Why Your Skin Changed: Real Answers Every Mom Needs to Hear

Welcome to the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We're your host, Erika Radis and Marie Lifschultz, a realtor and lender here in San Antonio. But most importantly, we're working moms just like you.

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Now on to today's episode. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let's get started.

Welcome to this week's episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. Today we have a very special guest and friend, our friend, yes, Jen Robinson, and we're going to turn it over to her and let her share all about her work.

Thank you both of you so much for having me on here. I'm so excited to be able to share and talk a little bit about who I am and being new to San Antonio. Yeah, I'm excited. Like, I'm really excited to be here. So I own PL Bella Skincare. Um, I am an esthetician. I've been an esthetician for 12 years now, and I am absolutely passionate about people's skin.

Yeah.

My tagline is everyone aging gracefully, and that's kind of been the premise of my business, right? So way back in the 1900s, as a younger skin, as Gen Z says, some time back, aging myself. But I worked in the pharmaceutical industry and I was a specialty rep in dermatology and plastic surgery. And more and more that I got to know these doctors and procedures and treatments, I really started falling in love with skin. And I got to see so many different things being done. I got to be a part of it and I just kind of filed it away, right? Because I loved what I did at the time. And so, and then when life, life's right, you take corners, turn corners. Fell in love, got married. Yeah. Had kids.

Yeah.

And fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom.

Very cool.

So, yeah. But again, that little love, that little passion that was still kind of burning, kind of kept in the back of my brain. And when my boy, my boys were like getting ready to go into upper elementary, middle school, I was like, okay, what I wanna be when I grow up?

Yeah.

There you go. Yeah.

And so I still don't know.

Yeah.

I don't know. Facts.

Right. But, um, that passion kind of kept coming up to the surface, to the surface. And I thought, you know what, I'm gonna go back to school and do something for me. So I went to aesthetic school and at the time I was living in Colorado and went through school, uh, got all that under my belt and then it was like, okay, what do I do now? Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

And so fortunately at the time I did have, um, a partner that supported me in starting my own business.

That's awesome.

Yeah. So I went straight into solopreneurship and I loved it. Uh, rented a little room and went from there. Well, like military families do, we move.

Yeah.

Yeah. And so from Colorado, moved to Virginia, got licensed there cuz every state's different.

Right.

So you have to have a license.

Oh, I didn't know that. I didn't realize you had to be state specific.

State specific.

My business is the same thing too.

Same. Yeah.

Yeah.

Same, same. So had to go through the processes of getting a licensure there, et cetera, et cetera. And opened up a brick and mortar beautiful spa there in Fredericksburg, Virginia. And as scary as that was, it's kinda one of those things when they tell you if it doesn't scare you, your goals aren't big enough.

Afraid kind of thing.

Well, it's true, it scared me to death, but I did it anyway and I loved it. I, um, you know, had an extensive amount of clients and support. And I, I really am so uncomfortable talking about myself sometimes.

Keep doing it, we love it.

Um, but I, I, I am an award-winning esthetician. Um, I did win several awards while I was there. Best esthetician beautician, spa, aesthetic practice, and even med spa. Um, and not because I do any kind of med spa things, but I do have a niche. Um, I have a niche and I am certified in oncology aesthetics. Um, and that's a really specialty type thing that I had to go to training for, et cetera, take an exam. Mm-hmm. Um, and so I was very fortunate at the time to work for one of the bigger cancer centers. Um, on the East Coast, Mary Washington Cancer Center. And I had an administrative— I was part of an integrated medicine program. Mm-hmm.

Oh, wow.

So not only did I love helping people age gracefully, but then I also had this niche of helping cancer patients maneuver their skin throughout anti-cancer therapies.

It's an amazing ministry.

And so it, it almost feel— I almost feel a little selfish saying I absolutely loved what I did, but it wasn't about me. It was really about them. Mm-hmm. And how it made them feel. Right?

Yeah.

And as women, anything that we can do to help ourselves feel better, right? Mm-hmm. And I love that part about my job. I, I absolutely love helping people feel better, look better, look in the mirror and see themselves looking back. 'Cause so much happens as we age.

Yeah.

And so moving forward, I had my brick and mortar for several years there. And then as life has it, my boys are now going to college. They both moved down to Texas. Why am I there?

Yeah.

Right. So sold part of my business, um, and then moved to Texas. And so here I am.

So now we get you.

So now I'm here.

Yeah.

I love San Antonio. I was here prior to, um, moving away. And so, um, I am no longer married. However, I wasn't gonna, that wasn't gonna stop me.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

So opened up my business here and I don't quite offer as many things as I did there, but definitely helping people age gracefully.

Mm-hmm.

Definitely with my niche, helping oncology patients, et cetera. And just helping, like, really, I am very passionate about women empowerment, helping. Because if, you know, as you girls probably know, compliments go a long way sometimes, right?

Yeah.

So, but when you feel good about yourself, you, I feel like you can take on the world, right? You can definitely get, and we, you know, had a talk this morning about to-do lists and that kind of thing.

But yeah.

So that's kind of been my passion. That's kind of why I got into skincare. And of course, aging myself, seeing my mom— I have brothers, I don't have any sisters, but it was kind of one of those things like I noticed how the skin changes and if I can help someone maneuver through that, then, you know, why not? So I do use Korean skincare. And if you don't know anything about that, they really have a passion for their skin. It's a priority. It's a priority for them. And so I have found that the distributor that I have that I get my products directly from Korea are amazing and people love it. And I feel like that's how I've been able to build my business. Yeah. So, so I'm really excited about the products I use, the treatments I offer, and, and yeah, I love being back in San Antonio and you guys, you guys have been an integral part of me, like helping get started, meet people, you know, that kind of stuff. So I'm really grateful to you guys.

