvement of your topical skin concerns. As a recent new local client pointed out after having her initial product ingredient review, the flashy advertising for these products is deceptive. I agreed with her interpretation of mass market advertising.  It is extremely deceptive. The very product promising flawless balanced skin and freedom from dark spots, sagging, wrinkles, redness, dryness, acne blemishes, and large pores is actually delivering quite the opposite. It is a primary cause of the above mentioned conditions. The method and process of a surface cover up exacerbates the damage beneath the surface. I am hopeful a new awareness is going to sink in as we expand our knowledge together on typical skin conditions from stagnation.. no pun was intended.

Cleanse In Truth: plastics offer incredible skin damage over time. Much like the chemical composition of petrolatum (petroleum, or petroleum jelly) a primary ingredient also found in almost all conventional skincare brands) plastic as you may think, perhaps for the first time, is a boring compound offering no nutritional benefit to the skin. There is nothing to discuss because they contain no live enzymes or chemical compounds to lead to skin renewal! Despite what the labeling or commercial add will say. Yet skincare products from brightening hand lotions to BB Creams are loaded with high concentrations of them. Why? Because of the false temporary gratification of a surface cover up.  It appears your condition went away near instantly, magically! But sadly it did not, it was only covered up by means of plastic, not magic.  This promotes further trapping, follicular stagnation and foundational damage. Plastic will stop the skin renewal process of your skin cells by deadening the skin cells within the follicles before they would normally become deadened. It traps healthy cells in a muddy pool of synthetic chemicals leading to an imbalance of proper water levels within the skin layers. This process leads to either

1. Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL for short), a complex name for a simple process of water being absorbed from your skin into the air when the barrier (more education on this next week) has become negatively impacted or

2. dehydration from impaction and stagnation occurs when an improper amount of water is produced among the skin layers. Healthy functioning skin produces an exact ratio of oil to water balance to maintain hydration in order to have a constant flow of cell renewal. With imbalance of function present, TEWL can contribute to stagnation factors and further dehydration.  Dehydration is one of the first markers of imbalanced, irritated unhealthy dull looking and feeling skin. The dehydration process stagnates cellular renewal and turns potential collagen formation that can no longer form into scar tissue at the lower levels of the pore. You know what this looks like, right?  Those tiny divots, or not so tiny divots that didn’t used to be present years ago, but now you’ve categorized them as permanent scars or enlarged pores because they have been a part of you for so long you have now convinced yourself they are staying.  Remember, every skin condition we discuss has the ability to become temporary.  Once proper function is initiated, the renewal phase of your skin can begin.

Sidenote: After working with thousands of clients who became quite overjoyed with their skin renewal process throughout the years I created my own teachings that rang true for me because cosmetic and general dermatology trainings and conventional esthetic school trainings did not make sense to me. It seemed as if I was being fed mistruths out of a lack of deeper understanding of proper skin functioning. At least for the level I required to understand my role as a skincare guide, the training didn’t exist for the levels of understanding that I sought-after.  So I created it for myself not knowing I would one day be globally guiding my clients to true skin healing and be proclaimed (by others, I know what my work is capable of offering, I don’t call myself names!) the Pore Whisperer, the Scar Healer, a skin magician, to name a few. This isn’t flattering to my self esteem, it is flattering as my happy client. Imagine the skin transformation that must have taken place for a client to call me such names. The skin renewal I am able to guide my clients to is remarkable. And it is real. There is a depth of skin function that rests in a gray area in an industry of black and white requiring the intuitive nature which I provide.

These concepts consist of my own self teachings where I regard skin conditions such as fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores as a type of follicular scarring. A wrinkle is a type of scar? In my intuitive skin healing method it definitely is.  If you follow my teachings and methods, you will have deepened your understanding of proper healthy skin functioning and will be more equipped and empowered to go after your own skin healing at the source level.

