Stress Relief

Stress is a huge factor of acne, especially adult acne. I've literally watched a pimple grow on my chin (stress/hormonal zone) when I had a stress attack happen and realized how stress can seriously effect our bodies. We hear it all the time, read about it in the magazines, watch it on tv...stress is the center of all evil. It breaks us out, ages us, makes us fat, ruins our relationships, I can go on and on, but you know what I mean. It is so common for clients to come to me completely broken out, completely stressed out, and stuck in a rut because the break outs just stress them out even more. So I tell them to stop stressing so much...easier said than done! How do you stop stressing? Is it even possible? Am I a walking contradiction because I tell people to stop stressing when I obviously stress myself?

Well, I've come to realize that stress isn't the center of all evil. It actually is healthy to have a little stress in our lives, just as long as it is not what takes over our life. I've decided to stop telling people to stop stressing, but rather, ask what they enjoy doing. When we are doing what we enjoy our minds take a vaca from all the clutter. Stress relief can come in all forms and can be done any where, for some it might be taking three deep breathes, yoga, meditation, taking a nap, writing in a journal, going to the spa, taking and actual vaca, chatting with a close friend, hitting the gym, grabbing a drink, or having a bite of your fav ice cream (hopefully without over indulging, of course), whatever it is...you have to figure it out. All of my clients know that my philosophy in great skincare is being intuitive to your own body, it is an amazing thing that is truly unique from everybody else. I wanted to share with you a very unique form of stress relief that I recently experienced, floating.

To give you a little bit of info on what it is, here is a little description from Float Matrix's website (I don't usually like to use actual names of products or places because I am not advertising for them, but due to the technical description of this experience I had to take it directly from their website rather than to butcher it myself):
The pleasures and benefits of floatation are based on a revolutionary scientific approach to deep relaxation called R.E.S.T. (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique). This is the deepest state of relaxation researched on earth and is created through the use of a sound and light proof floatation pod in which you float effortlessly on the surface of 10 in. of water that is saturated with 800lbs of medical grade Epsom salt and 100 million year old Himalayan salt. In this environment, you get to experience the wonderment of drifting in space with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Quite different than the barrage of stimulus provided in our culture.

Here is a description of my personal experience: Upon arrival I was instructed to shower, scrub, and wash hair without using conditioner to get rid of oils on my body. Then I was shown the pod, as warned, it was very scary looking...and boy was it! To give you a better idea, imagine a pod that is probably slightly bigger than the size of a coffin and instead of the door opening from the top, it is a small hole that you have to crawl in from the front. They made sure to show me that there is no way of locking the door from the outside. A chill went through my body when they opened the door and I looked into the pod, it was pitch black with one blue light so that I could see where I was going when getting in and they advised to turn the light off when I was fully in. Ear plugs were worn and a towel is set on top of the pod in case water gets into your eyes, cause it will burn with all that salt. Since I'm known to get motion sickness easily, I asked about feeling nauseous. Apparently it is rare, but a couple of people have vomited on their first float so they have a head rest that I can use to stabilize my neck. So I got into the pod, the water is slightly warm and I go right into floating with the neck pillow. Due to the amount of salt, I float effortlessly. I decided to pull the neck pillow out to relax my head and felt fine. I was warned that on my first float I will probably only get half an hour of full relaxation, I had a one hour session, because the first half is an attempt to calm the mind and continuous questioning of what's going to happen and if there's a chance of drowning. I quickly realized there's no chance of drowning or flipping over no matter how you move, so I felt ok. The hard part came when I laid there in complete silence...for those of you who like to meditate, this would be perfect. But for me, who can probably notice the drop of a needle, it was painful to lay there in such silence. So I had to calm my mind and started to focus on my breath. This was the first time I've ever experienced not being able to relax because of the pounding of my own heartbeat, that was how quiet it was, but after just tuning into the thumping of it, I finally fell into a deep sleep. I was also warned that it is very common for the body to twitch when it first experiences the deep relaxation, so considering that I am a twitcher (not sure if that's a word) I had many episodes of being woken up from my own twitches. During the hour, the pod does get a bit stuffy (I should've taken the advice of leaving the door slightly cracked for air) so the stuffiness is what woke me up. I also started feeling a bit stiff from not moving, so I was ready to get out near the last 10 mins of my hour session and luckily I heard the tapping to notifiy me that my time was up. Then another shower to finish the session. Overall, it was an experience...would I choose this over a massage? No, but would I do it again to get another experience? (supposedly it gets better each time) Yes.

