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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Case study: Paige’s hormone(less) breakout

One of my clients, Paige, suddenly noticed her skin breaking out, and she couldn’t figure out why. Nothing had changed in her diet, and her stress levels were unchanged as well. After further investigation, asking Paige about anything that might be new or different in any area of her life, she finally came up with the answer to her skin care problems.

Earlier she found out she had an ovarian cyst. Rather than operate, her treatment consisted of a shot that would stop her periods for perhaps an entire year, which would reduce and hopefully eliminate the cyst. Her skin was breaking out because her body’s hormonal balance was out of whack. Not having a menstrual cycle is a big deal! Women menstruate for a purpose, so not having this release can wreak havoc with your skin.

Paige had to basically wait out the year and contend with her new skin problems. Like with pregnancy, there wasn’t a lot she could do because of the course of her medical treatment. She continued to get her monthly facials and did a lot of at-home extra care for her blemishes. I recommended acupuncture to help Paige’s body adjust and get her back in balance, as well as previously mentioned helpers for her actual breakouts. Eventually her skin cleared, and I am happy to report her cyst disappeared.

I keep saying the breakouts you are experiencing are there for a reason. In other words, you are not breaking out for no apparent reason; it just may not be apparent to you—yet. Ask yourself questions to help determine the cause of the “sudden” breakouts:
  • What has changed in your life recently or at the time your skin problems started appearing
  • Look at what you are eating to see if there is a correlation to the breakouts you are experiencing

Usually you can figure out the cause of the problems by going back in time to when the breakouts began and what was going on in your life at that time. 

For more information on breakouts, read through the many categories in this blog pertaining to problem skin issues if you haven’t already. Through reading the different sections, hopefully you will have a better understanding of what might be causing your breakouts as well as how to go about clearing up your skin.

For more information, see:
Become a skin care detective for your skin.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Cleanse once? Twice? How often and why

You want to cleanse both morning and evening. Here’s why:
  • Washing your face in the AM: Even though your body goes into a more regenerative (less active) mode overnight, you still want to wash your face in the morning. This way you’ll have a fresh, clean start to your day. You clean your teeth in the morning even though you brushed them the night before, and you should clean your skin too.
  • Washing your face in the PM: The need to cleanse in the evening may seem a bit obvious if you’ve been wearing makeup all day. But even if you don’t wear makeup, you still have a buildup of debris, sweat, and oil as well as pollution from the environment that needs to be removed.

A big mistake makeup-wearers make is to not clean their skin thoroughly. It’s not enough to just remove the day’s makeup, you must also clean the skin underneath. If you wear makeup, you’ll want to cleanse twice at night. Once to get the makeup off, and the second time to get your skin clean.

And don’t get me started on those of you who don’t wash your makeup off at night. I won’t write much about this subject assuming you already know it’s bad to sleep with makeup on.

For more information, see:

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Yonka Products for Crow’s Feet, Dark Circles & Puffiness

I wanted to post some information to help you with Yonka products if you have simple crows feet or issues with puffy eyes and/or dark circles.

Click on any product name to be taken to its corresponding article on this blog.

I have crow's feet/fine lines around my eyes:

 

I have dark circles and/or puffiness under my eyes:


For more detailed information on Phyto Contour, see the following plus other helpful articles regarding eye area concerns:

Saturday, September 16, 2017

PLEASE DON’T DO THIS! A personal note about your skin and airplanes


Please: Don’t assess your skin 
in the bathroom of an airplane!

I always laugh when I’m traveling, in flight, and see my face in the mirror of the plane’s bathroom. I look at least 10 years older! I see things that on a normal day, in normal light, under normal circumstances, I don’t see. For starters:
  • You are looking very close up
  • Your skin is probably severely dehydrated during your flight
  • You are looking at yourself under the worst kind of light possible: fluorescent light 

Therefore it is so unfair to make any assumptions about what your skin really looks like after seeing it in the mirror of an airplane bathroom.

Please do not use these reflections as real and valid. You are in unusual conditions, and these images of your skin are unreal!

