I recently had a Snow White magic mirror moment.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all!
Luckily, my mother aged gracefully and was a beautiful woman so theoretically I should be okay. However, in a moment of panic, I scheduled a free consultation at a med spa to consider my options.
Here is how I found some self-acceptance at the Med Spa and learned about what is the Medical Spa
The laser technician wanted to know what bothered me about my face. I have some dark circles (probably allergies), a jawline that is getting softer (Radiesse filler is apparently the solution for that along with some laser treatment to stimulate collagen) and a bit of sun damage and light acne scarring because I couldn’t always keep my hands to myself (chemical peel is the treatment of choice). Botox was also suggested, but I’m not going to have anyone stick botulism toxin into my face – not happening.
Then the product promotion started – more on that later.
Helpful Information
There are apparently four things that I MUST do for my skin.
- Wear sunscreen – broad spectrum (UVA and UVB protection) and SPF 30+ – check
- Use a retinol serum (skin tone improvement and a bit of wrinkle reduction) – check
- Use a vitamin C serum (antioxidant) – need to get some of that
- Human growth factor serum, which they would sell to me for $250. Really?
I also learned that I must take my weight, divide by two and that number is the number of ounces of water I need to drink each day. I’m a big believer in the power of drinking water.
Don’t Buy Products from a Med Spa Without Doing Research
If you haven’t heard of Paula Begoun, please go to her web site. She started off years ago with a book called Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. Thanks, mom for buying me the book – it literally saved me a fortune. There is a reason the cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar one. They are, for the most part, selling women a fantasy. They lie. Paula Begoun tests cosmetics, skincare products, the works and lets us know what is worth the money, what works, what doesn’t, and I never buy any cosmetic or skincare product without consulting her other web site – Beautipedia.
Major Oops
The well-meaning, but misinformed med spa folks told me I’d need their Retinol product because I couldn’t get medical strength ingredients anywhere else, like Sephora for example. I use Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM every night. It has 1.5% retinol along with other antioxidants and it’s Paula’s pick so I know it’s worth it. When I asked the MedSpa folks how much retinol was in their product they didn’t know. They called the company that makes it and learned that it contained 1.1% – less than the product I bought at Sephora. You could have heard a pin drop. They didn’t know what to say.
That $250 Skinmedica TNS Essential Serum? The human growth hormone miracle stuff? A potentially dangerous waste of money since the human growth hormone has not been sufficiently tested. While it has other good potentially effective ingredients, the price is way too high for those. For this price, I can get about three really good chemical peels.
Aging Gracefully and Self-Acceptance
No one is doing cartwheels about growing older. But unless I want to look like Joan Rivers, I need to accept what I can’t change – aging, have the courage to change what I can – my attitude, and the use of reasonable skincare to age as gracefully as possible, and the wisdom to know the one (sunscreen) from the other (fillers).
