Archives for November 2021

Give the gift of glowing skin to your kids’ teachers, your besties, your mother-in-law, or your co-workers this year and make it easy. (No gift wrap needed) Phew. Introducing  Mantra Mask’s New Holiday Kit! This $35 gift kit gives you the most bang for your buck.

The products in the Holiday Kit include our fan favorites:

• 1 CBD Anti-Aging Sheet Mask
• 1 CBD Collagen Sheet Mask
• 1 CBD Pore-Refining Sheet Mask
• 2 CBD Coconut Eye Gels
• 
• The total retail value of the products s $55, so a savings of $20 per kit!Mantra Mask is proudly free of parabens, sulfates and other harmful chemicals, relying on only the highest quality, naturally-derived ingredients to keep skin looking its best.

Eco Lips Makes Christmas 2021 More Sustainable with First Holiday Line that Comes in 100% Plant Based Tube

Christmas is just around the corner! And in case you’re looking for more sustainable ways to celebrate the season, Eco Lips has the answer for you.

The certified B Corp, also known as the nations’ largest independent organic lip balm manufacturer, has recently announced the upcoming launch of its 2021 Holiday offering–Candy Cane Organic Lip Balm line. Bursting with deliciously sweet minty flavor, this quintessential holiday lip balm flavor features invigorating peppermint, which leaves a pleasant tingling sensation, and warming vanilla to comfort and soothe dry lips.  It makes for a perfect stocking stuffer or holiday gift for yourself or loved ones.

As with other Eco Lips products, Candy Cane Organic Lip Balms are made with certified organic beeswax combined with hydrating Fair Trade Certified™ coconut oil to nourish, moisturize, and restore lips back to health. They also come in the brand’s revolutionary Plant Pod, a patented 100% plastic-free, plant-based packaging that looks and acts like a regular tube.

Candy Cane Organic Lip Balms will be available on Eco Lips’ website starting <DATE> and will hit retail in the weeks following its online release. Each set of 3 tubes will sell for $9.99.

Eco Lips lip balms are USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Leaping Bunny Certified, and made from 100% edible food grade ingredients. The brand was founded on the premise of combining plant-based ingredients and the ultimate soothing and moisturizing experience to give everyone a lip protecting and regenerating product that does not harm the environment. To know more about them, you may visit www.ecolips.com.

About Eco Lips

Founded in 2003, Eco Lips is the original organic lip balm. They manufacture the best USDA organic and Fair Trade Certified™ lip care products FOR the world. Eco Lips products are also Non-GMO Project Verified, Leaping Bunny Certified, and gluten free. Their 89,000 sq ft manufacturing facility located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is powered with 100% renewable energy. Eco Lips is a certified B Corporation focused on the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit. With the recent purchase of Simply Soothing, makers of Bug Soother bug repellent, Eco Lips continues to be focused on creating effective and sustainable personal care products and being true innovators in the market. Private Label and Contract Manufacturing are also available.

Each year brings with it fashion trends, decorating trends, and beauty trends.  The latter covers nails, haircare, makeup and skincare. With the ubiquity of social media, and TikTok, beauty users now can pick up popular trends from anywhere across the world and follow them. Skincare is the biggest segment in the beauty industry with global sales that hover around $130 billion in 2019. There is so much for consumers to digest and decide on. We turned to Dr. Michael Somenek, a Washington, D.C. Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon and skin care expert. He takes a microscope to some of the hottest trends in 2021 to give you insight into what’s worth your hard- earned dollars.

www.somenekpittmand.com

CBD In Skincare

CBD (short for cannabidiol) has no plans of easing up its reign on the skin-care world in 2021 and beyond.  As a case in point, there are at least two major skin care brands that now include CBD in their skincare, not to mention the indie companies who have created CBD skincare. Dr. Somenek’s take: “As far as it being good for skin, it acts as both an anti-inflammatory agent and an oil reduction agent. Theoretically, its addition to skin care products, especially those tasked to fight acne and other inflammatory skin conditions, is probably legitimate. It is also a good antioxidant that can help protect against free radical damage to skin cells. CBD can be made from hemp which helps skincare companies get around the federal ban on marijuana. Side effects of unregulated use include: Nausea, fatigue and irritability. CBD can increase the level in your blood of the blood thinner coumadin, and it can raise levels of certain other medications in your blood by the exact same mechanism that grapefruit juice does.”

Microneedle Patches

Some beauty editors and bloggers swear by pimple patches. According to experts, those patches are about to get even more advanced by way of a ton of tiny microneedles (or “microstructures”). The logic is that you can out put a smaller amount of acne-fighting ingredients into these tiny little cones and apply it to the skin, it’s a better, more effective delivery system.

Here’s how they are purported to work: The small band-aid-like sticker has spikes coated with hyaluronic acid that are thinner than a hair follicle. Through these teeny painless pricks in the skin, the patch drives the active ingredients deep in to the skin.

