Author: Katie Hitchcock

7 Resolutions for a Year of Healthy Skin

The new year is in full swing and my focus is to identify and avoid “hidden” sugars when choosing the food I eat. Not an easy task when on the road, but I can feel the benefits of sticking with it! Of course, any change to your lifestyle is a commitment. As a healthy skin expert, I hope you’ll consider embracing the simple daily steps to protecting one of your most important health resources…your skin. Here are 7 tips to set you on the right foot for skin care success. Resolve to: Wash your Face – Yes, it’s that simple! Cleaning your skin is one of the most important things you can do when you wake up and before you go to bed. Bacteria and dead skin build up can cause surface irritation and breakouts. Remove make-up and deep cleanse in one step by using cleansers incorporating AHAs which kill bacteria and loosen dead ...

Facial Cleansing Essentials, Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation

ResurfacingBlog

Part 1: The Basics Part 2: Cleansing Like A Pro Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation In parts 1 and 2 of this series, we took you through the basics of daily cleansing and how to increase the effectiveness of cleansing at home by introducing controlled exfoliation into your routine. In this final installment of the series, we are going to look at how you can get a sustained transformation to a healthy complexion by stimulating your skin cell turnover cycle through home and professional resurfacing. What is resurfacing? Resurfacing is simply the natural process of replacing dull, sagging skin cell build-up on the surface with healthy, new skin cells, for a brighter, more youthful appearance. The natural process of resurfacing is accomplished by shedding the upper layers of dead skin and the body producing new cells at the lower levels of the dermis, pushing them to the surface to replace the shed cells. Unfortunately, as we age this process ...

Facial Cleansing Essentials, Part 2: Cleansing Like a Pro

Part 1: The Basics Part 2: Cleansing Like A Pro Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation In the first part of our cleansing series, learned that a proper cleansing routine is essential to completely removing makeup, dirt build-up, excess oil, and environmental pollutants. In this second part of the Facial Cleansing Essential series, we are going to take a look at introducing controlled exfoliation into our cleansing routine to stimulate the skin's natural renewal process and open up pathways that allow skin care products to absorb and work better. Combining basic cleansing with controlled exfoliation is what we call "Cleansing Like a Pro." There are two types of exfoliation, chemical and physical. Whatever method used, exfoliation in moderation is key. Over-exfoliation whether through aggressive use of a washcloth or using facial scrubs containing rough particles, will result in painful and unsightly irritation, especially for acne-prone individuals. Physical Exfoliation: Scrubs Basic physical exfoliation at home typically is accomplished by incorporating into your cleansing routine a ...

The Power of Antioxidants

Nov1-1

Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation damage to cells. Some of the most well known antioxidants are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and Pycnogenol®.  The highest concentration of antioxidants in the body is contained in the epidermal layer of the skin, forming a protective barrier for the living dermal layer and the internal body. With age, the concentration of antioxidants in the skin declines considerably. Without the protective capacity of this layer, damage to the skin increases. Only about 1% of orally ingested antioxidants will arrive at the skin. Antioxidants applied topically can help restore an effective barrier and help reduce further damage. By maintaining an ideal level of antioxidants at the skin level, we can control free radical and oxidation damage. The action of antioxidants can reduce or partially neutralize the harmful power of free radicals (FR). The combination of antioxidants and sunscreen is a powerful and effective way ...

Teen Skin Care: Battling Blemishes and Beyond

By Tamar Nordenberg "Parents just don't get it." That's not the quibbling complaint of a pimply-faced kid, but the disappointed observation of Manhattan area dermatologist Bruce Katz, M.D., who for more than 18 years has helped hundreds of acne-plagued patients banish their blemishes. What's clear to Katz's teenage patients is also critical for their parents to understand, says the doctor: Acne is no trivial cosmetic problem to be waited out until the pimples disappear on their own, but a medical condition that, left untreated, can leave youngsters with unsightly scars that lead to emotional pain and social inhibition. "Acne should be taken very seriously," Katz says. "Because of the stage of life when it's most common — during puberty — breakouts can be very depressing for young people." Acne is by far the most common skin complaint among teenagers, affecting nearly all of those in the 12-to-17 age frame at least occasionally, according ...

