August 27, 2021
Justification for splurging on Retrouvé, an at-home solution for aging hands and a post-breast reconstruction update.
Skincare worth splurging on right now
This may be hard to believe, but I took a week-long skincare break after having surgery—because I simply didn’t have the energy or desire. I also had a minor reaction to the antibiotics I was taking in the form of red, bumpy skin on my face so that gave me another reason to keep things simple. (This happened after my mastectomy as well but I totally forgot to tell my surgeon before he prescribed this round of post-surgical meds.) On one hand, I appreciated the ease of using just a cleansing wipe and moisturizer, but then I looked in the mirror and it was obvious I needed to get my shit together.
A few weeks before surgery, I took a deep (Zoom) dive into the world of Retrouvé, the uber-luxurious skincare line created by Jami Morse Heidegger of Kiehl’s founding-family fame. The takeaway: With sleek black packaging, elegant textures, cutting-edge science and proven, super-high-quality ingredients, this line is the ultimate way to indulge (and improve) your skin.
These products are also as “clean” as can be without sacrificing, well, anything. The triple-airless packaging protects every product from the time it’s filled in the factory until you put it on your face, allowing for minimal use of preservatives while maintaining potency and maximizing shelf life. You won’t find any artificial colors, fragrance, parabens, sulfates or silicone either. In a stark departure from many mainstream skincare companies, you don’t get any claims or promises either—but you’re sure to see the results with your own two eyes. The tightly-edited line is ideal for all skin types, yet you can customize the routine for your skin with (or without) the various moisturizer formulas. Here’s what I’ve been using…
Luminous Cleansing Elixir: You know I love a good cleansing balm, and this one comes in an innovative pump so you don’t have to scoop it out (or contaminate it) with your fingers. Applied to dry skin before adding water to emulsify it, it’s packed with avocado oil sourced from Retrouvé’s own sustainable, organic farm in Malibu. Rich in essential fatty acids and nutrients, it serves up major skin-softening and brightening benefits (and it won’t clog pores so it’s suitable for all skin types).
Conditioning Tonic: A cross between a toner and an essence (two products in one!), this post-cleansing step offers anti-inflammatory chamomile and lactic acid for gentle exfoliation. If you’re not a “morning cleanser,” this alone will prep the skin for your AM regimen.
Revitalizing Eye Concentrate Skin Hydrator: With a waterless, oil-based formula and gel-like texture, a little of this eye treatment goes a long way (and you need less than a pea-sized amount for both eyes). It contains squalane which mimics the skin’s natural oils, vitamins A and E, and padina pavonica marine extract to hydrate the delicate eye area as it fights fine lines and dark circles. It also glides across the skin like a dream to minimize tugging or pulling and creates the perfect canvas for concealer.
Nutrient Face Serum: One of the few Retrouvé products that contains water (which makes it a wonderful hydrator for oilier skin), this featherweight gel provides antioxidant protection and skin-brightening with a high concentration of vitamin C along with skin-soothing niacinamide.
Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer: I would have never dreamed of using an oil-based moisturizer in the morning, but this one changed my tune. With Swiss apple stem cell extract, an antioxidant blend of white tea and pomegranate, and anti-inflammatory resveratrol (which is also a potent antioxidant), the elixir-like consistency absorbs in a flash and instantly plumps and revitalizes my skin.
After a few weeks of looking tired and beat up (with red, bumpy skin to boot), I finally feel ready to re-enter the world. Hopefully the healthy, radiant glow I’m seeing after using Retrouvé is the first thing that people will notice instead of my still-swollen, overabundant busom!
Are your hands revealing your true age?
As if I didn’t have anything else to worry about, I’ve been paying more attention than usual to the backs of my hands, because apparently my tennis, walking and hand-sanitizer use aren’t doing them any favors. I always rub excess serum, creams, sunscreen, etc. into them after applying to my face (and you should, too), but as it turns out these skincare measures can only go so far.
