Wrinkles Why Me?

Why do I have deep wrinkles?

Age

As we get older our skin loses it's natural, bounce and tightness. This is due to a loss of connective tissues call Collagen and Elastin. This causes the skin to begin to loosen and/or sag. 

Exposure to the Sun

Ultra Violet rays cause skin damage, such as spotting such as freckles. This is caused by a chemical in the body called Melasma which is usually the cause of pregnancy mask (a mask of freckles across the face during pregnancy).

Smoking

The chemicals in your cigarettes causes the slowing of collagen production in the skin. Collagen is very important for keeping your skin firm, without it your skin will sag and crease. Making fine lines and wrinkles.

Excessive Facial Expressions

Many deep lines are caused by the repeated motion of your habitual facial movements, such as smiling, frowning, laughing and/or squinting.

Various environmental factors

Wind, water and heat and dirt can cause irritation, dryness, chapping and minor scratches. All of which is can cause dehydration, fine lines etc... 

What do I do about it?

We can't do anything about the ageing process, but all the other factors that cause wrinkles we can work to prevent. 

Sun exposure:

It's a huge factor in ageing and you can protect yourself simply by adding a sunscreen to your regular moisturizing routine! This doesn't just mean that you are going to put sun protection only on your face. Your entire body wrinkles and can get skin damage, this means that always protecting yourself is important. Using SPF 30 is more than adequate for light skin types and SPF 15-20 are good for darker skin types.

Smoking:

If you are still smoking you will have heard this a thousand times, it's important to kick the habit as it's not only deteriorating your lungs and other organs slowly but it's causing you to age fast! So #1 quit smoking.

Next you can book a series of microdermabrasion treatments to help increase collagen and elastin production. Soon Renu U will be offering facial peels as well, which do the same job as microdermabrasion. If you aren't in our area you could certainly find a spa that does Alpha Hydroxy Acid peels.

Regular moisturizing facials will also help to revitalize the overall look of the skin. And a very good facial care routine, will put a dent in the aging process.

Environment:

Protecting your skin from the wind, cold, rain and dirt etc... is as simple as making sure you pick the right clothing to protect you during your activities out doors. Moisturizing before you go out as well helps you by putting a protective barrier between you and the elements. The oils in the moisturizer put a layer that catches the dirt, protects the skin from wind rash etc...

Age:

Keeping up your at home regiment of cleansing, toning moisturizing and bi-weekly exfoliation (exfoliation varies from 1-3 times a week based on thickness of the skin and coarseness of exfoliant). You could also add eye creams and face masks to your regime. Make sure that you work out your face care regime with your aesthetician for best results.


We hope that your face feels and looks it's best, and that you learned ways to stop aging in it's tracks.

Live Well and Be Healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics.

Rotten Face Products?!

How to identify when your personal care products are spoiling

A lot of us keep things WAY past their best before date. Some of us don't even know that our makeup products and skin care products even have a best before date!

It's TRUE your makeup goes bad!

Mineral make-ups are an exception, but they have to be good quality makeup and you should still always make sure that they don't have a spoil date. And always use clean tools when applying it.

So how can you tell when your products are going to go bad?

Firstly, most products have seals to protect them from oxidation and bacteria growth. They are usually filled with machines and sealed air tight. So your makeup products shouldn't start spoiling till you open them, which means you are safe to use them as long as they have never been opened.

Once you have opened your product you have only so much time to use your products. On every personal care product there is usually a little logo that looks like a cream pot with the lid open. In the little pot there will be a words "6M", "9M" and "12M" etc... So once you open it, it will last approximately how long that little logo says.

You'll find this little logo on everything from hand cream, mascara, eyeliner and face powders. Even your body wash will have it.

If you find a product that doesn't have it, it will either have a stamp saying how long it will last or it could be a mineral based product.

Sometimes the products don't last as long as they say they will, for example most mascaras say they will last six months, but if you use it every day it is best to renew your mascara supply every three months.

Some professionals say to follow these guidelines with makeup:

Toss It Out

• Mascara — 3 months. (Some say 6 months, but many cosmetics experts, including DaltonJames, recommend 3 months.)
• Liquid Foundation and Concealer — 6 to 12 months.
• Cream Blush and Eyeshadow — 6 to 12 months.
• Powder Blush and Eyeshadow — 1 year.
• Eyeliner and Lipliner Pencils — Up to 2 years.
• Liquid Eyeliner — 6 months or less.
• Lipstick — 1 year.
• Moisturizers and Skin Care — 1 to 2 years.

