S.O.S. #5: Common Beauty Mistakes You Need to Know About

I have missed writing my Science of Skincare (S.O.S.) posts, so I’m back today with one that I think everyone needs to read! If you have ideas for future S.O.S. topics you want me to tackle, please leave a comment below or message me with your idea. To see previous S.O.S. posts click here.

In this new world of influencers it can be difficult to distinguish who we can trust to get our information from. My recommendation is to ALWAYS do your research yourself. Even if you’re getting your information from ME! haha You know yourself best. If someone is constantly promoting specific brands but doesn’t seem to know much about the product, etc, be wary of what they are saying and look into the product a little further before you purchase it.

These warnings are what have inspired this post. While I am a complete product junkie at heart, I also have a license in skincare and a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology. I am constantly seeing people promoting products and giving wrong information. Am I perfect? NO WAY! But I am always thinking of what I can do to teach healthier skincare so I want to give tips where I can for those who want to learn!

With that being said, here are some common beauty mistakes that I’ve recently seen on social media that I want to talk about. At the very least, I hope you learn from this how easy it is to spread bad information and to think twice before doing what the internet tells you, (even including this post)!

Mistake #1: You don’t need an SPF during the day if you put on an exfoliating product at night.

I often see people talking about how you should put exfoliating products on at night because if you use them during the day, you need to wear an SPF with them…while technically it’s true that you need an SPF during the day if you apply them, you still need one if you apply it at night! This means if you apply an exfoliating product (i.e. scrubs, toners, chemically exfoliating night mask, etc) you need to wear your SPF for DAYS afterwards, even if you only apply it once. (P.S. that shouldn’t be a big deal though because you wear your daily SPF though….right?! haha). Let’s dive into this a little further.

The reason you use these products at night is because while you are sleeping your body does most of it’s repairative work. So your expensive serums and moisturizers are best to be used at night. We often exfoliate at night before applying these products so that we get better product penetration and max effectiveness.

When you exfoliate your skin you are ridding the top surface of it, from dead skin cells. This means you are exposing fresher, newer cells that haven’t been exposed to the sun. THIS is the reason you need to be wearing your SPF consistently after an exfoliation. It’s not like the exfoliating ingredients are going to magically make you burn if the sun hits them.

If this process doesn’t make sense to you…PLEASE message me and I can explain this further. Sun protection is the NUMBER ONE way to prevent damaging and aging your skin.

Mistake #2: Using a mist a the end of a skincare routine.

I get that mists are a big thing right now, and they can be extremely beneficial for hydration and calming your skin, but if you apply them after moisturizing, you’re wasting the product. Light mists simply cannot penetrate over products with a thicker viscosity. When structuring your skincare routine, you want to use the thinnest products first, and move towards thicker ones, leaving your oils and heavy creams for the end. They will have such a hard time absorbing and won’t give you the skincare benefits you are thinking you are getting.

Mistake #3: Rubbing my face is the best way to apply products.

The way in which you apply a product can often be JUST as important as the product you are applying. Think about how often you do your skincare routine. For most of us, that is twice a day. If you are pulling on your skin twice a day, over time that is going to leave some serious damage to your skin. We already have to do so much to combat aging, why add to it?

Overall you need to be doing more patting and less rubbing when applying, but if you want to know the proper way to apply different types of products, PLEASE read my post “How to Touch Your Face” here. I think this one is really important. When in doubt, always remember to use less pressure and move in an upward and outward direction.

Remember, take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt, ESPECIALLY when it comes to your health. Do your research. Not everything works the same for everyone. But learn to establish good habits for yourself. You owe it to yourself.

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Science of Skincare (S.O.S. #4): Cleaning Up Your Skincare Routine

I'm going to warn you in advance that this post is going to be longer than normal. I am cleaning out my skincare and getting rid of the chemicals. This has been something that I have been thinking about doing for a long time. In the last few months I have been thinking about health, fitness, my diet, and more in a different way and that is what prompted me to think about the products I was using on my skin on a daily basis. I have always considered health to be a vital part of my skincare so I felt like this was a natural progression for me. 

