The importance of cleansing your skin

When cleansing you skin, you are removing any make-up, impurities, dead skin cells, sweat, and sebum that have accumulated during the day. Our skin is also a very easy-to-reach dumping ground for dust and other environmental pollutants.

Remove your make-up

If you forget to remove your make-up before going to sleep, it will be more difficult in the morning to remove that stubborn mascara and stay-on-forever lip colour.

 At night, the skin also secretes sebum and sweat and if you are in the habit of sharing your bed with your furry friends, you will probably have some pet hair and other scary stuff on your skin as well. Water alone will not successfully remove this.

Your daily cleansing and make-up removal routine need to start with good products which are suitable for your skin type and lifestyle.

Your skin should always feel clean, soft, and balanced (not too dry or too oily) after any cleansing routine.

The routine usually follows 3 basic steps: cleanse, tone and moisturise.

Please read our article “What is in a good cleanser?” for guidelines about choosing the correct cleanser for your skin.

How to get the best results from your cleansing routine.

Start with your eyes. Always use damp cotton wool, as some of them feels like abrasive pads on the skin when dry. Soak the cotton wool in the make-up remover and place over the eyelids. Wait 5 to 10 seconds for the make-up to softens, then gently stroke the eye lashes from base to tip to remove the mascara. Then, using clean cotton wool in need, stroke from the inside to the outside corner of the eye until all make-up has been removed.

Move on to the rest of your face. First wet your face slightly with tepid water. Place some of the cleanser in your hands and gently apply to your whole face and always include the front and back of your neck, as well as you décolleté area. . Work from the center of you face and with your fingertips perform small circular movements. Remove with water, damp cotton wool or a face cloth. Tone and moisturise.

No matter what products you use, or how you go about cleansing your skin, always be gentle, do not over cleanse, do not rub and scrub and you should reap the benefits by having a clear complexion and soft, glowing skin!

Some of my favourite cleansers:

Vitaderm Pre-Cleanse 150ml R 255

This popular Pre-Cleanse is essential for a deep pore-cleansing effect without leaving a taut feeling on the skin.

This water-soluble, oil-based gel is incredibly effective in dissolving all oil-soluble impurities on the skin. With the addition of water, this formulation turns into a milky cleanser and rinses away impurities.

It is suitable for all skin types and may be used prior to normal cleansing.

For oily skin types, it is recommended to use one of Vitaderm’s Gel Cleansers afterwards. For dry skin types, the Pre Cleanse may be used instead of the normal cleanser. This formulation is preservative free.

Vitaderm Gentle Eye Make-up Remover 50ml R 85

A mild formulation which gently removes eye make-up.

It contains no aromatic extracts and is therefore highly recommended for sensitive eyes and is ideal for contact lens wearers.

It contains Vitamin B5, which keeps hair healthy! It will not damage your false eye lashes either!

This product is ideal for the removal of water resistant and smudge proof make-up. It is not recommended to remove water-proof make-up. 

If you need any further information on how to choose your home care products, please contact us at 082 398 9817 or agb111@mweb.co.za for an appointment.

If you want to know more about the products that we stock in the salon, please visit our website @ http://www.agbeautysalon.co.za/

Hyper-pigmentation, a 3-step treatment success

Autumn is the perfect time of year to give serious attention to hyper-pigmentation as the sun’s power is on the wane and the UV radiation weakens. The sunlight hours are also getting shorter and this all helps to make the treatment of all pigmentation problems so much easier.

All skin types are effected by hyper-pigmentation

Pigmentation is a pesky problem that normally has its origin in overexposure to the sun, hormonal imbalances or some medical conditions.  I am not going to go into all the medical reasons for pigmentation, but will concentrate on sun exposure and hormonal issues.

This is the short version of how our cells react to sun exposure:
Skin colour is determined by the amount, distribution and type of melanin.  Melanin is the dark pigment that one’s skin produces, in the melanocytes, that shows up as a “tan.”  The “tan” that so many of us desire, is a result of a chain reaction that occurs to protect our skin from the harmful UV damage by forming a protective layer over the chromosomes in the cell and therefor protects the cells’ DNA.

The longer version is a bit more, well longer, and involves explaining all the chemical processes, enzymes, proteins, amino acids, hormones and much more that are involved in the chain reactions that form pigmentation.

I always refer to a tan as a CRY-OUT for help from our skins to “please stop the damage and get out of the sun!”

How do we tackle this complex problem?
Before starting an anti-pigmentation treatment course, one has to accept that it will take time, patience, determination and above all an understanding that one’s skin does not react overnight to any treatment protocol, no matter which product range one uses.

The best way to treat hyper-pigmentation is a 3-Step approach that:
1. Treats and corrects most of the causes of pigmentation- removes and minimises visible pigmentation
2. Restores the damage to the skin-hydration and strethening the skin
3. Protect the skin from future damage-anti-oxidant care and UV Protection

“A time has come where a scientifically advanced, cosmeceutical skin care brand such as TheraVine™ produces innovative skin care products formulated to address skin concerns related to pigmentation while promoting luminous, even skin tone and effective controlling hyperpigmentation caused by the natural ageing process, sun damage, excessive UV exposure and hormonal imbalances”-Lisa Smith, creator and CEO of L.S.Enterprises.

The TheraVine™ MelanoVine™ range addresses hyperpigmentation by making use of 2 cutting edge melanosome inhibiting peptides, a combination of 5 active ingredients comprised of Advanced Hydrating Systems and Anti-Oxidant Phyto-Chemistry as well as the nano-encapsulation technology of a revolutionary bilayer liposome leaving the complexion brighter, younger and more uniform.

