Go “Big” with Bespoke this Autumn

Big things are happening at Bespoke this Autumn! And by “big” I mean more paramedical, results-driven treatments. I’ve been lining it up all summer, just waiting for Labor Day to start unveiling them. Peel season is upon us, and we are ready!

Amongst the new treatments will be the Skin Renewal Peel from Elaine Brennan, the creator of the micropeel we all know and love in the office. We have also purchased a new Cutera Xeo laser! This will be good for vascular issues, pigmentation, texture, etc… as it performs IPL, Frax, and YAG modalities.

And finally, our beloved DMK has rolled out a new treatment five years in the making...Stemzyme! This is a five-part Enzyme treatment series designed to stimulate the growth of your own stem cells. There’s nothing else out there like it!

We will be rolling these out throughout the Autumn. I’m anticipating October for the laser and December for the Stemzyme Treatment. We will also be hosting an open house event on November 18 to showcase all the new innovations. Stay tuned for when/how to buy tickets to attend. The number will be limited!

In the meantime, we will be running specials as we introduce the new treatments. Our first will be for the Elaine Brennan Skin Renewal Peeling... or “big” peel as we are calling it.

Think of it as six micropeels in one. The results are dramatic! The genius of the Elaine Brennan peels is them being in a balm form rather than a liquid. This slows absorption, making it extremely targeted to the epidermal/dermal juncture. Unlike most peels which are hard to gauge, this one stops right at that juncture without damaging the dermis. This means a strong production of collagen follows but with zero damage to the living layer of the skin!

Yes, there is a lot of downtime involved. Application is over two days... the peel sits on the face and neck for two hours each day. It is a bit hot and tingly, but we use strong fans and the sensation subsides after twenty minutes...most clients nap for the remaining time.

The next week your skin gets tight, dry, and dark. It starts to “lift off” and peel around the mouth starting on day four. Day seven or eight we meet for an hour to peel off the remaining skin in the office.

And when that remaining skin comes off, the new skin is pristine! Not inflamed, bouncy, even, & glowing. It is incredible. The texture is improved, fine lines... any and every skin condition is improved.

Things I love about this peel? Little to no supporting homecare is needed... we provide you with a soothing cream to use the next week and that’s it! After that, you can go back to your normal routine. Also, it is good for every skin tone... from the lightest to the darkest! It is also good for every skin condition...melasma and acne in particular.

So in one week, you can get the best skin of your life. And it always works without fail!

Ultimately we will price it at $850...but for the month of October through December, you can have it done for $650! Considering it provides the results of six months of treatment in one go, I think it’s a bargain. Please note: due to its timings we have a limited amount of availability for this treatment, and pre-booking is required. To do so, please book in person with your therapist, via email, or by phone. There is an email form at the bottom of this blog you can directly request an appointment with.

Go big with us this Autumn… we can’t wait to share our new innovations with you.

Bespoke Body

Let me let you in on a secret. If you are over the age of 40 it might be a secret you already know.

One day, weird things are likely to happen to the skin on your body. And it’s not pretty.

Shocking really. Like any sign of aging, it seems to happen all at once, though in hindsight it was happening all along. I remember thinking in my 20’s “How does a knee SAG?? how is that even possible?” Now, unfortunately, I know.

What are the biggest issues that occur with the skin of the body? Crepiness, cellulite…loss of elasticity, and fat pads, creating sagging skin. Pigmentation (of course)…scarring, stretch marks. Maybe all of the above! And is it any wonder? Do you give the skin of your body any love, like you give your face? Or do you just slap on a moisturizer after a shower, as most of us do?

What goes for your face goes for your body…most moisturizers just coat the skin and provide little absorption and nutrition. The good news is that as the skin of the body receives so little attention, introducing pharmaceutical-grade skin care and treatments makes a big difference quickly.

To this end, in June we will be reintroducing Bespoke Body. But with a few key differences! Treatment now will focus mostly on the conditions described above, and performed by the entire staff. So what will we be offering?

BACK FACIAL WITH PEEL

A quickie treatment for acne and scarring, with no downtime! Peel, extractions, and transdermal infusion or mask to follow. For active acne and pigmentation.

One hour of treatment, $200

BODY ENZYME

DMK’s famous oxygenating Enzyme mask for the body! Great for firming, lymph drainage, pigmentation, acne, and skin laxity. One large area included…either the back, bum, and back of thighs or tummy and front of thighs. Treatment includes cleanse, exfoliation, finishing products, and your choice of DMK homecare product for the body.

