Alright girls, let’s talk BEAUTY PROCEDURES! I did send this out in my newsletter a few months back but it was such a popular request that I decided to put all of the deets on the blog, too! I don’t normally do this so make sure to sign up for my newsletter HERE so you don’t miss all of the future things I’m only sharing there.
You girls can also find all my product essentials in My Holy Grail Guide to Skincare Lookbook that has every product I love and breaks down things even more!
PROCEDURES I’VE TRIED & MY THOUGHTS
Now that I’m in my late 30s, I’ve stepped things up in terms of procedures and have gotten my skin to a really good point. At this point, I’m pretty much game to try alllll the things and have been happy with most of my procedures. I still love a ton of at-home skincare items, but there are some things that don’t work like those in office treatments, you know? Keep reading for all the procedures I’ve tried over the years- the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Dermaplaning
I wanted to start here because ultimately this led to several procedures after. The long story is that I tried dermaplaning years ago and had a crazy bad reaction. I ended up with folliculitis which is basically when your hair follicles become inflamed. I was left with horrible acne and let’s just say, I’ll never be doing dermaplaning again (though I have girlfriends who swear by it!).
Picosure Cynosure Laser
To kickstart the process of cleaning up my skin after the dermaplaning issue, I tried this laser which I loved! It helps to repair skin which it did for me, and it also helps with everything else I deal with: fine lines, wrinkles, and acne. I did a couple of rounds of this before moving on to the…
VI Peel
Once my skin was in better shape, I moved on to the VI Peel which again, I really liked. It helped with the acne scars and resurfacing my skin. In my case, I didn’t have too much downtime after and liked that there was a start / stop time to healing. By Day 3 I started to shed and then by Day 6 I was good to go in public, etc. Overall it was easy and a good starting point for laser. To add on here, the peel is good but the results are only for a few weeks so I don’t do these regularly.
MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
Once my skin was in better shape, I started bumping up my maintenance procedures. I signed up for a local med spa called Orange Twist which I love! The membership forces me to keep up with things like hydra facials, etc. and so far so good!
Here is what I get done regularly:
Clear & Brilliant
OBSESSED!!!! This has been my #1 skin procedure and something I rave about to anyone who will listen. I get this pretty much every 6 weeks and have always had awesome results.
I LOVE this for a few reasons including there is hardly any downtime. You might be a little swollen and red after but by the next day, things are normal. You might feel like your skin is rough but no one can tell! By Day 5 or 6 you exfoliate and that’s when I really notice how good my skin looks.
More reasons I love: It’s a good bang for your buck and not too pricey. Since it restores collagen and texture, you really do see great results compared to other things I’ve done that cost a lot more.
I will say it takes a few rounds to see results- or did for me, so stick with it!
Microneedling with PRP
I liked this but since this is double the cost of Clear & Brilliant, I haven’t done it again yet- but plan to! I’ve learned that microneedling w/ PRP is more for long-term results (vs. short-term of Clear & Brilliant) so I know I need to get on it.
Again, I didn’t have any crazy downtime with this but I’ve had girlfriends who did.
Botox
You all know I’m a big fan of Botox! I had actually wanted botox for years but didn’t work up the courage until a few years ago, around 35. I was super nervous but it actually was easy and not a big deal.
I started with 19 units and get 30-something now and I still like a very natural finish. I get a little on my forehead, around my eyes, and a tiny amount by my nose which I don’t really notice. For me, results last around 3 months and I go every 4-5.
I will say once you start, it’s hard to stop because you notice such a difference- but what a game-changer!
Filler
I tried filler under my eyes once…and passed out! So I haven’t done it since. It didn’t hurt that bad but it felt super weird and my body just couldn’t hang. I am currently researching getting the injections again but with PRP this time since it uses more of your body’s natural goodness. We’ll see if I work up the courage to try again!
Hydrafacials
I try to get a hydrafacial every month or so and LOVE. They’re non-invasive and tackle all the things I like in a facial- exfoliation, extraction, hydration, and they have anti-aging perks with antioxidants. I’d rec this if you’re looking for a good maintenance facial!
and these are the beauty procedures I’ve tried so far! I keep hearing about Morpheous and Fraxel lasers a lot lately too so want to research more into those. I would love to hear if there are treatments you’ve done and loved so please feel free to share!!