Welcome to Grounded Wellness. Your go to podcast for.
Simplified and trusted information on how to live a
more non. Toxic and holistic life, we're
your hosts. I'm Bethany McDaniel, founder of
Primarily. Pure biohacking.
Enthusiast and mom of three. And I'm Courtney O'Connor,
holistic esthetician with over 15 years experience in the
healing power of touch and holistic skin care rituals.
Let's dig in. Hello everyone, and welcome to
another episode of Grounded Wellness coming to you from the
farm. For those of you who are
listening and not watching, I want to mention that we are
literally recording this episode on the farm in the.
Middle of the pasture. Exposed to the elements, there's
animals running around in the background, There's wind.
The wind is really intense right now and.
Our podcast crew does a really good job.
Of getting the sound quality. Right for these but.
My hair is probably going to be blowing in my face the entire
time today. But it always keeps.
Things fun and interesting. OK, today I'm going to be
talking about professional skin treatments.
This is a conversation that we have dabbled in on social media
and it always sparks a lot of conversation and often times
controversy. So I wanted to tackle.
This more in depth on the podcast, I'm going to be talking
about popular skin treatment that it seems like everyone is
getting these days. Things like Botox and filler and
then also things like lasers, micro needling, radio frequency
filler, alternatives, facial acupuncture and more.
I'm going to walk. Through exactly what all of
these. Are and some of the risks
associated with them, Which ones have my stamp of approval and
which ones do not? And it's kind of funny because
whenever. I talk about Botox, I always get
a. Few people who comment and will.
Say that. My face doesn't move or my
forehead doesn't move when I talk and that therefore I must
be getting Botox and I think there.
Are a few. Reasons why it may seem that way
one. I have a really big forehead if
you're. Watching this you can see.
I have a big forehead, so there is a.
Lot of room for expressions and I don't really have pronounced
forehead lines. I have other issues but I don't
really. Have super noticeable forehead
lines or like elevens and I think that this is also
something that people comment on when.
I get facials that. My forehead is really smooth and
I honestly just think it's because it's so big and there's
a. Lot of space there.
And then second, when you start to incorporate some form of
facial massage into your routine on a regular.
Basis your whole face just starts to.
Relax more, you aren't holding as much tension in your face and
I'll talk about this more later on, but things are just more
relaxed and smooth. But all that to.
Say my face does in fact move and if you're watching, you can
see like I'm raising my eyebrows, lots of movement like
it moves, it just may not be as noticeable sometimes.
And. Full disclosure.
As we get into all of this, I also want to communicate where I
am at personally with professional skin treatments.
At the time of this recording, I have not had any of these
procedures done that I'm. About to talk about.
Aside from the Super holistic things like.
Gua sha. Treatments, buckle massage, face
facial, acupuncture, things like that.
And I would put these in an entirely different category than
things like Botox and fillers and even things like laser and
micro needling. Some of these treatments that I
just mentioned are a no never for me and some I would consider
getting and I'll get into all of that.
But I am really coming at all of this from a.
Place of curiosity. And also.
Skepticism. Our culture is so obsessed, so
obsessed. With looking young forever and I
don't think it's wrong to want to look and feel your best.
We have all been given one body to steward and I think it's a
good thing to take care of ourselves and part of that
involves taking care. Of how we look.
But I think it can also turn into an idol of sorts when we
put too much time and resources and energy into our appearance.
So when I'm thinking about all of this, I'm really focusing on
three things. And one is safety and risks.
So I'm asking questions like. Is it safe?
Is it toxic? What are the risks?
Etcetera. I personally am not willing to
make sacrifices when it comes to my health and well-being just to
improve my appearance. So those.
Sorts of treatments are a no never for me. 2nd is the.
Logistics of it so. Things like cost, downtime,
number of appointments or how long the results.
Will last all of. These things need to be factored
in as well. And then lastly, I'm thinking
about just my heart behind all of it.
I want to make sure that my heart is in the right place when
thinking about these types of things.
I'm the founder of a skin care company.
