Why our estheticians are the best…

Posted by: Rhonda Shrum

When it comes to skin care treatment, Mary Ann Egner knows her stuff. As a licensed medical esthetician at St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery Medical Spa, her job consists of not just performing chemical peels and facials, but analyzing skin and really listening to her patients as well. These skills, however, do not come overnight. Mary Ann, like all of our estheticians, constantly makes sure that she is learning, evolving, trying new things, and keeping herself cutting-edge.

As part of her ongoing (and never-ending!) education, Mary Ann went to Carlsbad, California recently for the SkinMedica Advocate Summit, 2011. While there, she met and listened to many top doctors in the skin care industry and came away with some great insights:

What an awesome adventure and learning experience!!! After all the fatigue of traveling to Carlsbad, CA. and dealing with the time changes, I was so not ready to be inspired, but I was!!! At the welcome reception I was delighted to talk with several fellow estheticians and medical estheticians from all around the country. It was so interesting to exchange information about services, products and our profession in general. After a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast, I was rearing to go and go we did. First there was the company update. So I am thinking, ho hum. NOPE!! After listening to a brief explanation from Ted Schwarz, the President, speak about the goals and future of Skin Medica, I was pumped. It is so nice to know that it is not just about turning a profit, but taking care of the patient needs.

Next came Rahul Mehta, Ph.D., who has all the info on the clinical. He is so intelligent about all the wonderful research being done on the products and production of the new ones (Lots on the horizon!). Then John Garruto, Vice President of Formulation Development spoke. To estheticians, this is so intriguing. There were so many more people who I don’t have time to write about, but they were all a part of this wonderful experience. The founder of the company, Dr.Richard Fitzpatrick, M.D., F.A.A.D., is an amazing man who had the foresight to see what would be needed in the future and he took the steps needed to create this awesome company. Thank you, Dr. Fitzpatrick for your vision and thank you for the wonderful experience of experiencing the Advocate Summit, 2011. I look forward to next year.

We’re all excited for our staff and patients to benefit from Mary Ann’s learning experience. Knowledge is power, they say, and our staff is full of it!

90 Day Challenge: Challenging what I see in the mirror

Posted by: Rhonda Shrum

About a month ago, when I decided to do this challenge publicly, I was still very naive. Bolstered by my friends and co-workers and excited to have something huge like this to kick off my blogging experience here, I confidently chose to put myself out there as a guinea pig, assuming embarrassment would be minimal.

Then, I got my first digital photo analysis of my skin, and I went home and cried.

I was shocked. Bewildered. I’m a fairly pale girl, always have been. I’m the one people make fun of on the beach, wearing big floppy hats. Sunburn is not enjoyable to me, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been in a tanning bed (and I’m not proud of those few moments). So while I was braced for the possibility of a few wrinkles and big pores, what I was not expecting was this: That’s my pale skin. With sun damage! A million little UV spots just biding time till one day, unbeknownst to me, they’ll show up ready to party.

Surprisingly, the wrinkles weren’t bad. I had one, so I won’t complain. But I was severely dehydrated, and full of bacteria, thanks to my awful habits of drinking 4 cups a coffee a day and not always cleansing before bed.

So yeah, I cried…because I had to realize that I’ve been lazy and unappreciative. I just expect my skin to always look like it looks now, with no effort whatsoever given to keeping it that way. And the truth is, that will always backfire. If I don’t correct it now, I will wake up in five years with that spotty face.

So not only do I have to publicly stare down my own vanity, but I’m being forced to recognize and rectify habits that don’t serve me well. Sure, I love coffee, and I joke about my addiction daily. However, I never once considered that it would have a negative effect on my skin. Apply sunscreen daily? I’ve never bothered, why would I? I’m not tanning or anything. Stupidly, though, I didn’t count on the endless hours of driving with sun blazing through my window, or all the times I’ve spent with my son outside at the playground. It all adds up, and it’s not pretty.

