​Gone are the days of thinking that facials are just for women. As the importance of good skincare has become more understood in recent decades, men are taking better care of their faces even beyond the bathroom mirror. While we try to maintain healthy skin with an at-home routine, there are some things — like taxes and automotive repairs — that are just best left to the professionals.

Enter the men’s facial, a spa treatment that feels luxe but can also be found at accessible prices. Even Men’s Health Magazine now recommends facials as part of a regular grooming routine. If your complexion is in need of some maintenance and you want to transform your skin from rough to smooth, a men’s facial might be just what you need.

​Here in San Diego, men’s facials are particularly common — but they’re growing in popularity everywhere. That’s because facials for men focus on issues common to male skin. Research has shown that men and women’s skin can actually be very different — from hormone metabolism to hair growth, sweat rate, oil production, and more. So for men, facial care might work to address common issues like razor burn, ingrown hairs, flaky skin, or sensitivity.

Not to mention, the term “thick-skinned” is not just a metaphor: Men’s skin can be up to 20-25% thicker than women’s, which can make men facial treatments even more important to ensure that products are able to penetrate the skin effectively.

More great reasons that men should get facials:

​Typically, men have higher testosterone levels than women, which helps explain why they produce more oil. Combined with the fact that men also tend to have rougher skin and larger pores, this creates a high exposure to dirt and grime… and when not cleaned properly, that can lead to pimples and blackheads.

During a men’s facial, most estheticians will perform extractions — which is the very precise removal of oil and dirt that’s clogging pores. Facials for men can also help avoid further skin problems like skin tags, age spots, breakouts, and more.

​Whether it’s every day or every two weeks, the continuous dragging and scraping of a razor across your sensitive skin can cause irritation — from razor burn to inflammation to ingrown hairs.

Fortunately, a good men’s facial treatment will help deep clean bumps and soothe irritated skin. The combination of exfoliation, essential oils, masks, and moisturizers that an esthetician applies during your session will address shaving’s side effects. And the smoother your skin, the smoother your shave.

​A professional esthetician makes it their business to learn about your skin and how to address the problems that concern you the most. They can look at your skin and see things you won’t from looking in the mirror. It’s like having a mechanic peek under the hood of your car.

If you’re new to men’s facial treatments or skincare in general, they can teach you about your unique skin type and how to take care of it. They’re also able to give you advice on the best facial care products for men to incorporate into your skincare routine at home.

​And of course, while men’s facial care has plenty of benefits to skin health, it can also just be a luxurious way to spend an hour. Like a good barbershop visit, getting a men’s facial means laying back in a relaxing environment while an expert gets to work helping you look your best. And while a spa facial for men might sound a little intimidating, you can get the same services from your local esthetician’s office for a fraction of the price.

​One note of caution on facials for men (or anyone, really): Don’t do your first facial before any kind of a big occasion (your wedding, a media appearance, your TED talk). As with virtually any treatment, there are potential side effects — and this is especially a factor for those with sensitive skin. If you’re prone to having reactions to certain skin care ingredients, be sure to talk to your esthetician beforehand about the treatments they’ll be using.

Don’t feel the need to shave before your appointment — whether you have a full beard or slight stubble. In fact, some facial care products for men can actually benefit your facial hair, making it look healthier and feel softer. That said, if you do prefer a clean shave, make sure to do so at least 24 hours beforehand — since shaving can leave skin feeling tender, sore, and especially sensitive to products.

​Here at Simply Skin, I provide facials for men, women, and children of all ages. Whatever your skincare goals, I can recommend a facial treatment that will help you look and feel your best. If you’re ready to improve your complexion and enjoy your newfound confidence, schedule your free consultation to see if a men’s facial is right for you.

​Rosacea (pronounced roh-ZAY-sha) is a facial skin condition that causes flushing and redness affecting over 16 million Americans and as many as 95% of people don’t even know they have it. This makes it one of the most common but poorly understood disorders.

So, what is rosacea, how do you treat it, and what are the best facials for rosacea sufferers? Today on the Simply Skin blog, we’re going to explore everything you need to know about rosacea skincare.

​For many people, rosacea causes more than just facial flushing and redness. Symptoms of the skin condition may also include acne-like bumps, eye irritation, and thickened skin. In fact, there are four different types of rosacea to explain the various signs and symptoms:

​Because of its appearance, some types of rosacea are associated with (and often confused for) acne. This is why it’s important to speak with a dermatologist to confirm your diagnosis, because rosacea acne treatment can look much different than traditional acne treatment.