Oh, I love that.

It is. I mean, You have to, I feel like when our community is so supportive and Jen's a great addition to our community. I think your energy is wonderful. And when you think about your skin is your largest organ and you need someone that you trust to guide you. 'Cause as you get older, things change and there's not a lot of people. I mean, you don't, you know what to do and it doesn't help with social media and you see all the different filters and like, why do you look like that? And I look like this, like what's going on?

Yeah.

Yeah.

They don't really look like that either.

No, they don't. And a lot of the trends are for, you know, maybe not aging skin. A lot of times a lot of the products that come out, I'm like, it makes my skin dry and it, it, it, I break out and what's going on?

Like, no.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it can be really challenging when you don't know, right? Mm-hmm. Because what you don't know, you don't know.

Yeah.

And so someone like me who has been in the industry for, you know, over a decade now, 12 years, we can assess, we can talk, we can have conversations. Yeah. And then goals, because goals are important, right? What do you, What does your skin need? But more importantly, what would you love to see?

Yeah.

And so you do tailor products instead of going to a Sephora or an Ulta and you're so overwhelmed, right?

Too much.

So many things. Talk to a professional. Come see me or anyone else that can guide you and show you instead of just throwing money at stuff that maybe doesn't work for your skin.

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

It is trial and error.

I'm in my late 30s. And many of our listeners, you know, have had kids and that kind of stuff. We're all, you know, getting a little bit older and that kind of thing. What do you recommend people do for aging skin? Like, I feel like my skin is always dry. Like, it's just dry all the time. And maybe I don't— we're busy, we're career women and whatever. Like, I don't drink enough water. I know that. I've had the same cup of water all day and look, this is how much I've had.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, you know, what do you, what are we, what should we be doing aside from obviously like hopefully hydrating ourselves?

Right. Well, that's a good question. And it really is subjective to so many things. So many people. But, you know, I'm actually doing a series right now on social media, and it's like healthy habits for your skin.

Yeah.

And I'm doing one every day. It's 5 healthy habits. So one of the first things I talk about is, believe it or not, routine, right? So getting into a routine, because when we're in a routine and we can function well, we feel good, right? But that also kind of goes hand in hand with, you know, sleep, exercise.

Yeah.

Food. Yeah. Right. What are you eating? What are you drinking? We as women, we're go, go, go, like you mentioned. And sometimes we don't stop to take care of self. Right. So little things that we can implement, you know, cleansing our face at night.

Mm-hmm.

You know, we, we're so exhausted at the end of the day and it's like, it's so bad.

I'm so, I can't tell Jen.

I have started washing my face, you guys, like a real adult woman.

I mean, I've, it's, it's the last thing I do and I am like, oh, I'm too tired. I'll just do it. Like, it's not a big deal. It's just a couple of hours. But it is, it's, it's a big deal. Yeah.

It's a big deal. Our skin and our body, while we are at rest, everything's working, right? So I tell my clients, like, if you get home and you have a go, go, go, feed the kids, bedtime routine with the kids, like, and then you're just like, sit on the couch and you just can't move. And you're like, I can't even go any further. I'm gonna go to bed. So what I tell my clients is, okay, the minute you walk in the door, before you do any of that, wash your face. Like, it doesn't have to be right before you go to bed.

Yeah.

You can cleanse your skin. I mean, I don't think you're gonna go play in the dirt. Yeah. After you get, you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So it's like you don't have to wash your face.

Well, we do have boys and that's true.

But at 7 o'clock at night.

Yeah.

Maybe not. Maybe so. I mean, games and sports kind of things. I get it. But if you get home, get into the routine of just cleansing your skin, you know, putting your nighttime routine and then go about your business. You're not doing anything that you're gonna be sweating unless you're going to the gym. Yeah. That kind of thing. I'm talking about you're going home and you're staying home and you're not going. Anywhere else.

That makes sense.

Yeah. Um, so then, you know, of course cleansing your skin. So what are the, what are the other things you can do? Well, get on products that are specific for your skin.

Mm-hmm.

Right. Just because something works for me doesn't mean it's gonna work for Marie, doesn't mean it's gonna work for you, Erika. So it's really product specific that will help. And of course there's so many buzzwords and so many things, you know, peptides and stem cells, which are all absolutely amazing things, but if you don't know what they are, How do you know what to use, right?

Yeah.

So it's really important that you get on a good regimen routine with your daily life, but then a routine with your skin, right? And then sun protection. I mean, I can't say enough. We live in South Texas, ladies.

Yes.

So we cannot get away from the sun.

Yeah. We just can't.

So it's really important to protect from those UVA, UVB, UVC rays. The sun itself is amazing, but the sun doesn't just come with the sun.

Yeah.

It comes with all that other stuff. So protection, protection, protection. And then of course the hydration, right? There's little key things, hydrating foods, antioxidants, berries, cucumbers, those kinds of foods, salmon, antioxidants, your omegas, that all helps. It's really from the inside out.

Yeah. And people don't think about that.

And the outside in, right?

They don't think about that. I think it was what they're putting on your face versus what's in your body.

For sure. We truly are what we eat. And I've had a discussion on that before because we're not really cognizant because we're so go, go, go, right? We don't think about what we're eating because we're busy, right?

Yeah.

But if you can incorporate some of those water-enriched foods or some of those antioxidants, omegas into your diet, supplements, vitamins, that kind of thing, those all help.

Yeah.

As we age.

Great tips.

Yeah.

That is awesome tips. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, and to your point, to have someone that knows and can look at your skin and say like, use these things.

Mm-hmm.

Just last week I burned the shit outta my skin.

Oh no.

Using, using retinol, too much retinol.

It happens.

You know, I was like, I had bought this before. It's not like a cra— it was like a, the brand is Dermalogica. I've used it for years. Like not a, it's not like a drugstore product.

