Susan Yara on Cosmetic Procedures, Regrets, & Facials That Can Actually Change Your Skin

Summary

#skinthusiast: The Podcast – Episode Summary

Title: Susan Yara on Cosmetic Procedures, Regrets, & Facials That Can Actually Change Your Skin
Host: Amy Koberling
Guest: Susan Yara
Release Date: November 19, 2024

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of #skinthusiast: The Podcast, host Amy Koberling welcomes returning guest Susan Yara to delve deep into the world of cosmetic procedures, personal regrets, and transformative facials. Building on their popular first part, Amy and Susan aim to provide listeners with candid insights and practical advice drawn from Susan's extensive experience in the beauty industry.

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Discussion on Cosmetic Procedures

Susan Yara opens up about her journey with various cosmetic procedures, emphasizing the importance of individuality over conforming to prevalent beauty standards.

• Dissolving Fillers:
  Susan shares, “I don't want to look like everybody... This is actually what really spurred me to start dissolving my filler” (00:00), highlighting her desire to maintain a unique appearance rather than adopting the often homogenized “Kim Kardashian look” seen commonly in the industry.

• Trap Talks (Barbie Botox):
  Susan discusses her experience with Trap Talks, a trend aimed at slimming the neck and shoulder area.

  “I felt like I was looking not better, I was looking worse... So that’s what made me not go back and do it.” (02:31)
  Amy adds her perspective on the evolving dynamics of neuromodulators, praising those who can train their muscles naturally to maintain expressiveness without over-reliance on injections (03:52).

• PDO Threads:
  Susan recounts her positive experience with PDO threads, managed by Vanessa Lee in Los Angeles.

  “I did a lot of research on PDO threads and who were the people at the forefront of it... I have an amazing experience.” (04:35)
  They discuss the realistic expectations required for such procedures to ensure satisfaction and longevity of results (06:05).

• Lip Fillers:
  Susan reflects on her journey with lip fillers, from initial overuse to a more refined approach focusing on shape over volume.

  “Shape is more important than volume when it comes to lip filler.” (07:07)
  She details the challenges of dissolving excess fillers and the emotional and physical discomfort involved, emphasizing the importance of moderation and expertise.

• Under Eye Fillers and Melasma:
  Susan discusses her regrets with tear trough fillers, which exacerbated her melasma, and her subsequent decision to dissolve them.

  “I was probably two years postpartum... I didn’t need it.” (11:28)
  They explore the complications of overusing hyaluronic acid fillers, especially in delicate areas like under the eyes, and the benefits of bio stimulators like Renuva for natural-looking results (21:53).

• Facial Filter Fat Transfer:
  Susan shares her brief experience with fat transfer procedures, noting their temporary nature compared to fillers.

  “It was like a full melt... it really went away.” (20:58)
  This leads to a broader discussion on non-surgical alternatives and the psychological aspects of cosmetic enhancements.

• Facelifts and Surgical Interventions:
  The conversation turns to the fears and realities of surgical facelifts. Susan emphasizes her reluctance to undergo such invasive procedures, preferring less permanent and more natural approaches.

  “I'm gonna avoid a facelift as long as I possibly can.” (24:35)
  They discuss the potential complications and the importance of considering long-term effects before opting for surgery.

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Melasma Management

Both Amy and Susan, who suffer from melasma, share their strategies for managing this challenging skin condition.

• Holistic Approach:
  Susan stresses the importance of addressing underlying hormonal issues, particularly thyroid health, to manage melasma effectively.

  “I have Hashimoto's... thyroid hormones can definitely trigger your melasma.” (38:25)

• Cosmelan Treatment:
  Susan describes her arduous experience with the Cosmelan peel, detailing its intensive regimen and the significant downtime involved.

  “It’s an intense peel... you have to wear that.” (40:41)
  Despite the challenges, she acknowledges its effectiveness in reducing melasma when combined with other treatments like tranexamic acid.

• Pre and Post-Treatment Care:
  Emphasizing the necessity of pre-treating the skin with hydroquinone, Susan explains how it mitigates adverse effects from peels and lasers.

  “You need to pre treat in those cases.” (43:58)
  Amy concurs, highlighting the inflammatory component of melasma and the need for comprehensive skin care strategies.

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Transformative Facials

The episode underscores the impact of specialized facials in achieving significant skin improvements.

• Boot Camp Facials:
  Susan recounts her experience with intensive facial treatments from Vanessa Hernandez, which successfully cleared her cystic acne after years of ineffective treatments.

  “It was like truly a boot camp for your face.” (33:41)
  Amy praises the effectiveness of such targeted facials in addressing persistent skin issues.

• Hydrafacial and Lymphatic Drainage:
  Both hosts advocate for regular hydrafacials and lymphatic drainage massages, noting their benefits in maintaining skin health and reducing inflammation.

  “I’m a big proponent of lymphatic drainage.” (35:09)
  They discuss integrating these treatments into regular skincare routines for sustained benefits.

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Advice for Young Women and Skincare Tips

Susan offers thoughtful advice for younger women considering cosmetic procedures and shares her most underrated skincare tip.

• Caution with Cosmetic Procedures:
  Susan urges young women to tread carefully with cosmetic enhancements, emphasizing thorough research and realistic expectations.

  “Always know that you might change your face. Not for the better.” (48:45)
  She advises embracing natural beauty and being mindful of the long-term implications of cosmetic interventions.

• Hydration as a Core Skincare Principle:
  Highlighting hydration, Susan explains the difference between moisturizers and water-based products, advocating for the former to retain moisture and achieve youthful, plump skin.

  “Hydration is like a glass of water for your skin.” (50:45)
  Amy echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balanced and hydrated skincare routine.

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Concluding Thoughts

In wrapping up, Amy and Susan reflect on the importance of self-love and individuality in the beauty journey. Susan emphasizes the significance of loving oneself without relying solely on cosmetic procedures to define beauty.

“Love yourself for who you are.” (50:40)

Amy encourages listeners to adopt sustainable and effective skincare habits, reinforcing the value of hydration and mindful cosmetic choices.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Susan on Avoiding Homogeneity in Beauty:

  “I don’t want to look like everybody... This is actually what really spurred me to start dissolving my filler.” (00:00)

• Amy on Cosmetic Trends:

  “Dermatologists, beauty and wellness experts, brand founders, and thought leaders share their tips and tricks.” (00:27)

• Susan on Lip Fillers:

  “Shape is more important than volume when it comes to lip filler.” (07:07)

• Discussion on Facelifts:

  “I’m gonna avoid a facelift as long as I possibly can.” (24:35)

• Melasma Management:

  “I have Hashimoto’s... thyroid hormones can definitely trigger your melasma.” (38:25)

• Hydration as a Skincare Tip:

  “Hydration is like a glass of water for your skin.” (50:45)

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Key Takeaways

1. Individuality Over Trends: Emphasizing the importance of maintaining a unique appearance rather than conforming to widespread beauty trends.
2. Cautious Approach to Cosmetic Procedures: Advising thorough research and realistic expectations before opting for any cosmetic treatments.
3. Effective Management of Skin Conditions: Highlighting the significance of addressing underlying health issues and adopting comprehensive skincare routines.
4. Importance of Hydration: Underscoring hydration as a fundamental aspect of skincare for maintaining youthful and healthy skin.
5. Holistic Skincare Practices: Advocating for regular facials, lymphatic drainage massages, and the use of both in-office and at-home treatments for optimal skin health.

