I keep hearing that lash extensions are going out of style and natural lashes are in, but you can’t tell me you don’t feel like your most amazing self when you get your lash refill! I don’t think I have ever felt prettier than when I had my eyelash extensions. My eyes looked bigger, more lifted at the outer corner, and I needed very little makeup to look put together. I had my eyelash extensions for 4 years and was so used to them, that when I started getting allergic reactions to the glue, I was devastated! Eyelash extensions were the one thing that I kept doing for myself after I had my first child, so having getting rid of them felt like I was letting go of the one self care regimen that I still allowed myself. I don’t think I will ever be able to get lash extensions again, but I want to let you know how you can take care of your lashes so you can enjoy them for years to come.

I used to think that washing your eyelashes caused more lashes to fall out and all I ever wanted was good lash retention. Little did I know that not regularly washing your eyelash extensions is not only gross, but can cause irritation and even dermite infestation! The less I washed, the more inflamed my eyes got and the more swelling I got during my lash refills. This process went on for a couple years until my eyes were constantly itchy and I made the decision to remove my eyelash extensions.

So how can you maintain your lashes?

I recommend washing your eyelashes every night with diluted baby shampoo after taking off all of your makeup. Make sure you are not using an oil based makeup remover, as this can unnecessarily cause eyelash extensions to come off your natural lashes.

You can dry your lashes by applying a clean tissue to the base of them and when they are dry, I recommend brushing them with a clean eyelash spooley to prevent clumping of the lashes.

As always, I would finish with a hydrating eyecream.

Enjoy your lashes and I will be watching with massive amounts of jealousy from afar! 😂

1. A good cleanser-I know we have all heard this before, but your cleanser matters! Getting your makeup off and the oil and dirt from the day is important to prep your skin for serums and creams you should be using after cleansing. A popular "trend" right now is double cleansing, but did you know that if you remove your makeup with a wipe or makeup remover and then wash your face with a cleanser, then you essentially are already double cleansing. The whole point is to make sure that you aren’t sleeping in any residual makeup and that your nighttime creams have the best chance of absorbing onto a clean palette.

But wait-where does exfoliation come in? Well, for many, it’s part of the cleansing step. I have a favorite face wash that I use, and it is an exfoliating cleanser. Are you ready for this? Proactive I have been using it since college, and I really love that I never have breakouts, which means I have fewer blemishes on my skin. I am not sponsored by Proactive, I just really love what it has done for my skin. If you get stubborn breakouts, this face wash is something you may consider.

2. A good hydrating cream: If I could go back to my 20s, I would smack myself across the face with some face cream. I think one of my biggest skincare whoopsies is that I thought I didn’t need to use face cream because I had oily skin (yes, past tense). I thought creams made me more oily. And yes, in general, having oily skin protects you from wrinkles more than if you have dry skin, but a cream is still very necessary! Think of all skin care as maintenance. Wouldn’t you rather keep that 20-year old skin looking fresh and youthful instead of trying to pedal backwards to erase fine lines in your 30s and 40s? Yeah, Me too. I wish I read this article in my 20s.

3. Tretinoin: Alright, alright, I get it. Tretinoin is likely all over your IG, TikTok, and #SkinTok, but what is it really and is this a new miracle cream? Tretinoin is a retinol cream. Retinols are topical vitamins A that come in a variety of formulations, some of which are available over the counter and others (such as Tretinoin) that require a prescription. what makes it a prescription is the concentration of the product. Retinol/vit A helps in cell turnover, meaning that with months and years of use, it can increase the collagen and elasticity of your skin, decrease fine lines, and lighten blemishes. It sounds amazing! Why isn’t everyone using it? Well, some just don’t know about it, some know but don’t know how to use it correctly, and some can’t use it due to pregnancy. So I will do a separate blog on Tretinoin and how to use it, so if you are interested in adding this step to your regimen, please read the Tretinoin blog.

4. Sunscreen: You know what else I'd slap on my face in my twenties? A hefty dose of sunscreen. Was it just my school that judged how good your spring break was by how tanned you were when you returned to class? Who else had a free tanning bed in their college apartment complex that they utilized before going out every weekend with their girlfriends? It was almost a competition to see who could get the best tan, and in order to achieve that beautiful glow, sunscreen was frequently left out of the equation. "Big NO." Not only does sunscreen help fight wrinkles and age spots, but it also helps protect you from skin cancer. Melanoma is a beast and you do not want to meet her. I will leave it at that. If you take nothing else from this blog, no more tanning beds and no more being out in the sun without sunscreen.