No, it's a professional line.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I bought it and I was like, I can do this. And so I was doing it every night. Well, no, that was too much for me. And so I start like, and I don't know if it's like the age I am or what it is, but like I grew up with the like Noxzema where like you would just put it all over your face and like it would burn you and you would be like, it's working.

It's working.

Yes.

And so like I literally said to my family, I was like, oh my God, like my skin's gonna look so good, but it's like really burning, but like it's gonna look good. And my daughter was like, it's not supposed to do that, mom. She's 13 and she knows like all the fancy skincare. Well, of course. Yeah. Cause like they do at 13 now. And so I was like, no, but it's burning. So that means it's, it's working. It's working. And she was like, uh, I could just tell like in the eye roll, like she didn't say it, but like, you dumbass. Like, what are you talking about?

Like, okay.

And then, and then lo and behold, it was like so burned and I had to stop. Now I'm back doing it again, but like every other day with like moisturizer before, like there are ways to do it. Yeah.

Yeah.

But I did not know what I was doing at all. So we need a Jen to be like, maybe don't do that, Fran.

Yeah. Take it back.

Yeah, I was like, I need this. I'm so wrinkly.

Like, sometimes more isn't better. Yeah, right. And then, like, with everything skincare and products, that's kind of trial and error too, right? Like I said before, just because it works for me doesn't mean it works for you. And so unfortunately, you had to find out the hard way. I did, right?

As I usually do.

But you've recovered, which is, which is a good thing, right? So skin being the largest organ, like you mentioned, You will recover, right? Sometimes it's more of a process than others, but I love that we have the opportunity, like trial and error.

Yeah.

Not doing that again.

Right.

Right? But yeah, there's definitely ways to go about, and they don't always tell you on the bottle how you're supposed to use that stuff.

Right. No. And it didn't say, it didn't say anything.

Yeah.

Like it came like in a little kit and it was like, this is your wash, this is your serum, which that's what it is. And then there was a daytime, a moisturizer and a nighttime moisturizer. And in my personal experience, those are the things that you do in those steps.

Correct.

All the time.

Every day.

Yes.

Yeah.

But not in this case.

No. And there's a really nice rule of thumb too, that just because with you maybe starting off, maybe you haven't had a great routine for a while and now you're like, like, oh no, like I gotta start, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

So then you bought, you went, you bought all the things. Here we go. But, but, but your skin hasn't been used to that.

It's not ready. Yeah.

It's not ready. So sometimes we got to start small.

Yeah.

So then, because if I picked up a retinol right now, I could use it every day, twice a day, and it probably wouldn't affect me at all.

Because you're so used to it.

Because my skin is tough. Not tough like leather, but tough because I've done so much to it and taken care of it for so long that it could probably withstand definitely a lot more than the most.

Yeah, that makes sense.

So it's, it's, it's kind of one of those things like people wanna, and I love that people wanna get out there and work on and get those products and do, but like the influencers on the TikToks and all these things, like these are also just like other younger kids or, you know, things that doesn't always work for the general public.

Yeah.

But it looks so great on them.

Right. I wonder why that is.

I know my daughter, like I said, like wanting these like $100, like lotion, face lotions. And I'm like, ma'am, you're like, You're basically a baby. You don't have one wrinkle.

Like, what are you doing? What are you—

all that?

Yeah, why do you need that? But I don't know, there's like a new thing going on where like these teenagers, they want to use this like fancy stuff.

But even all these teenagers are having like injections done really, really early and stuff like that. I'm like, but you don't need it. So is it okay to start things really early before you need it? I don't know if that makes sense.

So it's funny you—

and you ask, they're young, they're in their teens and 20s, like you don't have a wrinkle. Yeah.

I, I just had one of my mentors, um, put out, you know, a publication talking about how teenagers as a whole, unless you're working on something specific like acne, right?

Sure.

Or, or eczema or rosacea. But for normal skin, as long as they're washing their face, that's really all they need at that age. Right. But then, but then they're shown that, oh, you need all these things and oh, but they're, more expensive the better. That's not necessarily the case. And in terms of like starting things early, you know, in terms of injectables or different things, I mean, it's obviously subjective and I'm not here to bash any of that. Sure. But I feel like once you start those things, understand that you have to keep doing them, right?

Yeah.

You're gonna start something in your 20s. Can you imagine when you're 60?

You know what I mean?

And that's everyone's choice. Yeah. There's definitely a place for those things. But like you mentioned, as a teenager, as long as they're just washing their face.

Yeah.

Yeah.

They're doing good because they're so young. Their skin cells are still so viable and pliable and plump and, and they're produ— they're reproducing healthy. Mm-hmm. Right. Unfortunately, as we age, we start losing the elasticity, the collagen, those types of things. Yeah. And so then it's, we got to kick it in gear, right?

Yeah.

But in your teenage, early 20s, I just had a client a little while ago, 27 years old, beautiful skin, kind of had some chickenpox scars, right, that she really wants to work on. But she came in for a HydraFacial and I mean, she left glowing and she doesn't do very much. And I'm like, good, just wash your face and sunscreen. Yeah. And if your kids are in sports, obviously you want to, you know, protect because the more we can protect and the more we can create that awareness, like you need to protect your skin from the sun, the better off they're gonna be.

Oh, I wish I had known that.

I wish I didn't know that.

I know. We would put like baby oil on and oil everywhere.

Yeah.

Oh, for sure. And now I'm just like a big freckly mess where like my freckles are just gonna eventually like merge together and be a tan.

I can't, I don't, I don't, I don't even brown anymore.

It's literally the only way I will get a tan.

Yeah. I just burn. That's all I do now. I don't even get brown anymore.

And then I used to be able to tan.

