Skin needling at home or clinic?

Many of you may be aware of skin needling. It is also known as derma rolling or micro needling. In salons you can pay up to £250 per treatment for a half hour session with a therapist. What many of you may not be aware of is how easy it is to perform this therapy at home. In this blog we explore this option and some of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.

First lets explore a myth. You may have seen this therapy done in clinics or worse on you tube. They often use very long micro needles and aggressive techniques and it looks painful or even bloody! It actually does not have to be this way. Research has shown that even when longer micro needles are used (1.5mm or longer as used in clinics) collagen induction (which is how skin needling works) only takes place up to 0.6mm into the skin (1). Thats right about half of 1mm.

In fact longer micro needles and bleeding the skin are not necessary to achieve results and micro needles are short as 0.5mm can be used successfully at home to induce your body own natural collagen.

There are some conditions where longer micro needle rollers are required particularly for burn scars and other medical conditions. These treatments should be done in clinics with correct sanitary conditions. Also some people may not feel comfortable or confident with home micro needling in which case a clinical treatment is a good option.

If however you are confident and want to save some money and potentially some discomfort then simple anti ageing facial treatments or small cosmetic scars treatments can be easily and safely performed at home.

If you are interested in doing this at home what should you do and what should you not do?

Microneedling treatment at home

Firstly the donts –

• Dont ever share your roller with anyone else. There is a lot of false advertising in the market suggesting you can resterilise, a derma roller. The fact is you cannot. You can disinfect it using either an isopropyl alcohol spray or a colloidal silver spray. This will kill all the bacteria so you are not at risk of skin infections but does not mean you can share the rollers with others.
• Dont use your standard beauty creams or lotions for 8 hours after treatment. Skin needling creates tiny punctures in the skin which increases your transdermal absorption of products placed on the skin. These micro punctures stay open for around 8 hours after treatment and will absorb any products placed on the skin during this time in increased quantities. During this time it is better to use a safe natural serum designed for use with skin needling.

Now more interestingly what should you do to perform a skin needling treatment safely and naturally at home.

1. Firstly look for a supplier of the products you can trust. Remember despite their cute and colourful appearance these devices do need to penetrate the skin in order to achieve results. You need to make sure the devices arrive sterile in tamper evident packaging. If in doubt look for a UK supplier with a UK phone number so you can call and ask their advice. This is also great if you have questions when doing the treatments.
2. Secondly where possible focus on natural and/or organic products to use after the treatment. This reduces your chances of side effects particularly if you have sensitive skin.
3. Make sure your products come with full instructions. Written instructions are good and if possible a DVD is even better. Many cheaper products simply come with a small diagram on the side which will leave you wondering how on earth to use the products.
4. Once you have the products follow the instructions accurately. Normal practice is to roll 15 times across each area of the skin being treated. This is what was done in the research which showed skin can increase collagen induction by up 1,000% in a single treatment. Treatments at home should be spaced about 2 weeks apart to allow the skin to recover. Be wary if the instructions recommend every day treatment as this does not allow enough time for skin to recover and heal.
5. After the treatment with a 0.5mm roller the skin may appear red and slightly inflamed for up to 24 hours. For this reason it is best to do the treatment at night before going to bed (rather than right before a night out). By the next morning in most cases it will have returned to its normal shade. Always use the aftercare serum purchased with the treatments as the correct serum will reduce problems and enhance results.

If done correctly the research shows you can achieve an average increase in your faces own natural collagen of 206%(1). The results of a treatment will continue to improve for between 3-6 months after treatment as more collagen is converted from type 3 to the stronger and more tensile collagen type 1. New collagen once created should last between 5 -7 years making this a very long lasting natural treatment.

