Category Archives: Skin Care

Skin Care

Sun Protection: So Much More Than Sunscreen

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Calgary, it doesn’t matter if this summer is just going to be staycation-central due to COVID-19 because the sun still shines brightly over our big skies! 

That’s why, this July, we here at SkinScience are going to be detailing everything you could ever want to know about sun protection. Be sure to follow us on both Facebook and Instagram for science-backed sun protection factoids throughout the month, and keep reading to learn SkinScience Clinic’s sun protection tips, tricks, facts, and recommendations! 

SkinScience-Endorsed Sun Protection Tip of the Month: The Less Stuff You Put On Your Skin, the Better!

“Marie,” you may be thinking, “what in the world are you talking about?!” To which I’ll put it this way: one of the many well-documented topics in SkinScience’s blog section is the idea that, similarly to how you wouldn’t wear the same outfit through all four seasons, your at-home skin care routine needs to adapt accordingly to the weather. 

Meaning? That you shouldn’t be slathering your skin with heavy products; instead, keep it light and let your skin breathe by prioritizing your daytime skin care routine. Which ingredients? Well…

SkinScience-Endorsed Sun Protection Product Recommendations of the Month: Antioxidants and Mineral Sunscreens

Brace yourself for the truth bomb that is about to be dropped on you. Ready? Okay.

Some sunscreens trigger more wrinkles and fine lines than they prevent. Yes, really! We here at SkinScience Clinic know that it sounds unbelievable. The reasoning? Chemical SPF ingredients, namely Avobenzone and Octocrylene, may produce free radicals while they absorb UV rays. It’s crazy, we know! To dodge this skin care bullet, we highly recommend opting for a mineral sunscreen instead; your skin will thank you for picking one starring zinc oxide and titanium dioxide!

“What about antioxidants?” you may be wondering. Layering antioxidants in a serum beneath your sunscreen is a fantastic way to enhance your sunscreen’s protection while soothing inflammation, acne, or visible signs of aging. Depending on your skin’s needs, we here at SkinScience Clinic recommend that you choose one of the following to layer beneath your sunscreen of choice:

SkinScience-Endorsed Sun Protection Fact of the Month: The Difference Between Ultra Violet Rays (and Why it Matters!)

Not all sun protection is created equal: learning the difference between UVA, UVB, and UVC is crucial when contemplating your daily sun protection plan.

  • UVC: As strong cancer-causing UV rays, UVCs are (thankfully) absorbed by the ozone layer but can be found in man-made items such as sanitizing bulbs and mercury lamps.
  • UVB: the top cause of sunburns, brown spots and sun-related skin damage, UVBs can negatively impact unprotected skin in as little as 15 minutes.
  • UVA: found both naturally and in tanning beds, UVAs penetrate both glass and clouds and are the chief perpetrator of visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and laxity.

The takeaway? Plan your sun protection regimen around what time of day you’re planning on heading out and how long you’ll be out for. With that being said, don’t skimp out on sunscreen just because you’ll be indoors: those aging rays can and will reach you, so slather on that sunscreen to save yourself grief in the long-run!

SkinScience-Endorsed Sun Protection Trick of the Month: Cover Up!

It’s so deceivingly simple, we know, but it’s one of Marie’s favourites! After all, think about it this way: the less stuff you put on your skin, the better. 

By covering up when you can (even if that means a cover-up when you’re not swimming or a wide-brimmed hat when you’re out in the garden), you dodge having to reapply your sunscreen as frequently as if you had no clothing protection at all.

In Short: Start Getting Serious About Your Sun Protection, Calgary!

Stay beautiful throughout your staycation this summer, Calgary, and be sure to keep an eye out for future blogs all about how to get the most out of your sun protection. Plus? Reach out today to talk to Marie Bertrand, SkinScience’s founder and skin care authority, or book one of our top-selling summer-ready dermaplaning treatments!

Skin Care

A Strong At-Home Skin Care Routine: The “Marathon” Your Skin Deserves!

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Earlier this month we gave you five of our favourite at-home skin care routine tips that will keep your skin healthy and glowing regardless of whether you can come visit us at our physical location here in downtown Calgary or not (after all, despite self-isolation restrictions being lifted we never know if they could be put in place again!)