Yeah. I don't know what happened.

I would go out little because you're, as a kid, you're out little by little, you know what I mean?

Mm-hmm.

And so it would be like a little bit here and then by the end of the summer I had like nice color. Now you're right. Like I go out for just like one second and the sun's like, no, I feel my, I definitely am like, my skin is cooking.

I can hear it sizzling. Yeah. Like right now.

Yeah.

Going inside.

And unfortunately, as, as time has gone on, the sun, I feel in my opinion, has changed. Right.

I was gonna ask you that. If you feel like that's real, I do feel like, I do feel like that's real.

It's hotter. It, it, it actually like burns so much more because, well, you see my skin tone. I mean, I'm Latina, right? Mm-hmm. So I, I definitely have some more melanin than most. Not quite like I feel like I should, but yeah. Um, and I, there's been times that, and I, I mean, umbrella, sunglasses, cap, like, yeah. All the things to protect my skin and I still burn and I'd never have burnt.

Mm-hmm.

Like I never have burnt.

Yeah.

And so that tells me the actual sun is different.

Little different.

Right.

It's changing. And for people that have fair skin, if I'm burning, And I've never burnt. Good luck, y'all, because it really—

we are baking.

Well, look, I'm Hispanic and I still, I burn.

Yeah.

Burn bad. So I have to be careful. And I've never liked sunscreen. You know? No, no, no. But I try to put some on, something in the morning. But I would rather wear long sleeves, a hat over my head just to make sure I'm protecting my skin. And I was so bad in my teens and 20s. I mean, I worked at a summer camp all summer, nothing on my skin. Yeah. Baby oil all over. Yeah. It was so bad.

Yeah. Well, and we think about all that too. Like you mentioned, I didn't know I was doing the baby oil thing, the lemon in the hair to lighten it. Yes. To lighten it. It was like a whole thing, right? And unfortunately, all that sun damage that we may not have seen back then, as we're aging, is now—

It shows up.

Coming to the surface.

Yeah.

It's coming to the surface, y'all. And so that's when people look in the mirror and go, oh, what, what? That wasn't there and that wasn't there. Well, yeah, but that happened years ago and now coming to the surface.

Yeah. So there are, I know there are things like lasers and all kinds of things that can help with all of this that I've got going on, but there must be products as well that you could, are there products that can help lighten some of these spots and things that have come from the sun damage?

Absolutely. There are so many different ingredients that are made to help treat certain things, right? There's lighteners, there's brighteners, um, you know, and when you talk about like the other extensive, more invasive procedures, there's absolutely a place for those, but not everyone's a candidate, right? And so I know for me, if I go into trying any kind of hot lasers, I'm going to pigment. Well, that's what I'm trying to stay away from.

Yeah.

Um, and I know my skin, but, but those that don't know, right? But that's why a good practitioner or a good technician should tell you the do's and don'ts. But anyway, Going back to products, there's absolutely lighteners, brighteners. There's other types of treatments that can be done less invasive. It may not happen immediately, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race, right?

Yeah.

And so I've learned in the time that I've been practicing, different people want different things. And so absolutely ingredients plays a huge role. Treatments that help, especially as we age, that lighten, that brighten. There's chemical peels that are resurfacing. Type things that are nowadays like the chemical peels back then. I mean, used to shed like a snake.

I know. I want to— I want you to share more about that. I've never had that. Like, what does that mean?

So a chemical peel is a manual exfoliation. So as we age, our skin isn't turning over as much, right? So what does that mean? So it means that our skin comes to the surface, sheds, new skin comes up, sheds, new skin comes up. So it's a constant process, right? As we get older, our skin doesn't do that as frequently. So me being in my mid-50s, it probably takes a couple months for my skin to turn over. So definitely manual exfoliation, your scrubs, your, you know, types of manual to help slough the skin, right? So chemical peels is doing just that. It just goes down a little bit deeper into the epidermis, a couple layers, and then people slough and new skin comes to the surface. Which is all great and fine and it's absolutely a way of doing it. Mm-hmm. But those take a little bit more, um, intentional work, like sunscreen for sure, home care, that type of thing.

Definitely.

Yeah.

Um, but it's definitely, definitely a way. There's now peels that I just got trained on and I absolutely love it. I've done it on my face a couple different times now. It's a no peel peel because people don't have time.

Yeah.

People don't want— I'm assuming if you get a chemical peel, you're kind of outta commission for—

Some do.

A little bit, right?

Yeah. Some do. And there's definitely different grades.

Mm-hmm.

Different grades of chemical peels. And so now I have a no peel peel that like it will work from the inside out, but you're not going to peel like a snake. And some people want that because they don't have time.

Yeah.

So dark spots, pigment, you know, acne scars, you know, that kind of stuff. It helps kind of help reduce by manually turning over the skin. So that's kind of that whole premise of why people get chemical peels.

I have to say, my skin changed quite a bit after my second son. Like, I, I had— I, I didn't have acne. I was very blessed not to have it during making my— I have sensitive skin, so I had— my cheeks were always kind of rosacea. I have a little bit, so I have to be very careful what I put on because I break out, or I would rash or something. Yeah, it would— anything. So I'm very cautious about chemicals or ingredients on my face, for sure. Very, very sensitive. But it completely changed after I had it all every day.

Don't let's not do that.

Yeah. So after I had air. And then it was even, it, it, my skin completely changed. I'm like, what happened? Like it was just, it, it changed.

Hormones.

Yeah.

Hormones. Yeah. And I don't think we talk about that enough as women. And unfortunately, I think we had this conversation not too long ago. Sooner and sooner and earlier and earlier, women are seeing and going into perimenopause.

Yeah.

Right. Menopause. I, I mean, I say hallelujah, but it really means nothing. That I'm postmenopausal, right?

