Way back in February at the ProBeauty Show (doesn’t time fly!), I came across the stand for the International Institute of Anti-Aging (iiaa). They are the ones behind Jane Iredale Cosmetics and Environ Skincare, as well as the iiaa brand itself. They aim to provide cosmetics and products which will work with your individual skin issues to nurture, protect and prevent.
If you’ve ever seen 10 Years Younger or any of those types of programs you may have seen people popping their faces into a rather strange looking contraption and being shown all the nasties under their skin. Like me, you may have wondered why on earth people would want to do this, as ignorance as they say, is bliss! However, when given the opportunity to do it myself, I ran at the machine face first! It’s just too tempting to see what’s going on under the surface.
My face as seen by the naked eye (still not a good pic!) for comparison purposes!
The skin analysis itself is very simple, completely painless and very interesting. You put your face into the lightbox and your iiaa consultant will analyse five different elements of your skin; Wrinkles, Pores, Texture, UV Spots, Porphyrins. You’ll then get to see the photos and have them all explained to you.
At 26 I am just starting to see very fine lines develop around my eyes and a couple on my forehead, although I think a lot of them come down to dehydration. My biggest concern is sun damage, as in my younger and definitely more stupid days, I had been known to sunbed and cook myself whilst lazing by the nearest pool.
These photos are not flattering at all, but in the name of unbiased blogging, I thought I’d share them with you and tell you what the results meant for me….
Pores
Who embraces their pores? No, me neither – why does skin need to breathe, it’s very unfair! I’m personally convinced I have cavernous pores so it was interesting to hear the verdict from Danielle Coller, iiaa’s Skin Analysis Events Manager.
“The Pores image shows that Sheona’s skin is fairly uncongested. The green dots indicate blocked pores/blackheads but she doesn’t have many, so she probably has quite a good cleansing regime. A little more fingertip massage in any areas of concern would help get the cleanser deeper into the pores by emulsifying the sebum. Cleansing wipes or a quick dab of a cleansing lotion on and off may appear to save time but aren’t the right way to go. Cleansing wipes disturb the skin’s natural acid balance and strip the skin of surface oils. You actually need to massage in an oil based cleansing lotion to lift oily debris from the pores. Shortcuts on cleansing don’t do your skin any favours!”
Very pleased to see that my cleansing routine does actually have an effect! I never use cleansing wipes as I think they are an invention by the devil, however I had probably been a bit lax the night before the show. I’d like to think that if I was scanned again now, there would be a distinct improvement!
Texture
The above Texture photo was probably one of the worst images for me as it showed how shiny my skin was! In my defence it was very warm in the Excel centre! The yellow dots on the Texture image shows areas of oily congestion. The blue dots indicate dehydration. Me thinks this proves that ”Combination” is definitely an apt description of my skin!
Wrinkles
As mentioned above, I am noticing more light lines so was worried this was going to look like a spiders web, however I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’m not as wrinkly as I thought! Danielle says;
“The highlighted lines around Sheona’s eyes on the Wrinkle image coincide with the dehydrated areas on the Texture image, confirming the skin is dehydrated. Fine lines and wrinkles can be improved by drinking more and taking an omega supplement but from your 20′s onwards these also indicate sun damage and the need for more vitamin A in the skin, to prevent their depth from increasing. I’d recommend a good Vitamin A eye gel and face cream, and to consciously drink more water. Taking Skin Omegas (omega 3 and 6 oil capsules) internally will also help. These essential fats keep the skin cell walls intact so moisture is retained in the skin.”
Porphyrins
If you already know what Porphyrins are, then you can give yourself a pat on the back! I admit, I didn’t have a clue but it was very interesting (if rather disturbing) to see how many were on my face! Danielle gave me the low down…
“Porphyrins, shown as yellow dots on this image, indicate the level of surface bacteria on the skin. A healthy sprinkle of porphryins is fine as the natural skin bacteria that produce these compounds help fight off infections. However, sun exposure can cause porphyrins to release molecules that damage the skin. Too many of them can make your skin more prone to congestion, hyperpigmentation and wrinkles. A good hydrating cleanser and a moisturising toner will help keep the surface of the skin nicely balanced. Don’t use cleansing wipes! They are alcohol-based and a major cause of dehydrated skin.”
From memory, I think it had been a heavy night the night before so it’s not that surprising that this pic looks rather hideous! As mentioned I don’t use wipes but have definitely been a sun worshipper and never drink enough water, so it’s very informative to see what other unexpected effects this is having on my skin.
UV Spots
As you can see, I saved the most horrific image until last! It wasn’t unexpected that there would be some sun damage to my skin, but actually seeing it is another matter. As you can see from the original image, I don’t have any freckles or visible pigmentation on my skin that’s visible to the naked eye, so for me this was quite shocking. Danielle’s verdict;
“On the black and white UV Spots image, we can look at the level of sun-damage. Sheona’s skin is not too bad compared to others of her age. The dark areas around the eyes indicate a need for more vitamin C, which helps lighten and brighten skin. Vitamin C together with vitamin A also help keep skin cells plump and protected from free radical damage from the sun. In addition to using Environ AVST vitamin moisturiser, vitamin C cream C-Boost will add radiance and help skin remain even-toned.
Sheona also needs to wear a good sun protection cream to prevent further UV damage. Sun protection should not just be about the SPF, which protects from UVB rays in summer, but also from UVA which is present all year round and even gets through clouds – that’s the ageing ray! So we recommend Environ RAD Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF15 is worn every day. Another way to protect the skin is to wear a mineral foundation that is also approved as an effective sunscreen, like jane iredale PurePressed Base. Pure mineral makeup gives a flawless look that minimizes the appearance of any blemishes and is free from ingredients that could congest or irritate skin, such as talc, oil, FD&C dyes, synthetic preservatives and fragrance.”
It surprised me that Danielle didn’t feel my skin was as sun damaged as others my age, but was also very heartening as hopefully there is room for improvement and prevention of more severe damage.
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All in all, the iiaa Skin Analysis was facinating, and I was given some fantastic tips on how to improve and prevent going forward. What’s great is that Environ (iiaa’s skincare brand) have products that will specifically target the issues identified in your analysis. Your consultant will give you a “prescription” of products that will suit your skin, and you can return to see improvements by having another skin analysis conducted. Jane Iredale cosmetics are all mineral-based and designed to avoid clogging and congesting the skin like other products can – therefore avoiding some of the images above hopefully! The Advanced Nutrition Program is a range of salon only supplements that complement your skincare routine, to help work on skin issues from inside out. It really is an “all round” approach!
I will pop up another post about the product recommendations I was given, but in the meantime if you are interested in having your own skin analysed with the sophisticated Visia imaging system, then do email DanielleC@iiaa.eu to find out which beauty salon near you is holding an event, hosted by an iiaa expert. It’s completely free of charge and you’re under no obligation to buy products, however in all honesty the images speak for themselves and I won’t hesitate to purchase some of the recommended items!
You can also visit iiaa.eu to find out where your nearest salon/stockist is.
I’d love to hear your comments on this, feel free to drop me a line below or tweet me!
Original article: Skin Analysis by iiaa…..it’s not pretty!
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