Ninety minutes of treatment, $240

ALKALINE WASH

This one-of-a-kind treatment is for acne, scarring, pigmentation…stretch mark revision, and even hair removal! Includes DMK Enzyme mask after the wash, and no downtime.

Price and time vary per area but range from two to two and a half hours of treatment, $260 to $300

MICRONEEDLING FOR BODY

Utilizing Procell’s needling stamp, for collagen induction. Good for skin laxity, post-inflammatory pigmentation, stretch marks, and scarring! Minimal downtime, with a complimentary Stemfactor serum for homecare. One area per session can be the front of thighs, back of thighs, upper or lower back, tummy, chest/neck, or chest/arms!

One hour of treatment, $400

And what home care products for the body will we be offering?

DMK Maximum Moisture Body Creme

A deep-penetrating body moisturizer, Maximum Moisture body lotion is a blend of ingredients that will not clog pores or leave a greasy film on the skin. Formulated with healthy skin oils, rich skin-loving lipids, allantoin to soothe and hydrate, as well as antioxidants, this product is excellent for dry or irritated, chapped, or sun-exposed skin. A superior moisturizer for skin nutrition! $55

DMK Hydralouffa Body Wash

A non-granular body gel designed with caviar lime, a gentle aha to cleanse and help exfoliate dead skin cells. It is an excellent formulation for dry skin, reactive skin, and skin suffering from folliculitis. $40… Bundle with Max Moist and receive $15 off!

DMK Aminodine Mist

DMK’s “golden water” Aminodine is an age management formulation that contains natural extracts that could help revive mature, middle-aged, and sun-damaged skins. A refreshing hydrating spray that soaks into the skin helping to reactivate glucose and normalizing the free radical effect of glycation (reduces the ability of collagen fiber to regenerate leading to wrinkling, creping, and sagging of the skin). For use after showering and before moisturizing. $50

DMK Solar Damage Gel

Solar Damage soothes skin inflammation and redness. Restores the interstitial fluid of the epidermis, bringing hydration and vitality back, creating firmer, plumper, more replenished skin. Solar Damage gel has specific barrier protection effects, helping to protect and adding rich aloe and vitamin E, which aids in collagen rejuvenation. $25

DMK MicroPeel

Offers a quick and non-irritating method of removing dead cells and debris to improve the appearance of dull, coarse, or wrinkled skin. MicroPeel is a gentle exfoliant to eliminate dead cell material ideal for acne and congested skin.  With lactic and glycolic acids to brighten and tighten $50

DMK Body Sculpt

Body Sculpting cream is a contouring and tightening topical home treatment cream. Designed to help reshape the body in stubborn areas and reduce the appearance of cellulite by smoothing and firming loose body skin using thermogenesis. Note: Not for use by diabetics or pregnant women. $80

In all honesty…I use at least two of each of these products nightly. It might seem like a lot, but it really only takes 5 to 10 min to apply, and the payoff is worth it! And I’ll be sharing simple treatments you can do with the products at home…such as gua sha, body brushing, and a Body Sculpt wrap.

Once you get in the habit of giving your body even a fraction of the attention you give your face, you will wonder why you ever did it any other way. Let’s get summer ready together, and have you feeling good in your skin from head to toe :)

The Metamorphosis Continues

I thought it might be nice this Mother’s Day to update my blog from last year, “The Metamorphosis of Motherhood”.

Another year down the line…my boy turned three last week. All I can say is each passing year is truly bittersweet. Bitter as each day is so precious…he changes so much so quickly there is hardly time to appreciate each moment. Sweet because as he does I love the person he is becoming, and it gets easier. Now that he can speak just being able to ask what he wants and try to reason with him about him is an absolute game-changer.

One of the hardest aspects of motherhood is the inherent uncertainty of it all. Each child can be different, just when you think you have it figured out you don’t. When you figure out one stage they change. The quick adapting and lack of perfection is baked in, and the humbling that comes with it is healthy I think. And so I try to make peace with my mix of emotions…yes I’d love to be pregnant again but probably won’t. Yes, I’d love to hold a newborn baby of mine again, but love him at three too. Yes, there is never enough time, and we can’t go back in time. The moment is all we have and then it’s gone. Yes, memory fades. Bittersweet, all of it.