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This episode offers a wealth of knowledge for beauty enthusiasts, skincare novices, and professionals alike, providing a balanced perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of various cosmetic procedures and skincare practices. Susan Yara’s candid experiences and Amy Koberling’s expert guidance make for a compelling and informative listen.

Transcript

[A]

I do think, and I'm sure you've seen this, there is this phenomenon of people like ladies, especially beautiful women, who all just look the same, right? Everyone has this kind of, like, Kim Kardashian look or something, and I find that to be incredibly boring. Now. I don't want to look like them. This is actually what really spurred me. Starting to dissolve my filler and, like, think twice about getting any of these, like, any plastic surgery cosmetic treatments is because I don't want to look like Everybody.

[B]

Welcome to SkenthusiasThePodcast, a place for listeners to hear from the experts and soak in tangible tips to get that glow from the inside out. I'm Amy, a skincare educator, practicing dermatology PA and beauty creator who bridges the gap between the consumer and the industry. Listening to the industry's top experts on everything from the best way to spot treat a pimple to the holy grail hair products you didn't know you needed to the drugstore finds that are better than luxury price tags. We cover it all here. Dermatologists, beauty and wellness experts, brand founders, and thought leaders share their tips and tricks for all things beauty, skincare, and wellness. Think of skenthusiasts like the coffee Chat with the beauty gurus whose brains you've always wanted to pick. You won't get this kind of insight anywhere else. Susan Yara, thank you so much for coming back on SkinthusiasThePodcast for a part two.

[A]

I'm so excited about this.

[B]

Yes. Part one.

[A]

I was, like, one of the first.

[B]

Yes, you were.

[A]

To get going on this.

[B]

You did. You were one of the very first skin guests that we even launched the show with, and the episode was so popular, we really focused on, like, your skincare routine. Of course, you have an amazing brandatorium, and you've been in the industry for so long, so you just have so many little tidbits. But I want to kind of switch gears a little bit and focus a little bit on procedures today.

[A]

So I may have had a procedure.

[B]

Too, and that's actually what I love, because you're so open about it and your channel. NYX makeup was really one of the first to kind of be so open and forward about procedures when everyone was doing it, but no one was talking about it. So I kind of want to go back through the archives and see what would you do again? What maybe do you think wasn't the best? What would you caution young women about today? We're gonna literally go through the list of some of the procedures that you've done. I hope you're ready.

[A]

I have thoughts. I have thoughts for sure.

[B]

Okay, so we're gonna start with, like, some of the more common and, like, hot treatments right now. The first one being Trap talks. So, also known as Barbie Botox, which for those who don't know, is when you do a little Botox here, kind of like slims out the shoulders and neck area. How did you feel about that?

[A]

I was very curious about it, mostly because I've talked about this on my channel, too. I get migraines here and there. And so it's because I'm just like, I'm such an anxious, tense person. And so I hold all that tension up here in this area. So I thought, you know what? Trap Talks might be interesting one, because it might slim down this area and look really pretty, hence that Barbie Botox. Or it makes you look like you're a little bit more slender up here. But the other thing was, I was thinking maybe it'll help with that tension. But what's interesting is I feel like this is the case with any procedure you get done, whether it's surgical or not, you end up then seeing something else you don't like. So while I liked, I actually really liked it. I was worried it was going to make working out hard, like, if I was doing anything upper body. But it was fine. I didn't really experience anything like that. But what I did notice was in pictures, I suddenly felt like I looked like the Hulk because then I was bulging here. Like, suddenly these muscles weren't working. And then my neck was working. I can feel it now. Now my neck is, like, already, like, going right back into it. It's like. Yeah, I remember that, you know, So I just felt like I was. I was looking not. I wasn't looking better, I was looking worse. I was looking at things in pictures that I'd never noticed was there before. And that's probably because it wasn't there before. So that's. That's what made me not go back and do it.

[B]

And this is, like, so common, as you mentioned, for a lot of different procedures, especially neurotoxin. Right. Because we're basically paralyzing one muscle, and then some of our other muscles start to work over time. Like, for me, I'm, like, super expressive. So, like, my face is like, you're not going to tell me not to make expression. And so, like, however I can make an expression, I will. And then it starts to sometimes look funky. So I admire the people who can actually train their muscles, like I have a few patients who are like, Botox isn't for me. I just trained my muscles not to move. And I'm like, I could never.

[A]

This is very, like, Posh Spice of the Victoria Beckham of them to, like, just. I'm not going to smile today.

[B]

I'm like, wow, I wish I could do that.

[A]

But anyway, same, same.

[B]

Okay, next one, which is still really popular, it was having a major moment is PDO threads.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

What are your thoughts?

[A]

Okay, first off, I think I was very fortunate. I did a lot of research on PDO threads and who were the people at the forefront of it. So I went to Vanessa Lee in Los Angeles. She is fantastic. Just about everything she does. We've had her on my podcast, had her on my channel. I feel like it's not always that case. Right. I feel like whatever procedure you're getting, you're always going to get your best result depending on the person who does it. Your provider. Right.

[B]

So true.

[A]

And so I feel like I went to one of the best providers that you could possibly go to for PDO threads, and I had an amazing experience. Did it last very long? By the end of like, a year or so, I'd say I was right back to where I started. That said, since then, has my neck bothered me as much? Because this is where I got it done. I told her I felt like I was, you know, first off, I was, like, two years postpartum, which we talked about on my podcast. All this weight loss. My skin felt like it was looser around my neck and my jaw. I got the PDO threads. It helped to, you know, bring them back in a little bit and tighten things up. And then it kind of went away, but my skin didn't feel worse. And so I'd say that I think it was worth it, especially for the timing that I did it in my life.

[B]

And we know there's, like, a little bit of injury that happens there. Right. So there's a little collagen. So you probably are still seeing some of that collagen benefit from doing that.

[A]

Yeah. And I think that's something to remember. Right. Is like, people are expecting to see these massive changes and dramatic results, but if you're more realistic about the kind of results you can expect, then you're gonna be happier with that procedure.

[B]

Yes. This is something I always try to gauge with patients, especially new patients, is like, what are your expectations? I feel, especially with my older patients, they'll come in and they're like, oh, I want a little pullback. And I'm like, well, that's what you just did is a facelift. Like, that's. Nothing in this office is gonna give you that. And I think when I was earlier in my career, I was so scared to talk about that. And now I'm very, very open with my patients about what you can and can't expect from some of these lesser invasive procedures. And expectations are everything.

[A]

Yeah, for sure.

[B]

Okay. I know you love this one. You talk about it a lot. Lip filler.

[A]

Oh, I love lip filler.

[B]

So tell us your experience. Do you ever think you went overboard?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, I feel like we all did. I think that was just, like the. That was just the way lip filler, like, it rose in popularity. Everyone did too much, and now we're, like, trickling down. We're like, I don't want to give it up, but I'm going to do a little bit less.

