Of all the questions sent my way in the last few months, the most common ones from you ladies tends to be in regard to skin care.

I get it.

I worry too about what the future will bring with my skin and often want to try and make the future a more attractive place in my beauty routine- while I am good for common sense advice, when we start into areas such as microdermabrasion and chemical peels and what the difference between them is (or, even, what they are) I am out of my element as I’m not a professional.

Have no fear!

Last week I sat down with Debra Powell Adkins LE  of Miracle Salon and Medi Spa in temperance, MI to get the real skinny on skin care routines, procedures to rejuvenate skin and her suggestions for sun protection.

Chick: Hello, Debra! Thank you for sitting down with me today.

Debra: It’s my pleasure!

C: Please tell me a little about your background; when did you become an aesthetician and what drew you to the craft?

D: I was a massage therapist for 10 years and although I loved my job I have always had a passion for helping women look and feel their best so I went back to school 4 years ago to become an esthetic Ian.

C: Wonderful! Please tell me a little about the menu of services a client can expect when they come to see you.

D: I am so fortunate to work at a medi spa so I am able to combine amazing skincare modalities with medical procedures such as IPL laser, laser hair removal, microneedleing and an amazing medical grade peel called The Perfect Derma Peel.

C: That sounds marvelous! And also is a perfect segue into my next question, which is about chemical peels and microdermabrasion; what is the difference between the 2?

D: Microdermabrasion is what we refer to as mechanical exfoliation as opposed to a peel which is a chemical exfoliation. Microdermabrasion can be a little too harsh for mature skin. It tends to break capillaries when skin is starting to thin a bit. A peel is a great alternative for women 35 and up.

C: That is amazing! How invasive or painful are these procedures and what can a client expect in the first 24-48 hours in regard to discomfort?

D: Microdermabrasion basically has no downtime. At the most you may be a little pink after the procedure. There are different strengths of peels. A superficial peel has no downtime possibly some residual flakiness at the most. A medical grade Peel on the other hand such as the perfect derma peel goes three layers deep to the trans dermal layer and definitely has downtime. After a medical grade Peel the first three days you’re just a little pink by about the fourth day you really start to peel and continue to peel for approximately four more days. It can be intense but the results are amazing it can totally refresh and revitalize your skin.

C: That sounds very rejuvenating! How well do these procedures help with reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles?

D: Peels are kind of the gold standard for helping with fine lines and wrinkles. As we get out of our 20s our cell turnover slows way down and we get a build up on the surface of our skin , which causes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. When we do superficial peels on a regular basis or a medical grade Peel a couple times of year we remove all of the dead skin cells and we help our body with cell turnover which gives us a more youthful appearance and definitely helps with fine lines and wrinkles.

C: Perfect! What is your basic daily skincare advice and wisdom that you want to pass along to readers?

D: Home care is huge. If you only do procedures or facials, say once a month you will get improvement but the the real magic is caring for your skin daily. Depending on your age you need a skincare program designed for you, but the basics are a gentle cleanser, a serum, eye cream and a good moisturizer. The most important ingredients to look for in your products are Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, peptides and retin A. I am a little different than most aestheticians when it comes to sunscreen. I am not a big proponent of chemical sunscreens I prefer a mechanical sunscreen because of the toxic chemicals used in the regular sunscreen. I also believe that it is very important to get vitamin D from the sun not during the hottest part of the day but either earlier in the day or later in the evening.

C: That’s very different than what we usually hear, although I have been hearing a lot about the terrible chemicals in sunscreen. Can you explain mechanical sunscreen? I’ve not heard of it and am very interested.

D: A mechanical sunscreen contains ingredients such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide which creates a barrier on top of the skin to deflect and scatter UV rays as oppose to a chemical sunscreen that uses dangerous , possibly cancer causing chemicals to prevent sunburn. One of the downsides of a mechanical sunscreen is that it can have a slightly chalky look, but for me it’s worth the trade off to not expose myself to dangerous chemicals. Also it is important to remember we have an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency because we have overused sunscreens. We need to be wise when it comes to sun exposure but we do need about 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure to our entire body during a time of day when the UV rays are not at a dangerous level. Usually earlier in the day or later in the evening.

C: This is all very useful information! What brand of mechanical sunscreen do you suggest?

D: That’s an excellent question because although many brands contains zinc oxide some of those brands contain other toxic chemicals. Two of the brands that I consider very clean are Badger and Mexitan. I used to recommend Aubrey but that brand now contains paba Esther which is a petro chemical.

C: Which is scary as people don’t always understand how scary petro chemicals and parabens and all the nasty elements are that find their way into products can affect their long term health. My last question is about diet; How much does diet affect skin health? What kinds of foods keep skin glowing and beautiful?

D: Diet is huge! I can’t emphasize enough that if you don’t have a good diet you are not going to have beautiful skin. Many skin conditions have to do with food intolerances. When someone comes to see me and they have a problem with acne or rosacea my first question is always,”do you have stomach issues”and invariably the answer is yes. My recommendation is if someone is having serious skin issues they do an Elimination diet to find out what their food intolerances or allergies are. If someone does not have serious skin issues and they are just looking to keep their skin healthy and beautiful a diet that is high and fresh fruits and vegetables and lean grass fed non RB GH meats is ideal. Also drinking water to keep your skin hydrated. If you are healthy on the inside it will definitely show on the outside.

C: That is extremely sound advice! Thank you again, Debra, for taking the time to talk to me today! Where can people make an appointment with you if they are interested in the services we discussed?

D: It was my pleasure. I am at Miracle Salon and Medi Spa 6634 Summerfield Rd. Temperance MI 734-847-3700.

So there you have it, folks!

Procedures are great for that little something extra but consistent home care and maintenance and a healthy diet are the keys to staying beautiful.

Thank you again, Debra!

As always, we love comments! Let us know what you think in the comments section below or on our Facebook Page!

Until next time!

Love,

The Chick and her Chickadee