Scarring is a depression or elevation of collagen. Sometimes elastin over-produces such in the case of stretch marks where the lower structural levels are actually visible on the surface of the skin. Primary visual presentations of scarring I heal the most is of depressions. What I refer to as Follicular (Pore) Scarring. I am told that clients are told this is irreparable. That is untrue. This happens because

The follicles, or pores trap old oil, dead skin cells, blood (rosacea) melanin (darkened pigmented spots) and lymph causing an unhealthy stagnation where inflammatory stagnation is present as opposed to a healthy flowing blood and fluid supply for skin cell renewal. Inflammation eats away potential collagen fibers and begins to rupture follicles, spread stagnated blood furthering the damage rampage. This appears as a pink undertone, visible capillaries, a large inflamed blemish and enlarged visible pores that are ultimately very comfortable in their current state and do not intend on leaving.  Can your skin relate to any of these conditions? In order for scarring to diminish all of the other categories must diminish first. Feeling optimistic?

I neglected to mention mila earlier (sorry you were forgotten, milia). These are tiny plastic beads trapped within the pores that are extremely stubborn and require precision and skill to prevent blood vessel rupturing and bruising when extracting professionally or at home. Very common in eye creams and face creams where large concentrations of plastic are present in a firming hydrating formula.

And finally to sum up all of those conditions in one word it causes skin cell

stagnation. Stagnation. Stagnation. Stagnation.  Stagnation. Say it with me. Stagnation equals imbalanced skin function. Imbalanced skin function looks and feels unhealthy. For the good news: unhealthy skin function is only temporary because it can easily be nudged into renewal mode.

Nearly all synthetic ingredients cause cellular, vesicular and lymphatic stagnation versus a beautiful process of renewal. Skin stuck in those above conditions at a visual level doesn’t look or feel very happy with itself.  You’ve either been set free into renewal mode or you’re stuck in stagnation mode. 

I’m so proud of all of my clients who are achieving maximum skin renewal!  They weren’t afraid to dive deeper into the truth of their skin renewal journey! And now by means of understanding their true skin function, hundreds of clients are out of stagnation mode and in renewal mode already this year!! I feel so proud as their skincare coach (intuitive skincare guide).

This formula below is so close to being a beneficial formula.  {It technically could be.} But I am going for maximum renewal for my client’s skin and no amount of dead chemicals will do in order to obtain a maximum skin renewal status. A status every committed client of mine eventually reaches.

After the disappointing ingredient profile education continued among three foundation brand hopefuls – the formulas only became more and more plastic filled, alcohol filled  (not the kind used for the extraction of essential oils in a formula) petroleum filled, artificially fragranced and colored, and synthetically emulsified and blended while being controversially preserved- i could tell it was certainly becoming a let down for her. I knew her skin required real ingredients to support proper functioning again; something she had unknowingly, misleadingly not been applying for several years – and I knew I could guide her back to nutritional topical skin support. At the end of her ingredient review the disappointment left as she became excited to learn she can have a foundation created just for her. With all skin renewing ingredients. Whew. That was easy to let go of past stagnation.

The education was enough for her to understand my message to her. One hundred percent renewal looks healthy, alive, happy, peaceful.. We can’t achieve that status with skin deadening ingredients. Dead ingredients equal dead skin cells, afterall. The skin manufactures dead skin cells on its own and needs no more topical impairment to slow down its natural renewal process.

If you are using conventional liquid foundations, serums, body lotions and moisture creams you are sadly getting mega doses of petroleum and plastics among other skin deadening chemicals.  The few natural extracts get lost and are usually harshly processed for sake of quick turn around time for mass production. If you simply watch an episode of How it’s Made to learn how many products are created within minutes you will undoubtedly view staggering amounts of skincare products – with large doses of synthetic preservation to support years of potential sitting on a store shelf- being efficiently manufactured.

So I ask you, do you want alive renewing skin or deadened non properly functioning skin?  Your skin renewal is always in your hands. The first step is awareness through proper education and a connection to your body.  Keep learning and expanding your knowledge. It becomes easier as we progress. Firstly, begin thinking about what you’re applying onto your skin and allowing into your body. Simply think (ask yourself) if this is something your body wants you to apply onto it and ultimately into it.  Instead of letting instant gratification decide, (is it really that gratifying to rush-purchase a product because of its false advertisement to you and your pores, anyway? Instant gratification is usually false results as mentioned above) try letting your body decide for itself. And then honoring and respecting your body’s decision for itself. If only it could decide and act on its own decision there would be more skin renewal and less wasted time, money and negative energy spent on false promises contributing to foundational skin damage.