[A]

Exactly. I think what we've realized is shape is more important than volume when it comes to lip filler. But when I first got lip filler done, I had just had a baby, and I wanted my pregnancy lips back that, like, nice. You know, your lips are just so full, and you can. You've, like, never experienced that before until that pregnancy, and you're like, oh, my gosh, this is amazing. And then you lose all that weight again, and it feels like your lips actually deflate. So I went in. I wanted that. Which was probably bigger than just, like, our boobs get bigger while we're pregnant, and then they kind of. They go back down again. Sometimes they go back even worse than.

[B]

They were way down.

[A]

And so I just wanted what I had during the pregnancy, which was probably too big for my face. And so I was still happy with it, don't get me wrong. But I realized it because I also then got braces.

[B]

And there's probably a lot going on there.

[A]

And so I let them kind of just kind of go down on their own, and I didn't get them redone for a little while. And then when I finally went back, we really focused on shape. But then even after that, I think I did them maybe a total of, like, two or three times. And, you know, like, you get a little bit of scar tissue, collagen growth, all of that, and it kind of lasts. And so what I had left, I actually left for about four years before I did anything ever again to my lips. And then I actually saw Rochelle, who is my injector when it comes to Renuva, which is a bio stimulator that I Love. She's here in Miami. I was in her office getting my first Renuva treatment. And I love her for this, because I already knew it. I was just avoiding it. She goes, can I tell you, your filler has migrated above your lip a little bit? We should really dissolve that. And so she convinced me to dissolve it. I was scared, too, because of, one, I thought it was gonna hurt. And two, I just didn't want to look. I didn't want to get more filler because I remembered having, like, too much filler, and I just didn't want to have that look. I didn't want to do it again. I hate getting my lips filled. It's not a fun procedure. So as much as you love the.

[B]

Result, the actual procedure, even the healing, too, isn't fun. Like, that really sore, tight feeling the few days after it's uncomfortable.

[A]

Yeah. And you even get, like, some, like, bumpiness sometimes, and you get worried about it that, are these bumps gonna last? And stuff. So it's not a fun procedure. But she talked me into dissolving. I was really happy, and I actually just let my lips sit for a little bit. I wanted to see what did I have? What's going on under there? Like, what was happening with my lips?

[B]

What are we actually working with?

[A]

Exactly. So I let that be for about four or five months. And I actually think people should do that, you know, with things like their lips. So maybe you don't want your face to maybe, like, drop down and then fill it again and drop down and fill it again.

[B]

Unless there's, like, an issue.

[A]

Exactly, Exactly. But for lips, it had been such a long time. I really did not know what I was working with, so I was like, maybe I'd be happy with just the way they are. And it turns out I was sort of happy, but I felt like I was starting to notice then my smoker's lines a little bit, and I just wanted that shape again. And so I went back to Rochelle, and we eventually just put a little bit more filler to give it shape. And honestly, she put, like, a little dot right here that wasn't even in my lips. It was, like, on the side of my lip here and then one right here. And that was just to give that lift again back to the curves of my lips, and I love it.

[B]

I am a big fan of doing a full melt for the lips, especially, as you mentioned. I think even, like, even with good injectors, there can be migration. I mean, you have this in your lips for years and years sometimes. Decades. Sometimes you just need like a full reset and to kind of start from scratch. And it's a really hard thing to convince patients to do.

[A]

I know, but we love our lips.

[B]

Yes, but in general, I think you're always going to be happier when you kind of start from scratch in most cases, especially if you're someone who's been doing this for years and years. We're going to chat a little bit more about dissolving because my next question is what about under eye filler?

[A]

Okay. So this is. I think there are people who are good patients. They can really benefit from under eye filler, from the tear trough filler. I was not one of them. But because of the industry, because of my YouTube channel and all of that. And at the time especially it was a big trend to do tear trough filler. Right. So I got it done and probably didn't need it done. And it is one of the first places where I eventually dissolved my filler because I didn't like the way it looked over time. So I'd say that you have to be the right candidate.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I think that's something that we're just learning and we know now better in this industry. Right. Like 10 years ago I was doing it just because this is what everyone's doing and they love it and it's going to make you look different. And maybe I did love it back then, but I don't know, it was just something I didn't really need. And I'm glad that I dissolved it and was able to dissolve it, but I don't think I needed it. So.

[B]

And so for how long did you like it? And then what did you start to notice when things started to turn well again?

[A]

I went to a really good provider, so I didn't get like, you know, some people get like a little bit of like a hot dog look like a little sausage. Y like you can actually see where they've got some filler. I luckily didn't have that happening. But you know, you can see with ha filler, especially in an area like that too. I have bad sinuses and allergies, like hay fever and stuff. And so if I'm swollen, it's really swollen. You know, if I was actually like one of the things that made me want to actually dissolve that filler eventually was that I just stopped getting filler throughout these like four years of being pregnant with two children. Right. Like getting pregnant, having the baby, then like having that down year, you know, and then having another pregnancy and having a baby like Four years passed and I could just see from not redoing my filler where it was kind of sitting, like remnants of it and it didn't look good. I felt like it was actually making me look older to have this old filler sitting there in my face like that. And so I went and dissolved it. It actually took two times of dissolving it. And I'm gonna have a YouTube channel, I'm gonna have a video actually on my YouTube channel where Rochelle, who again does my bio stimulators, she's convinced that I still have some deep in like the fat pockets right here that's causing this like, like a little bit of like a, like a dip in my skin right here. She's gonna dissolve that or she's gonna go in, look at it with an ultrasound and like really try to dissolve it if it's there. But she's pretty convinced it's there. And this is from years and years and years ago. And. And I feel like with tear trough filler, especially back then, we used to go really deep with it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And so, you know, I feel like this is that stuff that we're finding out now. Right. Like, I'm a great example of somebody who's been doing filler for a long time. We see girls now who have started. I mean, we talk about Kylie Jenner all the time. I'm sorry that she's the person I like to think of first, but she's such a great example of somebody that we're like watching in real time who has started with filler like that in their faces at such a young age. And we're only just starting to see how it evolves.

[B]

She's still young, which is crazy.

[A]

Exactly. And so I, I'm an example of this too. This is like filler that has been so hard to get rid of. But I feel like I've looked better and better the more I've gotten rid of it. So I actually feel like I look younger and more youthful in this area without all that old filler sitting in my tear trough area.

[B]

Yeah. And like you mentioned, you know, these fillers are made out of hyaluronic acid. So they, at different times, even of the day, if you have allergies, if you're coming down with some sort of viral infection, there's so many things that can cause them to a little bit more than usual. And while if they're in your cheeks, that might not be such a big deal, but if it's under your eyes where the skin is thin, you can see all those minute changes and it could be years and years later where you're just. Where you're. There's a little area on your face that you think is natural, but it could actually be filler. So I love that you're gonna have it looked at with ultrasound. That's really exciting. I can't wait to watch that.

[A]

I'm scared.

[B]

This has been like a thing in the industry. They're really pushing this, like everyone to have an ultrasound. So you can see not only for acute complications like vascular occlusions, but also for this kind filler that's been left over so you can see exactly where it is so you can effectively dissolve it. Because as you mentioned, and even two dissolving sessions isn't that bad. Like I dissolved my lips a few years ago and I had to do a ton of sessions for your lips. Yes. Yeah.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So it can take a lot. It can take a lot of hyaluronidase, which is the enzyme we use to get even a syringe of filler out of there. So in this, these delicate areas, you can start to see these issues.