Our first and second at-home skin care blogs back in May were such a hit that we knew we had to keep the topic going… which is why we’re ending the topic with a “bang” today! Below are six of SkinScience Clinic’s best at-home skin care routine advice, product recommendations, and skin facts that will change the way you think of the “marathon” that is your home skin care regimen!

Emerging Beauty Tip #1: Sip Some Collagen

Since collagen production begins to decline in our early twenties, supplementing it quickly becomes essential for plump, youthful skin. The solution? Rather than turning to topical collagen, whose molecules are too large to properly impact our skin, adding collagen to your diet is the easiest and most consistent way you can supplement your collagen levels.

SkinScience Clinic’s pick? TruMarine Collagen’s portable collagen sticks! TruMarine Collagen is:

·        Gluten-free, caffeine-free, and artificial flavour-free

·        Rich in hydrating electrolytes

·        Packed with 2.5 grams of marine collagen per serving, meaning that it aids in not only youthful skin but lean muscle gain, jet lag recovery, and healthy nerve and muscle function!

…And so much more!

Marie’s favourite ways to take her marine collagen? In hot lemon water or protein shakes!

 Let us know in the comments: what is your favourite way of taking your collagen? We here at SkinScience are always looking to shake up the way we enjoy ours!

Emerging Beauty Tip #2: Embrace The Full Brows Nature Gave You (or Take This Time to Transform Your Sparse Brows!)

If salons are still closed when you’re reading this (and even if they’re not!), take this time to transform your eyebrows into the thick, well-framed beauties you’ve always dreamed of!

Rather than continuing to tweeze, thread, or over-shape, leave eyebrow-grooming to the professionals and give them something to work with by using AnteAGE’s best-selling Overnight BROW Serum; apply 1 – 2 times a day to stimulate even the most over-plucked of hair follicles!

Emerging Beauty Tip #3: Make Vitamin C Serum Your New Best Friend

Complete your daytime at-home skin care routine by incorporating a Vitamin C serum, which will assist in:

·        Fighting off damaging environmental free radicals

·        Reducing inflammation

·        Maximizing the effects of sunscreen

·        Bolstering your collagen levels

If your daytime skin care routine doesn’t include Vitamin C, your skin is missing out! Treat it to either our popular in-clinic 30% Vitamin C Peel or add AliquoteSkin’s Vitamin C-packed Advanced Youth Complex, which works as a powerful brightening agent and anti-aging serum that luminates skin in as little as 14 days.

Emerging Beauty Tip #4: Put Down the Sugar

Calgary, we all want to emerge from COVID-19 as healthier versions of ourselves, right? Right. Which is exactly why putting down the sugar is so crucial for both your overall health and the health of your skin.

 Ingesting sugar triggers, among other things:

·        Glycation (in other words: accelerated aging!)

·        Inflammation

·        Acne

·        Eczema

Sugar scrubs? Ditch those, too! Sugar scrubs can cause micro-tears in the skin, resulting in faster skin aging and increased inflammation. Turn to gentle biodegradable microbeads or naturally-derived acid treatments instead to combat aging rather than aiding in it.

Our top-recommended at-home anti-aging treatment? SkinCeuticals’s A.G.E Interrupter.

Emerging Beauty Tip #5: Turn to Growth Factors for Your Hair Health

We here at SkinScience Clinic are enormous advocates for growth factors: classified as a protein or steroid that regulates cellular processes, growth serums have myriad benefits and are a staple of advanced skin care products. Our latest favourite? AnteAGE’s MD Hair Microneedling Kit.

Specially formulated for slow-growing, thinning, and/or dull hair, the AnteAGE MD Hair Microneedling Kit incorporates cut-edge hair follicle science to yield real results! In fact, stay tuned on our Instagram and Facebook for astonishing before and afters.

Concerned about microneedling at home? We understand! Drop us a line today to learn if you’re a candidate for our in-clinic Growth Factor Scalp Microneedling treatment.

Emerging Beauty Tip #6: AVOID Parabens and Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives!