IMPORTANT

If you have an infection and have used any of the products you have, for example and eye infection and you've used your mascara throw it out right away. The bacteria will multiply and cause future infections. 

We hope that this information will help you to rotate out your old and growing products, so that your skin can stay happy and germ free.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

Sleep

Ways to get more of those precious Zs

It's hard we live in a world that's on the go constantly, we carry cellphones everywhere so that we can keep in contact with all our family and friends when we need them or just get bored of ourselves. The you have to be constantly on the ball, always updated with the newest trends and the latest TV shows. Not to mention that we all have house work, partners maybe even children and work to deal with. It's hard to get that well deserved sleep you so cherish. But it's important to keep you strong and healthy.

So here are a few ways that Renu U gets those much deserved Zs that you're always craving, and maybe it'll help you to catch up on the sleep you've been losing.

#1. Turn it off!

Or at very least put it all away. Getting a good night's sleep means letting your brain realize that "night time" is coming.

Melatonin is a hormone released in your brain as the day goes on, if none of us owned artificial lights or computer screens etc... you'd start to notice that as the day goes by you start to get more and more tired, especially around sunset and there after. This is because humans AREN'T nocturnal. 

The clock may have been one of our worst inventions, because we know exactly how much time we are losing and when things are due. So we work well into our nights to get things done.

Try to turn of your gadgets and maybe grab a book or spend some time with your family. Build a skin care and bed time routine. Try to start this between 1-2 hours before you want to go to bed. You'll notice an increase in sleep.

#2. Don't bring it to bed!

Turn on your ringer if you think there may be an emergency and plug in your phone AWAY from your bedroom. leave your computer on a desk in your living room, study etc... as long as it's not in your room.

Studies show that any flashing lights, and/or sounds that are in your room will prevent you from going through your full sleep cycle, which means you'll be tired tomorrow too!

#3. Unplug your wifi

Some say that the wireless signals floating around in the air are causing a lot of people to have difficulty getting restful sleep. They say that it interferes with our bodies more than we really think. Some people argue that it doesn't

HOWEVER

Are you using it? No? Is it taking up power while you sleep? For sure! You might even reduce your electric bill while trying to sleep. I think that's a bonus.

#4. Did you exercise today?

Inactivity is a HUGE contributor to restlessness! 

How many of us work at jobs where we sit at a desk all day long, with only a lunch break to walk around? I know I have days like that! Those days are good days to start the day off with a jog, or a short trip to the gym. You could even use your lunch break to take a run around the building, etc...

Doing a little activity through out the day can GREATLY improve your sleeping patterns that night and over time. But make sure that any strenuous activity isn't done right before bed, or it'll do the opposite of what you are looking to accomplish. A light bedtime yoga routine might help.

#5. Your bed is for sleeping

Don't eat, drink, watch tv or play on your phone in bed. You can read in bed, but nothing that it's going to cause your brain to have to work too hard. If you like cheesy romance novels, this would be the perfect time to read one. However your bed should be for sleeping so try to keep other activities out of the bedroom. This will help you to associate your bed with sleeping.

#6. My room is my sanctuary

Make your bedroom inviting, keep it tidy and stress free. Have only things that help you relax. If you love pillows and warm colours fill your space with those. You enjoy books and things fill your space will books. Just make sure that your space is calming and welcoming to you.

#7. No Stimulants

Don't drink caffeinated beverages or smoke cigarettes before bed. These stimulate the body making it more alert and that isn't something you want to do before bed.

Benefits of good sleeping habits

Longer life expectancy

Youthful looking skin

More alert during the day

Weight loss

Overall better heath (due to immune function)

Better recovery times (the body does it's repairs during this time)

We hope these tips help you to sleep better and feel more awake during the day.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

Waxing 101

Waxing:What you Need to Know

Many people have questions about waxing care, what are we supposed to do before we wax? What are you supposed to do after you wax? What do you use to do the waxing? Etc... Etc...

This will help those of you who are curious about how waxing works and what you need to do before and after to care for your skin.

Before Waxing

• Most important part of waxing is making sure that you exfoliate the day before you go to get waxed. And make sure that you've been moisturizing. You skin will thank you and the wax will be able to cling to the hairs of your leg better without all the extra dry skin clinging to it.
• Make sure that your hair is at least a 1/4 of an inch long (or the length of a grain of rice). However if your hair gets much longer than that it will become slightly more painful.