Physically the issues I described last year improved with pelvic floor PT…but not to the point of resolution. After three years of trying to figure out what was wrong I was finally diagnosed with two kinds of prolapse…and though mild they weren’t going to get any better, only worse. So I had my second major surgery (the first was replacing my left hip in May of last year) in less than a year to correct it.

I read recently that a woman’s postpartum journey is a journey back to herself…which is once again bittersweet. You go from living your life as one person, then two people…then you give birth and are born again as a mother. The postpartum journey is one of reintegrating who you were before you gave birth….bitter because this journey can be tinged with guilt. I don’t want to go back to who I was…but I would like certain parts back. For most of my adult life, I was hyper fit, owing to a background in ballet. That body took a decade to build, of blood sweat, and tears. In nine months it was all gone, my body feeling uncomfortable and unfamiliar. And so these surgeries were a big step to feeling like myself again…it’s a different body but feels more like mine again. I feel better, which is sweet. The bitter part is I am unlikely after this bit of the journey to get pregnant again and destroy the work of the surgeries. So with my returning sense of self is the loss of living through the miracle of childbirth again.

I felt when I delivered him I had crested a mountain, and the mountain was my life. The moment he came out I was standing at the top, surveying all of it. It felt as if my ultimate purpose had been served. My whole life was building to this peak moment. And every moment after would be descent…ultimately towards death. The desire to go to the peak of the mountain, again and again, will forever beckon…it is one of the most incredible experiences a person can have, to carry and birth a child. To admit it is over and say to oneself “did I feel that enough, did I savor it enough, did I love it enough” is overwhelming. But that’s life, bittersweet. I try to let go and tell myself we don’t know what the future holds. I try to live with the uncertainty of it all.

That’s motherhood. Happy Mother’s Day to us all, thanks for making the world go round.

Celebrating Our Survival

You may have noticed that recently we’ve been getting a bit of publicity. Going into 2022, I set this as a goal for us… not so much to gather new business, but more to celebrate having made it through Covid. The fact that despite it all, we made it through, and here I stand with a thriving team, spirit intact, deserves to be celebrated. My goal is for the pictures and magazines and PR to mark this moment in time and this team, for us to take a good look in the mirror and recognize where all of that hard work and dedication has taken us.

In that spirit, I would be very grateful if you might take a moment of your time to help me celebrate Jessica Witchie!

To know her is to love her, I think it is safe to say. Jessica was the fourth esthetician I hired and trained when she was just 23. There is no one at Bespoke - not even myself - that has put more hands-on faces than Jessica. I can not think of a person who better embodies the philosophy of the office…she has such vast technical knowledge, which is applied with such grace and ease and warmth. She meets each task of learning with quiet determination and nuance. She is the heart of Bespoke.

And I think this is what is most striking about Jessica to me…she offers her FULL attention, care, and love to every single client, in every single session without wavering. If you have had her hands on your face you know the magic she offers (I imagine a golden retriever puppy chasing butterflies in a field of flowers when she massages me). Yet, at the same time, she will transform your skin! To do this all day every day is a massive feat…and yet she does and with humility. She inspires clients, myself, and the rest of the team daily, and I honestly feel blessed to know her. To know her is to love her, and long may it last.

In my opinion, Jessica is the best esthetician in DC, and I know so many people feel the same. Reader’s Choice awards with DC Modern Luxury are closing in two days, so if you would please take a moment to vote for Jessica as Best Esthetician DC I’d appreciate it…please help me to say thank you to her. Even if you haven't had Jessica as your esthetician, her magic touch and attention to detail are representative of the entire team. Know that a vote for her is a vote for all of us, and we will be celebrating together!

You can also vote for us in any other category you see fit, we suggest Best Facial, Best Place to be Pampered, and Best Skincare!

Thank you for your support, it is because of you that we are able to continue to do what we love.♡

Helping Hands for Ukraine

My last name, Shostak, is Ukrainian. My paternal grandparents met in a refugee camp in Germany... my father was born there. My grandmother escaped the Russian regime in Ukraine at 19, having fled in the night. She left her family behind and without warning, never to see them again. She did this to protect them…she wouldn’t even write them letters, for fear that the letters would be discovered and her family sent to Siberia as punishment for her betrayal.

