New to Skin Care? So am I, so help me take the 90 Day Challenge!

Originally posted in October 2011

Confession: Before I came to work for St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa as their Marketing Director, I occasionally went to bed without washing my face. And by “occasionally,” I mean “pretty much always.”

You’re squirming right now, I know. And so were our lovely estheticians when I first broke this to them. To their credit, they refrained from complete screaming but did give me quite the lecture while vowing to fix me up right.

But the truth is, I’m not alone—many women just don’t take proper care of their skin. For me personally, it just never struck me as a priority. Luckily, at 35 my skin still looks pretty good. But the inevitable signs of aging are starting to show up. Fine lines around my mouth, formed by years and years of huge, cheesy grins. Crinkly lines between my brows from years and years of scowling when I wasn’t offering a cheesy grin. A “dull” texture that reminds me, ever so subtly, that I am no longer 22. And that’s just what I can see on the surface, who knows what’s lurking below.

So when we decided to run a promotion called the 90 Day Challenge, a treatment plan consisting of SkinMedica products and 3 chemical peels, I thought it was time to get serious. What better way to be able to speak about our products and services than by participating in the challenge myself? And as a complete newbie to the concept of skin care, I figured my personal challenges will be the same ones a lot of women will face when starting something this intensive. My bathroom counter, once a haven for hairspray and make-up, has been transformed into a seemingly endless display of shiny silver tubes and containers, most of which I don’t really understand yet. It’s pretty hard-core, to say the least.

I won’t lie, it’ll be hard for me to get into the habit of cleansing and moisturizing every night and morning (you mean I have to actually take off my eye make-up!?), not to mention the fact that I’ve never even had ONE chemical peel, let alone three, so I’m nervous and anxious for that experience as well.

But I can’t deny, I am excited. The SkinMedica products included in the 90 Day Challenge are nothing short of amazing, according to every single person I’ve met who uses them, and the challenge marketing materials assure me that by participating, I’ll look five years younger. How amazing would it be to actually look 30 after claiming to still be 30 for the past five years!  And I have a sneaking suspicion that after one chemical peel, I’ll be a new addict.

We have a wonderful staff of women here just dying to get their hands on my skin and right my wrongs, and I can’t wait to see the difference in 3 months. Next up: a digital complexion analysis of my skin, where I get to see every bit of damage I’ve done. Yikes!

Me with Esthetician Wendy, and me in the middle with Estheticians Janice and Mary Ann below: