Planting Seedlings for Spring Equinox

Today is Spring Equinox and although it's a winter wonderland out there, I feel such an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Spring is the time to clean, to cleanse and to let go of all of the baggage, energies, and toxins that are no longer serving you.

Spring is a celebration of the new crop season. It is literally a time that Mother Nature welcomes new seedlings into her soil. It is a time of fertility, renewal and rebirth. Before planting a seed we must prep the soil; which means we must get rid of the weeds to make room for the potential of new life.  Our lives, and souls require the very same thing - we require a willingness to let go of the things that no longer serve us. We must evaluate what our individual "life soil" needs to embrace the growth of our ideas, dreams and goals. And we must plant with intention and care deeply for our seedlings giving them the attention, nourishment and love they require to grow.

It was a tough winter for a lot of people. It was darker than normal and the lack of sunlight, the shorter days, and the freezing temperatures all contributed to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. People were sad, unmotivated and energetically low.  It felt for many like a downward spiral.  Today we get to choose to move back up the happiness spiral, and our spring season will aid us in momentum with longer more balanced days, and the nourishment of fresh rain and sun. This is the perfect time to set your  intentions and your commitments to new  beginnings. It is time to create some  goals.  Maybe this is the time to revisit  your January intentions - are you on  track? What happened to those goals you set only a few months ago? What do you want to create in your life? What makes your heart beat the hardest?

I challenge you today to have the courage to truly look inward and ask your self this:  Am I living with intention?  Am I happy?  What can I let go of to make my journey lighter?  What would courage have me do? 

Remember this: Your life matters, and you always have the choice. Happiness is a state of mind, and I can promise you that you are courageous enough to create the life you desire and you DESERVE to.

Namaste,
Kori Leigh Hagel
Life Coach 

Seasonal Detoxification for Cellulite

Spring is a time for renewal, for personal reflection, for rejuvenation, and for cleansing and detoxification.

Skin issues such as acne, eczema, hyper pigmentation, cellulite or cellular aging can be prevented or reversed by following a health supporting lifestyle and a regular goal-oriented detoxification program. We are ingesting hundreds of chemicals daily; the majority of them, our bodies can not metabolize. Many of these chemicals are used in regular food processing. These toxins are stored in fat cells and impede our tissues and organs from functioning properly. They are also the cause of the "orange peel" look of cellulite.

Cellulite is a combination of fluid retention and accumulation of trapped waste products and toxins in the body's fat cells, beneath the skin in concentrated areas, appearing as localized and dimpled skin. Cellulite tissues have increased toxins in their fat cells, increased fat cell expansion, hardening of their cellular walls, and decreased local circulation and lymphatic drainage. Cellulite formation is a sign of a congested body system, and a congested system can affect our metabolism, our brain chemistry, and our hormonal balance.

Our sex hormones play a part in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen imbalances are often involved. Cellulite can be seen in 80-90% of post-pubertal woman while it is quite rare in men. Prevention of estrogen dominance is important in eliminating or minimizing this cellulite formation. A strong and healthy liver is needed for this, since it is the organ that tries to neutralize estrogen metabolites and eliminate them from the body. If this process does not occur properly, excess circulating estrogens may occur. Thus, eliminating excess hormones through a targeted detox diet is a key step in reducing cellulite.

Meanwhile, the liver performs a series of reactions to neutralize other toxic compounds, including air pollutants, food additives, hormones, pesticides, heavy metals, medications, antibiotics and alcohol. It is needed as well for maintaining processes for energy and cellular metabolism, for cholesterol and steroid hormone balancing, and for proper nutrient utilization for new cells & tissues. It is a very busy organ that is regularly being abused! Seeking a professional to help you with a specific liver detoxification protocol is key.

Incorporating liver supporting foods in our diet allows for decreased metabolic stress on our system. Garlic, Sencha green tea, green leafy vegetables, turmeric, broccoli, beets, parsley and dandelion greens are a few of these foods.

