LENA BLOG

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 ...

No No No No NO!!!!! I had a facial back in early October. The lady who was working on me used some kind of tool to squeeze out blackheads and pimples. I asked her if [the red marks left from the extraction] would clear up right away because I had a singing competition in 2 weeks. She had said they would clear up fast. My face did not clear up for my show, in fact there were still some rough areas at Christmas! Now, however, my skin has finally healed, but I have all these little dents in my face where she worked. They are purple in color and look like little pot holes that you see down dirt roads. I am somewhat depressed over this as my skin was always so nice and clear before, no scars from pimples like I’ve seen on other people’s faces. Now unfortunately I have these places on my own face. Here is my question for you: Is there any way at all to get rid of the pot holes? I’m so sorry you had this experience. The aesthetician probably used a metal tool called a comedo...

This could not be more TRUE! Telling you that tanning beds are harmful is like saying that smoking is not good for you. Aren ’ t the health risks obvious? If you still think going to a tanning bed really isn ’ t all that bad, please hear this: Tanning beds cause damage to your skin , but more specifically it can damage the molecular structure of your cells. Translation: Going to the tanning salon can increase your risk of melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer). But, like smoking, I ’ m sure hearing that isn ’ t enough to keep you from these cancer beds . Your argument may be that the owner or employees at your tanning salon say that no matter what you may hear, tanning is actually a safe thing to do. What a surprise that someone selling you a service is going to do what they can to promote that service. It is doubtful, because you want to believe tanning is safe, that you will do any more investigating than that. And that is where you are making a big...

Steam constitutes heat, and heat dilates capillaries—the delicate and susceptible blood network of your face. Throughout our lives, due to weather, lifestyle habits like drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, pollution, and even certain foods, our capillaries are challenged to stay strong. Subjecting them to heat unnecessarily can weaken them over time. At-home facial steamers. These machines may seem like a great item to have around the house, but my recommendations are this: If you have to use it, put a clay mask on your face, and then steam. Never steam your bare face. Since you don’t ever want clay to dry on your skin, using a steamer can actually be a good way to keep the mask moist and avoid damaging your capillaries. I wouldn’t run out and buy a home steam machine, but if you have one lying around using it with a clay mask would be beneficial. My main problem with these at-home steamers is they require your face to be fairly close to the machine, similar to ...

I heard that rubbing ice on my face would help kill bacteria. I have problem skin and don’t know what to do. Is ice good for my face? I was reading in your book that I should always be washing my face with tepid water, never cold. On a talk show I heard a celebrity say his secret to looking young was to put his face down in a sink full of ice every morning. Warning: Do not try this at home! The extreme cold of ice will cause the fragile capillaries of your face to constrict—forcefully so—and over time this will damage or “break” the vessels and cause permanent redness. If that story about the celebrity is true, I bet if you were up close to his face, you’d see that his skin is red, red , RED! I have a client whose daughter had problem skin and was going to an aesthetician who had been using ice on her face to kill the bacteria. This may seem good in the short-term, but in the long run it will no doubt cause considerable capillary damage. Maybe a teenager’s capillaries...

At the end of Chapter One of Timeless Skin I wrote: I strongly recommend not using a magnifying mirror when it comes to looking at your face. Unless you require one to apply makeup, there is no need to make yourself crazy with this unrealistic view of your skin. No one looking at your skin can see what shows up through magnification. Not even you! Recently a new client, Diane, called me about her problem skin, wondering if I could help her. We spoke for a few minutes, and she booked a facial. She came in without makeup, and I noticed her skin looked to be in pretty good shape although she reiterated her concern for “all the breakouts” she was experiencing. At first glance I thought perhaps she had gotten a little too much sun over her lifetime, but all in all, she didn’t have a lot of problems that I could see. Later I would look at her skin under magnification. That would tell me the real story. I filled out a questionnaire and proceeded with the facial. I asked wha...

Ethanol is not a “good” alcohol Why is alcohol [in products] bad for my skin? Alcohol, the bad kind, basically dries everything on the surface of your skin. In theory, this may sound appropriate, especially if you have an oilier skin type. But in practice, stripping away all the oil from your skin can cause your oil glands to produce more oil to compensate for the loss. Add to that the moisture (water) evaporation alcohol causes, and you could be causing the very things you are trying to avoid. Namely, oily skin that feels dry and looks flaky, which is actually dehydration. Some of my skin care products contain alcohol, mostly cetyl and cetearyl alcohol. Does this mean I can’t use them? I hear from people who are worried that alcohol is an ingredient in a product they are using. There are many alcohols that are OK as ingredients, as well as many that are not good. I had a woman call me who had read my book and was worried because she saw that Cetaphil ® cleanser co...

I’m a daily smoker. Honestly, I’m not going to stop smoking, but I am concerned about what it is doing to my skin. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the redness in my skin? You don’t need me to tell you that smoking isn’t good for you. There are no two ways around it: smoking cigarettes causes numerous physical problems . I do appreciate this woman’s honesty, although I hope she is concerned about what smoking is doing to her entire body—not just her skin. When it comes to smoking, there are definitely effects to the skin, long- and short-term. Smoking causes a constriction or closing of the vascular system, including the already weak capillaries that carry blood to and from your face. What you are doing by smoking is, in essence, suffocating your cells by causing less oxygen and vital nutrients to be transported throughout your body. Less oxygen to the cells means less nourishment and a decreased ability to get rid of toxins. This can show up as gray-looking skin—s...