A fact of life is that skin care ingredient labels are sneaky: they use lesser-known terms and tend to sandwich unsightly additions in the middle of the list, hoping you’ll skim over them. (We’re looking at you, fragrance!)

Parabens and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives have been linked to certain cancers (specifically breast cancer) due to their carcinogenic traits.

Parabens are frequently disguised in skin care as Benzylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Methylparaben, and Propylparaben, while formaldehyde-releasing preservatives often go under the names DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, Quaternium-15,⁠ 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, and Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.⁠

In fact, we suggest that you bookmark this blog as a quick reference the next time you’re shopping for skin care online!

We here at SkinScience are proud to carry AND formulate products that are only paraben and formaldehyde-releasing preservative-free.⁠ Why? Because, above caring about your skin’s health, we care about you!

Let Us Know Which of These Tips YOU’LL Be Implementing In Your At-Home Skin Care Routine

And book your consultation today to join the many skin care lovers in Calgary who have used our expert, customized advice to transform their skin!

Skin Care

Home Skin Routine Tips That Will Keep Your Skin Radiant All Summer Long

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Happy June, Calgary! We here at SkinScience Clinic can hardly believe it’s summer already; because, when we were in the thick of COVID-19 we talked at length about how to treat your skin right while in self-isolation (more than once!), you may assume that we would now switch back to which services we would recommend now that self-isolation restrictions are easing, right? Wrong!

 Your home skin care routine is the marathon that keeps your skin in-shape and radiant long-term; our SkinScience-approved in-clinic treatments are the “sprints” that take your skin’s condition up one (or ten!) notches. Meaning? Your home skin care routine dictates the state of your skin long-term and, if done right, will drastically improve the results you see from your favourite in-clinic services. 

So, what do we recommend now that self-isolation has forced us to re-evaluate our home skin care routines? Keep reading to hear which at-home skin care routine tips we recommend you continue as we all emerge from our quarantine cocoons!

Emerging Beauty Tip #1: Phase a Retinoid Into Your Nighttime Routine

Touted as one of the best anti-aging ingredients on the market, retinoids are Vitamin A-based products that work to combat fine lines, wrinkles, inflammation, and rough texture.

As is always the case when incorporating a new product into your at-home skin care routine, we at SkinScience recommend patch-testing, introducing only one new product at a time, and applying every other night for the first two weeks to trial your skin’s reaction. After all, everyone’s skin is unique— how your loved one’s or coworker’s skin reacted to retinoids may not be how yours will!

“But Marie,” you may be saying, “I just Googled ‘retinoids’ and was bowled over by how many there are to choose from! How do I even know which ones are reputable?” Whether you’re trying retinoids for the first-time or are looking to switch out your existing retinoids for higher-quality products, we highly recommend the DermaQuest Retexture Serum and SkinCeuticals’s retinol family (which come in strengths of 0.3%, 0.5%, and 1%.)

If you’d prefer retinoid results in conjunction with your in-clinic customized peels, the next time you come visit us here at SkinScience ask for a retinoic acid peel add-on! Guests love it for its immediate results.

 Emerging Beauty Tip #2: Toss Away All Those Products (Yes, ESPECIALLY That Toner You’ve Had for Three Years)

A show of hands: who actually cleans out their skin care? If you aren’t already recycling your expired skin care, consider this a hearty slap on the wrist. Skin care (yes, even that product you’ve had forever but swear is still in date!) can cause skin irritation and infection due to containing an influx of bacteria.

SkinScience’s recommendation? Recycle anything and everything that has been opened for over twelve months, and bin every product that you can’t remember the opening date of; finding new (and restocking your old!) skin care is as easy as the click of a button in the age of digital shopping, so jump on our online store today to restock once you’ve cleaned out your skin care collection. Your skin will thank you!

Emerging Beauty Tip #3: Slap On Those Sunglasses, Calgary!

Complaining about crow’s feet, but still wearing sunglasses only occasionally? You know better than that, Calgary!

