As a 40-something who came of age when SPF 15 was conservative and tanning beds were as popular as soy lattes are today, it’s fair to say that I haven’t always protected my skin. Every summer included at least one painful sunburn, sometimes more, which I expertly treated with a thick coating of Noxzema. My only concern - would skin would still be peeling off my nose on Friday night?
Then, as they have a way of doing, times changed. We learned more about the dangers of sun damage and as trends moved away from the coveted Malibu Barbie look, I hung up my tanning goggles and increased the SPF. Am I always as diligent as I should be? No, but I am great at rationalizing. Summer in the northeast is fleeting; sunscreen reapplication is a learned skill; what harm can 20-minutes in the glorious warmth of the sun do?
Yes, my face has a few wrinkles (or “lines of expression” as polite estheticians now call them) and I do have some pigment here and there, but isn’t that par for the course? My skin didn’t look damaged, but we all know that looks can be deceiving. Still, despite suggestions from my esthetician, I had yet to have a skin scan. I wasn’t actually avoiding it, I just couldn’t seem to find a convenient time (and by convenient I mean someone bringing the machine to my house with a chilled bottle of Riesling). Then one day after a quick brow shaping and a venti Starbucks cold brew, I decide to take her up on the offer and it’s kind of cool…and eye-opening.
Skin scanners use black lights or filtered UV lights and a magnified mirror to view skin beneath its surface layer. When viewed under the light, skin cells appear differently depending on their chemical makeup. For example, sun damage appears as freckles or dark spots, while clogged pores show up as orange dots, dehydration as purple, and dead skin cells present as white. What’s the benefit? If you’re aware of what’s happening beneath the skin, you can treat issues before they become a problem.
While the scanner itself isn’t intimidating (sort of a cross between an eye exam machine and those old-fashioned cameras with fabric flash curtains), being that face-to-face with my face is a tad unnerving. I lean forward to rest my chin on the indicated spot and blink out of habit. The black light reflection creates a “sci-fi”-ish feel, but it’s completely painless - not so much for the term “aging cuticle”. With her eyes just inches away on the other side of the viewfinder, my esthetician describes what she sees. A few dark patches (damn you Hawaiian Tropic), a couple orange dots in my T-zone (thank you, hormones), and that heart-stopping “aging cuticle”. Turns out this term sounds much worse than what it actually is - simply dry skin.
My esthetician doesn’t appear alarmed by anything she sees, but I am struck by the stark image of what lies beneath. Maybe it’s the clinical-ness of it all or the venti cold brew running through my veins, but it becomes apparent that what I see in the mirror every day is only part of the story. And, while there’s no way to turn back time (even Cher couldn’t do that), I can take action to prevent further damage and address underlying issues before they surface – literally.
Moral of the story? If a picture is worth a thousand words, a skin scanner image is like a documentary that tells your skin’s story layer by layer. Less than 10 minutes can change your perspective and your skin care regimen…for the better.
La Bella Derma offers free skin scans and follow-up consultations. Stop in or give us a call today at 802.735.3031 for more information.
Heather Frechette-Crowley is principal and founder of Root Marketing, where she uses content-based strategy to help businesses of all sizes connect with their target market. Looking for help telling your story? Visit www.rootmktg.com or email heather@rootmktg.com.
