What a Master Skincare Therapist does to Perk up Tired Skin...

You know what I’m talking about. You wake up and look in the mirror and your skin just doesn’t have that glow you crave. Despite all my products, I sometimes feel this way myself. What do I do? I treat myself like a movie star getting ready for the Oscars! What’s an Oscar worthy treatment? (No regular facial will do!) I break out the big guns: the Jade Microcurrent, AKA the facial muscle lifter.

What does microcurrent do? It lifts those sunken cheeks, depuffs those eyes, lifts that sagging jowl and firms up my neck. In a word: MAGIC! Yes, I know, I get so excited about this treatment because it works! THIS is the treatment all the stars get done before the Oscars. They’re not running for Botox two days before, they are getting microcurrent!

What exactly is microcurrent? It’s a very low electric current that mimics the body’s natural biocurrent. The current passively “exercises” the muscle and tones the face. You may remember those hokey Abtronics TV commercials from years ago (yes, I bought one too!): Super buff gym rats with six-pack abs poured into electronic belts that contract their muscles to within an inch of their life. Microcurrent is like this, by WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY more elegant. You don’t feel the current, and the treatment is super relaxing. Most of my clients are lulled asleep, and wake up to the most refreshed looking face.

Ok, I’m off to give myself an Oscar worthy treatment!

Learn more about Christine Byer Esthethics at https://christinebyer.com

Why that expensive cream won't erase ALL your wrinkles...(or what's my two-pronged approach to anti-aging skincare)

Many of us dream of a one-stop miracle cream that will take care of all our skin woes. As much as I wish this existed the truth is no cream will fix those wrinkles caused by forceful or sagging muscles underneath the skin. (There are some that claim a Botox-like effect, but so far I am not impressed!)

Let me explain why a cream can't cure all facial wrinkles past, say age 30. Facial muscles act differently that other muscles in our body. Body/skeletal muscles often are matched in pairs that have opposite actions. For example, the abductor and adductor muscles of the arm move the arm away from and towards the torso, respectively, and other pairs of muscles flex and extend the arm or leg.

Facial muscles of expression do not have such an arrangement. Instead, the facial muscles often have no oppositional muscles and the facial tissue they affect returns to a resting state because the tissue resists deformation (or turgor). When muscles produce opposite facial appearances (e.g., raising versus lowering the lip corners), they do not have the oppositional arrangement typical of skeletal muscles, but instead attach to different bones or tissues.

Translation: as your skin ages, it's ability to stabilize the muscle, or bounce back from a facial expression gets less and less. AND you get ...wrinkles!

So what do I do about this? Two things: Microcurrent and facial exercises, in ADDITION to all those fun, amazing, sometimes expensive skincare creams. Microcurrent is explained in detail here. The facial exercises I do are mostly for my neck and chin area. Please email support@christinebyer.com or call me 512 562-0222 for an appointment.

Why are Lash Extensions so Popular?

Yesterday, I volunteered to be a model for a friend who does lash extensions. Well, I'm not sure why she needed a model because her work is already top notch!

Before getting lash extensions I thought "I'd never do that! False lashes hurt my eyes, and I don't want to look like a stripper!" UNTRUE and UNTRUE! I can't even feel these lashes. And I look so natural that it took a few minutes for my hubby to notice. (He can't help it, he's a guy!)

Want to see the RESULTS?

Ta daaaa:













(Please forgive the harsh lighting and day old makeup! Taken at 11pm.)

And the best part? NO MAKEUP! No mascara nor any eye makeup is necessary now. I just put on concealer, blush and lipstick and I'm out the door! NOW I understand why people love these so much! YOU will too. Call Kristen Ekberg at Vanity Rocks, she'll rock out your lashes to incredible but believable lengths. 512 258-0009 http://www.vanityrocks.com/

Have you ever tried...Vitamins - in your sunscreen
A small but impossible to ignore study done on the side effects of sunscreen determined that the top chemicals used in sunscreens actually CAUSE oxidative stress (free radicals = bad) on the skin when exposed to UV.

What did the top professional lines do about this? They included VITAMINS in their formulas to conteract/squelch free radical activity. One of my favorite lines of sunscreen for this reason is by Dermalogica. Check out any of their quality sunscreens: http://www.dermalogica.com/


And here's what you have to sayFrom LinkedIn profile for ChristineByer
“I highly recommend Christine's services, she is a master of her work. If you are looking for great results at a resonable cost, call Christine for all your beauty needs. She really knows what she is talking about and customizes her services to fit your needs.” February 24, 2009
Top qualities: Great Results , Expert , Good Value
Holly Park hired Christine as a Master Esthetician in 2008 , and hired Christine more than once


On Sale this Month
Two for one Cellulite Relief Treatments with Jade Microcurrent - A $60 value FREE

June Special: Buy 1 Jade Cellulite Relief Treatment and recieve one free. Summer is here. If we're gonna bare it, IT might as well be as pretty as it can be. Save $60!

