Simply Effective: One Woman’s Skincare Evolution

A few months ago, a professional styled my hair and and did my makeup for the photo you see of me in my bio below. Before applying my makeup, she noted how dry my skin was and proceeded to spend time moisturizing my entire face and neck. When she asked about the products I use on a daily basis, my response was, “Ummm . . .  I wash with goat-milk soap in the shower.” The look on her face was not good.

Yes, I know I’m supposed to take care of my skin. But as a working mom for many years, I learned to cut my morningand evening regimens down to the bare minimum. When I was younger, I just didn’t think about it.

Now that I’m at a more “mature” age, I see the value in focusing on healthier skin. Sunscreen has always been a must for me, as I burn if I’m in the sun for more than five minutes (and it’s become even more important in the last five years, as I’ve had several basal cell spots removed). But moisturizing not once, but twice a day? That sounded like a big commitment.

Turns out it wasn’t. After my styling session in May, I made an appointment with Monica, an advanced esthetician at LifeSpa. We discussed my need for an easy skincare regimen, and like exercise, she said the best skincare regimen is something I will stick with.

Based on her recommendation, I now use three products: a cleanser to wash my face (which I keep in the shower); a daily moisturizer that I apply in the morning and evening; and retinol, which I use twice a week. Each product has a specific purpose and they work together to improve the health of my skin.

At Monica’s recommendation, I jumpstarted my routine by splurging on a SkinPen treatment one month, followed by a HydraFacial another. I had no idea what either of these were, or how they could benefit me, prior. (For more on what I learned about each of them, check out the sidebar below.)

Fast forward three months and that extra two (literally two!) minutes a day I now spend on my skin is well worth it. My wisdom cracks (a.k.a. wrinkles) are less noticable and my skin tone is lighter with fewer new wisdom spots (a.k.a. age spots). I’ve had numerous unsolicited comments from family and friends that I look younger. Again, I’m OK with being in my 50s, but I’m not going to turn down a compliment of looking younger!

I don’t want to sound like I’m marketing our products; I simply want to share what I’ve experienced and learned these last few months. There are many off-the-shelf skincare products, but if you want to learn more about what and why taking care of your skin is important — as well as why investing in quality products can make a difference — make a complimentary skin consultation appointment in LifeSpa by stopping in at the club, calling or booking online via the Life Time Digital app.

We are also holding an ARORA Workshop for Skincare a few times per year, starting this month, so check your club’s schedule. (For additional reading on why skincare matters to your health, click here.)

Bottom line: Get educated and strive to find a skincare routine that works for you. It really can be simple, while also a critical part of your long-term health journey.

Worth the Investment

Though these skincare treatments come with a price tag, they are an effective way to jumpstart your skin’s health and get a healthy glow. Here’s what I learned when I recently tried them.

The SkinPen is a mico-needling treatment that can be done in as little as 30 minutes. According to Erin Hickey, director of the LifeSpa, “SkinPen creates mico-channels in the skin at a rate of 1,600 per second. The small micro-channels stimulate your skin, kicking its healing process into high gear, increasing blood flow, and creating new tissue. The mico-channels are stimulated to produce new dermal tissue, which is made up of rich collagen and elastin proteins, resulting in youthful and plump skin.”

My face and neck were a little red for about two days, and I started seeing results in just a few weeks.

The HydraFacial is patented vortex-fusion technology that consists of three simple steps, which result in an instant glow that you can see and feel. The first step is the cleanse and peel, during which an esthetician uses a small handheld exfoliating and resurfancing device that they gently move across the skin to reveal a new layer (this process was extremely relaxing and refreshing).

The second step is extract and hydrate. The device suctions and removes debris from the pores while nourishing with intense moisturization. This didn’t hurt at all; it felt like all the dead skin and gunk in my pores were being cleaned out.

The final step is fuse and protect. The esthetician saturated my skin with antioxidants and peptides to plump my skin while giving it a glowy finish.

Each Hydrafacial can be customized based on what your skin needs, which is the beauty of this service. The “boosters” are used to enhance your Hydrafacial with a boost of exactly what you need, whether it’s hydration, calming, firming, smoothing, or brightening.

The instant look and feel of your skin after a Hydrafacial is extremely satisfying, and you can see all of the gunk suctioned out of your skin in the container after your Hydrafacial (if you dare to look).