I think we’ve all had the experience where we look in the mirror and think, “That can’t be accurate." That’s exactly where I was three days after returning home from my lake vacation. I saw my reflection and couldn’t help but notice how awful my skin looked. I had spent a week straight in the sun, sand, and water and now I was paying for it. It wasn’t that I was sunburned (I was diligent about SPF application) or that my skin was covered in freckles; but I could see the damage that spending too much time in the elements had caused to my skin. It looked rough, uneven, and my complexion was dull. I was in desperate need of some serious skin refreshing!

It never fails—it’s the morning of Prom and you wake up with three new pimples. You feel your life is ruined. How can you possibly go to the dance now? You want to run and hide! 

This blog will cover two of the three main types of scars that we as Skincare Professionals encounter on a day-to-day basis. This does not cover ALL forms of scarring that can occur. 

The skin is the largest organ of the body and it’s in constant contact with pollutants, dirt, oil, debris, makeup, etc. that can clog the pores. Congested skin can be very frustrating and seems to never get better. The solution is rather simple, but it does take effort and maintenance to keep that congested skin at bay.

Acne is one of the most common and difficult skin conditions that we treat as aestheticians. When you break out, those annoying blemishes are a combination of dead skin cells, oil and bacteria. Those with oily skin have excess oil on the surface, making it the perfect breeding ground for breakouts and yet surprisingly even people with dry skin can get acne. So what is the difference between oily acne and dry acne and what is causing that to happen?

Skin is made of numerous layers and each layer is performing different functions. One of these layers is called the Basal Layer — this is where our skin cells form and divide to create the outer layer of our skin. Also in this layer, there is a cell called a Melanocyte. A Melanocyte is a dendritic cell, meaning it has branch-like legs that reach up through the skin and is responsible for transporting melanosomes. Melanosomes contain pigment (melanin) to give us the color of our skin, hair, and eyes.