Skincare

by Bethany Hewitt

Picture this: You wake up fully rested on a Saturday morning to the sun shining brightly through your open window. You stretch your arms and let out a big yawn before reaching right for your bathing suit and sunglasses. You’ve been watching the weather ALL WEEK, so you know it’s going to be the perfect day to lounge by the pool on your day off. You grab a drink, snack, towel, headphones, and maybe even that book that’s been calling your name for months, but you just haven’t had the time or energy to open it lately. You open the front door and immediately feel the sun warming your skin, and you already know it’s going to be a good day.

Now fast forward to 5 years later. It’s that same type of Saturday morning where you know it’s a beautiful day and you have nothing on your schedule other than to relax in the warm sunshine. You roll out of bed with that same stretch and yawn ready for the day. Except this time as you’re reaching for your sunglasses you catch a quick glance of yourself in the mirror. Now trust me when I say, I am no beauty in the morning. I resemble something a little closer to a swamp monster when I wake up. But it wasn’t the crazy hair, or last night’s mascara smudged up to your eyebrow, or even those dark circles from the lack of sleep you had the past week. Let’s be honest, these dark circles are probably because the last time you got a good night’s sleep was back in 2012.

You take a second look and then bring your face close enough to the mirror that your nose is practically touching the cold reflection. WHEN exactly did these tiny wrinkles make their home next to my eyes? And does my forehead always resemble lined paper? I never used to have freckles, but now I’m seeing these random dark brown patches on my tan cheeks. No, that can’t be right. I have always had beautiful smooth skin. Maybe I should put my glasses on and take a better look. *puts glasses on* NOPE, that did NOT help. Now I just have a clearer view of these imperfections that have magically appeared this morning. Except I know they didn’t magically appear. Maybe if I just grabbed that sunscreen instead of the tanning oil. Maybe if I rocked my sun hat more often.

This was me earlier this year, and I know, I know, there are much bigger things in the world to be worried about aside from my early signs of aging and damage. But that doesn’t change the fact that my skin was not nearly as healthy as I wished it had been, and I missed the smooth surface that my skin used to be. I grew up in the north, so sunscreen wasn’t on my radar for priorities. I would burn my skin over and over and think nothing of it. That is, until I started to notice the changes in my face, and especially in photos. I was no longer friends with my favorite light up magnifying makeup mirror.

Fear not, for I have some magical unicorn estheticians for coworkers who (after giving me a stern lesson on sunscreen) set me up with a few small things to do every day that can help reverse the damage that I’ve done. For anyone who knows me, mornings are SO not my thing, but I have a super quick and easy skin regimen to start that doesn’t take away any extra minutes of my sleep in the morning (See Regimen below). I’ve taken a page out of the Touch MedSpa book and officially become the Sunscreen Police, but the difference I’ve seen in my skin in just a few short months is WORTH IT! My favorite light up magnifying makeup mirror and I have finally made amends and my skin has never looked or felt better. Except maybe when I was 10 and the world was all rainbows and smooth skin, but that doesn’t really count. Trust me when I say, for the number of people who tell me they wish they’d taken better care of their skin in their 20’s, its time I start taking their advice. Preventative care in our 20’s will be something we thank ourselves for in the long run. Not only because we all want beautiful skin, but more importantly because we all need healthy skin. And who really has time for a bad skin day anyway?

Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @Touchmedspa!
AM-Gentle Cleanser, Retexturizing Activator, Serum 10, H.A. Intensifier, Physical Fusion Sunscreen
PM-Gentle Cleanser, Retexturizing Activator, Serum 10, Triple Lipid

—Bethany Hewitt

My name is Bethany Hewitt and I’m from a little ski town in Vermont. I worked as a Wedding Planner for 3 years until I took the leap and decided to move to Myrtle Beach in the spring of 2018. I manage the front desk here at Touch MedSpa and have grown highly passionate about skincare in my time here. The beach is where I’m happiest (as long as I don’t forget my sunscreen) and I’m so looking forward to my next adventures in this new State!