It’s slowly sinking in that the challenge I decided to do for fun, to just “look better,” will ultimately turn into a vehicle for massive introspection and analysis of not just my habits, but my concepts of health and beauty as well. Eventually, my hope is to not just have better skin, but a better understanding of how to care for myself, both inside AND out.

If you’re interested in the 90 Day Challenge, you can still sign up until November 30th. The cost for all the products and treatments is $695,  valued at almost $1300. Call 636-530-9020 for more information.

New to Skin Care? So am I, so help me take the 90 Day Challenge!

Posted by: Rhonda Shrum

Confession: Before I came to work for St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa as their Marketing Director, I occasionally went to bed without washing my face. And by “occasionally,” I mean “pretty much always.”

You’re squirming right now, I know. And so were our lovely estheticians when I first broke this to them. To their credit, they refrained from complete screaming but did give me quite the lecture while vowing to fix me up right.

But the truth is, I’m not alone—many women just don’t take proper care of their skin. For me personally, it just never struck me as a priority. Luckily, at 35 my skin still looks pretty good. But the inevitable signs of aging are starting to show up. Fine lines around my mouth, formed by years and years of huge, cheesy grins. Crinkly lines between my brows from years and years of scowling when I wasn’t offering a cheesy grin. A “dull” texture that reminds me, ever so subtly, that I am no longer 22. And that’s just what I can see on the surface, who knows what’s lurking below.

So when we decided to run a promotion called the 90 Day Challenge, a treatment plan consisting of SkinMedica products and 3 chemical peels, I thought it was time to get serious. What better way to be able to speak about our products and services than by participating in the challenge myself? And as a complete newbie to the concept of skin care, I figured my personal challenges will be the same ones a lot of women will face when starting something this intensive. My bathroom counter, once a haven for hairspray and make-up, has been transformed into a seemingly endless display of shiny silver tubes and containers, most of which I don’t really understand yet. It’s pretty hard-core, to say the least.

I won’t lie, it’ll be hard for me to get into the habit of cleansing and moisturizing every night and morning (you mean I have to actually take off my eye make-up!?), not to mention the fact that I’ve never even had ONE chemical peel, let alone three, so I’m nervous and anxious for that experience as well.

But I can’t deny, I am excited. The SkinMedica products included in the 90 Day Challenge are nothing short of amazing, according to every single person I’ve met who uses them, and the challenge marketing materials assure me that by participating, I’ll look five years younger. How amazing would it be to actually look 30 after claiming to still be 30 for the past five years!  And I have a sneaking suspicion that after one chemical peel, I’ll be a new addict.

We have a wonderful staff of women here just dying to get their hands on my skin and right my wrongs, and I can’t wait to see the difference in 3 months. Next up: a digital complexion analysis of my skin, where I get to see every bit of damage I’ve done. Yikes!

Me with Esthetician Wendy, and me in the middle with Estheticians Janice and Mary Ann below: 

Why should I stop using bar soap to cleanse my skin?

Some people resort to using bar soap, trying to rid the skin of excess oil, not knowing that soap can cause skin to dehydrate instantly, thus activating the oil glands to multiply their oil production internally in order to compensate the loss of the surface oil.  It’s no secret that ALL bar soap causes soap scum.  If the waxy substance used in bar soap to help maintain its shape leaves a waxy coating on a non-porous surface like your shower walls or tub, what do you think it’s doing to your skin?  Even bar soap with the best ingredients is still BAR SOAP. Most contain salt, which will harden any oily debris clogging the pores even more. When the increased oil production inside the pores can not flow out due to the hardened debris clogging them, it can lead to enlarged pores, blackheads and other acne issues. The dehydration caused by bar soap may also lead to skin rupture allowing bacterial invasion into the skin leading to acne and acne scarring.

Wendy Ventimiglia, LE, CMES (medical esthetican) 

What are the benefits of having regular facial treatments?

