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Preparing Your Skin For Valentine’s Day:
Naturally, Valentine’s Day is a day when we want to present our best selves. Not too mention it’s a valid excuse for us make up enthusiasts to go all out. Whether it’s a subtle, natural, bold or seductive look you desire, to achieve your ideal look, you must first start by making sure your skin is a smooth, fresh, blemish free canvas for which you can create your make up masterpiece. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and harsh winter elements in full swing here in central Illinois, you might find you skin is needing a little tender loving care before the big night. Here are a few tips that can help assure your skin is fresh, smooth and supple:
Assess and Address Any Skincare Concerns Now
Don’t wait until the day before Valentine’s Day, hoping for a miracle from your new facial mask or skincare product. Stay faithful to your skincare regimen, especially when it comes to nightly cleansing and moisturizing. If you haven’t already established a consistent skincare regimen then just focus on the following basic skincare needs for the short term to assure your skin looks its best for your special Valentine’s Date.
THE BASICS:
- CLEANSE
- Cleanse both in the morning and before bed. Do not skip your night-time cleansing. Going to bed without removing your make-up can clog pores, create blackheads, acne break outs, inflammation, and textural issues. While you are fast asleep, your skin is regenerating, rejuvenating & renewing itself! Cleansing your skin improves cell turnover and even stimulates circulation. Even if you do not wear make-up, it’s one dirty world out there. By day’s end, your skin’s surface contains dirt, grime, debris, bacteria. You need to cleanse away the day’s collection and allow your skincare products to effectively penetrate and do their intended jobs.
- TREAT TEXTURE / BLEMISHES
- Exfoliation will help improve rough texture, fine lines, wrinkles and clarity. Exfoliation is often needed to keep aging skin looking fresh and smooth because as we age, dead skin cells to do not slough off as rapidly as they once did. This can result in dull, rough texture and more apparent lines and wrinkles. A build up of dead cells not only makes it difficult to achieve a flawless make-up application but dead cell build up also reduces the effectiveness of your skincare products and steals your radiance! During dry winter months, try to avoid harsh scrub type exfoliants if you have acne-prone skin or if your skin is dry. Exfoliating with gritty facial scrubs or buff puffs when your skin is already extra dry from dried winter weather conditions or inflamed with an acne breakout will compromise your protective barrier, creating further dryness and skin irritation. Instead for dry, dull skin tones select a pumpkin enzyme exfoliating mask to exfoliate, brighten and hydrate or seek a professional, light glycolic acid application at your cosmetic surgeon’s office.
- Stay proactive if you are prone to acne breakouts. Clear Skin Pads like those from Castillo MD Skin Science containing a 5% glycolic, 2% Salicylic Acid (for exfolation) & lactic acid (for hydration) can be particularly helpful in preventing new breakouts and decreasing cellular build-up without irritations caused by more abrasive options.
- MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE
- Whether your goal is a flawless make up application or a natural, radiant, no make-up look, supple, hydrated skin is key. Dry skin leads to dull, flaky skin, and increases the appearance of lines, wrinkles, and skin texture. Remember to pay extra attention to the skin around your eyes. The eye area needs moisture formulated specifically for that delicate eye area. Radiant skin and a flawless makeup application is dependent on well hydrated skin.
4. PROTECT
- Apply a medical-grade, UVA/UVB physical sunscreen every day. If you are new to my blog, you might be thinking, sunscreen… in the winter? What sun?? Is that really necessary? Don’t fool yourself. I assure you, UVA (the aging ray, you know the one responsible for lines, wrinkles, sagging, unwanted pigment…) is just as prevalent in the winter as in the summer so be sure to continue to protect your skin each day throughout the year.
Wishing you a Valentine’s Day full of love, laughter and luminous skin!
Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY
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Yours Truly,
exfoliating creams, lotions or treatments, skin lighteners, or topical acne products 5-7 days prior to treatment.
sensitive to the sun for at least 14 days. Avoid direct or unprotected sun exposure.
Roxanne Grace Hammond
look their best. But they feel like they have wasted a lot of time and money experimenting with different products, just trying to narrow down what works and what doesn’t for them.
There are also a few long holiday weekends like Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. This is a good time to have body contouring with
the signs of a recent facelift or forehead lift. Big, comfy sweaters can hide slower movements that are necessary just after breast surgeries, 
scheduling liposuction, tummy tucks, breast surgery and mommy makeovers. Patients are looking ahead to late spring and summer and want to get their body in check before heading to the beach, going to class reunions, weddings, vacations, or just having less clothing to conceal their areas of concern. It is also a great time for those who couldn’t fit a facelift, brow lift, rhinoplasty into their winter schedule because you can still conceal with a big spring hat, scarf and sunglasses for the first few days if you have bruising or swelling to cover.
outside and you are accustomed to protecting your skin from the sun depending on your lifestyle, if you’re someone who already restricts the amount of sun exposure you get, or if you are willing restrict the time you spend outside for awhile, it can be a good option.