Consistently wearing sunglasses is essential for long-term eye care, as well as shielding your delicate under eye area from sun damage and excessive squinting. In fact, because the skin around your eyes is so thin, it’s more prone to developing fine lines and wrinkles than any other part of our body.

Combat that with Colorescience’s Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF (formulated to visibly improve dark circles, puffiness, wrinkles, and fine lines!) or SkinCeuticals’s Physical Eye UV Defense, which maintains a matte finish even through the stickiest pockets of Calgary summers.

Emerging Beauty Tip #4: Fall in Love With a Natural Deodorant

“Trying out natural deodorant in the summer?” I can hear some of you cry. “Marie, you must be joking!”

 We here at SkinScience Clinic get it; really, we do. How many times have we been lured in by the idea of natural deodorants only to be let down by their ineffectiveness? 

However, local Routine Cream Company genuinely live up to their tagline of “Life Changing Deodorants”! The Routine Cream Company touts:

·        Thirteen different scents and five different formulas

·        A 100% vegan formula

·        A baking soda-free formula crafted specially for sensitive skin

·        A unique charcoal-based formula

·        And a free refill program!

If you haven’t made the jump to natural deodorants already, say hello to the Routine Cream Company and bid farewell to chemical-based deodorants forever!

Emerging Beauty Tip #5: Oxygenate Your Skin With a Good Night’s Sleep (“…Wait, What?”) 

We’ve all heard that not getting your beauty sleep has a negative impact on your skin, but did you know that it depletes your skin’s oxygen levels and prevents your skin from rejuvenating itself overnight? Yes, really! 

Prioritize getting your full 8-10 hours and avoid inflammation, premature aging, and puffy eye bags by turning off all devices two hours before hitting the sack and wearing a sleeping mask to avoid light pollution that could impact the depth of your sleep.

A Science-Backed Home Skin Care Routine is Essential, Whether Self-Isolation Restrictions Are in Place Or Not

How has self-isolation made you change your at-home skin care routine for the better, Calgary? Contact us today to set up your very own skin care consultation or book your next appointment, and remember that our Facebook and Instagram inboxes are always open to receive your at-home skin care queries!

Skin Care

6 More Self-Isolation Tips for Glowing Skin

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Whether our physical location in downtown Calgary is open or closed, we pride ourselves in being one of Calgary’s best skin care clinics– and how we guarantee that is by providing around-the-clock skin care education!

This month’s topic? How you can achieve glowing skin during quarantine. 

“But Marie,” you may be saying, “how can I do that when I can’t come in for my usual treatments?” Today, we are going to delve into six more tips that will ensure that your skin care regimen is putting you on the path to clear skin.

Quarantine Skin Tip #1: DON’T Listen to Influencers When it Comes to Skin Care!

Although influencers may be easy to believe, what with their seemingly perfect skin and endless stream of glowing skin care product testimonials, we here at SkinScience strongly encourage you to take off your rose-coloured glasses when it comes to skin advice: influencers A) do not have in-depth skin care education, B) they are, more often than not, paid to promote certain products, so those reviews that keep popping up on your Instagram Stories are far from unbiased, and C) they are not you! At the end of the day, even if the product they are promoting is legitimate it does not mean that your skin will reap the same benefits from it as theirs did.

What should you do instead? Talk to an expert, of course! Book a complimentary 15-minute mini consult with us today over the phone or over Facetime during our closure for a customized product list that you can start integrating into your skin care routine today for results.

Quarantine Skin Tip #2: Do a Spring Clean (By Not Touching Your Face!)

We know, we know: it doesn’t feel like Spring in Calgary half of the time! While that may be true, that’s no excuse to not give your face a “Spring Clean” by staying fresh-faced and keeping your hands off.

This will:

  • Help to mitigate breakouts by not picking at active acne
  •  Prevent the transfer of bacteria (especially during COVID-19!)

Craving a fix for your acne in lieu of SkinScience Clinic being closed? Once a week, double-cleanse your face and then follow with a leave-on clay-based mask; after rinsing off, finish with an exfoliating toner to prevent your pores re-clogging… and voila! A tingly, feel-good acne treatment that your face will thank you for. Our other favourite treatment is AliquoteSkin’s Nighty Night Spot Tx treatment, available on our online store!