Cons: Not good for people who are clausterphobic. Sanitation is uncertain, even though they do a compound filtration, ozone cleaning, and add a small amount of 35% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) after each float session, it is still a bit questionable. (The place was very clean though)

Pros: Even though I didn't feel like I got a massage, I think it would be great after a painful workout. (My trainer always told me to take an epson salt bath if I have sore muscles) It is a great option to help soothe non-contagious skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, inflammation, etc. Great way to clear the mind and train it to deal with silence, something we take for granted.

Whatever it is that will help you relieve some stress is worth giving it a shot, just like how we can't stop the aging process but to slow it down, we can't completely get rid of stress but figure out what works for us! Thanks for reading a pampered girl's secrets...see you on my next reveal!

Massage over roses, anytime!!

If you asked anybody close to me what I would request for if I will be sent to a secluded island all alone, they would tell you a massage! I love massages, and I mean LOVE them, I would eat bread and water for an entire month if I had to in order to get a massage. Partially because I love being a pampered girl, and the other part is work related. Being an esthetician/make-up artist causes my neck, shoulders, and back to be really tight...not just "oh I have a knot on my shoulder" tight, more like I have rocks weighing down my shoulder tight. Every time I get massaged, the entire session not only will consist of nice tranquil music (sometimes) to get me into the zone, but also "hmm(s), wow(s), and oh my you are really tight(s)!" (even was told that I will be paralyzed in 2yrs if I don't treat my problem...that was probably 4yrs ago...but that's an entire story of it's own that I will not bore you with)

So needless to say, this is the reason I eat, live, breathe for massages. I realized many people don't know the difference between the various styles of massaging and since I'm somewhat of a self-claimed connoisseur, I wanted to share my experiences of different styles and explain the difference. There are still many that I haven't personally tried, but once I do, I will update!!

My philosophly for massages is that pain is good, but that's just me! Everybody has different preferences on style and pressure. I tend to prefer a male massage therapist just because they are typically stronger, but a female who knows what she's doing can also be good.

Here is a list of massage styles that I've either tried or heard about, if there any other kinds not mentioned please let me know so that I can try it!! =)

Swedish: The most common style of massaging. Usually done directly on the skin with massage oil/cream and consists of long strokes. This is great for the relaxation and perfect for people who do not like too much pressure. Results last for probably just the rest of the day.

Deep Tissue: Similiar to Swedish except massage therapist uses more of the elbow to get deeper into the muscles. Fabulous for somebody who is knotted up. Key to enjoying this style is to relax your body and breathe~ exhale as the massage therapist applies pressure, this will allow the therapist to get deeper into your tense muscles since you are not fighting back by tensing up. There's a possibility of feeling sore the next day, but the results last longer than a day. It is very important to be vocal to your therapist and make sure he/she knows what they are doing. You should never feel the pressure directly on your spine or bones.

Sports: This consists of quicker movements like pounding, kneeling, etc. Great for athletes or gym rats to loosen up tense muscles after a workout. More for tense muscles rather than knotted up muscles.

Hot Stone: I haven't personally tried this one yet, but some people really like it and some don't care for it much. This massage style uses heated up stones which are placed on pressure points along the body, then used to massage with rather than hands. Don't have any experience on it so not sure about the details, I will update when I finally get one!

Lymphatic Drainage: Purpose of this massage is to detox the body by moving your lymphatic system. This is done by a light touch in the direction our natural system flows. Not for muscle work but actually is pretty relaxing. It is recommended to drink lots of water after getting any massage, but more so for this one in particular.

Shiatsu aka Accupressure: A massage technique originating in Japan and widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This style focuses on the pressure points all over our body rather than muscle work, but amazingly if you get the right pressure point it'll relax all the tenseness around the area. This is done fully dressed in loose fitting clothing with no products applied directly to the skin, great for people who have sensitive skin. This is considered a healing type of massage and is claimed to have the ability to treat certain illnesses, but with little evidence to prove it. I personally am a huge believer in Eastern medicine or holistic alternatives of treatment, it's been practiced in Asia for thousands of years so something about it has to be working...but there are very limited studies to prove it's efficacy.

Chinese Tui-Na: Similiar to Shiatsu (aka Accupressure), except it is done with the principles of Qi Gong and martial arts to bring the body to balance. This style of massage can consist of accupunture, accupressure, or cupping. It is also supposed to be healing for musculoskeletal conditions rather than internal illnesses. This is a very painful massage, not much relaxation during the session but you will feel really good after. Although you will feel bruised and sore from the tendon pulling and pressure point gauging movements, the results probably last the longest compared to all other styles of massage I've tried. Great for pain management.

Thai-style: Another style of massage you gotta be preparred to take a beating for. This one is typically done laying on the floor rather than a massage table. The massage therapist will include their feet to do the massaging and consists of stepping on you and twisting you in all kinds of yoga positions. Lots of bone cracking going on, but you'll feel like you came out of a workout session...which is a pretty good feeling afterall! Results will last for a couple of days.

Foot Massage: I'm not sure if this is an official style of massaging, but I'm sure you've seen these places popping up all over the place. Main focus of this style is hand and feet reflexology, which is massaging or applying pressure on various parts of the hand/feet to improve the health of the rest of the body. The first half of the session will be some typical massaging of the back, head, and face (I usually opt not to get the head/face massage...picky about who touches my face!), second half will be focused on the feet. This can be painful or ticklish, as some people would say, but you literally leave feeling like your walking on clouds. It is amazing how getting your feet massaged will result in the relaxation of the rest of the body. Results usually last about a day or two...I have done it 3days in a row before in Asia, but that's because of the amazing pricing there. This is your perfect refresher to get you through the week!

Hope this has helped you in choosing the right style of massage for you and ridding yourself of those tight shoulders, I will update when I try other styles. My next experiment will be at a floating chamber, this consist of one hour of deep relaxation by floating in a chamber filled with heavily salted water. Supposedly it will allow for my body to reach the deepest relaxation mode since our body will be free of all tensions...I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for visiting and just remember, a pampered girl is never tense!

Detox day 5, 6 & 7!!

I finally finished my detox successfully!!!! *Pat* on the back for myself. I am impressed with myself that I reached the last day without cheating...VERY impressive!! =D So here's how my final days of detoxing turned out...

Day 5, had a 8oz piece of steak for lunch (wasn't satisfying at all and reminded me why I don't eat red meat), then for dinner I had some roasted chicken meat and broiled fish with tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. That was pretty satisfying except that I got full really fast, almost wasn't able to have a bowl of the soup but my instructions said make sure to have at least one bowl of soup this day, so I had a small one. Felt very stuffed, but I can tell my eating habits has already started to change.

Day 6, I can have as much meat and veggies as I want. Even as much as 3 pieces of steak!! There was no way I could've went for another piece of steak so I had broiled chicken and steamed fish this day with lots of leafy greens. It was a good day! Didn't feel like a deprived child, I was a happy camper! Only thing I noticed about this day was, I started craving sweets a little and I was really thirsty. Another thing noted in the instructions is that my digestive system wouldn't be regular and they were very right. I was allowed to have bran or fiber, but I didn't.

Day 7, stuff, stuff, stuff myself with brown rice, veggies, and unsweetened juice. Very weird to say, but the brown rice was more satisfying than the meat! I felt full but not sluggish and my digestive system started working again, yay!! =) I had some watermelon juice with no sugar added and that was very nice to quench my thirst while also satisfying my sweet craving. This was a good day, felt good, and very proud of myself!!

Results: I feel much healthier, a lot more energy, body feels lighter (and actually lost 5lbs!!), and acquired a new perspective towards food. I realized how my body feels according to what I eat and how most processed foods out there are either too sweet or too salty. My skin (something that I didn't mention much during this entire time) was definitely detoxing with my body. As I always say, our skin is a mirror to our health, all the clogging from the holiday festivities and food started surfacing so it wasn't pretty, but now it is in the healing process. Now most important question that is probably on everybody's mind, will I gain back those 5lbs after going back to regular food? I am trying to be more conscientious with what I eat, so we'll have to see! I hope to do this once a month...that'll be my next challenge.

I'll give you and update on my weight and skin soon, so see you next time on my journey to beautiful skin!

