***I’ve got an incredible Dermalogica discount for you at the end of the post—> you do not want to miss out on this one!!!
For my teenage years and most of my twenties I tried out every face wash possible in hopes to achieve clear skin. I would try everything and if a particular treatment worked for somebody else, I assumed that of course it had to work for me (spoiler—> it didn’t ha)! I experimented and bought these different items with one thing on my mind—> NO MORE ZITS. It never even entered my brain to think about the actual health of my skin or about what the ingredients were of what I was putting onto my skin. It was kind of like how I viewed food and exercise for my early twenties. I was motivated to eat the way I did and exercise the way I did by the look that it would produce, I didn’t think much about the actual health side of it all. I never even began to think about my digestive health until last fall when gastritis knocked me down for some time. The older I get, the more and more I think about my health as a whole, not just eating right and exercising—> but my overall health in so many different areas.
It wasn’t until I found Dermalogica that I truly started thinking about the HEALTH of my skin (our skin = is the largest organ on our body)!
Dermalogica was founded on the belief that good skin care is not about pampering/luxury… the brand is COMMITTED to skin health and helping us to achieve our healthiest skin. They believe that the best way to achieve healthy skin is through a regular regimen—> just like to achieve our running goals we need to stay consistent and make it a priority and part of our routine. This whole way of thinking has been really eye opening for me so excuse me if I seem a little too excited about it. I just can’t believe I had never really viewed the health of my skin as something so important before. I’m really grateful that I’ve had this experience so that I can be a good example for Brooke of taking care of my skin and help her over the years too!
The beauty of Dermalogica is that they help you to find the best regimen for YOU (our skin is so different from one another so why would we all use the same plan for our skin’s health?!?).
To figure out the most effective regimen for each person, Dermalogica employs FaceMapping! FaceMapping is a skin analysis that divides the face into 14 zones so a professional skin therapist can determine where skin conditions such as congestion, breakouts, dehydration, etc. might occur!!
FaceMapping is free at any authorized Dermalogica salon—> Like Ulta (I went to basalt in SLC and Amber ((above)) was amazing and the salon was beautiful). You can also try online SpeedMapping HERE and read more about FaceMapping HERE if you’d like.
Below is a picture of the 14 different zones that Amber analyzed on my face. We talked all about the different sections and how hormones, outdoor elements, aging, heredity all play a role in our skin.
I look so serious because I wanted to absorb every word she was saying. Nothing felt rushed, I felt like she truly wanted to educate me on something she was so passionate about which translated to me wanting to do everything I can from here on out to take care of my skin.
She then wrote out a plan of action for me based completely on my skin and my skin concerns.
I’ve gotten pretty good at covering up problem areas on my face with my makeup so I took a before picture (below) without my makeup a few months ago. I told Amber before my FaceMapping that two of my goals with Dermalogica were to protect my skin from further aging caused by things I can control (THE SUN for example) and to wear makeup less by being more confident with my skin. Both goals have been achieved.
PS something really important that I have started to think a lot more about lately is the ingredients list of everything I am putting on my body or in my body… EVERY product is formulated with ingredients backed by science and research (and without common ingredients that can cause irritation or breakouts, such as lanolin, mineral oil, SD alcohol, artificial color, and fragrances). Also, all of Dermalogica’s products are formulated to work together to achieve the best results.
At first I thought that this new morning and nighttime regimen was going to take a whole lot of time and result in me stopping after a week or two. Nope, it takes about 3-4 minutes and that is completely worth it to me with the results I am getting and knowing that I am truly taking care of my skin.
One of my favorite products is the daily microfoliant that I use each day. It is an exfoliating powder (you add a little water to it to make it a paste) and HOLY COW… I am hooked on this. My skin is so much smoother and balanced with this. I look forward to using it each day because it feels like it just cleans my skin so well and gets rid of all of the junk I don’t want to be there:)
Also the skin smoothing cream and multivitamin power firm are my favorite way to end my regimen. You know how good it feels after a long hot run and you are super thirsty and that first drink of water feels like heaven… that is how my skin feels with these. It feels like it is getting the hydration/moisturizing it needs and the softness levels afterwards—> yes please. The power firm is used around my eyes and it is full of vitamins C and E which help improve elasticity along with botanical extracts that help firm. I really wish I started using their products A LONG time ago but I’m grateful I have them from here on out to keep my skin healthy!
PS I asked my Amber (my skin expert) to share her tips for skin care and runners: “I would say that my number 1 tip would be to have a really great facial sunblock. One that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. One that is sweat proof and one that can be customized for your skin type. I feel Dermalogica does an amazing job at offering this spectrum. I also feel like it is important to drink plenty of water and be sure to cleanse the skin after a long run or extensive workout. Dermalogica offers skin purifying wipes that you can throw in your gym bag if you can’t wash right away. These are great for people that can be prone to breakouts. Using products that are professionally recommended for your skin type and skin condition can really go along way and make a huge difference as well. I have always said that when caring for your skin, it’s best to protect, preserve and prevent (the 3 P rule). Protecting your skin with SPF will protect your skin from aging and hyper pigmentation. Preserving your skin by following a good at home skin care routine will help maintain great skin. Prevent further aging and other skin conditions by following the first two rules.”
I really haven’t thought much about it until these last few months but we as runners sure exposure our skin to a lot! During the winter in Utah we have a ton of inversion, bigger cities experience a good amount of pollution and we are out in the sun A LOT (without a lot covering us especially in the warm months). I think that skin health is something that runners should especially be mindful of and pay attention to the 3 p rule—> protect, preserve, and prevent)! Adding the dynamic skin recovery (spf 50) by Dermalogica to my morning routine has been so nice because it is sweat proof and it keeps me protected while I’m out on the roads or trails. Routine is one of my love languages (is that a thing?) and having a skin routine each day now has helped my skin feel smoother, healthier and cleaner than ever.
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How do you take care of your skin’s health? Do you put on sunscreen before running?
Over the years, how has your definition of health changed?
What are you doing today to take care of your OVERALL health?
What’s making you happy today (I love hearing these things:)?