​So, how do you treat rosacea and get rid of your facial redness? Because rosacea is a medical condition, some rosacea treatments — like topical creams, lotions, gels, or oral medications — can be prescribed by a dermatologist. They can tell you about what type of rosacea you have, and make recommendations for how to treat rosacea based on your symptoms and triggers.

​However, if you’ve already been to a dermatologist or you’re looking for a different type of rosacea skincare, you may be surprised to learn that facials for rosacea can also help to get rid of facial redness. A licensed esthetician can provide a facial rosacea treatment to help reduce and prevent flare-ups.

It’s important to note that when it comes to facials for rosacea, you need to be extremely careful. Rosacea-prone skin is much more sensitive and dries out more easily… which means that many facials, chemical peels, and treatments like microdermabrasion will just dry and irritate your sensitive skin further. So, it’s critical to work with an esthetician experienced with rosacea who has proven success treating your unique skin type.
  
Face treatments for redness caused by rosacea should be soothing services using gentle products aimed at calming irritation. These facials for rosacea are designed to protect, correct, and boost the skin by strengthening delicate capillaries and evening skin tone.

When talking about how to treat rosacea, it’s important to acknowledge that there’s also plenty of good rosacea skincare practices you can adopt at home.

First, commit to a daily skincare routine that includes cleansing and moisturizing. Often, rosacea sufferers don’t do this enough because they’re wary of irritating the skin further. You can avoid this by only using rosacea-friendly ingredients. When shopping for products, check labels and avoid irritants like alcohol or camphor — and test them on a small patch of skin before applying.

Also, be gentle with your skin! It can sometimes be tempting to buff out facial imperfections, but anything that irritates your skin is guaranteed to make rosacea worse. Avoid rubbing or scrubbing your face — that means no washcloths, facial sponges, or exfoliating.

Most importantly, get to the bottom of what’s irritating your skin in the first place. While there’s no cure for rosacea, treatments will be most effective if you know your triggers for flares and do your best to avoid them. Spicy food, alcohol, sun exposure, extreme heat or cold, and even stress have been known to trigger rosacea flare-ups. Keep a journal or make mental note of when symptoms arise to see if you can identify trends or patterns.

​As with any skin condition, the challenge (and solution) often starts from the inside out. That’s why as a holistic esthetician, I consult with my rosacea clients on everything impacting their skin health — from diet to lifestyle to sleep schedule. Whether you’re curious about facials for rosacea or just looking to take better care of your skin in general, I can help. Schedule your free consultation today to learn more.

​Your face is a major contributor to your overall appearance — it’s often the first impression people have about you, and you want that impression to be glowing and confident. That means taking good care of it!

For many, finding the right facial routine can be overwhelming. Every day we’re bombarded by marketing hype for various skincare and cosmetic products, as well as advice from social media influencers and other beauty gurus… which makes caring for your face not only expensive, but all the more frustrating when you don’t get the results you’re looking for.

I’m a firm believer that when you transform your face, you transform your life. Here are some tips for how you can take the guesswork out of your facial routine and feel your best inside and out.

The truth is, skincare is personal — and has everything to do with your genetics, hormones, and lifestyle. That means the facial products that work for your best friend or favorite beauty influencer might not work for you… and in fact, can even be damaging to your face or make skin conditions worse. So when it comes to skincare for the face, the first step to finding the most effective facial routine is to get familiar with your unique skin type.

When you look in the mirror, do you see facial blemishes or age spots? If you suffer from acne, is it cystic or hormonal? Skin types can be surprisingly complex, and can even vary in different areas of the face or during different times of year (especially here in San Diego!). If you’re unsure of what skin type you have, an esthetician consultation is a great place to start.

​There’s a reason they call it “routine” skincare and not “whenever-you-have-time” skincare or “when-you’re-breaking-out” skincare. That’s because it doesn’t matter how good your facial routine is if you can’t commit to it. Plan to devote a few minutes every single day — yes, even if you’re tired, and yes, even if your skin looks and feels fine.

Here are the skincare routine steps that should be non-negotiable (and the facial products that should be on your shelf):

​And of course when it comes to your skincare routine, nothing you do at home can replace professional attention — which means you’ll only see real payoff if you put effort into maintaining a facial regimen. As an esthetician, one of the questions I hear from new clients is “How often should I visit in order to see results?” Another way to think about this might be, how many times should you exercise if you want to lose weight?

