Education

The first signs of spring are here in Vancouver as the cherry blossoms are erupting everywhere! It’s so nice to smell the fresh spring air as nature wakes up from its slumber. I feel like I’m waking up too… I’m no longer content with my winter routine and I find myself thinking of the sun-drenched days ahead.

With all the fun that summer brings, it also requires a little more attention to grooming, as we can’t hide our unattended body parts behind clothes as readily!

Permanent Hair Reduction is the perfect solution for such time consuming and dull activities as waxing and shaving. What’s involved and how does it work?

You have to avoid any kind of hair removal that involves removing the hair by its root (ie: waxing and tweezing) for about 4 weeks prior to treatment. After a thorough consultation during which, you will be skin typed, you’ll need to shave the area to be treated. A cool ultra-sound gel is applied to the treatment area and a quartz crystal, chilled hand piece is pulsed over the skin.

The Sciton BBLs uses energy from different wavelengths of the light spectrum to penetrate the skin and effectively target the hair germ cell. The varying wavelengths are used to reach specific depths of the skin in order to treat different hair types. Not all hair is the same; for instance, on the legs, there can be variations on the courseness of hair. The BBLs can effectively treat fine, medium and course hair growth, so that as the treatments progress, all the hair can be targeted effectively. This differs from laser hair removal which cannot adjust the depth of penetration to treat finer and medium hairs which are situated closer to the skin’s surface than course hair.

Each individual hair has three stages to it’s life span. If the light catches the hair in it’s first phase of hair growth, it will not grow back. If the hair is in its second or last stage of hair growth, there is already a new hair waiting in the wings to grow, so it will require more than one treatment to catch every hair in its first stage (anagen phase) of hair growth.

This sounds kind of complicated, but the actual treatment itself is less painful than waxing and any discomfort that does arise is swift and does not linger. It feels like a flash of heat. Some people even liken it to the snap of an elastic band.

Over the week to two weeks following treatment, the hairs seem to be growing out; however, the ones that have been effectively treated fall out as they rise to the surface. It’s quite a remarkable sight! After about three treatments there is 60-80% reduction in the hair growth and density.

Treatments are spaced 8-12 weeks apart and shaving can be done in between treatments to groom the area- but even that chore is significantly reduced in terms of how often it is necessary, as the hair growth becomes finer and less noticeable.

So if you’re looking to bare some skin without the hassles of waxing and shaving this summer, it may be time to shine a light on your unwanted hair.

Click here to read more about Permanent Hair Reduction

Stay tuned by joining our email list- we’re having a really good promotion coming up for Permanent Hair Reduction.

Dermalogica Face Mapping

I was thinking to myself this morning about how much skin care is constantly changing and evolving- yet people are still largely uneducated about what ingredients and formulations are good or bad for the skin.

A recent perusal of Fashion Magazine’s Readers’ Choice for best skin care products had me shocked. It seems that people worship fashion labels and brands that are of a premium quality, but when it comes to skin care the drug store and department store brands still dominate the ranks.

In a culture that worships youth so fervently, you’d think that the demand for quality and effective skin care would be the norm. I think that effective marketing has a lot to do with it. If people are lured in by a  strong enough message and brand, they may not question its efficacy.

As a trained skin care professional, it’s my job to know ingredients, but it’s hard to keep track of everything that’s out there. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must be to the average consumer.

Then there’s the advice from dermatologists who prescribe soap as a cleanser for the skin. Yikes! It boggles my mind. And most people are not going to question this advice.

One of the most important factors in skin health is pH balance. If you use a product that is alkaline, it will alter the pH of your skin to become less acidic, which leaves it vulnerable to dehydration, sensitivity and acne bacteria. Soap is generally very alkaline- this applies to traditional shave creams as well. At the Dermalogica Shave launch last spring, they tested the pH of a drug-store brand shave cream and it was the same pH as a cleaning fluid. Ouch! No wonder men get such irritation from shaving.

In the end, I hope that through continued education and building client relationships, as skin therapists we can cut through the cosmetic industry rhetoric and get people investing in products and ingredients that will actually do them some good. Fashion Reader’s Choice here we come!

Here’s a great link to check out when researching ingredients. If you’re curious about what’s in your products, I’d suggest doing some research here to see where your products rank. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

Need some product or treatment advice? Book in for a complimentary consultation and we can help make sense of your skin through face mapping.

The streets are vibrating with so much energy since the Opening Ceremonies kicked off the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.  It feels like we’re living in a different dimension. The usual everyday things are still happening, but there is also the element of the unexpected in the air.

