Skincare can seem like the ultimate task as a mom – who has time for a 12 step routine twice a day? Today I’m here with Zoe Quindazzi who’s going to help me breakdown skincare, and give you a routine that doesn’t tire you out just thinking about it. Not only are we talking about how to simplify your skincare, we’re taking a holistic approach and looking at all the things that can also affect your skin – and yes, your emotions do affect what happens to your skin!
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Guest Expert Zoe Quindazzi Medical and Holistic Esthetician
Today I’m really excited to dig into skincare how-to with Zoe Quindazzi, owner and holistic and medical esthetician at Skincare Corrective. She has been sharing her knowledge for over 15 years, and has incredible knowledge of how our skin works.
Zoe Quindazzi’s Instagram: @SkincareCorrectivesyyj
Zoe Quindazzi’s website: Skincarecorrectives.ca
Zoe Quindazzi’s Facebook: Skincare Correctives
In This Episode We Talk About
00:27 – Who is Zoe Quindazzi and how did she get into this type of work?
4:01 – Certifications in esthetics and what they mean.
7:04 – How does your skin interact with your body?
9:19 – The basics of maintaining skin health.
12:54 – What to look for in skin protection.
16:02 – Items that impact your skin, and how to remedy them.
22:48 – The exterior things that affect your skin.
25:21 – Breaking down your skincare routine.
31:58 – Different types of skin.
33:49 – How to find the right skincare regimen.
38:53 – Acne and aging.
43:57 – Skincare red flags.
53:21 – Where to find Zoe!
Watch the Video
Listen to the Audio
Resource Links
Zoe Quindazzi’s Instagram: @SkincareCorrectivesyyj
Zoe Quindazzi’s website: Skincarecorrectives.ca
Zoe Quindazzi’s Facebook: Skincare Correctives
Skincare Correctives Blog
UM Club Facebook page
Read the Full Conversation
I’d love it if you could introduce yourself a little bit more, and tell us why you are so passionate talking with people and helping them with their skin health?
Absolutely. Well, my first name is Zoe, my last name is Quindazzi. And this was a career shift for me actually. It was mainly because I myself was still having skin issues with my skin, I struggled with acne pigmentation and other things from a very young age, from 12 onward, was bullied, and just really was struggling. And I wanted to find the answers for myself. So it was really for my personal growth first, and then obviously, I fixed my skin up.
And I wanted to be able to help other people – which is really, as an empath, that’s what I want and love to do, is help other people. And as someone with skin issues, I knew just how difficult that can really hit your self esteem, as well as your mental health. So I wanted to be able to help people. But now I’ve been in this for 15 to 16 years, it’s grown in that I’m really starting to realize just how much toxins are in our skincare and environment. And because I myself about five years ago, I really got quite sick, and it was actually determined that it was because of all the skincare and different pieces that I had used, some of it being toxins, I actually had to eliminate those toxins from my body.
And so that’s why I kind of did a shift and went more holistic- to realize and help people and pick the right types of skin care for their overall health. So it’s kind of – with anything, I think, everything evolves. And that’s kind of what’s happened. So it’s gone from me helping people get through acne, pigmentation, pro-aging, and then now is taking that a step further and looking at the toxins in skincare, as well, as holistically, we’re looking at the source of a condition.
So when we see something going on on the skin, it’s usually an imbalance. So there’s a lot more to skin health than just beauty, it’s become more for me about – I have a motto, it’s where health and beauty unite. So if we’re healthy, then sort of that beauty you see people glowing, and when people are not doing very well oftentimes there’s a dullness to the skin. And that can be anything from emotions to the environment to the wrong skincare. So there’s really a lot to it. And that’s kind of what my passion is, to help other people navigate that so that they don’t have to go through what I went through, hopefully. Or if they are struggling with acne that we can help them clear it up faster. So they don’t have to live with it for 20 years, like I did.
So you’ve really lived it. You’ve been through having the major skincare concerns, thinking you fix them, and then learning about the toxins and kind of moving towards a holistic route.
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And you know, I won awards for skincare for sales, but then to find out that those products really weren’t that good for people. So it’s so important for me now to get this right for people, to be able to support them through their skin journey.
Yeah, I love that. And could you share a little bit about your training background too, because I do think you really differentiate yourself from some other estheticians that are working more locally. I know you have more certification from other countries that have helped.
So I’m from the United States. I am Canadian, but I’m also American, so I was actually living in the New England area. So I trained first in spa esthetics, and then I went to medical esthetics and I worked in an OBGYN office actually, it was a large one, running and helping in their laser cosmetic studios. So I know that industry very, very well. And I did very well in that industry.
And then when I moved to Canada, I realized there actually was limited education here and it’s not actually a regulated industry, which was quite alarming to me as somebody – I even have my laser licensing as well. And so, when I couldn’t find a job, that’s why we opened Skincare Correctives, because truthfully, I was over educated. And then when I got sick, I went into more of the holistic side. So it’s traditional Chinese medicine, holistic training, out of the United States, so much of my education comes from the US. And I’m certified in three different states down there. And a lot of it also comes in from Europe, because they’re quite advanced in spainists and holistic esthetics. So, I’m still learning, but you know what, that’s what life’s about. And so I still keep doing my next level of holistics. Because truthfully, this industry changes literally monthly. And so the way I was trained 15 years ago, we actually don’t practice that way anymore.