Much like diet and exercise, the success of any facial care routine depends on consistency. Facials are best performed in a series, and getting them on a regular basis provides more long-term impact than a single procedure.

The frequency of your facial regimen will depend on the type of facial and your skincare goals. Those with oily and acne-prone skin benefit from facials more often than those with sensitive or dry skin. That said, a good rule of thumb is to plan for a facial at least once a month. Because our skin cell turnover cycle is 28 days long, that’s enough time for your skin to go through the full lifecycle of growth and repair between treatments.

Having a regular facial ritual is a great way to enrich your commitment to self-care. Not to mention, the more often you get facials, the more informed you will be about your skin and which treatments and at-home facial products will be best for your specific skin type and conditions… making after facial care even more effective.

​Proper skincare is a marathon, not a sprint, and here at Simply Skin, I'm your vested partner to create long-term results. Whatever your skincare goals (acne, anti-aging, scar reduction, and more), I'll create a facial routine that is sustainable and personalized to you — and help you reveal a healthier, more radiant complexion so you can feel confident inside and out.

Schedule your free consultation today, and let’s get started.

​If you follow skincare TikTok trends, you may have seen the words “skin cycling” buzzing around recently. Videos explaining the regimen have racked up more than 90 million views.

But as we all know, not every popular skincare trend is worth pursuing. (Remember snail facials?) So, what actually is skin cycling, what are the benefits, and is it worth incorporating into your skincare routine?

​There are some simple rules of achieving clear skin that are practically a given at this point — we all know how important it is to cleanse regularly, moisturize, and always apply SPF. But when you start adding more products, like anti-aging serums or exfoliants, it gets a little more complicated. What products should you use, in what order, and when? Figuring how to layer active ingredients can be confusing — and getting it wrong can create ingredient cocktails that are irritating to your skin.

That’s where the concept of skin cycling comes in. Rather than layering the same products on top of each other every day, skin cycling is a way of being strategic with how and when you apply certain products so that they complement one another (literally “cycling” through skin products). It involves using active ingredients only on certain days and following them with “rest days” to align with the growth and repair cycle of the skin.

​So, why has this particular skincare trend taken the internet by storm? It turns out there are several benefits of cycling for skin:

​While the #skincycling trend may be new, the technique is not: Dermatologists have been recommending intermittent or alternating use of active ingredients for a long time. That’s because certain products can be harsher on the skin than others, so this practice allows you to reap the benefits of your exfoliants and retinoids without overdoing it and causing irritation.

​A healthy skin barrier protects you from infection, harsh chemicals, and allergens. On the other hand, a compromised skin barrier can contribute to a wide range of skin conditions — including acne, eczema, and atopic dermatitis. Over-exfoliating and using powerful retinoids may harm this barrier (leading to redness and irritation), which is where rest days come in handy. That’s probably why when TikTok stars post about skin cycling, acne (or their lack thereof) is referenced often.  

​Recovery nights also become especially beneficial in fall and winter, since cold, windy, and dry climates can cause dry skin and worsen certain skin conditions. Skin cycling may help prevent your skin from getting dry in the first place, so that your face can handle the elements better.

​One of the best things about this technique is that it doesn’t require a massive investment — since skin cycling uses routine products that are probably already on your shelf at home. To get started, the only skin cycling products you’ll need are:

​With skin cycling, your morning routine won’t be affected — because the regimen specifically pertains to what you do before bed. Fortunately, these skin cycling steps are super straightforward.

The skin cycling calendar is four days long: The first is the exfoliation night, the second is a retinoid night, and the third and fourth are recovery nights, then you repeat the cycle. (Your esthetician might suggest variations on the method, depending on how your skin responds.)

Each night begins with cleansing and ends with moisturizing, but the skin cycling steps pertain to what varies in between. That skin cycling routine includes:

​On this night, after cleansing you’ll use an exfoliant to clear your pores and remove dead skin cells. This step comes first because it allows other products to penetrate more deeply — making them perform more effectively and in a controlled, predictable way.

​This night is focused on retinoids, which can help speed up skin cell turnover, treat mild acne, fade hyperpigmentation and scarring, and reduce signs of aging. Retinoids are vitamin A -based skin products, and one of the powerful ingredients to include in your skin cycling routine. However, they can also be very irritating when you first introduce them, or if you have sensitive, reactive skin. Which brings us to...

​On recovery nights, your goals are hydration and moisture to support the natural growth and repair cycle of the skin. So, cleanse your skin and apply a moisturizer… and that’s it. By holding off on the exfoliating acids and retinoids, you avoid any irritating ingredients and give your skin a chance to recover — nourishing your skin microbiome and repairing your skin barrier.