Dr. Somenek’s take:

“There is plenty of good medical literature on the validity of these small patches that are impregnated with various chemicals. The patch gets worn and the needles (either metallic or made out of absorbable polymer) penetrate the skin delivering the chemical treatment. Their design takes advantage of the concept of transcutaneous delivery of drugs. Patches can be custom made to fit various areas of the face and deliver anti-aging or other chemicals while a patient sleeps. The efficiency of delivery is better through the tiny skin punctures than if you only put the chemical directly on the intact skin. In theory, aesthetic practitioners can make custom topical treatments and place them on the patches to deliver customized at home skin treatments for their patients.”

Is a Cryotherapy Facial Is the Best Way to Brighter, Tighter Skin?

Cryotherapy has gained popularity in recent years with spa treatments exposing clients to sub-zero temperatures to help relieve pain and improve their health. This wellness treatment has recently undergone another adaptation with the cryotherapy facial treatment. The Cryo Facial is a cryogenic treatment that is performed by what is considered a “cryo probe,” which beams vaporized liquid nitrogen across the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Different from the cryotherapy chambers that can be used for pain relief, the facial targets helping the face look younger.

Dr. Somenek’s take: “This may be more suspect. There isn’t a great deal of study-based evidence that cryotherapy facials actually do what they claim. Typically, cryotherapy uses extremely cold liquid nitrogen to freeze exposed skin cells to kill them, like a wart. The facials use the same liquid nitrogen as a spray, but the aesthetician doesn’t stay in one area too long to avoid frostbite to the skin. Some level of cold injury occurs, probably to a very superficial level of the skin, so there may be some exfoliation. But there are safer ways to get exfoliation without risking frostbite or hyperpigmentation.”

Anti-pollution skincare

Your skin is exposed to environmental aggressors on a regular basis. Although unseen, these pollutants can wreak havoc on your skin by breaking down collagen and elastin, the fibers that give skin its bounce. To help reduce these unwanted side effects, anti-pollution skin care products are continuing to gain favorability among consumers. Just as SPF is now de rigor in skin care, this seems to be the case with anti-pollution ingredient.

Dr. Somenek’s take: “I think that this is a new name for old tech. In brief, our skin is exposed to environmental contaminants that create inflammatory conditions. These conditions lead to build up of free radicals in the skin. The ingredients in antipollution skin care are basically strong antioxidants that protect against the free radicals. But the skin is assaulted by more than chemicals. It experiences dehydration, UV exposure, temperature changes, etc. True antipollution skincare should guard against all this. Typical protective and reparative ingredients include vitamin E, vitamin C, retinoids, hyaluronic acid, zinc oxide, vitamin B3, and bisabolol.”

Dr. Somenek’s final verdict: Just as one can become a slave to fashion, the same can happen with skin care trends. My best advice is to consult with your skincare physician. Discuss what you are exposed to during the day.  Is it sun, pollution, humid air, wind, etc.? Talk to your doctor about what type of skin you have. Skin type changes as you age, and as hormonal factors come into play. Someone who had oily skin in their 20’s and 30’s can have combination skin in their 40’s and 50’s. Speak with your aesthetic provider about what your specific goals are for your skin. Is it reduced acne? Fewer wrinkles? Reduced brown spots? Broken capillaries? Just because something is a trend, does not mean it’s right for your skin care type or your goals. If you have a regimen that works for you, stick with it.  Don’t be tempted by designer brands if drugstore brands are effective for you. There is nothing wrong with giving your skin care routine a modern “kick,” but good skincare does not mean one must try everything available on the market or in a med/spa or doctor’s office.

Michael T. Somenek MD

Board Certified Washington, D.C.  Facial Plastic Surgeon

 https://somenekpittmanmd.com

Dr. Somenek received an undergraduate degree in microbiology at the University of Miami and a medical degree at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He stayed on at this prestigious institution for 5 more years of postgraduate training in otolaryngology, or the study of the head and neck. He then completed an intensive fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery under the tutelage of world-renowned facial plastic surgeons Dr. J. Regan Thomas (past president of the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) and Dr. Dean Toriumi at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Somenek is a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As an author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles, textbook chapters, and presentations at national meetings, he has contributed extensively in his field.

Dr. Somenek also performs a variety of minimally invasive procedures, both surgical and non-surgical. Surgical options include facial liposuction, the endoscopic brow lift, and the S Lift. These techniques require only very small incisions but can have a dramatic effect on a person’s appearance in the hands of a qualified surgeon with a trained aesthetic eye such as Dr. Somenek. Dr. Somenek’s intensive training in the complex structures of the face, head, and neck make him stand out among plastic surgeons in Washington, D.C. He is a trainer and teacher to other physicians across the country on all injectables and frequently sees patients that need an expert opinion.   Even for less invasive procedures such as BOTOX® Cosmetic injections, he can use his broad knowledge to administer precise treatments that exceed each patient’s expectations.