Yeah. That’s one thing that really stuck out to me, when we first connected, I believe it was around the beginning of the year, is that you just are so knowledgeable. And the fact that the industry isn’t regulated here. And cosmetic products also aren’t very regulated here at all. I was aware of that piece, but not that the industry, these people practicing the services on us, actually don’t have very much regulation. I don’t think enough people know about that.
No, and it’s true for hair and nails and all sorts of things. You just have to really ask those questions when you’re going to trust somebody with your hair and your skin and your eyes, even make sure that your lash tech is properly educated. It is quite alarming for me because, truthfully, my education would probably take five years to get, you know – like university, right? So I mean, my training, we went Monday through Friday, we started at eight and we went to five, and that was 18 months. So it’s very different.
So now let’s dive into skin health. Before we get into maintaining healthy skin, I think it’d be nice to kind of set a base of how your skin interacts with your body. You touched on it a little bit before that it’s showing kind of inside problems. Could you expand a little bit on that?
Absolutely, well I kind of think of it like that there’s lots of things internally that affect our skin – let’s think of emotions for one. So if you go to Costco, and your kids are screaming in the buggy, you’re probably pretty frustrated by the time you leave Costco – not only is your children but the rest of the people around you. And if you were to look at your skin, you would notice that it was probably pretty inflamed, it’s probably red because you’re frustrated and angry. That’s just one way.
Or let’s say you heard a beautiful song, and you get goosebumps. So emotions definitely do play a role in how our lymphatic is functioning, how our blood and the circulation is. And other things. Diet, our stomach. They call it our sort of our second brain almost; the stomach also affects the skin and the brain, and sometimes what’s going on the way we digest foods may show up on the skin as well. So there’s so many different connecting pieces. And that’s what traditional Chinese medicine really is; holistic aesthetics is really looking and trying to find a source of something. So they think the mistake made is somebody may come in and they say “Zoey, look, I’ve got these big bags under my eyes.” And I’ll say “well how well are you sleeping?” And they say “oh I’m disrupted, my sleep is disrupted.” And well, maybe the eye cream is not the right thing. Maybe there’s other things that I can do. Let’s look at ways to help you sleep better. You know, and yeah, I’m happy to sell you an eye cream but I don’t want you to think that that’s the only thing that’s gonna help you. There’s other things that I like to look at. Because truthfully, if there’s thing’s going on with your skin, is there more that I can support you with internally?
Mmhmm, yeah. So what you would you say are kind of the basics for maintaining skin health? I know you talked about them on your stories and in your content quite often, water being a big one, and sleep.
Yeah, so water, and I wanted to share that and expand on that, as I think most people think oh, I’m drinking water to hydrate my skin. It goes beyond that – we have to remember most of the organs are water. And so truthfully, the equation that I say is you basically take your weight in pounds and divide by two. And that’s how many ounces you should aim for. If you’re working out or exercising, you need more than that. That will be more like 60 and 70% of your weight in pounds.
But it’s really to help support all your organs. It’s not just about the skin, it’s about your liver and your kidneys and your brain and your stomach. Because truthfully, if you ever get to a place where your body goes, Oh, you’re thirsty. That means it’s gone through your whole body looking for water to scavenge the water to quench that thirst – that is not a good sign. So we actually put strain on all of our organs. And that will also manifest on the skin. So it’s not just about hydration.
And then obviously, sleep, you want your seven to nine hours. But when it comes to skin health, the other piece that I think is missed, is the way we used to be trained was almost to damage the epidermal barrier. And I want you to think of your epidermal barrier as like your gatekeeper to the toxins from our environment getting in, as well as that UV rays getting in, and UV rays will create age spots but more importantly, it can cause cancer. And toxins that we sort of suck in or are wearing, we’re encountering – if this is basically paper thin or compromised, we’re going to have more toxins come in. And so the skin is our largest immunity organ, and we want to keep it so that it is protecting us. And that’s what I want people to understand, is keeping this epidermal barrier health strong. And the big mistakes most people make is they over-exfoliate it.
What happens when they’re over-exfoliating?
So think of it like the ozone layer in the atmosphere, is that we get holes in it. And so now more things are penetrating and you’re now more susceptible to pigmentation and cancers and toxins coming in. So that’s why when we say we want sunscreen daily, it’s because the minute the sun is up – it doesn’t matter if it’s a cloudy day – the minute we’ve got sunlight, we want to protect against those UV rays. But more importantly, it’s also to protect us from our environment, we encounter all sorts of things, as well as people don’t realize that our smartphones and our computers and tablets actually give off a blue light hue, that actually now has been linked to shrinkage of skin cells. So we want it to protect against that as well. And that’s why I don’t like calling it sunscreen. I actually like to call it a protection. So that’s why you know that you’re you’re wearing it to protect yourself. And you got to be careful which ingredients you’re using, obviously.
