Tanning Bed Trauma

TAN = the new sign of health and beauty

As a high school student, almost every day after school you would find me at the tanning salon.  Little did I know that being tan and having a sunburn has the same exact effect on your skin, they BOTH cause DNA damage in your skin! I was always told that my risk of developing melanoma increases after just one sunburn… so just make sure you don’t get burnt, right? Wrong!

 

What some people (including my teenage self) don’t know is that squamous cell and basal cell skin cancer risks increase based on your life time exposure to the sun! So even if you’re just going to the tanning booth just a couple times because you feel pale during the winter, or because you want a “base tan” for your vacation, you are still increasing your chances of developing skin cancer! 

ANTI AGING = another sign of health and beauty

To me…this sounds a bit hypocritical of our society! How does tanning have an effect on our fine lines and wrinkles?  The elasticity of our skin depends on collagen and elastin, two components of our dermal layer in the skin. Repeated UV exposure weakens the mature collagen fibers, and at the same time the UV rays cause the elastin to reproduce in unusually high amounts which produces and enzyme that DESTROYS collagen! A.K.A- you get saggy, wrinkly, old skin! Did I mention it actually makes your cellulite worse? GROSS!

A tan is your skin’s response to injury.  Skin cells respond to damage from UV rays by producing more pigment.  Going to the tanning booth not only increases your chances of getting skin cancer, but also causes wrinkles sooner than normal! Those are two things I would like to stay away from!

Don’t worry though I have good news!! You don’t just have to suck it up and be pale forever. Airbrush tanning is an awesome alternative! It’s not the orangey looking spray tans we see some girls with these days (regrettably, I used to be one of those girls). St. Tropez is the number one self tanning line out there and we use it here at Gobare! The St. Tropez formula gives you a natural tan and fades completely even! It even has anti-aging ingredients in the formula to help combat past sun exposure!

If you would like to book in with me for an airbrush tan you can call us at 508-799-8833 or book online at Gobare Aesthetic Studio! 

First session is $30.00 (normally $40.00) and all of Mikenna’s first time clients receive 20% off!

Thanks for reading!

MP

Liquid Gold!

By now, you must have heard the phrase "BB Cream" at least a half a dozen times and have seen numerous ads about the miracle all-in-one lotion that fixes any skin condition.  Needless to say, you might ask- what do these beauty balms really do?

The truth is, all of the bb creams on the market are a little different.  Some claim their brand of bb cream can replace your serums, moisturizers, primer, foundation, and sunblock!  Boy, that would certainly save you a ton of money on cosmetics and room under the bathroom sink!  Prices range from around $11-40 for the various brands. Let's look a little more closely...

When you search bb creams, the top listed brands are Olay,, Maybelline, Garnier, L'Oreal, Clinique, and Smashbox.  The majority describe it as a tinted moisturizer with SPF that should be re-applied every 2 hours if you are out in the sun.  Some claim to have added benefits for dry skin types and other for oily skin types.  I had a really hard time finding any actual ingredient listings.  I wanted to find what was in the bottle.  What is the magical ingredient or ingredients that make bb cream the new "it" product?  The answer is CONVENIENCE.

I don't really think they are selling anything magical, but a couple of buzz words that make these products really appealing to low maintenance gals.  Not a bad idea in a world where the laundry, studying and grocery shopping all have to get done BEFORE work! 

The truth is, everyone's individual skin needs are so specific, there is no single cream that is going to be prefect for everyone across the board, it just impossible.  These creams are certainly better to use than nothing at all. I was happy that they all had SPF- even though it doesn't always say broad spectrum protection, or what kind of blocks are in the products. If you are going to spend your money to enhance your skin or to work on any issues you see, the best solution is to ask a licensed aesthetician for advice after a full skin analysis and consult.

If you are local looking for a consult, we offer a really great Skin Consult service at Gobare Aesthetic Studio.  When you come in, we cleanse and analyze your skin, test your sensitivity to products, discuss your concerns, develop a plan, do a peel patch test if applicable, AND send you home with a starter kit of products that last 3-5 weeks!  Its a great way to do supervised skin care to make sure you are really going in the right direction to reach optimum skin health and beauty!
Click here to book your Skin Consult appointment:
http://www.vagaro.com/gobare

I hope you found this helpful!
KD