[A]

Yeah. And this skin is, I mean, the under eye area skin. Skin is so thin. So I think people should really consider this, figure out if you're really a candidate for it. There are other things now like the bio stimulators that might actually look better and more natural because it's stimulating your own natural production.

[B]

Yeah, prp, prfm, those are great options underneath the eye. And as you mentioned, there was a period of time where everybody was getting tear trough filler and all the providers were doing it on everybody. And then as providers, you started to see the complications and you started to see that not everybody was a candidate. And slowly we've come away from that and you really have to be like the perfect candidate to do it. And even in those cases, there can still be complications around the eye. So you think about the eye muscle is round and it's always moving. You can start to have festering and stuff like that over time. So it's another area like the lips where I think probably it's a good idea to kind of do a reset every once in a while. If you're someone who's doing it often, that makes sense. Has there been anywhere else in your face that you've dissolved filler or had filler? Like, what are your thoughts on facial filler in general?

[A]

Either way, I didn't love it. I actually knew pretty early that I didn't like my under Eye filler. I just knew I didn't need it. Like, it just. It was one of those things where you really shouldn't do something if it's just trendy. I think that's like the lesson learned with the tear trough filler is that I knew I didn't, like, I knew I didn't need it. I didn't love it. Yeah, it just wasn't me, so. And I think I do look better. Older and better. Probably in my opinion, more youthful in some ways, because I don't have that feeling.

[B]

Yeah, definitely think about that. Yeah, absolutely. Too much filler can absolutely age you. And we're starting to see it with, like, the celebrities. Sadly, there's, like, a lot of them have been in the news lately where we're actually seeing that they look worse and worse, which is really sad to me because I'm like, you have access to everything and no one's telling you, like, all right, girlfriend, let's melt a.

[A]

Little bit of this because it's looking bad. You're looking pillow face. You're looking melty. Like, you're looking like your skin is falling down.

[B]

It's so funny. My husband and I were watching one of the housewives. I'm not going to say which city, but he was like, they look terrible. And I'm like, well, partially. I mean, we're not doing any favors with hd. Like, that's really doing everybody just saying it's not fair. And I'm like, you know, these aren't women in their 20s. Like, they are aging. But it, to me, was a prime example of people who just keep pumping their faces with filler without actually thinking about the integrity of the skin. Because their skin was. And everyone. Everyone's skin has texture. That's very normal.

[A]

But.

[B]

But it was very obvious that they hadn't been caring for the skin. They had only been getting fillers and probably a little bit too much fillers. And there's that, like, where their skin looks old, but then their face looks plumped up and it's this weird. You're like, something's off here.

[A]

Well, I think people forget that you can't just keep filling a balloon. It's gonna, like, eventually start to. If you don't have the structure to hold it up, if you don't have the strong skin, if you don't have, I don't know, just all of it. It all has to go together, or otherwise you're just kind of filling and filling and filling. It's going to go. It has to go Somewhere, you know, and so it's going to start to drop. You're going to start looking like you're just a melty, pillow faced person.

[B]

Yeah. Really just look like, like that. And like we talked about earlier, thankfully we have agents to reverse this stuff.

[A]

Like that's, I mean that was the best thing about ha. Fillers though, is that it felt less scary because you just knew you could dissolve it.

[B]

Absolutely. I think, I mean, even as an injector, that's like, it's comforting to know that if I need it, it's there.

[A]

Because even neurotoxins, I love neurotoxins. Like, I think whenever anybody asks me like, what's the best thing I can do, I'm like, if you haven't had Botox or Xeomin or Juvederm, whatever, any of those neurotoxins, do it. Go to somebody really good and do it. But that doesn't mean I haven't had things that I hated. Yeah, Like I've actually had my. I have a natural ptosis on my left eye. And so that means like my left eye kind of just like naturally drops and. And I had a provider who didn't know this about me and just these were like those early days. Right. Dropped my eye and for like three months I felt like I was like this the whole time. You know, he kept giving me these drops and stuff, but I didn't even like the drops. It was uncomfortable. And I've even had, you know, providers, you know, because we do like the Botox brow lift. I've definitely looked like the Rock, you know, like where I've got like one brow higher than the other. And you're just dealing with this until it goes away because you can't decide. Solve that.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So these are things that can happen.

[B]

The good thing about Botox is it only lasts three months. And the bad thing about Botox is it only lasts three.

[A]

Only lasts three months. Right.

[B]

So it's like if you have a not so amazing outcome, you're like counting down the days and if not, it always seems to wear off sooner if you love it.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

That's just a reality. Okay, so we talked about filler. I want to talk a little bit about. We're still in the face but more invasive kind of. What's hot right now is facial filter fat transfer. Do you have any thoughts on that?

[A]

Well, I, I tried it because I was like, amazing. I'm getting rid of all my filler, get rid of all this filler. But I don't want to look like Skeletor, right? So I was like, when I get, I've got a nose job. So I, I touched my lips, but I've got a nose job. And I was like, you know, when I'm get my nose job, let's go ahead and transfer some fat to my cheeks now that I've dissolved all of this filler and all. It's funny, all of my dermatologist friends were like, it's not going to last. Try it. Like, try it, bitch. But it's not going to last. Like, that's what they all kept saying. But my plastic surgeon kept being like, you're going to love this, you know, so it was kind of like, okay, well, I'm going to go ahead and try because what's the harm? It's my own fat. We're only going to do it. I'm already going to go down. Yeah, exactly. So let's, let's go ahead and put the fat. I loved it for like three months maybe and then it really went away. It disappeared. Like it just completely, completely disappeared.

[B]

Do you think it fully went away or do you think it's kind of like filler when you're swollen and you get used to the like, plumpness and then it goes down? It was for sure gone.

[A]

And, you know, like, I'm a context.

[B]

And you see yourself all the time.

[A]

All the time. Right Now I can pinpoint in my videos the months that it looked really at its best and then as it like started to just completely go away.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by. Well, me. Skinthusiast.com is your one stop shop for all things skin, hair and beauty. I have countless blog posts to educate you on all the skin concerns and most common and skin questions I receive. We also have a complete skincare basics guide on our shop page, as well as the cutest in my skin era, crewnecks. If you want to support the show, please head over to skinthusiast.com shop and don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Speaking of fat, you mentioned Renuva, which is a treatment that's actually kind of new to me. Can you explain just a little bit about what you get it for?

[A]

I was really excited about this because I did love the way the fat grafting looked in my face. It just went away. So I wanted. A friend of mine had told me that they'd seen, I think Leif Rogers in Los Angeles and he was doing Renuva and it's Basically, where it's an injection that is telling your body it's stimulating your own fat cell growth. So even if you didn't have fat cells there, it's gonna tell your body you did have fat cells there. Let's regrow them. So you're kind of like regrowing your own fat in the places where you want it. So it's like a little bit more controlled. It's not like fat grafting where it's just. You're going to put it in, you like, cross your fingers and you don't know. Right. So I started seeing her, started seeing Rachelle. For Renuva, I'd say the thing about it that's exciting is that now, after, like four treatments, I've seen a difference. And it's very subtle and it feels very natural looking. I don't feel like I've got all these lumps and bumps like filler. I don't get these changes in my skin where it's like, I'm swollen today. And so now I can see that I've got filler. I don't have any of that happening. It looks very natural to me because it is. It's my own body producing it. On the flip side of that, though, I say this to her all the time. At first, it looks so good because you're getting that liquid, you've got the saline and everything, and you look even plumper than you probably will end up. And so you're like, oh, this looks good for like a week or two, and then it dissolves into your body and you're like, it's gone.