Will certain ingredients lead your skin and body into renewal or stagnation? What is the end result with that ingredient profile? Ask yourself these questions.

This was the best of the three foundation formulas but still not good enough for me. It is a fairly pretty formula holding only a few red flags.  It will offer the pores hydration and renewal and then ultimately stagnation and trapping within the pores over time. This means the renewal is short lived and not worth the temporary cover up effect. Do you think the cover up effect is worth while? Why or why not?

The polymethacrylate was expected as it is found in a broad range of facial care, body care and makeup products found at the dollar store to the high end department stores. Organic companies use it, too. You will usually see

Polymethacrylate, methacrylate, acrylates copolymer among other derivatives listed in your formulas. Have you been unknowingly applying plastics or petroleum into your pores?  What do you know about skincare formulas? Please comment below and share your experience!  Once you have received all of the proper education on skin-stagnating primary ingredients it will be time for skin renewal education. And once you refrain from applying topical stagnating ingredients you will shift your skin momentum from stagnation to renewal. You will then be on your way to skin clarity, at the deepest source level through a true renewal process. No more cover up.

Aqua/Water/Eau, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Glycerin, Algae, Sodium Hyaluronate, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Root Extract, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Squalane, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10), Boron Nitride, Stearic Acid.

I will be wishing you skin renewal with your newly enlightened thought process regarding skincare applications versus the latter.

Cleanse in Truth: Silicones and clogged pores Part 1 of 2

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Pore clogging ingredients in mass market products

Pore clogging ingredients in mass market products

 

Have you noticed that pore minimizing advertisements are at an all-time high? This seems ironic to me. The skincare industry sells us skincare and makeup products that clog our pores (although their labeling says the opposite) so they can then sell us products that minimize pores. In actuality, the majority of pore minimizing products I have researched do not minimize pores (and those that claim non-pore clogging are pore clogging) and as skincare consumers, we are all falling for it.

Do you own any of those face products that feel so silky and smooth to the touch and make your skin feel velvety, silky soft? Those products most likely have a high concentration of silicones.

These silica derived molecules are said to only sit on the surface of the skin so there is no possibility that they can penetrate the pore to cause acne. The skincare industry, comprised of companies who have their products manufactured and then spend millions of dollars to advertise those products, have so severely twisted the truth to sell their product that the consumer doesn’t know what to believe. If you spent millions of dollars on a product line formulation, would you do everything possible to sell that product? The skincare industry must make a return on that investment. Advertising executives make sure they do just that and the consumer buys the “Hope In a Jar” yet again. And again. And again. If you are anything like my average new client, your pores are more visible, not shrinking.

My biggest issue: the skincare industry has linked the term ‘clogged pore’ to causing acne or acne breakouts, by means of clever advertising. While comedogenic (proven pore clogging ability) ingredients do have the potential to cause breakouts and inflamed blemishes, comedogenic ingredients also have the ability to cause aging conditions without the presence of acne. I have clients who have clogged pores without any visual appearance of blackheads, whiteheads, or acne blemishes. These clients have admitted to settling on a product that is not offering them overall improvement with firming or brightening their skin. They admittedly hold onto the product in their regimen only because that product does not cause them acne or breakouts. They may not get breakouts but what they are left with is dull, dehydrated (dry looking) skin. Why?

This dull skin appearance is due to the fact that the skin’s natural exfoliation process has slowed from dehydration and impaction within the pore. In a healthy state, the skin has a seamless exfoliation mechanism within itself that forms new cells. These cells must eventually flatten, die and then flake off (typically on a microscopic level) following the formation of even newer cells. This process is known as cell regeneration. Upon the first signal of an imbalance within the skin (usually lead by clogged pores and closely followed by dehydration), the skin’s oil and dead skin cells become dried out and trapped (or stuck within the pore) and the skin’s functioning can become negatively altered. This means that cell regeneration dramatically slows. The skin is no longer making new skin at a proper rate and old skin cells are not flaking off the surface. If the skin is not regenerating at its normal rate, you can expect to notice accelerated visible aging.

