Sensitive Skin? Maybe Not!

By the yearly sales of moisturizers in this country alone, you would never know that only 10% of the world's entire population actually has genetically dry skin. The rest of us with dryness issues all have **dehydrated** skin.  The problem is, the skincare industry often doesn't seem to understand this concept.  The result?  Genetically oily skin that's leaching water all day long gets lubricated with heavy, often pore-clogging, moisturizers instead of hydrated, and truly dry skin still doesn't get the replenishment of lipids, cholesterol or water that it loses all day long, either.  How does this relate to the possibility that your skin isn't actually sensitive?  If you have Adult Acne, or even just raw, irritated skin, it's actually not a safe assumption that breaking out from products means your skin is sensitive!

Pants On Fire! A Solution For Your Ingrown Hair Blues...

As the summer months transition into autumn, chances are that you’re wearing more jeans, yoga pants, leggings, etc. You may also have noticed an upsurge in the severity of your ingrown hairs along your bikini line and even extending down your inner thighs. Since I began performing waxing services over 18 years ago, I have long noticed that the frequency of ingrown hairs along the bikini line seems to increase during changes in weather, particularly from warmer into colder months.



So many questions about this phenomenon have run through my mind...

...Is it me? ...Is it my waxing technique?

If so, why would there be more ingrowns at that time of year? And why would the frequency of my clients' ingrown hairs increase compared to other months? If this really was connected to my waxing technique, why am I noticing more ingrown hairs on the sides of the client's bikini line rather than all over? ...I also had to wonder why the ingrown hairs would also exist in those same outer/side-areas in people who had never even been waxed at all.

Instead of focusing on myself, I began to ask my clients about their ingrown issues.

Adult Acne Tip - Are You Oily or Sweaty?

At this particular time of writing, it’s the end of August in Chicago.  This month has been hot and muggy.  Of course, you could be reading this during another season altogether.  But, if you’re in a hot climate, you’ll still benefit from the info I’m about to share, so let’s put aside the “summertime” designation for this post.  What I’m talking about is sweat vs oil, and what happens when you have Adult Acne and think you feel greasy when it fact what you’re feeling is perspiration.  Or, both at the same time.  So, what’s the story?

Stubborn Acne Around the Chin and Mouth

As an Esthetician specializing in Adult Acne and Sensitivity, acne in pores where oil glands are larger due to being located in the “T-Zone” but where pore sizes are smaller due to facial contours, is the most common problem I see in my clients, both in the salon and in my online adult acne coaching service across the nation.  Excess oil from all kinds of hormonal changes rush into pores causing inflammation of pore linings, resulting in swelling, redness and pain.

These areas of larger glands and smaller pores are located on the sides of the chin, around the mouth, the inner cheeks, and between the brows.  Sometimes, the sides of the chin will also extend to the inner jawline and lower cheeks.  

Working Out with Adult Acne

We’re edging toward the end of winter, and your workout resolution is well under way.  Or, your regular workout routine has been under way for a long time.  Either way, this is often the time I get asked about the best way to keep acne clear with a workout schedule that seems to interfere too often with keeping skin healthy.  How do you avoid over- or under-washing the skin with workouts, and how to keep skin hydrated enough?

Wedding Prep for Adult Acne

The fact that right now is not “wedding season” is precisely the point of this post. 

In the 20+ years that I have been specializing in Adult Acne, I’ve had people contact me just a few weeks before their wedding (a few people, even just 2 weeks ahead), to book a facial to get rid of their breakouts.  

If someone tells me her breakouts are very recent from stress, that’s one thing.  In that instance I tell her a facial will exfoliate, calm and hydrate her skin to prep for better makeup application, but when it comes to clearing her breakout, I tell her it’s actually best to treat it at home with my Ice Therapy technique twice a day.

Enjoy Your Chocolate This Valentine's Day!

I wrote about the connection between various foods and Adult Acne breakouts. Naturally, the time around Valentine's Day brings up questions about the chocolate-breakout connection. Dermatologists have long poo-pooed the idea that there is a connection between the two, and I think it's because the focus was always on the chocolate -- that is, the cocoa.  There's more here than meets the eye!


Think about this: when are you most likely to eat chocolate? Around your period!  And when do you break out the most? You get the idea...

However, and this is a big however, with mounting evidence that there is indeed a connection between dairy and some acne conditions, and between sugar and increased inflammation in the body leading to worsening of existing acne conditions, chocolate is starting to be seen under a new light.