LENA BLOG

Several years ago I was approached by About Health magazine to contribute to an article about sensitive skin. I don ’ t recall if they ever used my information, but I wanted to make their questions and my answers available to you. If you have sensitive skin, the more information you have the better. We hear a lot about “ sensitive skin, ” but definitions appear to vary considerably. Is there a clinical definition, an FDA definition, a general consensus on the condition, possible causes, symptoms and treatment? I don’t know about a “clinical definition” for sensitive skin. I would define sensitive skin as skin that is easily irritated. In my [now 30 ] years of experience, I have found sensitive skin to fall under the following categories: Touch sensitive skin: This is skin that reacts by simply touching it. The reaction is usually redness, making the skin look irritated. Generally, this kind of sensitivity does not cause pain. In many cases the person with this ty...

When I told my family and friends I was writing another book, the almost unanimous response was, “What is this one about?” It’s as though writing one book about skin care was enough! Each time I heard that question, I chuckled and answered, “It’s a skin care book.” Then, the inevitable question that followed was, “Is there really that much more information to write about skin care?” Another chuckle emanated from deep down in my belly. Yes, believe it or not, there is still more information to write about in regard to skin care! Halfway through writing my first book, Timeless Skin , I realized that I was either going to write a gargantuan book, or I was going to contain it and keep it to a certain size. I just had to stop somewhere, knowing I could always write another book some day. Well, that day did come and this second book is what I consider to be a follow-up to my first effort. More than a follow-up, Skin Care A to Z is a continuation of Timeless Skin . Th...

I always chuckle at this photo. I opened The Spa at the Crescent in 1986. This was a promo piece for our skin care department. Here—I was a novice, having only worked for one year prior. I am interested in going to school to be an aesthetician. I am a little confused about some of the programs that are out there. I read your book [Timeless Skin] , and I really liked the information I got out of it. I have even managed to give up sugar! The schools that I’ve researched have a lot of programs where you learn how to hook people up to batteries and dump chemicals on them, and I am pretty turned off by that. Can you give me some good ideas about what to look for in a program or better yet a good school in my area? I’m glad you found some good information in Timeless Skin . As far as schools go, I have no idea about the school programs in your particular location. It sounds like you’ve done some research, and that is what you’ll need to do; find out where the schools are in your...

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...

Listening to my clients over the years, there seems to be a pattern a lot of people follow: you try a product line, having been seduced by the claim of perfect skin or anti-aging abilities; you invest a lot of money in these miracles in a jar; and you wait for the miraculous results that never come.  Initially, you see an improvement in your skin. It glows or clears up temporarily, and you think you’ve found the answer to your skin care woes. After a few months, the results start fading away, and you’re faced with the same skin you had before you started this miracle regimen. So you go back to the land of products, usually the department store, and search once again for another product line that claims to produce amazing results. And the cycle continues. The truth is, it’s hard to find products that work. Considering the number of skin care lines available, you would think a large percentage of them would be effective. Unfortunately for the unknowing consumer, there are...

Shari is a lovely 35-year-old mother of three. She has great genes for skin and has been coming to me for semiannual facials for quite a while. Over the past few years, she has noticed one or two dark hairs on her chin—something that will probably get worse as she gets older. Chin hair is one of those ugly secrets you don’t really read about. These hairs usually start popping up around the magic age of 40, when so many other undesirable things start to occur. This phenomenon is due in part to waning estrogen levels in a woman’s body as she is starting to phase out of her childbearing years. As the estrogen levels start to decline, the testosterone levels—although they may not increase—seem stronger due to the loss of estrogen. Tweezing would be a better option in this case. Shari decided to get her chin waxed to get rid of the one or two stray hairs she had found. Had I seen her first, I would have recommended tweezing these few hairs, in fact I wou...

I wish I could write that I just had a great facial given by a qualified aesthetician who I would go back to because it was that good. And, I can’t say any of that. I’ll give you a blow by blow of my skin care experience. I hope it helps you understand what to look for when you get a facial treatment. When I go to get facials, I rarely if ever let the aesthetician know I, too, am an aesthetician. Why? I don’t want to talk shop. It’s as simple as that. Also it gives me a more realistic view of how she works with the average client. Would she do things differently if she knew I was in her field? That I don’t know; maybe not. Regardless, for me it just makes things easier if I stay silent about my vocation. I also don’t usually tell her I don’t want something done (like steam on my face) even though as an aesthetician I disagree with its use. I just let her do what she normally does, giving me a good idea of what really goes on in her facials. Before I get i...