Renee Rouleau

  Professional facials should be every 4-6 weeks and should incorporate exfoliation to stimulate new and healthy skin cell growth, hydration using steam and moisturizing masks and extractions for a deep pore cleansing. See Renee's answer to "What's the best daily skin care regimen?" to learn her post-facial home care tips.

Here are some skin care tips to get your skin looking and feeling its best: Don’t wash with a cleanser that creates a lot of lather. Bar soap and many foaming cleansers have high pH balances with harsh ingredients that strip the water out of the skin. And what you wash with is the MOST important part of your skin care routine. Why? Because if you wash with a foaming cleanser or soap that is too drying, it pulls all the water out of the skin and creates dead, dry skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly run and put your moisturizer on to put back in what you just took out! It makes no sense! Choose either lotion-based cleansers or gel cleansers that avoid the harsh ingredient, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. These are better choices as they won’t rob the skin of much needed water.  Remember the rule: more lather, more drying. Less lather, less drying. Secret Ingredient: Use Glycolic Acid Hands down, studies show the effectiveness of exfoliation given by glycolic acid in reducing the appearance of past sun damage, smoothing and softening the skin, fading post-breakout marks and reducing clogged pores and break outs. Other exfoliants will try their best, but glycolic is the most effective AHA out on the market. To keep any type of skin looking beautiful, incorporate an alcohol-free, pure glycolic acid serum into your nightly skin care routine. (Moisturizers and cleansers that contain Glycolic Acid won’t always do the trick.) Use an alcohol-free toner morning and night. Toners that are alcohol-free will not strip the skin and are a crucial step in a good skin care regimen. They remove cleanser residue, chlorine found in tap water and when left damp on the skin, your moisturizer will seal in the water and the beneficial ingredients. The result is healthier, hydrated and plumped up skin. Mineral Powder- the secret way to create the look of beautiful skin. Natural, crushed minerals such as, mica, micronized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, create a powder foundation that leaves the skin with a luminescent, incredible glow. It’s free of talc which means that for oil-producers, it won’t disappear throughout the day and it doesn’t give that chalky, dull-look like traditional powder foundations. Other benefits include: an SPF to protect the skin from sun damage, it’s free of fragrances, dyes and preservatives so it’s ideal for sensitive skins and it won’t clog the pores or cause breakouts as some foundations can. It gives excellent coverage and is used in place of liquid or powder foundations. So to give your skin the look of beautiful skin, consider mineral powder! Wear a moisturizer with a sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out. Studies indicate that 78% of the sun exposure you get in a lifetime is incidental exposure. You may say, "I'm not out at all during the day." Just walking to your car, driving in your car, and sitting in your house next to windows will give you unnecessary sun damage. Windshields do nothing to protect you from UV rays! And we know that sun exposure is the #1 cause of aging!!!! A minimum of SPF#15 should be used every day, winter and summer. Always wash your skin and moisturize at bedtime. The latest research indicates that the skin repairs itself most effectively at night, between 10pm and 11pm, indicating the need for night cream application before midnight. For those who are too tired to wash off their makeup at night, try this! Your night time routine doesn't have to be done minutes before you hit the bed. Wash your face when you get home from work, or even after dinner. Do it earlier rather than later! So, washing off the day’s dirt and grime and nourishing it with good moisture and nutrients will give your skin a chance to renew while you sleep! And remember, quality moisturizers that do not contain clogging ingredients, will not suffocate your skin. Get a professional facial. Think of facials as maintenance for the health of your skin! As the skin ages, circulation and metabolism slow down, resulting in tired and dull looking skin. One of the benefits of a facial is increased circulation and oxygen resulting in healthy, glowing skin!

This is a very common question. And the answer is…the best skin care products to use are the ones that work for you and give you the desired result. A good rule of thumb is to not be fooled by fancy packaging or fancy ads in magazines but rather, look at the ingredient listing on the back of the jar or bottle. Although there is a purpose to every ingredient in cosmetics, in my opinion, there are certain ingredients that may not be appropriate for your specific skin condition. See Renee's answer to "Which skin care products should I avoid?"