Spa Days vs. Real Wellness

We are talking about spa days versus real wellness

Welcome to Wellness in Every Season. We talk all things wellness regarding the environment that you spend a lot of your time in, your physical health, your intellectual health, your financial health, your spiritual health, professional health, your social health, who you have relationships with, your emotional health.

This is a really big umbrella, so expect all kinds of topics within all of these amazing dimensions of your wellness. Let's dive in

Today I have with me Jacqueline Luongo, she really wants this to resonate with busy moms- who are going to the spa. They've dropped a bunch of money, but they don't- feel like they are deeply taken care of.

Which I think all of us can resonate with that, even men who go to the .

We do these things, and we expect it to be a really good long-term payout, and it's not.

Mm-hmm.

Let me share a little bit about her, and then I'll let her fill in all the gaps.

I can tell that we're gonna have a lot of fun, so I hope you have fun with us with this. So she talks about how she has grown and pivoted along the way, and how she was an esthetician for a very long time. And how she fell in love with facials, and I just, I know I'm not gonna do enough justice to her journey.

So without further ado, welcome, Jacqueline. And can you share with us- Thank you ... your journey?

Yes, absolutely.

the passion that I've had for aesthetics, beauty, since I was 12 years old. That was when I had my first facial. And I remember that moment, sitting up and thinking, "This is what I wanna do when I grow up." And I truly followed that path. Going to aesthetic school, having a business background as well. But intertwining the two together, and then being able to execute it into how this industry has evolved.

And I feel like facials, spas, Years ago it was something that was only a luxury, and you would do on special occasions. And I really am glad that it's become more of a wellness approach over- Maybe 10 years, maybe a bit longer than that, and I love seeing that growth and that there are the consumers out there and the clients out there that see the value in it, so it isn't just on birthdays or anniversaries and you are accessing it a bit more because it really does help to reset, fill the tank, recharge.

But to echo what you said, Autumn, I feel like it's also something that you can't expect the outcome to have this long-term effect to it if you're not doing that maintenance at home or continuing to do that tiny little bits of self-care as we go along the way throughout the time when you can visit the wellness centers, the spas, the clinics, wherever you're going for that care.

So my background evolved into education in aesthetics and mentoring, leadership. So I currently am the vice president of business development for PDO Max and Lumevi Skincare. The core of our conversation will probably lean a bit more towards Skincare, to help those clients out there that are not able to get facials every month.

This is an in-between that approach, and, it's getting tremendous res-results. Our founder, Dio McCarthy, brought this to market because of the economy, because not everybody is able to afford to go every month to get treated. So this is an in-between that keeps that maintenance so that when you do go back, you're not starting all over from scratch, and that you have something to build on .

I really encourage anybody that has never visited a wellness center or a spa to do so because I do think it's less intimidating these days.

And even if you don't wanna do that, you can start with some really great skincare at home, and there, that is so important And lastly, I'll say I visited a clinic that's providers of injectors and a doctor that really looks at more regenerative medicine, and it was just this week, and she said something that struck a nerve, and I really loved it.

So we're not anti-aging, we're well aging, and I definitely wanna lead with that a bit. And her and I talked about it after the event, because it is a privilege to age, and how great to be able to do so with healthy, clinically driven ingredients, clean beauty, all of the things that work in synergy with, what you're doing at home to take care of yourself.

So I just had to add that tidbit in.

women, send this to your men if men aren't listening right now. But let's talk to them for a second. What would you like to say to the men, who kind of ignore their female in their life until, "Here's this big thing that we're doing. I'm taking you to the spa, and we're doing all this."

And it's only once a year. What would you like to say to that demographic?

I feel like think about how life is after when you do go that one time a year, and how you know, especially if the men get to experience it as well, or they're experience it from their spouse, their mother's point of view, your shoulders are lowered.

Your stress is a bit just calmer. And knowing that that does have that impact on your energy, on your wellbeing, to see that there's value there. And, you know, maybe I'm biased because of the industry that I come from, but of course I would rather have a gift card to a spa than a mug or candle or all the things that, lead up to these holidays that happen.