I have my new clients bring in their current skincare product so I may perform ingredient analyses. Many of these clients claim that their serums, foundations and moisturizers “do not clog pores” because that is what they read on the label, or that is what the department store salesperson told them. After analysis of the full ingredient disclosure of their products, I sadly tell them that their product is indeed clogging their pores. This clogged pore condition begins with what I call the ‘domino effect of aging skin conditions’.  These include, dehydration, dryness, rosacea and redness, dull skin, sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne and even accelerated acne scarring. As I have proven within my skincare practice by guiding thousands of clients to their best skin, all of these conditions can be drastically reduced. The first step is to get rid of their individual skin imbalances. This removal of the skin imbalance process is the same for every single client, no matter what their skin condition: offer proper hydration while removing the impaction within the pores. There is a customized approach to each client treatment but the initial stages remain the same.

Concerned for their health, clients want to know what is good for their skin and body and what is not, as well as what is truly helping turn back the clock, and what is not. You can read information leading every which way on whether or not silicones are pore clogging. You will easily find clinical studies from chemist-created websites to news articles (sourcing cosmetic and dermatology journals) all announcing these ingredients are non-pore clogging. I must remind myself that these chemists providing this information to the public are the same chemists manufacturing skincare products for the commercialized, mass marketed skincare industry, (the ones who spend millions upon millions advertising to get my hard earned dollars).

I perform skincare treatments on every type of skin on varying age groups and skin conditions, yet each of my clients’ skin imbalance causes are linked to the same skin condition: clogged pores. Some first time clients are not even aware of it.  They are concerned with darkened patches, or hyperpigmentation, rosacea and redness, acne, expression lines, and sagging skin. They do not know that their pores are clogged and their skin has become dehydrated from the clogging (most of them do not notice while some do). After multiple hours of ingredient research there is one common denominator among every single product: filler ingredients comprise 90% or more of each product formulation. And the top contributing ingredients? Silicones. Here are the most commonly found silicones in foundations, primers, pore minimizers and moisturizing skin products:

Cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, dimethicone, methicone, phenyl trimethicone

These provide a temporary filling and then smoothing out of the surface of the pores so you see (what the label flashes at you in big bold lettering) instant smoothing results. Some product labels list this ingredient four or five times in addition to listing it as the second or third ingredient.  I sometimes cringe when I read ingredient lists to my clients as I explain what they have really been getting with their skincare products:  aging.  The higher on the list, the higher the concentration of that ingredient in the product. Be warned, this instant result is only temporary and it is only on the surface. Yes, you will see immediate improvement as the silky base provides a ‘protective covering’ over your skin. That is where it ends. These ingredients become dried out and trapped within the pore further expanding it beneath the surface as it clogs with your own dead skin cells and oils. Your skin becomes dehydrated as it begins lacking oxygen and water further halting your natural exfoliation cycle. This dehydration and clogging cycle creates the look of larger pores on the surface – not smaller. If you see instant results advertised on a label I politely urge you to keep on walking without picking up that product. You can do better than an on the surface covering, can’t you?

A large percentage of my female clients excitedly report that they do not feel the need to wear makeup anymore after working with me to correct their skin imbalances. They especially don’t desire it after learning about the ingredients in their cover up products. (I have created a client throw away bin in my treatment room. I will soon share the photo of clients’ products that were thrown into the bin after they had an ingredient session with me- because these clients no longer desired these falsely advertised products.) Wouldn’t you rather correct the imbalances beneath the surface so it shows as a nice even and bright canvas on the surface? That way you don’t feel that you need to use the primers, cover ups, concealers, and foundations to cover up your skin. You can actually correct the imbalance beneath the surface and let your healthy skin show without covering it up, with silicones.