<![CDATA[Radiant Skin Spa - Blog]]>Sat, 22 Nov 2025 08:39:06 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Rosacea: easily flushing face and chest, adult acne, 'broken', visible capillaries]]>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 18:00:42 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/rosacea-easily-flushing-face-and-chest-adult-acne-broken-visible-capillaries5 things to do today to control your Rosacea
Rosacea is not only annoying to see in the mirror. It is downright uncomfortable! I know. I suffered for many years starting in my late teens. Doctors gave me expensive prescriptions that didn't even control it. “Medical” estheticians (there actually is no such designation in California) sold me expensive products and services...that made it worse! In desperation, I decided to do my own research. I solved it. Relatively inexpensively. And then, I got my esthetics license to help others.

  1. Stop using: soaps; gritty exfoliators; harsh acids (Glycolic and AHA especially); scrubby things; improperly pH balanced products. Too many botanicals in products can make finding your triggers difficult. Go with basic formulas as much as possible.
  2. Start using: A gentle cleanser appropriate for your skin; add a calming, hydrating, daily moisturizer with SPF (UV protection is important because UV is inflammatory).
  3. Never pick, poke, or scrub. Use only your hands to cleanse.
  4. Learn what ingredients calm the skin to ensure your products contain some of them. It is especially useful to use one or two calming ingredients in a serum applied daily.
Take note of your 'triggers'. Rosacea flares are caused by something!
Common triggers: Alcohol, hot drinks, emotional events, temperature extremes.
I've seen triggers that go beyond what you will read on the medical sites. Additional issues I have seen/found with clients:
  • The wrong skin care products and methods. (Products/abrasion/hot water washing.) This is the #1 most common thing I find...sometimes the only thing I need to do is change a clients routine/products.
  • Nuts. (one client almonds, one client peanuts, one client walnuts-no problem for me personally though)
  • Wind. Cold, drying wind (this is one of my personal main triggers)
  • Low humidity. I have an entire blog post about how to deal with low humidity
  • Extreme, sudden stress: anger, embarrassment, excitement, worrying (learn self calming techniques)
  • Spicy foods. Especially capsaicin (esp. chili peppers).
  • Other foods. (I'm mildly allergic/sensitive to eggs and beets, and very allergic to capsaicin-these all can trigger rosacea in me.)
My rosacea is under control 99% of the time. If I get a runny nose and am blowing a lot, or cold wind without sufficient protection...that irritation against my cheeks can trigger me. But usually I do a good job predicting it and keep my skin protected. I also have immediate skin calming products that I utilize to nip a flare in the bud! (I have a few relatively inexpensive products that are amazing.)
Don't suffer with rosacea. Learn to keep it at bay with some simple solutions you'll incorporate into your daily routine.
(805) 865-5112
Linda Carmichael, L.E.
California Licensed Esthetician
Click link for Special offers!: https://linktr.ee/skincarethatworks




]]><![CDATA[Springtime Skin Cleanup]]>Mon, 24 Apr 2023 19:34:32 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/springtime-skin-cleanupSpringtime Clean up for your Skin
Warmer weather is on the way! It's time for Spring cleaning. What does your skin need to thrive and survive through the next few months?
Your skin is a wonderful self-healing organ. But it never hurts to help it along with some good habits and health boosters. Fortunately, there is no need to spend a lot of time or money to get it revved up for summer. The following few tips and ideas will get you glowing.
  1. Get rid of dull, dead skin cells with gentle exfoliation:
    1. Never use gritty exfoliation methods. (No scrubby things, no gritty masks, and defintiely never any product that calls itself 'home microdermabrasion'.)
    2. For most people an in office, professional exfoliation (with professional grade products), performed by a licensed Esthetician will get you the best start to healthy skin.
    3. If you don't have the time and/or money to have a professional treatment; use a gentle acid that is appropriate for your skin's needs. (Lactic acid and salicylic acid are very effective but mild; Glycolic, Retinoic and Alpha Hydroxy acids are pretty harsh and often unnecessary.)
  2. Keep your skin hydrated. Moisture content is necessary for healthy functioning.
    1. Always use a hydrating moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30 to protect from UV rays...UV is the number one aging factor for the skin. (And, it's 365 days a year, and comes through windows.)
    2. Don't use 'soaps' to wash your skin...they are not pH balanced and will strip your skin's natural oils.
    3. Moisturize immediately after cleansing. (But, if using serums, apply before moisturizer.)
  3. If you need correction of skin problems, don't rely on advertising! Skin companies are not required to tell the truth. A product with too little of a therapeutic ingredient is worth nothing. Moisturizers won't correct-you need a well formulated serum (or 2, depending on your needs).