[B]

Yeah, same thing happens with Sculptor, right? You get all that fluid in there and you're like, oh, I look good.

[A]

You're like, it's gone. Yeah. And so then you have to be patient, which is not one of my traits, you know, Like, I am not a patient person. I don't want to sit around waiting to see if there's going to be a result. And by the time you get to that result, over the next two to three, three months, it's so subtle that it really takes a while of doing these treatments to see any kind of true improvement. But now that I'm here, I love it. I keep being like, I want to do more, but it's expensive as shit. And the only reason why at this point I'm willing to still pay to do it is because I think it looks natural. I love it. And I don't want to do surgery. I'm not at that stage in my Life where I'm like, let's get a facelift. I actually look back on myself as like a 20something who was in the, in this industry, in the beauty industry. And I used to too casually jokingly say that when I'm in my 40s, I'll get a facelift. And now that I'm in my 40s, I'm like, what a stupid bitch. Like that young girl Susan in her 20s, who used to think that it would be so easy just go get a facelift. Now I'm like, I'm gonna avoid a facelift as long as I possibly can. I don't want to have to go under the knife. I don't want to have to deal with the scarring, the, you know, like the any issue.

[B]

I mean, it's surgery and it's so delicate. Like, this is your face.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

If. And they're like, you know, amazing surgeons, obviously you know better than anybody who's like, top of their game. But still, it's scary. What if it's not? What if it's not the outcome that you expected?

[A]

I mean, you can get scars, you can look pulled, like your face is pulled back. And you know what? After talking to a lot of the injectors, even to Rochelle, you still end up sometimes having to go back in with your renova, with your film.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And still soften things up because you might be pulled too tight. You might get rippling in certain areas. You might still look hollowed out.

[B]

So, yeah, it doesn't give you volume. It doesn't give you volume.

[A]

So you still might be getting all these things done anyway. So I'd rather be doing the things that are going to help me, like stay the way I want to look right now and hopefully prevent it for as long as possible. And then when I'm like in my 50s, hopefully I can then start to pick, potentially. Think about it, you know what I mean? Not, not be like, this is what I'm gonna do. But I, I heard Ariana Grande say this jokingly one time, like just a few months ago. She was like, I'll just get a facelift when I'm there. And it's like, I'll just get a facelift in my 30s or my 40s or something. She said something like that. And I, and I was like, I cringed a little bit because I remember being that, that younger person thinking, I'll just solve it with a facelift. And now that I'm here, I'm like, absolutely not.

[B]

Yeah, I will say I actually have said that. Before, and you just can't.

[A]

We're in this industry. This is the kind of industry where we think it's, like, no biggie.

[B]

And what I mean by that is, like, I do think sometimes it gets villainized, like, especially in your younger years. And I am not afraid. And I am also. That's, like, my genetics, right? Like, I have a skinny face. I don't have. I'm just one of those people who is genetically gonna age faster. That's just the cards that I've been dealt. And I just. I'm not afraid to do it when the time comes. But you don't need it, like, partially because of. You've been doing this for so many years, but partially. Genetics, too, I'm sure, right?

[A]

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

[B]

And so I tell my patients that because I just want them to know I'm not afraid of it, like, when the time comes. But I think there's a lot of fear around facelifts.

[A]

Yeah, no, for sure. I'm not afraid of it if I really, truly need it.

[B]

If you need it, yes. Yes, exactly.

[A]

And I am vain enough to know that I want to continue looking the way I look. So, like, if I need it, I'll do it. I also, though, I will throw out there. I have a daughter. I have a son, too, and I think that I definitely keep him in mind. When I look at before kids, I was so much more open to cosmetic treatments and everything, but having a son and especially having a daughter after that and just looking at her and being like, holy shit, you are the most perfect thing I've ever seen in my whole life. And then to now look back and be like, how do I explain that to her if she tells me she doesn't, like, a feature on her face or something like that, that I think is just perfect on her. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So now I'm like, scale it back, Susan. Scale it back. And, like, love yourself for who you are. Because the way you see yourself is so different than the way other people see you. And I just know this now, like, looking at my baby's faces, they're perfect.

[B]

So I think about this all the time. And I actually, when I first had Josie, my daughter, I had, like, a little bit of an identity crisis as an injector. I'm like, what am I doing? Like, what I'm just feeding into this industry. And, like, it really opened my eyes having a daughter. And I still struggle with it because she's too young to understand. But as she gets older, is It. Do I hide it from her because I don't want her to know I do these things, or am I open? Like, I really don't know how to handle it. And I, before I had her, I was the first to line up when something new came out, like, have one of my colleagues. I'm like, sure, you can use it on me. Now I am so, so hesitant. And I really try to do the bare minimum and a lot of it is from after having her.

[A]

Yeah, I think it really changes your perspective. And maybe it's because we're having babies like a little bit later in life. You know, it's not in our early 20s or something. It's like in our, like, late 20s, 30s, mid-30s. Some of us in our 40s. Right. And because we've waited so long, we've like gotten on board with all these cosmetic trends instead earlier. And so you have your babies and you look at them and you're like, oh, my God. I don't want them to go out into the society and think that they have to change themselves.

[B]

It's like a little heartbreaking. I can't imagine my daughter and I now am so hesitant on young 20 somethings. Like, I used to be like, yeah, they want lips, they can have lips. Now I really try to talk them out of it. And it's like the mom in me, because it breaks my heart to think of, like my Josie in a chair at 18 being like, I want my lips done. Like, that kills me.

[A]

Same.

[B]

Which is crazy because, like, this is.

[A]

I know. What hypocrites. Yeah, I know. No, listen, I'm with you. I'm right there with you. I. I do. I will throw out there as we talk about, you know, like, all these cosmetic procedures, I do think, and I'm sure you've seen this, there is this phenomenon of people, like ladies, especially beautiful women, who all just look the same, right. Everyone has this kind of like Kim Kardashian look or something. And I find that to be incredibly boring. Now. I don't want to look like them. This is actually what really smells. Spurred me starting to dissolve my filler and like, think twice about getting any of these, like, any plastic surgery cosmetic treatments is because I don't want to look like everybody, you know, And I've had. I've actually been, you know, like, shoot. I lived in LA for like 12, 13 years, so there was a time where it was like I felt like people I was bringing onto my channel and everything, we were just looking the same. Same Botox, same Filler, same lips, you know, same noses. Like, same makeup techniques, same hair techniques, you know, so true. Like, we were all just starting to look like we're sisters, you know, like cousins. And it's like, like, who wants that? You don't want to look exactly the same. And this is. We're seeing this with social media too. All these young girls, like, they're showing up in the same, like 10, 10 girls at the prom have all the same dress. Because everyone's like, just following the same look and same trends. And it's like, we want originality. I think that we're going to start moving backwards where it's not like you want to look like you're just, you know, hideous, but you, you don't want to look too quote, unquote, perfect. Like what society says is perfect. You want to be interesting. You want to have something that looks distinct to you. And I think that's going to be actually more popular over time.

