Q & A w/ Skin guru Rita Kaya

[LuckyDog]

i got the glycolic pads you mentioned in the other thread and i love them! my question is..
am i use: cleanser, benza clin( script) and vit c

night: cleanser, glycolic pad, green tea mosturizer and eye creme.

is this order of application correct?

Tammy give us the low down on what brands

[tammyp]

i use mary kay time wise cleanser and eye creme as well as vit c creme. i sell it

the glycolic pads are glycolix elite 20% and for night its replenix green tea hyalronic acid creme....these are what rita mentioned in the other thread.

[Kim McGuire]

many of the products in the glycolix line are really very good. jan marini also has high quality glycolic acid products. you can buy things online at skinwest.com for very reasonable prices. they have free shipping and have a huge list of high quality products. it's the only place you can get things like kinerase for less than $100.

rita, i know skin care professionals are very picky about the cosmetics they use. what do you use or would you reccommend for things like foundation?

Thanks for being here by the way, I love this kind of info! I may see you at Monster Mash!! Hope you are doing well!

[SallyAnne]

Is there any product on the market that will help firm up loose skin? What about a product for making stretch marks disappear?

[tight booty]

many of the products in the glycolix line are really very good. jan marini also has high quality glycolic acid products. you can buy things online at skinwest.com for very reasonable prices. they have free shipping and have a huge list of high quality products. it's the only place you can get things like kinerase for less than $100.

rita, i know skin care professionals are very picky about the cosmetics they use. what do you use or would you reccommend for things like foundation?

Thanks for being here by the way, I love this kind of info! I may see you at Monster Mash!! Hope you are doing well!

I use Jan Marini skincare and love it...in fact it's all I use on my skin now.

[Elise]

I'm really loving Vivant pharmacueiticals. It's a great line

[RitaK]

many of the products in the glycolix line are really very good. jan marini also has high quality glycolic acid products. you can buy things online at skinwest.com for very reasonable prices. they have free shipping and have a huge list of high quality products. it's the only place you can get things like kinerase for less than $100.

rita, i know skin care professionals are very picky about the cosmetics they use. what do you use or would you reccommend for things like foundation?

Thanks for being here by the way, I love this kind of info! I may see you at Monster Mash!! Hope you are doing well!

Hi Kim! I look forward to seeing you too!!! Re: Picky - we all have our own favorites for sure. But what works great for one person doesn't do so well for others so we need to keep that in perspective when making recommendations. As long as products are made according to pharmaceutical standards and aren't "hype" products then it's a matter of finding the texture / consistency that works best for you. My favorite foundations are the mineral makeups - Jane Iredale, GloMineral, and Eminence. They're more pricey than some others but don't tend to look as chalky or shiny as many other mineral foundations tend to. These mineral makeups do more than beautify. They are great sunblocks, are anti-inflammatory (so anti-aging and anti-acne too), feel weightless on the skin, easy as pie to apply, and stay put until you take it off. See you soon!

[RitaK]

Is there any product on the market that will help firm up loose skin? What about a product for making stretch marks disappear?

Are you talking about loose skin on the body? If so then I've had considerable results for both men and women with an "anti-cellulite" product made by Circadia. It's called Professional Firming and Shaping Gel.

Rats!!! Have a client coming.... Gotta go for now but will be back on board later to finish this. It's a really good question!

Thanks for being so patient everyone!

[RitaK]

(Well...she's either really late or a no-show so I'm going to continue)

Re: Loose skin on body - Compression is also effective. If my clients are willing then before they go to bed I have them apply the Firm. & Shape. Gel first and then apply a compression garment (hose for lower body or corset / wraps for torso). Dr. Pugliese (research scientist and founder of Circadia) even developed a type of panty hose impregnated with his gel for this reason. (I saw that Macy's carries them.)

Re: Stretch marks - I haven't found a single product that does diddly-squat. I've used silicone pads, Cimeasil (sp?), Mederma, Strivectin..... On new and old scars & stretchmarks....Nothing. The only thing I've found that helps is to treat the area the same as you would for firming skin on your face - Vit C, a strong Retinol (or Retin-A), and glycolic acid product. This will improve the skin's firmness and texture which will help reduce the appearance of stretchmarks or at least make them less noticeable.

