How To: Get Your Glow On

The cooler months can wreak havoc on our skin, leaving it dull, dry and drab, so let’s dive into the top 4 ways that Body Sculpting Clinics can help you achieve healthy, radiant skin, just in time for the warmer months.

First things first.. We all know that true beauty starts from within, so how can we harness our nutrition to ensure we are hitting our #skingoals? The first step is to include a range of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients into the diet. Doing so will ensure we create a healthy lipid barrier, which is found in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin) and responsible for protection. A strong and well functioning lipid barrier is the foundation of healthy, glowing skin, and increasing dietary fat can be the key in ensuring our skin stays in tip top shape!

Fat is one of the most important factors (and macronutrients) to consider when eating for skin health. Each skin cell is surrounded by two layers of fat that makes up the cell walls, called the phospholipid bilayer. This layer can be affected by the amount of dietary fats we consume, and is responsible for the appearance of plump, healthy skin. Essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 are the building blocks of these healthy cell membranes, and supplementing your diet with these nutrients can help to fight against dry, red and itchy skin.

Some amazing sources of healthy fats to include in your diet to give you that glow include:

• Walnuts 
• Pumpkin seeds
• Chia seeds
• Flaxseeds/oil
• Sunflower seeds/oil
• Safflower oil
• Oily fish such as salmon/sardines
• Fish oil
• Eggs
• Soy products

It can take around 3 months to begin to see the benefits of adding these nutrients into your diet, so in the interim, try the Gentle Reparative Anti-Inflammatory Cleansing Treatment by Skin Genius. This product features a superior surfactants that contains 40% Oleic Acid. This unique and luxurious foaming ingredient has the highest affinity with the skin’s barrier function, leaving the skin optimally hydrated after cleansing, reducing inflammation whilst protecting the skins phospholipid bilayer.

Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by the body and is an essential component in lubrication of the eyes, joints, connective tissue and most importantly, our skin! Hyaluronic acid, or HA, increases the moisture content in skin cells, improving the skin’s hydration and elasticity, leaving the skin feeling super-soft, plump and radiant! Hyaluronic acid sits in our extracellular matrix (inside our skin cells), helping to moisturise the skin from the inside, out.

When added to skin care products, HA acts as a humectant, trapping water molecules from the product and the environment, pushing them into the skin cells. This ingredient creates a “fishing net” over the skin, to which thousands of water molecules can be anchored and attached to the skin. It then acts as an osmotic pump, helping to deliver water-soluble actives deep into the skin, increasing their penetration rate and their chances of reaching the deeper layers of the skin.

HA can be used in almost all products, from cleansers to moisturisers, but our favourite here at Body Sculpting Clinics, is incorporating it into serums. Serums are usually of a thinner consistency compared to creams and oils, meaning that all skin types can benefit from their use. We like to layer the Collagen Peptide Matrix Serum from Skin Genius under our clients day or night cream, as it includes Medical Grade Hyaluronic acid. This quality ingredient really packs a punch, increasing moisture retention to boost skin’s hydration levels, leading to supple, glowing skin and a smoother skin texture. It also includes Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, which can actually increase the production of natural HA by up to 146%! Hows that for stunning Spring skin!

Over the cooler months, our complexion can feel coarse and dull from a buildup of dead skin. One of the quickest ways to remove this buildup is through exfoliation! The two well known forms of exfoliation are chemical and physical, but which will be best to achieve our gorgeous glowing skin goals?

Those who are serious about radiant skin may be familiar with Lactic acid. Lactic acid is naturally found in milk, and is one of the many AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids) that can chemically exfoliate, helping to slough off dead and dull skin. Chemical exfoliants are unique in the fact that they don’t physically scrub the skin with beads or rough particles, allowing the skin to achieve a deeper form of regeneration without the irritation, which is why it is our preferred method of removing dull skin.

Lactic acid is particularly interesting as it features a larger molecular size compared to other AHA’s. This means that the lactic acid particles do not penetrate as quickly or deeply as other chemical exfoliants, reducing irritation and making it suitable for all skin types! Lactic acid has humectant properties, allowing it to attract water molecules to itself, hydrating the skin whilst it chemically breaks down the “glue” that holds dead skin cells together.

One of the best ways of utilising lactic acid to achieve fresh, hydrated skin is through chemical peels, as they provide a higher percentage of this AHA compared to using it in skincare products alone.

Our Clinicians, will provide comprehensive skin analysis appointments to determine if your skin is suitable to use lactic acid in the form of one of our Dermal Peels. Our Radiance Peel incorporates the use of high potency lactic acid and biomimetic peptides to chemically exfoliate, revealing new, healthy, luminous skin with a higher hydration level. After analysing and preparing the skin for treatment, the Derma Lactic solution will be applied in various layers depending on the needs of your skin at each appointment.

This treatment can feel tingly on the skin and may give a small amount of shedding, which then reveals your new, glowing complexion! Not only will your skin feel and look more hydrated post treatment, but you will experience an intense brightening of the skin, along with a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles from its plumping benefits.

With Spring well underway, many clients are looking for an effective solution to improve their skin without the downtime or prep involved with other treatments. This is where LED Light Therapy shines (both figuratively and literally!).

LED, or light emitting diode therapy, is a popular noninvasive treatment that can be used solo, or in conjunction with other skin treatments to regenerate the skin. The device use varying wavelengths of light to trigger the skin’s intracellular natural healing process, repairing, strengthening and maximising the skin’s cellular structure.

LED is a non-ablative skin surface treatment system which uses light delivered through light emitting diodes to deliver pure light in precise wavelengths. The treatment is pain-free, non-irritating and non-thermal, making it an effective treatment for Springtime rejuvenation. With this treatment, you can refresh your complexion on your lunch break with no concerns of recovery or downtime!

Although various wavelengths of LED light can be used to treat numerous conditions, the most common use is for general skin rejuvenation, leading to a healthier and regenerated complexion. By increasing blood flow and stimulating the skin, red LED wavelengths assist in the production of collagen and elastin, the two structures in the skin that deplete naturally with age and stress (especially in lockdown!). This treatment bio-stimulates the skin at subcellular, cellular and tissue levels to help existing cells to function at a productive rate, whilst repairing damaged cells.

Those that incorporate regular LED Light Therapy treatments into their routine experience more radiant and healthy skin, which is less affected by seasonal changes and looks much healthier, year round!

The talented teams at Body Sculpting Clinics are able to provide this treatment, and are available for complimentary skin consultations to educate you on the benefits of incorporating LED treatments into your Spring routine for glowing skin!