Signs of cellular toxicity vary greatly with the individual and may include:

·       Allergies, food & chemical sensitivities

·       Weight issues

·       Irritability and mood changes

·       Difficulty concentrating and brain fog

·       Headaches and migraines

·       Digestive issues, gas and bloating

·       Muscle & joint aches

·       Recurring infections

·       PMS or menopausal signs & symptoms

·       Acne, eczema, cellulite and other skin issues

A proper detoxification protocol should support and allow our organs to be effective in their natural process of toxin elimination. These organs include the liver, kidneys, bowels, sweat glands, lungs, and also the skin. By assisting our cells in excreting these excess toxins, results such as increased energy and better cognitive ability, improved general well-being, weight loss and radiant, smooth and youthful skin could be experienced.

Proper nutrition, specific goal-oriented supplementation and physical activity can improve the natural detoxification processes. The foundation of youth is based on these main pillars: regular exercise, optimal individualized nutrition, reduction of internal and external stresses, quality sleep, and skin care.

Rebuilding the foundation of youth is from within!

Marie-Claude Beaulieu, RHN
Holistic Nutritionist 

Pulling the Trigger - Sensitive Skin

Rachel Lamont, Medical Esthetician 
edited by: Shyla Rood, Esthetician & Tiffany Rupp, Office Manager  

There are many types of sensitive skin. In this article I am going to explain the general rules about the sensitive skin types we see here at The Natural Art of Skin Care and how we work on calming and correcting them.

Almost everyone has seen or dealt with sensitive skin at some point in time. Whether we are born with it or developed the issues over time, sensitive skin affects many people. The most common problems are eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, acne, and my favourite to treat; sensitized.  In some situations you can have one or more of these common problems layered onto one another, sometimes developing over years. 

The physical signs of a sensitive skin reaction is our bodies way of signalling an imbalance within our bodies, either topically or internally.  There will always be a trigger at the heart of these skin issues. Triggers are things that you may be coming in contact with, either orally or environmentally, that is causing your skin to be sensitive or sensitized.  To achieve the results you are hoping for the key is finding the trigger that is causing the irritation and learn how to calm it down. During a treatment we try to identify  your personal triggers and discuss a game plan of changing habits and home care regimes for the future. Your certified Esthetician will recommend proper skin care products and an at home regime to calm and treat the issues. Home care is best accompanied with an appointment with one of our many other professionals available at the spa for more of an internal diagnosis and treatment. 

If you are struggling with any of these issues make sure you put extra time and care into your product selections. Products should be perfume free, because these chemicals will irritate the skin further, and petroleum free, because it's toxic and ends up drying the skin out even more. Many products are filled with fillers and possible carcinogens which can damage your skin instead of soothing the skin. In my opinion the use of topical pharmaceuticals alone is becoming a large problem, we try to make all of our clients here aware of this.  Most of these topical prescription's are also toxic to the liver and over time may accumulate.  Topical medications may also have other side-effects, this may make them more ineffective or irritate the issue!

At The Natural Art of Skin Care, we believe in natural and organic solutions to your sensitive and sensitized skin. These all-natural products include the ingredients necessary to support the skin while it's healing and give it the continued protection it needs to remain healthy and youthful. Natural products feed and nourish the skin which in turn makes it stronger and more equipped to handle future problems. As an organic spa, we carry many different all natural remedies for any budget.

The Natural Art of Skin Care is holding a seminar on Tuesday, February 25th where Rachel Lamont will be discussing more in depth, sensitive and sensitized skin issues. How recognize your possible triggers, start the healing process and how to continue to care for your sensitive and sensitized skin will be on the forefront of the discussion. Let us teach you how to continue on the road to having happy, healthy skin. If you are suffering from one or more of these problems or you know someone else who is,  this is a MUST NOT miss event.

Please call 587.351.1131 to book your seat ahead of time or click "Going" on our Facebook Sensitive Skin Seminar Event. Seats are $20

Non-Surgical Face Lifting Techniques‏

We all hit an age, whether it be younger or older, where we begin to get concerned with signs of aging appearing on our faces. Throughout this article we will be focusing specifically on facial drooping and sagging, how to prevent it from happening, slow the process down or even reversing some of the damage already done.

What is sagging?

Sagging is defined by the loss of collagen and elastin, muscle tone and fat. These physical tissue breakdowns lead to the appearance of drooping and sagging skin.

