I’ve got just the right product combos to transform skin and solve frustrating skin problems for the people on your gift list.  Be the one to find that unique solution.  My regimens are affordable and make a much more thoughtful and surprising gift than the usual candle, slippers, chocolate or bottle of wine that you were going to fall back on again this year.

It’s not too late either – we can ship your gift UPS 2 day air so that if you place your order by 2pm Pacific Standard Time your package will arrive by the 24th in the continental United States.  In the holiday spirit, I’m giving you 10% off your order through the 24th  by using coupon code GR8SKIN in the shopping cart.

Dr. Cynthia Bailey’s Picks For The Best Professional Skin Care Gifts

Click on the highlighted link to see more!

AHA Facial Skin Care Kits For Frustrating Facial Hyperpigmentation

Got an intimate friend or family member who you know is frustrated with lots of uneven facial skin pigment?  Age spots, melasma, and sun damage leave unyielding pigment that really impact a person’s complexion unless a person uses the right products. Be the one that finds the miracle.  One of my glycolic acid facial kits may be just that and will thrill anyone frustrated with blotchy facial hyperpigmentation. I’d also add a Citrix sunscreen to your gift to help stop the sun from re-darkening all that pigment they lighten with these pretty darn magic products

AHA Facial Kits

Citrix Mineral Zinc Sunscreen to fight pigment darkening

AHA Body Skin Care For Soft Smooth Skin

Soft, sexy skin is fun at any age.  I’ve got the kit that turns the usual dry, rough skin we all tolerate into new wonderful skin we’ll all love.  The kit is called’ Anti-Aging’ but it works for anyone with rough skin (including keratosis pilaris, the rough bumps on the back of the arms of many teens and young adults).  Plus, everyone can use velvety elbows, soft hands and smooth calves.

For those gift recipients that use self-tanner, this is also the ultimate product combo for the perfect self-tanner application.  Add the Avene Self tanner to your gift for folks who would have fun with evenly golden-bronze skin (minus the sun’s aging rays).

Anti-Aging Body Skin Care Kit

Avene Self Tanner

Facial Redness Relief Kits

Know someone who’s really frustrated with their facial redness?  My Redness Relief product combo is bar none the best regimen to soothe facial redness that I’ve found in my 25+ years of dermatology practice.  Thrill someone on your gift list who suffers this tough complexion problem.  Whether it’s rosacea, seborrhea, sun damage or even atopic eczema, these products have helped my patients.  I love their gratitude and you can have that too when you turn someone onto this skin care duo.

Facial Redness Relief Kits

A Gift Certificate For A Heavenly and Therapeutic Professional Facial

Until Jan 1 we’ll give your recipient a certificate for one of our $90 facials for the price of $75; you pay $75 and they get a $90 facial!   We wrap your gift certificate in a pretty little gift box too.  Check out our menu by clicking the link below then call the office at 707 829-5778 to purchase your gift certificates (maybe even one for yourself???!).

Heavenly & Therapeutic Facial Menu

Photo: Thanks and gratitude to Mysza

The 4 Best Professional Skin Care Holiday Gift Ideas is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

• tight empty pores,
• no unfortunately located facial hairs,
• no distracting blackheads or open milial cysts,
• bright, light-throwing skin texture

……it’s a complexion that pleases the eye and it’s well within reach.

It’s part of a put-together, well groomed look, and it’s not limited to the ‘rich and famous’.  It’s what happens to your skin when you get facials and waxing or tweezing hair removal treatments by an aesthetician – and it’s affordable.

It’s also what I needed asap before my big upcoming holiday family reunion, which is why I made sure we booked time for me this week!

It’s been my goal for the past 3 years to build the best professional skin care services in Sonoma County and have them right here in my dermatology office. I’ve been working with a team of expert, detail oriented, caring aestheticians and I think we’ve got it!  I’ve been watching clients come out of the aesthetican room after their facial services and they look amazing. I always look forward to getting in there and getting my treatments too, which I did on Monday with MaLinda – yippee! I’ve been a ‘spa junkie’ for years and I have to say that we have the best facials and hair removal waxing treatments I’ve had anywhere, destination spa or local!