​At the end of the day, skin cycling is just another trend that has emerged largely because skincare is hard. Even aside from all the various products and active ingredients, everyone’s skin type is different — so what works well for one TikTok influencer may wreak havoc on your face. So while these tips may be useful, before making any changes to your skincare routine, we strongly recommend that you consult with an esthetician to determine what’s right for you.
 
Are you thinking of trying skin cycling? Have questions about how to optimize your skincare routine? I’d love to hear about it. Schedule your free consultation, and let’s chat.

​Another birthday, another year around the sun — you are older, wiser, and grateful. But not all aspects of aging are quite so enjoyable: each time you look in the mirror, you may notice more and more evidence of your years. One of the most noticeable signs of the aging process is facial age spots.

Also called liver spots, dark spots, senile lentigo, melasma, or sun spots on skin, these blemishes are mostly seen on the face, hands, arms, shoulders, and upper back.

While facial age spots are usually associated with getting older, the main culprit (as you might have guessed) is sun damage. When skin is overexposed to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, the body produces more of the naturally occurring pigment, melanin, to protect itself. That melanin clumps together, leading to flat brown, black, or gray spots.

That means especially for those of us in San Diego, our carefree youth spent soaking up the California sunshine has come back to haunt us.

While age spots are harmless, their appearance can be distressing. Fortunately, there are plenty of tricks for how to remove age spots naturally and get back to looking and feeling your best.

​I wouldn’t be doing my job as a holistic skincare specialist if I didn’t start by saying that the best offense is a good defense. Products and treatments can only go so far in removing age spots on the face if you’re not also working to prevent new facial age spots from occurring.

Avoid the sun, especially at times when it’s most intense (usually from 10am-2pm). Use a good, broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least 30 SPF before you go outside, and reapply often. Cover up with gloves, a hat, or other clothing — especially in areas where you already have sun spots on your skin. The best way to remove age spots naturally is to be proactive first.

If you’re looking to treat melasma naturally or address other facial age spots at home, you may have seen that certain ingredients in your kitchen like lemon juice, oatmeal, or honey can help. While these things aren’t going to hurt your skin, they probably won’t do much to remove age spots on the face. Because the pigment is located at the base of the epidermis — the topmost layer of skin — any treatments meant remove sun spots on the skin must penetrate this layer. So, if you really want to remove age spots naturally, you may need to look beyond the kitchen cupboard.

You can attempt to treat facial age spots at home using over-the-counter (OTC) topical creams and lotions. There are a plethora of products that may help lighten the skin and cause the age spots to fade gradually. However, these products contain chemicals that range from hydroquinone to niacinamide to kojic acid to retinol… and it can be challenging to know which cream is actually safe and effective.

Before purchasing any skin lighteners, it is important to note that some ingredients may cause side effects. For example, products that contain hydroquinone may cause skin irritation. 

At the very least, first test the cream or lotion on a small part of the skin before applying it to a large area. Better yet, work with a skincare professional before trying anything to determine how to remove age spots naturally given your unique skin type

​When it comes to sun spots on the skin, people don’t always think of a spa treatment first — but anti-aging facials are a great way to accelerate the removal of age spots on the face.

During your first consultation, your esthetician will examine the treatment area and make a recommendation about the best treatments for your specific needs. Depending on the number of facial age spots and the degree of pigmentation, there are many different facials for dark spots available. The most important factor here is duration and consistency of care.

​One common procedure for the removal of age spots on the face is microdermabrasion — which works by exfoliating the skin to remove dead skin cells and stimulate cell turnover. However, its methods are a little aggressive: It “sands” your face by spraying aluminum oxide or sodium bicarbonate crystals. As a result, it has a high risk of irritation and inflammation, which is why I don’t recommend microdermabrasion for dark spots.

Instead, at Simply Skin I recommend the Dermasound Elite Anti-Aging Facial, which uses no abrasive brushes or sanding crystals and still penetrates deep into tissue to treat sun spots on skin at their roots. Believe it or not, the only tools used to exfoliate your face are water and sound — making it one of the best facials for dark spots and the most effective way to remove age spots naturally.

I’ve dedicated my life to helping my fellow San Diegans navigate the world of proper skin wellness, to get the treatment they need and the results they want. My commitment to you is that I will help you restore your youthful complexion in 3-6 months, by using the most effective anti-aging facial treatments in the industry. Schedule a consultation today to learn more.