It’s Time For A Skin Reset After Summer Sun & Fun

We’re nearing the end of summer (brb crying cuz I hate winter) and my skin is feelin’ a bit like a nail file—all bumpy n shit.

With all that SPF, sun exposure, and extra sweat from the gym, I definitely need a serious clean up (and lift while she’s at it).

The one question I get asked incessantly is, “How can I maintain glowing, healthy skin on a basic level and regular basis?” Regular professional facials every other month my dear! Facials are a great way to improve the quality of your skin and overall appearance without resorting to any invasive procedure.

I know, I know there are waaaay toooo many different types of facials these days. As a result, unbelievably difficult to choose which one suits you.

Basic Bitch Facial

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She’s basic but she’s necessary.

At minimum, you should call up your friendly neighborhood esthetician every other month to schedule a basic facial. Your skin needs to be deep cleaned, given a stimulating (and relaxing) massage, steamed, and you gotta push the gunk out of your pores.

It’s just part of a healthy skincare routine. Even if you think you keep your pores clean—trust me you don’t.

Anyone who says even a Basic Bitch Facial is too much, send them to me. I’ll set them straight on why regular facials are not vain, selfish, or high maintenance. It’s straight up self-care. When you’re investing in your skin, it’s never a waste.

Chemical or Acid Peel

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There’s a ton of options when it comes to chemical peels. Chemical peels are customized to your skin and problem areas with different ingredients that work at different depths in the skin.

The deeper it goes or the longer it’s left on, the more intense the treatment (AKA you’re going to be raw, swollen, and flaky for a week or two).

But once that dead and damaged skin falls off, hello baby soft, perfectly glowing, blemish-free skin!

Vitamin C – light to medium – acts as a natural bleaching agent helping with discoloration and spots

Lactic Acid – light, mild – good for sensitive skin types and dry skin

Kojic Acid – powerful skin lightening treatment to get rid of sun spots or age spots – can also fade acne scars

Mandelic Acid – go-to anti-aging ingredient

Glycolic Acid – this acid goes deep into the dermis – great for acne, sun damage, and fine lines

Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) – medium to deep – removes a layer of skin and makes your skin produce more collagen

NOTE: I do not in any way recommend handling chemical peels yourself at home. You must see a licensed, trained skincare expert (like an esthetician, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon) to safely perform a chemical peel.

Microdermabrasion

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Microdermabrasion has been around donkey years now (literally, since ancient times) and you wanna know why? IT WORKS! I highly recommend going at the turn of every season, at least to keep a beautiful glow.

Depending on where you go, they’ll blast your skin with sand, crystals, or another fine grit (some even use diamond tip wands #bougie)

Whatever is used, it knocks your dead skin cells loose, shedding impurities in your skin. It also improves cell turnover, and promotes elastin growth and collagen production. Your skin looks super fresh afterward, as long as your esthetician doesn’t go too far and make you look like a baboon’s ass. Just be sure to moisturize and protect from the sun after.

HydraFacial MD

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There are few things I enjoy more than a HydraFacial. This system uses a vortex swirling action to deliver hydration and to remove dead skin, dirt, debris, and impurities while cleaning and soothing your skin. It’s a multi-step medical facial that focuses on:

1. Microdermabrasion, but with water! This keeps you extra hydrated while also removing dead or damaged skin cells.

2. They give you a light chemical peel to dissolve any dead skin that remains.

3. Your pores get extracted with the machine’s pore sucking vacuum (and they let you see what comes out, if you’re into that sort of thing).

4. Your esthetician then creates a custom serum infusion based on what your skin needs most. Sometimes it’s extra moisture, it could be a strong dose of Vitamin C for a brightening effect, or something to calm inflammation if you have active acne or enlarged pores. Since your pores just got squeaky-clean and there’s no dead skin to get in the way, these ingredients can more easily penetrate your skin and work even better!

It’s not just a super advanced facial though, it’s also hella relaxing! 40-ish minutes just to yourself, knowing you’re going to look like a glowing goddess after. I recommend HydraFacials to my brides, and their wedding party, leading up to the wedding. It really makes a huge difference!

Dermaplaning

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This is another professional exfoliation treatment that gently scrapes dead skin, peach fuzz, and other debris away using a surgical scalpel blade.

Not only does dermaplaning leave behind a brighter, smoother complexion but it also allows for skin care products to better penetrate the skin. Getting rid of the dead skin and peach fuzz hair also makes makeup go on soooooo much better and smoother. A must before a big event.

Dermaplaning is great to pair with a ton of other facial treatments (like Hydrafacials, Aquagold) for even better results!

Laser Skin Resurfacing

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This is The Big One. The king of all facials.

There’s a ton of laser devices on the market, like Fraxel (from Dr. Sapna Westley), Clear + Brilliant, Halo, Moxi, ProFractional, and V-Beam, just to name a few. They’re all FDA-approved lasers and work incredibly well. The difference, really, when it comes down to the success of your laser facial is in the person operating the machine.

You want to find either a very advanced medical aesthetics office, with laser specialists, or stick to your dermatologist or plastic surgeon for this one, especially for all my brown skin ladies. You may have been told that laser treatments won’t work for your skin, but that just isn’t true! In the hands of a trained medical professional, your skin is perfectly safe and you can expect the same amazing results as anyone else! It just requires due diligence on your part.

Laser facials are expensive, invasive, and can require you to hang out at home for up to 12 days, depending on how deep your laser treated your skin. But, there’s a reason everyone’s doing it—the results are unmatchable. Lasers go deep to fix skin imperfections at their source.

Disclaimer: If you have really damaged skin to take care of (lots of acne scars, sun damage, etc), your doctor or laser specialist will probably recommend a series of spaced-out laser treatments at first. Then, you should consider going back for maintenance treatments at least once a year, if not twice.

Aquagold Fine Touch Facial

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Aquagold is a microneedling treatment with some extra oomph. Thanks to the 24K gold microneedles, this facial signals your body to produce more elastin and collagen while also delivering microdoses of Botox, hyaluronic acid, filler, and vitamins into your skin. It’s especially good for treating more delicate skin around your eyes and mouth.

You cannot expect the results you get after Aquagold Fine Touch with any other facial treatment I’ve mentioned. This is next level sh*t for firming the area around your eyes. The serums delivered through the needles provide immediate improvement while the mironeedling treatment tightens surface level skin, breaks up hyperpigmentation, and promotes collagen renewal for super long-lasting results.

I visit Dr. Mahmood to get my Aquagold!

Even if you don’t have the same skin concerns I do, there’s still massive benefits to people of every age, skin type, and skin tone with these facial treatments. They’re a must for not only the end of summer, but all year round to keep you glowing!

Soon, I’ll be checking off a personal bucket list item: Getting the Triple Crown Facial at Joanna Vargas. I’ll keep you updated on my IG!

Keep up with my latest favorite products, looks, and work by giving me a follow on Instagram

Love you guys,

KC