5. Botox: It was bound to happen. I can’t do a blog without mentioning the magic of neuromodulators! Ah, Botox. This little injection eases the fine lines around your eyes, smooths your forehead and takes away the frown lines between your brows. But how does it do it? Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeaveau are all neuromodulators that act on the muscle to weaken it. When injected in the right spots, it can take years off your look by decreasing the movements that wrinkle your skin. If you raise your brows, do wrinkles form on your forehead? Neuromodulators would relax that motion so the wrinkles don’t form. So what does this mean? Botox is PREVENTATIVE. It prevents your skin from forming deep lines that are due to muscle movement. What else does this mean? If you already have deep wrinkles that are present at rest (not lifting your brows or furrowing them, or squinting your eyes- just your natural face resting), then Botox may not get rid of those wrinkles, as Botox targets the MUSCLE and not the wrinkle itself. If the wrinkle is present when the muscle is relaxed, paralyzing the muscle will have minimal effect on that stubborn wrinkle. If Botox is something you want to try, I do not recommend waiting until your 60s to try it. By then, wrinkles have already formed, and you will not get the full preventative benefit from your treatment. However, if you do have some wrinkles already, Botox can help soften them.

So what have we learned here? Botox is part of your skin care. It prevents you from creasing your skin and maintains your youthful skin for future years. We would love to see you in our MediSpa to help you achieve this!

Ok, so you have followed us for a while, seen the results, and now you’re ready to come in and rejuvenate your look. But where do you start?

Should you do Botox? Fillers? Both?

Have no fear- we’ve got you covered.

Botox (and its cousins Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeaveau) relaxes the muscles so they can’t contract and fold your skin. Look in a mirror and lift your eyebrows. Now furrow them (make an angry face). Now squint with your eyes. Do wrinkles form when you make these movements? These are mobile wrinkles, and they depend on the direction of muscles to develop them. If we inject a little bit of Botox in these muscles, they will not move, and your skin will not wrinkle- hence the reason Botox is regarded as a preventative treatment… it prevents skin wrinkling!

Fillers are used more to treat volume loss. They quite literally “fill” an area, and just like Botox, they can produce a natural result. Of course, we all know that people use filler to have the plump lips they have always wanted, but did you know that fillers are often used to bring back the look you used to have when you were younger? Around our 30’s we start to develop bone loss, and that’s not just in our hips and back. It’s in our faces too! The bone loss in the apples of your cheeks and around your cheekbones can make you develop looser-looking skin, which can cause “jowls,” and you can even develop wrinkles around your nose and mouth, called smile lines. Putting filler in the cheekbone area can help fix these issues. Even the jaw loses bone volume with age, so putting a little filler in the chin and the angle of the jaw can lift the skin to its prior natural location.

Still not sure what you need? Relatively basic rule of thumb that is GENERALLY true is that Botox is mainly for the upper face, and filler is more typical for the lower face. And if you STILL aren’t sure which treatment would benefit you, we would love to see you in our MADE medispa to evaluate you.

As I’m sitting here writing this, I am picturing my handsome hubby in the middle of a HOT Houston summer sitting on a outdoor patio (cause covid) having brunch… and his shirt is drenched with sweat! We have all been there. You put on your favorite outfit for a sunny Sunday funday and one hour in, the sweat stains show. I say no more! Botox can fix this! 

Excessive sweating is a condition called hyperhidrosis and typically affects the armpits, but can also affect the pals, soles, and groin area. Botox can treat all of these areas, and the most popular of these areas are the armpits. A little Botox injected superficially in the armpit area can prevent armpit sweat for 6-9 MONTHS! That’s half a year of good smelling clothes and dry looking armpits. Ummm, yes please! And don’t worry, we do numb you before this simple injection so the process will be pain free. 

 I am getting the numbing cream ready as we speak cause my hubby is not ruining any more of his shirts mmmmmkay? Now who’s gonna do me?