As you adjust to time changes, make mistakes, or don't know all the answers, etc., it is essential to be gentle, loving, and accepting towards yourself. When you try to change your looks to fit in or match what's on trend, you deny what makes you uniquely you. And that includes your one-of-a-kind freckles, scars, hair texture or curl pattern, fingerprint, and so much more! Are freckles and imperfection synonymous? No way! But when our inner critics flood us with self-doubt, worries about appearance multiply, making people want to hide them and other perceived beauty imperfections behind make-up and other forms of camouflage. We encourage you to embrace them as you are beautiful the way you were made!

What Is a Freckle?
Freckles, also known as ephelides, are small, flat, reddish, or brownish spots resulting from sun exposure. Are freckles and red hair linked? Absolutely! Freckles commonly appear in people with fair skin, blond or red hair, and light-colored eyes — usually Asians, Caucasians, and anyone else with the MC1R gene variant. No one is born with freckles, which typically appear during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. These concentrated collections of excess melanin production predominantly appear in sun-exposed areas, a clue to their cause, and may increase during these periods. Like a lasting souvenir, freckles capture the memories of all you've seen. Remember that fun beach day when you were little and made your first sand castle and got your first sprinkling of freckles? Or when you reached the top of that ridge, tackling your hiking goal, or basked in the sun on vacation without a care in the world and got a new spot to show for it? (All of this with sunscreen, of course!)

Wait, are freckles and sun spots the same? Not exactly. While both occur due to excess melanin production, freckles usually appear in groups, whereas sunspots typically appear as single spots that are bigger in size. In addition, dark spots due to sun damage are inclined to darken or increase as we age. While the freckles you got as a child were innocently acquired, those were still a sign of too much fun in the sun. But can freckles go away? As a matter of fact, they can! These priceless memories have left a next-to-indelible mark on your complexion that tends to fade in the winter and darken in the summer and sometimes as people age. Similarly, scars serve as hallmarks for something we've been through and powerful reminders of how far we've come. Can freckles be cancerous? While most freckles are harmless, it is wise to have them checked by a doctor to ensure they aren’t cancerous before starting to treat them yourself. Once you get the all-clear, you can proceed with confidence. Rather than letting those kids who teased you for looking different get the best of you by trying to lose your freckles and scars – celebrate them!

How To Embrace Your Freckles
Instead of covering them up, work on maintaining an even, glowing complexion and healthy strands with a skin-loving, clean beauty routine. Here are some safe skincare guidelines to achieve a healthy, radiant complexion that helps you feel good in the skin you are in:

1. Skip bleaching creams often contain harmful ingredients that are toxic to the body.
2. Using clean skincare formulations that refrain from harmful actives and contain skin-friendly forms of Retinol, Vitamin C, Enzymes, Acids, and other natural skin care illuminators is an effective approach.
3. Prevent acquiring new ones by avoiding peak sun hours, using a broader protection ocean safe sunscreen with blue light protection, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, oversized sunglasses, protective UPF clothing, or high-necked, long-sleeved shirts and pants.

Face Care Step-By-Step

Step 1 - Cleanser: Begin your cell renewal with the Micro Retinol® Essential Foaming Cleanser. This Sulfate free natural skin cleanser formula is the perfect way to start addressing sun damage, uneven skin tone, and texture.

Step 2 - Toner: Complete your cleanse with the Alcohol free Micro-Retinol® Essential Toner to remove any irritating tap water contaminants and clear a path for your serum to work better.

Step 3 - Serum: Fight free radical damage and give your skin a boost of smoothing protection with the “C” Complexe with Oxyzomes Vitamin C serum in the morning and the Micro Retinol® Essential Serum at night.

Note: The stabilized Micro-Retinol in each of the products of the Micro-Retinol® Collection is specially formulated to be well-tolerated, unlike harsher Retinoids. However, those new to Retinol should avoid any other exfoliating products with acids at first and consider using the serum every other day for a few weeks to allow your skin time to acclimate.

Step 4 - Moisturizer: In the daytime, apply the Lumafirm® Repair Cream - Lift & Glow with Diacetyl Boldine and Oligopeptide-68, which inhibit the enzyme (tyrosinase) responsible for hyperpigmentation, helping even out skin tone. At night, use the Micro-Retinol® Essential Moisturizer. This Retinol cream also contains two forms of Vitamin C for added luminosity and line-smoothing Marine Collagen, Squalane, and Hyaluronic Acid. An alternative nighttime option is the Resurfacing Glycocides® Cream with Glycolic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid to reveal a more even skin tone. It can also be used as an overnight clean skincare mask once or twice a week while you sleep, if desired.

Step 5 - Protection: If you like using a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, finish with the YouthRenew™ Tinted Cream in the daytime or the Hydrating Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40, which provides bluelight protection and shields against UVA/UVB rays, preventing sun spots and hyperpigmentation from sun damage.

Note: As both formulas are moisturizing, oily and combination skin types can likely forgo a daytime moisturizer beneath. And be sure to protect your children with daily sunscreen application to help prevent freckles, sun damage, and skin cancer. Weekly use of the Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser and/or Enzymo Spherides® Peeling Cream, followed by the Bright Skin Green Apple Mask, will complement this illuminating regimen.

Body Care Step-By-Step
For the body, use formulas specially formulated for the skin on the body as follows:

Step 1 - Cleanser & Exfoliant: Cleanse and buff away dullness and prepare your skin for your intensive body care with the gentle Sulfate free cleansing agents and exfoliating Sea Salt, Papaya and Pineapple Fruit Extracts in the De-Aging Saltmousse - Papaya-Pineapple.

Step 2 - Body Moisturizer: The De-Aging Body Balm - Papaya-Pineapple features an innovative delivery system for Retinol blended with Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, and Shea Butter to resurface, refine, rejuvenate, and even skin tone, smoothing and illuminating the skin on your body.

Step 3 - Hand Cream: Don’t forget to take extra care of your hands! Use a moisturizing Collagen Hand Cream with Vitamin C to keep hands smooth and youthful-looking.

Step 4 - Protection: Remember to reapply sunscreen to your body, too! Professional face and body treatments, including chemical peels, like the Pevonia Peel & Recapture Micro-Retinol® Treatment, YouthRenew™ Hydra-Glow Peel, or Lacto-Flora Peel, cryosurgery (freezing them off), and laser removal can help fade or remove freckles.

Hair Care Routine
If you are tired of struggling with pressing your curly twirls flat or crimping your straight strands to get volume, we’ve got news for you. You can let your natural hair pattern shine. Gently coax it along with clean hair thickening products that foster a shiny mane with a healthy volume and bounce (not too much, and not too little - but just right!) Pevonia’s scalp health shampoo and conditioner and hair regrowth serum feature Pumpkin Extract, Keratin, Biotin, Panthenol, a special Plant Chlorophyll (Phytantriol) that preserve hair keratin, moisturize, strengthen damaged strands, add shine, improve manageability, and support keratin synthesis. With the additional Encapsulated Caffeine, Pea and Nettle Extracts to diminish hair thinning, this could be the beginning of a new, loving, and lasting relationship with your hair.

Want to maximize results for your healthiest skin ever? Visit Find A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia to boost skin health with an in-depth consultation for your ideal products and professional treatments. In addition to our chemical peels, ask for our Lightening Mask Treatment, Lumafirm® Lift & Glow/Freeze-Dried Facial Treatments or Luminous “C” & “Sea” Mask Treatment for face or our Lumafirm® Body Firm & Glow and Tropicale De-Aging Body Wrap Treatments for your body!