I want to have nice skin. I'm in front of the camera a lot
and I want to look healthy and vibrant and represent my company
well. And I think it's.
Cool that there are. Cutting edge treatments out
there that actually improve the health of the skin while also
making a difference in how the skin looks.
But. I don't want this to take up
more real estate in my heart and mind than it should, and this
can become problematic with more invasive.
Procedures for sure. I think we see this a lot in
culture, but I think it can also be an issue with less invasive
procedures, something I've noticed as I've started
researching all of this. Is that there are a lot of
people. In this space, talking about
these sorts of things, who might set out to fix one thing and
then that leads to another treatment or procedure and then
another and another, and it just becomes this hamster wheel of
never being satisfied? With how you look.
I want to have an open handed. Approach with.
Everything in life, including the appearance of my skin and
not. Hold too tightly.
To anything or feel like I need XYZ treatment in order.
To be happy. And that's because physical.
Beauty is. So fleeting, I know.
I have felt like my prettiest self one day and then my least
beautiful self the next day. So taking care of ourselves and
taking care of our appearance can be a good thing.
But we. Shouldn't put.
All of our eggs in that basket or else we'll end up
disappointed. With all of that being said, I
promise that we're getting close to the actual information, but I
just also. Want to say please do your.
Own research. With all of.
This I'm going to share my thoughts based on research that
I I've done and conversations that I've had with different
doctors and plastic surgeons. But whatever you are thinking
about doing, please look into it on your own as well.
OK, I'm going to start with what I think are the most common.
Quick fix. Procedures that are becoming
very accessible and widely used, and those are Botox and filler.
I've talked about both of these before, but.
I'm going to cover them again because I think they're a really
important part of this conversation.
Spoiler alert. Both of these.
Are a no never for me, but there's no judgement if you are
already having these procedures done or if you decide to do them
in the future. This isn't about shame or
judgement. The point here is just to share
information. With Botox, the purpose is to.
Address wrinkles. I think most people know that.
Botox. Does this by paralyzing muscles
in the face. It prevents the face from moving
and therefore creating the lines and wrinkles that occur from
those repetitive movements. The problem with inhibiting that
movement is that movement is. Critical for.
Creating healthy skin tissue. We want movement and circulation
and lymphatic. Flow to create better.
Skin and when we paralyze the muscles in the face.
Regularly for years. And years and years that will
result in muscle weakening and potentially even muscle atrophy
overtime. Botulinum toxin is also one of
the most poisonous substances known to man and has been talked
about for use in chemical warfare, it adds.
To your body's overall toxic load.
And it has the potential to burden the immune system and
cause side. Effects.
We hear anecdotal stories about this happening all the time
within our community whenever we post online about Botox and with
filler, specifically synthetic hyaluronic acid.
Filler. The purpose is to address.
Volume loss in the face. So I think the main 2 concerns a
lot. Of people have are.
Wrinkles and loss of volume and Botox and filler.
Address both of. Those things in a very
accessible. Way which is why.
I think these treatments have become so popular in recent
years. But our body.
Actually makes its own hyaluronic acid.
So I think when most people think about fillers that have
hyaluronic acid, they think that it's a good thing because we
also make this on our own. But the problem with the
synthetic hyaluronic acid in filler is that it's not your
body's own hyaluronic acid. It's it's synthetic.
And because of this, the filler itself can become swollen and
inflamed when the immune system is triggered.
So this can happen months or. Years after the filler.
Is injected when the body is under stress, dealing with a
sickness, after getting a vaccine, or really anything that
triggers the immune system can. Cause a subsequent.
Reaction in the filler. Filler can also.
Cause lymphatic blockages, so this.
Is a problem because a healthy lymphatic system is essential
for draining fluids and flushing toxins.
Both of which help to create a. Youthful glowing complexion the
commonly held. Perspective is that fillers?
Dissolve on their own within six months.
But we know now that that isn't true.
Filler can remain in the face for 10 plus years and we know.
This because plastic. Surgeons are finding filler in
the face when they, you know, cut into faces in surgery and
the patients that they're finding it in got.