I'm always asking for certificates for my favorite spa places, and I get to travel to different ones based on where my friends get gift cards to. So we're always playing around with trying new places as well, and I love that. And I love that it's a very thoughtful gift. Even though it's not a tangible gift,

I think has so much more depth to it and thought

So I go to the spa for facials every several months. It really helps me to not have the hormonal acne.

And they now, maybe they didn't before, but it also- Mm-hmm ... I grew up very poor, so could not- Mm-hmm ... afford it back then. But for my children, if they end up with skin like mine-

i'm totally going the facial route with them.

Of course, it'll be cleaning up their diet and talking about stress. But I would love for you to talk to that demographic, the parents whose children have acne, because I feel like that would've made the biggest impact- on my skincare journey.

Because I tried so many different things, and I have sensitive skin, so I would go from- Oily acne to dry my face-

completely stripped

wants to fall

off

So years ago, I don't think that even if you did have the background to be able to go and do these facials, it wasn't what it is now. And I think there's so much more awareness and vulnerability out there when it comes to social media. Because we work with influencers a lot, my favorite influencers are the ones that show their raw broken out skin, and then take us through, the results from it and how they feel healed and calm and...

Because that's real. We talk about the influencer models out there that are these famous people. Of course, they have access to everything and anything that they want most of the time. Where the real people out there, need to be able to access affordable skincare.

But the other part that has changed since, maybe that time or when you were younger accessing skincare, is education behind ingredients.

And I always say read the labels. It's something that's really important to understand key ingredients, and ingredients that are maybe not so good for your skin, especially if you have hormonal breakouts or tend to break out period. You wanna stay away from the mineral oils. You wanna stay away from stripping your skin too much and using something with alcohol in it or, too much of anything isn't good either.

Where back in the day we probably used Tridex pads and we didn't know any better, right? And this is relevant even for the younger generation, and I see some of my daughter's friends and, the cheer group somewhat, struggle a bit with skincare because they're wearing makeup and they don't know what the right product is.

So my other advice is just because it is recommended by a famous person or influencer doesn't mean it's right for you. I do think estheticians are still the best voice in- aesthetics to teach you about skincare. I'll use some brands that you see at Sephora. Pretty packaging, smells good, probably doesn't have a whole lot of great actives to help with keeping the skin clear and just optimal health.

And that's important. So it's important to look at the ingredients and research ingredients to figure out what makes sense for you, especially for acne. But I love hearing that you would access this for your kids if they did, because it's really hard to fix it down the road, from acne scarring to pigmentation, to all the things that, many years later, have seen.

And there are ways to fix it, but it's much harder to get to your better baseline or goals.

And it's long-term self-esteem along the way.

Yeah.

What's nice about the spa that I go to is they actually have an aesthetician who focuses on teens, hormonal acne.

Mm-hmm. There's education along with it, not just the facials.

There's options. That's what's so great about it. I love that you mentioned the psychological piece of it, too, is that there is hope with it with skincare.

And I think that's really important because you don't have to keep allowing it to get worse and worse. It can be maintained. It can be somewhat put under in control.

Yeah.

So let's talk about stress and the effect on skin. Because I have just been really hammering home stress lately. It's coming up in podcast episodes, my newsletter as well . Seeing it in my own life, people that I'm coaching. It's amazing how much, especially looking back at my teenage years, I had a lot of stress going on.

High cortisol levels, inflammation. Inflammation is the reason for everything bad that happens to our skin, our bodies. It's the core of the root cause. So that inflammation causes, more of the breakouts, the redness.

Your lymph is inflamed, so your skin can also not... it can look swollen. It can look puffy. It can look uneven. And that is one of the first things when you look at the root cause to really help with skincare. And also using ingredients that help with anti-inflammatory components. So we have PDO, which is a polydioxanone.

That has anti-inflammatory component to it. PDRN, which is our salmon DNA, really great for skin repair, really great for inflammation. So key ingredients that are specific to skin, but also that can be used in, the nutrition world, looking at niacinamide, glutathione, vitamin C. Vitamin C topically is just as bomb as it is internally.

So those are important things to know, and that sometimes there is a bit of a overlap to it when you're looking at what you're putting in your body, foods that cause that inflammation. But definitely the high cortisol, you see it in the skin. You see someone that has a high cortisol, high inflammation.