Oh, so it’s not just against the sun but the blue light, too. I didn’t know that. That’s really interesting.
Right. Yeah. And so that’s why when we get into the importance of what to be looking for, I’m all about boosting this protective layer, so that you are protecting yourself.
Yeah. Well, while we’re on this particular skin protected topic, what are things to look for, for good skin protective?
Yes. So when you’re looking for an SPF, you want to look for, on to the back of the bottle, and look under active ingredients. And you want to make sure it says zinc oxide – it may also say titanium dioxide – those are physical blocks. In my opinion, you want the zinc oxide, and what you don’t want is if it has the words oxybenzone, homoslate, and there’s another one, oxytonate, I believe. Those are chemical sunscreens. And those have been linked in some research to endocrine issues. So they’re also banned in a lot of countries because of the fact that they damage coral reefs. So clearly, it’s something we want to be avoiding. So I tell people use an SPF 30 or higher and really look for zinc oxide.
Now, I’m sure things have expanded since I last tried zinc oxide sunscreen, and that there are many options available, but I found it like super thick and hard to spread, and definitely not something I’d be wearing underneath makeup.
Exactly right. The old ones used to be like that. And so there are new zinc oxide face ones, you’re looking for a face one, but we also have to make sure – there’s different types of particles. And so we want to be watching out for nanoparticles, we don’t want those nanoparticles penetrating. So you’re right, we’ve got done a much better job in the industry to make them more sheer. So if I’m going to go to the beach, I don’t care if I’ve got the white hue, but for everyday use you’re exactly right. We’re going to want something that’s a little bit more shear, and thankfully there are those out on the market. They’re usually going to have the word face on them.
Okay, so that’s what to look out for.
Yep. And honestly, the higher the SPF is, the more goopy they are. That’s why I prefer an SPF 30, which tends to be the sweet spot. I mean, it’s going to block 97% of those rays anyway, if you go up to 50, it’s only blocking 98%. So it’s not enough of a difference, I think, because you’re exactly right. I’d rather you do wearing it, then go, “oh, this is awful. I’m not wearing this.”
Yeah. And some protection would be better than no protection. So great, lower SPF if that’s more comfortable. And that makes sense why the one I tried was so thick, because I believe that was a 50 or 60 SPF.
And those ones are just – in my opinion, they’re just not practical for a face, you’re better off doing an SPF 30 and reapplying every two hours if you’re out in the sun. There’s lovely makeups now too that have zinc oxide in there powders. So you can actually use it put that over top as a second buffer, which is what I do.
Oh, okay. Very cool. There’s so many new products all the time, like you said, the industry is changing every month. What other things play into – so you’ve touched a bit on diet. So I know from personal experience, what I’ve heard is like dairy is something that can cause a lot of redness. That’s something I’ve personally dealt with, what are some other issues you’ve seen, different challenges your patients have dealt with and remedies for fixing that?
Well, and it’s interesting, because everybody’s unique, but trhe thing is – what I want you to think about is we’re all flowers, we don’t want to correct the flower, we want to help the environment that the flower is in, so that the flower can bloom appropriately, right? So when it comes to nutrition and diet, everybody’s different, but obviously milk products is one that a lot of people cannot digest, it tends to increase in you because load and inflammation in the body. Obviously, sugar is not a great option either. From a skin standpoint, that will cause glycation, but sugar will also cause inflammation in the body.
And what’s glycation?
Glycation would be a stiffening or a hardening of your collagen. It changes basically the fibers. So we don’t want that, that’s not it at all, it does so much other damage. Inflammation in the body is a big one. Preservatives in food are are just terrible. So what the skin will tend to do, if it eats a lot of preservatives, it will get acne, and that is the body detoxing, it’s got to get rid of it some way. And that’s tends to – be those pores are going to get rid of that. And so we tend to see that. Carbohydrates can be – like white carbohydrates, in my opinion, are not a great source of nutrients anyway, but those can also play a role.
But it becomes more important that we have to eat for the season too. So right now we’re going into the winter, so we want to be thinking more warm foods, soups, those are more nurturing right now because it’s colder outside, and that’s for here in Victoria. As well, I find that if you’re struggling with digestive issues, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, things like that, do a check in with what times a day are you eating. In the morning your stomach is the most prime for eating, between 7 and 9 in the morning, and most people don’t eat at that time, they’re eating later. And that is is a problem. As well as do you throw in there cold foods, and it’s kind of like you throw that in there, and the stomach goes “ah!” Like because it’s cold, it now has to work really, really hard to break that down. So a salad for instance, versus if you steamed those vegetables, it would be easier this time of year. As well as sometimes I prep the stomach by drinking a warm cup of water or a decaffeinated tea to prep the stomach. So it relaxes it to eat your food, so that I find that digestion is a lot easier. And the other thing too for – so you can avoid spikes – a lot of us eat a heavy carb breakfas, so adding some protein in there, whether it’s nuts, hemp, or for some people it may be organic chicken. Proteins are broken down slower so they give us more energy and we won’t get those insulin sort of spikes up and down. And so I always try to incorporate some sort of protein in each meal.