Quarantine Skin Tip #3: Start a Committed Exfoliation Routine.

Body exfoliating has a myriad of benefits, so you would be amiss if you’re not exfoliating both in the shower and outside of it: weekly dry exfoliation promotes lymphatic drainage and bolstered blood flow (ideal for skin cell renewal and de-puffing the face), while in-shower exfoliation helps to prevent ingrown hairs and locks moisture into the skin for longer.

Looking to elevate your current exfoliation routine? Apply your favourite body moisturizer within three minutes of the shower to enjoy long-lasting hydration! 

Quarantine Skin Tip #4: Treat Your Skin to a Sheet Mask… or Multiple!

Sheet masks are a fantastic pick-me-up for specific skin concerns. Sheet masks can help to address:

  • Hydration
  • Inflammation
  • Dryness
  • Acne
  • And much more!

Since sheet masks can, depending on the brand, be left on for up to an hour for optimal results,   

our favourite method of applying sheet masks is to let its ingredients soak in for the maximum allotted time… and then, immediately upon removing it, applying it to our neck for five minutes to refresh the delicate skin there as well! 

Whether you’re looking to soothe, hydrate, illuminate, or detox your skin, Patchology’s line of results-oriented Korean sheet masks are a must-try.

Quarantine Skin Tip #5: Banish Those Old Brushes!

Are you cleaning your makeup brushes and sponges? Considering that makeup brushes can harbour even more bacteria than your mobile phone, cleaning them a minimum of once a week with an anti-bacterial cleanser is the least you can do for your face! Just think of all that bacteria being ground into your pores with each makeup application.

In fact, did you know that you are supposed to replace makeup brushes every year and makeup sponges every two months?! During quarantine, do your face a favour and fully replace any makeup applicators that could unknowingly be causing your complexion grief!

Quarantine Skin Tip #6: Moisturize Those Hands.

Show your hands some love by ensuring that you moisturize them after you cleanse either your hands or your face. After all, you moisturize your face: why not your hands? (Especially during self-isolation, when we’re washing them all day long!) The key to soft, smooth hands is replenishing the skin’s barrier with essential emollients and oils.

The method Marie swears by is to apply a generous coat of Dermaquest’s Therapeutic Body Cream and wear a pair of cotton gloves to bed. Trust us: the result is heavenly!

Take Self-Isolation as the Opportunity to Refine Your At-Home Routine!

Although we miss you, Calgary, remember that our Facebook and Instagram inboxes are always open for skin care-related queries and complimentary 15-minute mini consultation bookings; plus, be sure to take advantage of the limited-time 72-hour shipping, free delivery, and product sample inclusion we are currently offering with every purchase from our online store!

Be safe, Calgary, and let us know: how are you elevating your at-home skin care routine during quarantine?

Skin Care

SkinScience Clinic’s Top 6 Quarantine Skin Tips

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As one of Calgary’s best and most trusted skin care clinics, we at SkinScience Clinic are dedicated to providing science-backed skin care education for every situation– including self-isolating during COVID-19!

While in-clinic procedures here at SkinScience may be skin care “sprints”, it’s the marathon of correct and thorough daily skin care that will elevate your skin (and body!) to the goals you’ve set for it.

So, without further ado, here are SkinScience Clinic’s top 6 quarantine skin tips!

Quarantine Tip #1: Catch Up On SPF (Even if You’re Not Leaving the House)

Calgary, did you know that you should be wearing SPF even if you aren’t leaving the house?

UVAs, the rays responsible for visible signs of aging, penetrate glass, snow, and cloud. In fact, did you know that the Canadian Dermatology Association recommends applying an SPF of greater than 30 daily in order to fight premature aging?Our recommendation? Image Skincare’s family of moisturizing sunscreen.

Quarantine Skin Tip #2: Use This Time to Let Your Natural Lash Line Breathe.

If you are someone who gets their eyelashes “done”– whether that be in the form of lash tints, lifts, or even falsies!– use this time in self-isolation to give your natural eyelashes a much-needed break.

