Revolutionary skin care

Sunscreen - know your facts

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:36:59 GMT

Do you know your facts about sunscreen? Which to buy? SPF/UVA protection, how often to apply?

S unscreen, the facts we should all know:

The active ingredients in sunscreens (called UV filters) are classified as either organic or inorganic.
Organic chemicals work by absorbing UV radiation, whereas inorganic chemicals both absorb and scatter the incident UV radiation. Many modern sunscreens contain a mixture of both organic and inorganic UV filters to provide broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.

The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a system used globally to determine how much protection a sunscreen gives when applied to the skin at a thickness of 2mg/cm2. The test measures how much protection against UV radiation the sunscreen provides, e.g. a product providing SPF30 will result in a skin exposure of just one-thirtieth that received by unprotected skin for the same time in the sun.

Sunscreens, in order to be protective, have to be applied liberally to be effective. This includes using it to all

exposed areas and regularly reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours and immediately after swimming/towelling.

TOP TIPS FOR BUYING AND APPLYING SUNSCREEN

Firstly be aware that no sunscreen provides complete protection, so never rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin - for best protection you should practice the 5 S's of Sun safety - see following blog

Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30 or above, preferably water resisitant

Make sure it's broad spectrum and carries a UVA symbol - if it has a star rating, use a minimum 4 star rating

Be aware that the price of sunscreen does not always match the quality

Store in an accessible, cool place and remember to check the expiry date

Try a toddler sunscreen if you have sensitive skin

Apply 20 minutes before you go outside and preferably once again when outdoors

Apply a generous amount of sunscreen, ideally, the average sized adult should apply at least a teaspoon of suncream to each arm, leg, front of body and back and at least 1/2 teaspoon to face, including, neck, and ears. That is 35ml of sunscreen for one application. If you find this quantity too much, then one trick is to apply a 2nd coat in the sun. Think of it as painting a textured wall - 2 coats is needed to give adequate coverage

No matter what the sunscreen instructions say, you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours when you are outdoors. sunscreen can be easily wiped or perspired off, therefore, you need to keep reapplying to provide adequate protection

Regenerative Medicine

Sun, 12 May 2024 18:34:53 GMT

Polynucleotides hit the UK

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The 5 S's of Sun Safety

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 01:08:57 GMT

slip slop slap slide shade

SLIP ON A T-SHIRT

Clothing can be one of the most effective barriers between our skin and the sun

Clothing should cover as much skin as possible

always keep shoulders covered that can easily burn

A closer weave will provide more protection

A high UPF rated fabric provides best protection

SLOP ON SPF 30+ PROTECTION

No sunscreen provides complete protection

never rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin

Always use a sunscreen with a SPF 30 or above, preferably water resistant

Make sure it's broad spectrum and carries a UVA symbol - star rating, use a minimum of 4

Apply a generous amount to clean, dry, exposed skin

Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors and once again when outdoors

Regardless of the instructions all sunscreens should be reapplied at least every 2 hours and more if perspiring or straight after swimming

Protect your lips with SPF 30 lip balm

SLAP ON A BROAD BRIMMED HAT

Always wear a hat with a wide brim that shades the face, neck and ears

Legionnaire - with a flap that covers the neck and joins the front peak or bucket style are the most effective

A close weave or UPF rated fabric will provide better protection

Warning - Baseball caps do not shade the ears and neck which can easily burn

SLIDE ON QUALITY SUNGLASSES

Solar UV radiation can be damaging to eh eyes so it is important to wear quality sunglasses

Overall protection depends on the quality of the lens and overall design

Look for European CE mark which indicates a safe level of protection

Those labelled with a high EPF - which ranges from 1-10, will provide best protection

Remember price and darkness of the lens have no reflection on the quality of protection

SHADE FROM THE SUN WHEN POSSIBLE

Shade can provide a good barrier between our skin and the sun

Seek shade whenever possible, particularly at the hottest times of the day between 11am and 3pm when UV penetration is strongest

Keep toddlers and babies in the shade at all times

Never rely on shade alone, always combine with personal protection measures

for more information www.skcin.org

Acne - Hero ingredients

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 19:50:20 GMT

Key ingredients for Acne treatment

The oil (sebum) in our skin is made by sebaceous glands that reside in our hair follicles (pores). When cellular debris blocks pores, the sebum becomes trapped. Bacteria multiply, which feed on sebum, which the n multiply further. The result is a comedone. The enzyme 5-alpha reductase plays a vital role in the production of sebum and is directly affected by hormones

Salicylic acid

known as beta hydroxy acid, salicylic acid is an exfoliant with soothing properties. it is an oil-soluble, allowing it to

penetrate into pores to effectively exfoliate dead skin cells and control acne pimples