So those are just some things – and everybody’s different. So I would tweak that based on if somebody was dealing with more inflammation in their bodies, you know, aka rosacea, or somebody who’s got more acne, then we would tweak it accordingly. But I’ve given you just a few things; this time of year think warm, think nurturing, and eat vegetables in season. So right now is all the root vegetables and squashes and things like that.
Yeah. And what about healthy fats? Or I’ve been seeing a lot of collagen products on the market, you put your collagen powder into your glass of water, or whatever it might be. Are those things helpful?
Um, so yes, good fats are always needed in your diet. I think the big mistake is removing those. Absolutely. And then collagen powders and that, it’s interesting, because there’s no research to actually prove that they benefit us. Because truthfully, if our stomach doesn’t absorb properly, or how does it even know “where am I going to send this collagen?” So right now I don’t take a collagen, I actually drink bone broth. So that has different types of collagen in it, which will sustain us. But we also have other things in skincare now that will boost that the collagen, like a retinaldehyde product would. So there’s other things – I do skincare topically, so I know it gets to the skin. But internally, I actually use bone broth.
Okay, and what are the benefits of bone broth? Let’s hear a little bit more about that.
So, well, for bone broth, it’s just got a lot of nutrients in it. But there’s those different types of collagen in there, so it’s going to support your joints as well, right? There’s different types of collagens. And I always do organic chicken. And you can do grass raised beef as well, I just prefer chicken. And so that’s kind of what I do. It’s just also warm. So it benefits the stomach as well this time of year, but that’s kind of what I do, a broader collagen support.
Yeah, that’s similar to, say, vitamins, you can take the vitamin that has that one specific thing, or maybe it has a couple, or you can source the foods that contain that vitamin and it has all the different nutrients that can help support that.
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And you got to remember the way bone broth is made is you’re boiling down from the bones. And so think about the bone marrow and just all of that. So there’s a lot of benefit to that.
Yeah, yeah, you really extract all of the good stuff out of there. So we’ve talked a lot about kind of internally, things you can do to support good skin health. So how about externally?
So always the most important piece is making sure your epidermal barrier is strong. So if you’re somebody that puts a product on and it’s super, you feel irritated, or it’s red, or somebody may come in and say to me, “I’m very sensitive,” it may be that you’ve actually got a damaged epidermal barrier, so it’s not really protecting you. And it’s easy to fix. It really comes down to me looking at your skincare products. There are a lot of skincare ingredients that will break down the epidermal barrier.
The biggest thing is exfoliation, how are you exfoliating? And you know, a lot of people use facial scrubs, those are very aggressive, they actually create micro tears. So I would be more apt to tell you to look at something that’s got more like cranberry in it, or an enzyme factor like papaya or pineapple. And for some people once a week is more than enough, and for somebody else – maybe like me, I’m prone to acne. So I have more dead skin cells, because each of us loses different types and different amounts of dead skin cells, so I may need to do it twice a week. But always following it with a hydrating mask so that you know you’ve taken off those dead skin cells. So you’re helping that cell turnover. But it’s also a time to make sure you’re nurturing and giving the nutrients to the skin. So that’s one mistake a lot of people make.
In cleansers the big thing to watch out for is something called sodium lauryl sulfate. They literally are like eating away at your skin. They’re very irritating. So look at the back of your bottle and look at your ingredients to make sure you’re not using that in the cleanser, because that’s the biggest problem with epidermal barrier issues. And over-exfoliating is the next one.
And then the third one is this kick on retinols. Those are over-the-counter types of vitamin A’s that basically have to go through two to three conversions to become active. The problem with that is that they – think about it, you’ve got this product on and it’s going through these conversions. Either it doesn’t work because the conversion is lost or it creates irritation and that in itself also creates epidermal barrier issues. So now you’ve compromised the thing that’s supposed to be protecting you.
Okay. I’d love if you could break down kind of the role each part of your safe daily skincare routine plays for your skin health. So like cleanser, exfoliator, mask – what exactly is each thing doing for us?
Right, so first thing in the morning, and you’re cleansing with just one cleanser, right? And the reason you’re cleansing is because think about it, you’ve been lying in your dead skin cells. And there’s also bed mites and all of those things. So for me, it’s just and do a gentle cleanse, warm water, but always do 60 seconds, that’s gonna make a big difference. I think the problem is, and I tell people time it, you’ll realize with this is a long time, but most people only do 15 to 20. But you haven’t given the product ample time to actually do anything. So this is also a great time to wake up your skin, right? So you can be doing those sort of – I always tell people start from the from your chin and work up and out. And so it’s a great way to get everything awake as well. So cleansing in the morning is to remove sort of the gunk we picked up while we were sleeping, as well as if we also sweat at night. And I know most of us think we don’t but we really do, we have to, that’s what rejuvenation is all about. And so we’re cleansing our skin and doing it gently you don’t need a crazy cleanser for that.