And then the other part that comes with that is, skin picking, irritating your skin, you know, not being gentle enough with yourself inside and out.

Oh, I'm totally... If there's a pimple, I have to pop it,

it's hard not to. I agree.

It's better just not to get one.

So especially with regards to those who are go, go, go- ...

how do we make sure that we are- not stressed before we go to the spa- so we can really soak up the, nutrients of the practice.

And how do we make sure that we're slowing down, maybe adding buffers into our schedule so that we can- Mm-hmm ... really relax there?

Being present before, making the plan during, and then after. But I think what's even more important is the time that you have daily for yourself.

So seeing the value in that, again, it's not being selfish to take care of yourself. And, before we even started recording, we were talking about infrared saunas and LED lights and all of that. So I use an LED mask every night for at least 15 minutes, and that's my time. Incorporate it when you're reading or journaling or drinking your tea.

That's 15 minutes out of 24 hours. Just finding the time. And I love LED because that also helps with the inflammation, so it all kind of connects the dots and ties it together.

And once a week do a sheet mask, do a clay mask, do something to treat yourself because it isn't just about that one time in the spa or with your esthetician doing your facials.

It's all of the little bits in between as well. And proper skincare from just basic cleansing. Use a great serum. We have a glass skin serum that anybody could use morning and night. You throw it on, do a glass skin sheet mask once a week. And then maybe once in a while you do something a little bit more advanced or a little bit more when you have somewhere you have to go or when you're feeling- hormonal. There's other components. We have stampers, we have things that just make you feel like you're doing a spa treatment but at home. That's also important. What's a stamper? A stamper is, it's a delivery system of ingredients. So our stamper-

This is what it looks like.

And You're delivering the ingredients a bit deeper than what you would just normally do your cleansing and moisturizing. So it's an added bonus that you do maybe once a month, in between your spa services. But there is B12, PDRN, hyaluronic acid, the things that our skin starts to lack as we age, so giving it back what it's diminished.

And why does all of this matter?

I think it matters in wellbeing. I think it matters in, to echo what you said earlier, self-confidence and treating yourself and, valuing your worth, that you are worth taking care of. You're worthy of that. Absolutely. I think that's so important. And again, I feel like I might be a little biased because this is my industry and this is what I know, but I hope everybody sees, how amazing it can be.

And it doesn't take a lot of extra time, and there's ways to do it without investing a ton of money. You don't have to go out and buy the department store brands that, have high price points. That doesn't always mean it's great either. It's just beautiful packaging and smells and famous spokespeople.

Read the ingredients. You can get a really great moisturizer for under $50 and serums

and usually if something is fragranced, your skin's not gonna like it.

Exactly.

I've noticed that you make a face every time you say it out loud- and I was doing it too.

Yeah ... it's very true.

We're testing a cleanser right now, and we said no fragrance. No fragrance in the cleanser. And it'll be a turn-off. It's just the cleaner it is, the better.

we decided to make our bedroom feel more of a spa space. We don't have pictures of our children in our bedroom. It's just my husband and I. We, have candles in there. It's very light colors. We even have some pictures of,

Like, a rolled up towel and stuff like that ... in our bathroom. We invested in better quality towels. And it really made a difference. We have a walk-in shower in our -

en suite. And then in our basement we have a bathtub. So I made that my space. I have to relinquish it when guests come, but other than that the kids can use the bathroom if they really need to in there, but otherwise , it's supposed to be my space. Love

that.

And I have, Some, some fairy lights in there so I can have-

a little lighting. I even have a little wall mount, so if I wanna watch a movie in there, I can put my iPad up there. Which is really important, because I have four little children- and they don't like to give me my space in the house. I don't have a car that's mine, right?

It's the family car.

Mm-hmm.

I, share part of this office with them. My bedroom I'm sharing with my husband. My workout area... 'Cause remember during COVID, we didn't really go to the gym back then. My workout area was also shared with them. Now I go to the gym, so it's pretty much all their area. I did not have any space that was mine, so that was our whole, intention-wise.

Instead of using the kids' bathtub, I can use this one.

