Adventures in Skin Care

Peptide-rich plasma, radio frequency and gua sha, oh my!

First of all, my sincere apologies to everyone for being MIA for a while. Between the kids, work projects, and life (I just completed a course at Columbia Business School!), this newsletter has been quieter than I’d like. But I’m back and promise to do better!

Oh, I have so many things to share with you, including some new K-Beauty favorites—I’ll put thoughts together and share all of that soon.

I digress. Today’s newsletter is focused on skin, since I’ve gotten into some products and treatments that I’m liking a lot.

Peptide-Rich Plasma…What’s That?

I had been seeing a lot about the brand Eighth Day in my Instagram feed. Their Resurfacing Tonic was getting a lot of attention. It reminded me a bit of the groundswell of buzz about Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 back in the day. It takes a lot for me to want to try a new skin care product these days but I had seen the black and gold bottles around enough that I finally hit a tipping point.

I got a few bottles of the Regenerative Serum (gifted from the brand’s publicist). When I try a new product, I like to keep the rest of my routine pretty simple so I make sure that any changes in my skin (either positive or negative) can be attributed to whatever changed.

Eighth Day was created by dermatologic surgeon Dr. Antony Nakhla. They call the serum “all-in-one” since it targets a lot of the most common skin concerns (hydration, redness, dullness and so on). The secret sauce? Dr. Nakhla calls it Peptide-Rich Plasma. Yes, it sounds very similar to platelet-rich plasma, aka PRP, which is the blood-derived substance they use during microneedling with PRP and other treatments. It is not the same thing but because the serum has growth factors, it has some similar properties.

Okay, so first reactions: the serum comes in a glass dropper bottle. One squeeze dispenses a clear serum that’s similar in texture to many slightly viscous hydrating serums. It’s odorless and goes on beautifully. Even though there’s a bit of glycolic acid, there’s no sting at all. It feels gentle and extremely hydrating. I found that one dropperful was enough to cover my whole face. I smoothed it on after cleansing and before moisturizer. And I’m happy to report it did not pill at all under makeup during the day—you know that’s my ultimate pet peeve.

One little secret of the skin care industry is that some brands add ingredients like menthol or eucalyptus to products so people feel an immediate tingle and think, oh, this is really working. As consumers, we’re kind of programmed to think that we have to feel something to know it’s working. In that sense, the Eighth Day serum feels deceptively gentle. Because it reminds me so much of a hyaluronic serum, it’s easy to forget it’s packed with other ingredients like growth factors, peptides and alpha lipoic acid.

I’m really liking the results so far: skin feels very hydrated and texture is looking smoother. Before using the serum, I had been experiencing some redness near my jaw and nose that seems to be calming down now. If you’re interested in trying it, you can buy the Regenerative Serum here—it comes in 3 sizes with the smallest 15ML size lasting 4-6 weeks for $195.

I Finally Tried Radio Frequency

I know, I’m very behind the times but I finally tried RF, thanks to my facialist Varuni Palacios. Radio frequency has been popular for a few years already as a non-invasive skin-tightening treatment that’s done in-office (and now with some at-home devices). Similar to lasers and microneedling, it works by causing a controlled injury to the skin, which triggers the skin’s natural healing response and promotes collagen production.

READ: 16 Seriously Underrated Beauty Products the Pros Love

I had very light RF during a facial so there was no pain. It felt similar to a hot stone massage. That being said, like most in-office treatments, there are different levels that can be used depending on the result you’re looking for and your skin type.

Aftercare for my treatment was a breeze. My skin was slightly warm and reddish for a few hours after. But it was very minor compared to laser treatments I’ve tried. If you have heat-triggered issues like melasma, make sure you discuss with your provider so they can either guide you to another treatment or can adjust levels to suit your skin type.

READ: This Underrated Drugstore Cream Saved My Skin

Now for the results: I had a Hydrafacial first then Varuni added the RF after. My face was glowing the day after. Really no downtime whatsoever. Just glowy skin with a nice bounce.

My New Gua Sha Tool

Just sharing my latest gua sha tool (I’ve been cycling through several to figure out which shape and material I like best). Picked up this jade gua sha from OSEA recently during a facial. I’m glad I had a professional use it on me before taking it home because she showed me how the notched area works nicely to gently massage the orbital area. Really liking it so far!

Olive & June just launched an at-home gel manicure kit with an LED lamp and all the tools. This is my fresh set after three days. Will report back on how long it lasts and how the at-home removal process goes…the true test!