And then I always like a vitamin C in the morning, and vitamin C isn’t – it boosts the immunity of the skin. Now you want a certain type of vitamin C, you want to be very, very careful that you don’t overdo it as well. So I always tell people, frankly, pharmaceutical grade is going to be better because it penetrates. Over the counter – you just do not want anything over 10%, I find that it will create epidermal barrier damage, but it’s boosting the immunity of your skin. Antioxidants can do that too. And oftentimes you find those two together so you’re boosting the immunity. So your day routine is all about protecting yourself. So that’s then when you might use the hydrator or moisturizer after your vitamin C, and then obviously your sun protection factor. So in the morning it’s all about boosting that immunity of the epidermal barrier and protecting it from what it’s going to face that day. That’s your goal in the morning.
At night you’re preparing it because we are going to bed and nighttime is the time that our body’s rejuvenating. So we want to give it the nutrients it needs to rejuvenate, if we’re talking about pro-aging. So again, I tell people to do a double cleanse. The reason being is because think about all those things you picked up in the day. So that first cleanse is going to remove your makeup and kind of dissolve all of the gunk you picked up. Again 60 seconds gentle. Oftentimes that may even have a bit of an oil cleanser in it just to kind of melt everything off.
And then go in and do a purposeful cleanse, to really clean the skin. And again 60 seconds, wash that off. And then at night is about giving yourself serums that are going to help rejuvenate and heal and that’s where vitamin A comes in. Antioxidants, and now as in my age brackets, I’m in my 50s, you’ll start to hear more about growth factors, which is what I’m using now mainly because I’m in my 50s. And then your moisturizer and hydrator because we want to make sure that we seal in and keep everything hydrated. The big thing too I missed on the epidermal barrier issues is if somebody is chronically dry and they’ve got epidermal barrier damage, is your skin will basically – everything evaporates out of the skin so you lose all your nutrients too, so it’s really important that we are really protecting the skin during the day and at night we’re giving it the environment to rejuvenate.
I really love how you broke it down like that, because when I asked the question I didn’t even intend like a morning versus night, it was just kind of routine and to be honest, mine is fairly similar for day and night. So it’s interesting to hear of really being intentional of supporting your skin for the job it needs to do depending on what time of day it is.
And that’s just it, it’s really no different than the food we eat. We’re nourishing ourselves and that’s really what skincare is all about; and that was my my big frustration with the marketing out there. It’s like oh, you need your Botox and your fillers. But for me, it’s like, okay, whoa, timeout. What about teaching epidermal barrier health, because that truthfully is pro-aging and helping people because it’s not just about beauty. Remember, it’s about I don’t want those things penetrating into my body to disrupt my endocrine issues or disrupt my mental health. I don’t want those forever chemicals in my body. And that’s why for me, this is a very different – I look at this very differently.
And then exfoliation, I always recommend one time a week with a nice hydrating mask. Be careful with a clay mask if you’ve kind of – a lot of people will use a clay mask, but remember that it dries out your oils too. Sometimes that can be more damaging than good. Unless you truly are somebody that somebody has determined has excessive oily skin. But again, seek help and and that’s one thing that I always offer is complimentary consultations, virtually or in studio, just so people can ask those questions about their proper skincare. For me, this is about health, not beauty. So that’s why I offered them complimentary.
Yeah, which was so nice of you. And everyone has different types of skin and different issues. And so to really get your questions answered, you do need that personal approach.
Yeah, because what works for you may not work for your girlfriend. And that’s the big part that happens, is that your girlfriend is using it so you use it, and it may not be the right product for you. Right? And we’re all so unique. And what I meant may need may shift even with seasons – right now we’re going into winter. So I always look at people’s skincare and tweak it may because the environment has shifted. So we need to remember that too.
I would love to hear a little bit more about the different types of skin, because you always hear like, dry, normal oily. Could you talk a little bit more that?
Yeah, there’s classifications of different skin types, oily, dry, dehydrated, etc. And oftentimes, when you go to esthetic school, that’s kind of where we start. But there’s really so much more to that; somebody may think they’re oily when really they’re dehydrated. So what the body is really doing – the body is so smart – your skin goes “oh, I’m super dry, I’m super dehydrated, I better produce more oil.” So oftentimes what will happen with somebody with oily skin is they think I’m not putting a moisturizer on because I’m already too oily when truthfully, it may be that you do need hyaluronic acid or something, or aloe to hydrate those cells. So there are different – but somebody may be dry, but truthfully maybe there’s way more going on than oh, they’re just dry. So to me again, it’s one of those things where we’re all unique. So going by oily or dry, that’s how most people pick skincare. And that’s just not how I do it. I just look at the whole who are you, what job do you have? What environment are you in? A nurse, she’s got a mask on for 12 hours, it’s going to be very different skincare for her over somebody who will be in a different environment. So yeah, so I try it. And that’s the thing, so many times people want to put us in a box, and that’s just not how I practice.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And that’s how I’ve always chosen skincare – recommended, dry, normal, oily and I have a little bit of everything. So I’ve always struggled to fit in that box. But you’re right with how we can produce extra oil or having different things that are underlying to cause that dryness, we do really need to dig into it more than just kind of treating that initial thing that we’re noticing. What is kind of the process you walk through with the people you’re helping to help them find the right skincare regimen for them?