They're not banging on the door, plus it's a little bit further away. So it made a huge difference to be able to have my own spa experience at home. Especially being a breastfeeding mom, where- Yes ... I could only live in two or three-hour pockets at a time.

Yeah, absolutely. That I could escape. Take an Epsom salt bath, put on a movie for a little bit. Shave my legs, 'cause I swear that's when you get the closest shave ever.

Yes

my own little foot file down there, my deep conditioner's down there.

So I could just totally pamper myself, and it made- ... such a huge difference.

I feel like that's such a great gift to give yourself, because then you are better after, you know, when you're resetting, when you're recharging.

And even those that don't have time, finding the 15, 20 minutes, finding the time to do something nice. We, in our company, we started a trend, because sometimes we have to take long drives. So we put our sheet mask on now while we're driving. It's transparent. I'm sure people are looking at us like we're weird, but 20 minutes of PDRN on my face while I'm driving, you're doing two things at once.

You've gotta do what you've gotta do, but then afterwards you feel so great, and that was your time. Like, you just did something to treat yourself. Same thing with a bath, taking the time to do a sheet mask, taking the time to do something that feels good that's just for you. That's what I love about skincare.

That's what I love about that self-care piece of it, and we have tools, like the LED mask and facial sculptors. It just makes you feel like you're doing something just for yourself.

I love that.

And the nice thing is, and this is something to think about, who are you most- attracted to and the way that you wanna spend time with them.

Mm-hmm. Or if you were in a room full of strangers, you would wanna go up and talk to that person.

Right.

It's the person who's glowing, and not they look good, but-

Mm-hmm ...

you can tell that they feel good in their own skin-

Yes ...

like a dimmer switch they're just on more. Those are the people that are deeply taking care of themselves.

Mm-hmm.

Take that time of why is that? What are they doing? What can I add in for myself?

Can I, instead of reading while doing the face mask or watching TV while doing the face mask, can I maybe put on a guided meditation?

Can I just lay there? And I try to do my face mask at night 'cause I've noticed I have, like, the raccoon eyes from the mask. Right. I don't have those all day long. So I notice that sometimes it is turned off, and I wake myself up because I had snored, like that quick little snort.

I love

And it's like, "Oh, what happened?"

But I sleep the deepest those nights- Mm-hmm ... because I am a side sleeper, and I had been on my back for 20 minutes-

Yeah ...

so my spine is aligned- ... and I've done something for myself, and I notice my face looks better the next day.

Yes, absolutely.

Or slow down instead of doing all the things, and what does it feel like to actually put lotion on your body?

Right. Like, just be.

Maybe, like, notice where maybe you have a knot in your leg and rub that a little bit deeper- while you're putting it in there.

Yep.

You maybe need to put on more lotion than you have been because it's that weird transition with the seasons.

Yes.

So maybe instead of trying to habit stack all the things together, can you piece them apart and just-

Right

relax while you're doing it? Mm-hmm. How can you have the relaxation of the spa in your everyday life?

Mm-hmm.

Which I think is the point of what you wanted to talk about today.

Absolutely, and I feel like that's being present and finding the time, seeing the importance in it, and, like you said, seeing the results.

So after you've done your LED mask, after you've done your sheet mask, you are seeing, "Oh, this actually is doing something. This is making my skin look better. I'm glowing more.

I feel youthful." And you're absolutely right about the grounded person that has that higher vibration because they are present, because they are grounded.

There is the calmness to them. And, again, it spins back to that high cortisol and inflammation, and, that's really important internally but also externally, you know, for your skincare and for the way that you look.

Because absolutely- Important ... stress ages you. Not just the sun.

Absolutely it does. And then of course, wear your sunscreen. That's important, too.

And don't smoke.

And yes.

And that's actually what I am training myself, is that I put extra on. I want my tattoos to still look nice.

Mm-hmm ...

but I have to time it out so that I'm not sweating the sunscreen into my eyes-

When I go to the gym ...

I think that's also something that's important because,

you can always add bronzer if you wanna look a little bit more tan. Like, it's... There's healthier ways to do so.

Daily use sunscreen. If there was anything that needed to be, the most important product to use, I would say sunscreen.

Absolutely.

