Not gonna lie, I’m pretty shocked that only 13 people have entered to win the free TIU membership. When I announced I’d be giving one away, I received like 500 comments! Is liking a persons fan page and leaving a comment on its wall really that bad? This isn’t a rhetorical question, I’m curious. Read the rules on how to enter on yesterday’s post.
Anyway, today I want to talk about something that has become a frustrating issue for me over the last 2 years. Sorry men, you won’t appreciate this post. So I noticed that I was getting some funky freckles in the summer a couple of years ago. It looked like I had a freckle mustache and too much bronzer on the right cheek! I asked my doctor what it was and she informed me that the brown spots aka skin discoloration were called melasma. It’s something that women on birth control get when they go into the sun and are not wearing enough sunscreen. The only way to get rid of them would be to either go off the pill or stay completely out of the sun. Frustrating! I began wearing 30+ SPF sunscreen daily and wearing a hat to the beach which stopped them from getting more noticeable but it didn’t help them go away.
Each fall, they start to fade away. I read up on skin lightening creams that they sell in Sephora but all the reviews were mixed. Was it really worth $80 to most likely be disappointment? No. I did buy one cream from Philosophy (who also makes my favorite cleanser, Purity) called Miracle Worker. It has worked relatively well, on one side at least. I can’t tell if it’s just my tan fading or the cream working. Not sure if I will pay another $62 for it again.
I feel like the number of dark spot treatments has dramatically increased recently. It makes me feel like more people are getting it these days. I guess now is the time though to invest in my skin. I have only had two facials in my life but when The Sports Club/LA in Boston asked me if I wanted to have one, I jumped at the opportunity. I was supposed to have a Holiday Facial but long story short I ended up having a 20 minute treatment called the “Hydrafacial” which was developed by engineers, not esthetician. This kinda worked out to my benefit since it was more focused on hyperpigmentation. Instead of hands massaging and extracting, this vortex like tool was used to exfoliate, suck out impurities, and hydrate my skin. It felt refreshing and my skin felt firmer immediately afterwards. I’m not facial expert, but I feel like it would be more valuable to spend my money on facials than creams.
It felt like I had a mini vacuum the size of a dentist tooth-brush scrubbing my face. It did not hurt at all. After a couple of the steps, a glycolic acid peel was applied which tingled my skin slightly. The Hydrafacial is recommended for individuals who want to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and oily/acne prone skin.
After the facial, I took Aspen Ascent a ski conditioning class that was no joke. It was super challenging and full of plyometric movements. If you belong to the Sports Club/LA in Boston and love to push your limits, try this class!
Questions of the day:
- Do you have dark spots from any medication you might be taking?
- Do you notice a difference from facials?