Mm-hmm.

Because that could last another 10 years.

Right.

And unfortunately it really comes down to all that we eat, all that we ingest. Yeah. All that we breathe. Our food isn't the same anymore. Mm-hmm. Hormones are injected into our protein.

So it affects everything.

It affects everything. Yeah. Everything. Right. There's so much correlation between the gut microbiome and skin. Right. So people that have gut issues, sometimes you're gonna see it in their skin. Like, and then hormones. Hormones is a crazy game, y'all. Mm-hmm. Like you just don't ever know. And of course what happens when you have kids, you go through hormone changes, right?

Yeah, definitely.

What happens to your body? It completely changes, right? Mm-hmm. From the pH to the hormones, to the skin, to the gut, to everything changes.

Mm-hmm.

And so, you know, things like that that you say, oh, well that I did, I could do this before. Yeah. Hormones.

Well, I used to break out with eczema as a child, and I would change it. And then as an adult, I started breaking in, in different— on my face. I was like, what is going on? So I started keeping a journal of what I was eating because they did a skin test at the doctor's, and now that they— they could— nothing. I'm not allergic to anything. Yes, I am. Something is making me break out. And they— something you're touching. No, what? So I started keeping a journal to see like what my skin did when I ate something. So I kind of can narrow down— I haven't gotten— haven't fixed it yet, but narrow down some things that I know this will affect my skin. Yeah, because it's, it's part of your gut. So I got myself on a really good probiotic. Yes. To make sure that would help. Just, and it minimized it. It hasn't made it go away. It did minimize it, my breakouts.

Right. Well, they say— I mean, I don't know if this is true or not, but I believe I heard that eczema is like autoimmune related. And they are now learning— I have rheumatoid arthritis And they are now learning that so much of the autoimmune stuff that we have as people comes from your gut.

Yes.

Which is interesting to me.

It's all the bad stuff that we're eating that we don't know that's in our food.

And our body is literally like reacting and like attacking itself because it's like, hey, what's this thing? We're not used to this. Like, what is this?

Yeah.

Um, it goes, and so eczema, trying to figure it out. We get it too. My kids get it. I mean, so it just depends.

So it's some, some kind of, it's inflammatory. Something is done like it.

And it's, yeah, absolutely. And it's, and it's funny you mentioned that because really in my intake when I I get new clients and they come in, I do like a full intake, right? I want history. And it's not that I'm being nosy. Sure. I mean, maybe I'm kind of being nosy, but not really. No, I'm not. I'm really not being nosy, but it really helps me understand where they're at and where they want to go by understanding. Tell me about what you eat. Tell me about what you drink. Do you exercise? How much sleep do you get? But more importantly, are you on any supplements? Do you have any gut issues?

Yeah.

And people look at me like, gut issues? But more and more what we're finding is that it is directly correlated to bad skin. Yeah.

Yeah.

Because it, where else is it gonna come out? Right. When we have these gut problems. Mm-hmm. Or these inflammatory issues. Yes. You're gonna start seeing skin conditions. And so I've taken extensive classes and training because as my industry is ever so changing, right?

Yeah.

You have to keep up with everything and I have to know all the things.

Yeah.

And I wanna know all the things. Mm-hmm. I, I pride myself on, on education and, and, and more importantly educating my clients. Because if you don't know what you don't know, then how are you going to know?

Well, I think 40 years ago we didn't have some of the chemicals that are now present today in our creams and our foods or whatever. It wasn't there 40 years ago. So stuff that we're suffering from today, our parents didn't suffer from.

They didn't.

Right.

You know, because they didn't have that in their, you know, when they were going through our age.

In their diet and their drink or whatever. In the, in the air, right? The free radicals and the pollution and all the things. Yeah. So I think it's really important to understand what your body is doing. And I love that you said you keep a journal.

Yeah.

Because I don't think, I mean, putting it in your brain can only stay for so long, right?

Well, it was making me go crazy. I mean, I have to say in my 40s, itching sucks. Like I can't reach some spots. I'm like, like I, like I, it itches and I, it, it's, people like, it's minor. I'm like, it's minor, but it annoys the eff outta me.

Yeah. No one talks about that. Uh, another gal in our group, Uh, we were talking about that, like this perimenopause stuff. Like your skin itches, your ears itch. Like no one tells you that this stuff is hap— like, no one— I've never heard anyone say that. And then the other day she was like, does this happen to you? And I was like, it does.

Yeah, it itches.

We should talk about that.

And nobody wants to talk about it though. It's like kind of one of those, oh, I don't want to talk, but no, we need to talk about it.

Because Jen, I was spending tons of money on creams and whatever to put on my skin. I'm like, something out, and then I would break out more because my skin didn't like that. So I'm like, okay, so it has to be something else. Like, I— let me just— and I was trying— I'm a data person. I like data. I love it. Yeah. And I'm like, well, let me keep— and I made a chart, like, when does my skin react the most and when do I— you know, trying to figure— I still haven't nailed it down because I still have it on a— but it's— there's sometimes it— I don't know, it could be just stress-related. People told me that. I'm like, well, that doesn't help. No, I have 2 kids and a husband. I'm always stressed.

Yeah, right.

Or you'll go into a doctor and they'll ask you about your stress level but then not really tell you, like, what to do, like give you things how to like reduce. Just don't be stressed.

Yeah.

Okay, sure. Let's just do that. Like, thanks for, thanks for, thanks for nothing. Yeah.

Um, so I want to talk a little bit about breakouts and that kind of stuff for your skin. So as we mentioned, um, you know, hormones and things happen. And I have noticed, I don't, I've never had bad skin, but You know, once a month my skin's not the best. Um, and, but what happens to me is like, like breakouts, but they're so deep and it like hurts and you can't like really do anything. What should I be doing? Should I just like leave it and be suffering and let it do its thing? Or like, what am I supposed to do with those like deep down skin problems? Right.

