Anti Aging Skincare

Skincare Products for Summer Travel

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Summer travel can wreak havoc on your skin if you are not fully prepared for the climate at your destination. High quality skin products are certainly not available in every country or many exotic locations. There is nothing worse than riding a camel in Egypt, basking in the sun in Bali or skiing in New Zealand without proper sunscreen!! In addition, dry, recirculated airline air, pollution, harsh and different climates are all venues which may cause hyper-pigmentation, acne, dry, uneven skin tone and premature aging. No one wants to return from their summer vacation with acne and extra wrinkles!

Today, many modern travelers travel with only carry on luggage. This creates unique and interesting dilemmas on the selection of skin products which meet the 3oz travel requirements.

As an experienced international traveler, I always travel with the following items: an exfoliating cleanser such as Epionce, Lytic Cleanser. A good cleanser is important to cleanse the skin of pollutants, remove sunscreen and reduce your chance of travel acne. Another beneficial skin care product for traveling is a stable form of Vitamin C to protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun, fight free radicles from pollution and for overall anti-aging. I recommend Revision Skin Care 30% Vitamin C but please be careful of excess heat. My final daily skincare step is always sunscreen which contains a moisturizer and peptides such as, Intellishade by Revision Skincare. If I was on a deserted island with only one product choice it would definitely be my Intellishade as one application provides SPF, moisturizer, anti-aging peptides and a light, sheer tint which blends in with most skin types. I also enjoy traveling with my iS Clinical Active Serum for my night-time anti-aging treatment and finish off with a high quality moisturizer, such as Revision’s Firming Night Treatment. If size permits I travel with a waterproof sunscreen for my active days, such as EltaMD UV Sport SPF 50.

In addition to these products, I love using essential oils and my favorite is On Guard by dōTERRA. On Guard is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and fights off germs! I recently used On Guard multiple times a day on a recent trip to India with my two children ages 9 and 11 and we never got sick! I placed one drop of On Guard in their hands while traveling on the Indian trains and instructed the children to rub their palms together and breath it in every so often. I also added On Guard to my running shoes to avoid fungal infections from the humid climate while enjoying the fresh smell!

These seven skin products should fit within your zip lock travel pouch and fulfill most of your skin care needs while traveling. Please note that you may need to put the night-time moisturizer in a smaller container. Feel free to mix and match as according to your particular skin care needs. I highly recommend that you meet with your licensed skin care specialist and discuss your travel plans and specific destination(s).

I would love to hear about your favorite travel skin products! Email Jennifer Fisher, Founder of Vasu Skin Solutions at jennifer@vasuskinsolutions.com.

Good luck and happy travels!

 

Vasu Skin Solutions in Denver
3195 Blake Street
Suite 102
Denver, CO 80205
720-556-4505

Skin Care: 1-2-3

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The skincare industry is booming with products filling shelves in grocery stores, pharmacies, physician offices and even your local farmer’s market! It is easy to become confused, irritated and either purchase nothing at all or too many products doing the same thing. In the end, consumers often feel as if they do not know how to use any of their skincare products!

It is always recommended starting with a skin care analysis from a licensed aesthetician to determine your specific skin care needs. The aesthetician will discuss your primary skin care goals such as anti-aging, reducing pigment, wrinkle reduction, skin tightening, etc. The consultation sets the stage for obtaining information on each client’s lifestyle, eating habits and stress level. A formal skin analysis provides recommendations, products and treatments based on each client and their specific skin care needs.

For those of you who do not have the time for a skin consultation by a licensed aesthetician, please do not worry as I would love to share some of Vasu Skin Solutions’ skin care tips!

To begin with, let’s keep it easy and think in steps of 3! Three steps in the morning and three in the evening.

AM ROUTINE

  1. I typically wash my face every morning with a mild cleanser.
  2. In Colorado, I like to do as much as possible to protect my face from the sun’s harmful rays so, I always use some type of antioxidant such as a Vitamin C serum or lotion (depending on your skin type). Vitamin C contains potent antioxidant properties to protect cells from free radical damage.
  3. The final step in the morning is to protect your skin by using SUNSCREEN. Broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen should be an essential part of your skin care protocol. You can find moisturizing, tinted, non-oily, sunscreen almost anywhere. Find a sunscreen that you like and use it, every day!

PM ROUTINE

  1. We beg you, always wash your face every evening! In the evening, I like to use an active cleanser which contains exfoliating properties such as Salicylic or Glycolic Acids (these are only a couple of examples). Exfoliating improves the texture and tone of your skin and speeds up your skins natural shedding process. Exfoliation also allows for the penetration of anti-aging products rather than sitting on the surface of your skin.
  2. Now is the time to apply an anti-aging product for night time penetration! My favorite anti-aging treatments are products which contain some type of Retinols (basically Vitamin A, please note that products containing high concentrations of Vitamin A should not be used while pregnant or breast feeding – please talk with your physician).
  3. Your last step is to moisturize!

