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?

Do I need an eye cream with oily skin?

One of the first things I was taught in Beauty School (where I went in my early 30s in 1997) was that at that time, just in the United States alone, the skincare industry boasted $3.2 Billion in sales annually.  The reason stated?  "It’s incredibly easy to sell moisturizer."  I’m not kidding, that’s really what they said.  Frankly, I think it’s extremely impressive.  Everyone needs moisturizer.  There’s a reason there are so many out there to choose from.  Like I always say, “Everything works for somebody, nothing works for everybody.” 

My job in specializing in Adult Acne is to make sure my clients are getting adequate healing and hydration in their lotions while avoiding pore clogging and irritation.  In addition, my job especially is to make sure they’re getting anti-aging concerns taken care of without clogging pores and causing breakouts unnecessarily.  Prevention is a big part of anti-aging consciousness these days, and it comes up a lot in my practice.

So what about eye cream for prevention?  

Gimmick, or necessity?

20 Ways to Keep Adult Acne Clear While Traveling

How to keep up with Your Adult Acne Skincare Routine While On Vacay!

You have a great routine at home, you’ve done amazing things to clear up your Adult Acne following the advice from my Eval by Email® service and instructions for using my products to the letter. 

Now. 

Taking all your products in full sizes on your upcoming trip is not an option.  On the other hand, transferring them into tiny bottles is time consuming and wasteful.  There are also extra considerations, like hotter or more humid weather, constant sunscreen applications after swimming, evenings out and late nights.

So.  Here is a list of tips for packing your toiletries for your carry-on or checked-in luggage:

How to Control Oil During Summer

How do we Control Oil During the Summer? Plus my very first ever book review.

Who doesn't love laying out under a tree, shaded from the beautiful summer sun, reading a good summer book?  Surrounded by flowers, enveloped by warm breezes, listening to kids playing in the park with their dads.  Spending an afternoon like this with a bottle of ice tea? Pure. Bliss.

How Much of Each of My Skincare Products Should I Use?

After filling out the full Eval by Email® form for Adult Acne and Sensitivity issues, a sample packet of an entire skincare regimen is sent to your home to check for likeability, but mainly for any adverse reactions, after which full sizes are purchased from my web store.  

Of course, accompanying this sample packet is a full set of instructions with the order in which the products are to be used, and how to use them.

However, in addition to daily and weekly instructions, I also include a special post card with information on how much is used at a time, and how long each product should last when used in the amounts and frequency they're meant to be.

For your convenience, there are full step-by-step instructions in my web site’s Advice Section for an entire skincare routine for every skin type.

Every time a client comes to get a facial at my skincare salon, Daniela’s Facial Studio, or when a remote client checks in when they need to order more product, I check on their previous product purchases and the date they purchased last, because that's how I can tell if they're been using the products the way they've been instructed to.  Then I check whether they might need to repurchase, or tweak their routine. 

Is it OK to Use the Same Moisturizer for Day and Night?

SPF vs. Night Lotion

Last week, I covered the question of whether the same SPF lotion can be used for face and body.  This week I discuss the topic of using the same lotion for both morning and night.

As an online skincare coach, a substantial number of clients from across the country, people in their late 20s all the way up to their 50s, ask me if it’s really important to have two moisturizers, one for day and one for night.  Why can’t we just use the same moisturizer, why do we have to buy two?  There are several reasons, especially when it comes to Adult Acne.

Winter Skin: Why Sunscreen Is Essential

Think you don't need sunscreen in the winter?

Consider these facts:

• On an overcast day that is bright, rather than dreary, the sun reflected through the clouds can be as damaging as on a perfectly sunny, cloudless day.

• On a clear sunny day with snow on the ground, the sun will reflect off of the snow and damage your skin.

• Experts are finding out that there are different types of light rays coming towards our skin from all types of indoor lighting, which can contribute to skin aging in small ways. Fortunately, broad-spectrum sunscreens can filter these harmful rays - it's always better to be safe than sorry.

