The Truth About Aging and How To Fight Back

Is aging gracefully really a thing? Because I feel like just yesterday I was 23 without a wrinkle on my face or a bag under my eye. Fast forward to 8 years later and I feel like I have lines deeper than the Grand Canyon forming on my forehead and soon enough I’ll be mistaken for a raccoon with the dark circles that are invading my under eye area. Can I ask what the HELL happened in the past 8 years to make this happen? Was it because I didn’t start using that $250 face cream from Neimans when I was 22? What did I miss, what did I do wrong? Then it hit me. HELLO this is what aging looks like and it happens to the best of us.

Like most women in their early 30s, seeing the first signs of aging can be difficult. We start looking different and seeing changes that we may not like. We may wear more makeup to cover the things we hate or try to cover ourselves all together with large sunglasses as much as humanly possible. These are all things I have found myself doing, especially since I am constantly on camera and then find myself scrutinizing the photos of myself. I think this is normal and many women probably go through this when they start seeing signs of aging. As I am learning to accept myself and my age more and more, I still look for ways to put my best face forward.

Call it vein, call it what you want but I was curious to know if there was a way to slow down the signs of aging without needles or knives. So instead of buying another serum that promises the world, I decided to consult a professional. After some research, I came across Dr. West, owner and dermatologist at the West Institute. She was kind enough to see me and chat with me about my concerns, problem areas and solutions to help me achieve the skin I wanted to have. We talked about it all, my sun damage, wrinkles forming, blemishes that have left scars, smile lines, the bags under my eyes, etc. We were able to pinpoint the things that bothered me the most and we came up with a solution and plan of attack that I felt comfortable with.

Dr. West offers everything from routine skin checks to laser treatments and botox at her office which gives you the option to go whichever route you want to go (no judgement) when addressing your skin issues. It’s really about finding a treatment or a skincare regimen that you feel most comfortable with. After she laid out all of my options, I decided to start with addressing my sun spots on my cheeks with IPL lasers and also by doing a Clear and Brilliant Peel at a later date to help clear up my complexion. After we came up with our plan she recommended that I have a dermaplane facial done before I went home, this is a simple and safe procedure for exfoliating the dead layers of skin and ridding the skin of fine vellus hair (peach fuzz). Sounds weird but the results are amazing and left me with a more refined, smooth, “glowing” appearance. Highly recommend this treatment to anyone and everyone, it is even safe for pregnant or nursing moms! She started me on her nightly Retinol cream to fight the wrinkles from forming (which I am loving!) and recommended eye creams and moisturizers that would keep my skin hydrated and plump. She also recommended sticking to a healthy diet and making sure that I drink tons of water throughout the day, which was a great reminder because I know I don’t hydrate nearly enough as I should.

Overall, I left my consultation feeling comfortable and confident about our game plan and beyond excited that I will be able to share this journey with you. I will be sharing before and after photos along with a video blog of my IPL and Clear and Brilliant treatment, so you see exactly what goes into these treatments and any results that I may see.

I have listed my current day and night skincare favorites below. This is what I have been using lately and been loving! What are your favorite skincare products to help you fight aging skin?

Day Time Skin Routine

Coola Makeup Setting Spray with 30 SPF, Coola Mineral Sunscreen, Calm Glow Eye Gel, Lancome Visonnaire 1 Minute Blur Primer, Boscia Hydrating Gel, Coola Lip Balm and YSL Forever Eye Fluid for Dark Circles.

Night Time Skin Routine

YSL Forever Eye Zone Serum, Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, Georgia Louise Sleeping Beauty Oil (On Sale!) and West Institute Ultra Gloss Retinol Cream.

If you are interested in speaking with someone about putting a game plan together for your skin, I recommend you see Dr. West at her office in Chevy Chase, MD. She is professional, extremely knowledgeable, kind and will help you address your problem areas in way that you will feel comfortable with. I am excited to share my journey to a more youthful complexion with you, so be sure to check back in the next month for updates!

xo

Sarah