​The wedding date is set, and the venue is booked, but what about the bride? How are you going to get picture perfect skin for your big day and a look that won’t let you down on the wedding photos? Start thinking about when to schedule your facials and treatments and do your homework before the big day and you can have a gorgeous glow that makes you smile even more on your wedding day... Start Early with Skincare Treatments There’s no quick fix to wedding perfect skin, so starting early will do you major favors. Most experts suggest starting your pre-wedding skincare routine a year in advan One treatment you may want to add to your pre-wedding prep list is microdermabrasion. It can smooth out your skin’s appearance and helps to reduce the appearance of enlarged pores – as does glycolic acid and other chemical peels. The right skincare treatments will work wonders as part of a pre-wedding routine, helping to exfoliate away the layers of dead skin and minimize pore surface. Chemical peels are a great pre-wedding skin primer as they slough off dead skin and bring new, fresh skin to the surface, ready for your close ups. To get the best from this treatment, you will need more than one session, ideally six sessions, a few weeks or more apart, depending on how close your wedding date is. Clean Up at Home You’ll want to keep your skin as blemish free as possible for your wedding and the work starts at home with suitable skin products. Use a mild face wash or cleanser that’s suitable for your skin type, skip the toner – it makes oil production worse - and add oil-free moisturizer. Don’t overdo the cleansing as excessive face washing makes your pores produce even more sebum, leading to even oilier skin. Get Your Moisturizer Perfect This is where you also need advice from an expert. Getting a good moisturizer that hydrates well but doesn’t make your skin oily is paramount for perfect wedding skin. If you have oily or combination skin, you need to hydrate but without adding too much extra moisture so look for an oil-free formula with hyaluronic acid to help skin hold onto moisture. Hyaluronic acid is also good for drier and normal skin, but there’s no need to find an oil-free formula. For sensitive skin, just look for a gentle, preferably fragrance-free product. Your esthetician will be able to recommend a skincare range that works with your skin and give you any advice you need on what to use. Keep Your Lips Kissable You’ll be doing a lot of kissing on your wedding day, so make sure your lips are in tip top condition by protecting them with a moisturizing lip balm with SPF. This is especially important if you’re prone to chapping or spend lots of time outdoors

We all know how important it is to choose the right skincare products. If you get your products right, they will leave your skin looking and feeling at its best. They can help to improve skin condition if you have acne, dry skin, and sensitivity or if your skin is starting to show signs of aging. There is such a wide choice of products on the market that it can be hard to decide which one to try. Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you select the right skincare products for your needs. What’s your skin type and what does it need? We recommend having a professional consultation to truly determine your actual skin type and pick up on any specific needs you might have overlooked. An esthetician will take a really close look at your skin and help you to decide what the priorities are for your skincare routine. She may tell you something about your skin that you don’t know - for example, even if you think your skin is just a bit dry, it could be because it’s sensitive too, and you just didn’t realize that you were using products that irritated it? Changing your products to a professional range that’s specially designed for your skin type could make all the difference. Why go professional? There are commercials everywhere for skincare products and they all promise beautiful skin. Some are cheap and available from drugstores anywhere but the professional ranges are more expensive and exclusive, so why would you opt for a professional product? Drug store and department store beauty products can be sold by anyone, because they normally contain lower levels of active ingredients. They are cheaper because they can be easily mass produced and have a very long shelf life. Buying from a salon, spa or esthetician means you get an extra level of recommendation – you’re not just buying from an advertising agency’s copy but you’ve got the benefit of the esthetician’s experience and training in helping you find a suitable product as well as a better quality product with better active ingredients. You’ll also find that most estheticians have a money-back guarantee, so that if a recommended product doesn’t suit you after all, you can return it and try another one. Estheticians carefully research their product lines, and are educated on ingredients, how to use the different products, and will educate you on how to best take care of your skin. What’s in a cosmeceutical? Cosmeceuticals, sold by licensed estheticians tend to contain higher concentrations of active ingredients – only medical grade products sold by doctors are legally allowed to contain more active ingredients. Professional skincare companies put a great deal of money into researching cosmeceuticals; they use hi-tech ingredients like peptides, enzymes, plant stem cells and vitamins. They also benefit from the most advanced latest delivery systems. If you want to do something fantastic for your skin – book a session with a professional esthetician to get to know your skin properly. You don’t always have to book a facial to get professional product recommendations, although this will give your esthetician a complete look at your skin. Most estheticians offer product consultations and can create a customized plan for your skin based on your concerns and their expertise.