Keep in mind if this works well for you micro needling has also been shown to benefit scars, stretch marks and hair loss so a simple kit has a whole world of possibilities!

http://www.fabafterfifty.co.uk/2016/03/04/cosmetic-skin-needling-at-home-or-clinic-anti-ageing-benefits-of-micro-needling/

Juice Recipe For Radiant Skin

The beauty expert Liz Earle is an enthusiastic juicer, and her glowing complexion attests to the benefits that micronutrients in freshly pressed fruit and vegetables can bring. "Good skin is created from within," she says, "and it needs a steady stream of highly absorbable nutrients to keep it supple, strong and clear. Juices are the ideal skin food for this and can also be easily adapted to suit varying skin conditions."

Juicing has never been more fashionable. Rival New York juicing companies offer daily deliveries, direct to your desk, for hundreds of dollars per week. Models and actresses gloat about their regimes: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attributes her lithe figure to juicing; Salma Hayek and Jessica Alba are aficionados too. And this new thirst surely owes something to Joe Cross's film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, the story of how Cross, an obese fast-food fan, lost 6st in 60 days through juicing.

Liz Earle was there long before any of them. "I've been a fan since I started writing about beauty and wellbeing 30 years ago," she says. "I have been on various juice fasts, the longest being 10 days of pure juices, combined with a spoonful of powdered bentonite clay, which contains magnesium and traces of many other minerals and which has the ability to bind with toxins, such as heavy metals, to draw out internal gunk that can clog the colon. Obviously, it is really important only to undertake a fast like that under the daily supervision of a naturopath or doctor," she adds.

The gadgets have got fancier since the early days of juicing, and Earle welcomes the advent of the slow juicer. "I'm a big fan. It's like cold-pressing a plant oil; it produces less heat and friction, so it preserves more of the fruit and vegetables' nutritional value."

A juice fast can, she says, "relieve constipation, clear the digestive system, and rehydrate, and so help with dark circles under the eyes. But you need to chew the juice thoroughly, mixing it with saliva to help pre-digest it before you swallowing – don't just glug gallons of pure juice."

She is not advocating a Joe Cross-style bonanza, just a weekend, say. "After all, a fast is central to many religions and cultures, so it is not such an alien idea. It is just that we're doing it for health and beauty reasons rather than spiritual."

All ingredients should be raw, organic and unpeeled. If you can't get organic, lightly scrub the skins in mildly soapy water, then rinse and dry to remove traces of herbicides and fungicides.

You can personalise these recipes, adding, for example, the powdered contents of a Lactobacillus acidophilus capsule to encourage beneficial gut flora. This is especially useful after a course of antibiotics, or if you are taking acne medication.

Beety energiser: the perfect pick-me-up

Beetroot juice is the emperor of all energisers, shown to increase stamina, boost brain power and even lower blood pressure. Combine it with the sweetness of apples, with an antioxidant shot of carrots and the rejuvenating tang of fresh, zingy ginger to really get you back on your feet – fast!
This juice is dark, sweet and tangy. Serve garnished with a sprig of mint and perhaps a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Makes one large glass

1 large apple
2 medium carrots
3cm (1¼in) cube ginger, unpeeled
1 medium beetroot
sprig of fresh mint, leaves only
slice of lemon, to serve (optional)

Juice together all the ingredients. When juicing herbs or leaves, sandwich them between chunks of apple, carrot or beetroot to help flush them through the juicer. Serve with a slice of lemon.

Smoothie skin soother: a juice to help eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea

Calming and soothing ingredients such as cucumber and fennel can help to combat skin inflammation. Skin-calming antioxidants and anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids also work well here, so try piercing an evening-primrose- or borage-seed-oil capsule to enrich the juice.
This is one of my all-time favourites: a velvety green, smoothie-style juice.

Makes one large glass

1 large apple
1 large carrot
½ bulb fennel
¼ medium-sized cucumber
½ ripe avocado
1 borage-seed-oil capsule or evening-primrose-oil capsule

Juice the apple, carrot, fennel and cucumber, in their entirety, in a juicer before transferring the combined juices to a blender. Add the avocado flesh and the contents of your chosen oil capsule, then whizz until smooth.

