My Favorite Cosmetic Treatments and Skincare Routine
In the last few years, I have taken my dermatologist’s advice and upped my anti-aging skincare routine by adding IPL and micro-needling sessions to my annual skincare regimen. I have also had a chemical peel. What game changers! IPL drastically helped diminish the brown spots caused by sun damage in my teens, Microneedling helped improve the texture of my skin, and the chemical peel improved my skin’s texture and tone, and lessened the appearance of fine lines.
Today I want to share with you a few of the cosmetic treatments I have had done and a collection of my favorite skincare products. We will cover my anti-aging skincare routine and review my IPL, Microneedling, and Chemical Peel Sessions.
TL;DR
Beth shares her experiences with IPL, Microneedling, and a Chemical Peel
Find Beth's daily skincare routine and shop her favorite products at the end of the post
My Favorite Cosmetic Treatments and Skincare Routine
Cosmetic Treatments - IPL
As I mentioned, in addition to my anti-aging skincare routine, I upped the ante in 2021 with cosmetic treatments. There are invasive and non-invasive cosmetic procedures to choose from. Honestly, I have a neutral stance on what’s best. If you think Botox or fillers are the best choices for you, why not? Cosmetic procedures don’t have to be another topic where we take hard stances. For me, my aesthetic has always been doing what’s necessary and natural.
There’s a fine line between enhancing one’s appearance and going overboard. Many of us have witnessed friends and family who no longer resemble their former selves, and I have no interest in crossing that line. It isn’t important for me to look like I’m forty years old or even younger.
But I do want to be the best version of sixty-five. So I explored non-invasive treatments.
Before IPL
I started a series of IPL treatments in 2021. “IPL” is short for intense pulsated light, which is a type of light therapy used to treat age spots, sun damage, and broken capillaries on your face. This treatment can also be used on your neck, decolletage, and hands.
IPL is similar to laser treatment, the difference being a laser focuses on one wavelength of light whereas IPL releases light of many different wavelengths – like a photo flash. IPL penetrates down to the second layer of the epidermis without harming the top layer.
3 Days After IPL
The above photo was taken three days after my first round of IPL. I am wearing tinted moisturizer, blush, mascara, and lipstick, but you can see mild redness and swelling, especially underneath my eyes. The treated area of the skin feels like sunburn the first day and continues to be sensitive several days afterward. One of my kiddos called me Mrs. Potato Head as I looked pretty wonky for a few days…
1 Week After IPL
Here’s me a week after treatment with no makeup. The swelling and redness have disappeared, but you can still see a few age spots. It’s recommended to have a series of three IPL treatments. Some women just have one IPL therapy. The choice is yours.
Cosmetic Treatment - Microneedling
It's not exactly painless, but the discomfort doesn't linger. Your aesthetician uses a pen that rapidly and repeatedly pokes into the skin to perform the treatment. However, you only pass over the area once, so the process is quick and easy. As someone who's had it done before, I can confidently say it's not the most painful thing I've ever tried (bikini waxing holds that spot), and the forehead area hurts the worst (but even that is only a five on the pain scale).
You'll instantly notice how glowy your skin looks. You might experience a bit of redness immediately following the treatment, but once it subsides, you'll notice a dewy, glowy complexion and a new plumpness to your skin. You can schedule in-office treatments every other month or every month to maintain the results or whatever your budget allows.
You'll need to keep your skin hydrated after the treatment. So liberally apply formulas with hyaluronic acid, moisturizers with ceramides, and spritzing hydrating water sprays immediately following the treatment — and whenever your skin feels dry, TBH — to soothe the area and calm any redness. I also recommend skipping harsh and abrasive products, like exfoliators and alcohol-based toners, or retinols until your skin has healed.
Cosmetic Treatment - VI Chemical Peel
This is the peel that takes up to ten days to recover. It’s not a painful procedure but you will feel tingly. The treatment can be fantastic at smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, reducing acne and acne scarring, improving skin texture, and fading hyperpigmentation (like melasma or sun spots) caused by UV damage and inflammation.
I arrived to my appointment with clean skin and not having used any actives on my face for three days prior. After talking me through the treatment, my provider prepped my skin with an alcohol wipe and then began applying the peel in layers. After each layer was applied, my skin started to look more and more orange—which is totally normal. I experienced a very slight tingling sensation as each layer of the peel was applied, but it wasn't painful at all.
About 10 minutes later, once all the layers of the peel were applied, I was done. The peel is self-neutralizing, so four hours after application, you simply wash it off at home and begin using the VI Peel at-home care kit, which includes post-peel towelettes, soothing hydrocortisone cream, and a face sunscreen with SPF 50— and following the instructions to a T is crucial for the best result.
Day 1 of the Chemical Peel
Day 2 After the Chemical Peel
The day after the peel:
My skin looked kinda shiny and felt weirdly dry and tight, but nothing major to report. I used the at-home care kit as instructed (hydrocortisone cream and SPF in the day and post-peel towelettes and night) and opted not to wear any foundation or face makeup, even though technically it's allowed.
Day 3 After the Chemical Peel
Day 4 After the Chemical Peel
Three and four days after the peel:
On day three, I woke up with flakes and peeling skin on my chin and around my mouth. My provider told me it was crucial not to pick or remove any of the dead skin prematurely (it can cause hyperpigmentation and scarring), so I tapped on more of the hydrocortisone cream and avoided any mirrors until the evening. By nighttime, my face was fully shedding and honestly flaky skin doesn’t look good AT ALL!
Day 5 After the Chemical Peel
~2 Months After the Chemical Peel
Five days after the peel:
On day five, I woke up and my skin was nearly back to normal. There were some tiny dry patches around my brows and hairline, but the major flaking was done, and my skin started to look super glowy and smooth, especially on my cheeks and forehead. I went through the chemical peel process about two months before my son’s wedding, and was very pleased with the results!
My Favorite Anti-Aging Skincare
Now onto skincare for my face, which consists of a cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, Vitamin C serum, and a retinoid. My favorite skincare brands are Elemis and Colleen Rothschild. Finally, let’s look at my favorite products:
Cleanser:
Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm | Colleen Rothschild Cleansing Balm
Daytime Moisturizer:
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream | Elemis ProCollagen Morning Matrix | Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench
Nighttime Moisturizer:
IT Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep | L'Oreal Midnight Serum
Sunscreen:
My dermatologist has a skincare line called Curated. I'm a big fan of their Protect Matte broad spectrum SPF 40 Sunscreen | L'Oreal Age Perfect Sunscreen broad spectrum SPF 25
Vitamin C:
Colleen Rothschild Vitamin C Brightening Serum | Vitamin C Nourishing Cream | Colleen Rothschild Travel Kit
Eye Serum:
Colleen Rothschild Illuminating Tinted Eye Cream | L'Oreal Age Perfect Eye Cream
Retinol:
From the Curated skincare line, I use Renew Five Retinol 100 Serum
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, Beth shared a Tried and True Spring Outfit. Click the title or image below to read the article.
Wow Beth, thank you for doing this very informative post! And thank you for sharing all before and after photos as well. I’m 63 and considering some of these procedures now. You’ve provided me with an amazing base of reference.
I too have a wedding this year! Thank you for sharing all this information. After following you for a few years , I trust your opinion. I have had a BBL treatment for sun spots and was pleased with the results. However, my recent injection of Botox has made my eyelids droop. I hear it’s temporary. I hope this is a fact. Here’s to being you best self!