For more information, see:

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Tips & Skin Boosters for anyone stuck in an office all day

The recycled air found in most offices and work places is no friend to your skin. A daily work life spent indoors can often leave your skin dull, dry and irritated. Makeup can turn blotchy and will often require frequent retouching. The good news is there are easy ways to combat the ravages of dry office air. If you are eager to recapture a glowing, healthy look to your skin, try adding one or more of the following tips into your daily or weekly routine.
  • Do some form of stretching exercises once or twice during the work day to improve circulation. This will give an energy boost to all parts of your bodyincluding your skin!
  • A lunchtime break spend outside has many benefits. The extra oxygen in the outside air can give your skin a healthy glow. Breathing in fresh air is invigorating and can help you face the afternoon’s work with more energy. (Don’t forget to wear a cream with SPF!)
  • At night, cleanse your skin twice. The first time to remove any makeup you may be wearing (especially foundation), and the second time to get your skin really clean. For a relaxing treat: Take a clean, warm (not hot!) washcloth and place it over your face before cleansing to help lift off some of the makeup and to prepare and soften your skin for deeper cleaning with your cleanser.
  • Stimulate blood flow to the face by exfoliating (sloughing off dead skin) 2-3 times weekly. Yonka’s Gommage is my personal favorite and an excellent choice. (See link below.)
  • Give yourself an at-home facial. Start with a thorough cleansing, use an exfoliant, and follow with a mask that suits your individual skin type. A clay (cleansing) mask is my favorite recommendation. Then, take a relaxing bath while masking. After your bath, remove the mask and follow with a spray toner and moisturizer.
  • Water helps to hydrate the tissues and aids with detoxification. Drinking more water and eating high-water content foods like raw fruits and vegetables helps the body’s eliminating organs do a more efficient job. Many people are surprised to learn that our skin is the body’s largest organ of elimination.
  • Vitamin C helps in the manufacturing of collagen, a protein essential to the healthy elasticity of the skin. Vitamin C also aids the body in detoxification. When the body is free of toxins, you are more energetic, feel less bloated, and your body performs optimally so you look and feel healthier.

Think of these tips as “skin boosters.” A little care can go a long way in getting rid of the office’s drying effects on the skin and helping to keep your skin healthy from the inside out. Practicing these steps on a regular basis will give you visible benefits to enjoy while at the office 9 to 5, but really 24/7—365.

For more information, see:

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Allergic reaction to a product: swollen eyes

Hi Carolyn! I’ve got a question for you. I have a client who developed swollen eyelids from a product (not Yonka) that she applied there. Now her eyelids are super swollen. Would a compress of diluted Pure help? I told her to call the Derm. Help!

This question came from an aesthetician friend of mine. As you may already know, the tissue all around the eye area is delicate and highly susceptible to all kinds of issues, especially swelling and inflammation. When it comes to the eyelids, how you treat them is also very important. It’s helpful to remember that sometimes the simplest fix is the best solution; with swollen eyes this is certainly true. Following is my response to this inquiry.

Pure (Yonka’s concentrated toner emulsion) might help. If it were me or my client, I would initially simply use cold compresses to help relieve some of the inflammation. The eyelids are especially sensitive due to the fact they are made up of such thin skin. Once an area is in reaction, anything could be irritating and lead to further reactioneven water.

I actually wouldn’t use tea bags (like in the photo) for this particular problem. Like I said, even water could irritate this already irritated and inflamed area. On any other given day, a particular tea might not irritate this tissue, but once the skin is in reaction, I wouldn’t take any chancesso stay away from cold tea bagsfor now.

If your client happens to have Yonka’s Creme 11, I’d have her put a thin layer on one eyelid and not the other. Then use cold compresses on both eyes. If she sees a difference with the Creme 11 eye, then apply that to both eyelids—again, applying in a very thin layer. Creme 11, as you know, incorporates arnica, an anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient.

Although Yonka’s Pure is great for many things, my concern is—with even a super diluted amount of this concentrate (known for its soothing abilities)—it could further the irritation. Then again, Pure might work wonders, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. If your client wants to try diluted Pure, I would suggest she do the one-eyelid-only method. If Pure works, she’ll see it because the untreated eyelid will still be inflamed. If it doesn’t work, only one eyelid will be further irritated or be without change.

If your client has a gel version of a hydrocortisone product (like Cordaid or Cortizone-10) she could apply it sparingly on her eye lids. When it comes to the eyes, I’m not a huge fan of putting a steroid cream on the eyelid, so close to the eyes, but this will probably help with the inflammation and swollen nature of the skin.

Hydrocortisone products come in creams and gels. I like a gel best because it is less like to migrate (spread) too far from the application site. Creams, due to their more emollient nature, can sometimes move around and possibly get in the eye. This, obviously, is not desired. Just to be safe, I’d recommend using a hydrocortisone cream when the eyes will be closed, like just before bedtime.

Again, if it were me, I’d start with Creme 11 (discontinued 2/2018) and see how that goes before using steroids. If the swelling hasn’t gone down significantly within 24 hours, go with hydrocortisone. If nothing seems to work, I would stick with plain old cold compresses and then wait it out.

