How I Stay Looking & Feeling Young
Okay ladies, today I’m spilling all my secrets… everything from Botox to fillers, lasers and microneedling! I recently celebrated my birthday and treated myself to some VERY expensive treatments, and I got so many questions about what I got done. I’m always super honest with you girls and have no problem sharing what I do to look and feel my best - being open and transparent with you is SO SO important to me! I am REAL clear on the fact that I did not wake up like this, it takes dedication to my skincare routine, cosmetic treatments and YES i do get filler/botox. Also I know genetics also have a lot to do with it, I’m latin and grateful for that extra melanin! Anyway, at 45 my goal is NOT to look like my 25 year old self but to look like the best version of me at 45! So, I hope you enjoy today’s post because I’m not holding back!
First of all, I think the key to looking and feeling your best starts on the inside! And to be totally candid i haven’t always felt confident through the years but finally at my 45 years I’m finally feeling my best! Having inner confidence is beautiful and the most sexy thing about a woman. That being said, I like to treat myself to the things that make me feel my best and keep me feeling youthful, skincare being one of them! I’m a huge proponent of taking care of your skin, especially as you age (which is why I’m crazy about my SPF!). I’m in no way recommending the things I get done, I’m just sharing the results and my overall experiences with your girls. So, if you’re curious about my ride-or-die skincare products and everything I get done, here are all the deets…
SKINCARE
When it comes to my skincare routine, I’m a huge proponent of clinical skincare. I just feel like the ingredients work so much better and I find better and faster results with them. Luckily, you can get a lot of medical grade skincare online or at med spas - no prescription needed! I also like to change my skincare often, I’m always on the lookout for new and more effective! So, here are a few recent faves…
CLEANSER - This IS Clinical Cleansing Complex is a new cleanser in my routine, but as soon as I tried it, I was hooked! It feels luxurious and cool as you apply it - just like when you get a facial!
MUSLIN CLOTHS - Okay, I know you’ve heard me talk about these muslin cloths before, but honestly I can’t live without them! They help slough off dead skin cells and just help with the overall texture of my skin. Plus, these ones are super affordable - an absolute must in my routine!
TONER - I talked about this toner on IGS recently, so if you missed it, I was pretty much confessing my love for it! I had never tried anything by Algenist before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I also had never really used a toner before because I was afraid it would dry out my skin. So, I tried it for ten days and I was blown away!! I was having issues with texture on my forehead and chin, and this stuff cleared it up - no joke! It didn’t dry out my skin at all - but it unclogged congestion and excess oil - I absolutely swear by it now!
VITAMIN C - I’ve tried a few different vitamin C serums and the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic has been a favorite of mine for years. I’ve tried other vitamin C serums that irritate my skin, but this one doesn’t at all. I also recently tried the Olehenriksen one which I love as well - great for brightening and tightening the skin.
RETINOL - You know I love my retinol! It’s one of my anti-aging secrets - which is no secret since I talk about it all the time. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and supports collagen production - simply a must for more youthful looking skin! I love this one for a more gentle approach.
PIGMENT CORRECTING SERUM - One of the treatment products i licked up after my recent laser treatment was this SkinMedica Pigment Correcting Serum, it was highly suggested to brighten the skin, continue to eraser stubborn sun spots and even out skin. It’s actually amazing! I had a few stubborn sun spots and hyperpigmentation on my cheeks/temples and this serum helped reduce the appearance of them more than anything else I’ve tried. It’s a bit of a splurge but totally worth it if you have any dark spots or acne scars. My girlfriend who has really stubborn melasma has even said it’s totally helped her skin!
HYALURONIC ACID - Hyaluronic acid helps your skin hold moisture. This one has really simple ingredients and is under $10! You don’t need to spend a lot on this ingredient, it’s just meant to lock in moisture and keep your skin quenched! Pro tip - apply this serum when your skin is still moist to help lock in the moisture!
EYE SERUM - I’ll use this eye serum at night when I just need an extra boost - great for firming the eye area!
SPF - You already know I’m crazy when it comes to my SPF! I even apply it to the tops of my hands because I want to prevent ANY signs of aging! Anyway, I recently started using this one which is also a moisturizer and has a patented ingredient to plump fine lines, YES please!. It also gives your skin a luminous glow which I’m all about!
LIGHTSTIM - This one should come as no surprise since I’ve talked about it before, but this uses LED lights to help fight wrinkles and boost collagen and elastin. This Dr. Dennis Gross one is on my wishlist! It uses both red and blue lights - plus, you don’t have to hold it so you can multitask at the same time (win, win)!