The skin has a natural tendency to heal itself; however, depending on the results you desire, sometimes we must seek professional help in order to achieve maximum results. Your skin renews itself about every 28 days.  This process tends to slow as we mature.  In order to help with age-related concerns, like wrinkles, crow’s feet, laugh lines, pigmentation, scarring, etc, it is important to be aware of your treatment choices.  Things like hormones, age, medications, stress and seasonal changes can bring on issues that are best addressed by a skin-care specialist.

Professional exfoliation (Microdermabrasion or Chemical Peels) results in clearer skin with refined texture
Skin learns to adjust more quickly to stress, and to respond in a more healthy manner
As you keep regular appointments with your medical esthetician, she will learn the cyclical changes that occur with your skin and will adjust and offer the correct products for you to use and inform you on how to use them properly.

Wendy Ventimiglia, LE, CMES (medical esthetican)

What is your guilt level?

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the guiltiest, how much guilt do you have spending money on skincare products or treatments for yourself?  And why? You have no problem spending thousands on new cabinets or flooring in a house you aren’t staying in forever. But your skin- you are staying in forever, so why not take care of it? You take care of everyone else why not yourself? Plus, when you care for yourself you act better, feel better and of course look better. When all these things happen in your life, it shows and you treat others better. So bring that guilt level down and bring that look better, feel better level up! Once you start taking care of yourself and start feeling better about yourself you’ll be amazed at how quickly the guilt level goes down.

Baby steps to fighting the clock

Where do I start? I talked with a patient today in her late 50’s that said she wasn’t sure where to start? Forehead down or chin up? My advice to her, please just start somewhere. Worry about what to do and not doing anything is only speeding up the clock, not slowing it down.  At least come in yearly for a consultation and evaluation of the skin. The esthetician can break it down for you. To remove this …do this, to fix that… do that. You don’t have to do everything at once (although you will see faster and better results).  Using better products and getting a microderm is going to help. It won’t remove years or even months but it will help. So if you don’t want to take giant steps, at least take baby steps.

Magazine Junkie!

Are you like most? Do you love to look at all the beauty ads in magazines. We all want to use that shampoo and get thick shiny hair just like the model that has never used the product in her life. Or have my wrinkles fade away in 30 days from a moisturizer made mostly with water. Plus, we all know that the model is so PhotoShopped that she doesn’t even recognize herself.  We all want to buy those products even though, we know better, but why do we do it? Because we are all a bunch of suckers?  No, because we all want a quick fix at the best price. There is nothing wrong with that. However, spending $20 bucks on skincare products every time you go to the drugstore or $80 worth of product s to get a free lipstick that is not our color, it adds up over time and that is what’s wrong.  Ladies, don’t spend your money on products that don’t work. Buying drugstore skincare products may not hurt your pocketbook each trip but overall most women spend how much a year on products that don’t work? So stick your $20 or $80 in a secret place and save it up for products that do work. So what products do work? Check back soon and we’ll tell you!

Skin Care Products Must-Haves

Skin Care Products must haves
Wow, between all the commercials, magazine advertisements & make up counters, it’s difficult to know what skin care products are going to be the best product for me. We are all different but there are 3 main essential products that will help promote healthy, younger skin.
1. Physician Strength Retinol: This product is derived from Vitamin A. Vitamin A aids in Anti-aging, Fine lines, Acne, Excessive Pigmentation of Facial Skin, Decreased Pigmentation of Facial Skin, Small Brown Spots on Facial Skin.
2. Antioxidants:  Anti-oxidants, including vitamin C & E, have been shown in studies to be beneficial for skin and to help protect against UV damage when applied directly. Applying antioxidants topically is actually the fastest way to deliver these important nutrients to your skin.
Vitamin C: As you age, your body slows down its production of collagen and elastin, which keeps skin strong, flexible, and resilient. Evidence suggests that the antioxidants found in Vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen and minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, and scars.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is vital in protecting skin cells from ultra violet light, pollution, drugs, and other elements that produce cell damaging free radicals.
3. Human Growth Factor:  HGF is a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cellular growth.  Growth factor has been clinically proven to enhance skin  tone and texture, and improve wrinkles and elasticity.