[B]

I think we're already starting to see that with like, Gen Z. Right? Like, there is that movement toward that even more individuality. Like, I feel like it was kind of like in the 90s we saw it and now we're seeing it again with Gen Z and. And hopefully that was just kind of like a blip. As these things started to ramp up, we all got really excited and we're kind of like over that, I hope. But I agree with you. I mentioned this earlier, but I think there's nothing more amazing than a woman who is aging. We say aging gracefully, and when I say that, I mean it's just embracing it. And I'm saying that as someone who clearly doesn't. This is my industry. I regularly get neurotoxin and things like that. But I love a woman who's just like, no, this is me. And they mean it and they're happy. Like, that is cool. I think that's so cool. So I agree with you. I think just like looking like ourselves, but refreshed is always the goal and I want to move on a little bit. Just maybe some people listening are like, not even ready to dip their toes into Botox. You've tried a lot of facials over the years.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What do you think from a facial standpoint, do you think is actually impactful? Because a lot of them are like kind of steam and cleans and you're like, oh, I look glowy for an hour. But what has actually been beneficial if someone wants to implement a certain type of facial into the routine regularly?

[A]

So if you actually have Some skin issues. Like, there was a moment, this is when facials really became a big deal for me. I had, I was dealing with, it turned out, you know, like thyroid issues. This was in my early 30s and I was getting cystic acne that nothing could control. I was going to my dermatologist all the time. She was injecting, injecting my, my cystic acne with like cortisol.

[B]

Cortisol, usually, yeah, or cortisone. It's a.

[A]

They were giving me the steroid injections into. She was injecting my cystic acne with injections to try to get rid of it. It would still be really inflamed. It would come right back. I had one that was just painful in this area that was just constantly coming back and I could not get rid of it. I was trying to do everything. I was using all the medication. The only thing I didn't do was Accutane, that kind of thing. Because it was just so focused. We didn't want to get on the very, very specific where I was getting it. And so finally a friend said to me, I had all this cystic acne and I went to see Vanessa Hernandez, who is a facialist in Los Angeles. And she's like, she's going to put you on this boot camp with her facials and you're going to be free of all your acne. And I was like, I don't believe it until I see it. So let's go. Right. And I started seeing Vanessa. So at first it was like going in almost every week to, to see her for like a month, right? And she would do. This was not a fun, relaxing facial. This was like, she's going to do a lot of extractions. You're gonna feel a lot of pain sometimes from it. Because if you've got a lot happening, she's getting it out and then, you know, she's doing a lot of like microdermabrasion, all this. So she had this whole routine that she would do with you and then you'd come back the next week just to see if she's going in there. You sometimes get more acne, right? So then she'd go through and it wouldn't be a full facial. It'd be like a 15, 20 minute facial where she just get a little bit more of the extractions going, then put you under some red lights, oxygen, all that stuff. Then you'd go back for another hardcore.

[B]

It's like a boot camp.

[A]

So it's like truly a boot camp for Your. Your face. Right. She cleared up that acne. It never came back. And then after that, I only had to do maintenance. I still only do maintenance with her, like, once or twice a year. I go back and I get that hardcore facial again. It's not the most relaxing facial, but it is a facial that changed my skin for the better for the rest of my life. Right. Like, I stopped getting that cystic acne, and then I started sending everybody I knew.

[B]

That's powerful. I mean, it's rare that a facial will do that.

[A]

Exactly, exactly. So that, I think, is something to keep in mind that if you can find a specialist like that who just knows how to get rid of that acne and, like, work with. With you. You got to be committed, though. If they say they have a plan, go with the plan.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Such a good point.

[A]

Yeah. Other than that, I think, like, a good. Like, if you don't know where to go, especially, like, in places where it's not a big city and you've got all these options. I think a good hydrafacial, like going regular hydrafacial, that's a good easy way to just get, like, gentle extractions because it's like sucking out. It's not sucking so hard that you're going to get some kind of, like, vascular issue and you're getting, like, a really nice glow. They can tailor it a little bit for your skin and your needs. I think that's a really good, solid way to just get a facial when you don't know where to go or who to see, I guess. And then I think that, you know, when it comes to, like, you know, now it's like the lymphatic drainage massages and all that. I actually see benefit from that.

[B]

I do, too. I love them. Personally.

[A]

I have a membership to sauna skin. Really? Yeah. In. In my lymphatic drainage, they do a lot of lymphatic drainage. That's mostly what they're doing is lymphatic drainage. They do a little bit of. You can do this as an add on. They do the microcurrent also on you, which I also do on myself at home. So that's not really, for me, the big thing, because I feel like that's something you have to do daily, consistently.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I think if you're doing, like, a monthly relaxing facial where you're getting some lymphatic drainage. I'm a big proponent of lymphatic drainage.

[B]

Me too. Body and face, same. And I know, like, a lot of MDs are like, think it's BS, but a lot of.

[A]

No, no, wait. But a lot of plastic surgeons who do surgical. Yes, that's. Yeah. They think lymphatic drainage, especially after liposuction, they're like, before, after. Get all the lymphatic drainage that you can. And that was actually what convinced me that there's got to be something more.

[B]

To it, some benefit. I think we're just like, so sedentary as people. It's not the same as it was when we were walking around bending down, like, naturally doing squats on the time. Like, we're not moving our muscles, we're not moving our legs.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I'm such a huge fan. I think there's absolutely benefit.

[A]

I get lymphatic drainage. You're starting to hear how, how high maintenance I am, but I love it. I love being a high maintenance woman. I get a lymphatic drainage massage once a week.

[B]

That is goals on your face and your body.

[A]

Not on my face, but on my body for sure. I get lymphatic drainage. I go to a MOBA bike.

[B]

I love her. I either go there or magic shape. And I'm on like the once a month track. Maybe when I'm a big girl, I can. For the weekly once a week I.

[A]

Try not to miss.

[B]

I leave there and I feel so light. And I can feel when it's like coming up on a month, I just start to feel, like, swollen and sluggish. I'm like, I need it.

[A]

I mean, it's amazing. Like, I see a couple of women there, and they'll be like, your knees and your ankles are still retaining some water. It's like, all right, they're gonna have to start working on this. You know, it just. You feel so much better. And if I'm putting in all this time with, you know, like, taking care of my body, I'm doing all the. I'm taking all these supplements, making sure I'm getting all my protein, working out with a personal trainer. Well, shit, then I want the other recovery that's going to my body as well.

[B]

And you're getting that actual massage too, right? So, like, you're getting that muscle recovery, but then you're getting like the nice cosmetic benefit of moving some fluid around.

[A]

I feel like I get more benefit from the lymphatic drainage massage than a typical deep tissue massage.

