Have you ever tried new skincare products and after using them for a week or two, your skin starts to get rashy or you start having breakouts? If you’re like me, you probably think, Oh My Gosh, what in the heck is going on?
Here’s what may be happening; anytime you go from using a product line with less active ingredients to a skincare line with potent bio active ingredients, like Mikel Kristi Skincare, you are likely to experience a little bit of purging, or what we call a detox period.
Is It Bad That My Skin Is Detoxing?
It’s actually a good sign if you experience a detox period. I remember back in my early 30’s, I switched from over the counter skincare products to a prescription grade skincare regimen. My skin was transformed within a couple months, but for the first 8 weeks I had crazy peeling skin. I even had cracking on the side of my face because my skin was so dry. Most people either can't or don’t want to tolerate that, even though it's not actually a bad thing for your skin. It’s certainly not fun to go through. Using those prescription products on a regular basis, I seemed to go through this kind of initial peeling process about every four weeks. It became miserable after a while and I was constantly red and dry looking.
At my medical aesthetics practice I now know immediately when new patients come in who have been using those harsher, skin irritating products. They look very dry and inflamed, and that’s not really a beautiful look. They may not have as many wrinkles and their skin will be more even toned, but they really don’t have the beautiful skin they were hoping for. It was definitely not what I wanted. That’s one of the main reasons I developed Mikel Kristi Skincare. I wanted a product line that could deliver the same benefits as prescription products, but I wanted to do it in a more gentle manner. And Mikel Kristi products do exactly that.
Why is Your Skin Purging?
Now let’s talk about the purging process and why the skin breaks out. As our skin ages it becomes very different then the nearly perfect skin we see in our youth. When you think about children 10 years old and younger, they rarely have breakouts or clogged pores and their skin doesn't really need moisturizers. Then they hit the teenage years when hormones start to kick in. This is when our natural oil production upticks a bit and that can clog up the pores. Another thing that happens is a slowing down of the cellular turnover process, which is called natural exfoliation. I use that term lightly because when I say exfoliation, everyone thinks they automatically need to scrub their face, and I never want you scrubbing your face! We need to use ingredients that increase that natural exfoliation process. If you haven’t ever really worked on increasing your cellular turnover rate, you're definitely going to see some detoxing of the skin for about 2 to 3 weeks after starting on a skincare regimen with high active concentrations.
If you have any acne tendencies, you're likely going to see an increase in breakouts, and more whiteheads or blackheads coming to the surface. There is no need to panic! What’s happening is that everything is getting pushed up to the surface as your body rids the skin of buildup and impurities. Think of this as preparing a fresh, new, clean canvas to work with. It’s a matter of getting over the hump of the bad to get to the good. And there are ways to speed through that process if you want.
What Should I Expect & How Long Will This Last?
The length of time this detox period takes depends on the condition of your skin when you start. If you tell me your skin is super dry or sensitive, then that means there's too many dead skin cells on the surface and your natural oils are being trapped underneath the skin, which means it can't hydrate the skin surface at all. This is why you might see some flaky patches or you may experience some itchiness or a little bit of a sandpapery rash when you start using active ingredients that increase cell turnover. This happens to a lesser degree with products like retinaldehyde vitamin A than it does with harsher retinoids and retinol.
With Retinaldehyde Vitamin A, you might have patchiness in areas of the skin that are more unhealthy than others. I tend to have patchiness on my checks where I had eczema in my late 20’s and early 30’s. That’s one of the reasons that drove me into this industry, because my own skin was just a disaster, and in all honesty it was because I didn't want to age either. So I figured, why not have both benefits when I was creating our skincare line.
Every Mikel Kristi product is formulated to help make your skin brighter, more radiant, more healthy, and it's also going to slow the aging process significantly. What ingredients and products really do both? Well, here are just a few examples from the Mikel Kristi line:
Vital A Rejuvenating Serum
Retinaldehyde Vitamin A - This natural alternative to Retinol increases cell turnover and is found in our Vital A Rejuvenating Serum. Retinaldehyde is a form of vitamin A that converts to retinoic acid, which is very similar to a prescription retinoid after it absorbs into the skin. When we put this form of Vitamin A on the surface of the skin we're bypassing the drying and flaking process more significantly than if we were to use a high dose Retinoid prescription. This makes our products more gentle and you won’t go through a peeling process every 4 to 6 weeks. Even though Mikel Kristi Vital A Serum is so much more gentle on the skin, we're still getting the same efficacy and results as those harsher, medical grade products. This is why I always say that EVERYONE needs to be on this product!
Niacinamide -Also found in our Vital A Rejuvenating Serum, Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin D3. Niacinamide was studied extensively in the 1990s by The University of Arizona. They actually produced their own product line during this time, but it was so harsh that most people couldn't tolerate it. But the concept was still great. Niacinamide works a lot like Retinaldehyde Vitamin A in that it increases your natural cellular turnover process. Both of these ingredients also act as antioxidants, so they help to protect the skin as well. With scientific advancements and research into bio active formulation percentages, Niacinamide has become a fantastic compliment to Vitamin A, and makes our Vital A Serum quite a stellar product. After using Vital A Serum for about a week, many people are like WOW, my skin is really starting to look more radiant! Even if you have a few patches of flaking or some minor breaking out, you can usually see the more vibrant skin underneath peaking through, almost like you can see what's coming and get excited about it.
