About Face client questions & About Face answers (they just might be helpful to you, too)

Questions listed here are in chronological order. We felt it was best to list these questions as they come in, making it easier for readers to scroll to the bottom of the page to read any new questions, versus grouping by topic. We may change that as time goes on, or based on client feedback. To ensure you do not miss any new additions – simply hit “follow” on this site and you can get email notifications when new posts are added.

Client question: “I started using lemon essential oil by adding a few drops in my water. I hope this tricks me into drinking more water! Are there any side effects?”

About Face Answer: “Initially, you may see some improvement in your “regularity” – which is always a good gut thing! In addition, be sure to let your healthcare provider know if you are taking any medication or OTC supplements when you add oils – especially in the citrus family. First, in some individuals, they can affect the absorption (high or low) of medications. A general rule of thumb is to not eat or drink (or otherwise ingest) anything citrus 2 hours before or after taking prescribed medication. In regards to skin and aesthetics – citrus fruit and essential oils will cause photo sensitivity (sensitivity to light). This includes sunlight – and lighting inside homes and offices. Wear sunscreen – everyday. Check out the Products page for my favorite sunscreen! For those naysayers who believe we do not need sunscreen, I will strongly, but politely disagree. Let’s say you are a skin type 3 or above and hold nice color and have very little genetic risk of skin cancer, etc. I get what you are saying, but – melanoma is just not cute, and the increase in undetected melanoma in darker skin is alarming. Undetected melanoma can (but not always) lead to metastasized cancers such as brain and/or spine. If we jump off the cancer train for a second here, I have had the pleasure of treating skin – lot’s of skin, over the last 16 years. The one thing that premature aged skin has in common is overexposure to light. Remember – we worry about UVB rays (rays that cause burns/increase risk of cancer, in addition to UVA rays. Think A for aging. Therefore, you may not be worried about skin cancer, but the best prevention for wrinkles is the avoidance of UVA rays.”

Client question: “Help! Both my son and I have these raised red little bumps all over the back of our arms. They do not hurt, but they look terrible! What can I do?”

About Face Answer: “Although it’s best to come in so I can see these bumps (or ask your Doctor at your next visit), it sounds like Keratosis Pilaris (KP). KP is a common skin condition that causes rough patches and small, acne-like bumps, usually on the arms, thighs, cheeks and buttocks. KP bumps are usually white, but often pinkish-red, and generally don’t hurt or itch. KP can be frustrating because it can be difficult to treat. However, KP isn’t often serious. I classify it as a chronic dry skin condition – and dedicated an entire blog post to this very thing. To read this post, click here. If you need to schedule a consultation and potentially receive your first treatment, schedule by clicking here.

Client question: “I have just started juicing. My family has a really busy schedule and I keep finding myself throwing away vegetables. Either I am no good at knowing how much to buy or I start out great and just stop. I know fresh juice is best, so any advice you can share would be great.”

About Face Answer: Thanks for your question – that is a GREAT question. Technically, all fruits and vegetables can be frozen once juiced, but you must do it quickly to preserve as much goodness as possible. There are so many beneficial nutrients contained in freshly made juice, these include: plant-purified water, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, phyto-nutrients (carotene, lycopene, etc), chlorophyll, and lipids. The minute you put fresh produce in your juicer and flip the on button , the cell walls of the produce break open, providing you with the nutrients.  These nutrients are very sensitive to air, heat, light and time and will cause their degeneration.   If you want to read an interesting story, google “Jay Kordich, “The Juiceman””. Int he 40’s he worked with Dr. Garnet Cheney (head of the Cancer Division at Stanford Medical School).    They juiced fresh cabbage and gave the fresh juice to 65 patient volunteers.  Within 3 weeks all but two of the patients were Cancer free, and the two holdouts only had minimal symptoms. Jay is quoted as saying, “Vitamin U evaporates in a matter of minutes and needs to be consumed immediately.”.  Most professionals will agree that the goodness of juicing evaporates (or oxidizes) within 20 minutes. However, that’s not always possible. I have a good quality juicer (and the quality impacts the ability to be frozen), and if a fruit is on it’s last day, I’ll juice it -and immediately freeze it in ice cube trays. I know that 1 medium apple yields 9 ice cubes. I pour them into ice cube trays and immediately put them into the freezer. (I use a deep freezer, that is not constantly opened). You’ll have to play with your fruits and vegetables to see what the yield is, then package appropriately. Often, I will inventory the freezer, make a fresh juice and then use the ice cubed fruit or vegetable as the “ice” in my protein smoothie. All of this to say — fresh is best, but frozen juice cubes are a far better choice than say, fast food!

Client Question: I have two “tweens” and I noticed that my son is starting to get acne and huge blackheads. Are they too young to be seen? Is there anything I can do to help them?

About Face Answer:  First, let me say – that I once had tween-aged kids (and was already in this field) – yet, they seem much more open to others opinions than Mom’s opinion (sometimes). With this in mind, my answer is a quick – “sure, I’ll talk to them” – and give them a teen facial with some skincare tips as well as do’s -and most especially – “don’ts” when it comes to skincare. Teen facials are offered at a reduced price – $35. Schedule as you would for yourself – just place teen facial and age of teen in the comment section.

Next, let’s explore this a little further. Good skincare starts with good nutrition (as does many other functions). So, being honest for a minute – is your child drinking water? Is he or she eating a well-balanced diet? I have watched many parents and teens spend hundreds – if not thousands (yikes!) on skincare products, treatments and medications – and STILL have a face full of acne. It’s super frustrating. So, you have to be real. By being real, I mean – really – real. I’ll admit, I had a bit of (what some may feel is harsh) parenting trick that I used on both of my kids when they were little – at roughly just under 2 years of age  -I gave them a super shaken sprite via a sip from a straw. It burns their little throats going down – and then I made the “yuck” face and sounds. Neither of them have ever touched a soda since! Win one for the Mom’s! With that being said – not all kids would fall for this and may chose soda if they can. But – most do not drive. None have jobs. So how are they getting it? Is it hard? Yes. Might they stomp their feet? Yes. But they’ll live through it. Okay, back to being really real. Do you have a child who is a finicky eater? Are your schedules so over-burdened that you find yourself really believing that one fast-food place, let’s just hypothetically say – Boston Market – is a better choice than say, McDonald’s? Okay, let’s start here. First, there are ways to sneak in fruits and vegetables (and they’ll never even know). I am an avid juicer – not necessarily by choice, but by need. I have always juiced a vegetable or three and used that as the water for pancakes, waffles – or whatever “treat” I am making the kids. But – there’s also another great option. Visit this children’s health study page to learn more: http://www.childrenshealthstudy.com/. Once you’ve reviewed that, contact me and I can help you pick the best scenario for your family!