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Healthier Skin Tips from aSpa
an interview with Amanda Williams Trageser
Have you ever had a plant that looked as if it was dried up and dying,
and then seen what a difference a little water could make? In just a
few hours, the moisture can transform it into a beautiful, flourishing
flower again.
The transformation won’t be as quick or dramatic, but a similar
situation can take place with your skin when your body is properly hydrated.
Amanda Trageser is a certified medical esthetician and licensed cosmetologist
who specializes in customized skin care treatments that help to correct
and prevent many common skin problems.
She offered a few tips for women over the age of 40 to help keep their
skin looking its best; but not surprisingly, the tips can be begun at
any time, and the earlier the better. And leading the list was, “Drink
enough water! When you’re even mildly dehydrated, the appearance
of the skin becomes drying looking, and it looks and feels more aged.
Your body really needs good old- fashioned water,” she said, pointing
out that coffee, juice and other liquids just aren’t the same.
A second item on the list, according to Trageser, is “Sunscreen – it’s
huge! When we’ve hit 40, we’ve already had a lot of UV (ultraviolet
light) damage.” She said women should wear an SPF of 15 or higher
every day. “Even if you’re just driving in the car, or if
it’s winter and it’s gray outside, the UV rays come through.
That causes collagen breakdown dark spots, and that causes wrinkles.”
Trageser said a lot of cosmetics and products target women and the issues
they have with sagging skin, brown spots, etc. Some women also turn to
cosmetic surgery to eliminate problems or unwanted conditions. But Trageser
believes she can help women in a more natural, non-invasive way.
She has worked with Dr. Katherine Ke at a family practice physician
setting for more than a decade, both as a medical assistant and as office
manager; and in
2006, she opened aSpa Aesthetics & Wellness right in Dr. Ke’s
office in Sewickley. Trageser said, “I’ve had experience
being an esthetician, working in day spas and salons since 1994. (Opening
the spa) was my idea, and the doctor agreed. It was to help complement
a lot of the wellness values, the overall good health, and good lifestyle
values that the doctor and I convey to the patients.
“With the spa, we offer skin care, but we also offer nutrition
counseling and massage and body therapy. And we thought that just helped
to tie in with our all-over healthy living, healthy lifestyle that we
like to promote to our patients.”
She pointed out that a lifestyle change, such as getting more exercise
and eating healthier food – including “good” fats,
particularly nuts, seeds, lean meats and fish – can help keep skin
more supple. “I try to look at patients holistically and see where
they may have deficiencies,” Trageser said. In addition, she offers
a whole product line of creams and cleansers at aSpa.
“My line is all seaweed-based. It’s very high in the most
valuable vitamins, minerals, phyto-hormones, etc. It’s well balanced,
and well accepted into our systems.” Trageser said she likes to
do a free consultation with clients first. “From there we can make
recommendations about what treatments would be good and what you can
do at home. This is good-quality skin care that’s not fluff.”
In addition, despite the fact that the spa is located in a physician’s
office, the two are completely separate. “Everything is here in
a medical setting,” Trageser said, “but when you walk into
(the spa), you’re in a spa setting. It’s very relaxed; when
you come in, you’re welcomed, you’re a friend.”
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