LENA BLOG

What do masks do? What types of masks are best for each skin type? Are they worthwhile? What a mask does depends on what kind of mask it is . Hydrating masks help to soften the skin by increasing the amount of moisture on the surface. Cleansing masks generally contain a large percentage of clay(s), which helps to clean out the pores. I am a proponent of clay masks for almost every skin type. Clay is beneficial for oily or problem skin, helping to soothe infections along with loosening debris held in the pores. For a drier skin type, although a hydrating mask would be fine, clay not only gets the skin clean but helps to step up circulation due to clay’s stimulating effects. I tell my clients that if they feel they need to use a hydrating mask, what they really need to do is exfoliate. Feeling dry on the surface is usually more a matter of dehydration than oil-dry skin. See Is Your Skin Truly Dry or Just Thirsty? (link below) to understand the difference between dehydrat...

UPDATE 4/2017:   OK, yet another change in the Y onka line.  Now Serum Vital is called ELIXIR VITAL. Same formulation and price, just (in my  opinion   unnecessary  and less appealing) a name change. I will keep this article as it is — just know  that  the name is the only thing that has changed with this product . Several years ago (2012), Yonka went through a package change as well as  removing parabens from all of th eir products.   O ne of my favorite products,  Mesonium 1 & 2 , also went through a change: they combined the two bottles into one and gav e it a new name:  SERUM VITAL ( now Elixir Vital) . I n the past, I called  Mesonium  “ a facial in a bottle. ”   When I used this product, usually in the  winter  months, I really felt it ma de my skin look as though I had just had a facial  treatment . I am happy to say that after using Serum (Elixir) Vital for a 2-week experimen...

Alternative medicine encompasses everything from homeopathy to herbal therapy, acupuncture to massage. To me, alternative or complementary medicine is anything that keeps my body well and on the road to balanced healing. Not to denigrate modern medicine, but many drugs that are commonplace today can actually cause imbalances and keep us from achieving our highest states of health. This, of course, is not always true (especially in cases where health is severely compromised), but on a day-to-day basis, I reach for the alternatives to the drugs and medicines you would find at the pharmacist or doctor’s office. Alternative medicine, to me, would more accurately be termed original medicine . If you read back in the annals of medical history, herbs, essential oils, and medicines that were completely organic were the norm for centuries. Granted, there were diseases and epidemics that ran rampant and ended lives by the thousands. I certainly wouldn’t want to go to the dentist or ...

Some skin specialists recommend using oil-free products, but others even advise not using moisturizers on enlarged pores to avoid shininess. What are your thoughts on this? Enlarged pores are one thing, clogged pores are another. The question you need to ask yourself is: are your pores just enlarged with no congestion, or are they filled with debris? Debris means anything that may be nestled in the pore, which could be oil and dead skin or environmental debris from the air. Congestion, therefore, is stuff (debris) clogging your pores. There isn’t much you can do about the enlargement that has already occurred. Once the pore is stretched, it can’t shrink down to a smaller size. However, using appropriate moisturizers can help cut down on future enlargement. If you are using a moisturizer, oil-free or not, that is too much for your pores to handle, you could cause enlargement to occur. If your pores are clogged, it will determine what type of moisturizer y...

I'm not a fan of the “dotting” method How to moisturize. When applying moisturizer, you may put dots of cream on different parts of your face and then smooth them in. I propose an alternate way to apply your moisturizer. Although it’s a small change, it can make a big difference. Put a peanut-sized dollop in the palm of one hand, then rub your hands together to emulsify and warm the cream. Smooth the cream over your entire face and neck using both your hands (palms), not just the tips of your fingers. Applying the moisturizer this way increases your chances of getting the cream on all parts of your face evenly. This is important. The connect-the-dot method can cause an uneven application; some areas will have a concentration of moisturizer while others will hardly have any. If your nose tends to get oily during the day, bypass it when applying the cream. Just lightly go over the nose area as you finish smoothing the cream over your face and neck. This should help to...

If you don’t already have some cellulite, consider yourself lucky (or young). If you are a woman approaching your 40s who doesn’t have cellulite, you soon will. If you are one in a million, you might not, but most of us ladies (and some men, too) will see the ugly monster present itself at some point in our lives. Although men do develop cellulite on certain parts of their bodies, I think it is predominately a woman’s issue. My feeling about this “malady” is really no different than how I feel about wrinkles and the aging process in general. Cellulite isn’t the end of the world, it is just your body going through the motions of aging and storing fat. It’s doubtful you can get rid of cellulite completely, even with expensive procedures; in time the cellulite will most likely return. I doubt my point of view will make you feel any better, but it is an attitude that I have decided to adopt, knowing there isn’t a lot I can do about cellulite. Honestly, I just don’t let it b...