The filler A decade. Ago, so we know this has been
verified time and time again. Filler does not dissolve on its
own. Within six months, it can be
dissolved using an enzyme that's.
Used to dissolve. Hyaluronic acid, but then you
run the risk. Of also dissolving.
Your own native hyaluronic acid and then you have even more
volume loss as a result. Filler can also move around and
migrate to different places within the face.
So. As you can see.
There are a lot of risks associated with.
Botox and fillers and the sad thing is that there are so many
injectors administering these now and it has become very
casual, similar to getting a haircut, but I don't think a lot
of these injectors. Are fully aware.
Of the risks themselves and the people who they're injecting are
definitely not aware of all the risks.
And I also don't think that a lot of these injectors have the
artistry involved to make people look good and natural, and
that's why we are seeing so many.
People that have the. Same overfilled look.
In fact, there's a phenomenon now called perception drift.
Where? How we?
See and remember ourselves. Resets.
Each time our changes and then that becomes our new normal.
We see this. For sure in individuals who
undergo. Multiple plastic surgeries.
And also in people who get a. Lot of.
Filler injected their perception of themselves.
Resets after each. Change is made and eventually
they look like a completely different person.
So we have. All seen this in different
celebrities and probably in people who we know.
As well I. Think it's a really unfortunate
trend. There is something so cool and
special about just looking the way God made you and maintaining
your own unique look. Sadly, I feel like that's
becoming more and more. Rare these days.
And with filler especially it does seem like it's really easy
once you start getting it. To get caught.
Up in that hamster wheel of perception drift.
Now I'm going to get into skin treatments that I would
consider. To be.
Very nuanced and grey areas because I think some of these
can be really good and also not so good depending on a lot of
different factors. The world of lasers is very.
Complicated and confusing. There are hundreds of different.
Types of lasers. So many different brand names
and for that reason I'm not going to cover every different
brand of laser. I'm just going to put them into.
A few different buckets, a few different.
Categories and there are. Also a lot of.
Practitioners administering lasers who aren't well trained
and I think. A lot of.
People are being damaged by some of these treatments not being
done in the right way for their individual skin concerns and so
it's so important we'll get into like the types.
But I. Overall I think it's just the
most important thing to find the right practitioner to work with
on getting the right laser treatment for you.
But that being said, lasers are very cool and they can be
effective in boosting the health and appearance of the skin when
utilized correctly. They can do things like fix
discoloration, remove sun damaged cells, they can boost
collagen and elastin, and can. Also help with texture.
And scarring lasers can be broken down into two main
categories and that's a blade of lasers and non ablative lasers.
So a blade. Of lasers are more intense and.
They affect the. Outer and the inner layers of
the skin. They vaporize the tissue
immediately and they require more downtime.
An example of this. Would be a CO2 laser.
Non ablative lasers don't create as much heat and don't vaporize
tissue. They send heat to the inner
layers of the skin which activates healing mechanisms.
They are gentler but arguably less effective.
Examples of this would be. Fractal or pikosher?
Kind of a subcategory. Of lasers is.
Fractional versus non fractional and this.
Just describes whether. Or not the.
Laser is applied to. The entire surface of the skin
which would be non fractional or in a pixelated manner and
applied more so in columns which would be fractional.
Fractional lasers are generally considered to be safer.
Because. The controlled wound is more
targeted and then there's IPL and BBL.
These. Are photo facials.
They're not technically considered lasers, since they
contain more than one wavelength of light, and lasers only
contain one. They're in this separate
category and they're generally used to treat hyperpigmentation,
so. They target red or.
Brown spots in the skin and there's also less downtime with
these types of treatments. Personally, I.
Would get a laser. Treatment, but I would find the
right practitioner to work with on this someone who I really.
Trusted who has a lot of. Experience and who would be able
to. Figure out the exact right.
Laser treatment for me. Next we're going to talk about
micro needling. We could ask about micro
needling. So often micro needling uses a
tool with tiny needles to puncture holes in the skin.