And it sounds like from what you're saying is the more that you're doing in between your spa visits, it can lengthen the time between when you need to go to the spa-

It certainly can ... to clear your pores.

Nothing's ever going to replace the in-clinic treatment. Keeping in mind we have, for example, just coming from a company standpoint, our skin boosters have a very high concentration of the PDRN, the vitamin C, something that you as a consumer would never use at home.

So you are going for that, higher, more elevated service. But if you are going to go six weeks or further, the maintenance in between is really important. And I also sometimes use an example of anybody that colors their hair, you're going home and using color-protective shampoo and conditioner. So it's the same thing with skincare.

You wanna maintain your pH of your skin. You wanna maintain the results that you've just invested in in your skincare. So using ingredients that work in synergy together with what you did in clinic and spa is going to just make the needle move to that healthier optimal skin health, which is why everybody, I assume, goes to the spa.

And Gio always says, "The goal is to not wear makeup." And I get it, you know. I love lipstick, but I love that she says that because when you feel good in your skin, you don't wanna cover it up. And that should be the goal, is that you are glowing from within and, you know, you're using makeup here and there to enhance features and whatnot.

I definitely notice that for myself ... skin. Mm-hmm The more that I've taken care of my skin, when I wear makeup it feels gross- Yeah ... on my pores and everything. Mm-hmm. And I've noticed that it is even enough that I don't need to do that, plus I don't have acne anymore, so yay. That's good. Except for when I travel.

I get like the, the one travel acne, which is super annoying. But beyond that- Mm-hmm ... and I love that you're saying, because it used to be back in the day that you either h- had a lot of money so you could go to the spa regularly- Mm, mm-hmm ... or it was something that you did while you were on vacation. So I love- And now it's- ... that it's accessible and- It is ... that there are things that we can do in between- Yeah ... and we, and it's no longer we go to whatever drugstore and-

Mm-hmm ... we

grab whatever's there. Do you remember the day where we went to CVS and Walmart and those were the only places that were around?

Yeah.

I'm totally aging myself.

Well, I, what did I already brought up, Stridex pads, and you know, like my mom used- I

used them and they dried out my skin like nothing. Back in the late 2000s, you wanted dry skin.

Right,

But now we want dewy skin.

It's changed from that kind of matte look years ago to glowy, dewy, and we talk about this a lot, where glass skin is a very Korean beauty, trend or, standpoint where that is glowing skin. There's a little difference between it feeling oily or filmy.

I don't think that's ever the goal. But it's that kind of flawless, even-toned skin that you're looking for. Absolutely, there are so many more options of purchasing your skincare nowadays. It's incredible and- Overwhelming ... i'm really glad the industry has grown to be accessible, and it isn't just option this and option that, from one extreme wealthy standpoint to, then having just a CVS or Walmart option. There's a lot in between now.

For me, it feels like the goal is to have post-facial skin- and to keep it that way.

Where you have that glow, but it's not oily.

Yes.

And that is the point of going back to the people that you are attracted to and wanna be around.

They have that glow, Yeah ... it's spiritually. Yeah. But usually they have it physically as well.

Absolutely. It's that energy to their skin, you are putting your best foot forward, whatever that looks like. And you can tell that. And I do think your poise and confidence just naturally shows when you do feel good in your own skin.

Yeah. I remember the times where I'd be broken out, I'd be like, "Just don't-

look there." Like, just look at the side of the face or, you know,

It's hard. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

You're right that there is a lot out there. It can be intimidating, it can be overwhelming. You don't have to have 10 steps to have good skincare. I do believe that. So don't think that way.

Start small. Start with stepping stones. We have a kit that is a mask, a serum, and the Stamper. Use a great cleanser and you're good. It's better than nothing. So don't get overwhelmed by everything that's out there. Start small, and you can always build on that as you start to see the result, and as you start to see that it is possible, and that it's doesn't take as much time as you think, or money.

What's a great cleanser? I know people are gonna be asking that.

I really like creamy kind of oil-based cleansers, which is counterintuitive to, like, an oily or acne skin. But actually, oil treats oil, so not being afraid of using lipid-based products. There's a lot of them out there, but I like a nice creamy cleanser.

