Renée Rouleau Shares Her Own Personal Skin Sins

Let me start by saying that even though I grew up in the beauty business (my grandmother owned a hair salon) and jumped right into the skin care industry after graduating high school, just like everyone, I too have had my share of skin sins.

During my high school years, I worked at a drugstore where suntan lamps were sold. Forever wanting to get away from being so ghostly pale, I gladly embraced the lamp in hopes of getting a deep dark tan. As anyone with fair skin knows, this is a difficult accomplishment. Sun tan lamps make for terrible sunburns. Ouch.

I also smoked cigarettes as a teenager, and for a time after high school. I gave it up for a New Year’s resolution one year and never touched them again. When I go back to France to visit my husband’s family, I’m around a lot of smoke there, but I don’t consider a bit of second-hand smoke for two weeks a year a big deal. Some skin experts may disagree, but I’m not going to sweat the small stuff. (Read my French Skin Care Investigation)…

By the time I was 21 and gearing up to open my first skin care salon, I made a vow to no longer intentionally get a tan. The skin on my face has not had a suntan or burn since I was 21 years old. While I’ve heard that the majority of the wrinkles you get as an adult are due to the sun exposure you get before the age of 18, I know that it’s never too late to wear sun protection.  You really can slow down skin aging if you care for your skin properly.

I didn’t start wearing sunscreen through moisturizer every day until age 27 (1997). Back then, we weren’t really aware of what’s called incidental exposure. These are all the times you’re getting sun damage when you don’t think you are. For example: driving in the car, working in an office near windows, walking to the mailbox. Historically, sunscreens have always been heavy on my skin and clogged my pores. So once I came out with our Daily Protection SPF 30 that dries to a matte finish, I felt comfortable wearing it every day. Tip: If you’re not wearing sunscreen via a moisturizer every single day because you don’t like the way they feel on your skin, you just haven’t found the right one. 

I also have to admit that I used to be a terrible picker. I’ve always said that I went into this profession so I could actually get paid to do what I love—picking! And I justified my own picking problem by saying, “I’m licensed. I know what I’m doing.” Luckily, I finally had the self-discipline and gave up picking in 2001 (as yet another New Year’s resolution) and my skin has never thanked me more. Picking leads to terrible scarring and it only makes blemishes worse. After all, what is easier to cover up with concealer—a closed small bump or an open, scabby, oozing wound? (Read How to Heal Breakouts Fast)

So, there you have it. I have my skin sins and I’m sure you do too. No one is perfect. C’est la vie.

But –if you read my skin care tips every day, you’ll learn the right way to care for your skin to keep it healthy, beautiful and glowing!

Get products recommended for your skin by choosing your skin type.

Be sure to email us if you need any assistance with your skin!