Well, I do a very in depth intake, and I’m getting to really know the person, from how well are they sleeping, what’s your stress level look like? What are they using presently? How do they even describe their own skin? So I’m really listening to and looking at every single thing. Career is an important piece too, like what do they do for a job, that environment tells me a lot. If they’re a mom, how much are they working, moms have to juggle a lot. So I looking at lots of different things. And then I try to make it simple. So if somebody has put down on the paper that they use 10 items, I know that I’ve got somebody who is interested in adding some serums. If I’ve got somebody that’s just got a cleanser, moisturizer, SPF, I know that that person likes to keep things very, very simple. And so I try to be mindful of that as well. And then I may say to somebody, “do you want to do more for pro-aging?” And then that’s when I would look at that, but I like to keep everything simple, because the body needs things simple. We make it too complex. It confuses the skin, it confuses what we’re doing. And then every week, we go through it each time I see you, I want to go through it is anything changed in your life, how are things going. I try to remember what people are going through in their life so that I can be supportive through that.
Yeah, kind of those check-ins, I imagine that there’s a bit of a process that someone is coming for help for an actual issue. And once you’ve helped resolve that issue, perhaps it’s with acne or rosacea, then things would possibly shift for maintenance.
You got it. That’s exactly it. So normally, if we do a reset of the skin, it’s usually a 90 day to four month process, is usually the the amount of time, but I like to kind of try to shift things. And then after that we always try to go into maintenance. And sometimes people aren’t ready to make some of those shifts. So some especially with acne, and rosacea, sometimes it may take up to six months to really get them through that. Because sometimes we’re having you look at deeper emotions that may be keeping you back. Especially right in this whole pandemic, I’ve seen a lot more of that. And so really being non-judgmental, quiet, loving space for people to be able to share, and then that sharing helps me be able to kind of come in and help them. It’s more than skincare, right?
Yeah, exactly. And that’s something for us to be mindful of ourselves with trying new things, implementing changes, that there is a lot going on right now, things do take time. And to kind of be patient and keep checking in with yourself, and allow a good amount of time to pass before kind of writing something off as not working.
And you’ve got that right. Because I think most of the time we’ve been forced to be this instant gratification society, which just is not practical. The body really – one full cell cycle is 30 days, I always tell people that, let’s do a check-in after 30 days. And if it’s acne, I do a weekly check-in, because oftentimes those people will really need more support. But typically, let’s do a check-in in 30 days, is it still working for you? But 90 days is typically unless you’re it’s creating redness and irritation, then obviously I want somebody telling me right away because that’s not the right product for you. If something’s making you red and irritated and it’s tingling, and all of that, that’s not the right product for you.
Similar to say doing yoga, there’s a normal amount of uncomfortableness while you’re getting into things. But if it’s painful, you need to take a step back and adjust. So really just being mindful.
Yeah,because again, whatever’s right for you may not be right for me. Now, I usually get it right the first time, but sometimes there’s something that didn’t get shared that I missed. And then I need to go back in and go “okay, no, this is gonna be the right product for you.”
Yeah. Now I know this is very broad. But what do you have to say for people – it’s really common that I hear that comes up, is dealing with both acne and wrinkles, at the same time. I know myself, I had imagined as a 13-year old, with zits all over my chin, that I would get into my 20s and not have to deal with pimples and acne anymore, and then eventually down the road start dealing with aging. But that wasn’t the case. They’ve definitely overlapped. So are there any tips or what you recommend for dealing with those two things at once?
Well, typically acne is telling us a story, and it tells me about what’s the imbalance and what needs to shift. So I’m not surprised that typically acne does continue, and may actually even get worse in your 30s. Mainly because what’s really happened is maybe toxins that have built up that we need to actually get rid of. And so acne is one of those things that is affected by stress, is affected by digestion, is affected by oftentimes skincare as well. And so there’s an imbalance, we have to fix that.
And usually we’ll start there, and then be mindful of what products we’re suggesting to be supportive of the of not stripping the epidermal barrier, making sure that we’re also working on the wrinkles. So it becomes one of those things where it’s, again, intentional treating, you’re treating the acne at the same time as supporting epidermal barrier, as well as remember that nighttime routine was all about pro-aging too right? We’re able to do both at the same time, nut the but the acne piece, we have to dive deeper. Somebody in their 30s still dealing with that, there’s something way more going on. And that’s when we need to dive in a little bit deeper.