I don't like when your skin feels stripped. That means it's alkaline. It's sort of the same thing if you were to go get your hair colored and then you wash your hair with dish soap because it's so alkaline. That's the same thing you're doing to your face when you go home and use bar soap or something that's gonna strip everything away.

So I love good oily, oil-based cleansers, creamy-based cleansers that leaves your skin not feeling necessarily, like you said, dry or tight. You want your skin to just feel fresh and clean. I

- T

he other part that I think is also doable now and not as intimidating is, women especially going through perimenopause, you're starting to get facial hair. There might be more extra peach fuzz kind of hair, that there are tools out there. We have a dermaplaning tool that helps to remove that peach fuzz so that when you do use your cleansers, your moisturizers, your serums, everything goes on really smoothly because that also helps to remove dead skin.

So dermaplaning, which is something that can be done in clinic but also can be done safely with a dermaplaning tool, I think is a really nice thing to do once a month for yourself, and you do see a difference. Your skin looks brighter because you've just removed the dead layer of skin that doesn't need to be there

I love that.

Can you show us some of your stuff?

This is the Glo Between kit that has the stamper in it. It has the five sheet masks, and our serum is a 30ml serum that can be used morning and night, and it just has this nice, quickly absorbed, texture to it. I love that. But what I also like to do, this one's filled.

I'm gonna press it. Did you just see the water come out? I have just water in here. So that is the head to it, the little tip to it, and there's 19 tiny, tiny little needles, and they are 32 gauge. So that means the product is actually coming out of those needles, and when you are stamping your skin, you're pressing, and you are micro-infusing it into the skin.

And the reason that's important to do once in a while is because as we age, our skin cells start to shed less often. So your dead skin is building up, and that's why the dermaplaning and exfoliating is very helpful in keeping the skin healthy. But also, this is a really great tool to do, again, once a month, every three weeks or so, to infuse those vitamins into the skin.

And they are tiny needles. It's a .3 depth. It's very, very minimal and very comfortable. But what it does is it helps to boost and elevate the result because these ingredients are so good to use within your maintenance, between your facials, within your treatment protocols that you work with your esthetician.

So I know that sometimes the word needle is intimidating, but I promise you it's very comfortable, and I do it on myself all the time, and I teach people to do it on themselves. And they say, "Oh, that was easy. That was nothing." And you feel stimulated. You feel like something's happening to your skin because it kind of brings a little bit of life and energy to your skin.

And then you do a nice cooling mask or an LED or you're doing something that's, a little extra than even your daily, and boy, does that keep the needle moving and results.

So it sounds like they're skinnier than acupuncture needles.

They're hollow, so they're a little different than acupuncture needles, but

when you're pressing the pump, they're not retracting or extracting. They're stationary. So really the only reason you're pumping is because you're just infusing the flow of that serum that's in the Glo Pen.

Perfect. Yeah. And then you... I remembered what I was gonna say.

 the reason why you wanna be careful about not having too many products-

is because a lot of them have the same ingredients, and that can be detrimental to your skin.

And your skin can only absorb so much. So when you think about consistency, you wanna use the thinnest consistency first so that penetrates and is delivering in, and then you maybe use a little bit of that thicker moisturizer and then your sunscreen.

So thinking about layering, but if you have too many layers, eventually your skin just gets... it can't absorb anymore, because your skin isn't... You do have pores, but it's not, like, porous because there's a lot of dead skin that we're always dealing with in that top layer of stratum corneum. So be mindful of that.

If your skin starts to feel oily and slip with everything you're putting on, give it a break, let it absorb, or maybe you only need one or two layers and then that's it.

Think about it this way, you could be wasting money.

Yes, and I agree. I think sometimes less can be more

I know it depends on your age and stage in life but what is the general, routine? What should it look like?

So everybody has different concerns, and I can't speak to everyone's concerns because something might be more important to one than another, you know, whether it is hydration, fine lines.

Some are really bothered by pigmentation or sunspots. So I always think that addressing that concern, addressing what bothers you the most, and there's always an ingredient that helps with that, so sticking with that first, leading with that. So if it is pigmentation, PDRN is really great for that.

