Month: October 2020

When considering all of the amazing things that our skincare products do for us each and every day, it’s only right to think about how best we can treat our creams, masks, cleansers, and wipes. It’d be rude to just leave them uncared for, dirty, and open to the elements. They deserve to be treated with respect too! But what’s the best way to go about aiding our cosmetics on their continued journey to keep us feeling like royalty? How best can we keep them active and virile for the long haul? No matter how amazing that overnight hydrating face cream with 24-karat gold is, it’s worth absolutely nothing if it expires prematurely or is mishandled. Here are some ways to help extend the shelf life of makeup and beauty products.

First things first, make sure to know exactly when our products say that they are going to expire. On all cosmetics, there is a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol printed on the packaging (an open jar with a number and an “M”) that indicates how many months we have between the day we open the product and the day it expires. This is the makeup shelf life, and it shows when it’s most effective and/or vibrant. A little trick that I’ll do is write the date that the product is set to expire in sharpie next to the PAO symbol. That way I’ll always know when I should start to find a replacement before the first one goes bad.

Along with paying attention to the PAO symbol and keeping on top of the dates, another simple method to prolong our product’s life is to keep firmly sealed and in a cool, dry place when not in use. This way, there’s less of a chance for the products to harbor bacteria that can cause not only premature expiring, but once expired can have adverse effects when used on our skin. These effects can be irritation or bumps on the skin, or even pinkeye when put near our eyes. Another way to keep harmful bacteria out of our cosmetics is to always wash our hands prior to any application. This way it’s harder to transfer any of that bacteria onto the cosmetics themselves, especially when considering cream pots as opposed to push-pumps. We wouldn’t want the bacteria from our hand getting trapped in there to cause trouble. Cleanliness is key to keeping us and our cosmetics tip-top and extended our makeup shelf life!

Of course, another great way to make sure that you get the best results without worrying about expiration dates is to let us take care of your face for you! We offer a multitude of services that are simple, non-invasive, and can get you even better results than if you just used your daily creams and serums. These include, but are certainly not limited to, a Photofacial that will keep your skin bright while diminishing dis-coloration and red splotches, a completely bespoke Chemical Peel that exfoliates and helps eliminate acne, and of course Botox to reduce unwanted lines and wrinkles! Plus to top it all off I also have my Glow Pads, perfect for maintaining that beautiful complexion you leave my office with!

If you’d like to discuss products that would work best with your skin, feel free to schedule a specialized consultation with us! You can find more information on skin health and beauty by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram where I answer all your questions as part of my #UnfilteredDerm Stories!

We often joke about needing to get our beauty sleep to look our best during the day, but getting your beauty sleep is no joke! Sleeping is how our minds and bodies rebuild themselves after a long day, taking away our stresses and getting us ready for the next day’s challenges. Now, while we may not be awake or actually conscious, that doesn’t mean we can’t give our nightly sleep a leg-up to get most out of its beauty benefits!

Utilizing overnight masks and treatments are an excellent way to make use of your time in dreamland. There is a huge variety of overnight masks on the market which are used to remedy anything and everything, from acne, to wrinkles, to dry skin. For a super deep moisturization, I highly recommend the Fresh Black Tea Overnight Mask. Not only will it deeply moisturize your face, but it will also help your skin to achieve a firmer, lifted quality. But of course, my favorite overnight treatment (though not strictly a mask) are my Glow Pads! Perfect for every skin type, these nightly medicated multi-purpose pads help to brighten and smooth your skin with powerful AHA + BHA acids. To get some for yourself, just contact the office! You can also contact the office to set up a personalized consultation so that we can address your specific skin concerns head-on.

Another easy way to help your skin sleep is not actually another cream or mask, but a pillowcase! People often forget that their face is planted on a single thing for 6-9 hours a night, causing all the oils on their skin to get rubbed off, sticking to the pillowcase. It is because of this that it is paramount to frequently wash your pillowcases. This helps to negate acne, and helps keep you feeling fresh at night. Going beyond just changing a pillowcase often, is using a silk pillowcase. Silk pillowcases cause considerably less friction against the skin on your face (and on your hair) when you sleep, which allows for less crepe-ing to occur on your face. The smooth surface of a silk pillow literally allows for your skin to glide, and not catch, like what would happen with a normal cotton pillowcase. A silk pillowcase can also aid in your nightly creme routine by helping your face to retain moisture, whereas a normal pillowcase would cause a face mask to rub off during the night.

But with all these amazing treatments and tools at our disposal, we cannot forget that nothing can ever replace the simple effectiveness of a proper night’s sleep! Getting some good shuteye (7-9 hours a night for an adult) helps to negate and prevent a multitude of unwanted skin problems, including dark circles and under eye bags. Being well rested is also good for your overall mental health and appearance, as you’re more alert and attentive, along with less stressed. In fact, people who get more sleep than their tired peers have been proven to be more attractive due to their better sleeping patterns. So get some sleep! Your skin will thank you.

If you have any more questions, come on into the office after booking yourself a consultation by calling us at (212) 220-0776!