I think that’s something that’s not talked about very much. I know, as teens, when you start to get acne, it’s like, “oh, it’s puberty, or eating greasy pizza.” And those are kind of the two main things that are accredited to as the cause for acne. And then you get into your 20s, and it’s not going away. And it’s embarrassing and frustrating. And so it’s good, it’s nice to learn that it’s not necessarily like our fault, and that we just need to learn more about the full picture of what can be causing it.
Exactly. And the problem too, is that the IUD is one of the biggest things that – prolonged use of that I have found in women, because remember, my background was I worked in the OBGYN office – is that it is a progesterone based birth control, and prolonged use of that I do find disrupts the sort of oil production that we create, it gets to be quite sticky. So that is one of the I find that a lot of women do struggle, especially in their 30s, is because on-again off-again, birth control is that’s a piece that I need to go in and kind of look at, is what’s the quality of oil that they’re producing, because there’s going to be a connection.
The other thing that happens in our 30s is we tend to, when it’s our period, we tend to eat differently. And so I always call it the comfort foods. And so we end up changing the environment internally, and we will start to see a bit of a breakout from that as well. So there’s lots to look at. And that’s kind of my training, I do a lot of face mapping and face reading and traditional Chinese medicine is about that as well. So where the breakout is tells us a story, tells me a story. And so I’m able to sort of help you through that piece. And once you’ve got that information, it means you can do some tweaking at home.
Yeah, I really like how you balance things out. Both with you’re able to provide so much support, or you can kind of allow for those check-ins and have people kind of go off and do treatments themselves and that sort of thing.
Yeah, that’s the beauty, isn’t it? I mean, truthfully, there’s a lot of people that cannot afford to come in and do treatments. And I’m very mindful of that. And so I always say “you get two opportunities today to feed your skin.” And so that’s the most important piece to me. So that’s why for me, the virtual program that I have is really important, to be able to support more people that just can’t come in. Let’s face it, if you got children, oftentimes you cannot come in. And so that’s why I offer that, but we also have at-home kits too. So being just supportive, giving you the information you need to be able to be successful, to still take care of yourself care while being a mom. And if you can’t come in and do a treatment there’s still things you can do.
And what would you say for choosing the right products for ourselves in terms of like ingredients, things to stay away from – I know you talked about the sodium lauryl sulfate. Are there other things in common skincare that are really big red flags we should avoid?
I mean what you can really do is there’s always the Dirty Dozen right, there’s those ones but I touched upon the one of the big ones. So in cleansers it’s the sodium lauryl sulfates and then in the sunscreen it’s really those those chemical sunscreens oxybenzone is a big one just. I’m surprised it’s still in sunscreen,0 given the fact that have said for 10 years now that it’s no good for us, it just blows my mind.
The big one is going to be artificial colours and artificial fragrances. Those are toxic. They are just not good for us. Okay. Certain parabens are not good for us either. So these would be looking at an ingredient, and being mindful of those parabens, and phthalates are another one as well. So a lot of these are endocrine issues. So they’re gonna cause, obviously, hormonal issues right? Also carbon black in mascaras, or tar in mascara. Stay away from those. A lot of those are the waterproof ones. Those will just really irritate your eyes and makeup.
Yeah, they’re super irritating for me. I can’t wear them. My eyes will just water.
Yeah, they’re so bad for you. Yeah, absolutely. Oh, facial wipes. This is a big one that will damage your epidermal barrier, is facial wipes. I know, they seem like a good idea in theory, but so many of them have gunk on them. So if you don’t wash that off afterwards, it’s like a double whammy. So I just tell people really, I would avoid them. There is not one that is any good for you. If you are using them, please, please, please make sure you are afterwards doing a 60 second wash to get those chemicals off your face. So if you’re using your makeup wipe, then do go back in and really make sure you wash those chemicals off.
Yeah, because sometimes, especially as busy moms, it’s all convenience, it can be nice to just kind of grab that pack and do a quick wipe. So perhaps just if you grab a wet face cloth afterwards to just do a quick wash.
Yeah, and I tell women – you know, I raised five children and I have one with autism. So I always say look, take that five minutes, that five minutes in the morning and that five minutes at night. And I never do my evening routine at bedtime. I do it a couple of hours beforehand. And think of it as an intentional self-care, because now I’ve told you why you’re doing this one in the morning, it’s to protect yourself, and at night it’s so that you are healing and rejuvenating. So if we can shift our mindset to this is about health, not beauty, then I think that it does help us realize that we’re doing this intentionally.
But retinols with an O, really be very, very careful with those, they’re in so many products right now. And those ones really are damaging a lot of people’s skin. And there are other options out there. And so you know, retinaldehyde is one but be really, really careful with those as well. And DEA, mineral oil, I’m sure most of you have heard of these ones. But what I would do is just Google the list of Dirty Dozen. And you’d also be shocked that Europe bans so many more ingredients than we do. Canada has done a better job than the United States. But this is all marketing, right? There’s so many skincare companies that are using toxic chemicals. And so they’re still allowed on the market because it makes money. So we just have to be educating ourselves.