So one of the things we, we just finished talking about what we're eating, right? So I'll tell you, if, if you have acne-prone skin, right? Depending on your age and because of hormones, hormones It's a constant fight, right?

Yeah.

So you're gonna see that kind of around the chin area. Yeah. And you can get, or you, but you can get like cystic nodule or like, yes.

Like this happens to me.

Acne.

Yeah.

So I'll tell you something.

And it's painful.

It is painful.

It's painful.

So obviously keeping your face clean, that kind of stuff isn't gonna take them away. And when they're nodular like that, when they're cystic like that, there's nothing that's gonna be extracted to come out, remove the bacteria, and then we're gonna reduce it. It's not. It's an inflammatory response. It's a clogged something. So in terms of what can you do, I recommend my clients put ice on it.

Mm-hmm.

So ice is anti-inflammatory. Okay. It reduces, right? And then if you're on a good skincare product, especially if you know that you have acne-prone skin, then you should be on something for acne. You should be on something that helps kill the P. acne bacteria.

Even if it's just once a month, like one bad spot, would you still be doing that all the time?

So no.

Okay.

But if it's just once a month, like it's cyclical because it's that time of the month, then you have your little arsenal, right? You have your spot treatment. There's certain things you can spot treat with. You have your ice, you know, of course washing your face and doing the exfoliation helps, but it's not every day.

Yeah.

Right. Once a week.

Can I add into that spot treatment that you said? Yeah. I've seen a lot of people walking around with those.

Like a pimple patch?

Yeah.

I like them.

Yeah.

Yes.

They work. Yeah.

I mean, especially if you have the one.

Is that what you mean by spot?

Yeah, well, spot treat. There's also like acne products that you just use during that time.

Got it.

So that, and then you wouldn't put it all over your face. Like you're just going to spot treat.

Where you would break out.

Yeah. I have this amazing powder. It's a Bio Relief powder. It's natural mineral based. And I mean, because I still, right, break out. So I put that spot. That's what I mean by spot treat. But yeah, those little pads, if you have like an open comedone, like a little whitehead, put the little pad and then yeah. Um, but more importantly, I think it comes down to understanding what your body is doing.

Yeah.

And a lot of us don't, right? Mm-hmm. So that's what a professional, someone like me come in, let's talk about it. Um, and then, you know, keeping your skin healthy, monthly treatments, even if it's a basic facial, even if it's just a basic something that you're not gonna do at home because you're being realistic.

Yeah.

You're busy. You go. I mean, I used to have clients come once a month, and it was because that was their one hour that they had downtime. No one spoke. They took a nap. I cleansed their skin, took care, and it was just— and then they were out the door.

Yeah.

And then they upkept.

I didn't even have to use my HSA account for that. Yeah. Because I always thought like a treatment, like it was a luxury item, but it can be— it can be health-related.

It really is. And I think that there is that understanding or lack of education.

Mm-hmm.

And I'm not saying that it's not a luxury, right?

Sure.

It can be, right? But at this day and age, because we're exposed to so much, it's more about the health of your skin. You said it, Marie, it's the largest organ on our body. So if we're not taking care of it, then see someone once a month that can help you with that, right?

Well, it's the only barrier you have to the outside world. That's what I mean, how I think about it.

Yeah.

Like if my skin's not good and it's letting in bacteria, it can get, that can be, I don't know how, but it can be bad.

Well, everything else is affected.

Yes.

Right.

Yeah.

And then again, we go back to kind of when I started, like when you look in the mirror and you see yourself and you look good and your skin's glowing, it just looks healthy. I mean, I have wrinkles, I have, it's not perfect, but I feel like my skin looks healthy. I feel like I'm, you know, it does. And so I think that when you look in the mirror and you see that, you will feel the same way. Like, okay, I, I wash my face every night. Like you're being an adult.

Yes. Like you're being, you know, trying.

Yeah.

I mean, not there yet. You, yeah.

I need to get there. It'll, it'll come out.

Don't worry. It's, it's a brand new circumstance for me as well.

Yes.

Yeah. Well, me too. Always I did that, but then the nighttime was the part that was a little bit harder for me to get on board with.

But I actually feel good when I do wash, when I have time and I go in there, I'm like, oh, I feel good. Yeah.

And then you know what, honestly, it doesn't even take that long. Then when I'm done, I'm like, why have you not always done this? This literally took 2 minutes. Like, yeah. Get a life, lady.

Right. And, and like I told you, in the trick of like when you get home before you start the crazy evening routine, just cleanse your skin.

Yeah. You're not going anywhere.

You're not going anywhere. You're gonna stay home. Just cleanse. I, I had to start doing that because as a small business owner, as mom, as you know, I was constantly being pulled in so many directions. So I'd walk in the door, say hi to everybody, give me 5, 10 minutes, I'll be back, wash my face, do it, and then go about my— that way if I fell asleep on the couch, cause I was always down.

At least you knew.

Yeah.

You're done.

Yeah.

I was done.

Well, you know what? I, when I, you just said that, I'm like, you know, I walk home, I, or I get, I walk home, I walk inside, say hello to everybody. I go change. Like I, I always take off my outdoor clothes and I come inside. I change into comfortable clothes. Mm-hmm. Do that kind of thing. And the bathroom's right there. Wash your face.

Like where my closet is.

Wash your face, Marie.

Why don't I just do it all at one time?

Wash your face. Yeah.

Yeah. You're already there. Just might as well do it. I had never thought about doing it when I got home.

Yeah.

Like duh.

Well, people don't think about it. Yeah. Oh, it's a bedtime routine. Well, it doesn't have to be the bedtime routine because sometimes the bed routine ends up you're on the couch, you fall asleep and then you move yourself to the the bed.

