Hilary Lowry, Author at Beauty Haven Belfast Online

Author Archives: Hilary Lowry

Problem Skin On The Back
May 1, 2014 6:08 pm Comments Off on Problem Skin On The Back
The back is a place on the body that many neglect – simply because it’s hard to reach!

Problems with the skin on the back occur more often than you would think. The most common problem would be acne on the back.

Back acne is similar to facial acne, in both it’s symptoms and treatments. Poor hygiene doesn’t cause acne or blemishes, but practicing good hygiene can help prevent it – especially back acne.

Acne forms when oil mixes with dead skin cells and clogs pores, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. Cleansing your skin daily and exfoliating weekly can help prevent pores from becoming blocked. You can’t stop your skin from producing oil and clogging the pores, but you can help prevent it by cleansing properly.

Showering daily can help keep the skin clean and free from harmful bacteria. Using a soft sponge and mild body wash, such as the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash – available at Beauty Haven – which delivers all over cleansing without over-drying, is ideal. While cleansing is important, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Showering too frequently, scrubbing the skin too hard, bathing in too hot water and using harsh anti-bacterial soaps can actually cause the skin to become worse. Make sure to cleanse no more than twice dauly in warm water with a gentle cleanser.

Here at Beauty Haven, we offer the Purifying Back Cleanse, a brilliant treatment to really kick-start your way to healthy skin on the back, as well as maintaining a healthy skin as well. It involves a deep double cleanse, exfoliation, extraction if necessary and a mask to finish.

Hygiene may be an important factor, but it’s not the only one. Stress and diet can also affect back acne. So far, scientists haven’t proven that specific foods cause acne. That being said, it’s always a good idea to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

As with food, every day stress does not cause or have a big impact on acne. However, chronic stress can make it worse. In fact, stress is one of the chief contributers to adult acne.

Stress can worsen acne because it affects your body’s hormone production. When stressed, your adrenal glands produce more cortisol. This change in hormone levels causes your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, and this excess sebum in your skin makes it easier for your pores to become clogged.

In addition to affecting hormones, stress also affects the immune system. Stress can decrease the healing capacity of your immuse system by up to 40%, making it harder for your body to heal existing blemishes.

Although (unfortunately) you can’t live a completely stress free life, there are ways to reduce yout stress levels. At home, daily exercise and sleep help to relieve any stress. Here at Beauty Haven, a back massage is ideal. However, if the acne on the back was pustular or sore to the touch, we would reccommend an Indian Head Massage as this too is a brilliant option for reducing stress.

For any more information on any of the products or treatments mentioned above, please call Beauty Haven.
FAQ’s Laser Hair Removal.
April 29, 2014 11:08 am Comments Off on FAQ’s Laser Hair Removal.
How does the treatment work?

The Intense Pulsed Light is attracted to melanin, which is found in hair. For effective hair removal the IPL targets the pigment in the hair. Prior to treatment a gel is applied to the skin to optimise the treatment. An applicator is then pressed onto the skin and the light energy is absorbed into the hair causing a heat reaction to destroy the follicle. The treatment is only successful in the Anagen stage (growing stage) of the hair growth, therefore a course of treatments is required. All skin types can be treated.

What precautions are needed when being treated for Laser Hair Removal?

Eye protection glasses will be provided for both the technician and the client to wear when receiving and performing treatment. Clients should avoid tanning 1 month ahead of and during the entire treatment scenario to avoid increased pain or burns from excessive light absorption in the epidermis. Immediately after the treatment the skin is particularly sensitive to UV light. A sunscreen of at least 30+ must be used for 30 days after the treatment.

Is permanent hair removal possible?

Permanent Hair Reduction can be successfully achieved with the Ellipse Intense Pulsed Light system. After the first treatment the client gets significant reduction in hair density. Also re-grown hairs tend to become much finer and slightly less dark.

Is the treatment safe?

Yes. It is completely safe. Ellipse is a 2nd generation Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) system utilising a patented ‘dual mode filtering’ system, which removes all unnecessary and potentially harmful wavelengths. The Ellipse has pre-programmed treatment suggestions for different skin and hair types thus allowing the energy levels to be adjusted for the client’s individual needs.
Facial Thread Vein Treatments.
April 27, 2014 1:33 pm Comments Off on Facial Thread Vein Treatments.

How does the Ellipse IPL treatment work when treating Facial Thread Veins?

The light is attracted to the oxy-haemoglobin in the blood. As the light is absorbed by the blood in the vessels a heat reaction is caused which coagulates the blood and destroys protein in the wall of the vessel. The vessel then breaks down and the debris is removed by the body’s natural waste disposal system.

Slight redness is seen immediately the treatment and this will disappear in 1-2 hours or in some cases a few days. A blurring of the vessel is often apparent after treatment, normally followed by a variable degree of swelling. The swelling may last up to 4 days and may appear puffy, particularly around the eyes. These are all signs of inflammation and are an indication of successful treatment.

The client can use 100% Aloe Vera gel at home for the next few days to reduce any continuing redness. It is also recommended to avoid direct sun exposure for 30-60 days post and prior to treatments.

On average 2-4 treatments with 4 week intervals are needed for the best results.
Skin Rejuvenation Questions & Answers
1:26 pm Comments Off on Skin Rejuvenation Questions & Answers

How does Ellipse IPL Light work for Skin rejuvenation?

Age spots and hyper pigmentation contains melanin and diffuse redness contains haemoglobin. The light is absorbed by the melanin in the pigmented area & the heat reaction caused breaks down the melanin in the keratinocytes. A photo toxic reaction occurs in the melanin vesicles and the excess melanin turns darker before it comes away from the skin. The light is also absorbed by the superficial blood vessels in the skin. The heat reaction caused coagulates blood vessels, destroys protein in the wall of the vessel and stimulates collagen production. We can treat sun damaged skins.
On average 1-3 treatments at 4 week intervals are needed for the best results. Top up treatments may be needed in the future to maintain these results.

What Results can I expect using Ellipse IPL treatments?

Excess pigmentation and diffuse redness will dramatically reduce and skin texture and pore size will improve. The pigmentation will become darker in colour immediately after the treatment. A few days after the treatment the pigmented areas will develop a light crust (this is a good sign that the treatment has worked). After that the skin will look smoother and fresher. A few more treatment sessions may be required to keep a smooth and youthful appearance.

What are the treatment requirements for acne treatments?

The Ellipse IPL acne treatment is a combination therapy. We recommend you use adapalene (Differin or Redap) cream or gel for 1 month prior to the Ellipse IPL treatment. Sun exposure should be avoided 30 days post and prior treatment. A course of 4 Ellipse IPL treatments is recommended with 3 week intervals.

Please note a patch test is required prior to first treatment.
Best Beauty Buys 2014
April 22, 2014 9:10 am Comments Off on Best Beauty Buys 2014
Many of the top fashion and beauty magazines award Dermalogica products as the winners of their best beauty buys year on year. Dermalogica is loved by many because their products are created by skincare professionals who design them to work effectively to solve skin problems while ensuring they are gentle on sensitive areas.

One of Dermalogica’s most popular products is the Overnight Clearing Gel which is part of their mediBac clearing range. The Overnight Clearing Gel is a targeted spot treatment that calms inflammation, clears congested skin and prevents future breakouts. InStyle voted it as the best spot treatment in their Best Beauty Buys 2014, with make-up artist to the stars Liz Martin saying, “It’s the only product I’ve found that zaps spots quickly and is light enough to wear under make-up”. Also, the Evening Herald’s Beauty Awards chose Overnight Clearing Gel as the winner of best product for congested skin, saying, “This clear gel calms inflammation and it’s great on congested pores. It contains salicylic acid but isn’t at all drying”.

Throughout 2013 Dermalogica’s Multi-active Toner was voted best toner by Social & Personal, RSVP, The Evening Herald and Natural Health magazines. RSVP magazine said they love this toner because, “a simple spritz of this light facial toner hydrates, refreshes and soothes skin”. Dermalogica’s Multi-active Toner is an ultra-light toner containing moisture binding humectants which helps condition and prep skin for proper moisture absorption. It also contains arnica and cucumber extracts that help keep skin smooth, refreshed and rehydrated. The Herald Beauty Awards chose Multi-active toner as the winner of best toner because, “the beautiful fragrance lifts the spirits while ingredients like aloe vera, lavender, balm mint and arnica help to condition and protect the skin”.

Full range of Dermalogica products available at Beauty Haven.
Keri’s Make Up Tips – Make Up Brushes
April 11, 2014 1:20 pm Comments Off on Keri’s Make Up Tips – Make Up Brushes
Brushes are a staple of your daily make-up application, without them it’s like a workman with no tools! Jane Iredale provide a large range of professionally designed and luxurious make-up brushes. What I love about Jane Iredale brushes is that you get amazing professional quality that is long lasting without breaking the bank. I am going to share with you my favourite brushes which I think are essential for all make-up routines.

The Handi Brush is a hand-tied goat hair brush that is perfect for applying pressed mineral foundations, blush, bronzer and pressed powders. This is one of my favourite brushes because of its ultra-soft feel and how it evenly distributes many different products. Great for applying PurePressed Base & PurePressed Blush, giving either sheer or medium coverage.

The Dome Brush is a multi-purpose brush which is made with goat hair that has been hand-tied. I love this brush because it is so gentle on the skin but always provides brilliant application of both bronzer and blush. I would recommend trying Jane Iredale’s PurePressed Blush and So-Bronze for highlighting with the Dome Brush.

Another one of my favourite brushes for applying loose powders and blush is the Chisel Powder Brush (made of goat hair). This brush is great for achieving either sheer or medium coverage with the product always evenly distributed.

The Foundation Brush by Jane Iredale is the only brush I use to apply my foundation now. It’s my favourite foundation brush because I love how it gives even, well-blended coverage and also allows application to difficult parts of the face such as the nose area or inner corner of the eye due to its chiseled shape. The Foundation Brush is made of Taklon nylon which is designed to allow perfect application of Liquid Minerals Foundation for either medium or full coverage.

For defining/filling brows and lining eyes with eyeline I would recommend the Angle Liner/Brow Brush. This slim brush features a flat, angled head that is made of Taklon nylon bristles which provide firm yet soft application.

Getting your eye make-up just right ensures that you achieve the perfect look. Jane Iredale’s Eye Contour and Eye Shader Brushes are crucial elements when I’m trying to perfect my eye make-up. The Eye Contour Brush is a flat pony hair brush with a tapered contour for working in the crease. The contour can be used to make a sideways “v” on the outside corner of the eyelid which will give the whole eye a lift. Also use this brush to apply a darker accent colour into the crease, blending up towards the brow bone. The Eye Shader Brush is also made of pony hair and I would use this to apply the eye base colour onto the eyelid (try to aim for a medium shade as this will work well with the darker accents you apply using the Eye Contour Brush).

My recommended brush for applying cream based concealers is the Camouflage Brush, although it can also be used to apply eye shadows. This brush is one of my favourites as it can be used wet or dry because it is made of Taklon nylon. It is the perfect shape and size to allow smooth application of concealer in sometimes hard to reach places such as the corner of the eyes and under the lower lashes. I love to use the Camouflage Brush when applying Circle/Delete and Disappear concealers because I think it provides great coverage and easy application.

*We stock all of these make-up brushes at Beauty Haven.

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