The following email is from my niece, Nicole. She was 14 when she wrote this, and I think she exemplifies a lot of teenage girls and their quest to learn about skin care. She did have a skin care routine, but didn’t have a lot of guidance as to what to use other than from magazine ads and TV commercials. Here is her email, with her teenage humor intact. So about my skin, it is pretty good. It’s normal and “well.” The only places that I have problems and have to watch are around the creases of my nose and the “middle line” on my chin. My forehead isn’t really a problem, and my skin is all around okay. I wash both morning and night with Oxy Balance ® Deep Penetrating Facial Cleansing Wash that contains 2% salicylic acid. It is a gel cleanser and it works pretty well. I also use a Clearasil ® Stay Clear Zone Control Clear Stick. It also has 2% salicylic acid. Now that I am thinking, the rest of the ingredients (which aren’t on the package) are probably just a...

There are many things you can do (and not do) to keep your skin looking young and aging well. Below is just a list of twenty I have compiled, but, please, add to this list! All of the “dos” or “don’ts” have at least one correlating blog post that has been published on that subject, so just click on the blue text and you’ll be taken directly to that article . Avoid direct sunlight on your face . Other than genetics and the natural aging process, sunlight is the number one cause of aging. Don’t smoke . Smoking encourages wrinkles to form around your mouth from the constant pursing of the lips and cuts off all-important oxygen to your skin cells. Don’t drink . Alcohol is a diuretic and increases the removal of vital fluids from your body. It also depletes important vitamins. Curtail caffeine . Another diuretic, caffeine will release fluids from your system and taxes your adrenal glands. Wear sunscreen . Make this a daily habit. Drink more water . It will help all of ...

PHYTO 152 . If you love Yonka ’ s rosemary aromatic, you will love this body cream! From Yonka headquarters: “Phyto 152 helps to firm tissue, diminish stretch marks, and maintain a well-shaped breast. Relieves tired legs providing freshness and well-being. Its toning fragrance also provides an incredible energy.   Phyto 152 is a phyto-aromatic body cream that deeply energizes and promotes natural vitality. It dramatically firms and tightens the vulnerable tissues of the throat, decollete and bustline, maintaining a well-shaped bust. This anti-sagging cream combats free radicals responsible for aging signs.   Phyto 152 firming, energizing cream works for all skin types to firm to revitalize the body. Well-being and freshness are returned to fatigued, tired legs. Stretch marks as a result of pregnancy or weight gain are diminished. ” Firms and tightens tissues Maintains a well-shaped decollete and bust Reduces stretch marks Energizes fatigued extrem...

Yes, even dogs can get folliculitis. Folliculitis is a persistent infection caused by either bacteria or possibly a fungus within the hair follicle. It occurs due to shaving , long-term irritation , or even restrictive or tight clothing . Folliculitis should not be confused with pseudofolliculitis barbae , otherwise known as ingrown hair . This happens due to hair curling back down into the follicle wall instead of coming up out onto the skin’s surface, which is the reason pseudofolliculitis barbae tends to occur more often with African-American males or any men with curly hair. Believe it or not, there is a condition called hot tub folliculitis or pseudomonas folliculitis . Like standard folliculitis, it is a bacterial infection within the hair follicle, but as the name implies, it is contracted by sitting in a hot tub! Usually the infection is located where the water meets the skin; around the neck, upper arms, and upper back areas. I actually know several client...

What is Botox?   I call this “Magic Poison.” And essentially, that is exactly what Botox is. It is actually the botulism bacterium (botulism toxin) that is injected into specific areas of the face, usually the forehead and between the eyebrows along with other areas. The poison renders the surrounding muscles paralyzed. Once the site is injected and the muscles are paralyzed, you are unable to express or move that area of your face. Without daily and constant expressing, lines do not furrow into the skin. So Botox, by paralyzing the muscles, indirectly helps to reduce the deepening of wrinkles. It lasts four to six months and has to be reinjected to continue the benefits. Botox has been used for years to help stop eye tics and other medical maladies. Around the 1990s it was “discovered” for its antiaging, cosmetic benefits. It was approved by the FDA for cosmetic use (between the brows specifically) in 2002. It is only administered by a licensed doctor, either a dermat...

Skin that has seen some sun People are always asking me what they can do to keep their skin from aging. The simplest answer to that question is to avoid overexposing your skin (your face, in particular) to ultraviolet radiation (sun). I know this is not an easy task, especially when so many activities are enjoyed outdoors in the sun, but if your goal is “anti-aging” you will have to adopt behaviors that support that goal. When some clients hear me talk about sun exposure and how to protect their skin, I think they hear me saying, “Never go out in the sun.” And that, obviously, is simply not possible—or desirable. It is not about avoiding all exposure, it is about understanding the short- and long-term effects of exposure and how to avoid damaging your skin while enjoying a life spend out of doors. As we all know, too much of a good thing can turn bad. And so is true with sun exposure. Any time you receive ultraviolet radiation (UVR), you are exposed to the negative effect...