That's right.

You're like, I did it so many times. Yeah. And I can't tell you how many clients were like, I'm just too tired. Okay. Then do it before.

Mm-hmm.

And then we talk about a nighttime routine, right? Because our, again, our skin's at work.

Yeah.

So you wanna put in those nice like moisturizers and lipids and those types of things. And like, oh, but I'm too tired. Okay. Well, do you watch TV before you go to bed or do you read a book before you go to bed and have your little stuff right next to you and do it, right? And then, and then go to bed. It doesn't have to be in front of the mirror.

Yeah, it doesn't have to be in front of the bathroom.

Like little tips and tricks like that that I felt helped some of my clients get better into their routines, so to speak.

Yeah, those routines.

Yeah, it comes back to routine.

I have teenage boys and they take really good care of their skin. I'm proud of them. Like they, they, they're very conscious that I'm like, and the biggest thing is they need to wipe down their equipment, their helmets and stuff.

Yes.

And keep the hair off the forehead kind of thing like that. You know, that's where boys, you know.

Oh no, I have two. I know.

It's a, it's a big deal to boys too with their, their skin. So do you, do you see, men as well.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, my boys didn't have a choice.

Yeah.

They were gonna be a walking billboard. I was not gonna have them with acne.

Yeah.

And skin.

So to this day, 21 and 20, my boys still have beautiful skin.

Got it.

Because they got into a routine early on.

Right. Mm-hmm.

So that's why I love it when, you know, parents bring their, their teenagers and just, because if I tell them something, then versus you guys saying, absolutely. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Like if someone else told my kids this, then Oh, then it's golden, right? Mom said that. What does she know?

Yeah.

But if a professional comes in and says, this is what we're gonna do, this is how you're gonna get better. Yeah. I, I saw quite a number of teens, um, in my practice in Virginia.

Yeah.

And it's again, getting 'em into those routines. We're not spending hundreds of dollars on products. Sure. We're talking about getting into a healthy routine.

Well, my, my younger one, Erin, is just like Emma. The $100 ones, mom, those are, those are the ones we—

I finally had to tell her. I was like, when you, you can buy it yourself.

Yeah.

If that's how you wanna spend your money.

How much you wanna work for that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, she's got little money that she gets every month. Every week or whatever, I'm like, save it up, babe, cuz it's not coming from me. You know? Yeah.

But that's how they work. But they see it on the TikToks and the, the Instagram. Yeah. And they see it and they're like, that's what I need. I'm like, eh, I don't know about that.

Yeah. So, yeah, it's, it's tricky.

We touched a little bit on your oncology, um, training for this. And I'm just curious, like what, after a person goes through cancer and maybe, you know, treatment and that kind of stuff, what happens to a person's skin that requires sort of specialized treatment?

So I'll tell you, when I decided to take that route with my practice, I kept hearing— I volunteered with the Cancer Society. It was called the Look Good, Feel Better program. And I kept hearing, oh, the doctors and the nurses are doing great by killing the cancer, saving my life, you know, but my skin, oh, it's so dry. Oh, my skin is cracking. Or, oh, my skin is changing. Or, oh. And I kept hearing this and hearing this. And when I volunteered, was a two-part— it was a cosmetologist who did like hair wigs, treatments for the scalp, you know, that kind of thing. And then I came on as the skin expert, right? This is what you can do this. And of course, during that time, the last thing you want to do is put more toxins, right, and chemicals into your skin. But again, what I said earlier, what you don't know, you don't know, right? So that was my job to educate them and make sure that they were using clean products. So moving forward, what happens to their skin? Well, depending on whatever cocktail, chemotherapy, radiation, infusions— because nowadays there's so many different things, right, that patients are put on— it affects the skin.

How?

Drying, cracking, irritation, erythema, itching, redness, inflammation, right? So then someone like myself that's trained to know ingredients, but more importantly, clean ingredients, right? So I just wanna make a note, I don't use my Korean skincare for those patients. Okay. There are specific products created for cancer patients that are really clean. So I use that line.

Yeah.

But, um, so it's basically soothing and hydrating the skin. And so with my cancer patients, it wasn't just coming in for a face, it was head to toe because it's not just your face. Yeah. That's affected. Right. And then radiation, I was trained how to soothe radiation burns. How to soothe, you know, and then so once you are, you know, post-cancer-free, your skin is still changing. And I don't know if people know this, but I learned this and I, I was just astounded when I learned this, that radiation, when you go through radiation for whatever cancer it is, that never leaves your body. Like radiation stays within your system for the rest of your life.

I had no idea.

No, I didn't either. And it just so happened I had a client who had thyroid cancer, right? Came in, she had this like dermatitis and she couldn't understand what was going on. Anyway, long story short, she had thyroid like 10 years prior, had radiation. It was radiation dermatitis. 10 years later.

Oh my God.

This came out in her skin. And I, I, I talked to my mentor. I kind of had an idea from my training.

Mm-hmm.

But again, I'm not a doctor, so I don't diagnose.

Sure.

First of all. So I sent her to her dermatologist. I said, go. And I was right. The dermatologist, oh yeah, that's probably from this. And so it's amazing how these things can come up and bite you like later.

A decade.

A decade later.

I think that happens with women. A lot of times you have stuff maybe in your system and a traumatic experience might, maybe it's dormant. Like I had friends where cancer came out of nowhere. She, a great, a wonderful friend of mine, I missed her dearly. She unfortunately did not, Um, cancer took her.

Yeah.

But she, she had been trying for years to have a baby, years to have a baby, and got pregnant and had a baby, and she looked very jaundiced all of a sudden. And I think maybe she's had something, it was just dormant, and after having the baby it kind of came up later.

