Bella Sante’s Beautiful You program has officially wrapped up. And now, I’m back in my office at Maverick Studios' worldwide headquarters, trying to summarize in a meaningful way what it all meant.
There just aren’t enough words, apart from “always wear sunscreen.” (Regular readers will have read this advice repeatedly throughout this series.)
I signed on for this program back in January with three goals:
To test and document skin care services that could make me look as young on the outside as I felt on the inside.
To encourage an open discussion about the way we view beauty and fashion for women in their 50s and beyond (I was about to turn 55).
To challenge everyone to stop judging women for their beauty choices and instead, embrace the idea that we can (and should) be whatever version of ourselves that brings us the most joy — without it being some kind of reflection or demand on anyone else.
I’m a journalist by training, and I was given free reign to test any service I was interested in, to write/video/photograph the experience and then share it to the Beautiful You website and to the clinic’s Instagram page. I also got to record some radio ads with Dr. Jubin — it’s so weird hearing my voice on the radio! The staff fact-checked my submissions for errors, but apart from that I was turned loose to test out any service that interested me and to show and tell you what happened with my skin.
My Beautiful You journey kicked off in mid-April with a BelaMD facial, and through the spring summer and fall, I had the opportunity to test out some of the best skincare treatments in the business, ranging from IPL and Morpheus8 to Ultherapy, Thermage, Incontilase, microneedling, neuromodulators, fillers, Belkyra and culminating with a MixTo C02 laser treatment around my eyes. I added in a skincare regimen from Vivier to keep my skin healthy and nourished between treatments.
FUN FACT: I estimate that I had more than 5,000 needles in my face, neck and chest throughout this program (from microneedling, Morpheus8, fillers and two rounds of neuromodulators.) It’s definitely helped me deal with my fear of needles!
Now that we’ve reached the end of the program, I still can’t quite believe the results. The ’11’ lines between my eyebrows are gone. So are the lines on my forehead and around my eyes. (ALL OF THEM.) My jawline is sharper, the little fat deposit under my chin is smaller, and my face looks more relaxed, healthy and lifted in all the right places. Just before we launched this program, I was horrified to be offered a seniors’ discount at two different stores. By mid-July, people mistook me for 35.
The question I’ve been asked the most is, “what is the most effective service?” followed by, “which one is your favourite service?”
I can’t answer the question about the most effective service because I can’t honestly determine whether one particular treatment changed my skin more than another. Instead, I believe it’s the culmination of several services and skin care that wound my clock back 20 years. It’s also important to note that what worked for me might not be the solution for you, so be sure to ask for your own personalized consultation.
I can answer “what was your favourite service?” That’s neuromodulators. That’s the service that brought me to Bella Sante 10 years ago, and it remains my favourite because it smoothes out my forehead and eliminates the creases between my eyebrows in under a week with results that last for months.
You asked if there was a service I didn’t really love. For me, that was Morpheus8. I found it was a moderately uncomfortable treatment, at least in some spots, and I had an acne breakout afterward that took awhile to clear up. Microneedling,Thermage and Ultherapy were all more comfortable, had no real downtime, and produced some fairly immediate results.
You asked if there was a service that didn’t work as expected. I am sad to report that service was Incontilase. Though I did see a small improvement in my ability to sleep through the night without having to get up multiple times to go to the bathroom, I didn’t notice any improvements to urge or stress incontinence after two treatments. I will need to consult a pelvic health physiotherapist to resolve those issues, as I’ve likely got some pelvic floor damage from childbirth that laser can’t fix. My last baby was nearly 13 lbs. so I wasn’t expecting miracles here — and clinical director Colleen Bell has had this treatment and said the improvements were noticeable for her, so it’s still a service I would recommend to friends.
And finally, some of you asked if the Vivier skincare set is worth the investment. I got a free set to test out and I can tell you it is an impressive regimen that was easy to use, caused no irritation and made my skin feel hydrated and healthy. I loved it enough that I paid for a set at the end of the program. However, there are great products from Sephora and The Ordinary that can provide similar results if you’re on a budget and want to save up for neuromodulators instead (like I do!)
Want to know which service makes you look like you’ve been on vacation? Which one is the staff’s top pick for themselves? Or which service can tighten your jawline before you even leave the clinic? You may have seen some of it on Instagram but you can find all of my blog entries here, along with videos and photos.
This has been the experience of a lifetime and I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Jubin and her team for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Beautiful You program. I will miss the rockstar treatment, the anticipation of trying out a new service and the opportunity to learn about the latest in skin care from a friendly team of pros.
My oldest daughter is getting married in July, so I am sure I’ll be back at Bella Sante for neuromodulators and probably some IPL and microneedling before we fly out to Vancouver Island for the wedding. Until then, I’ll be basking in the glow of my renewed skin (while covered in sunscreen at all times.)
I hope I’ve provided some useful tips along the way. Stay well, stay hydrated and above all, give yourself permission to be whoever you want to be. After all, that’s what Beautiful You is really about.
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