We empathize with your struggle. Acne is a tough problem to correct, but if you are diligent, it will improve. These are some things you can do to help control your acne.
Get enough rest and reduce your stress. Stress stimulates the adrenal glands, and in the acne-prone individual, the adrenal gland promotes oil production which leads to clogged pores. This is another reason why facials can help heal acne - by reducing your daily stress! Avoid iodized foods, vitamin supplements and sports drinks/bars. Iodized salt, seafood, fish, seaweed, fast foods and dairy products (cows lick iodized salt licks) and especially kelp tablets (some people take these for thyroid support) are a part of this list. Contrary to popular notion, chocolate and greasy foods (unless they contain salt, which most do) do not aggravate acne. Avoid "high androgen" foods. These are found in peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter, corn oil, wheat germ, shellfish, organ meats (i.e. liver, sweetbreads and heart). These contain hormones that exacerbate acne. Avoid chlorine. Some swimming pool disinfectants contain Iodides and Chlorine, which can remain in the water, causing skin problems for frequent swimmers. Many swimmers find that the combination of hot and humid weather, the physical exercise of swimming and the chlorinated pools, can cause major acne flare-ups. Don't pick. Instead of picking, rub ice on pustules and pimples for about five minutes, twice a day. Try to catch them when they are first forming and they most likely will go away. Use the Vantastic Skin Zinc & Sulfur Mask to spot-treat and heal blemishes. Utilize Zinc. Research has found zinc to be as effective as antibiotics in reducing inflamed acne. Research indicates that the form of zinc taken maybe important. Studies have indicated that zinc monomethionine is more easily used by the body than either zinc sulfate or zinc gluconate. It is usually best to take zinc with food. Recommended dosage for supplements vary (50-100 mg) - but some research suggests that it is probably best to take no more than 100 mg per day as a dietary supplement (excessive zinc intake may lead to deficiencies in other vitamins and minerals). It is best to take this with food and not on an empty stomach. Use fragrance-free detergents such as Arm & Hammer Free. Do not use fabric softeners or fabric softener sheets in the dryer, especially on pillowcases as they cause a waxy residue that can clog pores on acne-prone individuals. Avoid low-estrogen birth control pills, Norplant, Provera, and Depo-Provera. Also progesterone hormone replacement Premarin can be problematic. If you have polycystic ovaries, they will cause hormonal changes and breakout. Also, the taking of birth control pills may delay the onset of acne and once off them, you may experience the acne you would've had before taking them. Do not use cosmetics or hair products that contain pore-clogging ingredients. These ingredients cause microcomedomes to form in certain individuals resulting in various lesions ranging from clogged pores and blackheads to inflammatory pustules. If you have doubts about yours, let us see the ingredient listing. Isopropyl myristate, cetyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, laureth-4, natural Vitamin E, most natural oils, cocoa butter and D & C red dyes all agitate acne. Benzoyl Peroxide medications found at cosmetic departments may contain isopropyl myristate and laureth-4 or oils that impede the active ingredient of benzoyl peroxide. Watch out for "oil-free" products. They may contain synthetic oils (fatty acids), D&C red dyes and detergents that can aggravate acne. Limit sun exposure - and tanning beds - and use the Vantastic Skin SPF 30 sunscreen. Although sun exposure causes desirable scaling and drying, it also damages the follicle, exacerbates hyper-pigmentation, causes skin cancer and premature aging and can cause "solar acne" later in life, as well as "Acne Majorca" also caused by sunlight. Warm climates with heat and humidity can exacerbate acne. In addition, please consider taking a daily PRObiotic - found in the refrigerated section of your local health food store. There is a significant link between acne and colon health. A recent lawsuit shows the use of the acne drug, Accutane, has caused severe colon dysfunction and disease in many patients! Take my advice, natural is always the better way to health - including your skin (your largest bodily organ!) You should also consider an acne-clearing facial every two weeks for several months. I will use professional-strength exfoliants, perform safe removal of impactions, and can utilize light therapy to kill the acne causing bacteria, and will send you home with results-specific treatment products to continue the healing process between facials. *Some data provided by my cyber-friend, Laura Cooksey. Thanks, acne genius!
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In this 'new' world of skin care where even your dentist is trying to get in on the action, I am so proud to say that Vanities Spa is NOT the place for Botox injections, dermal fillers, or plastics of any kind!
