Need help with figuring out a home routine (and first post!)
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:15 am

Happy New Year Everyone!

This is my first post after weeks of lurking and reading about dermarolling, knuckle massaging, cupping, devices, etc. Needless to say this forum is full of inspiration and awesome advice but I am left totally confused by the overwhelming number of options. I was hoping someone could help me sort through what to use and how to establish a routine.

I'm 35 and am interested in working on wrinkles around my eyes, NL lines, and firming and toning my face while creating more symmetry. Right now I get an awesome microcurrent/dermabrasion facial 1-2 times a month and a full body Ruby Ray treatment weekly at the Tracie Martyn salon here in NY. Both are REALLY expensive, and I would love to cut back to monthly services and do more at home. I have practiced CM Facercise for 6 months with mixed success- NL lines got dramatically worse, my neck improved, and my eyes looked larger yet more sunken in as a result. I also bought the Quasar MD Plus thanks to this expensive forum Wink

and am waiting for it to arrive. I use a Violet Ray on my scalp and face nightly but haven't noticed much difference after 3 months of regular use. I also use a Rolling Bed of Pins occasionally, which I am told replicates a DR while being less invasive, but I'm not convinced. The latter two devices are from Beautiful on Raw. I also just ordered Lou Lou's DVD!

The thing is, I don't want to overdo it with devices and routines but everything looks so promising- STOP, dermarollers, Galvanic Currents, etc. I want to establish a routine to fix the issues I have now and prevent new ones from occurring. There is a wealth of info on here but I still am not sure of what suits me best.

Thanks in advance and I am excited to post more on this awesome forum

free skin care · Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:29 pm

nickicaps wrote:

Happy New Year Everyone!

This is my first post after weeks of lurking and reading about dermarolling, knuckle massaging, cupping, devices, etc. Needless to say this forum is full of inspiration and awesome advice but I am left totally confused by the overwhelming number of options. I was hoping someone could help me sort through what to use and how to establish a routine.

I'm 35 and am interested in working on wrinkles around my eyes, NL lines, and firming and toning my face while creating more symmetry. Right now I get an awesome microcurrent/dermabrasion facial 1-2 times a month and a full body Ruby Ray treatment weekly at the Tracie Martyn salon here in NY. Both are REALLY expensive, and I would love to cut back to monthly services and do more at home. I have practiced CM Facercise for 6 months with mixed success- NL lines got dramatically worse, my neck improved, and my eyes looked larger yet more sunken in as a result. I also bought the Quasar MD Plus thanks to this expensive forum Wink

and am waiting for it to arrive. I use a Violet Ray on my scalp and face nightly but haven't noticed much difference after 3 months of regular use. I also use a Rolling Bed of Pins occasionally, which I am told replicates a DR while being less invasive, but I'm not convinced. The latter two devices are from Beautiful on Raw. I also just ordered Lou Lou's DVD!

The thing is, I don't want to overdo it with devices and routines but everything looks so promising- STOP, dermarollers, Galvanic Currents, etc. I want to establish a routine to fix the issues I have now and prevent new ones from occurring. There is a wealth of info on here but I still am not sure of what suits me best.

Thanks in advance and I am excited to post more on this awesome forum

Hi nickicaps, welcome to EDS. I have a few things that you have bought and like you are trying to cram everything in. On top of trying new things.

The good thing is that you are starting taking care of your skin. I looked up the Ruby Ray treatment. It seems like a tanning bed with LED lights. I didn't know such a thing existed. If your looking to save money somewhere this would be something I would forego. Unless you are getting great results. It says it boost the cellular energy molecule ATP. I have only heard of microcurrent boosting ATP. It might be possible but I really have my doubts. Now the light can boost collagen if it has the right specs. If you are trying to keep your skin firm and cut down or maybe eliminate cellulite, you should look into dry brushing you skin. You can get a brush really cheap and it does work but takes a lot of dedication and time. There is a thread on EDS about it.

I would keep up the microcurrent treatments. They get a good review here at EDS. I am looking into getting a salon machine that I will use a home but they are pricey. There are a lot of different ones on ebay. They get mixed reviews.

I looked into getting the Quasar MD but ended up getting the LightStim. I can't remember why but probably because more people here seemed to use that one and it was quite a bit cheaper. I do think that LED lights help build collagen long term but it takes awhile.

I have the Jellen high frequency machine. It is the same as the Voliet Ray. I had it for long time and I don't use it anymore. I bought it for acne and anti aging but can't say I seen any difference in either. Some people swear by them here but like anything else it works for some and not for others.

I also have the rolling bed of pins. I have to say this is nothing like a dermaroll except they both have needle like things. I bought mine because I thought it would help bring more blood circulation to my face and desensitize my face to bigger needles for dermarolling. I think it is ok but I never really noticed any difference so I rarely use it anymore.

I do have a couple of face exercise program but have been too lazy to use them. I do think the Ageless is pretty quick and I own it. Maybe I will try to get into it.

You didn't say what kind of skin you have. Or what kind of products you are using. You might be able to save some money there. I would make sure you are using a Vit c. product and Retin A or something similar. These have the most research behind them. A lot of the different high end products I've used over the years have not done anything for my skin.

One thing you might want to check out is the ReAura laser or the Tria laser. There are thread on both here. I have the ReAura and it is the best home device I have bought since I found EDS. Neither is sold in the US right now but there are ways to get them here. The information is in the threads. Good luck.

Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:27 am

Thanks for the detailed response and welcome Very Happy

I actually think the Ruby Ray is doing something..it's a pretty powerful LED and I noticed after 3 uses that my skin is much more even throughout my body. I have terrible skin- stretch marks, discoloration, scars, cellulite, etc and am hyper critical of every flaw. I have been dry brushing for 6 years, first with the TTapp method and then No Lipo Lipo and neither produced spectacular results. I continue to DB daily because I do believe it's a great exfoliator but beyond that I don't see much.

I am definitely going to look into the lasers- thanks for the recommendation!

In terms of skin type- mine was pretty flawless and normal up until a few months ago where I feel like I aged 5 years in 3 weeks, out of nowhere. Acne resurfaced as well. Weird!!

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:56 pm

Out of curiosity, how much does the Ruby Ray Treatment cost? Thanks!

Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:00 pm

Hi CM!

The Ruby Ray is NOT cheap- $150 per session, less with packages. I have to say though that Tracie Martyn is a skin care rockstar- she employs very natural but effective solutions and all of her products are top notch. She's very supportive of my high raw vegan lifestyle and works with me to take a very conservative approach. I really do notice improvement in my skin tone, texture, etc from the RR. I know we all focus on our faces and necks but I don't want it to stop there! So I think the RR is worthwhile. I sacrifice in a lot of other areas in order to afford it.

Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:02 pm

Btw CM, based on your signature line, you may be my forum twin- I'm all about IF, Furhman, and pretty much everything else Very Happy

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