After waxing

• Do not go tanning for at least 12 hours after you get a wax, the skin will be very sensitive (no one wants a sunburn on their underarms etc...).
• Stay out of the pools, hot tubs and saunas for 24hrs; Sweating, soaking and chlorine can cause quite a bit of irritation which can cause folliculitis.
• Do not apply topical lotions as it can trap bacteria in your open pores and cause infection.
• Tea Tree oil and Lavender oil products can be very helpful at keeping away bacteria and avoiding infection however.

A Few Days Later

• Make sure to exfoliate the area with either a washcloth, loofa, dry brush or body scrub.

When should you come back?

Waxing should be maintained every 3-6 weeks depending on hair growth. Hairs must be at least the length of a grain of salt before waxing can be done again. However if you wait too long in-between you will have more hairs to remove, which can be more painful. 

Hoping this helps you with all your waxing questions :)

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

The Secret Ritual for a Beautiful Face

Facials: Your Beauty Secret

A lot of use take pride in the way that our face looks when we leave the house for the day, whether it's to cover redness, under eye circles, wrinkles or even for self expression however only a few of us take into consideration what we are doing to our faces. We don't go for regular facials, and often some of us only wash our faces with soap and water! On the other hand we have many people that own every product under the sun for a certain skin condition they feel that they have and may or may not be correct about.

Regular facials can keep you up to date on your skin type as it changes and the seasons go by, helping you to keep your home care routine up to date and working for you as best as it possibly can. The best skin care plans are the ones that are well thought out and consider your specific needs. Educated aestheticians will look at your skin very carefully and make recommendations for home care products at the end of a service, or ask you how you current face care plan is working for you.

Each skin type has specific needs that can be addressed at your regular facials, and just like a visit to the dentist (we know no one really likes those) your aesthetician will make sure that your skin is responding well to your products, and that every thing is working out for you.

When it comes to skin types these are the ways your facials will be addressing your skin, and how regular facials are going to help improve the texture and over all look of your skin.

Oily Skin:

An oily skin facial will consist of a balancing cleanser, pH balancing toner, manual exfoliation, around 10min steaming, extractions, massage, balancing serums and balancing masks, with matte moisturizers and eye creams.

Machines:

Microdermabrasion can be used to deeply exfoliate the skin, which helps to free the blockages from the skin during the extraction phase and helps to penetrate the oil balancing products.

Violet high frequency for disinfecting purposes. It helps to heal acne and fight the bacteria that causes it through sanitizing the skin.

Dry Skin:

A facial for a dryer skin type facial will consist of gentle cleansing, gentle balancing toner (often with aloe or hydrating algae), light steaming, exfoliation, extractions (IF needed), massage, hydrating serums, moisturizing masks, hydrating moisturizers and eye creams.

Machines:

Orange High frequency for stimulation, cell turn over and blood flow.

Microdermabrasion for the exfoliation and also stimulation of oils and cell turn over can be used on clients with dryer skin.

Aging Skin:

We all want to stay young and beautiful for as long as we possibly can, so anti aging facials are very important as we age and lose oil and elasticity.
It starts with gentle cleanser, none "medicated" toner simply for re-balancing your pH, gentle manual exfoliation and a little steaming.  Too much steaming can cause your skin to feel tight and lose moisture, an aging skin needs all the moisture it can get. As you won't have much oil you won't need a lot of extractions unless there is a lot of old build up that hasn't been very cleared out. This would all follow with massage, anti aging serums, anti aging moisturizers and collagen eye creams (sometime with caffeine for a lifting effect)

Machines:

Microdermabrasion on aging clients helps to increase blood flow, cell turn over and collagen and elastin boosting through intense exfoliation. It can also reduce the look of scaring and age spots and freckles

Orange light High Frequency is excellent for the stimulating cell turn over and blood flow to the face. This means more new skin! 

Sensitive Skin:

Facials of this variety are almost always tricky because the skin is VERY reactive, so it's hard to treat any acne a sensitive client might have, so we'd start with a gentle routine till the skin begins to come around. Gentle cleansers and gentle toners would be used, very limited steaming (warm/hot towels would probably be used instead) and minimal exfoliation, and if any extractions are needed they may be taken care of. All this would be followed by massage and then calming serums and/or masks.

Machines:

Orange high frequency would be use to increase circulation and create stimulation. If any blemishes are present Violet high frequency would be used to kill the bacteria inside.

Microdermabrasion would generally be left alone and if it was going to be done it would probably only be one pass.

