Inside The Treatment Room
Beauty and Healthy Skin
I often see clients with what they think is sensitive skin, and after a thorough consultation, we sometimes realize that it isn’t sensitive as much as it is an impaired barrier. I see it so often, this is now where I am starting, especially with clients with acne who have tried or are trying everything to clear it. Tiktok trends and western skincare only offer acids and retinol to clear their skin, and more and more, I see that healing the barrier and doing gentler anti-inflammatory treatments are what their skin needs. This is where my Korean Skincare training comes in. While I believe that acids and retinols have their place, the overuse is definitely detrimental to the skin.
Skincare Philosophy
Korean skincare philosophy supports a healthy barrier and hydration to make the skin nourished and hydrated instead of stripping the skin’s natural protective coating. So many of my clients have benefitted from the switch to Korean Skincare, it’s incredible. The best analogy I have seen to explain the skin barrier, is to think of the skin as a brick wall. The brick wall is your body’s protection to keep the “bad guys” (harsh irritants, allergens, pathogens, pollutants) out, and the “good guys” (your body’s natural moisture and protection, the good bacteria) in.
When the wall is damaged, you get cracks or holes where things that you don’t want in the skin, come in, and the moisture unfortunately flows out more easily. This makes the skin feel, dry, tight, irritated, red, more sensitive and more prone to acne and other inflammatory conditions. This is why we want to support the skin’s natural protection with anti-inflammatory products or products that are rich in lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids which are similar to what the skin naturally produces to protect itself. When the barrier is fixed, your skin should be able to handle some harsher products and will feel less sensitive and less dry because the moisture isn’t lost as easily.
Favorite Products
Some of my favorite products to use to help the skin’s barrier are:
KrX CICA Recovery Skin Care Set- This one is wonderful post-procedure but also for general use. It contains a cleanser that doubles as a mask, a toner, a serum, and a moisturizer. The main ingredient for this set is CICA, which is short for Centella Asiatica and it is an anti-inflammatory herb that is very popular in Korean Skincare.
Beta Serum – This is a favorite serum of mine for anti-inflammatory and healing as well as hydration. Beta glucan is derived from the Shiitake mushrooms and is known to boost skin cell proliferation and encourage collagen and elastin synthesis.
Ami-Sterol – This moisturizer is full of ceramides and cholesterol to restore and protect the skin’s barrier and amino acids to aid in collagen production. I love this one post dermaplane especially during the cooler months.