Referral Special: Refer a friend and they get a free Multi-vitamin Power Peel with facial purchase. You get an upgrade of your choice.

I wish you all the best with your skin health! Stay tuned for more Master Skincare Tips next week.

Warmly,




Christine Byer, Master Esthetician / Skincare Expert
Web: https://christinebyer.com/
Email: support@christinebyer.ocom
P.S. If you have questions or would like to make
an appointment call 317-562-0222, or book online.

Did you know...Where your face breaks out says alot about the health of your body

While performing a facial on a coworker this week I noticed a distinct pattern of breakouts on his lower cheeks. Intuitively I asked him, "Do you smoke?" although I'd never seen him smoke nor did he smell of it. He said no, the breakouts were from drinking alcohol over the weekend. Later, as we were leaving the salon I saw my coworker from a distance tilt his head and LIGHT a CIGARETTE! I knew it! His face couldn't lie.

Chinese facial diagnosis is an interesting skill I've honed over the years. It is very helpful when approaching clients new and old. I can tell if they don't drink enough water (under the eyes=kidneys), are constipated (parts of chin=digestion), have hemorrhoids (cleft in chin), or are midcycle (ovaries = side of mouth). The list goes on and on.

Here's a map to have some fun with your friends.

Photo courtesy of Rob Sullivan at coderot@gmail.com.

Have you ever tried...Dermarolling

Some of my twitter friends are freaked out just by looking at the dermaroller, A.K.A. the medieval torture device. I pay no mind. The results are the best I've seen from any skincare gadget I've encountered in ten years, and it costs UNDER $100. So if you are in need of a serious anti-aging overhaul but think you can't afford it, think again!

Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/christinebyer

And here's what you have to say

You won't be dissapointed!

Posted by djlifton on September 07

Relaxing, healing, professional and friendly!!! I found relief from my irritated skin. I also learned how to keep my skin moisturized while avoiding breakouts.

On Sale this Month

Two for one dermarolling lessons

May Special: Buy 1 dermarolling lesson get one free ($150 value!) Yes, I'm doing it again! I like to see you all on a regular basis. Once you see the results you will keep coming back. I'm just making it easy for you!

Referral Special: Refer a friend and they get a free Multi-vitamin Power Peel with facial purchase. You get an upgrade of your choice.

I wish you all the best with your skin health! Stay tuned for more Master Skincare Tips next week.

Warmly,

Christine Byer

Master Esthetician / Skincare Expert
Web: http://www.christinebyer.wordpress.com/

Email: christine-byer@austin.rr.com

P.S. If you have questions or would like to make
an appointment call 512 671-0637, email, or book online.

Did you know...

If I were stuck on a desert island with only one skincare machine, which one would I choose?

After 10 years in this business I've seen alot of skincare gadgets. My favorites have included infrared facial masks, hot/cold Jade spoons and microcurrent machines that connect 50 electrodes to the face at one time (The last one left me wondering. Is this a hospital or a skincare show?)

As hokey as some of these may seem, I have to admit I'm a skincare gadget junky. Of all the gadgets that I own, I absolutely could not live without my Infrared Photon Light. Backed by tons of science, including NASA studies, infrared light treatments are regularly used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and estheticians alike. My "wonder light" calms redness in my rosacea clients, heals blemishes and past acne scarring in my acne clients and softens wrinkles and plumps skin for my anti-aging clients.

Because it's a high intensity light and NOT a laser, a series of treatments are needed for best results. Check out these before and after shots:

On Acne (combined with homecare)







On wrinkles (It has some staying power too. Look at this guy almost 8 months after treatment)








On rosacea (It really calms it down and helps control breakouts.) Sorry, this was not my client but I have a handful from my Miami practice with results like these:

Do you know...What top skincare mistake I see people make over and over?

Every new client I see seeks me out to solve a problem. It can be premature aging, sun spots, acne, large pores - you name it. But there are some mistakes in handling our skin that I see over and over. The most common mistake deals with exfoliation, or sloughing off the dead cells from out top-most layer of the epidermis. If overdone, the skin's health suffers. If underdone, no results are seen. I help people find the right type of exfoliant, and determine how often to do it to get the best results.

