The IMAGE 360 Approach to Skin Health
Skincare is so much more than just cleansing and moisturizing. If you’re serious about having gorgeous, glowing skin at any age, a holistic approach is the way to go. It involves taking a proactive approach to skincare – establishing your skincare routine, incorporating pro treatments, and regularly checking in with professional estheticians. We call this the Image Skincare 360 Approach (and swear by it!).
As our biggest organ, skin needs more care than most people are ready to give. However, treating it with love, care and gentleness goes a long way in ensuring it remains healthy and gives that love back to us.
Step 1: Recommended Daily Regimen
It’s important to establish a proper skincare routine that you follow on a daily basis. Think of it as self-care, because in essence that is what it is. Caring for your skin, and taking time aside each day to give it love, can only yield good results.
Morning Routine
Cleansing: Cleansing is always the first step of any good skincare regimen. It’s important because it allows your skin to become a clean slate that will then absorb the ingredients in the products you use more readily. A thorough cleanse in the morning helps to remove oil buildup and impurities. It can be a highly refreshing first step that helps you wake up as well.
Serum: A serum is a must-have in any skincare regimen because it likely has more highly concentrated ingredients than a cream or moisturizer. Serums can contain any number of ingredients. For example, a hyaluronic acid serum can help pack loads of hydration into skin, while a vitamin C serum can help improve the appearance of discoloration for a more even-toned look. Antioxidant serums are great for helping to combat free radical damage that can accelerate the visible signs of aging.
SPF: Sunscreen is nonnegotiable if you want to keep skin healthy and young-looking. Not only does it help minimize the risks associated with skin cancer, but it also helps keep skin looking young by aiding in the prevention of the noticeable manifestations of UV damage. Prolonged UV damage can cause the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, sagging, sun spots, etc. In fact, UV damage is considered one of the top causes of extrinsic aging. It can be prevented; applying SPF every single day, rain or shine is an important step in helping to prevent the damages caused by UV rays. So, make sure to stay diligent!
Evening Routine
Cleansing: Cleansing before bedtime is crucial because it helps you take off all the day’s accumulated debris, oil, dirt, etc. If you wear makeup, make sure to remove it thoroughly. In some cases, you might want to “double cleanse” to remove makeup first and then cleanse again to remove any lingering debris.
Serum: A serum is a product you can apply in the AM and PM to make sure your skin is getting a double dose of active ingredients. Why apply a serum at night if you already applied it in the morning? Because while you sleep, your body works extra hard to revitalize skin. This is a great time to include a serum containing retinol.
Repair Crème: A thick repair cream is a great product to apply at night. They are designed to help deliver targeted care to your skin with key ingredients like retinol which works to help improve the appearance of collagen-deprived skin and aid in increasing cell turnover.
Step 2: Pro Treatments
A pro treatment is recommended every six weeks to help level up your skincare routine. Pro treatments go deeper into skin and can home in on different skincare concerns, like discoloration, wrinkles, acne, etc. Regular pro treatments help skin become almost immediately more radiant, as results can sometimes be seen even after just one session.
Perhaps the best part of pro treatments is that they can be customized by an Image esthetician to meet YOUR particular skin needs. In this way, your skin can reap the full benefits of all products and tools used, including all the key ingredients in those skincare products. Various treatments include IMAGE chemical peels to help resurface skin, enzymatic peels to help exfoliate and the brightening O2 lift to help reduce the appearance of discoloration and promote restored luminosity. Your skin specialist may recommend a series of six treatments spaced two weeks apart for best results.
With regular pro treatments, you give your skin a chance to become healthier and more radiant and maintain that radiance more readily. As important as your daily skincare routine is, it can’t beat or replace regular pro treatments done by professional therapists who have years of training and experience.
Find your closest beauty therapists here.
Step 3: The Beauty Therapist Connection
It’s so important to maintain a relationship with your beauty therapist between sessions. If they’re only a quick phone call away, you can turn to them for advice on different products or treatment options. If you develop a blemish, for example, you can ask your beauty therapist for advice on how to best approach the problem WITHOUT resorting to trying to pick the blemish or pop it.
Moreover, regularly consulting with your beauty therapist and not letting too much time pass between sessions will help you not only stay on track with your skin goals but to reach those goals faster! Both in-person and virtual appointments can help keep you on target to reach these goals and maintain the best skin of your life.