I am happily "old school". I believe in the time-proven methods of facial rejuvenation: monthly facials, the correct daily home skin care, and safe, toxin-free methods that support your skin's natural and healthy functions ... and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association agrees with me! WHY is it that everyone wants to be in the skin care game these days? It's bad enough to find the not-professionally-educated and unlicensed clerks at the department stores selling in their lab coats (a marketing ploy to convince you to trust them), and the housewife down the street who is obviously seeking monetary gain rather than expertise. But now we (the professionally educated and licensed) have to endure ALL medical doctors, of every variety - from the GP, to nurses, to now even the DENTISTS - who think they should change careers and become skin care experts ... needle in hand aimed at YOUR FACE! (Run, by the way!) It becomes so frustrating when I know my experience (nearly 30-years since first licensed!) and I know what I've seen and done over the years (everything!) --- to watch my chosen craft be prostituted under the assumed "respectable" guise of medicine. A new client comes in and wants to look better. She's already experimented with Botox. - Why? because it's EVERYWHERE and the guilt to avoid it was just too much to bear. But she doesn't like the idea of going under the knife, so she seeks my services. I show her the top-of-the-line, best-of-the-best. She wants to do it, but she's afraid of the cost. This bothers me. Why is it that people can show no reservation to pay for Botox injections, dermal fillers, boob jobs, and all of that, but when it comes to doing something HEALTHY for their skin, they get wallet-shy? My treatments work. If they didn't they wouldn't be on the menu. I spend countless hours researching EVERYTHING that makes it's way into my store. If it's gimmicky, it's never considered. But, my treatments aren't on Oprah, or Dr. Oz - or in two-page advertisements in every woman's magazine. Most truly professional things aren't - they are for insider knowledge only. I'm the insider - you seek my expertise and knowledge and trust that I know what I'm doing. If someone says, "I can make your face look younger, firmer, less wrinkled in less than 4-months (and it took 20+ years to get that way) ... and I can do it WITHOUT a blade, wouldn't you say "YES!!!"? Me, too. It feels like such an uphill climb - constantly fighting to uphold my profession against the medical arena and the sales clerks of every venue ... why must what's right and good be so hard to defend? How can I offer such amazing results without cutting you or damaging your skin in the hopes that it will "heal" itself (Retin-A, strong peels, etc.)? With pure science. Hard to understand science, to be sure. Take for example my SAM LED treatments - they work utilizing light rays. How does a simple thing like light benefit the skin? Well, we already know that light is damaging to the skin ... the Sun! But at the correct frequencies, light can be extraordinarily healing, and it is used medicinally in many ways. [You'll have to do your own googling, I'm trying to keep this short.] BUT, it doesn't heal instantaneously - whereas with Botox you do see immediate results - (that is after the pain, swelling and possible bruising have healed). So is that the issue? People don't want to take the time to correct their skin in a healthy manner, they want the quick fix, even if it means possible irreversible damage and toxic poisoning? Is it the cost? It can't be, I see all the restaurants are FULL every night, the basketball stadium is standing room only, Coach is doing a fine business at Fayette Mall, and if Botox wasn't HIGHLY profitable, everyone with a medical degree wouldn't be trying to stick it in your face. Never mind the fact that my prices are extraordinarily fair, good value for the dollar. I make sure of that because I, myself, am cost-conscious. I always seek to under-promise and over-deliver with facts and honesty, no gimmicks or sneaky sales pitches. Google my facts and see for yourself. The skin care game has gotten unfairly and unwisely competitive. Who is the consumer to trust? If you've read this far, I'm going to assume that you trust me, and for that I am immensely grateful! It's from your support that I have the strength to keep fighting for good, solid, skin care. It's such a blessing to be able to take some of your stress away, to bring you facial rejuvenation treatments that work SAFELY, and products that do great things for your skin without harshness - causing it future damage. I KNOW my way works. If I believed for ONE-SECOND that plastics was the way to healthier, happier, better-looking skin, I'd switch careers. So, THANK YOU for believing in me and for taking full advantage of all I offer to you. Where else can you find, under one roof, and by one extraordinary therapist owner, LED treatments, HOT ROCKS, soothing music, aromatherapy oils, a steam-shower for rinsing off your Über-groovy Cocoon Wrap, unwanted hair removal that doesn't hurt(!), VANTASTIC Skin Care Products, ... CHOCOLATE ... and most importantly the PEACE & TRANQUILITY to escape from life's daily stresses!!! Now schedule your SAM Led Series so you can look extra-gorgeous for Christmas! xoxo Nancy. |
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