Transformation Tuesday

1stSAshipment2003

Often in the beauty industry, we look at transformations that are immediate or over the course of a few months. Beauty and fashion trends change so rapidly, you can only look so far into the future. Lucky for us, beautiful, radiant skin is always in. Looking back ten years, many of us may cringe at the beauty and fashion trends we were trying, but here at Skin Authority were doing one thing right: officially dedicating ourselves to living the healthy skin lifestyle. As you can see, we received our first shipment of Skin Authority products to our garage. Fortunately, we now have a warehouse for receiving our shipments, but that personalized dedication to helping you has never wavered. As we enter our tenth year, we can see both the tremendous growth of Skin Authority and a firm devotion to our roots. Ten years ago, we dedicated ourselves to helping you live ...

Fact Friday: SGFs Explained

Oct25-1

Chances are, you have heard about our amazing SGF-4 products, but do you know what SGFs are and why they are so effective?SGF stands for Skin Growth Factor. These Growth Factors are skin cell proteins that are found naturally in the cells of the body when we are younger. In SGF-4 TechnologyTM, Skin Authority uses four natural skin proteins that target and reprogram the aging process of skin cells.  Basically, these proteins act as an instruction manual for damaged or aging cells and make the cells think that they are infant skin again. It replaces damaged skin DNA with fresh, new healthy skin cells.SGF-4 TechnologyTM uses medical research that began when human Growth Factors were used to help burn patients and were found to have amazing wound-healing strength. In 2001, studies were released citing that cosmetic creams incorporating various Growth Factors produced better results than Botox.Our trio of SGF products ...

Introducing the BeautyWorkout

Oct23-1

Now that we have been together in the BeautyWorkoutTM  Zone for a few weeks, you may be wondering what is this “BeautyWorkout” that is important enough to be the namesake of our blog. Like other successful, professionally guided personal improvement programs (think personal trainers, career coaching, nutritionists) Skin Authority brings together the goal setting, products, daily routines, and support needed to achieve and sustain a Healthy Skin Lifestyle. The three core elements of The BeautyWorkoutTM program are skin coaching, simple routines, and high performance products. Skin coaches are specially trained and certified professionals who eliminate the guesswork that is often associated with maintaining healthy skin. They listen to your needs, help set goals, recommend the best products, and hold your hand throughout the entire process. Skin Coaching is free and available in-person at select retail locations or virtually via phone, Skype, FaceTime, email, chat and other online tools. Simple daily skin care routines ...

Transformation Tuesday: Kerri Walsh Jennings

https://vimeo.com/74489471 Every two years, we start to pay avid attention to a set of elite athletes that will be representing our country in the Olympic Games. Conceptually, we know that years of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into their training, but often forget that it actually translates into many grueling hours every single day, affecting every element of their lives. Nutrition, physical fitness, mental wellbeing, and overall health are not only major aspects of becoming an Olympic-caliber athlete, but are also essential to a Healthy Skin Lifestyle.  And considering skin is your biggest organ, you better believe that taking care of your skin is absolutely essential to being at your best to compete. Regardless of whether the athletes are competing in the Summer or Winter Games, when training outdoors for such an extended period of time, they are at increased risks for skin issues. Add onto that the stress of the sport, ...

Fact Friday: VitaD Inside and Out

Oct18-1

Got Vitamin D? Not likely. One billion people worldwide are estimated to be Vitamin D deficient. As a skin care professional, I have researched Vitamin D for years because it is made in the skin. In fact, Vitamin D is the only vitamin which the body makes (all others come from food). After being made in the skin, Vitamin D is converted to a hormone. When Vitamin D hormone levels are balanced, a lot of skin conditions will improve such as rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and heavy wrinkling.   In addition, Vitamin D… Sufficiency may be as important to disease prevention as eating healthy and working out. Deficiency may be linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, bone loss, eczema, psoriasis, depression, and many other serious health conditions. Directly or indirectly controls over 1,000 genes in the body. Seasonal variations (such as dreary weather in the winter), geographical location, and aging reduce our skin’s ability to manufacture Vitamin ...