How does it happen?

Sagging can happen on three different tissue levels. In some severe cases it will be apparent that all three levels have been affected.

Starting with the top most outer skin layer, the epidermis layer, it is a loss of collagen and elastin. These are the tissues that make up the skins thickness and elasticity. With the loss of these tissues you will begin to see fine to deep lines and sagging of the skin.

Beneath the skin layer are the facial muscles. If the muscles begin to become loose and start to lack tone then just like the muscle in your arm it becomes weak and drops or hangs.

Last layer is the fat layer. Fat is needed to make your face and cheeks appear full and healthy. A loss of fat can appear as gaunt and drooping.

The appearance of facial sagging can be cause by the breakdown of one or all of these equally important layers of the skin.

What encourages the tissues to breakdown?

One, or a combination of the following can cause these important tissues to breakdown and become weak. The sun can burn and kill collagen and elastin creating a leathery look and over time the skin will sag and thin out and become transparent.  A poor diet can also be a contributing factor. Certain vitamins such as Vitamin A & C as well as proteins are the crucial building blocks for collagen and elastin growth and health. A low fat/no fat diet can force your body to eat the stored fat cells, some of which make up that plump, fullness of your skin. Think of baby's cheeks with all the fat, collagen, and elastin and how that changes as the person ages. Vitamins are just as important in topical skin care, making sure you are using skin care products that contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Peptides and good oils. The skin is semi-porous, meaning it will absorb what you put on it. This is how you feed your skin with the nutrients it needs. There's a saying that goes, "if you don't use it you lose it". That same rule applies to your facial muscles as well.  If you don't work your muscles and stimulate the tissues then they become slack and lose their tone and strength. Lack of moisture, always, ALWAYS stay hydrated! Just like dehydrated fruit, if your remove all the moisture and juice, it dries up and the skin becomes loose and wrinkly. This goes for your skin cells as well, with an adequate amount of water the cells will remain plump and are able to function optimally.

How do we prevent our skin from sagging and how do we keep our muscles toned and strong?

And if I am already experiencing some of these signs and don't want injections, lasers, or surgeries, what are my non-invasive options?

There are MANY non-invasive options available to you that can be customized to you and your skin and lifestyle needs. With all natural Anti-Aging Facials and Products, Peels, NUFACE, Facial Lifting Acupuncture and even at home Massage Techniques, who needs to "go under the knife"? The consistency in which you perform these practices will affect the results you will achieve. We are not about some magic trick, the fountain of youth or the immediate results of a surgical facelift. Changing anything for the better the correct way always takes some time and a little patience.

The first golden rule is wear sun protection! Always be aware of the level of sun exposure you are receiving because the UV rays of the sun destroy collagen, elastin, and other skin tissues. Wear sun glasses, hats, light, breathable, protective clothing and always apply and re-apply natural sunscreens. Eminence has many sun care products ranging from Tinted Moisturizers (Tiffany our Office Manager's favourite moisturizer), low oil SPF moisturizers, body lotions and even an easy to carry, easy to apply powder "sticks". Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup is another great option as some of their foundations contain an SPF of 15 or 20. Making it easy to integrate it into your everyday regime without adding extra steps!

Next, always feed your skin inside and out! Proper nutrition as we mentioned is very important for growing and maintaining healthy skin. Collegan, elastin, healthy fat, and muscles all depend on your maintaining a healthy consistent diet. To help you along the way we have a Holistic Nutritionist that can answer any questions you may have and to work with you to build a nutrition plan that will work for you. The skin only receives an estimate of 4% of what you consume internally so applying the nutrients and natural oils directly to the skin has been proven very effective in achieving positive results. Our natural boutique is full of many different products in all price ranges that will provide just what the skin needs.

We just brought in this new, exciting, micro-currant machine called the NUFACE. NUFACE has made hand held micro-currant machines that stimulate better circulation, and allows for a deeper, more effective, product and vitamin absorption. It stimulates cell growth like collagen and elastin, and helps lift the skin and muscles. They have perfected them for use in the spa and for continual use at home a few times a week to every night.  

