My skin type: combination and tempermental

Hi, Helen here.

Welcome to Canada’s first and only lifestyle site, focused on skin care.

Here, you’ll learn how real people, including myself, have transformed or are working towards fixing our skin with the best products and non-invasive treatments. We have exclusive access to the expertise of Toronto’s best cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Lisa Kellett. She’s the woman responsible for keeping the city’s well-heeled looking refreshed and rejuvenated–not fake, filled, and frozen. Nobody wants to look like Joan Rivers or Bruce Jenner these days.

So who is this site for? The thirty plus crowd, because this is when things go south skin-wise. Research shows that this is the decade when skin no longer “acts” young, as elastin and skin-plumping collagen production declines and skin becomes thinner–paving the way for the “3 Ds” of aging:

Deterioration = wrinkles, pores, texture, brown and red spots.

Descent = hallow eyes and cheeks, droopy eyelids.

Deflation = loss of face and neck volume and a general flattening of facial features.

All of these changes can make us look years older than we actually feel.

Personally, since turning thirty, I feel like I am constantly playing a game of Whac-a-Mole–as soon as I deal with one issue, another one pops up. My skin battle is two-fold: As an acne sufferer being of Asian descent, I get hyperpigmentation after any blemish and many of these have morphed into deep, pitted scars. As any acne sufferer can attest to, acne and acne scarring has a strong emotional component to it–many who suffer from it try to keep their complexion under wraps.

I want to look my best without having to rely on layers of make up. And for me, that means being aggressive with certain clinical treatments and religious with daily use of sunscreen and cosmeceuticals at home. So you won’t find makeup tips here–there are thousands of beauty blogs that will tell you how to wear the latest shade of red lipstick or how to apply pore-clogging foundation. I’m done covering up my skin.

And if you’re over 30, you should be too.

Instead of relying on makeup to look and feel your best, why not aim to get your skin to a state where you don’t need a drop of foundation? It’s possible.

How? Be proactive: commit to a skin care routine that works for you. Find one by working with a dermatologist (just like how you maintain your teeth health with a dentist). Nourish your skin health with clean food. Cultivate these three habits and you’ll stay ahead of the aging game by ten years.

Wouldn’t it be nice to look and feel 30 when you’re 40? 40 when you’re 50? And 50 when you’re…75?!

Hey, and if you think you’re doomed to have horrible skin because your mom or dad does, don’t fret: It’s believed that only about 30% of facial aging is genetic, according to the Facial Aesthetics Care & Education Institute (FACE), an independent group of Canadian physicians and surgeons ensuring the highest standards in cosmetic enhancement procedures. The rest, they say, is caused by repetitive sunlight, smoking, and the environment. Totally controllable factors–your double helix does not control your face fate!

Ready to ditch the concealer for good? Stay connected, and let’s grow healthier, happier, and hotter together.