With any big changes like this, you have to start small because it's too expensive to do every product I use right now at once. I didn't want to empty my entire medicine cabinet and skincare shelf into the trash so in this post I am going to share my process with cleaning up my skincare routine and my thoughts behind my decisions. If the thought of this is something you have been toying with, I highly suggest you grab a drink and snack and read this post thoroughly. I personally am starting with skincare because I use it twice a day, every day. Next I will move to hair products, and then my every day makeup routine. I say every day because I am not as concerned about a lipstick I wear once a year. I am the most concerned about the products I am applying to my skin every day so I will be focusing there first! So let's dive right in.

Let me start by giving you a little background on the ingredients that are used in skincare products. If you know me, you know that I am a huge label reader and recommend products based on their ingredients, not their brand names or claims. The reason you see such a large margin between high end and low end products, is because most ingredients can be synthetically made. Some skincare companies pay the money to source ingredients naturally, which you see reflected in the price tag. I feel like there is this misconception that you need chemicals in order to see results with skincare but this is not the case. There are so many naturally occurring acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and more that can be used to create amazing products that will be healthier for you and still give you great results. 

When I decided to embark on this journey I first turned to my favorite app called Think Dirty. You can also visit the EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database here, if you want to do it on your computer. I had had the Think Dirty app on my phone for a long time, but was terrified to see just how bad the products I was using were, so I hadn't done much with it. In a nutshell, the app allows you to search or scan the bar code of almost 1 million different products and they rate them on a scale of 0 to 10; 0-3 being healthy for your skin, 4-7 being moderately bad for your skin, and 8-10 being the worst for you skin. Not only does it rate them, it allows you to look at why they get the rating they do. Each ingredient in the product is also rated so if it has a high rating it will show you the ingredients that are causing it to rate so high. It will then tell you the purpose of the ingredient and if it's linked to being carcinogenic, causing developmental & reproductive toxicity, or causing allergies & immunotoxicities. 

If a product wasn't listed in the app, which seems to be the case for a lot of newer products and brands, I would first submit the product to the app (a feature I love) and then I would hop on my computer and search ingredient by ingredient on the Skin Deep Database I mentioned above. Now I want to list some of the ingredients I am trying to stay away from and how I decide if I'm ok with keeping a moderately bad product in my skincare routine. 

Ingredients to Avoid (All information on ingredients is either from my brain from years of skincare training or the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetic Database):

• Mineral Oil: MIneral oil is a cheap oil made from petroleum that traps moisture in skin, but doesn't actually hydrate the skin. It simply doesn't do anything for us and can even trap bacteria in the skin and pores. There is belief that it could be a possible human immune system toxicant and since it doesn't actually do anything for the skin and comes from petroleum I say, DO WITHOUT IT!
• Parabens: If you are familiar with skincare, you probably know that a lot of companies are straying away from the use of parabens as preservatives because of it's possible link to cancer and how it can mimic estrogen in the body. For this reason, it's going on my DIRTY list.
• Phenoxyethanol: This is an ingredient that I think will be one of the hardest to stay away from, because it seems to be in everything!! haha Again this is a fragrance or preservative ingredient and is restricted in Japan in cosmetics in certain quantities. I've noticed it often in cleaners and toners, but can be in moisturizers as well.
• Propylene Glycol: This one is a humectant and skin conditioning ingredient that has been associated with skin irritations and dermatitis. After reading about how it is a probably carcinogen, I've decided it's on my DIRTY list. 
• Synthetic Colors (Yellow 5, Red 40, etc.): In my opinion, there is no reason that a skincare product needs to be colored a certain way. If there is naturally occurring pigment in the ingredients that is fine, but do not add synthetic colors that are made from petroleum just so the mask is orange. To me this is an easy one to get rid of so welcome to the DIRTY list!
• Benzalkonium Chloride: A surfactant found is many household cleaning supplies, I have no use for it in my cleansers! It has been shown to be a skin, respiratory, and eye irritant. 
• Triethanolamine: This is a relative of Nitrosamines, which are a very likely carcinogen, which means that it is a very possible health hazard. It is used as a buffering and emulsifying agent and will no longer be irritating my skin.
• Polysorbate 20/PEG Sorbitan Laurate : These are similar in that they are derivatives of Lauric Acid, and they have an extremely high contamination of Ethylene Oxide and 1,4 Dioxane which are very highly likely to be carcinogens. Lauric Acid is the fatty acid found in coconut oil that is totally fine and healthy for your skin. However, these forms of it, are very much a toxicant and welcomed on the DIRTY list. 

Ok this list could probably go on and on, but I will stop now and encourage to use this website and app to go through your own collection. If I come across more research and more ingredients that I will be omitting for sure, I will made sure to write new posts updating those who want the info! For now I will be for sure eliminating those above.

Now let me describe some of my decisions regarding ingredients and how I read labels. First off, it's important for you to know that the order that ingredients are listed shows which are in higher quantities. The first listed ingredient makes up the most of that product, the second being the second most, and so on until the last ingredient has the least concentration within. This is important to note because it can help you decide if that product is good for you or not. My biggest concern is usually the first half of the ingredients. I do not want a single chemical in those. Ideally, there wouldn't be a chemical in the whole label, but if I have a product that I love and works well for my skin and the second to last ingredient is a chemical, I might consider using it occasionally because I know the concentration is lower. 

Next, I look for the purpose of the ingredient. Sometimes products will be rated higher because they contain an ingredient like Glycolic Acid which exfoliates the skin. That glycolic acid could be listed as a potential skin irritant for this, which is fine with me because that's the reason I'm using it. I want it to break down the skin and exfoliate the dead cells off. As long as that Glycolic Acid is coming from a more natural source like maybe sugar cane, I am fine with it and don't consider that product to be a hazard. 

Now if you are thinking about making this transition with me into cleaning up your skincare, your next question is probably about how to make that transition. My recommendation is to do it slowly and phase out products as you use them up and purchase only healthy alternatives. If you have brand new bottles or back ups on hand, try returning them or giving them away to friends that don't necessarily care about the chemicals in their skincare (to each their own!).

So what does this mean for Andrea Fontana Beauty? I am a firm believer in putting your money into the health of you skin first so from here on out, I will not be recommending skin care products that are not clean for your skin. I will include you on this journey and plan on doing a follow up post asap, as to what products I've had to get rid of and what I've replaced them with. When I move on to hair care and every day makeup products I will do the same. For makeup however, I will continue to recommend, try and use all brands of products because I do not use the same things every day and still need high performance products for wedding day and special event makeup. For me this isn't an all or nothing process. As long as I'm converting 75% of what is going on my face and body every day, I will consider that a win. 

Again, I'm not encouraging you to throw out everything you own, but rather look where you can make some healthier changes in your every day routines. As always send all questions my way and let me know how you feel about this topic in a comment below!

Have a beautiful week,

Andrea

Science of Skincare (S.O.S. #3): What is Cell Turnover and Why Should I Care About it?

Welcome back!

Today I am going to be educating you on what cell turnover is and why you should care about yours. If you aren't that familiar with the skin and don't spend much time taking care of it, this is extremely important for you to know about. Cell turnover is huge when it comes to combating aging and keeping your skin healthy and glowing.  I will be talking about exfoliation as well a little later on because it is a vital step in maintaining good cell turnover. If your mind immediately goes to apricot scrub, PLEASE do not stop reading this (also please throw it in the trash). 

So what is cell turnover? It's the process of new cells being created in the lowest level of the epidermis and moving outwards towards the outermost layers, to where they will eventually slough off as dead skin cells. When targeted, it can help with so many skin issues which is helpful when trying to combat more than one issue at a time.

As we age, the time that it takes for a cell to move through this process and become a dead skin cell lengthens, meaning your cells aren't renewing as quickly. This is why skin starts to lose it's glow as we age. The dead skin cells can sit on the surface causing your skin to look dull and can prevent products from penetrating well. No matter how much you try to, you cannot hydrate a dead skin cell. Ever wondered why a baby's bottom is so smooth? They have ridiculous rates of cell proliferation and their skin cells turnover very quickly. Did I just depress you? Hopefully I can bring your spirits back up by telling you how exfoliation can combat aging!

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. It can be done by buffing, scrubbing, chemically breaking down different components of the skin and more. It's generally broken down into two different categories of physical and chemical exfoliation; physical being those that buff or scrub the dead skin cells away and chemical being those that dissolve the keratin or other cells to get rid of the dead skin cells. The exact type of exfoliation that you need is completely dependent on your skin and preferences (although if you've read previous posts you probably already know that I believe in chemical over physical for most).  

If you're going to use a physical exfoliator you want to make sure that the ingredients creating the exfoliation can dissolve (i.e. sugar, jojoba beads (made of wax),etc.). Things like apricot scrubs can cause micro-tears in the skin so please don't use them EVER. If you have any acne you definitely want to stray away from physical exfoliation because it can spread bacteria and increase inflammation. 

Chemical exfoliators are what I believe to be the most ideal for most skin types. I prefer to gently exfoliate a little bit every day instead of doing a really harsh form of exfoliation once in a while. This ensures that my cells are turning over consistently. I like it too because of the added benefits of keeping my pores unclogged and my skin less likely to break out. To do this, I recommend a few different types of products. You could use AHA's, BHA's, fruit enzymes, rice enzyme powders, or Retinoids, just to name a few. They vary in strength and carry other benefits besides exfoliation. For example, Glycolic Acid is my favorite AHA and while it's great for gently exfoliating my skin (I use it in my toner every night with Lactic Acid), it also helps stimulate collagen, thicken my skin, and aids in moisture retention for my skin. Some fruit enzymes can also contain brightening properties. If you have more questions about which chemical exfoliant is right for you, please send me an email or message and I'd be happy to help you. Below I've listed some examples of these chemical exfoliators (**Amazon links are affiliate links meaning I make a percentage of the sale if purchased through my link. If this makes you uncomfortable please feel free not to use. If you do, thank you! Your support helps me bring more content to you!)

Here's a quick list of benefits in speeding up cell turnover regarding different skin issues:
1. Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (i.e. acne scarring): increasing cell turnover helps bring darkened and damaged cells to the surface and the scarring fades. 
2. Sun Damage: depending on the amount of damage, increasing cell turnover can fade and lighten sun spots.
3. Dry skin: product absorption is much more effective when there are no dead skin cells building up on the surface.
4. Aging: serums and treatment products are more effective because they can penetrate.
5. Acne: pores are less likely to become trapped with dirt and oil and house bacteria, if dead skin cells aren't sitting on the surface. 
6. Dullness: removing dead skin cells can remove the dull look of your skin and bring back your glow. Newer cells just simply look better than old ones. 
7. Fine Lines: plumper and newer cells will decrease the appearance of fine lines. 

I hope you learned more about your skin today and what you can do to combat aging and keep it healthy! As always, leave a comment below with requests for more S.O.S. topics that you'd like to see.

Until the next post,

Andrea 

Science of Skincare (S.O.S. #2): Dry vs. Dehydrated

For this month's S.O.S. post I wanted to tackle a subject that can be very confusing for people when trying to understand their skin and pick the correct products for their specific skin type. As the title explains above, today I'm going to be explaining the science behind the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin. While many people are considered dry skin, any skin type can be dehydrated. 

What is dry skin? Dry skin is a skin type that is lacking oil, or sebum. Oil acts as a lubricant for our skin, helping it retain water and prevent premature aging. When your skin has  a hard time retaining water it can lead to your skin cells not being able to function properly. Some people experience dry skin during certain seasons or all the time. It is extremely common to become drier as our skin ages and becomes thinner. Remember! Your skin type can change later in life. 

So what can you do? The first thing you need to make sure you are doing regularly is exfoliating. If you have dry, dead skin cells on the surface, you cannot moisturize those to make your skin feel nourished again. Next, you need to look for products with lipid based ingredients (oils are great) that focus on moisturization, NOT hydration. Your goal is add lipids to the surface to make up for your sebaceous glands not producing enough sebum.  

What is dehydrated skin? Dehydrated skin is that which is lacking water. This means that EVERY skin type can be dehydrated, even oily ones. Water is key in happy functioning cells as well. When your skin is hydrated it will appear more plump, smooth, and glowy. Hydrated skin also hide fine lines and wrinkles better. If you live in an extremely dry environment it's common to be dehydrated. 

So what can you do? If you find that you have dehydrated skin up your water intake first. I know I probably sound like a broken record when saying this, but water consumption is huge for your skin, especially when you are stressed, sick, or busy (hello all of us). Next, look for products that contain humectants because these ingredients attract water to hydrate NOT moisturize the skin. Humectants, like Hyaluronic Acid and Sodium Hyaluronate, are great for helping your skin bind water (up to 1000% their weight). Using a night cream with a small percentage of Glycolic Acid can also be beneficial, as Glycolic Acid also binds to water and has a small molecular size so it penetrates well. Another Fall/Winter tip is to sleep with a humidifier in your bedroom at night. It's so helpful for dehydrated skin to be in more humid air while sleeping. 

If you have questions as to whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, please comment below or send me a message! I'd be happy to help you determine if these apply to you. If you have suggestions for my next S.O.S. post, please let me know.

