By C.A. Vargas

Green skin care products has been an evolution that has progressed exponentially over the past few decades. It started with pioneering farmers that wanted to protect the earth and keep it free of petroleum-based pesticides, thus keeping the environment balanced naturally and able to heal itself.

Today, organic skin care products are mainstream and a way of life for millions of people worldwide, blossoming into big business. Each year the number of organic skin care products grows thus providing a healthier choice for those consumers which do not want a chemically-based and potentially hazardous skin care or personal care products.

Many of us are making the decision to pursue a green lifestyle in whatever small ways we can. This means watching both what we put in our bodies and what we put on them as well. The fact is that organic skin care eliminates the many synthetic chemicals that would otherwise be absorbed by our skin and into our bodies.

Research shows that these synthetic chemicals found in personal care products can be toxic. Furthermore, as your skin and body absorb these potentially harmful ingredients the body defense systems become taxed as the liver, overwhelmed by these many ingredients becomes unable to process them and detoxify your body.

This process breaks down the cells many functions and ultimately, the loss will manifest itself in the skin. Depending on the lifestyle of the individual this can manifest rapidly or slowly but it will manifest. Premature aging or loss of youthful skin will be translated into wrinkles, lost elasticity and firmness of the skin.

All this can be prevented by using organic skin care products that nurture your skin and provide the needed nutrients that will restore life. Radiant skin can be yours and you can start by using organic skin care products!

Visit Joanna Vargas online store and get 10% off code with your welcome email and redeem it during your check out process. Free shipping is available with the United States. Or call Joanna Vargas Skin Care at 212.949.2350 in New York City and make your appointment now.

By Joanna Vargas and
C.A. Vargas

One of the best things that you can do at home in order to keep your skin clear and beautiful is: NEVER GO TO SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON. This basically clogs your pores and slows down your skin’s natural regeneration process. Think of it as a preventative measure and insurance against the factors that will cause you to age prematurely.

Your skin goes through the same process that your body does when you sleep. It repairs and restores itself from the wear and tear of the day. Night time is so crucial for cell regeneration and if you leave makeup on, not only will you ruin your pillow case but also your beautiful skin.

The other more immediate cause of not removing your makeup is that your skin could breakout- something easily prevented by washing your face at night time. The fact is that most makeup contains harmful chemicals that are known carcinogens and studies show that your skin will absorb the many chemicals contained in them. They cause the skin to become irritated and dry immediately, but in the long run they cause aging from within.

Using a night time cleanser is an easy step that is often overlooked by many people, but if you start now you might avert any signs of aging for years to come. Washing your face at night before bed is a fundamental step to clear and beautiful skin. DON’T NEGLECT IT.

My recommendation when choosing a cleanser is simple. First, you should always use an organic facial cleanser that you can use everyday to remove surface dirt and grime. This will prepare your skin for moisturizer which contains needed nutrients that your skin needs in order to repair itself. Obviously, your moisturizer should also be organic so your skin can properly absorb all the essential vitamins and nutrients it needs to function at optimum. The result? Radiant, beautiful skin.

It is never too late to start a skin care regime that will make your skin look healthy and glowing! You will love yourself for it!

By Joanna Vargas and
C.A. Vargas

Not all facials are created equal and deciding what type of facial you need might be a daunting task. Especially when there are a multitude of facials found in todays spas and skin care salons. Knowing the basic purpose of a facial will help you in deciding what kind is best for you and what you can expect.

Regardless of the many names spas give facials, in my estimation there are only two types: they are anti-aging facials and deep cleansing facials. Both use a variety of techniques and products to either rejuvenate or to give you clean and clear skin. And each can be customized for the specific skin type by using the proper combination of skin care products.

When clients come to Joanna Vargas Skin Care, most want a luxurious and pampering experience and indeed, that is what they get. However, there is an underlying practical philosophy that I impart and it is my operating basis for skincare. And that is, that a facial should be done as part of a regular skincare regime and used as a means to prevent and protect the skin from the factors which cause skin to age prematurely.

That does not mean that a facial should feel like work or be painful. A well crafted facial will be something that you look forward to and not something that you avoid because of painful extractions, harsh skin care products or techniques that leave your skin red or irritated. After a facial your skin should be clear and glowing not red or irritated.

Surely you can get facials to handle a specific skincare problem or to even pamper yourself, but its main function for me is that it should be a preventative measure against aging. That is why I craft each part of the facial to give results and the sum of its parts give an overall improvement to your skin that is undeniable.

All facials regardless of their fancy names have a basic purpose and that is to cleanse and purify your face. And that is done by exfoliation, or the removal of the top layer of dead skin and deep pore cleansing. Both essentially act as a means of detoxifying the skin. The end of that process, if expertly done, reveals fresh and glowing new skin.

This simple action alone can handle a variety of skin issues and restore the health of your skin dramatically. The reason? Exfoliation triggers the skin’s natural healing ability by the production of collagen and elastin, two vital proteins that firm and give the skin elasticity, restoring it to a more youthful complexion.

These two essential steps of exfoliation and deep pore cleansing are the cornerstone of most facials as they prepare and allow the skin to more readily absorb the needed skin care products for a more radiant and youthful appearance. I prefer to use organic skincare products for this reason as the skin absorbs a more natural ingredient and they act as a nutritional source for the skin. Chemically base products might irritate the skin or in the long run cause the damage that they were meant to “prevent”.

Our bodies tend to shed the skin every 28 to 30 days. And by properly exfoliating at home or during a facial we help the body get rid of the extra skin that usually clog pores and can cause the skin to become dull and lifeless. Also, oil can get trapped beneath the skin and cause breakouts causing a more complex problem.