• Sun damage is cumulative - most of us already have substantial sun damage from childhood and adolescence. Sun exposure on a clear day can contribute to that damage over time, especially when it's 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, walking to a store or to our cars. Don't let cold temps, hats, and scarves make you think that you don't need sun protection!

Approaching Anti-Aging Without The Quackery!

Many of you know that my specialty is Adult Acne but, most notably, I focus much of my practice on providing anti-aging products suitable for acne-prone skin. Although my expertise is chiefly in acne formation and treatment, I do know something about the aging process as well. 

A while back, on the rare occasion that I was idly watching The Dr. Oz Show, an audience member asked Dr. Oz about sagging skin and what can be done about it.

Healthy Skin From Head To Toe: Part 2

Spring is finally here! And it took long enough... The warmer weather means shedding those clunky winter layers and letting your skin breathe! In this Healthy Skin series, I'll be talking about what you'll need in the coming months to protect your skin from head to toe. (This means a lot of sunscreen!)

I already touched base on what kinds of ingredients and claims to look out for in your SPF to make sure that you won't break out from your product.

My clients often ask me, "How much sunscreen do you need for the face?" The answer is pretty simple.

Healthy Skin From Head To Toe: Part 1

Spring is finally here! And it took long enough... The warmer weather means shedding those clunky winter layers and letting your skin breathe! In this Healthy Skin series, I'll be talking about what you'll need in the coming months to protect your skin from head to toe. (This means a lot of sunscreen!)

First of all, you know that your body skin is not the same as the skin on your face. If you suffer from breakouts or have even slightly oily skin, most sunscreens just feel gross. The creams are either goopy or greasy and even the ones that say "oil-free" often don't feel so great.

One thing you need to know about sunscreen for the face, is that for a long time manufacturers thought consumers wanted to have a moisturizing sunscreen, since the sun has a slightly drying effect on certain skin types. This has caused way too many SPF moisturizers to be formulated as though everyone has super dry skin. Watch out for labels that talk too much about the cream having moisturizing qualities. What skin really needs is water, not lubrication. 

Sometimes the claim of "oil-free" can actually be a red flag.  Many base ingredients that are meant to replace oil are waxy substances that clog pores until they're totally stuffed.  If you like natural or organic brands, check in with a knowledgable Esthetician (like me! :)) to make sure the ingredients are suitable for your skin type.

People email me all the time with ingredient lists, and what surprises them when I respond is that some of the most pore-clogging ingredients are natural!  Raw materials like cocoa butter and coconut oil are known to be very pore-clogging. Shea Butter is another comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredient.

Dealing With Acne Scarring & Hyperpigmentation

Since I specialize in adult acne, just about all of my clients, all of whom are in their late 20s all the way up to mid 50s, suffer from the lasting effects of pigmentation issues from healing acne blemishes, commonly called "scarring" but officially known as Hyperpigmentation. 

So how can you get rid of the scarring on your face from acne?  Well, we first have to specify what we mean by "scarring".

What To Look For In Anti-Aging Products

An often-asked question amongst my late-20s, 30s, and 40-year old clients is, "What's the deal with anti-aging products, and when should I start using them?"

Well, I'm here to tell you the Big Dirty Secret about anti-aging... 

Of all the anti-aging ingredients, there are only two that are preventative and corrective at the same time: broad-spectrum sunscreen and topical antioxidant serums. 

("Broad-spectrum" means that the sunscreen filters out both UVA and UVB rays -- and must say so on the product label.)

All other anti-aging products are corrective and not preventative, which means that if you don't have any fine lines or wrinkles yet, no corrective product will prevent them. The only thing that will prevent wrinkles, besides a broad-spectrum sunscreen, is something with multiple forms of antioxidants.  Having only one form of antioxidant in a product usually doesn't do the trick because different types of antioxidants interrupt the cascade of skin damage at different points. 

Some of the best antioxidants to look for are: