Despite the 90’s being epic in it’s fashions, music, and movies, the skincare products of the 90’s were not kind to us.
If you were a teen during the 90’s or early 2000’s, you have likely spent time scrubbing your face raw with the legendary St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
If it wasn’t hurting, it wasn’t working.
After you stripped your face of all protection and moisture, you might have then reached for a trusty Oxy cleansing pad to bring on the burn. You knew you achieved your goal once your eyes started to water.
Then, once your face was sufficiently on fire, you may have even taken it one step further with the slathering on of the Sea Breeze astringent. Burn, baby, burn!
We thought we were fighting the good fight against acne, and winning, but little did we know we were just making things much, much worse.
Let’s start with the apricot-based exfoliants - these particles are created to be rough and abrasive. While it sounds ideal for exfoliation, the rough edges of these particles actually caused micro-tears in our skin as well as irritation. This likely led to worsened acne conditions as well as inflammation, which accelerates the aging process.
If you were anything like me, you were diligent with your apricot scrubs and exfoliated daily. Our skin never even stood a chance.
The overuse of astringents - particularly the ever popular alcohol-based products - also caused an acceleration of the aging process by stripping the skin of all oil. This dried out skin is left with no protection and is quicker to develop wrinkles and irritation.
On top of all of this, we rarely, if ever, wore sunscreen.
Don’t worry though, fellow millennials, this is not a blog of bad news! Fortunately for us, the science of skincare has come a long way since the 90’s.
Here at Studio 7 Esthetics, we have licensed estheticians who are able to assess your skin using state-of-the art technology, and then help you develop a skincare routine using high quality products that can help your skin heal from the past damage. Fine lines, wrinkles, and hyper pigmentation are no match for our expertise.
You may have spent your teen years scrubbing and scraping your skin raw, but we are here for you!
We are Cincinnati’s premier one-stop skincare and body care spa, and we are ready to help you look and feel your best. If you have questions, please feel free to email or call us, or stop in during our business hours to speak with one of our licensed estheticians!
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/astringent#is-it-necessary