With the goal of. Stimulating your skin's natural
healing responses, it's used. To address a.
Variety of skin concerns from signs of aging to texture to
pigmentation and scarring. I think that micro needling.
By itself. Is an inferior treatment.
I don't like the idea of damaging the skin and pulling
from the skin's nutrient. Stores to repair that.
Damage without. A growth factor of.
Some sort? Like PRP or?
Exosomes to help aid in that recovery.
So PRP is platelet. Rich plasma, and in this process
the blood is drawn. It's spun in a centrifuge.
Which separates out the platelet rich.
Plasma, the PRP is then spread onto the skin after a
microneedling treatment to sink into these little mini injuries.
To help. Speed up the healing process and
repair the skin more efficiently and with exosomes I am not an
expert in. Cellular biology, but as.
I understand it. Exosomes are the messenger.
Part of a cell. They contain more growth factors
than PRP and directly transport nutrients in addition to aiding
with healing and regeneration by supporting communication within
cells. I think PRP used to be kind of
the the gold standard with micro needling and now it seems like a
lot of people are moving towards exosomes.
But there's it's still. This new, new area and so I
think some people are a little. Leery of.
Exosomes in general. And then there's also PDRN.
I'm not even going to try to pronounce the full word that
this acronym stands for. You may have.
Heard of this as. The salmon semen facial.
A lot of people are. Describing it that way, it's
kind of true. Not fully true.
Lauren Bostick. Talks about this a lot.
She gets this done regularly. I know that because she's
mentioned it in her podcast and I was also on her podcast as a
guest and she had just had this done.
Right before we recorded. But this is a highly potent and
regenerative serum derived from the DNA of salmon sperm.
It supports tissue. Regeneration and wound healing,
collagen and elastin, and even anti-inflammatory and hydrating
properties. So I would do.
Micro needling. With a growth factor.
Of some sort, I would again find a trusted practitioner to see.
For this. I would make sure that they
aren't going too deep with the needles and I would also not
recommend doing this at home. There are several at home micro
needling devices out there and I would really caution against
those. Radio frequency.
We're going to talk about radio frequency next.
So the goal. Of radio frequency treatments.
Is usually to. Tighten the skin and some
examples of this would be Morpheus 8 or Forma, and some of
these are effective in doing just that in tightening the
skin. However, they.
Come with the risk of melting away fat, which is not something
that you want in the face. They can also change the
structure. Of.
Collagen within the skin and there are a lot of anecdotal
reports. Of plastic.
Surgeons who have noticed that patients who have undergone a
lot of these types of treatments have skin tissue that is now
sticky and abnormal. So I would exercise.
So much caution with any treatment that involves
radiofrequency and BE. Very, very careful about.
Finding the right practitioner and maybe even avoiding this
altogether, this is probably not something that I would do.
OK, Next up we're going to talk about stem cell injections.
In this procedure, stem cells are taken either from your own
body. From adipose fat tissue.
Or bone marrow. Or they are donated, usually
from placental or umbilical. Cord.
Cells and then injected into the deep layers of the skin so as we
know stem cells are amazing for healing and repair anywhere
they're. Placed.
So when they're injected into the skin, they are really
effective in rejuvenating the skin in every way.
That means boosting collagen and elastin, reducing inflammation,
thickening the skin, diminishing signs of aging, addressing
scarring, you name it, and this is something that I.
Would probably do, but it's. Definitely a more costly and
time intensive procedure. I have talked.
A lot with Doctor Amy Killen in Park.
CITY, Utah. She is an expert in doing this
and if I. Were to have.
This done. I would go to her, so I would
probably. Use my own autologous stem
cells. But I also really vetted.
Her on how she gets the allogenic donated stem cells
that she sometimes uses and found out that they are donated
from umbilical cord cells from full term healthy pregnancies,
which is something that is important for me.
I also feel really good about her expertise.
And experience in this area in general, this is definitely not
something that I would just go anywhere for.
OK, we're going to get into some natural filler alternatives
next. And the first one I'm going to
talk about is. Facial.