    My recommendation:
  • Gentle lactic acid or salicylic acid cleanser. Leave on for one full minute to allow the acid to dissolve oils.
  • A nutritive mask with appropriate ingredients for your skin.
  • A serum for preventing skin aging, correcting problems, or repairing damage. (A qualified professional recommendation is best so you don't waste your money!)
  • A hydrating moisturizer to protect and seal in moisture (with an SPF for daytime).
  • Perform good skin care every day for best results. (A serum you apply only occasionally cannot do anything for your skin.)
If you are planning to go to a professional:
  • Do some pre-visit research on useful skin care ingredients. That way if the professional offers you products, you will know if they are useful, or a waste of your money.
  • Don't waste your money on products that may or may not work for your skin. Wait for advice (I have had many clients over the years using useless products that cost them a lot of money!) I will save you money.
  • Ask about the skin therapist's qualifications (FYI: a beautician in California has only 25 hours of skincare training). Go to an esthetician.


]]><![CDATA["Oh Stop!"...Buying 'anti-wrinkle' creams and products!]]>Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:19:19 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/oh-stopbuying-anti-wrinkle-creams-and-products​
What is your skin care routine to keep your skin young, healthy and vibrant? Does it include a gentle, exfoliating cleanser at least once per day? Then, good start! A serum to correct and improve? Yay! A moisturizer to lock in moisture and protect it from UV rays during the day? Awesome! But, are the products any good? In my practice I have seen $150. eye creams that contain only 50 cents worth of moisturizer when I read the ingredients.
Good products are not necessarily expensive. I carry an extremely therapeutic niacinamide (B3) serum (properly formulated B3 is the most therapeutic ingredient you can use) that is 1/3 the price of other good serums. And, I see products and ingredients in my new clients' regimens everyday that are either useless, or harmful!
How do you know what is worth it? Well, some advice...
Don't trust a brand. Know what ingredients have the ability to work with your skin.
  • ​I carry 3 professional quality product lines-but not everything of theirs is actually good!
  • Big companies pay a lot for advertising (you know the names), so they don't pay much for quality ingredients! The department store brands rarely contain therapeutic amounts of ingredients.
  • ​Stop believing beauty magazines.. Product advertisers pay the magazine to mention them in articles.
  • Don't go with the latest trend! Remember coconut oil? Wow, I needed to fix a lot of acneic and bumpy skin during that phase. But also don't rely on grandma's outdated advice! We now know Benzoyl Peroxide ages the skin; drying out acne makes it worse; and retinols irritate the skin, so are not advisable for most people.
​So, how do you know what to use?! You can spend a lot of time on the internet, and if you are using real, educated skin scientists' information...that is a good start (avoid sites that sell products). If it is useful for the skin, then you will read about the same few products on all of the expert's sites. If they tout even one “brand new, instant wrinkle remover, miracle ingredient”, run away from them! Not that there aren't occasionally new useful ingredients that emerge...but when they do, ALL of the true experts will start talking about them.
​If you want to correct a skin issue, then a dermatologist can prove useful. But in my experience (I have a lot of experience!), they might send you home with expensive prescriptions or products that are only temporarily effective (like benzoyl peroxide-a very skin aging ingredient). 
Find a knowledgeable, licensed esthetician-(not a cosmetologist that is 'allowed' to perform esthetics). A good esthetician (esty for short) will not sell you a lot of products all at once and will offer products that have some of the ingredients you read about that are most useful. The esty will evaluate your skin, find out if your current products are useful or harmful, and recommend a few changes to help you accomplish your skin care goals.




]]><![CDATA[February 10th, 2023]]>Fri, 10 Feb 2023 17:44:03 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/february-10th-2023Caring for your Skin throughout the Year
Healthy Skin Ages More Slowly!

        Not only will a therapeutic facial revitalize your skin, it feels wonderful and leaves you with a warm feeling of well-being. Giving yourself the gift of a relaxing, properly performed skincare treatment will allow your skin to fight against premature aging.