Greenie genie: a juice to help acne or problem skin

Alkalising green juices are especially beneficial for improving acne. Go for ingredients such as asparagus, celery, parsley and watercress, and don't overload on high-fructose fruits. Carrot juice, rich in beta-carotene, is also a useful addition, but try to keep the juices mostly green.
This is a deliciously light juice with a refreshing ginger tang. The grassiness of the green ingredients is slightly sweetened by the apples.

Makes one large glass

2 medium apples
2 medium carrots
2cm (1in) cube ginger, unpeeled
4 small asparagus spears
small handful parsley
small handful freshly cut wheatgrass, or 1 level tsp of powdered greens, such as wheatgrass, chlorella or spirulina

Juice together all the ingredients, in their entirety, stirring in your chosen powdered greens (if using) just before serving.

Plumper skin perfecter: a juice for dry and mature skin

To tackle wrinkles, choose blueberries, blackberries, black grapes and dark cherries, all of which are rich in anthocyanidins. (The vitamin C in the fruit is also useful, supporting collagen and elastin fibres.) Blend these, though, as juicing removes their skins, which contain polyphenols and resveratrol (these phytonutrients have been linked to longevity because of their ability to slow down cell oxidisation). You can add essential fatty acids to the mix by piercing an evening-primrose-oil and a natural-source vitamin-E capsule and add the liquid to the juice. Or simply add a dash of cold-pressed flaxseed, rapeseed or olive oil.
This is a fabulously pretty, subtly flavoured juice, and one that you can make if you don't have a juicer, as you can use freshly pressed apple juice from a carton.

Makes one large glass

2 large apples, or 200ml (7fl oz) fresh apple juice
generous handful seedless black grapes, approx 30
generous handful blueberries, blackberries or pitted dark cherries, approx 30
½ tbsp cold-pressed flaxseed, rapeseed, walnut or olive oil

Juice the apples then transfer to a blender with the grapes and your choice of blueberries, blackberries or cherries. Blitz until smooth. Stir in your chosen plant oil before serving.

lizearlewellbeing.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10338759/Liz-Earles-juice-recipes-for-radiant-skin.html

Do You Want Brighter and Glowing Skin?

Have a glowing and brighter Skin- Why we Should Exfoliate?

Do you notice minutes after applying your daily moisturiser your skin still feels dry and flaky?

If yes, you may be missing an important part of your cleansing routine which is to exfoliate.   Particularly this time of year when your skin can look dull and dry, due to environmental changes.  

The skin is constantly replenishing it’s self but slows down as we grow older so sometimes needs a little helping hand removing the old with the new.

The Benefits.

           1. Deep cleanses the skin, dislodging build-up in the pores helping to break down blackheads             and whiteheads.

          2.  Removes the build-up of dead dry flaky skin cells.

          3.  Smooths and refines the skin giving a softer, supple look.

          4.  Enhances the blood circulation to the face giving a healthy glow to the skin

          5. Allows deeper penetration of other products used on the skin, making them more effective

I recommend twice a week to step up your skincare routine for a glowing skin
     
      1.  Cleanse the skin and remove using a warm face cloth (helps open pores) to remove the access cleanser.

      2 . Keep the skin moist and apply the exfoliant evenly over the entire face and neck, use sparingly,maybe a little more around nose and chin area. 

      Use small gentle circular motions in an upward direction, let the exfoliant do the work and facilitate the glide. Focus more on congested areas.

     3. Remove with warm face cloth to remove all particles leaving the skin feeling thoroughly    cleansed.

       4. Use a Toner to help close the pores.

       5. Use a appropriate serum

        6. Use appropriate cream  

I prefer to use an exfoliant that is rich in other active botanicals ingredients for cleansing and balancing the skin, plus the exfoliant particles must be round and smooth to avoid irritating the skin.

Once your skin is looking healthy and glowing then just once a week or even every other weeks will probably be enough. 

10 Beauty Tips to Perfect Skin