Fat transfer With this treatment, fat is taken from one
part of the body, usually the abdomen.
Then it's processed and. Separated, so you're left with
just the. Ultra pure stem cell rich.
Fat So this is. Different from stem cells, it's
not exclusively stem cells, it's just fat that has an abundance
of stem cells in it. The fat is then injected into.
The face to help. Boost plumpness and address
volume loss, this seems. Like a really cool.
Treatment. To me this is another more
expensive treatment to get. You can't just get this at a Med
spa, it needs to be done by a plastic surgeon.
But definitely seems like a good alternative to hyaluronic acid.
Filler. And because of the stem cells in
the fat, it can also help to rejuvenate the actual skin and
improve the health of the skin overall.
Another more natural filler alternative is Biofiller and
Biofiller. Is.
Also really unique. It's created from your own
plasma, which is spun in a centrifuge and then heated and
cooled to form a biocompatible and plasma rich gel.
That gel is then injected into the face.
As. Normal filler would be so to me
this is a much safer alternative to traditional filler.
Since the material being injective is native to your own
body. I think biofiller is something
that you need to do every six months or so.
To keep up with. And from what I understand it
also isn't very cost. Prohibitive so that.
Concludes my list of the more nuanced professional skin
treatments and I want to finish by giving you guys my list of no
brainers and this includes buckle massage which is
intraoral facial massage. They kind of like put their hand
inside of your mouth and massage your face and jaw, like from the
inside out. It feels amazing.
It's really good for relieving tension in the jaw and face and
boosting lymphatic flow and promoting healthy tissue.
There is facial. Acupuncture, which is where tiny
and painless needles are inserted into specific points on
the face to stimulate collagen and elastin, increase
circulation and open up new pathways for healing.
There's guasha. And with guasha, gemstones are
used in repetitive strokes in a specific pattern on the face
with gentle. Pressure to clear blockages.
Promote drainage and support blood flow and nutrient
delivery. And then there's facial cupping.
Facial cupping involves small silicone cups that are gently
suctioned to the skin and moved in a specific pattern that de
puffs encourages blood flow, promotes lymphatic drainage and
overall skin health. And then there's self facial
massage at home. So this.
Is just. Daily at home facial massage to
help contour the skin and face breakup adhesions in fascia
increase circulation, plump the skin and support the nervous
system overall, I routinely. Utilize all of these.
Holistic skin treatments and tools.
Both by professionals. And also by myself at home.
Because they have. Proven benefits and are
virtually risk free. Consistency is.
Really key with all of. These.
I don't do all of them all the time, but I am always
incorporating some form of manual facial massage and it
really makes a difference over time.
In addition to all of these treatments, we really can't
ignore the foundational basics of skin care and for me this
involves not only being super consistent with your skin care
routine and using clean non. Toxic products, which is.
Super important. But also what you eat.
Eating Whole Foods and avoiding ultra.
Processed foods. Getting adequate sleep, managing
stress, spending time outdoors. All of that falls.
Under the realm of caring for the skin, because as we know,
the skin is part of the body you can't separate skin health from.
Overall health. And I would argue that these
things are more important and more foundational than any of
the professional skin treatments that we talked about today.
But I do think that there is potentially a place for some of
them depending on your unique skin concerns.
And this is really in line with our.
Philosophy. As a brand of utilizing both
ancestral practices as well as modern technologies and
advancements. So I hope this was helpful or at
the least. Just interesting to learn about.
It certainly has been interesting for me to research
and like I said, I have not tried any of these yet, but.
May pull the trigger. On a laser.
Treatment to address. Sun damage from years of
competitive swimming and lifeguarding or maybe micro
needling with a growth factor of some sort in the future.
So. I will keep.
You guys updated on that and thank you as always for trusting
me to provide honest and transparent information to the
best of my ability. And please let us know on social
media or in the comments if you're watching this on YouTube.
What topics? You would like?
To see me and Courtney cover next.
We always love hearing from you guys.
See you next time at the farm.