There were many times in early adulthood I thought about using my middle name as my surname, just for the sake of ease. I made a conscious decision to go ahead and struggle through it, as I have always been pretty proud of that heritage. My grandmother (Eva) was a bit of a legend, and growing up it was quite clear to me that to be Ukrainian was something special. I decided to double down on that last name, and am proud my boy has it too. I chose his name (Leo) to compliment it... his middle name (Joseph) is my paternal grandfather’s. My last name is pretty immediately recognizable on the occasion I meet someone who is actually Ukrainian. There is joy in that recognition...it’s as if they know I am aware of a beautiful secret they have. The secret is that Ukrainian people are fierce, strong, noble, and beautiful. I’ve always known this because of my grandmother...and now the rest of the world knows it too.

My grandmother’s journey from Ukraine to the US took ten years. For much of this journey, she was alone. There was a time in my life I imagined writing a screenplay about this journey, having pieced together scraps of the story told to my aunt. I would spend hours imagining the story from beginning to end, trying to envision a seamless movie. As I was an actress then I imagined trying to enact it. I imagined fully being in my grandmother’s shoes, how she felt. The anger, fear, the despair, the hope. I imagined the village that she left, the danger there so great it was unlivable. I read about the famine imposed by Stalin, in which millions died. I looked up pictures from the era and saw skeletal children and people dying in the streets. I heard about Russian soldiers raping villagers and desperate survival measures. Man-made, relentless, imposed terror... for every story shared I know there were a dozen worse ones withheld. Stories such as the ones being revealed now, in Mariupol and Bucha. They sicken me to hear, but I am not surprised.

Sometimes I make dark jokes about generational trauma. There is a sliver of me that has always expected the unimaginable horrors my grandmother witnessed to erupt at any moment, as the people of Ukraine are experiencing now. My grandmother was one for using every last scrap of anything and wasting nothing...I am the same to a degree. She reused the water in her house...from her bath to her laundry to the garden. When she passed there were spotless oatmeal and yogurt canisters full of folded dried paper towels she had saved to reuse. I joke that I too live with a refugee’s sense of scarcity...and I’m only half-joking. And then of course just to be a woman is to have generational trauma...this rape or Ukraine and Putin’s gaslighting used to justify it has been experienced by every woman at one time or another, I think.

I loved my grandmother’s accent and her slanted eyes. I loved her tidy house with its carpet scraps in the basement, making a patchwork floor. I loved the colors and the needlework in her pillows, and her practical patterned house dresses with pockets she would wear when working in the garden. We all loved her pierogi (she would work on them for days but never sit down to eat them, instead just making sure everyone was fed) and her apple pie (the simplest recipe...no sugar, just apples cut into the crust). But most of all I loved her strength and resilience. This more than anything to me symbolized what it was to be Ukrainian.

My grandmother was a dedicated Catholic. I have some artwork from her house representing this...taken from a calendar, and holiday cards. The climax of the story of her journey to the US was that after a long journey by boat over the Atlantic, with my grandfather and two small children (and during which she was violently seasick) she finally arrives in America. She is standing in line attempting to enter the country and discovers that she will be tested to be able to read or else be turned away. She was unable. The story goes that she was handed a newspaper, and panicking she began to pray in her native language. The officer, mistaking her prayer for reading, passed her and her family - my family - through.

God was with her, she had said. And for as long as she was with us that was clear, it shone from her the way it shines from the Ukrainian people now. When I heard that Russia had invaded I thought it would be a matter of days before they fell. And instead, they are standing strong and proud once again, and, in the face of this assault and this abuse, it is clear God is with them. Little old ladies who look just like my grandma are making Molotov cocktails in the streets. When Russia invaded I felt utterly hopeless, and yet they have given me hope in humanity.

It’s hard to know what to do when faced with such overwhelming distress, fear, and anger. It’s understandable to want to look away, give up, or go numb. It’s easy to think in the age of “thoughts and prayers” for one tragedy after another that thoughts and prayers are meaningless. But they do matter, absolutely everything matters. Our job is to just put one foot in front of the other and do what we can... as my Grandmother did.

Ukrainians happen to make incredible estheticians, and fittingly many of them work with DMK both in the US and abroad. It brings me a lot of joy to share with you that DMK has organized a drive with UNICEF in support of their ongoing response to the war, in which they will be matching $250,000 in donations. Please, take this opportunity to help us to meet this goal. Donations may be made through the link below.