BTW, virtually any professional treatment designed to rejuvenate the face can be used on the hands (including chemical peels, lasers and even injectables), and I came across an at-home version that looks pretty amazing: The Omnilux Contour Glove.
This space-age-looking anti-aging mitt harnesses the power of visible red and near-infrared LED light to painlessly jumpstart your skin cells’ mitochondria—in turn promoting the production of new collagen and elastin. The result: Plumper, smoother, more youthful-looking skin.
Improvement in the look of crepiness, visible veins (as well as underlying bone, muscles and tendons) and sun spots in three to five 10-minute treatments per week (after four to six weeks) sounds pretty good to me—although I’m personally not quite ready to shell out $345. BUT, talk to me after I’m cleared to start exercising again and the weather chills out enough to make it bearable to be outside…
I'm back!!!
Have you missed me? I know I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks, but I have a good excuse. At the very beginning of the month, the hubs and I went on our first “vacation” in about two years—if you can call Nashville and two Phish shows a vacation. I, personally, came home needing a spa- or beach-based getaway after four days of honky tonk, urban living (i.e. pretty much walking everywhere all damn day) and local cuisine that does not align with my dietary restrictions.
We got home late that Thursday night and I was wheeled into the O.R. early Monday morning for part two of my breast reconstruction—so I spent most of my last kid-less week of summer off my feet. In case you’re wondering what that entailed, you’re in luck…
As a refresher, I had surgery #1 back in April, which involved a double mastectomy to remove my cancer and virtually guarantee that I never have another breast cancer ever again. Once my breast surgeon finished her job, my plastic surgeon stepped in to insert expanders, which are basically temporary implants that get filled with saline over the following weeks and months until they reach the desired size.
After almost four months with the expanders (which are far from fun, BTW), surgery #2 involved getting my “real” implants. The last thing I remember before going under was the nurse showing me an entire cart of implants so my plastic surgeon had many, many options to find the best "fit” for my body and desired size.
Now, my body is now the proud home of 505cc smooth, round, high-profile, cohesive silicone (“gummy bear”) Sientras. If you’re at all familiar with breast augmentation you’re probably thinking those are HUGE—but remember that I was starting with zero breast tissue—and my goal was to be a full B-cup.
My second reconstruction procedure also included liposuction on my stomach, which is basically like the post-cancer consolation prize—but there was a reason for it beyond vanity. See, the fat that was sucked out was processed to filter out the non-fat and then re-injected over the implants in the upper portion of my breasts to help them look more natural. Because no one wants to look like “tits on a stick” (or at least I don’t).
This surgical add-on comes along with its own recovery in the form of major swelling and bruising on my abdomen that extends down to my upper thighs, as well as small incisions on my hipbones. I have to wear a girdle-like compression garment for at least three weeks, which honestly might be the most uncomfortable part (at least now that I’m off the Percoset). Oh, and my surgeon also did a little lipo around my armpit and on the sides of my chest to make the final outcome even better.
Here I am one week after surgery—obviously working and running at about 95% although I can’t exercise, lift anything heavy or over-exert myself. Appearance-wise, my boobs feel ginormous, but my surgeon reassured me that I’m still very swollen when I saw him this morning. The first time around it took about 2 months for the swelling to go down, so I’m not freaking out about the fact that I can literally rest my chin on my boob like a pillow.
And with that, this should (hopefully) be the last of the surgery for quite some time. (I’ll likely need to have my implants replaced at some point down the line because they are not lifetime “devices.”) Yes, they’ll also have to be monitored (this protocol is on my list of questions for when I see my plastic surgeon again in two weeks), but nowhere near the level of screening I was doing before I was diagnosed with cancer.
It’s certainly been a journey to say the least, and at the end of it all I have new boobs, a flatter stomach and most importantly, MY HEALTH—along with a new outlook on life.
I’ll ask again… Are you due for a mammogram??? If so, don’t put it off because early detection is essential for a happy ending like mine.