These steps may seem daunting but try to keep it simple, 3 steps in the morning and 3 at night! In the morning cleanse, use an antioxidant and protect; in the evening cleanse, use anti-aging treatment and finish with a moisturizer! If you need further assistance or advice call Vasu Skin Solutions (720.470.4837) or email us at info@vasuskinsolutions.com and schedule your free skin consultation today!

Jennifer R Fisher, Owner, Vasu Skin Solutions, B.S., M.S., Certified Esthetician and Certified in Medical Aesthetic Laser/IPL.

 

Vasu Skin Solutions in Denver
3195 Blake Street
Suite 102
Denver, CO 80205
720-556-4505

Suncscreen: The Number One Anti-Aging Product

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The calendar says spring, which of course means summer is only a few weeks away. Although I use sunscreen every single day of the year, I know a lot of you out there think it is only something to apply when you break out that bikini for the season.

Au contraire!

I know you have heard it a million times, but seriously you must wear sunscreen 365 days a year, especially if you live in Colorado. A client recently told me she had a friend visiting from out of town who said, “I love that obesity is nearly nonexistent in this state, but what’s up with everyone’s skin looking like leather?” I am not making this up!

Let me tell you another true story. When I was in my late 20’s I thought it would be totally cool to hike in Nepal to the top of Gokyo Ri, which sits at approximately 16,000 feet, sans hat and sunscreen. All was great until I got home and surprise surprise, despite numerous long, hot showers the Pippy Longstockings’ freckles decorating my face didn’t wash off. Luckily I had a sister in the skin care field and she started me on a series of Intense Pulsed Light treatments (IPL, Photo-facial, etc) and numerous chemical peels, thus helping my skin shed the pimento loaf look.

If I had just worn sunscreen none of that would have been necessary.

Sunscreen is inexpensive, easy to apply and it is truly the number one best anti-aging application that you can do for your skin. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen for UVA and UVB protection. What’s the difference? UVA rays are the aging rays which deeply penetrate the skin damaging collagen and cells which cause wrinkling and pigmentation. UVB rays are the burning rays that cause sunburns and cancer. Believe me, you don’t want either of those rays penetrating your gorgeous epidermis. So, choose a sunscreen that has at least titanium dioxide or zinc oxide for UVA protection. Zinc oxide provides protection against UVA and UVB rays. And then, reapply, reapply, reapply!

Vasu Skin Solutions in Boulder
2490 Junction Place
Suite 102
Boulder, CO 80301
720-470-4837

What Is Up With Chemical Peels?

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One of my clients recently came in and told me she was invited to a “chemical peel” party, but was unsure about whether or not to attend. Another client saw a new device on the market that claims you can do your own chemical peels at home. Yet another client asked me if chemical peels even worked. And then someone told me that she heard chemical peels can scar your face for life!

Obviously it is time for a little education!

First and foremost, YES, chemical peels work. As a matter of fact, they work wonders. Why? Chemical peels exfoliate the outermost layer of your skin which improves the appearance of wrinkles, reduces hyper-pigmentation and improves overall skin tone. Chemical peels are designed to clear your skin of all that junk that’s been accumulating for years and years. They can make your skin brighter and tighter. What a lot people don’t understand is that chemical peels work for all ages. Women in their twenties love them because they can help with acne or any kind of blemish, not to mention that they just make their skin radiate a healthy glow. Older women and men benefit from peels because they literally can take years of dead skin off and let the new epidermis shine, and tighten up the skin which radically reduces wrinkles. In addition, anytime you get a peel it allows your skincare products to actually get to their proper location so they can work their magic. There is no need to have an expensive serum or face cream sit on the surface of your layers of dead skin cells!

Can you do them at home? No. You can do modified, watered down versions of products that claim they are like a “chemical peel,” but like most “do it at home” products chances are that it’s not going to go well. Remember the time you tried to do your own Brazilian wax (hello?!) Or when you thought your best friend could give you a perm in 8th grade (pretty, huh?)? Or even when you thought you’d save money and cut your own hair. Say no more.

Chemical peels are serious. They need to be performed by trained medical professionals. Now I don’t want to scare you off, but you have to know that it’s not something that is a “one size fits all” kind of thing. Which is why, when asked if the “chemical peel” party is a good idea I say, without missing a beat, “No!” If you don’t know about them, it’s the latest craze of home-marketing parties (think: Tupperware) sweeping the nation. How does it work? Your friend invites you and six others over to get a chemical peel and then she gets one free. The peels are “one size fits all” and everyone gets the same peel. Ladies, this is not a good idea.

There are many types and strengths of chemical peels. For example, glycolic acid is the smallest alpha-hydroxy acid and is made from natural sources such sugarcane. Malic acid is made from apples, lactic acid comes from milk and salicylic is from willow bark. At Vasu Skin Solutions we take the time to evaluate each individual to assess her or his skin and determine which peel and strength works best.

If you have further questions, please feel free to call Jen or Katie. We would love to tell you more about how beneficial chemical peels can be for any woman or man of any age.

Vasu Skin Solutions in Denver
3195 Blake Street
Suite 102
Denver, CO 80205
720-556-4505

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