PHOTOGRAPHY BY AIRISA PHOTOGRAPHY

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, it’s a great way to start focusing inward. Some of this comes in the form of taking care of yourself not just mentally and emotionally, but physically. I once had a friend tell me that he treats his body like a temple. That includes what he consumes and how he keeps it finely tuned and by getting plenty of rest and exercise. Your skin is the largest organ in the body. To neglect it would be such a disservice to the one thing that gives your body protection and its sensory experience. In particular, the skin on your face is so delicate and subject to the impact from environmental damage - not to mention the numerous stretches and pulls from your countless expressions that is part of life.

HINDSIGHT IS 20-20

As I get older, I’m beginning to pay more attention to this part of my body. I wish I had done it sooner, really. Too many trips to the beaches where the emphasis was on bronzing and making sure that I had a healthy glow, made me neglect the actual damage that I was doing to myself. Now I’m left with a spotty complexion and hyperpigmentation that makes me very self aware, especially when I’m doing an editorial shoot or even out at an event. Leaving the house without concealer is inconceivable to me and in this age of #iwokeuplikethis I certainly don’t feel that way. I’m smart enough to know there is no such thing as a quick fix, so I embark, eyes open, on this journey to find out what works and what doesn’t.

STARTING MY SKINCARE JOURNEY

I decided to enlist the help of the professionals at Project Skin MD in South Granville, a clinic that specializes in aesthetic and laser medicine and advanced skincare. My treatment would take place in the expansion of Project Skin MD’s clinic, the PS Glow Room, where it hosts multiple experiences from express facial treatments to medical grade facials and chemical peels. I was already using their skincare brand of choice, SkinCeuticals, an advanced line of products backed by science and clinical research; so it made sense to take my skincare to the next level with a signature MAX+ and facial. MAX+ LED is a revolutionary skin therapy for rebalancing compromised skin cells, whether by too much sun exposure or general aging of the skin. Developed in Canada, the MAX+ LED emits a rainbow of light, where multiple LED colours are used to treat your skin’s specific needs. It can be a tailored multi-session therapy experience or simply a post-treatment add-on after a facial.

THE TREATMENT

My treatment started with a discussion about concerns and issues I had with my skin. Hyperpigmentation around the eye area, along with superficial dehydration from the recent cold weather was wreaking havoc on my skin. Jessica, the specialist overseeing my treatment would use SkinCeuticals products that were tailored to address those concerns.

She started off with cleansing my skin with the SkinCeuticals' Gentle Cleanser to first remove the first layer of make up, then using Simply Clean she removed the remaining impurities and residual make up. Knowing that I just had my eyebrows micro bladed the prior week, Jessica was careful to avoid that area. After my skin was toned with Equalizing toner she applied a professional scrub to do a gentle physical exfoliation. She continued the exfoliating process with a peel made of glycolic and lactic acid to help with hydration and reduce the appearance of fine lines, help fade hyperpigmentation, refine pores and give a smoother and clearer overall complexion.

The gentle peel exfoliation left me with a gorgeous glow and such a supple feel to my skin! As if that weren’t enough, Jessica decided to boost up hydration even more, with the new Photo Corrective Masque - the most deeply nourishing, soothing and calming masque I’ve ever tried. I can’t say enough about this product and I didn’t even know it existed until she applied it on me and now I’m its biggest fan.

When I was lying there in a state of bliss with the masque on, Jessica gave me a wonderful hand massage. Several minutes later, the masque was massaged into the skin and the antioxidant Phloretin GF (which I had already been using daily at home) containing 10% pure Vitamin C was applied before I went under the MAX+ LED light.

As I mentioned earlier, light therapy is akin to a multivitamin for the skin, with different colored lights stimulating skin cells in doing targeted actions, such as reducing inflammation, detoxifying, killing acne bacteria or fading pigment. Because of my freshly microbladed eyebrows, we decided that I would benefit better from the anti-aging light treatment, and once my brows were fully healed the melasma treatment would be the approach for future MAX+ applications to deal with my hyperpigmentation. Ideally, you’d have a series of once-a-week treatments for a minimum of 6 to 12 weeks for optimal results. But even after one treatment I could already see the difference that the MAX+ LED light had on my skin. It seriously made me glow! And it’s also beneficial a day before a big event to go under the light for a 15 minute finishing service to enhance your glow.

After my 25 minute MAX+ LED light treatment, AOX eye gel was applied followed by a layer of Advanced skin discolouration corrector, Triple Lipid Moisturizer and finishing with the Physical Fusion SPF. Once I completed my treatment, Jessica sent me home with a dose of True Marine Collagen in my coffee along with my glowy, dewy skin.

This was a great experience and I did see immediate results on my skin still days after the treatment. I’ve also had a number of friends comment on how beautiful my skin looks now. While of course this is the result of a single treatment, ongoing maintenance at home along with the combination of professional treatments is the way to healthier skin - and I'm now considering a course of treatment with Project Skin MD. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and will continue to share my journey with you with the goal to correct the effects after years of abuse!

xo,
C.