Due to increased blood pressure, as well as carrying extra weight from the baby, it is common to get increased redness and visible dilated capillaries on the skin.

Here are three helpful tips to calm down pregnancy-induced redness.

Schedule a professional facial. Put your skin in the hands of a professional – don’t try to go it alone. You’re a busy mom, focusing on adjusting your new baby into the world, so trying to take time out to figure out for yourself how to handle your skin is not where your time is best spent. A licensed esthetician can perform soothing anti-redness treatments to the skin, as well as recommend tips and tricks and a home care regimen that you can easily follow. (Read: What Are the Benefits of Getting a Facial?) Visit the Renée Rouleau Skin Care Spas in Dallas and Plano, Texas…

Use skin care products formulated to decrease redness. Ingredients such as white tea, azulene, and chamomile are all very effective for constricting capillaries to reduce pregnancy-induced redness. I recommend using White Tea Soothing Complex underneath moisturizer to give calming relief. (Read: What is a Serum and Do I Really Need One?)

Keep your toner in the refrigerator. Using an alcohol-free toner after cleansing is essential for hydrating and balancing the skin, but by leaving it in the refrigerator, when applying to the skin, the cold can help reduce redness. Elderberry Toner is very nice for soothing post-pregnancy redness. (Read: Five Reasons to Use an Alcohol-Free Toner)

Read: How Do I Get Rid of Broken Capillaries?

Read: How Can I Prevent Stretch Marks While Pregnant?

Which skin care products are right for you? See our nine skin types and get products recommended.

For expert skin advice, check out Skin Source–the A-Z guide on all things skin. Also sign up here for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and like our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time!

Which skin care products are right for you? See our nine skin types and get products recommended.

For expert skin advice, check out Skin Source–the A-Z guide on all things skin. Also sign up here for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and like our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time

You’ve always heard how drying an airplane can be to the skin, and you probably have felt it on your skin when flying but how dry is it really? As someone who travels a lot for my growing skin care company, I decided to get to the bottom of it and do a test to really understand exactly how drying flying really is to the skin.

You first have to understand that whenever the air is dry and moisture is not present, through a process called osmosis, the air draws moisture from wherever it can – and that will mean from your skin. Dry skins will get drier, and oily skins will get oilier due to increased oil production to compensate for the dehydration. This is why it’s so important to protect your skin with a good sunscreen moisturizer (like Daily Protection SPF 30) applied over a hydrating serum (like Skin Drink) to create a protective seal on the skin to help prevent moisture loss.

 Supplies used for the test:

 - A 100% cotton t-shirt.

- Water.

- A small cap from a travel bottle of mouthwash that I used as a measuring cup.

I did this test in two different environments: the first in my hotel room in Boston on a sunny 50 degree December day. The second test was performed at 32,000 feet in an airplane…

How I performed the test: I filled the small mouthwash cap half way with water and poured it onto the 100% cotton t-shirt and time stamped it with a sticky note.

I watched and watched until the water spot had virtually disappeared and time stamped it again. I repeated the same exact steps up in the air.

Test results: The t-shirt took 1 hour and 27 minutes to dry whereas at 32,000 feet up in an airplane, it took only 24 minutes.

I was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I knew the water spot would surely dry faster, but an hour faster? Wow.

So my experiment really reinforces how it’s so important to pay special attention to your skin. Skin cells are like fish, they need water to live and without it, you are compromising not only the appearance of the skin (lines and wrinkles are more pronounced when moisture is lacking in the skin) but the overall health of it too.

P.S. Yes, the flight attendants asked me what the heck I was doing! All in the name of skin care…and to provide good skin care content for my loyal blog readers.

What can you do to prevent airplane dryness?

This experiment reinforces the importance of skin care when traveling to prevent dryness. When you travel by plane, pay special attention to your skin. Skin cells are like fish, they need water to live and without it, you are compromising not only the appearance of the skin (lines and wrinkles are more pronounced when moisture is lacking in the skin), but the overall health of it too.

Protect your skin with a good sunscreen moisturizer (you’re closer to the sun so you’re getting more harmful UV rays) applied over a hydrating serum like Renée Rouleau Skin Drink to create a protective seal on the skin to help prevent moisture loss.

Drinking plenty of water will also help to keep your system hydrated. While drinking water is not the most efficient way to hydrate the skin, it’s still important for the health of your cells.

Avoid misting your skin with a hydrating spray during flight. Why?  Because since the air is so dry, it looks for water wherever it can get it and since water attracts water, when you spray the skin it takes the water from the layers in the skin and gets evaporated into the dry air! The result is even tighter, drier skin. If you want to treat your skin in-flight, it’s best to apply another layer of moisturizer on to your face mid flight to help the skin retain its moisture.

