Mastering good skin with the XO Treatment Room

As the owner of the XO Treatment Room, Annie Graham has seen it all. The Beltline skincare clinic is where Annie brings together her medical expertise with the best technologies to help us skin-sensitve folks get through Calgary’s dry winters and arid seasons.

At a recent Camp Hooha event, I learned all about the best ways to take care of my skin direct from Annie’s XO Treatment Room playbook. Aging is often seen as a negative part of getting older, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways to combat the effects of aging is to take care of our skin. Our skin holds our bodies together and provides an outer layer of protection from the elements. Most importantly our skin shows off the first signs of aging. Here’s just a few of the tidbits to help you get on the way to mastering good skin:

• It’s all about good skin, not perfect skin. By working towards improving your skin and maintaining consistency, you will find a happy balance that will work for your skin.
• Wear sunscreen everyday! Tanning is first sign of aging so sunscreen will help prevent this. You can usually apply sunscreen once for regular day-to-day use. That is unless you end up going jogging or to a hot yoga class and sweating all your sunscreen off.
• Wash your face every morning and night.
• The type of sunscreen you use is your preference. Choose one you like and doesn’t break out your skin. This has been a problem for me, so I’ve taken to using baby sunscreen on my face and it’s been working like a charm.
• Sunscreen is regulated in Canada like a drug – make sure to look for a Drug Identification Number (DIN) or Natural Health Product Number (NPN). This ensures the sunscreen is approved by Health Canada.
• The order to start your daily face routine: Wash, Moisturize, Sunscreen, Makeup
• Use a moisturizing sunscreen instead of a moisturizer with sunscreen in it. SPF in a moisturizer is just an “ingredient” and is not regulated so it’s not doing anything! This goes for cosmetics with SPF in it too. Remember, a proper sunscreen product will have a DIN or NPN number (see above!).
• There are skin products available at every price point that will work. You just need to find the right item for your skin and decide how much you are willing to spend.
• Products break down over time so remember to securely put the caps and lids back on. Oxygen and sun/heat will degrade your items even quicker.

I couldn’t write fast enough to remember all the amazing tips that Annie uses at the XO Treatment Room, but be sure to check out the awesome infographic above for more good skin notes.