There is so much pressure on you from society to stay young. You need to look 22 for the rest of your life! At all cost! (obviously this is NOT what we believe in our practice)
You have probably been seeing tips and tricks all over social media promoting “preventative botox” , Retinols & other “anti-aging” procedures. Maybe some of your friends are even talking about these things and testing the waters. As professional holistic minded estheticians, we don’t think you need to invest your money in all that just yet…
First of all, the recommendations that follow are not coming from a place of judgement. We support and celebrate bodily autonomy and your right to choose what, how and who gets access to your divine vessel!
We just want to give you all of the information we have surrounding skin health/supportive care so you can make informed decisions!
Botox is short for Botulinum Toxin. It contains the purified neurotoxin type A from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum 1. The scientific name for Botox is onabotulinumtoxinA, which is one of seven different botulinum toxin strains that are produced from the same bacterium 1. The toxin is composed of a heavy chain (H) and a light chain (L), connected by a disulfide bond, and is produced as part of the bacterium’s metabolic pathway.
This neurotoxin blocks signals between the nerves and muscles, temporarily paralyzing the affected muscles.
When it is marketed as a wrinkle ‘preventative’ what that means is that the toxin paralyzes specific muscle groups of the face so you can’t make the facial expressions that, over time, would lead to a weakening of the collagen matrix causing a wrinkle. Imagine what it’s like when you fold a piece of paper in the same spot over and over again. Eventually, that crease becomes weak enough that even when laid flat, you can still see the crease. That’s what can happen to our skin matrix over time.
So, it seems like botox is a great idea! Prevent the wrinkle from ever forming! I wish it was that simple… You know that I LOVE a good preventative measure but from a holistic standpoint, paralyzing the muscle is going to lead to stagnation and muscle atrophy. Meaning, if your muscle doesn’t get a chance to move or get stronger it will become completely weakened and unable to support the surrounding tissue.
Because of how botox binds to certain receptor sites on nerve endings, this is actually an irreversible treatment. It prevents the nerves from activating the muscles. Botox binds to these sites permanently, and there’s no known treatment that can reverse the effects. These nerve receptors dull with age and so…
Botox only works on your muscles until around age 65 at which point it becomes ineffective. If you have been paralyzing your muscles for, lets say, over 30 years and then you stop, what’s going to happen to those muscles? They will be weak and droopy, aging you overnight. The cosmetic industry will tell you not to worry about that and they have plenty of corrective procedures you can buy from them down the line…hmmmm….that sounds like a good way for them to ensure their bottom line for years to come…
Ok! What can you do instead of botox??
Encouraging healthy tissue function, strong facial muscles & supportive topical skincare is where we focus our attention from a holistic standpoint to prevent unwanted signs of aging. Silicone patches like the Silc Skin patches we carry help to minimize lines and wrinkles by bringing your skins hyaluronic acid to the surface and ‘casting’ the muscle groups to help encourage minimal movement while still allowing you to make facial expressions. (We also THOROUGHLY embrace all the lines and wrinkles that come with a beautiful healthy aging face & don’t subscribe to the patriarchal expectations of youth being the only virtue of value, but that’s for another post…)
In your 20s
Get facials at least quarterly - Find an esthetician that matches your vibe and trust their suggestions on what your skin needs. In your 20s your cellular turnover is still accelerated so getting a facial treatment once per season is usually enough, unless there is already some damage or specific concerns you are experiencing.
SPF Daily - yes, I know, I’m a broken record. You do also need to expose your skin to the suns rays in order to encourage the production of vit D and support the microbiome of the skin. BUT, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of applying a mineral spf to your face, neck, chest and back of hands every day. This is one of the BEST preventative measures you can take.
Dial in your daily ritual - finding the cleanser, toner, exfoliant & moisturizer that is best for your skin and using them as recommended will help so much in the long run! Other than a good antioxidant serum, you don’t need to worry about a big elaborate skincare routine yet. Learn about at home techniques like Gua Sha, lymphatic brushing and facial massage to help keep the tissue healthy. Keep it simple and keep it consistent.
Treatments - Treatments that focus on overall wellness and skin health are what we would recommend at this stage. Lymphatic drainage, enzyme exfoliation, Light therapy, Abhyanga, etc.
In your 30s
Get facials monthly - Once you enter your 30s your cell turnover rate begins to slow down. Now is the time to step up your game and start getting facials on a monthly basis. Find an esthetician that matches your vibe and trust what they recommend!
SPF Daily - This should not be a surprise…
Add treatment serums - Now is the time to consider adding more supportive topical serums as well as facial massage techniques (gua sha, lymphatic brushing, facial massage) to your daily ritual. We love a good Bakuchiol serum to support cellular turnover without irritation! You should also include an antioxidant serum and perhaps a hydrating serum depending on skin type.
Treatments - In addition to regular monthly facials, we recommend some type of collagen stimulating treatment like the Microchanneling we offer that uses tiny needle points to push stem cell & epidermal growth factor serum into the tissue.
In your 40s and beyond
Monthly facials - Monthly treatments with your esthetician will allow you to be able to focus on any areas of concern that you may have. Be open and upfront about any concerns and skin conditions so we can put together the most effective treatment plan.
SPF Daily - Honestly, duh, but I’m gonna list it anyway. Even if you spent your youth baking in the sun without a care, it’s important to start making spf protection a daily thing.
Supportive skincare - cleansers, toner and hydrators that are appropriate for your skin type and concern. Antioxidant serums, hydrating serums and “anti-aging” serums like Bakuchiol will support healthy tissue function and cellular turnover. Living probiotic serums may also be beneficial to reboot your skins microbiome!
Treatments - Microchanneling for fine lines, general retexturing and pigmentation, Plasma fibroblast for deeper lines and sagging skin, Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Buccal facial massage techinques for healthy tissue and holistic face lifts.
No matter what stage of life you are in or the condition of your skin, we can help change the look and feel of your skin! Trusting a professional and allowing us to build ideal treatment plans and routines for you will help keep you looking and feeling your best so you are less likely to be tempted by the ‘quick fix’ of injecting toxins into your face…
We love you!
I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!