Hinikitiol

extracted from the oils of the western red cedar tree, hinikitiol is a superpower ingredient with soothing, anti-irritant, antioxidant, and brightening properties. These properties allow hinikitiol to target multifactorial skin redness and blemishes

Retinol

A vitamin A derivative and antioxidant that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improves texture and tone by strengthening skin, improving elasticity and increasing skin turnover. Retinol also targets blemish-prone skin by unclogging pores and enhances skin tone by reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation. The retinol we use has been encapsulated, allowing for a slow release into the skin overnight. This encapsulation minimises side effects, so you can enjoy all the benefits of retinol with little to no irritation

Zinc oxide

A safe, micro fine mineral that offers broad-spectrum protection from both UVA (ageing) and UVB (sunburn-causing) rays without

leaving residual chalkiness on skin. Zinc oxide is known as a physical sunscreen agent, largely reflecting and scattering UV rays

Products

Containing Salicylic acid:

acne clearing cleanser acne balancing serum, hydrasmooth

containing hinikitiol

calm R serum, acne balancing serum,hydrasmooth moisturiser

containing retinol

retinol resurfacing serum 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, retinol eye gel

containing zinc oxide

moisture matt broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 40 - ivory, sand, amber, clear shield broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 40, sheer hydration broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 40

Profhilo v Sunekos

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:20:26 GMT

Skin injectables

Younger looking skin is becoming more desirable as it is the foundations of beauty and feeling good about ourselves. Here at SKY aesthetics, we offer many treatments designed to revitalise and rejuvenate the skin. From, dermal fillers, mesotherapy, microneedling, dermaplaning, skin peels and injectable skin boosters

In Today's blog, I want to focus on 2 products: Profhilo and Sunekos, although similar, they have different properties

Profhilo

Profhilo is an injectable skin treatment made from highly concentrated, highly purified hyaluroonic acid (HA). Profhilo acts as a bioremodeller. It gets broken down after around 28 days, but prior to breaking down it stimulates collagen and elastin synthesis, resulting in plumper, tighter, smoother, more supple skin

Profhilo is injected into 10 specific areas of the face, known as BAP - bio aesthetic points, the product then spreads under the surface of the skin where it immediately, hydrates deep within the skin, due to the hydrophilic (water-loving) properties of the hyaluronic acid. It is given as 2 treatments at 1 month intervals

Sunekos

Sunekos skin injectable is a patented formula which combines amino acids (the essential building blocks of elastin and collagen) with hyaluronic acid. Sunekos regenerated the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) of your skin and deeply hydrates and plumps treated tissue. This leads to 'dermal biogenesis', the result is a reduction in the severity of wrinkles, hydration to both the superficial and deep layers of your skin, and a desirable volumising effect and dramatic boost to your elastin and collagen

It can be target specific area's, loose, crepey skin and/or loss of volume around the eyes. This is a 4 part tre atment, each session is given at 7-10 day interval

In conclusion, both treatments are nice skin rejuvenation treatments. In my experience, Profhilo , is good to refresh,, firm and smooth the skin and give it 's glow back. Whereas, sunekos also refreshes, firms and smooths skin and gives it's glow back, in those with more advanced stages of ageing, it can also be used to target specific area's - eye area, lines around the mouth.

Contact for more information

Selecting a practitioner

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 14:59:55 GMT

Patient Safety in Aesthetics

Believe it or not the Aesthetics industry is NOT regulated, which means that practitioners are not always medically trained

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners is calling for better industry regulation

-What to look for in a Practitioner

Medically trained

E nsure your practitioner is medically trained ( doctor, dentist or nurse) this means they will have undergone training in anatomy, physiology, infection control procedures, clinical assessment and treatment planning and have trained to level 6 (degree level) or level 7 (masters level. They are also professionally accountable and are regulated by their professional body, registration with the appropriate body can be checked by the general public

Trust and communication

Your practitioner will offer a consultation, this is an opportunity to meet the practitioner and discuss your concerns,. A good practitioner will assess and plan an appropriate treatment plan, offering advice, explains all procedures, expected outcomes, risk and potential complications. There should be no pressure to proceed with treatment, you should be given time to consider and ask questions. Ask your practitioner to show you some before and after photos and have a look at reviews on their sites. i.e. social media , google and website

Insurance

Your medical practitioner should have appropriate medical insurance in place, feel free to as

Complications management

Your practitioner should be able to recognise and manage potential complications. Please note that in the event of complication, your practitioner may need to use other medications, which non- medical practitioners will not have access to. Check your practitioner has undergone training to manage potential complications and is a member of a a complications group