Home care Routines:

Home care routines generally consist of the appropriate cleanser, toner and moisturizer for your skin type and perhaps even a manual exfoliator that would be used between 1 and 3 times a week at maximum. This keeps your skin gently cared for in-between deeper treatments at the spa, so that you will get to enjoy more of the massage and relaxation aspect of the facials. :)

We hope this helps you with your choice to have facials.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics.

Foot care: Necessity or Hoax

Are you taking care of your feet?

We know that a lot of people feel like manicures and pedicures are just cosmetic!  But is that true? Do you really need to get pedicures regularly? Or is it really just for the pretty colours we all put on your toes when you come in?

To be very blunt... No it isn't!

Foot care is very very important, your hands and feet need your diligent care. We know it sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money, but as you walk and age your feet will truly thank you for taking care of them. Taking care of your feet can help you to avoid things like fungal infections, bacterial infections and even more serious foot disorders that are related to the way you walk and callus build up etc...

First things first when it comes to foot care you need to find yourself a very well educated aesthetician. You should always make sure that you find someone who has taken (and passed) an aesthetics course. Whether it be someone who has gone to a private educational facility or a provincially accredited college. Someone who understands disease prevention and spread, here in Ontario aesthetics aren't regulated. Right now anyone can set up shop and give people pedicures, manicures, waxing and facial services. There are many associations that are trying to make it so that you must have a licence to perform any aesthetics service, but until that day comes it's important to know what you are looking for!

Having taken into consideration this very important first step, the second thing you need to know is that if your feet are in poor health or condition that you are putting yourself at risk for infections. Some of the reasons are:

Cracked heels: 

These are essentially open wounds on your feet. Some cracks can become so deep that they bleed, this put you at risk for infection. Bacteria can become trapped in the cracks of the sole of your feet, where they will multiply and can cause infections. Sometime these infections can become very severe and require antibiotics.

Treating these cracks can be very difficult if you are unsure of how to deal with them, or if you have an uneducated aesthetician caring for your feet. It's important that you get the proper recommendations for home care and that the person who cares for your feet knows which direction to file cracks, as if they don't they can open the cracks wider causing you to be in more pain and that much more susceptible to infections.

Overly callused feet:

Build up of callus can be a sign of improper footwear or that your feet are rubbing in a strange way. However sometimes it can cause you to walk in a strange and painful manner. So taking good care to remove any excess of callus is very important. It's very good aesthetic practice to recommend that clients come back for multiple visits some times even twice a month, to slowly remove large callus build ups. If you take off too much callus at once you can cause your immune system to feel that your feet are under attack and will cause more callus to form.

A good aesthetician will recommend that you take care of your feet at home and suggest the appropriate tools for your specific callus situation. Usually that you file your feet lightly in the shower once a week, after you have done all your regular shower routine. This will ensure that your feet are just soft enough to file. 

Long toe nails:

When you do not trim your nails on a regular basis they can rub inside your shoes. This can cause lifting, lifting leaves you susceptible to fungal infections. Once your toe nails have lifted and bacteria has had a chance to enter under the surface of your nail plate, it becomes trapped in the dark and humid environment of our toes. That can quickly become a fungal infection that can spread to the rest of your toes, it can become quite painful if left untreated.

It's very important to keep your nails trimmed to a couple millimetres of white left, and a square shape. This will ensure that you aren't hurting yourself but you don't cause any lifting.

Ingrown toe nails:

Sometimes you can have pain in your big toes, going to get a regular pedicure can make sure that you catch any potential ingrown nails before they cause you too much pain. 

Sometimes it can be from cutting your nails too short at home and the nail is having to grow over the skin again. However sometimes the nail can curve inward very deeply and will need the corner cut off. Having someone like your pedicurist look at your feet from a better angle can help a LOT, and they can decide whether or not it's a big deal. If your aesthetician thinks that it's a big deal they will suggest you go see your family doctor and let them take a look. That goes for all foot disorders.

Fungal infections:

To expand on the subject of fungal infections, it's important to go to an educated aesthetician, because we know how to disinfect our tools properly. This prevents the spread of bacteria, fungus and viruses. We will also be able to tell you when we think you should head to the doctors. We also have professional pedicure products that are generally for sale, some of which are targeted to treating fungal infections. 

So when it comes to your feet whether you have dry skin, are unable to reach your feet, or even diabetic it's very important to visit a trained aesthetician. Don't be afraid that you might have ugly feet! We've certainly seen worse! We recommend that everyone keep a steady monthly appointment to care for their feet, if that isn't possible bi-monthly with a good home care routine can help tremendously. We want you to come in and let us help you stay healthy and strong.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics