Want Healthy Skin? Start from Within!

Everyone knows the old saying: you are what you eat. Here at St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery Medical Spa, we encourage our patients to not only follow the skin care regimens our estethicians recommend, but to eat healthy as well. There are many foods out there that are wonderful for the skin, and healthy for the body to boot. Here are some of our favorites, along with coorsponding recipes. Happy eating, and add on a glass of red wine a day for extra benefits!

Berries, especially blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries.

Blueberry Oat Squares

Blueberry Lavender Mojitos

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

Pumpkin Seeds

Spelt Pumpkin Muffins with Carob Chips

Salmon

Orange Rosemary Salmon

Mangos

Mango Salsa

Through October 17, 2012, follow us on Pinterest and play along during our “Pin it to Win it” contest for Spa Patient Appreciation 2012!

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.