There are even manual facial lifting exercises that you can utilize at home, for free! These exercises work the muscles and stimulate them to tone and lift. Over time they will tighten and therefore lift and firm your skin. Just like going to the gym for your face! 

Please book yourself a Complementary Skin Care Analysis with a professional here at The Natural Art of Skin Care if you need more one on one time to decide what products and options will work the best for you. You can also pop in any time the reception and boutique is open to ask our knowledgeable staff and questions or concerns you may have.

We hope this answers a few of your questions and sends you in the right direction. If you want to learn more we will be covering this topic more in depth at our Facial Lifting Seminar here at the Spa October 21, 2013 (see poster for details) 

Thank you,

Rachel Lamont

Owner of The Natural Art of Skin Care and Medical Esthetician

Welcome Back Peel Season (Anti-Aging)

What is aging?

The easiest way to describe aging is as a natural breakdown of the elements of  our body tissue. Our tissues are always breaking down and rebuilding, but with age we get more breakdown than rebuild: like taking one step forward but two steps back sometimes. In the skin, this translates to a loss of firmness creating fine lines and wrinkles, dermal thinning, build-up of dead skin cells, less oil production and so on. The skin is not functioning optimally anymore.

How to keep you skin and body from aging? Well that is a big question...There are many treatments and products that address different aspects of aging like dryness, fine lines and wrinkles due to loss of firmness, cell turnover etc. But for true anti-aging results there is no one approach: it is an accumulation of healthy choices and the continuous use of products made with natural, good for the skin ingredients.

What are Peels?

Peels safely remove the outer most top layers of the epidermis that has become old and damaged by time: dull, wrinkled, scarred, pigmented, or is otherwise no longer serving its purpose.  To reveal healthier skin underneath, we remove the old skin cells and grow healthier new ones in their place.  We do this in the natural world of skin care by using exfoliants and natural peel agents. As well as creating a good environment for healing and growing the new skin cells.  Here at The Natural Art of Skin Care we can help make this process understandable and achievable. Step-by-step! We have a variety of natural peel agents to best suit your skin:

Glycolic Acid - derived from Sugar Cane and is a AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid).  It is an acid that is used to remove lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, and scaring.  One of the most widely used in the skin care industry.

Lactic Acid - comes from sour milk and is an AHA  - naturally exfoliates without interrupting the skin's natural moisturizing factor.  Derived from sour milk, yogurt or beer, it is also an AHA used for its potent acidic properties to gently exfoliate and clarify the skin without the worry of dehydrating the skin.  Great for work on pigmentation too.

Salicylic - Derived from willow Bark and is a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid).  In this case it helps to break through oil and clogs and remove skin cells to reveal brighter newer looking skin. It is commonly used in acne peels as it has the ability to somewhat "reset" the sebaceous glands.

Natural Enzymes - papain from papaya, protease from pumpkin, bromelain from pineapples, malic from apples, etc. These are mild and great for sensitive skin types.

Sometimes we even use enzymes to "pre-peel" in house since they only digest dead skin cells, whilst leaving everything else intact. Used for pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and sensitive skin.

Important notes if you are considering a peel:

In-house peels are stronger than anything you can buy at a drug store. They require training and skill to use, and all peels should be overseen by an experienced medical esthetician.  Peels give great results, but need to be taken seriously. There is no safe level of sun exposure whilst getting a course of peels.  Please use extreme caution and wear sunscreen, physical sun protection, and don't plan to be out doors for long periods of time.  

Talk to your skin care professional to help better determine where peels will fit into your schedule.

Time to feed the skin 

In any good relationship - you cannot take without giving back.  This goes for skin care too; especially when you are peeling and taking away. If you take time to peel you must take time to feed your skin too...This is why skin care is so important to your overall goals of staying young or reversing the clock to more youthful skin.  The ingredients within the products that you spend your hard earned dollars on should feed your skin with natural, healthy vitamins and nutrition-rich ingredients to continue the anti-aging process for luminous, youthful skin. That's why at The Natural Art of Skin Care we only sell products with all natural, good for the skin, healing ingredients from popular organic lines such as Eminence and DerMed that yield fantastic results for clients with all skin types.