And effective holistic alternatives for youthful skin

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Hello fellow clean beauty enthusiast,

Lately i have been touchig base on the subject of botox on my Instagram page with a surprisingly large amount of people saying they like the idea of botox but are sceptical to the toxic side effects. This has been a hot topic the last month between me and many of my clients so i wanted to share my knowledge and opinion on the matter, from a holistic skincare standpoint. I have a degree in both advanced aesthetics as well as holistic nutrition and over 12 years of experience in the cosmetics industry. What i’m about to cover is not simple fear mongering or an attempt to be controversial, but let me tell you that botox injury is a very real problem, yet is very rarely talked about.

Botox, a toxin called onobotulinumtoxinA, is produced by the microbe that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning (yummey!). It is a temporary fix to smooth out wrinkles, finelines, and sagging skin by blocking certain chemical signals from nerves that cause muscles to contract, aka paralyizng the muscle. According to numbers gathered by The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there has been a 41% increase in Botox treatments in the 19 - 34 age group from 2011 to 2015.

As a natural skincare specialist and esthetician, i don’t have anything against botox per se, i do believe there is a place and time for it, but the fact that young adults in their early twenties are being pushed to use botox as a “preventative” measure for aging and wrinkles is what makes me cringe. The theory behind this is that if you get botox regularly before the skin starts “aging” and keep the muscles relaxed then wrinkles can’t form in the first place. On the flip side, however, if a muscle is constantly paralyzed and not “excersiced” it weakens and starts atrophying - we all know this, if we stop working out our muscles get weak, our circulation stagnates, and waste and inflammation starts bulding up. On top of that, many doctors rarely talk about the side effects of botox, or take responsibility when things go south from an injection. According to a study in the UK one in six people who have facial Botox injections suffer complications such as bruising, headache, nausea and “frozen” features.

Longterm side effects of botox injections:

difficulty swallowing
drooping eyelid
neck weakness
nausea/vomiting (botulism like symptoms)
blurred vision
general or marked weakness
difficulty chewing
hoarseness
edema
difficulty speaking
heart palpitations

Effective alternatives to botox:

COSMETIC ACUPUNCTURE
INFRARED LIGHT THERAPY
GUA SHA
MICRO CURRENT TREATMENT
HYALURONIC ACID INJECTIONS
HYDRO FACIALS
MICRODERMABRASION
OXYGEN FACIALS
KOREAN FACIALS

I was speeking with a client recently who had a very unpleasant botox experience and her doctor refused to even accknowledge her side effects, and was told it’s because of something else. She has kindly allowed me to share her experience, you can read our message thread below.

So what can we do to help combat aging instead of injecting our skin with harmful toxins?

First, lets look at what the skin really is. The skin is our largest organ, it protects from outside invadors, eliminates toxins and waste materials in the form of sweat, and it mirrors any and everything that goes on on the inside. As we age we lose the ability to produce certain building blocks, including collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, which leads to aging signs like wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of elasticity in the skin. This process is normal but can often happen a lot sooner when living a typical modern lifestyle with high levels of stress, stimulants, pharmaceuticals, nutrient depleted foods, lack of exercise and fresh air, dehydration, and toxic overload.

Externally, there are some very effective methods to increase blood flow to the skin and reduce signs of aging without invasive interventions. If youthful skin is something that you value, there is no quick fix for this, but rather a daily commitment to help it maintain its youthful glow and plumpness. That doesn’t necessarily mean a 30 minute 12 step routine everyday, but rather a simple, consistent routine with the right active ingredients. Work smarter not harder! On top of your daily routine its good to have a weekly pamper day where you can spend a little more time on extra steps like hydration masks, AHA peels, micro current treatments, installing a water filter in your shower to avoid hard water which can dry out the skin, gua sha, infrared therapy, body scrubs and wraps, hair masks, oiling and rinsing, or whatever you enjoy doing for your skin. And on top of that, professional treatments by an aesthetician every 3-4 months, like hydro facials, microdermabrasion, hyaluronic acid injections, oxygen facials, cosmetic acupuncture, Korean facials, and LED light treatments to mention a few, are excellent add ons to promote youthful skin.