Yeah. And that's very possible too.

Yeah. So things can be dormant in your body, like the radiation, and something triggers it to be active for whatever reason.

But that, I think it goes with everything. You talked about having autoimmune. Yeah. That could be dormant and then all of a sudden something triggers it, right? We We have a, within our system, we have a bandwidth and we don't know what that bandwidth is. And once you cross that threshold, right, then things happen and we don't know who, what, and why. Yeah. But, but it, it absolutely does happen.

Mm-hmm.

So, you know, going back to the oncology aspect of my practice, um, every patient that came in was different.

Yeah.

Every patient that came in had different needs and stuff. So I, I just, I was honored. I'm still honored when I get an opportunity to work, whether it's Pre, post, you know, that type of thing. Yeah. Um, because there are things I can do and help you with maneuver and toughen your skin, so to speak, right before you start chemotherapy.

Mm-hmm.

There's things I can do once post radiation we can do to help soothe the, the burn.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

And then there's things like later on come up with, I have this, I have that. Well, okay, let's, let's get some history. Let's talk about it. Mm-hmm. And then, see where we go from there. I have products that can probably help.

Well, things that— especially people going through that type of experience suffer from mental health stuff going on. And if your skin is being taken care of and you look in the mirror and you see yourself and you're like, man, I, I, I'm glowing today, like, what? And then the endorphins go and all the, all the things, all the nice things in your body, and you start healing, you know? Like, there's a, there's a trickle-down effect.

I mean, there really is. And, and when I left the cancer center and I had a nice is, you know, going away. I felt so good to get these little cards and these things from patients saying, you know, you made me feel like I wasn't sick. Yeah. Or my skin, I didn't even know what I needed until I left your treatment room. You know, and little things like that, which is why I say I feel like sometimes it sounds so selfish to say, oh, I love what I do, but I truly love what I do. And that really woke me up every morning to go and be my best self and, and see how I can help because their hands are tied and if they don't know, and these doctors are doing amazing jobs by keeping them alive, but what happens to the skin? Right. Where are people to help?

Yeah.

Maneuver that aspect before, during, and after.

And that's what you see. You see your skin when you look at yourself. You don't see your insides even though it don't, you know, you, you see the outside.

Yeah.

And that's what's gonna affect how you react and for sure feel and all the things. 100%.

Yeah.

100%.

Well, that feels like a good segue to, um, we usually ask folks what their favorite thing is about what they, what they're doing. I mean, if you could pin something down, what do you feel like your favorite thing is about what you do, Jen?

So I think between the two different aspects of like the anti-aging part and then the oncology part, I think it's more important. It's, it's the way people feel when they leave. Like they look in the mirror and like, oh my gosh, my skin looks great.

Mm-hmm.

Like I feel great. And I love hearing that because we as women are so hard on ourselves. We're our worst critics.

Yep.

And we, I know for me, I'm constantly, I put myself down even without even thinking.

Yeah.

Even when I just comes out of my mouth and, you know, my, my person now, he's like, you, you, you're so hard on yourself.

And I'm like, yeah.

I don't even realize it sometimes. Yeah. And I know I'm not alone.

Totally.

Right.

So I think the aspect of when you look in the mirror, post-treatment, post-whatever, and you see that glow, you see that hydration, you see that plump. I, I sit back and I watch and it just makes me smile when people just go, oh my gosh. I like, I love it.

Yeah.

Thank you. Like, thank you. And that goes for, like both sides.

Yeah.

Of, of my practice. Yeah. Um, I'm really passionate about how women feel because we, we need that as women. Mm-hmm. We need that. I mean, and men too, but you know, my, I'm, yeah. I mean, they're fine. They're, yeah, they're fine. You know, I mean, yeah. So I, I'm, I'm really passionate about helping people look in the mirror and see themselves looking back. Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No, I love that. And you can tell, you can tell by the way you speak that you're, you're very passionate into it and we love that.

Yeah.

So, and then lastly, will you share with our listeners how they can reach out to you for your services?

Sure. Absolutely. So I have a website, um, I have social media. So on Facebook it's Pio Bella Day Spa. I haven't figured out how to change my business name to like, cuz I had to get a whole new LLC when I moved to Texas.

Right? Yeah.

So on Instagram it's It's Piel Bella Skincare. So it's Piel, right? But I say it because some people don't always say Piel Bella. So Piel, the skin, Bella, beautiful. So beautiful skin, right? So Piel Bella Skincare on Instagram, Piel Bella Day Spa on Facebook. And then I have a website, pielbellaskincare.com.

Okay.

And then my phone number. I mean, I am an open book. 512-944-3203. It's an Austin number, but I am in San Antonio.

She's in San Antonio.

Yeah.

We get her.

Yeah. And, uh, yeah, you can message me, DM me. My website has, you can contact me through that too.

Okay.

So I'm pretty accessible.

She has all the ways to get ahold of you.

All the, all the things, all the ways. Yeah.

Okay, perfect. Well, we'll put those in our show notes. Yeah. So that way people can click around and get ahold of you. Yeah. And thank you so much for being on this episode.

Oh my gosh, this was so fun, y'all. Thank you. Thank you.

So good.

And I, I love that you guys are starting to take care of your skin.

We're taking care of you.

And doing things.

Yeah.

And making notes and figuring out, because really that's, that's what it comes down to for all of us.

Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. For sure.

Yeah. Cool.

Absolutely.

Okay.

And then really quickly, I'll thank our listeners for tuning into this week's episode and we'll catch you guys next time.

See you guys next time.

Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We hope you loved today's chat and found a little inspiration to take with you into your week. If you have a podcast topic suggestion or a question you'd love for us to cover, definitely send us an email at hello@workingmomsofsanantonio.com. We'd love to hear from you. And until next time, see you in the community.