What is rosacea, and how is it treated?
Rosacea (rose-AY-sha) is a chronic skin disease that causes varying degrees of redness and swelling, primarily on the face, but also at times on the scalp, neck, ears, chest, and back. It is considered a vascular disorder (a disorder of the blood vessels).
The condition can develop over a long period of time and is more common in adults, particularly those with fair skin. More women get it than men, though in men the condition is often more pronounced. Severe, untreated rosacea can lead to a disfigurement of the nose called rhinophyma.
There are four grades of rosacea:

• Grade 1: Mostly redness.
• Grade 2: Pimples and other blemishes.
• Grade 3: Edemas (swelling due to fluid retention) and inflammatory bumps on the nose.
• Grade 4: Symptoms affecting the eyes.

No one knows the cause of rosacea, but it is thought to run in families and can be aggravated by environmental factors and diet. Although rosacea can be accompanied by pustules, it is not acne. Researchers believe rosacea might be caused by several things: abnormal function of the blood vessels, sun damage, and an abnormal inflammatory reaction.
People with rosacea often learn that certain things trigger their flare-ups. It is believed that fluctuations in temperature (especially extreme heat or cold) is a common trigger. Spicy foods and alcohol consumption can also cause flare-ups.
How is rosacea treated?
The key to rosacea treatment is to catch it early. It may start with skin that merely flushes red. Reducing skin temperature and calming the skin is usually the first objective. Once inflammation is under control, other treatments follow. There are many treatments, including topical agents containing azelaic acid or the antibiotic metronidazole. Both have proven helpful in relieving the symptoms of rosacea. Your physician may also prescribe internal antibiotics in the tetracycline family. Esthetically, rosacea is treated with chemical exfoliation, ultrasonic treatments, and calming, soothing, hydrating treatments.
While not a cure, any of these treatments can help control symptoms, sometimes for several years. Self-treatment is not advised, beyond a simple and gentle cleansing routine. Some over-the-counter remedies may actually worsen symptoms, as will aggressive scrubbing and rubbing.  Your licensed esthetician may refer you to a dermatologist for evaluation and medical support.
What to expect from a rosacea treatment
Be ready to fill out a medical questionnaire and describe what medications and skin care
products you are using. Your therapist will do an analysis of your skin, look for any interactions between products and medications, and devise a treatment plan that’s suitable for your unique needs. Be prepared to commit to a series of treatments and a home care regimen.
After your professional treatment, your skin care therapist can recommend a home treatment plan, as well as follow-up professional treatments. Your skin may be more sensitive after treatment. Many professional skin care lines provide specialized products that sooth the inflammation of rosacea. Your esthetician will carefully choose products for you that are least likely to irritate your skin.

​Information supplied by ASCP

Moles, brown spots and growths on the skin are usually harmless — but not always. Anyone who has more than 100 moles is at greater risk for melanoma. The first signs can appear in one or more atypical moles. That's why it's so important to get to know your skin very well and to recognize any changes in the moles on your body. Look for the ABCDE signs of melanoma, and if you see one or more, make an appointment with a physician immediately.

A. Asymmetrical- This benign mole is not asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle, the two sides will match, meaning it is symmetrical. If you draw a line through this mole, the two halves will not match, meaning it is asymmetrical, a warning sign for melanoma.

B. Borders - A benign mole has smooth, even borders, unlike melanomas.
​The borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.

C. Color - Most benign moles are all one color— often a single shade of brown. Having a variety of colors is another warning signal. A number of different shades of brown, tan or black could appear. A melanoma may also become red, white or blue.

All information can be found at ​http://www.skincancer.org/