Pro Tips:
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If you're more sensitive, and you're nervous about the purging process, you're going to start out using Vital A Rejuvenating Serum a little bit more slowly. Try using the recommended amount two times a week to start and then add one more day each week as tolerated. If you would rather push through the detox period more rapidly you can start with using Vital A Serum 3 to 5 days a week, or even nightly. You may experience more of a peel process, but the purging phase will end much faster.
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You can also add in some medical aesthetic treatments to help you speed through that detox or purge process as well. Medical grade microdermabrasion or more aggressive treatments like a chemical peel, a micro pen micro needling, or even better, a laser peel will really help prepare your skin for powerful bio active skincare. This is what I personally do about once a year. The Halo laser is one I absolutely love.
- Once you're done peeling from any medical treatment that you've had, you can start using Mikel Kristi products with the expectation that you’ll have little to no purging because you've already gone through it with your treatment. Whether you choose a medical treatment first or you choose to start with our products right away, your skin is likely to go through at least a slight detox and purge process if it is not in a very healthy state to begin with. But believe me, you will Love, Love, Love your skin on the other side of the purge, as I did with mine.
Rejuvenating Swipes
This product is super addictive! Anyone with an oily or acne prone skin should definitely be using these! But keep in mind, I recommend that everyone who is nervous about the purging and detox period, especially those of you with more sensitive skin or that tend to become easily irritated with any kind of new product, start with one Swipe 2 to 3 times a week, adding another day each week as tolerated. I call them Spicy Swipes sometimes because they can feel a little spicy on your face for about 2 weeks if your skin is not in its healthiest state.
These Swipes are loaded with Glycolic and Lactic acid, which here again, are ingredients that increase cell turnover and really help to boost skin radiance. Increasing your natural exfoliation rate also helps your skin to hydrate itself more. By lining up the cells on the epidermis, which is the outer layer of the skin, exfoliation helps the skin start to produce its own moisture in the form of hyaluronic acid and other natural moisturizing factors. By helping your skin to function optimally, even if you are very dry or sensitive, we can convert your skin back to a super healthy state. It might take about 3 or 4 months for you to really see a full and complete transformation, but you will definitely notice visible improvements within a couple of weeks.
Do Swipes Help With Breakouts & Acne?
Rejuvenating Swipes are also loaded with essential oils that help to monitor and manage the acne bacteria on the surface of the skin, which helps the skin’s microbiome become healthier so that in the long term, you have less breakouts. Acne can be a little bit more complex. So sometimes it's not just as simple as using a skincare regimen. Your acne is an inflammatory skin condition that requires us to do some work on the inside as well. If any of you struggle with stubborn acne, I’m available through my medical aesthetics practice, Skin Appeal Tucson, for telemedicine appointments and consultations.
Vital C Repair Serum - Mikel Kristi Vital C Serum is loaded with bio available Vitamin C, it's a great antioxidant that helps protect the skin, and it’s also a skin lightener. Our serum is formulated with Niacinamide Vitamin D3, so it has a very light dose of that cell turnover ingredient as well, and it will lighten and brighten the skin very nicely.
What Products Do I Need To Start?
At a minimum, everyone should be using ourVital A Rejuvenating Serum every night. I usually say that if you don't want to power through the peeling or detox process, then start with Vital A Serum 2 to three nights a week for about two weeks. Then add in theRejuvenating Swipes, using both products 2 to 3 times a week. If you just want to powerhouse through the purging, then you should use both of these products every night for two to four weeks. You will see a very nice improvement in the look and feel of your skin with just these two products.
We’re Here To Help
Finally, the detox process doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's not a fun thing, and no one loves to go through it, but I went through it as well and it was 100% worth it for me. If you have had the experience of living in the skin you don’t love, like I did, I can tell you that using the same products you’ve been using and expecting a different outcome is never going to get you the skin you do love. Sometimes we have to go through the bad to get to the good, and If you feel like “Oh My Gosh! Is this normal or not?” The Mikel Kristi Team is here to help you through it.
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Our products are cosmeceutical grade and they're going to give you amazing results! I've seen it for myself and I've seen it for thousands of my patients. My skin looks better now than it did 15 years ago and all I use are Mikel Kristi products. I want that same transformation for you! That’s why we created our 7 Day Challenge. This is a quick and easy way to try our products and feel comfortable with your purchase. I’m so sure you’re going to love the Mikel Kristi line that we’re offering this 7 Day set for the price of shipping! Pay just $7.99 to cover the cost of shipping and you’ll get 7 days worth of our 4 most loved products. Take the 7 Day Challenge now to see results and feel better in your skin by next week! Click Here to Purchase. Use Promo Code CHALLENGEat checkout to pay just $7.99.
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