Anything that's brightening, vitamin C. If it's anti-aging, hyaluronic acid, anything that has that extra boost of moisture, a humectant, draws moisture and hydration to your skin, your skin will look more supple. It's just ... I'll use another analogy that's gross, but it makes sense. A dried up sponge.

You see all the little cracks and nooks and crannies, right? Or a mattress that's been sat on for too long. When you add plumpness to it, when you add that hydration, that water, you see it plump up. So it's the same thing. As we age, we produce less collagen. Our elastin and fibroblasts are not as stimulated, and we need to add it back what it's lacking.

Even hyaluronic acid, we need to add that back into the skin. And that's also why PDO threads are so amazing for, the aging process, or if you're not ready for a facelift, it's a really great in between because placing threads helps to create that collagen where you've placed threads. So it helps you produce your own collagenase where that thread was placed.

For people who haven't really done a whole lot with their face, they're starting to get to that age, especially menopause, so much changes-

in your face structure. men can age really well, and then women, it's like overnight. So what about those ones who are, "Do I see an aesthetician, or do I go and get fillers?"

Mm-hmm ...

what do you say to this crowd of people who don't know which one to go with and they're like, "Help us"?

So at 44, I do both. You reach a certain point where maybe you might be intimidated to go see an injector. And I, of course, love threads because it's, again, your body is producing its own collagen. You're actually creating that stimulation, where filler is a bit different, where I like a little bit of both, and there's nothing wrong with combining both.

And it's really one of the best scenarios when your aesthetician and injector can work together, and that's also very valuable in finding aestheticians that have the opportunity to work in a clinical environment that there are energy devices because, pigmentation wasn't as much of my concern, but fine lines were starting to be a concern.

And you just start to feel like your skin is changing, and it is. So if pigmentation is the concern, sometimes energy devices are really the only thing, a laser, that can, really make a difference in the skin and what the concern might be. But I say start slowly, and, have both. And, of course, the right home care

And then how do we find your products, you and your world? Where do we go?

Yes, absolutely. Well, I certainly encourage everybody to follow us on Instagram,

lume_mv_skincare. Imbeautytomorrow on Instagram. We also have a website, PDO Max is our thread website with our professional products that are out there, and talks a bit about threads. And our page will show you some of that amazing before and afters of threads and what it really can do for, again, back to the confidence and how you can be the best version of yourself.

Sometimes it's just as important to lead with what is concerning for you, but if you don't have good skin, your threads won't work as well. If you don't have good skin, your laser treatment won't work as well. So starting with good skin, good skincare is imperative for sure. And so it's pdomax.com, lumemvskincare.com.

Find us on social. We always love chatting about skin and posting all the great before and afters, and the stories, the kind of vulnerable stories that, are important for the real world to see and hear.

I love that. And everything is in the show notes, so if you are the type where you have it auto play to the next one, that's why we make sure to tell you so that you can chant it to yourself until you pull off on the side of the road or you're done with your run or walk.

But it is in the show notes if you can come back. Mm-hmm. Otherwise, chant it to yourself and Google it as soon as you can or get on Instagram and follow.

Thank you ... your time. Thank you everyone else who's listening for sharing this, because I know that it's super hard with social media days and whatever the latest and greatest- Mm-hmm

And then we find out that science is saying it's not latest and greatest, so go back to who's the professional instead of whatever's- Mm-hmm ... trending is really what I have learned from this. Aesthetician, dermatologist, those are your people- Mm-hmm ... to go to. Yeah. Absolutely. And then follow them on social media.

Mm-hmm.

There's always great things and tips to learn on all of the platforms. And again, do your research in ingredients for sure. Thank you, Autumn. I really appreciate the opportunity, and it was great to chat with you. I feel like I love how we just organically had this conversation. I'm always happy to answer any questions for those listeners out there.

Thank you so much for joining our discussion. If you enjoyed this, please like, subscribe, most of all, share the love with others. Please share this episode so that we can help other people really recalibrate every aspect of their lives so they can be the best version of themselves, and I will see you in the next episode.

I want to have my quick disclaimer here that this is not a one-size-fits-all. If you want one-on-one coaching, let's talk, and we will make sure what wellness means to you is really put into your life, put into practice. I am using my undergrad in applied health and my life coaching experience to bring this podcast to you