Ever sit down at one of our beds and wonder, in between those laser and/or flashing IPL pulses: “Who exactly is this person torturing me right now? What’s her story…?” Well, wonder no more! Today we’re here to introduce you to the latest member to join our team, the always lovely and uber knowledgeable: Creseda. Join us as she talks about the transformative power of IPLs and shares her best skin care tip!
Where are you from? How did you end up in Boulder?
I’ve moved around the country and have lived in many places, so it’s hard to say… but I’m originally from Louisiana. I moved to Boulder in 2000 in order to be closer to family.
How did you become a laser technician/ skincare engineer? How did you get involved in the skin care industry?
Well, I worked my way in school as a chemist and I have a masters in materials engineering and I had always been interested in skincare, since I was very young. I also have always felt a disconnect in this country, as women, between our level of intelligence, education, accomplishment and what we let ourselves be seduced by for our skincare. You can be a shark attorney or a brilliant surgeon, but if the right ad for a product or procedure wafts its way across your consciousness, you can be seduced to spend your money on all sorts of things that if you thought about it, you wouldn’t. I always spent money on skincare, but I always wanted it to be affordable and the older I got, especially after 40, the products I were buying didn’t seem to do anything. So I started applying my engineering and chemistry background to understand skin care ingredients in order to help my skin, and I came to the conclusion that about 90% of the stuff out there is just junk. There are more chemicals introduced to the market every year than the amount of chemicals the domestic ingredient review board has reviewed since it’s inception. So I felt this obligation to protect myself and my skin, and tell others about it as well. I just feel like there is so much misinformation out there.
Can you tell us a little bit about your experience?
I’ve been practicing IPL for the past four years at my own business. I recently closed my business and joined the Barris team because I’m going back to school for Psychotherapy.
Why did you become a “skincare engineer” and what’s your favorite thing about what you do?
Any dermatologist who is honest will say that IPL’s are the safest and most consistent way to increase cell growth- it doesn’t have to be cutting edge technology and we don’t need to reinvent the wheel! My feeling is that skin has been developed over so many years, and innovation that is going to improve it won’t come along every decade, or year, or quarter, or month- that’s just marketing. But something that’s going to be improving and safe doesn’t come along very often, and IPL is one of those things, especially once combined with topical modalities to increase cell growth. I was so excited to discover this procedure, and I wanted to share it with others, share something, finally, that truly worked.
Today, seeing the genuine joy in my clients when their skin becomes what they want it to be is truly the best part of what I do.
What’s your favorite treatment to give here and why? Do you specialize in any treatments?
IPL’s and high frequency because of the results! And yes, I specialize in IPL’s and laser hair removal.
What would you want your clients to know about you?
I enjoy relaxing facials as much as anyone else, but that’s not my specialty- my specialty is dramatically transforming your skin, not giving a relaxing treatment.
What’s your favorite thing about Boulder and what do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
The climate. And the cultural support here in Boulder for choosing your own path. In the big cities, it’s all about the next biggest car, the biggest house, and here in Boulder, people are willing to sacrifice money in the sake of their happiness and pursuit of whatever may be. I really love that. On my days off I enjoy dancing NIA and playing the piano.
Who taught you about skincare? And what would you say has been the most valuable advice you’ve received on the subject?
I taught myself about skincare, really- but the most valuable experience that has taught me a lot about skincare has been my chemistry knowledge and analytical skin from my engineering degree. Those two combined have played the largest role in teaching me about effective skincare.
What is your daily skin care routine like? Any special secrets or pro tips you’d like to share? (Creseda has the most amazing, glowy skin! We HAD to ask!)
My biggest secret is monthly IPLs – it is the safest way to spark new cell growth, tighten pores, even out skin tone, and it’s absolutely safe. And really, sparking new cell growth is the holy grail of anti-aging, so for super anti-aging benefits, combine monthly IPLs with effective topical products.
I also ingest good basic inexpensive antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin E and gelatin daily. Topically, I use a combination of copper peptides, mild hydroxy acid for skin cell turnover, and a good quality retinol to spark new cell growth.
What’s the mistake most of your clients make about their skincare? And what do you recommend they do to fix the damage?
They believe everything they hear and read. They can fix this by coming to Barris Laser! (laughs).Well, the truth is that very few people have the time, inclination, and the ability to do the level of research that I’ve done, and so they need a trusted source with their skin. And that’s exactly what we offer here: a trusted source and proven treatments.