Detox day 3 & 4

Day 3, I've gotta say was the worst! Cravings, Cravings, Cravings!! To the point where I started smelling food while I was on the phone with one of my friends...she thought I was going crazy! This is also the day where you start to get a little bored with the soup, so I had to add a bit of hot sauce (which is allowed). They allow you to add salt, pepper, curry, cilantro, boullion, or hot sauce to the soup. To make it worst, my friends asked me to go grab dessert!! Luckily they were kind enough to choose Chinese dessert so I was able to just pick out the fruit, but what they were eating and the smell of the eggettes (waffle like dessert) was killing me! But I was half way there, so NO falling off track!! Even from all the sabotage! I'm supposed to feel 5-7lbs lighter on this day...I weighed in about 4lbs lighter! I'm also supposed to have more energy...let's see how tomorrow goes!

Day 4: Bananas and Skim Milk along with the soup. As much as 3 bananas and as much milk or water as you want. This day is necessary to curb the sweet cravings. I substituted unsweetened organic soy milk for the skim milk since I am a bit lactose intolerant. My gosh can I say...I am forever going to this solution when I have a sweet tooth! It was sooo satisfying and I seriously was not even that hungry throughout the entire day. One bowl of soup in the morning and night, 3 bananas, and several cups of soy milk and I called it a night! Definitely felt like I had a lot more energy...hope this continues to tomorrow!

Day 5: FINALLY!!! I can have meat!!! Between 10-20oz. of beef and a can of tomatoes or up to 6 raw tomatoes. Meat can be substituted by chicken with no skin or broiled fish, but I will need all the protein on this day. I don't usually eat red meat...but I might have a bit of steak for the protein, we'll see!

Thanks for following and see if I can complete this detox on my journey to beautiful skin!

Detox day 2

Day 2, was not that bad! Wasn't as hungry as I was on day 1 and barely had an urge to drink the soup. Which is probably the reason they noted to make sure to drink the soup at least once. I found a new appreciation for raw uncooked veggies, most are much sweeter and tastier than what it seemed. I had carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, arugula, mushrooms, avocado, broccoli, green and red bell peppers, canned artichoke, and beets. As you can see, I like variety. The best part was the baked potato with butter that you can reward yourself with at dinner time. I'm not a huge fan of potato, but it was very satisfying!

Day 3: As much fruits, veggies, and soup as I want. No baked potato. So far it's getting a bit tough, started to crave...but this is when I put my will power to the test! The weird thing is..I'm craving for sweets, when I'm totally a savory person. That's probably why I get to eat bananas tomorrow, it says that it will help curb my sweets craving. Isn't it weird that they know how your body reacts? We'll see how the rest of today goes...at least I'm half way thru the day!

See you tomorrow on my journey to beautiful skin!

Detox!!!

Holidays are always the time of the year when we let ourselves go a bit...until you realize all of your jeans are fitting a bit tight and you can't stop talking about how horrible your skin looks. Yes...it's that time of the year when we over indulge on just a little more fried turkey, one more bite of cake, and maybe...half more glass of champagne. So now that it's over and we look at ourselves in the mirror while setting those gut wrenching new year's resolutions, we have a choice to forget everything all together and just continue on with life like nothing ever happened OR you dive into making the first change eyes closed, jaw clenched, and nose up!

Well after many years of pretending like nothing happened (just because something called youth allowed me to) this year my body gave me a reality check in oh so subtle but super noticeable ways...such as, taking almost the entire week to recover from just one night of living my so called "youth" or seeing that extra bite of cake hang over my jeans like it never did before or that quarter inch wrinkle that one day decided to make my forehead it's resting spot! I know...I know...many of you are probably thinking "what is she talking about!?! she's still a baby!!" BUT you have to admit, the most noticeable changes happen between late 20's into early 30's. Not only do we mature mentally, but there really is a shift in our hormones once the big 30 comes along...I'm sure scientifically, everybody is different. But I think I've worked with enough clients from all different walks of life to make this statement, that our body just isn't the same anymore as we approach 30...do you agree?

