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Welcome to Pretty honest - a blog I started to create during lockdown to share my love for anything health, beauty and wellness.
When my business closed on the 23rd March 2020 due to the pandemic I quite literally did not know what to do with myself…. my business was a huge part of my life and suddenly that had stopped. With my daughter homeschooling, what was I to do other than throw myself into my own homeschooling
I spent hours reading and researching. I have always been a total geek when it comes to my work. I spend hours looking up the latest trends, reading clinical trials for the latest products and procedures. I love it...
With the power of technology, I was able to provide ongoing online skincare assessments for my clients via zoom consultations - in fact, this expanded and I now provide skincare advice for clients all over the world - with ongoing seasonal skincare reviews I am able to manage my clients' skincare near and far - this excites me greatly!!!!
My approach to skincare has always been totally bespoke with regular assessment -I mean you wouldn’t wear the same clothes in the summer as you do in the winter so why would you apply the same skincare???
Changes in lifestyle, hormones, stress levels and environmental surroundings mean your skin will need different things at different times - and let's be honest who hasn’t seen all these things impacted over the last 18 months?
The more I read and the more I researched the more I found the need for that 360-degree approach. Internal, External and mental. I began to experiment with things for myself and the results have blown me away.
Lockdown gave me the chance to invest more time in my self-care. A dedicated meditation and exercise practice, consistency with my internal and external skincare and looking at my diet all really changed how I look and felt.
I really started to look into collagen the main protein structure of our skin. The protein that holds us together and the thing that the majority of my clients are usually trying to induce with their in-clinic treatments.
Collagen is the protein that makes up 30% of all the protein in the human body. It is the main structural protein and is particularly abundant in the skin tissue.
Collagen acts as the substance that holds us together. Each collagen molecule is a microscopic strand that is strong and flexible. As well as the skin this is found in nails, hair, tendons, artery walls and even your cornea.
There are 14 types of collagen with types I, II, III being the most significant. Collagen works with naturally occurring hyaluronic acid to create strength within the skin.
Many things can impact the rate at which your body produces collagen - including, stress hormones (Read Cortisol and its effects on your skin), UV exposure and most commonly the natural ageing process. Collagen depletion starts in your mid-twenties and accelerates during and after the menopause where collagen production reduces by up to 3% per year.
This is where the 360-degree approach I spoke about earlier comes into play. Sure applying good creams and undertaking collagen inducing treatments like Venus Legacy Radiofrequency and micro-needling work to promote good strong skin tissue but what you do to your internal self plays a huge part too. Clinically proven health supplements such as Protocol, eating a diet high in antioxidants, vitamin c and ginseng and part-taking in regular meditation and yoga to reduce your stress hormones all contribute to making sure your collagen production is maximised...
Maybe it's time for you to look a little deeper into what is going on for you???