In some respects, it seems like ages ago that I first started the Beautiful You quest with the amazing fellowship at Bella Sante. Meetings. Content planning. Treatment schedules. And then the final trip to Mordor. Erm … I mean, video recording and editing.
During that time, I’ve also been juggling several work projects in my regular job as owner and creative director at Maverick Studios (I KNOW, THIS IS A SHAMELESS MARKETING PLUG.) Building a new business is a lot of work. I’m happy to fight my new wrinkles as they form while I keep up.
Despite my hectic schedule and poor grasp of time, my calendar tells me it’s been one month since my first service, and so I thought now would be the appropriate time to get out my big mirror of judgement (you may have one of these, too — a magnifying mirror that makes your nose look like the asteroid from Star Wars where the Millennium Falcon parked to hide from the X-wing fighters) and take a close look to see what’s been going on with my skin.
(I just realized I made a Lord of the Rings AND a Star Wars reference within the first three paragraphs. #longlivenerds.)
For the most part, my skin is in great shape. I noticed that the fine lines at the corners of my eyes have all but disappeared, the ones at the corners of my mouth have softened and overall, my skin texture is brighter and smoother. My neck and chest already look better, too.
I can’t pin this down to any single service — I kicked things off with the BelaMD™ facial, and the microdermabrasion definitely helped to remove dead skin and bring out a nice glow. We followed it up with an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment to banish sun damage, improve skin texture and eliminate any areas of discolouration. Two weeks later, it was time for a Morpheus8 micro needling treatment to activate collagen production and start to firm up my jaw and neck, and then Ultherapy to penetrate deep into my skin to firm and tighten my skin, encourage collagen production and sharpen my jawline.
I am astonished to see that my jawline does, indeed, look sharper. And the best part is that full results don’t normally set in until around three or four months after these services, so I’m looking forward to Benjamin Button-ing my appearance all through the summer. (#anothermoviereference)
Throughout this entire program, I am also testing out the Vivier skin care line — pharmaceutical-grade products that will encourage cell turnover, keep my skin clean and hydrated, and protect it from the sun.
But gentle readers, sunscreen and smiles it has not all been. A dark side to this journey there is. (#yoda) OKAY I WILL STOP NOW.
My skin is what I can only describe as overly dramatic. Sensitive doesn’t seem to approach the tantrum that my skin can throw when it’s testing out something new. I’ve endured a bit of discomfort with IPL, Morpheus8 and Ultherapy, particularly along my ever-changing jawline and nose. My skin has peeled in spots. I’ve suffered with massive breakouts like I haven’t seen since junior high school. (Again, I can’t pin that down to a single service, it’s more likely the combination of a new skin care regimen and a series of provocative treatments that sent my skin into revolt.)
I battle back by sticking to a healthy diet, drinking lots of water, hitting the gym regularly, trying to get eight hours of sleep, and if that doesn’t work, there’s the big guns: red light therapy and salicylic acid toners. When I wear makeup, you can’t see the lingering traces of my skin rebellion, and in a couple more weeks I hope all traces of this uprising are banished for good.
Meanwhile, the deep lines in my forehead and between my eyebrows remain firmly entrenched (I’ll deal with those soon with neuromodulators such as Botox, Disport or Xeomin and dermal filler treatments). I’ve got some stubborn vertical lines above my upper lip that I look forward to eliminating, and we’re going to try more ways to erase the remaining lines around my eyes and lips in the coming months.
I also have a deep desire to test out the Incontilase laser treatment. My skin isn’t the only diva I have to deal with now that I’m in my mid-50s. I also have a bladder that no longer listens to anyone and demands to do what it wants, when it wants. Fun times, these.
My chin hairs are smug in the knowledge that they’re beyond the grasp of the talented Bella Sante staff — laser hair removal doesn’t affect blonde or white hair. I’m plotting ways to eliminate them outside of this adventure.
So that’s a wrap for month one. I hope you’ll poke around my blog throughout this series to get a sense of the services you might like to try out. Steal and share any of the tips you find here. And share your own advice with others who stop by.
If you have questions about any of the services we explore during the Beautiful You program, or want to ask me about my experiences, drop me a line or comment on our social media posts. I’d love to hear from you.
May the Force be with you (I couldn’t help it),
~ Michelle
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