It has been a brutal winter and it’s time to shed and shake it all off. With warmer temperatures right around the corner we need to adjust our hygiene and routines!

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It is affected by our diet, hormones, genetics and lifestyle. Every day our skin changes based on the above factors and when we throw in weather, climate changes, lack of sleep, traveling, variable water pH, and STRESS our skin reacts and responds accordingly.

It’s important to be in tune with your body and understand and recognize what your body needs.

I use my LC Dual Action Toner from head to toe when I get out of the shower everyday to balance and restore my skins PH to maintain its natural hydration. Next, I layer on a serum such as LC Vita C spray or LC Lilac Plant Stem Cell Serum followed by coconut oil.

Tips for Transitioning Seasons :

• Exfoliate once a week to shed the skin from head to toe.
• Clean your make up brushes and change our pillowcases on a regular basis.
• Adjust your sunscreen according to the weather changes and apply more as needed if you are going to be exposed in the sun.
• Try using natural products as much as you can. For the body I like coconut oil or a jojoba oil. I love aloe especially for a sunburn and I keep a live plant in my kitchen.

It is important to recognize what your body needs and wants on a daily basis, it’s the only skin you have. Bottom line protect and prevent!

“Why do you do so much stuff to your face?” “You don’t need that.” “I think you are fine just the way you are.”  “Why did you do another procedure?”

People always ask me questions like this. Sometimes it can feel like a compliment and other times I feel judged or misunderstood. I try not to get too caught up in what others think and use these situations as a chance to explain who I am and why I doing the things I do.

My experience with plastic surgery and facial reconstruction started by necessity not vanity…

At a young age I had major plastic surgery after an incident at a family reunion baseball game. A baseball to the face destroyed my nose, adenoids and also left me needing to get my tonsils taken out. Five surgeries later resulted in removing cartilage from my rib to rebuilding my nose as well as reconstructive surgery to rebuild my teeth, gums and lips. 

Throughout my experiences I have learned so much about the body and it’s amazing power to heal. I love educating myself on new procedures and treatments and often times the best way for me to understand them is to try them on myself. I don’t do stuff to my face because I am unhappy with how I look or because i’m striving to be perfect. I just like too. It’s my THING!! I’m a beauty junkie! My skin is my sin.

I love trying new things!

When you do something everyday you get used to it. It becomes routine.  It is important that I get out of my comfort zone and try new things. Understanding how my clients feel helps me to serve them better. There is a huge element of trust and vulnerability when you get a procedure done. It is important that I get services done so I do not loose touch with the client experience. 

My most recent procedure…Threading

Six weeks ago I got threading at Renew U Medispa by Christopher. The procedure does the following: strings go under your skin, connect to the collagen and yank everything up and rejuvenate new cells.  

My Physician:Christopher Rosenbarger 
PA-C , Physician Certified …His Thread of Choice: Les Encres (they are the closest to the ones available in Europe and South Korea) 

This company makes three types, most only make PDO threads. 
PDO (POLYDIOXANONE) are used for pull and lift. PLLA (POLY L LACTIC ACID) is used to create volumePCL (POLYCAPROLACTONE) used to create callogen.

The principal of threads…

• Threads are used to create lift without volume. Basically, if you like the way you look in the mirror holding your face up, this is what threads help with. – Threads do not replace fillers in that fillers are for fat pad and bone atrophy. – Threads can also be used to improve skin texture and appearance by stimulating collagen far better than laser and skin heating modalities. This is seen in treating the chin, eyes, between the brows, and eye lids. Results far exceed any laser or chemical peel. 

An experienced provider can use the different types of threads and different chemical structures to improve a variety of issues not resolved in a natural way with fillers or neuromodulators.

My Experience:

Simply put, Christopher was amazing and his customer service was outstanding. His calmness and expertise helped ease my anxiety and pain. He explained the procedure every step of the way. It was a detailed and delicate which made me feel safe and comfortable. 

Recovery time wasn’t easy but it got better every day. I am so thankful I did this procedure, mostly because I now know first hand how it works. I am thrilled with the results and feel like the youthful glow is coming from the inside out. I made it through. I dealt with the pain. Just like hard times in life… we get through them and come out better than ever. Everything we get through makes us stronger.

In my opinion, you can’t be a beauty expert if you don’t do the treatments.

Wedding Prep For Her:

Two Weeks Before The Wedding:

I recommend a back facial, body scrub , and Infrared body wrap.

Week Of The Wedding:
I recommend two Infrared body wraps , stem cell treatment and red light therapy for 2-3 days before a custom spray tan.

Night Before The Wedding:

I recommend an epsom salt bath and a hydrating sheet mask.
Using a jade roller and anti puff eye patches are also important!

What to pack in the honeymoon suite:

• Hydration mist spray 
• Anti-aging pillowcases
• Epsom salt
• Bath bombs
• Kleenex pack 
• Lip plumper
• Eyelash-conditioner 
• Anti puff eye patches
• Jade roller

Wedding Prep For Him

Week of the wedding:

I recommend 2 infrared body wrap treatments, stem cell therapy and oxygen to give him that perfect glow.

Night before the wedding:

I recommend a hydrating sheet mask and a lip treatment product.

How does vein therapy work ?
The laser delivers a pulse of energy which causes the vein to coagulate (this means turn into a solid.) This action eventually destroys the vessel which is reabsorbed into the body and blood flow and finally directed to deeper veins below the skin’s surface where it should be located. 

Who is the candidate for laser vein therapy?
The laser can treat any skin color. It can treat spider veins, blue reticular veins, and small facial veins. Varicose vein’s are not treatable with this method, they require injections.

What about blood blisters and port wine stains?
Blood blisters or hemangiomas respond very well to the treatment.

How many treatments do you typically need? 
Often one or two treatments are sufficient, however, the number of treatments varies depending on the color and the size of the vessel.

Do the treatments hurt? 
A stinging sensation occurs as the pulse of energy is delivered , there is no numbing needed but we usually cool the area after it is treated. You can apply aloe or ice cool after the treatment.

What happens after the treatment?
Post treatment you could experience redness, bruising, swelling and potentially blistering. The end results are amazing but every person is different as to how they heal. 
Are there any restrictions after the treatment?If we are treating leg veins we recommend no activity for 24 hours and always use sunscreen on exposed areas.

When will I see results?
Most patients find that the veins show significant improvement within 2 to 6 weeks of the treatment . It does take time for things to heal and patience.