How often should you have your skin professionally renewed? 
  • Every 5 to 6 weeks allows performance of a very therapeutic treatment. Just as the skin is deciding how to remodel itself, we introduce a different therapy causing greater change. This is important if you have issues you would like to improve such as hyperpigmentation, clogged pores (which are actually tiny hair follicles), dryness or dullness, and fine lines. (Active acne improves faster with 3 week intervals until healed.)
  • Every 8 weeks, still allows for therapeutic changes, and helps your esthetician review your skin's needs to make changes in your daily regimen if necessary. Improvement and maintenance sometimes requires surprising your skin with a different ingredient.
  • Coming in as the seasons change (4x per year) allows us to re-evaluate, and do a refreshing skin care treatment.
Fall-(schedule at the end of Summer): Your skin has thickened and is not absorbing nutrients as well as it should. You might have additional pigmentation if you enjoyed some time in the sun, this can lead to blotchy looking skin and darkened age spots. You will benefit from a deep exfoliation treatment to renew your skin's ability to heal, calm down your pigment producing cells, and look bright and refreshed again. This prepares your skin for winter-preventing excessively dry skin because your skin is able to absorb moisture well.
Winter (schedule at the end of Fall): Winter is a time of low humidity due to the cold air. Also, we often turn up the heat in our showers and baths! Dry, tight feeling skin and increased redness will not allow us to look our best for holiday gatherings. Facials that promote hydration are the key here. Also, winter is an ideal time to have skin peels after the holidays are over and we are semi-hibernating anyway! Peels will allow bright new skin cells to appear. These healthy cells hold moisture better as well.
Spring (schedule at the end of Winter): The renewal of life all around us! Spring marks the time your skin cells (and hair cells) begin their new cycles of growth. Your cells will renew faster at this time. To ensure they are healthy, robust, thriving cells; schedule peels, or deep exfoliation treatment. Your skin can  become more radiant and healthy during this season.
Summer (schedule at the end of Spring): Protect, protect, protect! This is the time to have deep antioxidant treatments to help reduce the damage UV produces in these upcoming longer days. Skin calming, nutrient rich treatments will keep the skin healthy and strong to resist damage. Keeping the skin well hydrated-plump and healthy allows the skin to renew itself with fresh, well-functioning cells.

Properly customized professional treatments, along with a simple, highly therapeutic home care routine will make your skin shine! 

Linda Carmichael, L.E., L.E.
California Licensed Esthetician
“Skin Care that Works!”
]]><![CDATA[December 30th, 2022]]>Fri, 30 Dec 2022 21:13:46 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/december-30th-2022
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]]><![CDATA[Winter Skin-Keep Your Skin Glowing!]]>Mon, 17 Oct 2022 18:41:00 GMThttps://www.faciallompoc.com/blog/winter-skin-keeping-your-shineDry flaky skin, eczema or rosacea flares, worsening acne, fine lines, and wrinkles that you swear suddenly look worse!...why do all of these skin conditions seem to worsen or appear in the winter?
How humidity affects your skin.
Cold air does not hold as much moisture (water molecules) as warm air. Even in your warmed-up living and working spaces, humidity decreases inside as well because you are bringing that dry outside air inside, and simply heating low-moisture air up.  
This dry air sucks the moisture out of your skin. Dry skin is not able to function properly. Your cells will not turn over as quickly and you will get dead cells clogging follicle (pore) openings. 
Fine lines and wrinkles will appear to get worse as your skin will not be as plumped up with water. (Note: drinking more water doesn't replace skin moisture.) But the weather will happen, right? So, let me offer my solutions to your winter skin woes.
Inside air:
  1. Get a hygrometer (Amazon-approximately $10-$15). It can measure the humidity in your home or workspace. The CDC recommends the relative humidity be kept between 35% and 50%. You don't want it too high, you'll get watery windows, and potential mold growth. 
  2. Use a humidifier if you have low humidity. It needs to be easy to clean, should shut off automatically if it dries out, and it's nice if the flow is adjustable. Follow the recommended cleaning and sanitizing instructions. You will also find your home is more comfortable when the humidity is controlled. It will feel warmer at the same temperature if the air is more humid. 
  3. Showers or baths: Don't use hot water. Don't stay in the water too long. Don't use harsh soaps or scrubby things. Never use gritty exfoliators. Don't allow the water to hit your face directly.
  4. Do apply a moisturizing cream (not lotion) immediately after exiting the water and patting dry (no rubbing). Your daytime moisturizer needs an SPF included on areas not covered by clothing. (Note: UV damages skin year-round.) Your moisturizer does not need to be expensive. A therapeutic serum layered under a moisturizing cream will always be the most helpful for correcting your skin's function. However, there are some superior face moisturizing creams that will aid the penetration of your therapeutic serums.
  5. On your face, use properly formulated and properly applied serums. These need to be customized to your skin's specific needs to improve your skin's function and moisture-retaining ability. Most serums (and moisturizers) you see advertised are just hype and not therapeutic. An example: Yes, the skin has and needs hyaluronic acid to hold moisture; But, slapping it on your skin probably won't increase its water content (the molecules are too big to penetrate). Niacinamide (B3) serum in the proper formula will perform miracles on almost every skin type without the downside of many retinol or retinoic acid products (dry, red, flaky skin).
  6. Use therapies and products that will force your skin to improve and rebuild itself with healthy, strong cells. Properly formulated and performed in-office skin care treatment therapies and peels can stimulate improvement rapidly. But properly prescribed home regimens without in-office treatments can (usually) accomplish the same benefits-it will just take longer. I offer virtual treatments if you don't want to come into the office.
You don't need to suffer from dried-out winter skin!  With just a few changes you will see vast improvements in your skin's function and appearance. 
"Skin Care that Works!"
~Linda Carmichael, L.E.    California Licensed Esthetician 





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