And, in addition to this contribution (or in lieu of, for those who can’t) I’m asking anyone interested to join me daily at 8 am and/or 8 pm in saying this prayer for them, provided by Marianne Williamson.

Dear God,

Please send angels to Ukraine tonight.

Awaken the heart,

fortify the strength

and calm the fears of all concerned.

Lift them above the battlefield.

Send Your miracles,

break the back of evil.

In the midst of war,

please bring forth peace.

Bless and protect your precious children.

Thank you, God.

Amen

Glow & Go

Time...it's a luxury most of us lack.  It's so hard to find the time to do all the things we need to do AND take care of ourselves.

This is why we are introducing our new Glow & Go service, which will have you in and out in less than an hour!  The treatment is a gentle exfoliation followed by extractions, and a transdermal infusion of hydrators and quick massage. We have a wide variety of exfoliators to get you glowing, for every kind of condition you can think of.  Hydration, pigmentation, acne, texture issues…let us choose the perfect one for you!

To celebrate this new addition to the menu we will be giving samples from our new line, Skinbetter with your service throughout February!

Here are just a few of our favorite "glowgetters" we can choose from:

1. Quick Peel by DMK is for acne-prone, dull, or vascular (red) skin. The cassia (cinnamon) creates a "pseudo heat" in the skin which jumpstarts the skin's circulation and helps to clear redness. It goes on feeling icy...then it heats up...and gets icy again. We rub it off, which also gently exfoliates your skin. The quick peel is great for every skin type!
   

2. Prozyme is great for dry flakey skin, pigmentation, and fine lines. Unlike traditional acid peels which loosen dead skin cells but might not fully remove them, Prozyme dissolves it right there and then! Painless, and it's only on for up to ten minutes. The result is baby smooth skin!

3. Cherry Enzyme is for pigmented and/or acne-prone skin. It exfoliates and brightens the skin with the antioxidant with Lactic and Mandelic acids and promotes deep hydration while reducing the surface signs of aging. Arbutin and Kojic provide further lightning capabilities! This is the peel for you if you want gentle and brightening.

4. The AlphaRet Professional Peel System by Skinbetter Science uses both Lactic acid and Retinol to improve overall skin tone and texture, increase hydration, and diminish visual signs of aging, sun damage, and blemishes. A stronger peel which will leave you with lasting results!

5. Pro Alpha is absolutely one of our favorites! Though it is largely glycolic acid it has superior capabilities for hydration, and therefore congestion! It pulls water up through the skin giving it a dewey appearance, and in doing so helps to push congestion up and out for easy extractions. It gives a beautiful, hydrated finish to just about every skin type in minutes.

No downtime, all glow and a true "pick me up" to make you feel all shiny and new in these dull winter months. Worth making time for!

What’s New in 2022?

If you’ve worked with me...you know I’m a bit of a mad scientist. I love to tinker and take things apart just to put them back together. I do this not only with skincare but with the business itself and pretty much every aspect of my life with regularity. Let’s call it creative spirit.

How can I make this better? I am always asking myself this. This approach is not for everyone...I get it. There is much to be said for safety and stability, and repetition of a good thing. However, I can’t help but ask myself this in regards to serving clients continually...which results in Bespoke forever being a work in progress. In truth, I foresee it always being this way, until I close its doors. A metaphor, certainly.

So please, bear with me as I outline a few new options and changes coming to the menu in 2022. My hope is they will allow us to continue to serve you better.

First...we are introducing a new line of peels and products by Skinbetter! This will allow us to do a forty-five-minute treatment for you...and you can be in and out in about an hour. Our treatments have tended to be so long, with some DMK treatments clocking in at 2.5 hours. It’s just so hard for many clients to find that time for a visit... and hard for us to find time in the schedule, especially if it’s an evening or a weekend.

Our new Glow & Go, will be a cleanse, chemical peel tailored to type, extractions, and then either an alginate (“jelly”) mask, oxygenating high frequency, or a quick sculpting massage to the face and neck with finishing products. I thought you didn’t like peels (you might be asking)? It’s true, we typically don’t advocate overuse of acid products at home, as they can strip your skin. But in the hands of your trained therapist who can pick you the perfect peel for the perfect amount of time, I think it can be a very useful tool...especially for acne sufferers who need to visit more frequently. Think of it as a boot camp class for your face! These peels can serve a variety of purposes, from treating acne to pigmentation to aiding in hydration...all with no downtime. Treatment will be available from February, pricing will be similar to Micropeel.

Also new, are our products by Skinbetter! Skinbetter is a technology and results-driven line and everyone’s favorite right now throughout the esthetics industry. I thought DMK and Osmosis were your favorites I am being asked?! They are, yes! But I also can’t resist the incredible before and after pictures, and Skinbetter has them. Skincare isn’t a zero-sum game...there can be more than one line that creates results. And having trained in depth now with Skinbetter I can say safely these products deliver! And they are so simple to use, with no intricate multi-step routines. We are so excited to share these new products with you in 2022, and to this end in February when you book a Bespoke Peel we will give you custom-picked Skinbetter sample packs for you to try. We are all using them in the office, and I have no doubt you will come to love them as well.

Another addition to the menu for Spring of 2022 will be greater options for treating yourself at home...more virtual consults and curated boxes of treatments and products you can do yourself. I really do want there to be solutions for everyone at Bespoke, and at every price point...one of the main issues I would like to find solutions for is our having the capability to help clients who can’t make it into the office (and/or it’s not in the budget) to still get results at home with our help.

And finally, a note regarding our pricing for 2022...as we all know, due to supply chain issues there has been inflation across the board in most industries. Ours is no exception. A few months ago, Osmosis increased their prices substantially...and now DMK has introduced a slight increase. Therefore I am afraid we must also accordingly increase the prices for these products and treatments from 2/1/22. Hopefully, there will be no further increases upcoming...and these increases are one of the reasons we are introducing other options for products and treatments, to fit every budget and need.

What changes would you like to see at Bespoke in 2022? I am always all ears, and constructive criticism is very welcome.

Finally, thank you as always for your continued support in 2021. We love seeing you and will look forward to sharing 2022 with you.

Hot Cider, Pumpkin Patches, and Peels. My Fall Favorites.

Peel Season is upon us, Friends! Time to wipe away the sins of the Summer… at least off our faces.

You know when you find your favorite new thing? A song, a sweater, a restaurant? You just can’t stop talking about it or leave it alone? That’s how I feel about our new Micropeel from Elaine Brennan.

It’s a mysterious little product... one little jar, a simple treatment to perform. The mystery lies in how it does what it does, and does it so well. Typically we are not “big peel” fans here... and when I say big peel, I mean the kind of peels that give you a lot of downtime... think Samantha on Sex and the City. The only “big” peel we do here is RP from DMK... and a lot of prep goes into that. Why?

I think most big peels miss the mark in being too damaging with too little recovery. If your skin is compromised (barrier impaired, thin, etc) then it will lack resources to recover from such trauma. And that’s what a big peel is... trauma in an effort to force recovery. So, if we push skin that can’t recover, we can actually create other big issues like pigmentation... which are just as bad, if not worse than the original issue we were trying to treat.

Imagine running a marathon on an empty stomach, or with no sleep. This is like what we ask our skin to do when we peel it without preparing it... you will survive, but at what cost? So to do an RP you need a full homecare routine proceeding, and at least 4 professional Enzyme Therapy treatments as well. So when you do have your week of peeling, your skin can recover from it.

I love our new micropeel because it’s a “small” peel (very little downtime, shedding, or pain) that acts like a big one. This means you should get a visible improvement in texture, active acne, pigment scarring, even melasma. Also, little to no homecare prep or aftercare is needed. How does it do it???

It has to do with the base the acids rest in. Most peels are a liquid you brush it on, leave it for a few minutes... feel the burn, remove it, and your face is fried. Micropeel is a balm and sits for thirty to sixty minutes on your skin. It slowly builds some heat... but that’s as bad as it gets. At its worst, most people rate it a 4 on the pain scale (10 being unbearable). This slows absorption and prevents it from flash frying your epidermis.

Its main acids are:

• Resorcinol: works by breaking down rough, scaly, or hardened skin and is used to treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, seborrhea, photoaging, solar keratoses, epidermal atrophy and improves skin tone and unevenness. 

• Kojik Acid: works on melanocytes interfering with the production of melanin. It has excellent skin-lightening abilities and is classified as an antioxidant.