Although the eye tissue is quick to react, it can be much slower to get back to 100% normal. An allergic reaction to a product usually will resolve itself within 24-48 hours. It is important to remember this tissue could be more sensitive to things that normally don’t cause any problems. An allergic reaction will go away if the skin is given time—without further irritation—to go back to normal (the pre-allergic state).

For more information, see:

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Larry North radio interview with Carolyn Ash

After a lot of trial and error, I have finally been able to get some of my previous radio and TV spots uploaded onto YouTube.

The links below will take you to an interview I did with Dallas-based fitness guru Larry North on his weekly radio show, The Weekend Workout, in 1989. I was still an employee at The Spa at the Crescent in Dallas at the time.

I chucked when I relistened to this, all these years later. I have a very different cadence to my speech, and I can detect a slight Southern accent from living in Texas, something I no longer have.

As you will also hear, I was a member of the Mirage Cycling Team in town and at the time of this broadcast, I was a vegetarian. These things, too, are no longer part of my life. Things certainly change over time.

Click on the link(s) below to listen to my radio interview on YouTube.
  • PART 1 (duration 03:07) This recording ends rather abruptly, but is continued to its conclusion in Part II.
  • PART II (duration 08:16)

For more information, see:
Larry North

Monday, September 4, 2017

WHAT are Capillaries? You want to know about them, especially if you have red or sensitive skin!

Capillaries comprise part of the blood network to the skin on the face. They are weak by nature and very susceptible to “breaking or dysfunctioning. Unlike veins, arteries, and blood vessels that are very strong, capillaries are thin and fragile. Once damaged, the only way to reverse the damage is by getting them lasered. This does not truly reverse anything, but lasers can cauterize the capillary, rendering it invisible.  

Capillaries are very susceptible to extremes in temperature. If you are exposed to cold weather or put cold water on your face, the capillaries will constrict (contract). If you are out in hot weather—especially direct sunlight, a hot tub, bath, or steam room, the vessels will dilate or expand.

Sun exposure for long periods of time will weaken the capillaries. And going from one extreme to the other (hot outside to air conditioned inside or vise versa) will really cause trouble for these already weak-by-nature capillaries. Other extremes such as an excess of alcohol, smoking, or caffeine can damage the capillaries as well. (Alcohol and caffeine dilate, smoking constricts.)

The moral of the story is be very moderate with the temperatures you expose your skin to. With hot or cold weather, there isn’t a lot you can do, but you certainly can avoid putting either hot or cold water on your face. And if you smoke, drink alcohol, or are in the sun a lot, know that your capillaries are being adversely affected. Capillaries are very important to the overall health of your skin; be sure to take good care of them!

There have been and continue to be many advancements in laser technology that have proved to be beneficial for removing damaged capillaries, therefore reducing redness, from both face and body. The article listed below on IPL gives you more information on this type of laser procedure for broken capillaries.

For more information, see:

Friday, September 1, 2017

WATER! How Eight Glasses A Day Keeps Fat Away

Below is an article from Bob Hoffman, someone who I still to this day have not been able to locate therefore get permission to use his words. I hope those of you reading will gain important information and that will satisfy Mr. Hoffman wherever he is. 


How Eight Glasses A Day Keep Fat Away 
by Bob Hoffman

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true “Magic Potion” for permanent weight loss.

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.
 
Here’s why: the kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they do not work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver.

One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidney’s work, it cannot work at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss stops.
 
Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, hands, and legs. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs—plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.

If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in certain concentrations. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy—drink water. As it is forced through the kidneys, it removes excess sodium.

The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.
 
Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient.
 
Water helps rid the body of waste. In weight loss, the body has more waste to get rid of—all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, water helps flush out waste.
 
Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is a primary source. Result? Constipation. But when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function returns.
 
So far, we have discovered some remarkable truths about water and about weight loss: 
  • The body will not function properly without enough water and cannot metabolize stored fat efficiently 
  • Retained water shows up as excess weight
  • To get rid of excess water you must drink more water. Drinking water is essential to weight loss 

How much water is enough? On the average a person should drink eight 8 oz. glasses every day. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount that you drink should be increased if you exercise or if the weather is hot and dry.

Water should preferably be cold—it’s absorbed more quickly into the system than warm water. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually burn calories.
 
When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the “breakthrough point.” What does this mean?
  • Endocrine gland function improves
  • Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost
  • More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat. Natural thirst returns 
  • There is a loss of hunger almost overnight

[This is important!] If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. To remedy this situation you have to go back and force another breakthrough.


Although I know this information, I continue to reread this article and each time I think I learn something new. Water and then more water. It’s pretty simply, really.

For more information, see: