Loading summary
Transcript7 lines
- [00:00]
A
Right now get up to 15% off select storage solutions put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid impact resistant design prevents cracking and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15% off at the Home Depot. To organize every room in your home from your garage to your attic, visit homedepot.com how doers get more done. Chevy is called the heartbeat of America for a reason. With SUVs made to move with your rhythm, the versatile Equinox tackles your entire day. The spacious Traverse fits your crew and your whole weekend, and tracks bring style with value you can count on, all infused with tech that has your back, so your drive always hits the right chord. Chevrolet Together let's drive
- [01:02]
B
hello guys. Welcome back to the Treatment Room Podcast with your host, Tessa Zali, licensed esthetician, acne specialist, skincare brand founder, and NASM certified health and nutrition coach. Today I want to talk about a phenomenon that happens every single year and hopefully help you avoid this, which is summer break breakouts. It's funny because this time of year, which is, you know, mid June, I feel like people are getting in the swing of things with summer. They're starting to go on trips, plan trips, just enjoy all the summer fun. And then towards the middle and end of summer, and definitely as we get into fall, I get such an influx of new clients who had their skin triggered over the summer and now they don't know what to do. And so when it comes to acne, really one of the biggest keys is prevention and just having awareness. There's so many things that can trigger acne, and I know we're always looking for the one thing to blame, but what I find in my virtual practice is through a very thorough consultation, is that Most people have 15 to 30 triggers going on. There's many, many things that can affect the skin. And because acne is a multifactorial disease, there are just so many ways in which it can get triggered. But in today's episode, I am going to help you you nail down some of the key summer acne triggers that we need to be talking about and what you can do to avoid a summer breakout. So let's start with trigger number one, which is sweat sitting on the skin. My pet peeve is sweat sitting on the skin. And this is why I'm just, yeah, I'm very intense on my clients about making sure they cleanse before their workouts and directly after their workouts. This is also why I wanted to come out with travel size cleansers, because I just don't want anyone to have any excuse as to why they can't wash their face after a workout. And even more than that, I know so many of us live places where it gets very hot over the summer, or Orange county included. And I know there's states where it gets even a lot more humid than California. A lot of my clients will say, I just stepped out to go to the mailbox. I just, you know, took the dog out real quick. Or I was, you know, walking home from work and I am just dripping sweat. And I will say, sweat itself doesn't cause acne. If it did, every single athlete you've seen ever would have severe acne. But the real problem is what is happening inside the hair follicle and what the sweat mixes with. So throughout the day, your skin accumulates oil bacteria. Then there's sunscreen, makeup, environmental debris, and then, of course, dead skin cells. We know acne is a disease of the skin involving excess skin cells, AKA retention hyper keratosis. Our skin is shedding millions of skin cells daily. So that combined with the sweat, is really just like gasoline to the flame. And that can trigger congestion, especially around the forehead, the hairline, the chest and the back, the areas where we are sweating the most. So I would absolutely say when it comes to workouts and time that you are intentionally sweating, you want to be very proactive about, yes, bringing your cleanser to the gym and bringing a lightweight moisturizer, sunscreen that you can leave with and making sure you bring a change of clothes. This is also the time of year I see a lot of fungal acne and I had never experienced fungal acne until this last summer. And wow, it is a beast. It can really be a beast to treat it properly and get it gone. And it started with just being a little bit more lax about staying in my workout clothes after the gym. So we're not going to do that this summer. We're going to be prepared. We're going to make sure we have clean clothes on our skin after the workout. If you are acne prone, you really don't need a ten step routine, but you just want to make sure you're cleansing thoroughly after the workout and ideally using some type of ingredient that has antibacterial properties, such as benzoyl peroxide. And you want to make sure you remove that buildup that is sitting on the skin. Okay, on to trigger number two, which this can be a Little bit controversial. I am such a sunscreen advocate, I would rather you wear a clogging sunscreen than not wear sunscreen at all. But that said, some sunscreens can be very heavy on the skin, especially if you are already producing more oil. And so you want to be careful to avoid really heavy water resistant formulas. These products are really great for sun protection, but they can be problematic for acne prone skin. And I would just say if you are, you know, in the water or sweating a ton, it's better to just rinse it off, remove and reapply your sunscreen than look for something that is going to have that coating that makes it water resistant, that is likely going to be more comedogenic. So the answer is not to skip sunscreen but to find a formula that your skin tolerates well and make sure you are really removing the sunscreen properly, especially at night before bed. Trigger number three is heat and humidity. So we know heat can really stimulate those sebaceous glands and increase oil production. Have noticed that clients tend to fall in one of two camps. They either break out a lot more in the summer or in the winter time. And this could be because your skin is either producing more oil in the summertime or it's producing excess dead skin cells that are accumulating on the surface of the skin and in the follicle in the winter time if you are not exfoliating properly. So humidity can definitely make the skin produce more oil. And this just means that you want to be more cautious in the winter time with what you are using on your skin. For one, we want to be cleansing really thoroughly. I know a lot of people don't like cleansing in the morning. I'm an advocate for it. I think it is a necessary step in any acne protocol. Cleansing in the morning time because we do produce dead skin cells and oil overnight. And you want to make sure when you're starting your day and your skin is going to be producing more oil that you have a as clean of a canvas as possible and you just start the day with a fresh face. And then you want to adjust, likely you want to adjust your skincare routine for the summertime. The thick, rich moisturizer you were using in the winter time when you were living in a state that was experiencing a lot of snow and an extremely cold climate. If you live in a state where now you're experiencing the opposite and it is so, so hot, you likely need a different moisturizer and your skincare routine might need a little bit of tweaking Oftentimes I'll recommend a cream cleanser in the winter time and then switching to a gel cleanser for your mornings in the summertime. So if you were using undo to wash your face in the morning, you might consider switching to my gel cleanser low foam in the morning time. Especially if your skin is more normal to oily. Sometimes a very small seasonal adjustment is very, very helpful. And also shout out to all of my clients, if I have not seen you in a little bit and you live in a state like that, we might need to get you on my books and just make sure that we make some necessary tweaks for the seasons. Trigger number four is friction acne. This is one of the most overlooked causes of summer breakouts. So think hats, sunglasses, bike helmets, any sweaty workout gear, any anything like that. When we have heat, sweat, pressure and friction, this can trigger acne mechanica, the same type of acne that you might have noticed from wearing a fabric face mask. And so if you are noticing acne along the forehead that might be related to a hat you've been wearing, you also want to make sure you are washing your hats regularly. I am such a freak about this. I will not wear a hat hat more than once, maybe twice. But if I see debris and sunscreen on it after one use, it's just going in the wash. And I intentionally only buy hats that I know I can clean. There are a lot of cute straw hats and things like that, but if I can't wash it, I just know it's going to break me out. If you are noticing breakouts around the temples and I actually just had a client bring this up who is experiencing a little bit of a rosacea flare around her T zone. It's exactly the area where she wears glasses. And similarly, rosacea doesn't love that friction, heat and pressure either. So we just want to be mindful of what is rubbing against our skin. I like to keep rubbing alcohol wipes in my bag so I can clean my sunglasses. I've also noticed as a fellow rosacea sufferer, I have to be very careful with the sunglasses I am wearing. They can vary so much in terms of the type of material that's used, how heavy they are, and so now I try to only buy very lightweight frames. If I try glasses on and they're bothering me in the store a little bit, I know after wearing them all day or for several hours while I'm driving, I know my capillaries are not going to be happy. So something to think about with Any type of glasses you are wearing. If you are experiencing acne along the jawline, that can be related to some sort of helmet strap. I see this more often in the winter when clients are doing a lot of snowboarding. But any kind of gear is just something to look out for. If you do any outdoor sports in the summertime, try to make sure that it is clean and minimize any friction. Or wear some sort of little like cloth as a padding. We just want to minimize any friction and pressure against the skin. And then lastly, on this note, if your breakouts seem like they tend to recur in an area over and over again, ask yourself, is there anything going on where you're repeatedly touching that area? This is something I notice all too often in