To see some our our services click here for our aesthetician services menu

Our aestheticians tweak their treatments to fit a person’s goals, which can change from treatment to treatment, like mine just did. Usually I want exfoliation, pore cleaning, middle age facial hair taming and brow waxing, all done on my super-sensitive RetinA treated skin.  I’m a pretty common type of client for my aesthetician and it requires top aesthetician skill; we’ve got this ‘tight rope’ type of treatment challenge dialed in.

Monday, however, I needed more in the pore cleaning department without exfoliation because I’ve stopped my Retin A for my upcoming big, sunny family reunion trip (where that unattractively thick stratum corneum will be handy to help fend off the UV rays).  I’m seeing in-laws though that I rarely see, so I also want to look my best, all without my usual ‘leave no dead skin cell behind’ exfoliation strategy for a bright, light-throwing complexion.  To add to MaLinda’s challenge, I’m super-jangled because leaving the office always means I have tons of stuff on my must-do-now list.  Facials are therapy for the psyche as well as for the skin so for MaLinda it was like an iron-chef challenge aesthetician style.

Enter the aesthetician treatment room and MaLinda…….

80 minutes later I can cross off facial hair taming and clogged pore control from my personal pre-vacation goals.  The shoulder and neck massage, hand treatment with massage, aromatherapy and MaLinda’s expert treatment techniques reacquainted me with the ‘spa brain’ state that got me hooked as a spa junky years ago.  (A much less jangled me is something that both my husband and staff are sure to appreciate.) Plus, tight pores and a bright complexion (without exfoliation!) means I’m ready to show off well maintained facial skin to the family and friends that I rarely see.

So, there’s lots of ways for us to have and maintain a beautiful complexion – one that we’re proud of – including professional facials and hair removal treatments . You can book a treatment when your skin really needs a ‘tune-up’. Even better is to come in at the recommended 6-8 week interval (what I do), which is that perfect amount of time for taming unruly hair growth and clogged pores.

Aesthetician services are surprisingly affordable too, and they’re a great de-stressor. We’ve made it our goal to have the best facials and professional skin care treatments in the North Bay. I can tell you that I’m sure we’ve done it, which is another reason that I love my job!

To schedule an appointment with MaLinda or Sarah call the office at 829-5778.

The Best Facials in Sonoma County is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

Journalist Susan Schwartz’s article in Sonoma County’s major newspaper The Press Democrat today gives a great overview of WHY skin aging occurs and WHAT you can realistic do to counter and modify the process.  She interviewed Buck Institute scientists Judith Campisi Ph.D. and Dermatologist Ervin Epstein about skin aging.  She also interviewed me, a practicing Dermatologist here in Sonoma County about what I do for my patients who want healthy, realistic, minimally invasive cosmetic dermatology procedures and advice to improve the appearance of their aging skin.  Cruise on over to the Press Democrat site and read the article, it’s well worth a peak! The article is titled:

No Magic Elixir For Aging Skin.

Click here to jump to the P.D. article!

To see the listing of the cosmetic dermatology procedures that I love, take a look at my new office web pages, I’ve just redone them and they give a nice brief overview of the tricks I rely on to keep our skin pretty, bright, evenly colored and finely textured as we age.  Click here to jump to the Dermatology Services pages.

To see the treatments that my aestheticians offer to keep us all looking our best click here.  I’ve just rebuilt those pages too so that you can get lots of great info about their services.

I’ve also listed some of my latest articles on sun protection and anti-aging skin care below in case you have more questions on what options might be right for you.