Finding the right exfoliant isn't always easy for the average consumer. There are so many options: acids, peels, enzymes, buff puffs, at-home-microdermabrasion etc. The choices are so overwhelming that I find many clients choose to skip it altogether. This is where I come in to clear their confusion.

Last week I had a client come in complaining of dryness and wrinkles. We determined she was using some great, nutrition packed topicals, so that wasn't the issue. Upon closer inspection of her skin, I saw what looks like a plastic coating of dead skin cells. I like to call this "Barbie Doll" plastic skin: it's tough and occlusive, and none of those fancy products she's using can penetrate it!

I told her to use her gentle jojoba bead scrub exfoliant sitting on her shelf at home. It was time, her skin was begging for it! She's been using it daily and getting nice results. I saw her today at a meeting and was pleased to see her skin's progress. I imagine it saying, "Ah! I can breathe. I can eat! Finally!"

When consumers can't afford expensive laser treatments, where do they turn for skin rejuvenation?

I'm always on the lookout for low cost yet effective ways to rejuvenate the skin without harming it. A couple weeks ago I spoke about Dermarolling or Collagen Induction Therapy via micro needles that barely puncture the skin. I was excited about it then and I'm MORE excited about it now. The procedure is quick, semi-painless (especially compared to laser) and inexpensive! Laser treatments cost thousands, dermarolling costs one tenth of that. It's great for wrinkles, acne scars, pigmentation (both hyper and hypo, or an excess or loss of pigment) and stretch marks.

Just look at the before and after photos of this client's forehead after only two treatments with the dermaroller: (Sorry about the color, the photos were taken in two different rooms. Oops! But if you look at her forehead you can see the difference I'm excited about. Also, her face looks so much fresher, also not so evident in the photos.)


The before photo was taken 3/5/09 and the after photo was taken yesterday 3/31/09. I'm sure we could get even better results with the proper home care, but we are taking baby steps here. (Sunscreen is half the battle!) Clients who use prescribed home care products and daily sunscreen can expect even better results.

I like to do a peel before hand and the Infrared light afterward for quick healing. Clients feel like they have a mild sunburn after the treatment, but it heals very quickly and can be covered by makeup as soon as the next day.

The real magic happens 6 weeks after the treatment, as new collagen takes time to mature. She can expect lines to soften even more, as well as gradual pigmentation correction (as long as she uses sunscreen!) This is a powerhouse of a treatment option for anyone looking for an alternative to painful and expensive Fraxle laser treatments.

What's really the difference between spa products and over the counter (drugstore/department store) products?

Every day as consumers we get pummeled with advertisements about the next and greatest skincare product out there. They're on TV 24/7, on the internet, at Wal-Mart and everywhere you turn. I too catch myself being pulled in by snappy advertising and the promise of the next wonder ingredient.

This weekend I attended the International Congress of Esthetics in Dallas. While sitting in on a panel hosted by some of the top educators/vendors in the professional skincare field, I had a revelation. I no longer had to worry about the next big thing out there. There is no ONE ingredient that the skin loves, but a synergy of ingredients that feed the skin. It's the synergistic action of many high quality ingredients that really makes a difference in the skin.

What about department stores products? Another difference between professionally recommended spa products and over the counter products is their level of activity. Huge brands like Estee Lauder and Clinique have to "dumb down" their products to just enough percentage to see a little result, but not cause allergic or adverse reactions. You just can't get the therapeutic value from the main ingredients because their percentages are too low. It's like taking 1/4 of an aspirin for a headache. The medicine is in there, but it's not enough to get rid of your headache.

I experienced this when I allowed a client who was cash strapped (we were doing a trade) to use drugstore products while I did a series of peels and Infrared light treatments on him. After a few weeks I noticed I just wasn't getting the results I was used to as far as skin quality was concerned.

He was using a not so cheap over the counter "rejuvenation" product with palmitoyl pentapeptide-3. Looking at the ingredients list, I noticed it was number 11 down, after water and a variety of silicones. Dermalogica's Dynamic Skin Recovery has palmitoyl pentatpeptide 5 (more peptides=more synergistic results) listed as the 7th ingredient. The higher up on the list, the higher the amount in the product.

My lesson learned is that I'm not benefitting my clients by allowing them to "get by" with over the counter products. These products have never been held to the standard that professional products have been. Significant results in my clients' skin will always come from my professional recommendation of high quality products that I know are perfect for their specific skin condition and type. (Not from some ad or commercial!)

Did you know...?

