True confession: before working with Jaime Carson and experiencing her “skincare magic,” I thought that facials were just for pampering (ie: an hour spent lying in front of a hot steam machine with a cool mask on your face, only to emerge relaxed with your skin perhaps looking a bit smoother but not truly “repaired”).

WRONG.

As Jaime went on to explain (as I oohed and aahed over what felt and looked like new skin), the only type of facial I had ever experienced was a “spa facial” and not the rejuvenating, repairing skin therapy that Jaime provides.

Jaime’s skincare is a game-changer.

After several visits (and sending whatever friends and family would listen as I raved about Jaime’s process), I asked Jaime if she would be willing to answer some questions about what drew her to the world of skincare, as well as any at-home skincare tips she could share with us.

Read on for Jaime’s answers to my questions, and if you’d like to experience “the skin whisperer” yourself, check out Jaime’s website (www.carsonskin.com)

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Jaime!

Jaime Carson

1)    What drew you to the world of skin care? What’s your personal story that led you know this was the career for you?

I began my career as a Makeup Artist for theatrical productions and operas.  While touring with Rent in my early 20’s I began suffering with adult acne.  I bought countless skin care products and spent hundreds of dollars on masques, serums, cleansers and cremes yielding little or no results.  I wore thick makeup each day to cover my visibly bumpy and inflamed skin.  The makeup was clogging my pores however without it on I felt very self conscious.  I was in a vicious cycle that many women go through while coping with acne.  While applying makeup on performers I noticed that many of them were dealing with similar skin issues as myself.  They used to ask me what they should be doing to improve their skin but I didn’t have the answers!  I couldn’t get my own skin under control never mind theirs.  Feeling helpless is not my style so after finishing a theater tour in Japan I enrolled in a clinical minded Esthetics school in NYC and made the move from Massachusetts to Manhattan.  I thought I loved what I did for a living as a make up artist, however once I started studying the anatomy of the skin I knew I had found my calling.  I graduated from school, passed my state boards and began working in a high end skin care studio performing Facial Treatments.  That was over 5 years ago, I now have the clearest skin I’ve ever had and have helped countless NYC women achieve their healthiest, most glowing skin yet.  I have also developed treatments which combat the early signs of visible aging.  The sooner women start paying attention to their skin the better if will look and feel as time goes on.  I love being a part of the process of making skin radiant.

2) We all want radiant, glowing skin: what role do you think diet plays in helping us get the skin we want?

Great question Andrea!  Think of your skin this way: Your skin is your largest organ (Yes it is an organ!). Two of the functions of this beautiful organ are to protect you from the great outdoors and excrete toxins through its pores.  When you put toxic, chemical laden, highly processed foods into your mouth your body will use your skin as one way to rid them from your body.  This process of natural detoxification can appear visibly on the skin as acne, rashes, red and itchy patches of skin and a blotchy appearance.  Your skin is a tool you can use to see what is going on inside your body.  Have you ever eaten a big, yummy, salty Chinese food dinner then woken up the next morning with super puffy under eyes?  That’s your body’s way of showing you that you have eaten more sodium than it can easily eliminate.  It’s important to learn to be your own skin detective and connect the dots between what foods you have consumed within 48 hours of noticing reactions on your skin.  A diet rich in organic fruits, veggies, omegas, probiotics and clean water is essential for beautiful, clear and young looking skin.

3) You had mentioned to me that you can often detect a specific food allergy that someone has just by looking at their skin (ie: gluten or dairy). How can you tell? What should people look for?

When a client comes to me with breakouts it is very often a reaction to dairy products and/or gluten and refined sugars  The way I can identify which it may be for the particular client is by identifying how the breakouts are forming.  If the client is breaking out with pimples which are red and inflamed with white heads particularly on the cheeks  most likely dairy is the culprit.  I have these clients stop all dairy products for 2 weeks as an experiment and the improvement is always astounding.  Another culprit is gluten found in glutenous grains such as wheat and oats. The way a typical gluten reaction looks on the skin is as a bumpy looking breakout under the surface of the skin.  It shows up as lots of medium to small sized break outs clustered together.  It typically appears on the jawline area though it can show up on the forehead as well.  Refined sugar feeds inflammation throughout the entire body so consuming sweets and soft drinks while dealing with the above mentioned symptoms will only add fuel to the fire…literally.  It is extremely important to choose sweeteners like raw honey or stevia while clearing the skin of break outs.

4) What’s one of the most damaging foods that you see wreak havoc on skin all the time?

Non-Organic Dairy Products!

5) Would you be willing to share one of your favorite, at-home skin care tips with us?

Make filtered water with fresh lemon your go-to beverage of choice.  Drink 1/2 of your body’s weight in ounces of water each day i.e. if you weigh 140lbs you will drink 70 ounces of water daily.  When eating at restaurants, request a side of lemon wedges for the table and squeeze them into your water.  The water will give your body the hydration it needs to look and feel healthy while the lemon will assist in the easy flushing of toxins on a daily basis.  An added bonus tip is to start each morning with 8 ounces of warm water mixed with the juice of 1/2 of a lemon.  The warm water will help move your lymphatic fluid which can stagnate after lying still overnight and the lemon juice will assist your liver in cleansing its self.  The liver is one of our body’s filters and cleaner liver leads to super glowy skin so clean it up and get glowing.