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Science of Skincare (S.O.S. #1): Glycolic Acid

If you've spoken to me about skincare before it probably comes at no surprise that my first S.O.S. post would be about Glycolic Acid. I say it all the time, that it is my favorite skincare ingredient and I will never stop using it (even when eventually pregnant because FUN FACT: it's safe to use during pregnancy). 

So what's the big deal? Why do I love it so much? Well Glycolic Acid works in many ways on the skin to help increase cell turnover, hydrate, stimulate collagen, thicken the skin, fade hyperpigmentation, decrease fine lines and wrinkles, improve texture, keep breakouts away, and so much more! Today I'm going to give you a brief overview of what Glycolic Acid does for us on a scientific level and then recommend some of my favorite products if you would like to start incorporating it into your regular at home skincare regimen. 

Glycolic Acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid or A.H.A. known for it's tiny molecular size which allows for it's effectiveness when penetrating the skin. Dervived from sugars like sugar cane, it's great for all skin types including those who are sensitive. It works on an epidermal and dermal level which is how it gives us so many beneficial results.

On the epidermal level, Glycolic Acid breaks down the desmosomes, or glue, that bind dead skin cells together. Dissolve the glue that holds the dead skin cells down, and you have an effective way to exfoliate them. This ultimately increases cell turnover, since you're encouraging newer cells to come to the surface, which helps fade sunspots, acne scars, melasma, fine lines, and reveal fresher and brighter skin. It also helps dissolve sebum, which is why it's great for clearing up congestion and texture issues in pores. I often recommend it to people if they feel excess oil is being trapped in their pores on a regular basis. 

On the dermal level, it stimulates the collagen and works to increase the thickness of the skin. As we age it's important to focus on thickening the skin or maintaining thickness to prevent aging. Glycolic Acid also helps draw water molecules in the air into the skin which helps you retain moisture and ultimately look hydrated and plumped. 

So I'm guessing one or more of these benefits has intrigued you and you're wondering how can you incorporate Glycolic Acid into your skincare routine? Below you'll find first, the two ways that I incorporate Glycolic Acid into my skincare routine daily and weekly. Then I have a list of links of everything from Cleansers to Masks, that I recommend you trying. If you have any questions of which ones would work best for you, please shoot me a message or email and I'd be happy discuss further or set up a 1 on 1 skincare consultation with you!

I currently use the Dermadoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Healthy Toner ($39) every morning and night after cleansing. If you are new to glycolic acid start off by using it every other night and build up to twice a day. Then once a week I use the Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask ($14.99). 

Cleansers: Dermadoctor Wrinkle Revenge Antioxidant Enchanced Glycolic Acid Racial Cleanser ($32), Exuviance Clarifying Facial Cleanser ($36), Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser ($16). 

Toners: Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner ($16), Exuviance Moisture Balance Toner ($32), Peter Thomas Roth 8% Glycolic Solutions Toner ($40). 

Treatments: Exuviance Performance Peel AP25 ($77), First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads ($30), Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive ($42). 

Moisturizers: Exuviance Glycolic Expert Moisturizer ($46), Cane + Austin Facial Moisture Cream ($80), Ole Henriksen Counter Balance Oil Control Hydrator ($34). 

So there you have it! My love affair with Glycolic Acid explained! As usual these recommendations are only that; please reach out to me with specific questions for your skincare routine. I recommend only trying one new product at a time to give them an honest shot (You will only need at most, two of those products incorporated at once in your daily/weekly routine).

If you have recommendations for the next S.O.S. topic, please be sure to leave a comment below so I can address it in the future!

Have a beautiful day!

-Andrea

Science of Skincare (S.O.S.)

I've decided to come up with a new series on my blog! I recently asked on my Facebook page if you guys would be interested in my posting of content focused on education in skincare. As a science nerd, I love sharing the why's and how's of products and procedures, so that you can truly understand the importance. So I brainstormed and came up with the title you see above. 'Science of Skincare' or S.O.S. Posts will cover topics like explaining key ingredients in products, the makeup of your skin, the science behind procedures, and so much more. If you have questions or suggestions for ideas, please let me know! I already have some ideas including my first post on Glycolic Acid and explaining my love affair with it! I also have some extremely exciting news that I will be sharing soon, so STAY TUNED!! 

Sending love and happiness to you always, 

Andrea