The solution to beautiful and clear skin is a skincare regime that includes facials at least once every four to six weeks and a maintenance plan at home that includes: washing your face every night that help remove surface dirt and impurities, using a proper hydrating night cream, to help regenerate and repair the skin, and exfoliating at least once a week if not twice.

I had scars that I thought would never go away. But with Joanna’s LED light treatment, they are virtually all gone. It’s been amazing!

Rebecca Minkoff
Designer

The reward of any specific skin care salon or spa come from its services and the results they yield, not from the lavish settings and the soothing music.

When I develop a skin care treatment, my first concern is the workability and the results each step yields. Each basic step is measured and tested for results and safety. This includes testing and researching the organic skin care products used. Any part of a facial treatment must stand alone for workability and results and when combined must add or enhance the overall benefits of the facial.

It is this practical and meticulous approach to skin care that separates Joanna Vargas Skin Care Salon from other salons and spas. This is why beauty editors and clients alike recommend our signature facials because they contain basic steps to staying young and beautiful. And these anti-aging treatments are noninvasive and use only organic skin care products. I have created in each treatment a new and holistic approach to skin care.

One of the most basic steps to any beauty regime is microdermabrasion. This means the removal of the uppermost layer of dead skin cells and surface dirt from the skin on the face or body. This action triggers the skin’s natural healing mechanism allowing the skin to safely produce collagen and elastin, two vital proteins that keep skin young and healthy.

Once the fresh new skin has been exposed it can more readily absorb the perfectly crafted organic skin care products that we use in our anti-aging treatments. These specific organic skin care products nurture, heal and restore damaged skin while at the same time stimulating the production of collagen and elastin.

Collagen gives the skin the firmness that young people have and elastin provides the elasticity that so many older people lack in their skin.

Microdermabrasion has been commonly done in the past by sandblasting the face with abrasive aluminum dioxide. This sand-like material is very hard and very fine and although it works, it can leave the skin red and irritated in the first twenty-four hours.

We use an innovative new way of doing microdermabrasion that does not scratch or makes the skin red with irritation. This type of microdermabrasion is done with a diamond tip wand that gently removes the top dead layer of skin. It can be done even on the most sensitive of skin.

The immediate benefits are a fresh, clean and glowing face. Over time, microdermabrasion will actually reduce enlarged pores, eliminates fine lines and wrinkles and improve the overall texture of the skin. This simple step brings beauty back to dull and lifeless skin.

This basic step in skin care, exfoliation, has been done since ancient Egypt! Although greatly refined and therefore any discomfort that was associated with the technique is no longer there.

In fact, regular exfoliation at home in between facials greatly improves the overall look of the skin and gives you a mini-facial right at home! Our best selling exfoliator for at home use is the “Phyt’s Contact +”.

AUGUST 14, 2008

“Joanna is the only facialist on the PLANET I can go to just hours before a big event and my skin will actually look incredible! I send all my clients to her when they’re in town and they’re all obsessed.

And the LED light treatments have made a huge difference on my skin in just 2 days, which is so amazing.”

Ilaria Urbinati
Fashion Stylist

Source: TeenVogue.com
JULY 2008
By Maura Lynch

Although there are many schools of thought on the subject of how to properly care for sensitive skin,
Joanna Vargas believes that the organic approach is best. People with sensitive skin can be allergic to
a wide variety of cosmetics and beauty products. The culprits are usually harsh chemically based products. The marketing might be pretty but the outcome of using that pink body lotion can be dry itchy skin, redness or worst, eczema.

Joanna recommends using organic skin care products that have no synthetic or petroleum base compounds, that not only cause premature aging but also sensitive skin.

In the article by Maura, Joanna gives a great home remedy for the treatment of sensitive skin. Click on the first link above and get a genuine beauty secret.

Source: Style.com
JULY 22 2008
By Maya Singer

Time marches at a different pace for the material girl or maybe it just marches in an entirely different time track than the one, us mere mortals walk. She is known for her ability to reinvent herself and for staying young, beautiful and sexy. Of course we have all heard about her intense training routine, yoga and her oxygen facials, but do you know the latest?

Joanna Vargas does, and she is the sole supplier in the US of the all-organic anti-aging skin care line that Madonna is currently using. ILA is an English based company that is producing some of the most potent all organic skin care in the industry.

Read the full story of how Joanna found out about this amazing line by clicking on the link above.

Source: iVillage
JULY 18 2008
By Aly Walansky

Aly Walansky went under cover to investigate and lay bare ten of the biggest beauty myths in the industry. Nothing will startle you more than to find, perhaps one of your own, in in this revelatory and fun article. She spoke to Joanna to uncover the truth behind organic skin care products and their efficacy, not only in the treatments that she does but in our everyday lives. You can find Joanna’s portion of the article under 4 of 12. Enjoy!

Source: NewEnglandFineLiving.com
JUNE 2008

New England Fine Living is an online magazine that lets people in on all the finer things in life. They have just written a great article about Joanna and the Triple Crown Facial. This is Joanna’s signature anti-aging facial that uses the latest and most advance forms of microdermabrasion, microcurrent and oxygen machines.

The microdermabrasion is done with a diamond tip wand, actual diamonds, that gently exfoliate your skin without adverse effects. The technology of microcurrent, meaning small electric current, so small that it will mimic the electrical current generated by the body’s cells. This reestablishes the electrical connection between damaged tissue thus the healing can begin. It produces collagen and elastin, two vital proteins needed for youthful looking skin. And the oxygen machine is new to the industry and advances the oxygen facial of old into the twenty first century.

Read the full article on Joanna and the various treatments by clicking on the link above.