• Salicylic Acid: is used to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, oily skin, blackheads, and whiteheads. It directly dissolves the keratin plugs to regulate the skin cells acting as an exfoliant. Salicylic Acid improves collagen production and the thickness of the skin. It has anti-inflammatory properties.

But the main thing I love about Micropeel is IT IS GOOD FOR ALL FITZPATRICKS! The Fitzpatrick scale is what we use to rate skin’s pigment... with 1 being the fairest and 6 being the darkest. Skins that are higher on the Fitzpatrick scale pigment very easily, because of their high amounts of melanin. Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) occurs in response to trauma or inflammation... think marks after acne. In lighter skins they are typically red or pink... and can turn brown as melanin fires to protect the underlying wound. But in darker skins, that protective melanin fires even more readily... and why many peels are a no-no. The wounding action of a typical peel can set off that melanin reaction and make PIH worse! It’s like quicksand... the more you wound the skin to get the pigment out, the worse it gets.

But not Mighty Micropeel! The results on higher Fitzpatricks are literally incredible. My satisfaction in using this tool for that tricky immense issue is why I’m obsessed with it. The peels are best done in a course... 3 to 6 about a month apart depending on the issue. And unlike a normal peel where your best results are just after you shed, with the Micropeel the best results are a full month after. This is because you will shed slowly, rather than all at once... which cuts the downtime! Your skin will feel rough and flakey, and some people do peel a bit. But nothing near a typical old school, big peel.

And this is why Micropeel is one of my few Fall favorites. To celebrate its introduction, we will be offering a free mini Betagel to support recovery with your Micropeel through October. Book yours today and find out what Peel season is all about!

Updates to Cancellation Policy

One of my least favorite parts of the business to manage… is the dreaded cancellation policy.

I hate enforcing it and am a bit of a pushover. We are all so busy, and I know things come up last minute! It is especially hard in the days of covid when we are all trying our best to be safe.  

That being said, we are just once again having an overwhelming amount of last-minute cancellations, and the only way I can think of to keep this from happening is to strengthen our policy. To this end, please note our new policy effective immediately will be $90 for your first late cancellation… and the full fee of the appointment thereafter.

So, please… if you think you cannot make your appointment, cancel with 48 hours notice. We have a long waitlist and need this time to rebook from it!

And if you are unable to cancel with 48 hours notice and earn the fee, please understand this is not a punishment but a pre-established business agreement regarding your therapist's time. Your therapist works on commission per treatment… so if you do not show, they do not get paid. Our practitioners limit the number of clients they see each day to ensure a high level of quality in their work with you. We prepare for the session before you enter the door. This is why last-minute cancellations significantly impact our practitioners and our ability to provide support to other clients hoping to work with us.

Finally, the update to our policy is pretty much in line with similar businesses and is the industry standard. My hope would be that in increasing the fee, more thought will be given to appointments made. We take our time with you very seriously and hope this will encourage the same sentiment in return.

Thank you as always for your patronage and support… we will look forward to seeing you this Autumn.

Adrienne

In order to reserve a place in our schedule, we require all clients agree to our cancellation policy as follows:

 1. You must provide at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel or change your appointment. This means if your appointment is for 4pm Friday, you have until 4pm sharp to cancel on Wednesday. We strictly adhere to this boundary.

 2. If notice to change or cancel your session is provided less than 48 hours before your appointment time, you will be charged $90 the first time. The second time and beyond will be the full appointment fee.

 3. Please note our appointment confirmation and reminder emails are a courtesy. Not receiving either of these does not exempt clients from the late cancel/no show fee.

 4. Unexpected events can and do occur in one’s schedule. We understand that things like illness, work, emergencies, and delayed flights are out of your control, but they are also out of our control – so they are not exempt from the last minute cancellation policy.

 5. If you are more than 20 minutes late to your appointment, it will be considered cancelled…which earns the appropriate fee. Or you may arrive and keep the session, but you will be charged the full price for the time and the session will end on time.

 6. In order to schedule, we must have a credit card number kept securely on file. In the event of a last minute cancellation you agree that this card will be charged for the fee. If the card doesn’t work your file is marked with the outstanding balance we will not treat you until this balance is settled.

 7. You may cancel/reschedule your appointment without assistance from us, through the online scheduler linked on adrienneshostak.com. You may also do it from the mind/body app. These methods for rescheduling are preferred, as you may see full availability this way!