One of which is the roving media that could catch you at any moment. I hate to sound vain, but I also feel more self conscious with all the visitors from around the world wondering the streets. Am I representing a positive image of the modern Vancouverite? Half the time I’m wondering around either on my way to or from a yoga class with my hair thrown up into a messy pony tail  and the archetypal Kitsilano yoga-gear look. It’s embarrassing to admit- but at least I AM doing yoga!

Fortunately I can say that my skin looks good.  Something I’ve become quite fond of to give my skin a healthy glow while allowing it’s natural health to shine through are the Colorescience Suncanny treatment cosmetics. A light application of pure, unadulterated minerals reflects light, so your skin has an added luminosity. In addition to this effortless glimmer, there is a subtle evening of the skin tone and an SPF 20 to secure against sun damage. I like to use the Suncanny bronzer “It’s Only Natural” to create contouring and add more dimension to my skin tone.

The greatest thing about these minerals is that they are fool proof and they don’t have the cakey, powdery look of a foundation. So flash and tape away this Olympic Season- my skin is ready to be bared- even if the rest of my attire could use some polishing!

I hope you’ve all had a chance to enjoy some of the events. Check out the Cultural Olympiad for a list of free events.

• Did you know that film and television make-up artists are turning to mineral cosmetics for their ability to cover imperfections, even tatoos, while maintaining a natural look to the skin?
• Cameron Diaz has endorsed (without solicitation) that Colorescience’s Sunforgettable SPF 30 products have helped her to conquer the acne associated with chemical based sunscreens.
• Click here to learn more about Colorescience Suncanny Mineral Cosmetics
• Book in for a complimentary Colorescience consultation

I can remember when I first moved to Vancouver, I was astounded by how active everyone was. There was always someone to be seen sporting spandex and running along the sea wall. Coming from Calgary, where weather dictates hibernation for 9 months of the year and the city planning is made for fours wheels, not two feet- I felt a little self-conscious about my lack of athleticism in comparison to the average Vancouverite.

But, that was also what attracted my to this city- a more active and health-conscious lifestyle. They say your environment influences you- and 10 years later I’m happy to say that I’m a much more able-bodied specimen than I once was.

With all the boot camps and Grouse Grinds at our disposal, it would seem that the average person is pushing themselves to higher performance level than ever before. Perhaps, we aren’t at the level of an Olympic athlete, but at least participation is no longer reserved for elites. When you are pushing yourself to achieve your fitness goals, massage therapy can play an integral part in injury prevention and improved performance.

Regular visits to a  Registered Massage Therapist can make a world of difference to your work-out recovery. RMTs can apply sports massage techniques to flush out aches and pains from lactic acid build-up in the muscles; they can also help loosen the muscles fibers to prevent muscles strain and improve flexibility. And let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to face a grueling work out when your muscles aren’t fatigued or sore.

If you’ve never had a treatment with a B.C. Registered Massage Therapist- it is well worth it. With three extensive years of study, an RMT will be able to assess and evaluate exactly what your body needs- this applies to postural alignment as well. Whatever your concerns may be, your therapist will also prescribe home-care exercises and stretches to help you maintain the results of your massage treatment at home.

On that note- let’s recover like an athlete! I’m off to enjoy the snow in Whistler. In reflecting on how I felt after my last day of riding, I should probably book my post- snowboarding massage now

My goal for the New Year has been to keep up with regular health treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic.  It’s January 26th and I’m happy to say that I’ve had two acupuncture treatments so far this month!

I have to admit, that I usually only do things for my health when I am in desperate need- so massage therapy was the one thing I kept up with last year. Whenever I had aches and pains or was feeling like I needed some healing touch, it was the first thing I would turn to.

With acupuncture, I tried it, but because the needles are addressing unseen and unfelt organs, and the treatment involved less sensory stimulation, I don’t think that I appreciated it in the same way that I did massage therapy. That was until my first treatment this year…

Since I got back from my Holidays, my partner and I have made a concentrated effort to eat really healthily- salads for lunch with shredded beets, carrots and ground flax seed, lots of lean proteins and vegetables with dinner. I have also been going to yoga regularly. These steps had me feeling like I was right on top of my health.  Then I had my acupuncture treatment and a whole lot of ’shifting’ occurred.   I won’t get into detail, but I apparently needed some balancing out internally and the acupuncture facilitated that.

This experience really gave me a strong appreciation for the understated nature of acupuncture. It made me realize how I take my body for granted and assume that everything is functioning optimally, unless I feel something drastic. I now have a whole new respect for the needle and this will be a habit that I keep up.

If you’re curious about acupuncture- make sure to come to our Whole Health Event February 4th. Our doctor of Chinese Medicine, Mahsa Ahmadi, will be discussing the benefits of regular acupuncture.