As I write this, it’s the middle of August. Five months ago, I wrote my first blog post for the Beautiful You project as I prepared to test out the latest in skin care treatments, see what worked, what didn’t, and decide which ones I would recommend to my best friends.
I was nervous about being in front of a camera, bare-faced and brightly lit, showing whoever stumbled on the series every little flaw as I peered into my magnifying mirror. I wanted to talk to you about the reasons I signed up for the program: Obviously, the thought of improving my skin was at the very top of the list. But I also wanted to give all of you a forum, where we could talk openly about how — and why — we seek to rewind the clock a little. I wanted to have these discussions without being subjected to well-meaning but judgemental comments like, “beauty is on the inside,” or “aging is normal,” or my favourite, “your looks are the least interesting thing about you.”
Don’t get me wrong, all of those comments are valid. But so is my desire to look as young as I feel on the inside. I want to care for my skin in any way I choose, not how someone else thinks I should.
And so, I set out to test laser treatments like IPL and Incontilase, deep tissue treatments like Thermage and Ultherapy, and services with a LOT of needles, like microneedling, Morpheus8 and neuromodulators.
I still have three services to test out: Dermal fillers, Belkyra and a C02 fractional laser treatment before the program wraps in November, and I get to meet you all in person.
It’s been a lot to schedule, film and blog.
Regular readers may recall I eased into the program with a relaxing, fabulous BelaMD facial. Some treatments were a little uncomfortable (Morpheus8, Ultherapy). Morpheus8 triggered breakouts and I got little blisters for a few days after Thermage. One service hasn’t given me any noticeable improvement after three months (Incontilase — I suspect my bladder needs more professional help than any laser can provide) while others had some pretty impressive results after just a week (neuromodulators) or a couple of months (Ultherapy, Thermage.)
I do know that my skin has never looked this good. In my teens, I suffered with acne and as a young adult, I used sunscreen but I’m not sure products like retinol or vitamin C serums even existed to help me with skin texture or enlarged pores. Now, my skin is smoother and spot-free, thanks to services like IPL and microneedling and it’s noticeably firmer, especially along my jawline, thanks to services like Ultherapy, Thermage and Morpheus8. (I should add that I got to test out a great skin care set from Vivier to make sure my skin was nourished and healthy with medical-grade products.)
The biggest discovery for me as we progressed through the program is that you CAN get good results from a single service — heck, I’ve been popping in every year or two over the past decade for IPL and Botox treatments, and I know they work. But when you stack services together, each one targets different parts of your skin and together they work to mega-boost collagen and seriously lift and tighten your skin. My results have been nothing short of spectacular.
The other discovery I’ve made is that the staff at Bella Sante treat every client like we’re the most important person in the clinic at every visit. They’re friendly and fun, they all love what they do and of course, every danged one of them has gorgeous skin. But the part that impressed me most was that I had the opportunity to ask them questions before every treatment. A LOT of questions. And I always got answers. Thorough, thoughtful answers.
I trust Dr. Jubin because I know she’s going to tell me the truth, even if I’m not going to like what I hear — like how the little lines at the corners of my mouth that I wanted to erase might be here to stay (I’m hoping the C02 laser will yield some kind of miracle.) That the moles she removed on my cheek and chin a couple of years ago might grow back (one did.) That adding slight volume to my temples and the apples of my cheeks will somehow lift my jawline (STAY TUNED FOR DERMAL FILLERS, I’m heading to the clinic tomorrow to see if this works!) And finally, she told me my little chin hairs — the bane of my existence — are untreatable, at least at Bella Sante, because those irritating hairs are blonde and lasers won’t affect them.
When this program wraps up, I’m going to miss chatting with my favourite Bella peeps — Colleen and Rebecca, Angel and Karen, Chelsea, Michelle, Judy and Laurie — you’ve seen me bare-skinned (or covered in gel), endured some bad jokes and answered a whole lot of questions. Thank you for your dedication, your humour and your professionalism. And to Dr. Jubin: Thanks doesn’t seem to be enough to express how grateful I am that you chose me for the Beautiful You program, but I do want to say thanks for generally being a really knowledgeable medical rock star with goal-worthy skin and the best wardrobe I’ve ever seen in any business setting. I’ve got a girl crush.
Listen, I fully understand that most people are not going to stack up 10 services to fight aging, and I acknowledge that I am the luckiest unicorn in the world to get to do this. I do know that you can get impressive results with just a couple of services. Read through all my blog posts in this journey to see which ones make the most sense for you. And trust the staff at Bella Sante if you’re having troubles deciding, because believe me, they know about skin care and they will not steer you wrong.
See you all soon,
~Michelle
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