A quality peel not only smoothes the skin, but can eat up blackheads as well...

As I was working on a client today, I found myself delighted and excited. I was excited because we were trying a new peel on her. She has very interesting skin. Although it's tough it can't tolerate certain peels yet will hardly react to others. Today we found a winner for her.

While removing the mask I began to notice one of my favorite peel side effects: Blackhead removal without manual extractions! The enzymes in the mask actually devoured the blackheads right up. I'm sure this is the effect that those dreaded Biore Blackhead Remover Strips had in mind, but could never achieve, as least not on my nose!

This is a smart peel because it contains enzymes that only digest keratinized (dead) cells without attacking live, healthy cells. Since blackheads are dead cells and oil combined, bye, bye blackheads!

Her skin also looked smoother and her post inflammatory acne spots (marks that linger after the pimple is healed) were lighter. We were both pleased with the results.

With results like this, you can see why so many of my clients are taking advantage of the two for one peel special this month. Since peels work best when done in a series, I'm offering a head start with this special. It's all about results!

Out! Out! Damned double chin! How to lift that wattle

We all have our facial trouble spots. Some of us complain about our breakouts, other of us dislike our sun spots. I have to admit, my least favorite part of my face (but oddly my husband's favorite) is my wattle. Yes, you may remember the term from Ally McBeal back in the 90's. Richard Fish, the famed freaky attorney had a wattle fettish. I can't say I share in his fantasies!

I do have a trick that I use to lift up that lazy neck though. It really does work. So the next time you have to go to that party or networking event, you too can find a secluded parking spot, recline the car seat all the way back and exercise it away! (Oh yeah, I did that today!)

It's like sit ups for the platysma muscle at the front of the neck. This muscle grows apart as we age - not pretty! I can't explain the whole exercise here, but email me and I will gladly give you a demonstration.

Yes, I'm gonna say it again. Water, water, water!

After ten years working as an esthetician I've seen many, many faces. Unfortunately I see chronic dehydration daily. Superficially dehydrated skin (easy to fix) behaves differently than systemically dehydated skin (not so easy to fix without client's participation). It LOOKS drastically different too. Fortunately, it's easy to fix. Start drinking! (H2O that is.)

The skin is a living organ that is always pushing things up and out: past sunburns, chicken pox, shingles etc. If you think of any of these unpleasant conditions you realize (thankfully) that they don't last forever. The skin is constantly repairing itself. It performs this work better in a hydrated environment. This is why they keep burn victims' wounds moist.

Case in point, I had a client who was complaining of migraines and lack of energy. You can imagine her poor skin reflected just that. It was dull, lackluster and way beyond dehydrated. I recommended (begged) that she drink more water and less coffee.

A week later I'm happy to report the massive positive change in her skin quality: smoother, clearer and more luminous. I was so proud! She was even carrying her water bottle with her. And no more migraines!

Update on client X before and after

Mr. X Before and After, again...

Did another Jade/Infrared treatment on client X today.

1st photo before treatment
2nd photo after 4 treatments

Mr. X Before and After

I've been doing a series on a client who graciously allowed me to post his progress. We are doing a series of weekly treatments including infrared light, peels and Jade muscle lifting. Here's his progress:

Before we started. Client complained of his neck looking old and just feeling like his skin could look better. I see lots of sun damage and pigmentation. On his neck, X has tough-to-treat capillary damage that accumulates from many years of sun damage that gives his neck a reddish, ruddy look.

After two treatments his neck is looking firmer, the skin looking thicker and more youthful. Eye area looking more alive. Jaw line firmer, face filling in as muscles are getting pumped from the Jade microcurrent facial sculpting. Skin is lightening, tightening due to the Infrared rejuvenation we are doing.

After 3 treatments: Jaw line firmer, face continues to firm up and thin out in the right places as muscles are getting pumped from the Jade microcurrent facial sculpting. Skin keeps lightening, tightening and pores are being refined due to the Infrared rejuvenation.

Stay tuned for more progress!

Did you know...?

Waterproof mascara isn't always your friend

Who wants wrinkles? No one! But while you might not want wrinkles, you may well be creating them with your mascara... Waterproof mascara is more difficult to get off than regular mascara. No matter how good your eye makeup remover is, you will still accidentally end up pulling on the skin around your eyes when you try and remove it. Every time you pull on that fragile, thin skin around your eyes, you create wrinkles! How often do you actually end up getting soaked in the rain, or falling into a swimming pool in the middle of your day? Waterproof mascara is good for the beach but for everyday use, ditch it! Use regular mascara and avoid wrinkles.