So to start being healthier this year, I've decided to start my first week of 2010 by doing a detox. We've always heard about numerous different ones, healthy/unhealthy, total cleansing/fad diets, whatever people can take it as. I know myself well and I know I love food too much to go on any liquid detoxes, or apple detox, etc. so I decided to do one that my mom had given me a while ago. Her friend's doctor had given it to her friend and my mom saw great results from it so she decided to pass it along to me. When I firs saw it, I was thinking...not another crazy fad diet that probably won't work...but as I read the directions, I realized it wasn't too bad at all. You don't starve yourself in any way and every day of the detox changes so you don't get bored and fall off the band wagon. It's a 7-day detox, absolutely no alcohol is allowed only water, unsweetened tea, cranberry juice, and skim milk allowed. The main recipe is a cabbage soup that includes tomatoes, green onion, celery, and green bell pepper (it doesn't taste bad at all!) The soup can be eaten whenever and however much you like, it says the more you eat the more you lose. I am currently on my second day and will document each day as I go...wish me luck!!

First day: Only fruits! All the fruits I want (except bananas) and as much soup as I want.
I gotta say...the first day is usually the hardest! Since I was only eating fruits and the soup, it was a lot of liquids. I had to use the bathroom a lot and each time I did, I got hungry again!! But I made it through...

Second day: Only raw vegetables and the soup. No corn, dry beans, and peas. No fruits. I can have one baked potato with butter for dinner tonight. Just the beginning the day and munching on carrot sticks while doing this blog, I will update you on how it went tomorrow!

I'll see you tomorrow on my journey to beautiful skin!

Hyperpigmentation

What is hyperpigmentation? It is the darkening of the skin aka scars, sunspots, liver spots, melasma, etc. The color is caused by melanin, a substance that gives our skin color. People with darker skin have more melanin. It is known to protect the cells and tissues of our skin. When we are exposed to sunlight, our melanin kicks into gear and acts as an umbrella to shield our cells (which is why we get a tan) but if the melanin gets damaged or overused, it does not know how to retrieve back into the deeper layers of our skin and that's when it becomes a visible hyperpigmentation.

Melanin is an important substance in our body because it helps with protecting against skin cancer and it is also an anti-aging tool for our skin. It is the reason we get post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, since it is programmed to be our bodies defense mechanism when our cells and tissues are or can potentially be damaged in any way. Picking or squeezing your pimple is irritating an already infected area so in doing so you are creating a deeper scar that will be harder to get rid of. To avoid scarring from breakouts, here a several tips you can try:
-if the pimple is new and still very deep under the skin, try icing it. Calming the inflammation will allow the pimple to mature quicker and raise to the surface of the skin. The sooner it starts to heal, the less scarring you will have.
-apply a spot treatment (ie 2% salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide) when the pimple has come up to an head, meaning you see the white puss. Or you can use a clay mask as spot treatment if it is a stubborn one.
-great tip for breakouts, crush some aspirins, mix w/ water and apply as a mask.**only use when you have a breakout and not daily** Salicylic Acid is derived from aspirin and is usually mixed with alcohol when purchased in the form of salicylic acid, doing this is a more gentle way without the alcohol.

Here are some tips to avoid and correct hyperpigmentation:
-USE sun protection!!! SPF 30 is recommended, rain or shine! Layering your sun protection is the best coverage, ie Vit. C, SPF, mineral makeup or makeup with a little spf in it.
-Vitamin C not only helps boosts your skin's ability to protect itself from the sun, but is also an antioxidant fighting the free radical process that naturally happens in our body causing liver spots, age spots, or hyperpigmentation caused from hormones (sometimes called the pregnancy mask) usually seen as a darkening on the upper lip or along the cheek bones. It is also a skin brightener to help lighten the damage or hyperpigmentation that is already there. It is normal to feel slight tingling for the first 10 or so days of applying Vit. C, just as long as it doesn't itch or develop a rash on the area applied.
-Hydroquinone or arbutin (natural form of hydroquinone, extracted from the bearberry plant) are stronger forms of skin lightening, it suppresses the formation of melanin. Must be used under the care of a skin care specialist or doctor.
-Use products with other botanical brighteners such as bearberry, kojic acid, licorice, etc.
Once again, SPF is very important while using any of these ingredients. It would make no sense to correct the damage when you are not preventing more damage from happening. As I always say, prevention is much easier than correction! Til next time, happy holidays and I will see you again on my journey to beautiful skin~