More Than Skin Deep

Sonja Boatman, an esthetician at Minneapolis’s The Beauty Room, knows the secret to get skin glowing

Photo by David J. Turner

“Wear SPF everyday. Even in the winter. It will prevent age spots, fine lines, and dehydration. Plus, it’s easier and cheaper than Botox–and it works.”

Sonja Boatman is a Minnesota native and Aveda-school graduate who’s also logged hours doing celebrity facials at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She believes you can get a youthful glow with the right regimen (she loves Arcona skin care) and patience. Here, she shares how to give your skin a little Hawaii when it’s feeling Minnesota.

There is a gentle way to get the results you like. It takes a long time for your skin to become a mess, so it takes a long time to get balanced. You can do it without intense peels or the dermatologist.

The most common problem I see is dry, flaky skin. It happens the second fall turns into winter.

Exfoliate. If you have a build-up of dry skin, it doesn’t matter if you’re using products from Target or Neiman Marcus—they just sit on the surface. Your skincare will work 100-times better if you exfoliate in the shower once or twice a week. Just don’t get too aggressive.

Add a serum into your regimen. Serum boosts hydration, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It quenches your skin’s thirst.

Even if you have oily skin, you have to hydrate. If your skin is really oily, it’s lacking water. Giving it water—not oil—hydration will return it to its natural balance. Also, you may love slathering on a rich lotion, but if it’s super thick it might not penetrate—it gets stuck in your pores, enlarges them, and makes your skin sag. I like Arcona’s Peptide Hydrating Complex.

Give yourself a facial once a week. Get a hydrating mask and wear it for 20 minutes while you watch TV. It will help keep the results of the facial and give your skin the extra boost it needs if it’s feeling tight and dry.

Ideally, get a facial every four to six weeks because skin grows in a cycle of about 28 days. As we age, that skin doesn’t shed as easily. That’s not financially feasible for everybody, so once a quarter will really help. 

Get personalized advice from Boatman by booking a facial: The Beauty Room, 4300 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls., 612-724-4111, thebeautyroommpls.com