Products

Check which products your practitioner uses, there are many on the market, some of which are not regulated and meet the safety profile. Products should be CE certified and FDA approved and issued from a UK pharmacy

About me

I am a nurse prescriber, with over 30 years experience in the NHS, working mainly in Critical care medicine, I am trained to Masters level and have attended numerous aesthetics courses. These include advanced level, masterclasses and continuous ongoing professional development. My training includes complications management and I am a member of the Aesthetics Complication Expert Group. I have medical insurance and use premium quality products that are both CE certified and FDA approved and issued from a UK pharmacy

Skin Care Tips

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 16:57:52 GMT

Skin Profiling

Everyone's skin is different, we each have our own unique skin profiles, which means one product or skin care regimen does not suit all. Skin types include, dry, normal, combination and oily. skin conditions include rosacea, sensitive, acne and hyperpigmentation. Other variables also have an impact on your skin, for example, age, ethnicity, and climate. Understanding your skin profile is key to choosing the correct products and ingredients to achieve optimum results

A skin analysis and consultation, provided here at SKY aesthetics, will identify your unique profile and provide an optimal treatment regimen for you

AlumierMD products are free of parabens, sulfates and dyes, recyclable packaging and all products are created to work synergistically with each other

Some basic skincare tips

cleanse morning and night - to get rid of anti-oxidants, impurities and debris

moisturise - with an appropriate product to maintain the hydrolipidic barrier

speciality serum - with active ingredients to tackle specific skin conditions

SPF moisturiser - probably the most important product to protect your skin from ageing quickly

keep well hydrated to maintain good skin hydration

maintain a healthy well balanced diet to provide the essential ingredients to maintain skin health

Resilience

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 15:51:07 GMT

Testing Resilience

Resilience, what is it and are we/you resilient. This is something I had never really contemplated before but certainly feel that my resilience has been put to the test. I have been on annual leave from my NHS job this week ,which has given me the opportunity to reflect on my resilience and how I'm feeling

Resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre crisis status quickly, we all deal with adverse event during our lives and have varying levels of resilience

A couple of years ago I was asked in an interview what strategies I had to deal with personal resilience, it was a question that I had never really thought about before as I feel I have a fairly good level of resilience and never really questioned it before. However, this has certainly been challenged over the past year and I've spent the last week reflecting on why it has been such an emotional challenge. first of all I realised that the strategies I had and took for granted were disrupted,, such as seeing friends, going out for meals, going to the gym, catching up with family, going on holidays. Secondly, I realised that I didn't have control of the situation, it has been very fluid and as I very well know healthcare in ever changing and evolving but we don't, as individuals have control of the situation.

Therefore, I decided I needed to look at things that I could control and reframe my usual coping strategies. Some of the things I have done this week, is meet up with family, friends for a walk (one at a time,of course), plan zoom meeting for those friends that don't live nearby. Plan my day, so that I had a focus and structure to my day, which included some physical exercise, some mental wellbeing - such as yoga, relaxation time and 1 household job.

I have found reflecting on my resilience, why I have found it a challenge and reframing my strategies beneficial. I hope you are all managing OK and if you need a listening ear or fancy chat, I'm hear for that too. Hope to see you all soon. Take care and stay positive.

LA GLOW Gold Infusion facial

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 19:42:32 GMT

Combined Mesotherapy and Microneedling therapy

LA GLOW GOLD infusion is an innovative dual treatment providing micro-skin needling and mesotherapy. MESOTHERAPY is a non-surgical treatment that involves topical application of active skin rejuvenating substances / serums (such as vitamins, enzymes, acids, etc) to the mesodermal layer of the skin. These are delivered via micro-injections, which promotes instant, deep absorption of active ingredients

MICRONEEDLING is a fine needle device used to stimulate wound healing response leading to natural regeneration and repair of skin.

LA GLOW GOLD infusion is a micro needling device which dispenses a cocktail of ingredients to the mesodermal layer It is used to treat:

photodamage, ageing skin, fine lines and wrinkles, impaired skin tone and texture, general rejuvenation treatment,

pigmentation, open pores, oily skin and facial sweating with meso-tox

.Benefits

intense revitalisation and hydration of the skin

flattening of superficial wrinkles and recovery of lost elasticity

enhances the complexion

improves dermal structure

can be used at any age and by any skin type, to correct visible signs of ageing

INTRODUCTORY OFFER DURING SEPTEMBER

£95

usually £150

SUNEKOS body

karenhopcraft@btinternet.com (karen donnelly) — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:38:17 GMT

Advanced Sunekos for the Body

Coming Soon

SUNEKOS 200 is an injectable containing hyaluronic acid and a specific cluster of amino acids, which stimulates to production of new collagen and elastin

SUNEKOS BODY can be used on stubborn areas, such as underarms, inner thighs, abdomen and hands to improve skin laxity and tone

TREATMENTS AVAILABLE FROM MID SEPTEMBER, MORE INFORMATION AND INTRODUCTORY OFFER TO FOLLOW SOON.