TREATMENTS
Okay, so if you follow me on IG then you might remember that I went to LA to get some laser treatments done for my birthday. About once a year (usually in the winter) I like to treat myself to an aggressive peel or in this case lasers to slough off all the dead skin and combat any damage from the sun, but I had never tried lasers before. I decided to go to a prestigious doctor because I had heard great things, so I spent an arm and a leg!!! I’m still feeling the pain of how much this doctor cost, but hey, can you put a price on youth?!
Anyway, I’m not sure it was necessarily worth it because like I said, this doctor was EXPENSIVE and I 100% could have gotten the same treatments for a fraction of the price somewhere else. Live and learn! That being said, I did see some amazing results. I’d suggest doing your research and knowing what the cost is upfront before committing to anything. So, if you’re curious what I got done, I’m breaking down everything I had done…. And yes this was all in one sitting! I do think the combination of the treatments really made a huge difference and also including the plasma with micorneedling really sped up my healing time!
CLEAR & BRILLIANT - This is a non-invasive laser treatment intended to give you that radiant glow. It’s also supposed to help with hyperpigmentation by replacing damaged skin with healthy looking tissue.
INTENSE PULSED LIGHT THERAPY (IPL) - This is another laser therapy I had done which is supposed to improve the color and texture of your skin.
BROADBAND LIGHT LASER THERAPY (BBL) - I got this treatment done to help with my broken capillaries underneath my eye area and on my nose that had been bugging me for years! Now, they are completely gone so I’m really glad I had this treatment done.
MICRONEEDLING WITH PLASMA- Microneedling is a little more invasive because it involves pricking the skin with tiny needles which makes small wounds that produce more collagen and elastin. This basically causes your skin to shed a layer so after the healing process, your skin looks so much brighter, tighter and younger.
I was a little red the day I had the treatments done, but not too bad. Afterwards, the melanin in your skin comes to the surface so it looks like you have coffee grounds all over your face. My skin felt really rough like sandpaper a few days after the procedure which is totally normal. I didn’t wear any makeup these days and just laid low. If I had to go outside, I would layer on SPF, wear a HUGE hat and pretty much cover my entire face. You don’t want any sun on your face afterwards which is why I usually try to have this done in the winter.
By about day nine my skin was looking much better. My skin looked a lot tighter and more even. My hyperpigmentation was much less noticeable, and the texture of my skin was so much smoother! As I mentioned, I was having some breakouts around my chin and forehead, and now that has completely gone away. This has also made it so my skin absorbs more of the products I use, so this in combination with my skincare has been a game changer! Overall I am super happy with the results BUT i won’t be seeing this doctor again, I know I can go locally to my favorite med spa and get the same exact treatments for a fraction and if i’m totally transparent, the price-tag was not worth the hype! The key i think is in the combination of lasers/treatments all in one go!
BOTOX & FILLER
Although I didn’t have any Botox or filler done during this trip, I do normally get Botox done about every 4-5 months. I get Dysport done around my eyes and between my brows. And then I get 6 units of Botox done in my upper forehead. My biggest pet peeve is having that frozen look! I want everything to look very natural, so I’m super conservative with the amount that I have done. NO FROZEN faces!
When it comes to fillers, I usually just have this done once every year or more. A tiny bit goes a long way, and again, my goal is for it to look as natural as possible. As i’ve gotten older my issue hasn’t been so much wrinkles as much as loosing volume in my face, hollowing out basically, so when i was 40 I started getting a bit of filler to help with that. The last time I had filler was back in September 2021 and we did 1 syringe of Sculptra in my cheeks, temples; and under the lip area. My lips I do Restalyn Refine 1 Vial, this products is really soft for lips and since I’m not going after a ton of volume its more subtle. Also, my lips i did in stages. I was so paranoid of them looking crazy since last year was my first time doing them that I started with half the amount and went back 2 months later to finish them. I do have to say this was my first time getting Sculptra and I LOVED it! It feels natural, gives and insane GLOW to the skin and encourages your body to produce it’s own collagen!
My goal here is to be completely open and transparent about what I’ve gotten done and what I do to look and feel my best. I’m in no way saying anyone needs Botox, filler or laser treatments to look young. You girls ask me all the time about my skincare regimen, so I wanted I wanted to give you all the deets and tell you my honest opinion and experiences. I’m a huge proponent of doing whatever it is that will make you feel confident! We’re all women and I want to be able to share this with you. So, I hope you found this post valuable - I’d love to know what you ladies think and what you do to look and feel your best!
XO,
Lucy