Why? It’s now commonly known that eyelash enhancements, synthetic or otherwise, damage your natural lash line over time. The result? Sparser eyelashes than when you started, which defeats the purpose!

Now, we wholly understand the appeal of eyelash enhancements– SkinScience Clinic’s founder, Marie Bertrand, even avoids them because she knows that once she gets accustomed to having them she’ll never want to stop!– but we make the argument that taking the time to grow a lush, natural lash line all your own is far more rewarding in the long-run. 

For those looking to bolster your natural eyelashes during self-isolation, we cannot recommend enough ordering in AnteAGE’s reputable Overnight Lash Serum. Order from our online store today while it’s still in stock  to enjoy our limited-time free delivery, free samples, and 72-hour shipping policy!

Quarantine Skin Tip #3: “Hydration, Hydration, Hydration” is the “Location, Location, Location” of Skin Care.

Let’s be honest with each other: are you really drinking the recommended 2L of water per day?

Water plays a key role in shielding your skin from dryness, flaking, and premature aging– as well as is essential for your body’s natural detoxing functions. If you’re struggling to get through the recommended eight glasses a day, our water “hacks” are as follows:

  • Squeeze in some lemon: adding a splash of lemon, cucumber, or ginger to your water gives it a tasty zing that will make drinking your 2L more enjoyable!
  • Replace your coffee with green tea: “No, Marie!” I can hear you cry. “Anything but my coffee!” However, sacrificing one cup of coffee per day with an equally-as-caffeinating cup of matcha or green tea will get you that much closer to your daily water intake goal.
  • Refill constantly: to avoid forgetting about refilling your cup, refilling as soon as your cup is empty will assist you in getting into the water-drinking routine!

Quarantine Skin Tip #4: Embrace Your Natural Nails.

Were you unlucky enough to not have gotten your gel or acrylic nails removed while salons were still open? 

We feel your pain, which is why we’ve put together our favourite nail polish and fake nail removal protocol!

  • Step #1: Find or purchase nail polish remover, cotton pads, and aluminum foil.
  • Step #2: Soak the cotton pads in the remover and hold a pad to each of your nails.
  • Step #3: Wrap each finger firmly with the aluminum foil to hold the cotton pads in place.
  • Step #4: Keep the cotton pads in place for 15 minutes.
  • Step #5: Unwrap your fingers to reveal your fresh, natural nails! Nail polish, gel, or acrylics should now peel or pop off easily.
  • Step #6: Wash your hands thoroughly and apply DermaQuest’s Radiant Skin Oil to your nails and cuticles to repair any damage that has been done and coax your nails back to optimum growth.

Quarantine Skin Tip #5: Switch to Blue Light Neutralizing Products!

We love mineral sunscreens for protecting our skin against harmful blue light… especially when we’re on our devices 24/7 in quarantine! Blue light emitted from your computer and phone screens are scientifically proven to contribute to age spots and assist in premature aging.

Our solution? Neutralize blue light with specially-crafted serums and moisturizers, such as Aliquote Skin’s HydraLift Infusion or Dermaquest’s Essential Moisturizer. When combined with regular sunscreen application, it can double your protection against the blue light exposure we face daily!

Quarantine Skin Tip #6: Go Fresh-Faced.

Ensuring that your face is properly cleansed, hydrated, and moisturized is essential. Know what else is? Going fresh-faced when you can!

There’s no need to cake on the makeup now that we’re all in self-isolation! Regardless of whether you’re Skyping coworkers, working on the front lines, or taking some “you” time at home, taking a break from makeup and letting your skin “breathe” is essential in ridding yourself of congestion.

Still craving the glow of foundation? Add just a touch of foundation to your favourite sunscreen to get that glowy tinted moisturizer look!

Looking to Achieve Perfect Skin in Quarantine?

Although the doors to our physical location in downtown Calgary may be closed to comply with the current preventative COVID-19 measures, our inbox and online store are always open: reach out to Marie via Instagram or Facebook to keep up-to-date with happenings and quarantine-related skin care education, and be sure to take advantage of our limited-time free delivery when ordering through our online store (with fast shipping and free samples guaranteed with each purchase!)