[B]

Yeah, I would agree with you. That's like, where I'm like, willing to spend my money. If I'm getting a regular massage, it's because it's like a girl's spa day, but this is like, I'm going because I want to see a difference.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. So I actually used to be. Used to think that facials were, like, kind of useless unless, like, you just wanted to have a little bit of downtime and, like, that moment. Yeah. But there's actually a study that Hydrafacial recently did with their clear facial that actually it was, like, clinically proved and to improve acne in 12 weeks. So that, like, kind of made me a believer. And then with my facialist, Allie, at my office, I see her and I do the microcurrent and, like, the red light and all that stuff. I feel like that once you start adding on some of that stuff, that's when you can, like, really see a change. And then, of course, she does the extractions and, like, you just feel, like, so nice and clean and clear after.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Okay. I want to talk a bit about melasma, because we both have it.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You've done peels, you've done lasers, everything. Yes. What have you found most impactful for your melasma?

[A]

There are two things. Okay. One, you have to remember that there are things happening probably within your body, your hormones, whatever it is. Right. It's hard for us to avoid heat and, like, the sun and everything because we live in Miami. Like, I step outside and I feel like my molasses.

[B]

Yes. Like a sauna. I agree. I can feel it getting worse.

[A]

Same. I can, too. I, like, people are like, you want to go to the beach today? I'm like, no, I don't. Even though we live near the beach, you know, it's like, I do not want to be outside. And so I've had to, like, really kind of just, you know, remember that I gotta also live. So I've been trying to take better care of my. Myself when it comes to my thyroid, because I have. I have Hashimoto's. So this is, like a thyroid issue. Thyroid hormones can definitely trigger your melasma, and that probably makes it worse for me when I'm not taking care of it. And I've gone through bouts where I'm not taking care of myself. You know, I'm not taking my medication, not going and getting my lab checked so I can change my medication or update it or anything. I've definitely had these moments where I'm not taking as good of care of myself. And so when I'm not taking care of myself, my melasma is worse. So making sure that I'm just trying to Stay as healthy as possible. That's like the big thing, right? Because this is hormonal. So if you're not dealing with that, you're going to get melasma. The second thing, though, that was a treatment that I did that I think I should have just done a long time ago and just bit the bullet was cosmelan.

[B]

Okay, how was that experience?

[A]

It sucks.

[B]

Which is a peel, a pretty intense one for anyone.

[A]

It's an intense peel, which is why I avoided it. I went years doing every other thing that had less downtime. Peels that were only for a week, lasers that were only downtime for a week, that kind of thing, trying to get rid of my melasma. And I'll say that this last round, I did two rounds of picosure first. And then that kind of brought the melasma up to the surface. Because what was starting to happen was I was using all these topical products, getting all these peels, all that stuff, and it was getting rid of it on the surface, but I could still see that deeper pigment that I just could not get to. Right. And so the picosure kind of brought it up to the surface. And when it came up to the surface, then my dermatologist, Dr. Nina Desai and Los Angeles, she was like, can I please convince you to finally do cosmelan? It's going to be a lot of downtime.

[B]

How much are we.

[A]

It's like a month of downtime. And as the month obviously continues, I'll take you through the whole process. So you have to do that whole peanut butter looking mask the entire day. That's highly annoying. My children hated it.

[B]

Is it irritating?

[A]

It's. It's a little bit, but not really. Like, you first put it on and you're like, this is weird. What gets irritating is that it starts to dry up. They recommend you, like, start spraying it, but you get lazy as the day's gone on. Like, you're wearing it for like almost 10 hours, you know, so you have to wear that. You get that off of your face. Your face is like really red like a tomato. The first day. You can just throw on like a tinted moisturizer, tinted sunscreen, and you're like, fine. You could probably even be out for the day. I actually had to go run errands because we were about to go on like a big trip. But then by the third day, you're peeling like you are starting to peel, peel. You're feeling really tight. You're feeling a little bit irritated. This is the MD version, by the way, because there is a version that's, like, a little less gentle or a little bit more gentle. This is the, like, hardcore MD version. But then you have to start putting on just, like. As it's all starting to, like, peel, you have to start applying the Cosmelan 2 on it. So you're continuing this process. So you're not letting your skin just suddenly heal like you would a regular chemical pillow. You're continuing the process, and that's the part that sucks. So you're applying this Cosmelan two several times a day at first, and then each. As each week goes on, you're applying it less like you're applying it applying it twice a day. You're going from, like, three to two times. Then you're following a week. You're going like, one time a week. And then you're supposed to continue using the Cosmelan 2 for, like, months on end.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

But I just stopped because at some point, you're just, like, constantly dry. You're constantly shedding. You've got, like, patches of, like, of flakiness, and it gives you this, like, orangey tone to your skin, too. So you also don't look healthy necessarily. But the longer you're keeping this going, which was the only reason I kept it going so long, was you are seeing the melasma is going away. And I've seen a lot of people tell me that they didn't like it because it doesn't last. And I think that's the thing that people need to understand when it comes to something like melasma is you gotta keep going. You gotta keep taking care of it. I knew I was gonna be traveling also, so Dr. Nana Desai convinced me to also get onto tranexamic acid pills.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Which comes with its own complications. So I think people should really talk to their doctor, make sure that they really understand what the risks are, too, because there could even be, in higher doses, really not even what I was taking. You could end up with, like, blood clots and all that stuff. So you just need to be very aware of the risks of it. But that really also kept my melasma at bay. I only recently stopped taking it, and I can see the melasma.

[B]

Yeah, that works wonders. Like, when I have a patient who's very motivated or we're really working with, like, a recalcitrant case of melasma, I'm like, listen, this is an option. Of course we talk about the risks, but it's really helpful.

[A]

How long do you think people should stay on the trend? Extreme.

[B]

So I don't do it more than a couple of months.

[A]

Yeah, I did it like two and a half, three months.

[B]

Yeah, I did it for myself actually not too long ago. And it does help a lot, but it does a chronic condition. It's gonna keep coming back. So with the Cosmolon, did you do any pre or post treatment? Like did you pre treat with hydroquinone? Absolutely. I always do actually for lasers, for peels, all of it.

[A]

Because I've had that experience where something as simple as clear and brilliant. The first treatment I did my skin. Skin was great. I go back in for the second treatment and suddenly I've got more hyperpigmentation. And so that was something that I learned. You know, when I talked to Nina about my hesitance to do lasers, she was like, well, let's pre treat your skin from now on. So I always use hydroquinone to pre treat my skin and then a little bit afterwards too, just to make sure I'm not going to get this, this opposite effect of these treatments.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I think a lot of people don't understand that melasma has an inflammatory component component. And by nature all of these treatments do cause a little bit of inflammation, sometimes a lot of inflammation. So if you're, you might see that benefit initially and then that inflammation will kind of make the melasma flare in a few months. So it's a good idea to pre and post treat in those cases. That's awesome. Okay, what about things you do at home? You mentioned microcurrent. Do you, do you know, how do you incorporate it into your routine LED mask? What are you doing your at home treatment.