[RitaK]

Hey all! Skinceuticals recently came out with a new product called Retexturing Activator. It's supposed to exfoliate and renew skin like 20% glycolic acid (which is really strong for a daily care product!!!) without causing any irritation. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks and think they may be onto something….(!) But I want to get feedback from others. Have any of you tried this product yet?

[sassy69]

Rita -

what do you recommend for "oil" for show day? Some typical options are almond oil, PAM + terrycloth oven mitts & baby oil. At the NA's you had a horse product if I recall... it was great!

[Quadsweep]

Rita -

what do you recommend for "oil" for show day? Some typical options are almond oil, PAM + terrycloth oven mitts & baby oil. At the NA's you had a horse product if I recall... it was great!

The horse product (a shiny conditioning spray) we used @ N. Am. is the best product we've ever used!!! I have the bottle at home and will post the name of it when I get home. In the meantime see if Marilyn's Liquid Sun Rayz site mentions it. We got the spray from her. www.liquidsunrayz.com

The spray has a curing effect which makes it more comfortable, durable, and doesn't feel as greasy or make you as sweaty-hot. And it smells great! The horses it's made for are worth a fortune. The stuff made for these horses takes that into consideration. Quality stuff!!!

Yeah....that's Jeff's avatar....I'm on his computer at gym. I haven't gained THAT much yet! :-)

[RitaK]

ok...here's the spray info - World Champion Pepi Coat Conditioner ("Instant Sheen") made by Style Stable Products Hutchinson, MN 55350. Again, check Marilyn's site to see if she carries it (www.liquidsunrayz.com). Long-ass name but wicked-good product!

[apex23]

What do you recommend for dark circles? I get plenty of sleep and still always have them.

I have tried so many different creams and none seem to work.

[RitaK]

Dark circles are tricky. There are 2 "types" - One type is caused by dark pigment accumulating in the tissue. This is usually hereditary. The other "type" is structural and can be caused by dilated blood vessels close to the surface, fat accumulation under the skin, excess skin, water retention, and / or muscular-skeletal architecture.

Circles caused by hyperpigmentation can often be lightened with certain IPL type laser treatments, surgical chemical or laser peels, and skin bleaching agents like hydroquinone (IF your delicate eye tissue tolerates!).

Fat accumulation and excess skin requires blepheroplasty (eye lid surgery). Although I do think Dr. Pugliese’s “butt gel” can help (Circadia Professional Firming & Shaping Gel). It’s also quite good for tightening and firming the skin in general.

Water accumulation – Try cold compresses using tea bags (the caffeine helps circulation and antioxidants are good for the skin). Also, try blinking hard about 10 times. This activates lymphatic drainage. If allergies are involved then treating the allergy or allergic symptoms is helpful. And, of course, rest.

Blood vessels – Consult a physician about laser vein treatments for that specific area. Medical grade topical vitamin C (like Skinceuticals or Circadia's if your skin is really sensitive) may help by boosting the strength of the capillary walls (and increasing collagen and elastin for firmness).

Muscular-skeletal – I’m afraid we all have to live with our genetics. Even surgery can't change it. That is unless the circles are caused by LACK of fat (which creates a hollow gaunt circled look). In that case fillers can help.

How can you tell what’s causing your circles? Gently flatten the tissue and move it around. If the color moves with the skin then hyperpigmentation is a likely culprit. If the shadows fade when the skin is flattened then it’s probably excess tissue or just how you’re made (muscle & bone architecture).

PRODUCTS - There aren’t many I’m impressed with. My “can’t live withouts” are Circadia Myo-Site Plus serum under Circadia Eye Repair Kit (a.m. & p.m. formulas). VERY pricey stuff but a teeny bit goes a long way and the kit lasts a year. I’m also pretty impressed with Skinceutical’s new A.G.E. Inhibitor Eye Complex.