Sunekos Skin Care

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 15:13:35 GMT

Revolutionary skin care

It restores Skin elasticity and natural volume, it is the new gold standard to treat and prevent skin ageing and elastosis, reduce expression lines and wrinkles.

Sunekos contains a patented formula of amino acids and hyaluronic acid which regenerates the extra cellular matrix by stimulating the fibroblasts in the skin to produce collagen and elastin, resulting in healthy glowing skin.

Coming very soon....... introductory offers will be announced soon.

New Skincare treatments

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 17:04:23 GMT

Coming soon

New Skincare treatment

Coming soon.........

You wear you skin every day, so investment and commitment to your skin is essential to a radiant complexion. At SKY aesthetics we are passionate about skincare and having a radiant complexion is something I personally strive for. We are currently expanding our treatment portfolio of skincare options and are really excited to bring to you revolutionary treatments to improve skin texture and elasticity.

More to be revealed soon.............

Chemical skin peel

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 16:53:46 GMT

What is a chemical peel

A chemical peel is a treatment used to improve skin texture and tone. An acid is applied to the skin to lower the pH, which loosens the connections between dead skin cells, inducing exfoliation and stimulating new cell growth. This process causes superficial layers of dead skin to peel off, revealing a smoother and more radiant complexion. Chemical peels can also thicken the epidermis, increase dermal volume and stimulate collagen.

Did you know?
Chemical peels have been used dating back to Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra used sour milk to improve the appearance of the her skin, according to some sources. Lactic Acid (an alpha hydroxy acid) is the active ingredient in sour milk

Treatment expectations
Beautiful skin doesn't happen overnight, and treatments take time to show results. A single chemical peel can provide the immediate effect of bright and radiant skin; however more significant results in treating textural issues, fine lines and inflamed acne will benefit from a course of treatments and home care products.
Just as you take time to exercise, you need to take time for your 'daily skin care workout regime' in the morning and evening.

Contact for a complimentary skin care analysis and treatment plan.

WINNER BEST AESTHETICS

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SKY aesthetics have won BEST AESTHETICS IN COUNTY DURHAM.

The event was held on the 24th March 2019 in Durham. The Business awards are nominated by the public, so I was delighted that my clients had nominated my clinic for the award. I was interviewed by the Business awards panel and reached the final.
I was honoured, proud and overwhelmed to be presented with the award at the finals. The panel were impressed with my commitment to safety within the industry, which they felt was demonstrated by my dedication to ongoing professional development in aesthetics, the protocols and documentation used within the clinic and my association with aesthetic forums and groups.
However my biggest thanks goes to my lovely clients who are loyal and supportive to my business. YOU ARE WHAT MAKES MY JOB THE BEST!

Advertising Ban - Botox, anti-wrinkle injections

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 16:22:00 GMT

Blog posts are a great way to get recognized within your community and share your voice. Here are the top 10 reasons you should love writing blog posts.

Anyone can make one:
For better or worse, anyone can write a blog post about anything they want. Everyone has a voice and the best voices will rise to the top.

The writer can show their personality:
In blog posts, the writer has more leeway to add in their voice and personality than other types of writing.

Blogs are a great form of mass communication:
You can help people, learn new things, entertain your audience-the possibilities are endless and amazing. Blogging opens up all of these to a very wide audience.

You can make money:
Get the right blog going and you can make a lot of money through advertising and sponsored posts.

It allows people to craft better thoughts:
Instead of reading haphazard, uneducated Facebook statuses, it's much better to see people's thought process in a well-written blog post.

You can establish a community:
Blogging allows you to connect with other individuals who share the same interests. Sharing ideas and opinions within your community helps establish yourself as a thought leader.

Good for SEO:
Keeping content on your site fresh and relevant, you can use your blog to boost the search engine ranking (SEO) of your site and your business.

It brings people back to your site:
If your blog is strong enough and updated regularly, people will come back looking for more and bring traffic back to your site as well.

It's free:
It costs you a grand total of zero dollars to post to the blog, so if you have something to say, there's nothing to stop you.

You can establish yourself as a thought leader:
A blog is a great place for your original thoughts, and it can be a wonderful way to show off your individuality. If people like your ideas, you can become a thought leader in your industry!

What else do you love about blogs? Let me know!