[A]

So it fluctuates. I'm a human being. Right. Sometimes I'm busier than and sometimes I'm not. Right. When I'm not busy, I love to indulge. I love a good nighttime skincare routine and really just going for it. And I'll have a four week period where I'm consecutive with my laser treatment. I'm consecutive with my LED masks and I'm using on my face and my chest area. I'm using, you know, like my silicone patches, you know that my co ones that are like trying to prevent like you know, any of the crinkling on my, on my chest and my boob area. I'm using my microcurrent. I'm really into zip, which is actually nano current. So there are times when I'm just like in it and I have the time for it. Usually this happens like, in the wintertime when you're, like, more in, like, hibernation mode and you're like, staying inside more. But then, like, right now I feel like I've been very busy. Like, kids went back to school and I started to, like, really focus back on work again and everything. And suddenly I just don't have the time. So I've tried to keep it more simple. And so it kind of depends. I think I see a huge difference when I'm really indulging at night, but when I'm not, it's okay too. I focus on making sure I have a lot of hydration in my skincare routine. I feel like it's all about plumping for me, especially in Miami. I don't want to have heavy creams on my face all the time. So just using a lot of hydration with essences from my brand. I love our Multi Peptide Advanced Serum. It is. I feel like every time I put it on, it's just so hydrating. I love those collagen masks.

[B]

You actually got me onto those. I was like, these are bs. That's another not. I know.

[A]

I was like, I love it so much. I actually purchased it for the first time to talk shit about it. And then I was like, wait, this is huge. I am so hydrated after using this. And I've found that, like, the more regularly I use it, I won't use it every day because that's so wasteful. Whatever. But, like, if I've got an event, if I'm traveling, I take one of those bad boys with me and I will use it. And my skin looks so plump, so juicy and dewy. And it's exactly what I want. I want to look juicy, you know? So hydration, lots of hydration. In my skincare routine, using a really nice moisturizer. My sense sunscreen, obviously, is always going to be really important. And having a retinoid. And lately I am all the way back over to glycolic acid. Like, I don't know when I stopped using glycolic acid because I was really into it a long time ago. Then I kind of fell off. I still love my azelaic acid, but I have, like, fully moved back to, like, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and exfoliating my face on a regular basis. And I love it.

[B]

I've been doing that more too. And I think it's also, like the Miami heat and humidity. I definitely was starting to get more clogged. When I kind of took a break from the acids and I was like, this is what my skin is missing. This is what my skin needs just doing like for me it's like two or three times a week, some sort of a peel pad or something. Same is so helpful for my skin.

[A]

Same, same. And I like even the absorption of my skincare products. That hydration, if I want that juiciness, I need to be exfoliated. And I actually run into people all the time where they say, like, oh, but I use a retinoid so I don't need to exfoliate. And I think they're not understanding. You need something that's going to actually remove those cells that are turning over.

[B]

Yeah. Retinol is not an exfoliator. And a lot of people don't understand that naturally because of the side effects and things of flaking. They think it's exfoliation. Absolutely. Okay, a couple of follow up questions before we finish up. With accessibility to these procedures skyrocketing, what is something that you would tell younger women, young girls who are just starting.

[A]

To dip their feet in any cosmetic procedure, especially plastic surgery, Every time you do it, there's always something else you don't like. Always. I almost never meet somebody who gets something done. I got my nose done, for instance. And you know, like, I, I feel like I'm not going to point it out because I don't want everyone else to know what it is because I actually think that's a secret. Like if there's something that bothers you, don't tell everybody because then they'll notice it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But there is something that I noticed right after my nose job. I love the nose job. But there's something I noticed that I never had to deal with with my face before that bothers me sometimes. So just always know that, that you might change your face. Not for the better. Right. There was this girl who had posted on social media like a year or two ago and she was super cute. Still is super cute, had the cutest button nose. And then she decided she needed a nose job. She was, you could tell she was young, she was like in her 20s, decided she needed a nose job, went to go see this doctor who had done a lot of famous people in Los Angeles and she wanted to build a bigger nose for some reason and she didn't like the result. And I think that that is something you have to consider. You are doing surgery just because everyone makes it look easy. And you see all these stories that people love being surgery, of course you.

[B]

See the amazing results, but they're not.

[A]

Necessarily talking about, I'm not talking about what I dislike about having that nose job now. Right? So. So just remember there is always something. Just like with a boat, with Botox, like you sometimes get Botox and you've got like a brow that's higher than the other. Or I've had Botox where like I think some, I think the first time I ever did like my bunny lines, I felt like I smiled strangely. Something like that. So there's always this kind of side effect to your treatments. And once you're in it, you're in it. You know, you might have to get more, more stuff done to correct something. I know so many people who've had more than one nose job because they didn't like the first nose job. So just keep that in mind. Like, once you're in it, you're in it. So just, if you, if you love yourself, love yourself. But on the flip side of that, if you fucking hate something about your face and it bothers you to no end or on your body, go do something about it. I don't know why I waited so long to do my.

[B]

Don't live with it if you don't have to.

[A]

You don't have to. Just make sure you do your research and you fully understand the pros and cons of this, because there are going to be both.

[B]

Absolutely. Okay, and very last question, what's your most underrated skin tip?

[A]

Hydration.

[B]

Yeah, I had a feeling you were gonna say that.

[A]

Yeah, it's hydration. I see this all the time. I see so many people who tell me that they're. I'm using moisturizer and I, I use the thickest moisturizer, I use the most expensive moisturizer. But then I'm like, do you hydrate your skin? And they're kind of like, what's that? Isn't that what I'm doing with the moisturizer? And it's a little bit different. It's these, these lighter, thinner water based products like your serums, like your toners, like your essences. Not the exfoliating toners necessarily, but the, the ones that are just giving you that hydration. A lot of people don't understand that, like hyaluronic acid serums, for instance, became really popular for a second there because people would put them on and they would hydrate their skin and they didn't realize that's what they were doing, doing. So they're like, this is a miracle. My skin looks juicy.

[B]

It Looks plump, immediately it looks better. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. And it's just that your skin needs that hydration. It's like a glass of water for your skin, and then you put that moisturizer on to make sure that water stays there. And so I think that if you do this, I see people every day, every day who can benefit from hydrating their skin. And you just look so much younger.

[B]

Yeah, agreed. I go through, like, waves with hydration because I think sometimes too, like, when you're layering too much, especially in sensitive skin types, it can be overwhelming. But as soon as I kind of get back to baseline and then slowly reincorporate it, I'm like, oh, yeah, this is what I was missing.

[A]

Yeah. And stop using the oils. This is. This is like old lady stuff. Like, stop it. I can't stand all these brands that are like, use this oil. This is all you need. No, oil does not hydrate your skin. It doesn't even really moisturize your skin.

[B]

It's not an effective moisturizer.

[A]

No. So just stop with the oils. If you are young, hydrate and protect your skin. Get juicy skin. Oil will not make you have juicy skin. Can oils be beneficial? Absolutely. There are places for. There's a time and a place for oil. I like, jokingly say it's like an old lady thing, because, like, when you have more mature skin, you can put anything on your face that's gonna just make it look better. Like anything you want.

[B]

Your face just, like, floats more and more and more.

[A]

Everything. So then, like, add an oil into your. Into your routine. But for the younger generations, stop it with the oils. Use hydration. Use, like, a light moisturizer. Put on your sunscreen.

[B]

As always, Susan, amazing advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to come on for a part two. I think we all learned something new today, so thank you.