As a child, I grew up spending quite a bit of time on the beaches of Delaware and Maryland.
It was the Coppertone Baby years, and I was quite "copper toned" at the end of each summer.
I also spent the weeks of the summer at the pool near my home. I was on the swim-team, and stayed after morning practices to swim and play the rest of the day with my friends.
Did I apply protection? Heck no!
As a teen-ager, I worked at the beach in the summer and played on the sand whenever I could.
Needless to say, I wore very little sunscreen, and often time used baby oil as a "tanning" lotion.
Getting a deep dark color was the norm back then, and often burned and then tanned.
I know you are probably cringing about now, but it was what almost everyone was doing at the time.
We now know better, but years of sun damage has taken it's toll on my skin and I'm working diligently to correct it.
Enter my saviors...
ZO Skin Health products and Renaissance Med Spa in Salisbury, MD.
Over the course of 5 months, I have been visiting them for a monthly facial. In that time, I've had incredible results.
I'm currently prepping for a deep chemical peel, so I thought I'd take you along on one of my most recent facials and show you the steps I'm taking towards healthier skin.
Kyle, my amazing esthetician, starts by washing my face with the ZO cleanser that she feels will be the best prep.
I use the ZO Hydrating Cleanser and the ZO Exfoliating Cleanser at home. Both are gentle and really clean your skin.
I then get a wipe down with a prepping solution prior to some light dermoplaning. Kyle uses a scapel to gently scrape off the top layer of dead skin cells. It also removes the the "peach fuzz" on my face which makes it incredibly smooth.
It doesn't hurt, and my face doesn't feel pulled while I'm getting it done. Kyle is a pro at this procedure, and it really helps to eliminate that top layer of dead skin.
It leaves my skin brighter and smoother.
It's followed up with a mask and then a cleanse.
The mask products will leave you feeling a little tingly with a slight burning sensation. This is the enzymes at work.
I use a little fan to keep cool air over my face so that I don't feel the effects at all.
Once my face is done, a good moisturizer and sunscreen are applied.
It takes about an hour from start to finish and is very relaxing.
I'm a bit "glowy" afterwards but my skin feels inredible.
I help to maintain this glow with all the ZO products I use at home.
Yes, it is quite a bit, but these have different applications and results, and I am still in the midst of prepping for my deep chemical peel.
I've acquired this over time and some have been "gift with purchase" as well.
At home, in between facials, I've been using products that contain 4% hydroquinone in order to fade some of the brown spots of my face.
Check out these results in only 4 weeks of using the ZO protocol.
Before on the left, After on the right.
There's less freckling, the skin is brighter, and less fine lines.
Here's a view from the right side of my face.
I'm still a bit red from my facial on the right, but again, left is before and right is after.
And here's the left side.
This side is the one that faces the sun when driving the car so there's a lot more spotting in the before picture on the left.
You can see the improvement on the right.
I could continue to use the ZO products and have great results, but I want the chemical peel to help move things along and get deeper into the skin to repair and remove that damage.
As we age, years of damage will show up.
I'm heading that stuff off at the pass now.
It's a rule I'll gladly break!
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