Cheers,

Cynthia Bailey MD, Dermatologist

Realistic Anti-Aging Skin Care Summary in The Press Democrate Today is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

March 19th, clouds building

March 19th storm turned briefly cheerful

March 20th more heavy weather

March 25th and a 5 minute spring tease

More on Sebastopol:

Wild Flour Bakery-Amazing Bread and A Beautiful Drive

Sebastopol View Of Mustard Blooming In The Laguna De Santa Rosa

Visit Florence Avenue For A Walk, Delightful Art and A Great Meal-Very Sebastopol

Sonoma County March Storms Over The Laguna De Santa Rosa is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

Being born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the idea of snow at home still excites me. Even though the forecast says that the snow won’t linger on the ground, I’m still excited.  My citrus trees don’t share my anticipation, but I’ve covered them so they’ll be fine.  My birdbath wasn’t frozen this morning so it must be warmer than yesterday.  Hmmm

I was in San Francisco’s Union Square a number of years ago when snow fell from the sky. The excitement was contagious.  People on the street stared up, smiled, laughed, talked to each other and just plain stopped what they were doing to marvel at it. I know I’m not the only Bay Areaite to find sea level snow magical here.  So, I’m holding my breath, looking for the signs….. and if snow falls, I’m running outdoors to experience it.  Maybe a few of my patients will run outside with me.

Will it snow in Sonoma County tomorrow? is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

It’s true!  Over 1000 yoga studios across the country are offering a week of free classes to new students during the month of September in celebration of National Yoga Month

If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga, now’s the time to start.

I’m a big yoga fan.  I think just about everybody benefits from yoga.  My vitality and the quality of my life increased when I started taking yoga classes 3 years ago even though I’ve stayed physically active my entire life.

Some of the scientifically proven medical benefits of yoga include:

• Decreased lower back pain
• Decreased menopausal symptoms
• Increased flexibility and improved balance
• Reversal of age associated muscle loss
• Help in straightening the spine
• Decreased rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
• Decreased symptoms of depression
• Improvement in type 2 diabetes

Earlier in the year I wrote a post titled The Health And Anti Aging Benefits Of Yoga, where I summarized the known medical benefits of yoga.  I also shared some of the personal experiences I’ve had while studying yoga. I’m continually amazed at how energizing it is to do something in yoga class like a back bend, which I haven’t done since childhood.  I just can’t explain it but somehow flexing that muscle memory is bizarrely rejuvenating; it’s a healthy and safe way to shake up our physical experience of aging.

To take advantage of the free week of yoga classes, click here to go to the National Yoga Month website.  Enter your zip code to find a participating studio near you, follow the prompts and get your free class pass.

This program is so great that I just had to get the word out-you can’t beat it!  Now is a great time to try yoga for the first time, or to try a new participating studio.  Here in Sonoma County, I study at The Devi Yoga Center in Sebastopol, and I know they’re participating in the program-maybe I’ll see you in class!

Namaste

If you found this helpful, you may also want to read:

A Cleansing Diet For Arthritis, Joint Stiffness and Overall Physical Well Being

4 Diet Changes That Can Improve Your Acne

Great Sun Hats; What Works and What Doesn’t

Photo

National Yoga Month & Free Yoga Classes Across The Nation is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

Here in Sonoma County we get our entire year’s rainfall between October and June.  Normally gray rain clouds are punctuated by bright blue skies, but this year it was one long gray march to summer.   The up side to months of Scotland-like weather: happy water tables, full reservoirs and spring plant colors that dazzled.   I was particularly taken in by the pinks.  Pink flowers were everywhere-soft pinks, brilliant pinks, double pinks-I’ll remember spring 2010 in Sonoma County as PRETTY IN PINK and I snapped lots of photos when the sky did give us a sunny break.  They’re my tribute to spring and my welcome to summer.  Happy summer solstice!

Wishing you  lots of BBQ’s, tomatoes and languid days this summer.

Tribute To The Summer Solstice In Sonoma County is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

I’ve never had better bread anywhere in the world!

I love when amazing food is also healthy….

and Wild Flour is one of those places that’s foodie nirvana for me.

I take just about all of my out of town guest to Wild Flour.  It’s a Sonoma County destination that’s ‘not to be missed’.   I’m always recommending it to my out of town patients when they’re looking for something unique to do while they’re in Sebastopol.

Tourists from all over the country know about Wild Flour because the media’s found it, including CNN. Surprisingly though, it’s never overly crowded and it remains authentically local.