The TheraVine™ MelanoVine™ range consists of the following products:

MELANOVINE™ BRIGHTENING MILK CLEANSER          250ml R        331.00
MELANOVINE™ BRIGHTENING CONDITIONER                  250ml R        311.00
MELANOVINE™ SOLUTION+ CONCENTRATE                  30ml R        595.00
MELANOVINE™ BRIGHTENING C+ DAY PROTECTION  50ml R        564.00
MELANOVINE™ RECOVERY+ NIGHT TREATMENT          50ml R        585.00
MELANOVINE™ BRIGHTENING C+ DAILY MATTIFIER  50ml  R        574.00

MelanoVine™ Brightening C+ Daily Mattifier Treatment Cream

MELANOVINE PRO-BRILLIANCE BRIGHTENING FACIAL  30 min
Normally R500  Now only R350 until end of May 2016 

Combining advanced technology with the latest skin brightening research advances delivered a unique facial treatment using specialised skin care techniques to provide effective and visible brightening results.

Ideal for a dull, devitalised skin with discolouration concerns, this treatment is specifically aimed at diminishing uneven skin tone while also minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Targeting hyperpigmentation at various levels with scientifically advanced actives and natural lightening plant extracts, this treatment will aid in a rehydrated complexion, leaving your skin
looking luminous and feeling radiant.
Prices correct as at 19.4.2016


For more information or to book a consultation, please call Gerda on 0823989817 or contact us agb111@mweb.co.za

Hydration, a tight feeling situation

Hydrate your Skin!

Dehydrated skin is one of the most common skin complaints that I see and treat in the salon. This should not be confused with dry skin types, as this is a condition and not a skin type. 

Every skin type can have dehydration as a condition and can be aggravated by environmental factors, lifestyle choices (alcohol use, smoking, lack of sleep, insufficient fluid intake) as well as beauty products.

Dehydrated skin lacks water, usually within the body as well as on the outside. It feels tight and uncomfortable and soaks up any moisturiser in huge quantities and may still feel dry afterwards. It sometimes looks dull and lacklustre, feels itchy and often has dry, red patches. Loss of elasticity can also be a sign of dehydration.  Dehydration can cause the skin to look older, as fine lines will appear especially around the eyes, lips and on the forehead.

Treating dehydrated skin conditions start with trying to find out what caused in the first place. Most of the time the client changed her range of beauty product and her skin does not respond well to that. It can be easily rectified by looking at the ingredients in that new range and change the products accordingly.

Here are some of the most likely “problem” ingredients to watch out for (not all, the list is huge!)

• Petrochemicals-  paraffin, mineral oil, petroleum, petrolatum, Vaseline. 
• Chemical colours
• Specially denatured alcohols
• Harsh preservatives- Parabens – (methyl, propyl)
• Chemical frangrances
• Sodium lauryl sulfate benzoyl peroxide
• Salicylic acid
• Tea tree oil
• Topical acne medications (Rx treatments, such as Aczone, Retin-a, Retin-a Micro, Differin, and Tazorac)

·       

How to get it right
Your skin should feel comfortable and fresh after cleansing, not dry, tight and “squeaky” clean.  It should cleanse the skin without stripping it of its much-needed moisture.

 It is very possible that your skin developed a slight allergic reaction to the soap in your cleanser, so please check this first. Change it to a soap-free cleanser and see if this helps.

If you are using products that contain Alpha or Beta Hydroxy Acid  (salicylic acid), benzoyl peroxide or tea tree oil, stop using it until you have your skin has healed, then slowly introduce it again.

Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Your body needs sleep to heal and repair itself, so be kind to you skin and sleep a lot!
You may be interested in the following articles as well:

Fill-up and drink 4-6 glasses water every day, yes water not fizzy drinks and YES in winter too…..

Use moisturisers  formulated for dehydrated skin. It should contain one or more of the following ingredients:       

•  Hyaluronic acid-moisture boosting effect, can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.
•  Allantion-soothing effect
•  Ceramides-mimics the skin’s acid mantle and “waterproofs” the skin
•  Phospholipids-decrease water loss from the skin

Stay out of the sun. I cannot repeat myself enough that the sun is bad for your complexion. It will dry your skin out even more and on top of that will cause premature aging and wrinkling. 

Avoid long, hot showers –too much of a good thing is not good either!

 If you are living a very hot, dry climate you may consider getting a warm mist humidifier and run it a couple of hours each night.

I can recommend the following products from Vitaderm that will help you on the way to hydrated, soft and comfortable skin:

4-6 glasses of water per day is a must.

Vitaderm Hydrating Treatment Cream   
It contains moisture-binding elements, alongside a blend of essential extracts, to increase skin hydration and suppleness, without a trace of oiliness. It contains increased concentrations of hyaluronic acid, both high molecular weight and low molecular weight, to help boost collagen production and increase superficial hydration. It is able to retain more than 1000 times in weight in moisture.
 

Vitaderm Intensive Hydrating Serum 

This creamy, gel-textured serum contains increased hyaluronic acid concentration.  It contains both high- and low- molecular weight hyaluronic acid to impart both deep hydration and superficial suppleness. Recommended for dehydrated skins that tend to be dry rather than oily.

Please contact us at agb111@mweb.co.za if you have any questions about your skin type or condition.