consultations. The exact area a client will be breaking out will be the area that they tend to rest their hand on their face when they are in a meeting or when they are kind of fidgeting. So I think just trying to have a rule not to touch your face unless you are applying your skin care is what I swear by. I do not rest my face on my hand. If I needed to, I would kind of pull a sleeve up. But I think that can be a little bit of a nervous habit that a lot of people will do. And so try to make it a point to just not touch your skin. It will really, really pay off in terms of reducing bacteria and just friction and touching of the skin. Trigger number five is chlorine and barrier damage. So a lot of people assume that pool water is helpful to acne because it dries everything out. The problem is that drying your skin out isn't the same as actually healing your skin, drying and addressing the root cause of acne, which is the retention hyperkeratosis. And while chlorine does help keep pools clean, it can really disrupt the skin barrier. I have seen this over the years with my swimmer clients, and I think because we associate chlorine with being antibacterial, that's where the assumption comes in that this couldn't possibly be worsening your acne and it should be helping it. But when your skin barrier becomes compromised and the skin is going from its natural preference of slightly acidic to very alkaline, you may notice increased irritation, more inflammation, dryness, breakouts, especially more aggravated rashi breakout. So after swimming, you really want to rinse off as soon as possible. And make sure you use a gentle moisturizer such as Safeglaze by Free Skin by Tessa is a great one to support your skin barrier. So I was talking with some of my girlfriends at a coffee shop the other weekend. They also happen to be estheticians and business owners and one thing that nobody told us when we started a business is that the better your business does, the more time it takes to run it. More appointments and more staff end up meaning more hours spent on scheduling follow ups and marketing instead of time with your clients and staff, let alone your friends and family. But there's a better way. One where you can keep growing and get more of your valuable time back. Gloss Genius is the intelligent system that handles more of the busy work for you. Scheduling, payments, staff management, marketing and client follow up all automatically working in the background to fill your calendar, grow your revenue and keep clients coming back. You can use code treatment at the link in my show notes to learn more and get 50% off your first two months of their premium plans.
- [17:14]
C
I want to talk to my SDS real quick. Today's episode is in partnership with Pomp Beauty. I am talking about this platform constantly because it has genuinely changed my business. You guys know I am 100% virtual.
- [17:29]
B
I don't have a treatment room.
- [17:31]
C
I don't have retail shelves. There's no client sitting in my chair physically and for a long time that meant I was leaving a lot of money on the table when it came to retail. Believe it or not, when I first started my virtual practice, I would send clients links to buy products where I was literally not receiving any benefit or commission like I was referring out to big box stores. And soon enough I realized this is a big mistake. But I had nowhere to store the products. I didn't want to open accounts with 50 different professional lines and sending clients to five different websites to buy their routine through your affiliate link. It is a tacky mess and Pomp solve this. Right now. Pomp is my single biggest retail revenue stream. My clients are purchasing from me and loving the recommendations and supporting my small business every single day. And if you want a stable future, you have to think about income outside of what your two hands can do in the treatment room. And this is where Pomp comes in. Pomp is a monthly subscription platform built for estheticians that gives you access to 50 plus professional skincare brands. My faves like Face Reality, Marini Skin Solutions, Hydrinity, Color Science, Glymed Revision and so many more. With zero inventory, zero accounts that you need to open and commissions up to 40%, you build each client a personalized routine. They shop from your storefront anytime they want and Pomp handles the shipping and customer service. But here's what I want you to hear. This isn't just for virtual estheticians like me. Whether you have a solo treatment room, a suite, a med spa, it doesn't matter. If there are products your clients could benefit from that you don't currently see stock that they would otherwise google and buy from a random website. POMP plugs directly into your business and captures that revenue for you. The most popular plan is just 49amonth and that includes educational webinars and sales training. But that literally pays for itself. If one client were to purchase through you on pomp, use code TEST50 to get a 14 day free trial 50 off your first month and a 75 product credit. The link to join is in the show notes. Just type the treatment room in when it asks how you heard about Pomp. And now let's get back to the show.
- [20:02]
B
Trigger number four is going to be hidden dairy and sugar, which, let's be honest, can really, really pile up in the summertime. And summer is so much fun. It's full of vacations, barbecues, ice cream runs, cocktails, weddings, late night treats, all the things. And you know, having one treat is not going to sabotage your skin, but it's when the entire summer turns into a marathon for treats and you're consistently increasing your inflammatory foods in your diet and when it just kind of becomes a pattern to go get ice cream every single night. This can definitely contribute to break outs in some people. And I hate to say it because, you know, I think nutrition has so many applications and when it comes to something like just having a healthier diet or even having a fat loss goal, I think the nutrition can be a lot more flexible and it's difficult for acne prone people because they can be sensitive to, you know, a small amount of dairy and sugar. Even that low level of inflammation consistently can really rev up this condition. So it's just something to be mindful of. And I never want anyone to really stress themselves out over food choices. A little exercise that I have walked through with clients who will express express, you know, I can feel a lot of stress if I overindulge. And I also just want to say it happens to me too. I have moments of overindulgence or weekends where I do go off plan. And you know, the great thing is that every day is a new opportunity to start fresh. So if you are feeling a lot of food guilt or so stress, negative feelings from something that you ate, I want you to try to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and really clench your fists. And I want you to imagine those negative thoughts that you are having around food, your body, skin. I want you to imagine them literally floating up into the sky as you are clenching, clenching, clenching your fists really, really tight. And I want you to visualize clouds in the sky and those negative thoughts, literally imagine them as words that you can see that are soaring off into the clouds. And just imagine them releasing and I want you to release your fists at the same time and really just let those thoughts go. It's okay for them to come up, it can be normal. But what we don't want to do is really hold on to them and harbor them and allow them to affect our day in our life. So there's no need to over stress about indulgences, but just having some awareness. If you notice it's something that affects your skin, that may be the reality. Common summer culprits might be ice cream, frozen yogurt, very sugary cocktails, super sweet iced coffee drinks and frappuccinos or just really dessert, heavy vacations, activities, festivals, fairs. I think there's a time and place to indulge and I think with that you just have to have good discretion and self awareness about, okay, you know, I'm in Italy, I'm going to enjoy some amazing gelato or I never go to the fair. I go to the fair once a year. I'm, I might try, you know, a frozen treat that is calling my name. But I will also say, you know, I've had a lot of years of discipline leading to where I am now, where my skin is really in maintenance mode. And I think I can have a little bit more flexibility because I have maintained it for so long. And I'd say my overall lifestyle really supports my goals. But I've had, you know, years, especially early in my acne journey where I was really, there's a point where I wanted to take it serious because it was affecting my mental health, my relationships, my career, my overall happiness. And so there was a time of, you could call it restriction of not having certain things. And I think sometimes that's okay. I think sometimes we want to live in this world where we have balance all the time and still get, you know, the goals that we have in mind. And I think sometimes they just don't coexist and there has to be a little period of discipline. And I think, you know, sometimes that's okay. It really depends what you are valuing most. Sometimes you value a little bit more flexibility in your lifestyle and your daily nutrition choices. And I always say with that we might just adjust our expectations to be a little bit more realistic. And if you're not okay with that outcome, you might be living in a season of having more discipline. And I think that word can sound so scary. It doesn't necessarily have to be. I think you can live a very disciplined life and it can still be enjoyable and fun, but it will probably involve more preparation, more planning for treats, a little bit more like grocery shopping in advance. I'm a big advocate of planning as many meals as you can and you know, maybe allowing yourself a couple days where you're not doing that. But if you can plan most of your meals throughout the week, I think that can put you in a really good spot to have some indulgences here and there or have an indulgence that is pre planned. Maybe it is a frozen banana with Lily's dark chocolate on it. I'm a big Ninja Creamy person. I could not live without that thing. One way that I love to indulge is making my own ice cream. Ice cream at home. So instead of going out to an ice cream shop every single night in the summer spending, you could easily spend $12 on an ice cream. That's what it has cost the last few times I've gotten frozen yogurt. So I now make my ice cream at home. I use the Ninja Creami Best investment ever. Highly recommend. It's loud but it's worth it. And then my new obsession is the equipment protein powder Shout out equip code test 15 for the best acne friendly protein powder. If you are very picky about protein powders, you don't like a grainy taste and you tend to prefer whey protein. This is protein derived from grass fed beef, but it's non dairy non whey. It's so delicious. I can't wait to try more flavors. I'm currently on the mint chocolate one and I've been using the unsweetened Almond Breeze chocolate almond milk as the base. So literally just those ingredients is all you need. I will do about 10 ounces of the unsweetened chocolate almond milk with one scoop or you could do two if you wanted it a little bit richer of the protein powder. And then I freeze it overnight in my freezer, take it out, blend it the next day. Sometimes I add a pinch of salt and monk fruit just to really make it more ice cream like. But I think the more you can plan for your treats and indulgences, I think it's a Nice thing to look for, forward to. And then you can make sure you are choosing ingredients that work with your skin and really taste just as good. So I think that is the key to, you know, staying quote unquote disciplined is finding the fun in it and really making it an enjoyable part of your lifestyle. You don't have to be perfect, but being mindful can really help prevent the post vacation breakout and post vacation blues that so many of us can experience when we overdo it. So I would say preparation over perfection. Trigger number six is vacation sleep and stress. So this one might be a little bit surprising. But sometimes when you are on vacation, changes in your routine can really impact your skin. And I noticed this the most when I was at the height of my acne journey. I would feel like anytime I took a trip, my skin would literally be in shambles, my barrier would be falling off my face, I would be breaking out like crazy. And it just felt like a mess and it felt so out of control just for a few small changes in my routine. And so when there's a lot of retentive matter in that follicle when it's very congested, and when perhaps the barrier is not strong, late nights, alcohol, travel, stress, disrupted sleep, sleep schedule, dehydration, eating a little bit different than you normally would, all of these things can influence hormones and inflammation and then even environmental things like the water you are using in your hotel room, the bleach and detergent that you're using on the hotel towels and pillowcases, these things sound so small. But when acne is not yet managed and when the skin is not yet resilient, you can experience, you know, a lot of changes in your skin from seemingly small things. So sometimes it is a combination of these things. The poor sleep, increased alcohol, more sugar, travel, stress, dehydration, and all of these factors adding up. So a few little tips that I would recommend to help keep you on track. If you are going on vacation and your acne, you know, you're still in process with it, you're still working on it. You know, I would say trying to maintain a regular sleep schedule as much as you can, that can be really helpful. And still trying to get your eight hours, I think is one of the most important things that you can do. Trying to keep your hydration levels up, even if it means you have to, you know, get up on the plane to go to the bathroom. I think it's actually great to be getting up and moving and just getting that lymph and circulation keeping it inflow is so important. So staying hydrated while you are traveling, making sure you have water at your hotel room, you're filling up your water bottle or you, you know, get some water at the store. I always like to stop into town when I get to my destination and just pick up a few core little things. I think this can also really help to have a little breakfast option at your hotel or your air bnb and have a couple little snack options. So that way, even if one or two meals, you know, are meals that you're needing to eat out or with a group of people, at least that way you can start your day on a really strong note. And I have noticed that breakfast is, is the most important meal of the day for acne sufferers because it's what sets your blood sugar up for stability. So starting your morning with a high protein, healthy, moderate fat intake, some fiber from fruits like berries, any kind of berries. I love blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, fresh or frozen are amazing. On little coconut yogurt bowls. I like to bring my protein powder with me. So that way you can pretty much pick up coconut yogurt or the cocoa June protein yogurt at any grocery store or Target, anything like that. And then add your own protein powder, add some berries. If you want to be fancy, you can add some chia, some hemp heart, some pumpkin seeds, or keep it super simple. That will set you up to be satiated until lunchtime and to keep the blood sugar under control. And I'd say doing that instead of opting for the breakfast buffet could be a little bit of a better choice. Or just making sure if you are in a situation like that, you're prioritizing the protein, the healthy fats, the fruits and veggies wherever you can get them on vacation. If there's an option for that, I will try to take it where I can get it because you don't always know when you're going to have that option. And of course, bringing your skincare routine with you on vacation, what you want to do is have a little list of your skincare routine. If you are my client, you receive a chart with your name on it that's going to tell you exactly what steps you're doing morning and night and how often you're going to be using them. And if you have that chart, you can literally bring it with you and make sure before you leave you have every single product that you need. I would just take a