Wild Flour Bakery is in bucolic Freestone. The drive to the bakery is beautiful from every direction, but it’s even better to make the trip part of a little loop out to the coast or to the small town of Occidental.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there from Sebastopol, driving due west through beautiful countryside towards the ocean. It’s important to know that the bakery is only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The breads, scones, sticky buns and biscotti made at Wild Flour are hearty, organic and a baked in a WOOD FIRED BRICK OVEN! They bake their breads continuously and there’s always something hot coming out of the oven. If you time it right, you might get extra lucky and be there when one of the CHEESE BREADS are coming out and –oh boy- there’s hunks of warm cheese in hot fresh herbed bread and little crispy bits where the cheese escaped and hardened on the pan.  Nowhere have I had bread like this; I just can’t tell you how wonderful it is.  The same with the walnut sticky buns-crispy cinnamon sugar on the edge and tons swirled in the center-and it’s all organic.  Believe me, you’re going to want to try everything, and the bakery staff are ready to let you; they have samples of all their breads cut up into little tastes and this bread tasting alone is worth the drive.

And this from me who rarely eats bread or cow dairy products (they don’t agree with me), and walnuts give me hives-but at Wild Flour I throw caution to the wind; like a bear willing to brave the bees for the honey in their hive. I pick the walnuts out of the sticky buns, eat the hunks of cheese in the cheese bread, and I take my chances…. because it’s that good.

Last weekend we went out to the coast for a picnic at our favorite spot overlooking Goat Rock State Beach.  We stopped at Wild Flour to get a loaf of bread, which made a perfect ‘sandwich’ with artisan cured meats and Drunken Goat Cheese from Whole Foods.  (Accompanied by cold slaw and a glass of our pinot noir)

After I took this photo, we had a visit from a very friendly raven hoping for a handout.

Delicious food, beautiful scenery and entertaining wild life.  It was a lovely and easy get-away!

For more information about Wild Flour Bakery, visit their web site.

Wild Flour Bakery-Amazing Artisan Bread And A Beautiful Drive is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

Nothing compares to picking produce warm from the sun and popping it into your mouth-it’s teaming with antioxidants, vitamins and flavor.  Even if all you grow is a tub of cherry tomatoes, those tomatoes will be the tastiest ones you eat this summer.

We have one of the best organic veggie garden resource centers here in Sebastopol- Harmony Farm Supply.  I always recommend a stop at Harmony for my out-of-town gardener patients. We Sonoma County folks love our veggie gardens and Harmony Farm Supply is gardener nirvana.

Harmony Farm Supply is staffed with career plants-people and chock full of everything an organic gardener needs:

• The range of seeds and veggie starts spans from old garden standbys to a huge variety of esoteric heirloom and native varieties with lyrical, ethnic names that are fun to try
• Garden bug, disease and pest experts with organic solutions, if and when our plants start looking funny (I owe these guys for all the help they’ve given me over the years)
• All the organic fertilizer options in the known universe for big, happy veggie plants  that are teaming with vitality and nutrients (the basis of a healthy diet)
• Irrigation experts who help figure out how to water the garden even when we’re not home
• All the other stuff we gardeners could possibly need (tools, pots, trellising, etc.)

The recent weather report says it’ll be 80 degrees for the next 10 days.  That’s an early hot spell and you bet I got my veggie garden in this weekend.  I count my blessings that Harmony is just 10 minutes from my house.  It’s also just 15 minutes north of my office on Highway 116.

They have a small web site but there’s no substitute for bringing your shopping list and questions into Harmony.  After a trip to Harmony, I’ll bet non-gardeners find inspiration for having at least a pot of cherry tomatoes on their patio this summer.

Harmony Farm Supply-A Destination Organic Gardening Center for Spring Veggie Gardening is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

This morning the Laguna De Santa Rosa was a glorious burst of color from the office reception room.  Spring is around the corner and it’s a lovely time to be in Sonoma County!

Sebastopol View of Mustard Blooming in the Laguna De Santa Rosa is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog