Let's Chat About All of the Lights
the ones for skin, hair, nails and psoriasis
Hello! Hope your Wednesday is cozy and warm.
Last week Kim Kardashian outdid herself whilst outdoing herself! Under the premise “I’m Kim Kardashian, of course I have…” she shared a tour of the SKKN by Kim office, showcasing typical office staples such as a custom mannequin of her measurements, gallery wall of her magazine covers, her LED bed and…her tanning bed. The internet went crazy. The dangers of tanning beds are well documented, so the shock of anyone using one, let alone owning one, is understandable. Why would anyone do something so mind bogglingly dangerous? She knows better! Skin cancer runs in her family!
However, as an esthetician who Keeps Up, I immediately thought: psoriasis. Kim has been very open about her diagnosis since sharing on her show in 2011. Glamour UK has a helpful, albeit strange, article called A complete timeline of every time Kim Kardashian powerfully opened up about her psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease most commonly characterized by flare-ups of patches of dry, itchy, scaly skin. It is very common, according to Mayo Clinic, affecting an estimated 3 million people a year in the United States and very painful, at times debilitating. There is no cure, but there are some treatment options including phototherapy or light therapy. At different precise and controlled wavelengths, light therapy can have many therapeutic benefits. Red light in particular is used for psoriasis treatment, but as I mentioned on Instagram, my understanding is that direct sunlight and UV rays are also said to be beneficial. In a later story, I also theorized that if she does use it for psoriasis management, I doubt its even a major part of her treatment…she’s just Kim Kardashian. Of course she has a tanning bed to use in dire circumstances to treat her psoriasis.
It is dumb to own a tanning bed, dumber to mention it and even dumber not to provide any commentary, but I did not think for one second that she was dumb enough to actually use it to tan. Also, a woman who flies home from an Usher concert at 1am to get a spray tan does not use a tanning bed!
Less than 24 hours later, she confirmed all of my suspicions:
As you know, I am terrified of and fascinated by the giant exploding carcinogen in the sky that is both killing us and keeping us alive. Even therapeutically, I can’t understand exposing yourself to UV rays and I have a lot of questions. I’m just a woman in STEM who wants to know the science! I’m talking to a psoriasis expert this week and will report back.
When is the best time and place in my routine to use my LED mask? I’ve seen people say bare skin and that’s what the instructions say, but I also see people use products and have seen you recommend some serum?
The best time to use your LED is whatever time you can do it consistently, be it morning or night. I usually use mine in the morning because I tend to have more time, but nighttime works just as well. In order to get the maximum benefit from LED, you want the lights to have the easiest time penetrating to the deeper layers of your skin and tissues. This means no products that block light, such as oil or sunscreen or physical things like an opaque mask. You also want to avoid using any actives underneath, like exfoliants or retinoids. So in general, using your mask after cleansing on bare skin is the best way to ensure you’re getting the full treatment benefit.
That being said, there are some products specifically designed to be used under LED for enhanced benefits or increased comfort. You can also use something fast-absorbing and oil-free, like a mist or essence if your face needs some relief after washing. Most often, I use Sachi Skin’s Pro-Resilience Serum, which is an advanced, deeply hydrating and reparative serum that can be used solo but was also expertly formulated to be used under LED. CurrentBody, who makes my favorite mask, also sells some products designed to be used with LED, such as a green tea serum and clear hydrogel masks, which I like to use on special occasions or if my skin is really irritated.
Where do the DDG peel pads work into a routine with alternating Tret/Indigo Overnight Repair…morning? Every other day?
I sincerely apologize to this person because I somehow missed this question over a year ago. I hope you’ve figured out the answer and aren’t sitting on a pile of unopened peel pads (though they probably are still fine to use!) but let’s not leave anything to chance.
Both of your ideas – morning or every other night – could work just fine, though I would opt for night. Worked into a nighttime routine, I would do the nightly rotation: DDG Peel Pads, Tretinoin, Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair. Exfoliating the first night removes dead cell build up, making it easier the next night for your Tretinoin (and other products) to penetrate to the deeper layers of your skin. Then give your skin a chance to rest and repair on the third night. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the basis of a skin cycling routine aka how everyone’s routine should be and maybe already is.
If you’ve already been going strong alternating nights with Tretinoin and Indigo Overnight Repair, you could certainly use the peel pads in the morning if they don’t cause irritation. I often use Sofie Pavitt’s Mandelic Clearing Serum in the morning and Tretinoin that same night. Mandelic acid is extremely gentle, making it ideal for daily, or every other day, use. I could probably handle the same routine using the Ultra Gentle Peel Pads, but not the higher strengths, so just something to keep in mind. We love exfoliating, but we don’t want to stress out our skin.
From the DMs…
quick questions & comments you may have too
Any advice for a hands off product I can get my lazy partner that can help with normal acne spots? I’d try this serum from Naturium. It dries down clear and is gentle enough to be used daily so just apply and go!
Three Other Things
Speaking of light technology…L’Oreal recently announced a new hair dryer that uses infrared-light instead of heat. A few months ago I reviewed the Manucurist LED Gel Manicure system for NYMag’s The Strategist. What else can we improve with lights?!
I usually go about a year between haircuts, but this year my hairstylist said I honestly could have gone longer because K18 is just that good??? She also endorsed my twice-monthly pre-shampoo hair oil, detox shampoo + K18 as a winning combination for strong, healthy, shiny hair. (Katie, previously at Birdhouse, currently at Gloss Brooklyn, has cut and colored my hair for years.)
I keep thinking about all of the 2024 beauty predictions that included face/neck lifts for people in their 30s and 40s. Specifically, I keep thinking about how people are paying for these procedures. Are neck lifts cheaper than I think? Is there some trick to get insurance to cover? If you’re under 50 and are considering/scheduled/already gotten a face or neck lift, I’d love to ask you some (completely non-judgmental, I’m genuinely curious) questions.
Office Hours Reminder
Join us for Office Hours on Sunday! This exclusive weekly opportunity is available to paying subscribers. This week we talked about how to prevent ingrown hair and gel bronzers.
Every Sunday at 5pm EST, I’ll begin a new thread for the week in Substack Chat, where you can ask me anything. Every Monday from 5-6pm EST, I’ll be in that chat live, answering questions for the hour. That way, if you can’t make it, you can submit any time after 5pm Sunday and still get an answer. If you can make it live, join in! You can ask questions in real time and (hopefully) interact with others in class ;)
Discount Codes
CurrentBody: JOLIECB for 20% off
Jordan Samuel Skin: JOLIE15 for 15% off
Manucurist: NAILSJOLIE for 15% off
Naturium: JOLDEF15 for 15% off
Ställe Studios: HOTLINESKIN for 15% off
Have a great week!
xx,
Jolie
Cut to me furiously searching through the archive for your hair detox oil k18 routine