 8. If you feel sick, are exhibiting covid symptoms, or have had exposure to a person with covid, we will require negative test results before you are able to schedule to visit us again. We need to keep the office a safe space! So any last minute cancellations due to illness will require a bill of clean health to receive treatment from us. 

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

The Meta-morphosis

The Metamorphosis of Motherhood

I, like most people - was always under the impression that for a caterpillar to transform into a butterfly they simply encase themselves in a cocoon, sprout wings and poof! They are now a butterfly. The reality is much more gruesome…caterpillars completely liquify in that cocoon. Their cells melt, then reassemble…and build a butterfly from scratch. It is a complete physical metamorphosis, though they retain memory of their former caterpillar self.

I can think of no better metaphor for motherhood.

Being pregnant is hard. Physically it feels like carrying a sack of heavy groceries around with you 24/7. Weird things happen to your body…I was vomiting from acid reflux and had extreme carpal tunnel in my hands until the day I delivered. Pregnancy is hard…but in a tangible “I have a big bump bc I am carrying a tiny human who has displaced my organs” kind of way. It’s cute. People smile at you, and you feel special.

And..then baby comes out and you realize the smiles were at the unborn baby, not you. The baby comes out in an explosion…contractions literally are like that. A focusing of pain and energy in the core of your being, that climaxes in your own personal Big Bang. A new world is created, and the pieces of you you have spent your life putting together - your sense of self and identity, your sense of order, how you eat, how you walk, how your day starts and ends - explode. It is both physical and emotional, this explosion. A Mother emerges from the cocoon, alongside the baby.

Your job as a Mother is now to try to pick up the old pieces of yourself and put them back together into your new incarnation…and carry a baby while you do it.

Physically, I thought I knew my body. I delivered Leo at 41. I had never had cellulite. I had awesome abs. I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight. But now my body is completely different. And the most confusing and mysterious part of this puzzle is what happens to my pelvic floor.

For two years I have felt “loose’, and confused as to what has happened to my insides. I have a mummy tummy crunches won’t fix. I have had lower back pain, neck pain…full body pain. I pee myself a bit about ten times a day. I visited various doctors in the beginning of this postpartum journey, and was told I have mild prolapse…this means my pelvic floor and transverse abdominus have been so stretched out that now my guts rest in a pile in my pelvis creating downward pressure. “Do Kegels!” I am told…”Youtube it!” And I do. But no progress…I resign myself to this is the way life is now. I will always feel something is off.

I was finally directed by a yoga teacher friend to ourfitfamilylife.com for a postpartum program. Another great program is by mutumamas.com . In 10 to 20 min a day you can fix prolapse over time…but honestly, just the visual explanations provided by these programs were enough for me to get 50% improvement in my back pain in a week. Just having it clearly explained to me what had happened, and given a few exercises has allowed me to make more progress in fixing my issue in 6 weeks than I had in 2 years. 

Why this information is not printed on a page and handed to you when you leave the hospital with your baby literally boggles my mind. The fact that millions - probably billions - of women are out there with their insides sloshing around needlessly is a tragedy, in that it could be easily fixed with just a bit of support.

And yet…even taking 15 minutes a day for myself now seems impossible. The Mom Guilt owns me…somehow now biologically I am programmed to put myself last. And society supports this idea that motherhood = sacrificing yourself constantly…that it “comes with the territory”. The people who decided that are not mothers, and don’t know what it’s like. So do yourself a favor and ignore those constraints.

So, if I have two bits of advice for Moms and aspiring Moms out there it would be:

1. Invest in a good pelvic floor rehab program or therapist pre and post baby. You can not fix what happens to your body without this so don’t waste your time trying.

2. Make time to take care of yourself and guard it with your life…and do NOT feel guilty about it.

Easier said than done I know. I struggle with Mom Guilt every moment of every day. But just taking fifteen minutes a day to fix my prolapse with pelvic floor exercises has made me feel exponentially better. Looking good matters…feeling good matters. Guard that space with your life. It will take a lot of effort to do so. We all know what the pandemic has done to us. How we have held it together…only a mother could understand. You deserve to make a bit of space and time to fix yourself, don’t let anyone make you think otherwise…especially yourself.

Mothers run the world. It is a new dimension to existence…look to other mothers for support and understanding. Wishing all the moms out there an amazing day, a day to celebrate for ourselves that metamorphosis into Mother.