Medical Tourism In Tijuana, Anti-Aging & Beauty Secrets
2020-03-14
Hello loyal readers. I took last week off to gather enough content to bring you an in-depth beauty article. To me beauty and self-care go hand in hand. When you’re taking care of yourself you automatically feel more beautiful. Beauty is only skin deep so it’s equally important to do the inner work on oneself. Think of it as a 50/50 split. When you do something externally you have to counter that with internal work on your mental health, self-esteem and confidence. You can buy all the clothes in the world, all the make up on the shelves, every shoe and still be incredibly insecure about yourself at the end of the day. If you don’t have a strong sense of self beauty could be a dangerous subject. Make sure your staying 100% whole inside and not seeking validation from likes on social media, men, women before you dig into my tips below.
Note: As we dig into everything I’m doing day by day keep in mind that every skin type is different. I have combination skin, some of these processes may or may not work for you. Read carefully in each description to see what processes may work for you.
Step -1 Preventative Botox
Clivere Medicina Estetica Zona Rio, Tijuana, B.C
Metal Mouth Style exists to show you not only how to live a life in style for less but also how to live and think outside of the box. I must start by saying not all Medical Tourism is sketchy as it’s portrayed in the media. It’s something I have been very apprehensive about since moving to Tijuana. The land of terrible tit jobs and bombed butt lifts. What’s bad is going to a place you have not been referred to by a local person in that area. Then researching the reviews of that facility online. Followed up with your own personal consultation and time between your consultation to think about how you feel in hindsight before following through with your appointment. Those are all key factors to consider when you want to get surgeries/procedures done outside of your home country. This should also be applied to whatever you do in your home country.
California comes to almost all my appointments
In regard to my preventive Botox journey (which I started documenting last Summer here) I was very pleased with my recent Botox treatment in Tijuana. Words I never thought I would ever utter. My referral to Clivere came by a friend and went along as a spectator for one of their filler appointments. The woman who runs this place is a licenses plastic surgeon. She does it all and she does it well with great skill and ease. You get a lot more value getting injections from someone not only trained in aesthetics but someone with a certified medical background. The staff here is incredibly professional, welcoming and the business is in a well maintained part of the city.
Minutes after my Clivere Botox treatment. Minimal swelling & no bruising
When it comes to anything invasive don’t ever look for the cheapest deal on the market. Always go with the most highly recommended and the highly educated option. In this case I got incredibly lucky here in Tijuana. My preventative Botox in the Gaslamp District of San Diego cost me $220 every 4 months. At Clivere the same amount of Botox in the same areas of my face ( 2 units at the side of each eye to prevent crows feet and 3 units on my forehead to prevent inner brow lines) cost me $30 which is $540 Pesos in Mexican Currency. I’m now saving $190. This is why I stress the importance of tweaking a potential skin deficiency before it becomes deficient. There is such a fine line with Botox… pun intended. You want to make expressions while still keeping permanent lines at bay. Leave enough room (and time between appointments) for your muscles to still be functional while freezing smaller areas to prevent pinching which leads to wrinkles.
A Mask A Day Keeps The Skin Doctor Away
I started taking my skin care system and self-care overall a lot more seriously when I turned 25. Before that time there where too many drug fueled nights & falling asleep with my make up on. Extensive use of the cheapest OTC products, zero sunscreen and social smoking. One thing I always did was kept my skin moisturized from head to toe and exfoliated regularly. However, that was the extent of my care for myself. Genetically I wasn’t pre-disposed to any deficiency which helped a lot during this time of my life of self-destruction.
My wake up call came in the form of years of self-induced sobriety in 2010. I was able to get out of my brain fog and start getting the root of my mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma which drove me to drink, drug and smoke in excess. From there I was finally equipped able to conquer many of my bad habits. This is why I keep stressing that beauty a transformation of self not just skin. The two are not mutually exclusive and go better hand in hand.
My rule in life is to do at least one good thing for your skin each day outside of your daily routine of creams/serums. This could mean a face steam, cold compress, facial massage, cupping or it could mean a face mask. I swear by my 15 minute morning mask routine. There is not one day that goes by where I do not wear a face mask either in the morning or at night. I get it in. If my morning is crazier than anticipated I ensure I use an exfoliating facial scrub in the shower. Or I switch it if its in reverse where I do my mask in the morning and then exfoliate at night. Here are my cost effective and equally skin effective mask routine. One for each day of the week.
Baking Soda Is Your BFF!