Post-flight, use a mild facial scrub or light acid peel (like Triple Berry Smoothing Peel or Mint Buffing Beads) to remove surface dry skin cells accumulated from flying. Then rinse and apply a serum (like Skin Drink or Intensive Firming Serum) followed by a good moisturizing mask (like Pure Radiance Mask or Azulene Gel Mask) with ingredients like Sodium PCA, vitamin C, and Hyaluronic Acid to add back essential hydration. These ingredients will also help to brighten the skin from post-flight dullness.

Happy and safe travels!

Read: How to Prevent Your Products from Leaking on an Airplane

Read: What Skin Care Products Should I Take When I Travel?

Read: Can Airplane Travel Increase Breakouts?

Introducing our newest product–Soothing Eye Makeup Remover formulated to provide maximum comfort for extremely sensitive and delicate eyes. I’ve been testing this product for months now with our clients in our skin care spas and this formula is a great one, for sure!

WHAT IT IS:
A powerful oil-free, fragrance-free, paraben-free and best of all, sting-free liquid eye makeup remover that is formulated to have a similar pH (7.2) of your own natural tears to prevent irritation and sensitivity.

WHAT IT DOES:
Gently dissolves eyeliner, mascara and shadow and even stubborn eye makeup, while providing soothing relief for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

THE FORMULA:
Uses mild cleansing agents and is fragrance-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free and oil-free…

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Polysorbate 20 (coconut-derived cleansing agent), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (gentle cleansing agent), Benzalkonium Chloride (antimicrobial preservative).

HOW IT FEELS / SMELLS / LOOKS:
Clear, water-like liquid that doesn’t leave any residue. Since it’s fragrance-free, the scent is invisible.

WHY YOU’LL LIKE IT:
Aside from not making your eyes sting, makeup comes off easily, without tugging. Since it’s oil-free, it won’t blur your vision or leave your contact lenses cloudy.

WHAT TO USE WITH IT:
Instead of using bulky, highly-absorbent cotton pads or cotton balls, we suggest using this eye makeup remover with our money-saving Toning Cloths.

WHERE TO BUY IT: Shop here!

Also, check out our popular high-performance eye creams like Synergy, Firming Eye Therapy and Vitamin C Eye Serum.

Read: Does Eye Cream Make Your Eyes Sting?

Read: Glasses or Contacts: What’s Best for Preventing Wrinkles?

For more expert skin advice, check out Skin Source–the A-Z guide on all things skin. Also sign up here for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and like our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time!

Which products are right for your skin? See our nine skin types and get products recommended.

A panel of judges made up of distinguished alumni, along with the Dallas Business Journal staff whittled more than 150 nominations down to 25 honorees. “The honorees we chose represent a myriad of local Dallas companies–both large and small–who are leaders in their industry, their companies and their communities. These are the women who we feel are truly making a difference in their world.” Read more about it here.

I am really honored to be included with such a strong group of inspiring business leaders.  As a female business owner, I am passionate about building my business and helping other female entrepreneurs pursue their dreams…

Read: My Week Mentoring A South African Entrepreneur

So as part of my commitment to be a mentor to women, I would like to extend an invitation to one person to be my guest at the Outstanding Women in Business awards luncheon on August 18, 2011 at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas from 10:00 am -2:00 pm.

Would you like to accompany me?

If so, here’s what to do:

Email me at RR@ReneeRouleau (dot) com (for spam purposes, I have listed my email this way) and tell me in a few paragraphs why you should be chosen as my guest. Are you a woman who aspires to start your own business someday? Are you looking for some female inspiration to give your career a boost? Let me know why attending this awards luncheon would be meaningful to you. I will personally notify the winner with a personal phone call by 5:00 pm on Friday, August 12, 2011! (Be sure to leave your phone number.)

Thank you in advance for your interest, it means a lot!

*UPDATE: We now have our 20 participants so we no longer need any more testers. Thank you for your interest!

Requirements to test this product:

-You must be a skin type #6–someone who has normal/combo skin in the summer and can be normal/dry in the winter–and in need of lightweight hydration. More than likely, this will be someone who is over age 35. If you have dry, flaky skin or have oily, acne-prone skin, this product is not for you.

-Product is to be used under a nighttime moisturizer for seven nights in a row

-Due to the limited amount of samples available, only those who are willing to comply to product instructions and send feedback within the 30 day deadline should apply…

-Residents of the U.S. only

If you would like to test this product, email us here.

In the email form, please include your:

-name

-mailing address

-age

-your skin type number (Choose your skin type number here but again, you must generally be a skin type #6, or close to it)

-confirm with us that you will in fact use the product, comply to product instructions and send feedback within 30 days

Next steps: We will confirm with you via email if you have been chosen to test the product. You will then receive the product sample, directions for usage and a feedback form that needs to be emailed back in 30 days.

We only have 20 samples for testing, so we will let you know if they are no longer available.

Thank you in advance for offering to test this product! Your input is truly valuable!

Do you have suggestions for new products? We’d love to hear your comments below!

Get products recommended for your skin type by choosing one of our nine skin types.

Have a skin concern? Check out Skin Source—the A-Z guide on everything from acne, exfoliation and large pores to brown spots, sun protection and so much more!

Sign up here to receive daily blog posts via email OR sign up here to receive our monthly skin tip e-newsletter via email!

What I know to be true, as I’ve seen it over and over through the years, is that when applying sunscreen to the face, people don’t apply all the way up to the hairline without even realizing it – perhaps so as not to get it into their hair. Because of this improper application, over the course of many years, one can accumulate excess sun damage, which will trigger sun spots for those prone to getting them.

For proper sun protection, sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15 should be applied generously to the entire face, neck and exposed areas of the chest with a meticulous touch. Read: Which is Better: SPF 30 or SPF 100?

How can I get rid of the sun spots?

Hyperpigmentation requires both home care products such as exfoliators (Glycolic Serum 17%), at-home peels (Triple Berry Smoothing Peel) sunblock (Daily Protection SPF 30) and especially a product for lightening brown spots (Vitamin C&E Complex), in addition to professional treatments (such as laser and chemical peels) which focus on fading stubborn brown discoloration…

Did you know? Another area of the face that many people miss when applying sunscreen is the bridge of their nose. When people apply sunscreen, they use an outward sweeping motion that starts on either side of the nose and goes towards the cheeks, often missing the very top of the nose. I’ve seen many, many clients get sunburned there, so be sure to be very thorough in your application.

Read: Seeing Brown Spots? You’ll be Surprised at One of the Causes

Read: If You Have Brown Spots, You May Want to Avoid Hot Yoga

Get products recommended for your skin type by choosing one of our nine skin types.

Questions about your skin? Be sure to email us. We’re here to assist!

Read: Do You Have Whiteheads, Blackheads, Pustules, Milia or Cysts?…

See our collection of acne spot treatments that are sure to provide a quick recovery!

Rosacea is a vascular disorder triggered by episodes of blushing and flushing. According to the National Rosacea Society (NRS) in Barrington, Illinois, rosacea now affects an estimated 14 million Americans, ranking it among the top five most-diagnosed disorders by U.S. dermatologists.

Rosacea presents as sensitive, red or inflamed skin that shows telangiectasia (small visible blood vessels) near the skin’s surface and can become pustular, often causing it to be mistaken for adult acne. It is common for Irish, Scottish, English and Scandinavian heritage.

While the traditional approach to treating rosacea is with prescription creams and antibiotics, such as Tetracylcine, I am a believer that if you can control symptoms without involving prescription medication, it is easier and less invasive.

Read: Are Antibiotics Necessary for Treating Acne?

One ingredient that I have seen tremendous results in controlling the signs of rosacea for my clients is Lichochalcone. Many skin care companies now use it and it’s in our Anti-Redness Treatment. It is a yellow to reddish brown extract of the Chinese Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza Glabra), that’s been standardized with 15% Lichochalcone (active substance)…

Studies show that Lichochalcone eliminates almost 100% enzyme Lipase from the surface of the skin (an enzyme produced by P. acnes, S. aureus and Demodex mite, all of whom have been implicated in worsening skin conditions such as pustular rosacea). The study compares the activity of Lichochalcone and oral Tetracycline and shows Lichochalcone to be more effective in lipase reduction and elimination. This study shows that this natural substance is more effective than the prescription medication in preventing future flare-ups and limiting the growth of undesirable flora (this is done directly through the elimination of lipase – an enzyme known to trigger redness).

Bottom line: This ingredient has been shown to give better results than taking prescription antibiotics – and I know this to be true with seeing my own client’s skin. It works extremely well at getting the visible redness and irritation caused from rosacea under control.

Read: Common Rosacea Triggers

Read: Sensitive Skin? Tips To Keep Skin Calm

Questions about your skin? Be sure to email us. We’re here to assist!

For daily skin care tips, read our Beautiful Skin Blog, follow Renée on Twitter and join our Facebook page.