But usually the ones I’ve given you are the most common ones. But fragrance is a big one. And it’s hard because sometimes the fragrance is actually – I called a company and it said fragrance and I asked them and they said oh they were made to put that word down, even though they were using a an oil, a natural oil. So it’s hard to – typically a pharmaceutical grade line that’s got the word fragrance is not using a synthetic, it’s usually from a plant or something. But oftentimes over the counter, when it’s got the word fragrance or perfume, those are chemicals. And so we have to remember that and as well as if something’s got color in it, just be really careful.
I find that there’s an app, EWG, and that’s super helpful. And then if I don’t have time to like stand and look through all of that, I will tend to gravitate towards European brands for the reason they have a lot better regulation of what they put in them. So I feel safer using them.
Right, and the thing with EWG is is that it’s a great tool, but if it’s a newer product line that they’ve not researched, they don’t have enough data, so it’s skewed and it’s not an accurate read. So I only learned that because I was reading the description and they said that sometimes they don’t have enough information so it’s not an accurate thing. But it’s a good tool. We just have to be careful with the chemicals, the forever chemicals now they’re calling it, that we really are being bombarded with.
Yeah, that’s good to be mindful of as well. Okay, so we are coming up to time, is there anything else you would like to add before we close things up?
No, just – if people are looking for that support, I’m here to help. But just really remember to keep your epidermal barrier strong, that is really pro-aging. And you’ve noticed I’ve not used the word anti-aging, because that’s a negative. I want to use the word pro-aging, because it’s hard for me to watch young women that are already not liking what they look like, and are doing all these things, when I know I’m in my 50s, that they’re going to shift in their 30s in their 40s. And if they can’t accept what they look like in their 20s, that’s sad to me, very, very sad. So I’m trying to take that stigma out of it and make this more about health. And so I’m hoping with people like you that are very mindful of word choice, that we can shift this thinking, because the beauty with pro-aging, you know, those laugh lines, there’ a reason we have those laugh lines and so forth. So that’s the shift that I’m hoping that we can make in the next 10 years here. And moving away from the hyperfocus on a mark that’s on somebody’s face.
Yeah, absolutely. I noticed that right away when you filled out the intake form for this interview, that you use the word pro-aging, and I really liked that because it feels like anti-aging, we’re on a mission to stop this from happening. But aging is a natural process, it’s going to happen, and with using the word pro-aging, to me it feels like how can we support this.
And keeping in mind with my training with holistics, is the one thing I’ve learned is that one day, I may have something that comes up. And I’ll give you an example. I actually had a red patch on both sides of my eyes, almost looked like I was crying. But truthfully, I was crying internally, because I had had a week of very difficult clients that were struggling with the pandemic. And so I was feeling that. So sometimes emotions play such a role on the skin, and as you are going through getting older, those things that we’re feeling and experiencing will make those wrinkles, will make those things happen. But we can turn them around too, because I don’t have redness today. But a week ago, I did. And it wasn’t that I needed to – yes, obviously I made sure I did a hydrating mask to keep it and the inflammation down. But I had to shift internally how I was processing this information. So that’s the beauty of the holistic side, is sometimes we’ll have a wrinkle that comes up but we shift our mindset and we can make that wrinkle go away because we’re not clenching our jaw anymore, or we’re not worried. So we don’t have those indents in the front of our minds, and then also not on the front of our faces. So we can shift that too, which is kind of exciting.
Yeah, I love that messaging. So where can people find you, for your knowledge, the content you share, and those free consultations that you offer, and also for those that are local to Victoria?
Well, the first place is on Instagram, at @SkincareCorrectivesyyj. I try to do a weekly bit of information, and then you can book through there. And I’m updating my website right now, which is Skincarecorrectives.ca, which will have that kind of information on there. There’s blogs on there as well. And Skincare Correctives on Facebook, obviously, but the biggest thing is interact with the Instagram page. And go in today and just follow me, and that way you’ll get specials that are there as well as information, and you can ask questions. I’m looking for more input from you guys, and that’s the thing that drives me. And sometimes in my 50s here my brain does not know what topics your maybe asking or wondering about, so don’t be afraid to ask me on there either, or reach out to ask me. You can certainly text me too, and my phone number is on the Instagram page. But yeah, if there’s topics that people want information on, just ask me! And then I’ll take the time, so I love that, I love to take the time to research it, to give you the most mindful intentional response that I can. And if I don’t know the answer, I’m gonna say to you, “you know what, can I get back to you?”
Perfect. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. I think there’s a lot of really great information in this and I’m looking forward to keeping the discussion going inside our UM Club, within the Facebook group, and our bi-weekly hangouts!
Thank you for your time. You’re a beautiful person inside and out.
Oh, thank you!
Another episode done! Thanks again for reading and listening to the episode, I hope you enjoyed the conversation with me and Zoe! If you want to talk more about anything from today, make sure to join the conversation within our Facebook group and Group Chat, and I would love to see you there! As always, see you for our next episode!