Baking Soda box $1
The baking soda mask is the holy grail for combination/normal/oily skin. I wear a baking soda mask 1/2 days out of the week. You don’t want to use this one anymore than that because it’s a really deep clean of your pores and polishes your skin with a heavy exfoliation. Just add water to a few tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl. Only use drops to make it into a paste. Apply the paste to your face and let it sit on your skin for 30-40 minutes. This is an excellent mask to wear while you clean your house since you have to leave it on the longest out of all the ones listed. Multitasking while masking is key.
Clay Masks Shrink Pores
Gizeh Clay Mask $2.50 found at DAX Cosmetics
These 2 clay masks are by Gizeh. Gizeh is a made in Mexico brand that is fucking fantastic! Great for Normal/Combination/Oily skin type. These masks are a step down in density from the baking soda mask so they are safe to use daily. However, too much of anything isn’t a good thing. I use these rotating between the Rose mask and the Green mask 2/3 days (This covers 2 days of the 7 masks a day in this list) out of the week. It’s a condensed version of the Baking Soda mask in both density and time. You can put this on and have it dried and ready to wash off in 15 minutes flat. It polishes your skin and helps extract dirt/bacteria from your pores. Put it on before your shower and get a 15 minute work out in.
Honey Keeps Your Skin Sweet & Supple
Raw Honey Jar $3. Before/After Honey Mask
Raw honey is excellent for its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities. It also helps restore the PH balance of your skin. Think of this as a safe for all skin types daily cleanse. It’s incredibly gentle, smells, and taste great. Always have some local raw honey in your house. You can use it as a substitute for anything you use processed sugar for. I use a raw honey mask at least 3 days a week if not more. At night or in the morning. Leave this on for 15-30 minutes if you want to take in its soothing/smoothing/brightening skin effects. If you’re in a rush a 5 minute mask will also be effective to remove bacteria from your skin and help restore PH balance. Whenever I use raw honey as my morning mask it makes my skin so soft that I like to go totally make-up free that day.
Coffee Masks Wake Up Your Skin Cells
Coffee Grounds $3 Raw Honey $3
Coffee grounds are just as effective in waking up your skin as they are to waking up your mind in the morning. Coffee masks due to the round granules exfoliate and due to the caffeine help stimulate blood flow. It’s a great addition to your weekly mask routine for any skin type. You can mix it with raw milk, water, or honey. I’m using honey today. I will switch it up week to week between water or honey to make it into a paste. You use about 1 tablespoon of each part either water or honey. Mix into a paste. Apply giving your skin a nice massage and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. It’s on the messy side to apply. Either wear a towel or something dark in color for protection.
Sheet Masks Are Your Weekly Re-Set
Nu-Pore 2 pack Sheet Mask $1.50
Before/After Nu-Pore Sheet Mask Application
First of all.. no one looks good in a sheet mask. It looks so creepy on but as creepy as it looks the benefits are equal to the “It put’s the lotion on the skin” factor. I have used Nu-Pore sheet masks religiously for over 5 years now. I first discovered this brand as a Dollar Store find when I first moved to LA. I bought up a bunch not expecting much and wowed by how soft and supple they leave my skin for a full 24 hours post use. I now buy it from Dax Cosmetics in Mexico for the same price. You can find it in boxes on Amazon. You not only see but you feel a difference in your skin tone. It’s great to use when dealing with inflammation (especially cooled in the fridge). The best time to use these masks is at night. This let’s all the nutrients sink deeper into your skin while you rest. Apply it cold/room temperature for 15-20 minutes. While it’s still damp remove it and give yourself a face massage with the excess serum. The most important step is removing it before it dries. You need to really massage the remaining serum into your skin to reap these glowing benefits. Start with a clean face, use your regular night serum ( serum not cream) then apply your sheet mask. I suggest you do this mask 1/2 nights a week. Great for all skin types!
When Your Rushed Rub & Run
Del Indio Papago Facial Charcoal Face Scrub $3
I discovered this wonder wash upon moving to Mexico 2 years ago. This is another great Made In Mexico brand that works wonders. Their body soaps and moisturizer sprays I also highly recommend. I pick mine up at my local Dax cosmetics store. You can find it on Ebay if your don’t live in Mexico. Del Indio Papago is organic, affordable and effective. On the mornings that I’m in a rush and don’t have the time for a proper mask I use this in the shower to prep my skin. It’s fast and effective. Apply it in a circular motion and wash off.
Whew! That was a lot to cover this week. I’m going to continue sharing my beauty story in future posts. There is so much more to cover. Such as affordable make-up, facial cupping, face steaming etc.. I will be giving more in-depth information on these subjects as I do more beauty posts in the future.
To close out the week let’s end with a little style shall we! The look for less while living luxuriously. Here are the details of the look from the opening image of today’s post.
