Prevention Before Correction: Why I Started When I Turned 20

Skin care was never something that interested me as a teen. I was a lifeguard in high school, I loved to tan, I would buy the first face wash I saw at CVS, never moisturized and never wore make up. While I cared about my appearance, it was in the form of buying great clothes and working out every day- my skin was never my priority. Anytime I would get my make up done at Nordstrom or Barney’s I would get a lecture by the artist about how dry my skin was before they pushed an $80 moisturizer my way, which I knew I would never touch. It wasn’t until I turned 20 that I realized what I had been doing to my skin.

Without my knowledge, my Mom had scheduled for me to get a BBL and Halo Laser treatment. My results completely transformed how I approach my skin and my skin care routine. For an entire week I watched all of the damage I had done to my skin in the past 20 years surface and fall off. It was shocking, terrifying and eye opening. I was young, I looked good and I couldn’t believe what underlying damage I had done to my face. It was explained to me that as I age all that damage would most likely surface.

While my results were amazing, the process is what altered my view and transformed my opinion of skin care. I still hate to wear make up, but I approach the idea of not wearing make up from a different angle now. Instead of not liking make up, I don’t need make up. This is what being young is all about- being natural and beautiful, not putting in an hour of work in front of the mirror to make your face appear flawless. Now, 5 years later, I have developed my skin routine. I get a BBL and Halo in the fall and then space out some facial peels throughout the year. I moisturize every day, wear no make up other than some mascara when I go out and feel comfortable and confident in my skin.

Aside from my skin looking and feeling good, what have these treatments done for me? As I said earlier, all of that damage would have begun to surface as I aged. I have prevented that. I have maintained the skin I achieved after my first Halo and I have only built on that. Forever Young BBLs have helped regenerate my skin cells which will help prevent me from aging at the same speed as peers my age. Yearly, I am stimulating new collagen to build, preventing my face from getting thinner as I get older. The investment I made in my skin over the past 5 years will end up saving me money as I age while everyone around me finds themselves spending thousands of dollars a year to look younger.

For all the people that think “I don’t need that yet”, you do. Even doing the bare minimum to care for yourself now will save you from a lot of work and money down the road.