little inventory before and after you leave because it is surprising in the Summertime, how many texts I get from clients saying, hey, I left my cleanser at home, I left my toner at the hotel. Can you recommend me something that I can get while I'm out? And sometimes we are very limited with those options and they might be, you know, something decent we can work with, but obviously not as optimal as your core routine. And we want to keep your core routine as consistent as possible, especially when you're going on vacation and, and there's about to be a lot of inconsistency. The next trigger is dehydration. And I would not say acne is as simple as you need to drink more water. Not what I'm saying, but when temperatures rise, your hydration needs to rise too. A lot of people are actually walking around mildly dehydrated in the summertime. When the skin becomes dehydrated, it can compensate by producing more oil, which, which can contribute to congestion. So you want to focus on your water intake also hydrating fruits. I love cucumber, watermelon, any kind of water rich fruit and mineral rich foods as well. Hydration really helps to support your skin barrier and your overall inflammation levels. And on this note, I did want to touch on electrolytes and supplements because I think we can tend to think, oh, electrolytes equals hydration, hydration equals beneficial for my skin. And during the summer, and during the summer, a lot of people can start drinking electrolyte packets, hydration powders, pre workouts, greens powders, and possibly throwing in other supplements such as a hair, skin and nail supplement. And while some of these can have their place, there are certain ingredients that that can contribute to breakouts in acne prone individuals. For example, some electrolyte products contain table salt, sugars, artificial sweeteners, excess B vitamins or large amounts of biotin. And I've noticed with table salt, especially iodized table salt, a very heavy dose of this, which is in some of the packets, such as element, has a really heavy dose of salt in the packet that can very rapidly dehydrate the skin and lead to a phenomenon of breakouts that I see in already susceptible people. So if you're not acne prone, then you can probably enjoy electrolyte packets. But if you are acne prone, I'd say be cautious with them. Consider maybe having a quarter to a half of the packet because you don't need 1000 milligrams of sodium unless you are running marathons. Most people do not need that much salt in one intake. And then my ideal recommendation, because electrolytes are important. My ideal recommendation would be to make your own with a little pinch of sea salt, a dash of coconut water, either some lime or some lemon for flavor and just mix that up and you have a really delicious homemade electrolyte. There's also a brand called Good Anya that I have seen has a decent ingredient deck, so there are definitely some acne friendly electrolytes out there. You just want to be careful with the ones you are using and know that just because something is marketed to us as healthy or gluten free or sugar free or paleo does not necessarily make it acne friendly. And remember, supplements are meant to supplement a healthy diet, so your nutrition is of the utmost importance. And supplements don't replace the basics. So don't let marketing make you feel that you cannot be healthy unless you have these popular supplements. Hydration, balanced blood sugar, quality sleep quality protein and stress management will always have a bigger impact on your skin than the latest powder or drink mix. I want to end on hair and makeup products because I think sometimes these get a little bit overlooked. But this is often the time where our hair is a little bit more dry from the pool or it's frizzy from humidity and we can start to reach for more leave in conditioners, more heat protectants, more hair oils, sunscreen sprays, dry shampoo or a lot of glowy makeup products. We just want to be super careful when we are acne prone. I think for the most part when you're seeing glowy really touted on a label or you're seeing a product that is intended to smooth flyaways or condition, you just have to be very, very cautious because there is such a thin threshold at which the pores can congest. So in closing guys, just remember that summer acne probably isn't just caused by one thing and the true origin is happening in the follicle due to excess shedding of skin cells, oil and bacteria that plug the pore. On top of that, it can be the combination of many things. Heat, sweat, sunscreen, travel, food choices, dehydration, a disrupted routine that pushes acne prone skin over the edge past the threshold at which it can contain the material in the pore. The good news is that identifying your personal triggers and just being aware of some of these things can really help you enjoy summer without sacrificing your skin. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend who is struggling with their skin and be sure to follow along on Instagram for more acne friendly tips. Nutrition and skincare education at my sdtessa and at Free Skin by Tessa. I love you guys and I'll talk to you in the next episode.
- [41:59]
D
Capture your favorite summer feeling with Pandora Jewelry. Discover a collection inspired by the sunshine, freedom and moments that make the season unforgettable. From sun kissed metals to personalized pieces ready to be engraved with your summer mantra, each design moves with you from beach days to golden nights and every memory in between. Shop Pandora Jewelry's new summer collection in store or online@pandora.net and let your summer unfold.