A Devotion That’s Skin Deep

Confession: I buy myself a Valentine’s Day present every year.

Since I’m another year older, another year wiser, I’m treating myself to better skincare this Valentine’s Day. Of course, the number of services and products on the market in the Fort Worth area is overwhelming beyond words, so I’ve been consulting with a name locals trust, Skin Therapies, Inc., by Shannon Moon. You might have seen her name mentioned in the Tanglewood Moms Facebook Group several times. That’s because Shannon works wonders while maintaining her word-of-mouth only business.

Shannon has been a certified clinical aesthetician for over two decades, and she’s been educating women and men about their skin’s needs for just as long. As a 28-year-old, sleep-deprived mother of an infant boy, I see the ways in which my skin has reached a pivotal crossroads. Thankfully, Shannon gives complimentary consultations, and she has all the answers.

“In your late twenties, you’re at the perfect age to be getting started on a skincare regimen because what you do now determines what you will look like at 50 or 60 years old.” said Shannon. “With women in their thirties, it really depends on how they’ve taken care of themselves. Some women in their thirties look better than some women in their forties, who are smokers or sun worshippers.”

Gulp. I spent way too much trying to sport a tan in high school and college. Picture the expression of regret overcoming my face — and probably giving me wrinkles — as I implore for more information from Shannon.

“You know the sun will you age more quickly than cigarettes and liquor put together.” she said. “People don’t realize that you can still wear sunscreen and get great color. It’s a big misconception.”

For women in their forties and fifties, Shannon’s best advice is to introduce consistency into your skincare routine. Stress, poor diet choices, not enough water, and too much alcohol can counteract even the most diligent of moisturizing mavens, but it’s never too late to stabilize your lifestyle choices and visit her for monthly treatments. In fact, women aged 40 and older are recommended to visit monthly.

Skin Therapies Inc. offers more services than can easily be explained in one blog post, but some of the more popular treatments include photo rejuvenation, chemical peels, ultherapy, laser hair removal, fraxel laser treatments, microdermabrasions, and dermaplaning. The peels sound especially miraculous for clients suffering from Rosacea, cutting out redness by as much as 88%. I know because I scrolled through the Skin Therapies Inc. Instagram and Facebook feeds admiring all the before-and-after pictures.

Also, if you’re like me, you have no idea what the difference is between microdermabrasions and dermaplaning. Shannon explained to me that microdermabrasions tend to help younger adults — especially those with acne, acne scarring, or those who want to avoid chemical treatments. Dermaplaning, on the other hand, is a more aggressive treatment for removing the outermost layer of dead skin and all the not-so-cute peach fuzz that comes with it.

photo credit: Jeffrey Wooten Creative

Of course, it’s not enough to beg for skin help once a month. If I want to glow like Jennifer Anniston at 48, I don’t think Aveeno is going to get me there. Shannon directed me toward the top-of-the-line products she carries, made by Glytone and Avène. I’ve only recently discovered Avène in the last year or so, and Shannon shared with me her reason for carrying this product.

“Avène’s charity work is unbelievable.” said Shannon. “It’s a non-profit company that helps provide treatments to people living in third-world countries who have Rosacea, Psoriasis, and Dermatitis… They also do research and development on their products for 12 years before selling products on the market.”

photo credit: Jeffrey Wooten Creative

Glytone is another medical-grade line of skincare products that’s “more aggressive,” as Shannon would say, providing extra help for faces suffering from excessive skin damage, premature aging, and broken capillaries.

Located off of Hulen St. and Bellaire Dr. South, Shannon’s office works in partnership with Medical Director Dr. Stephen D. Ake, D.O., who offers osteopathic manipulative treatments to their shared client base. The two, along with trusted nurse Chrissy Torres, aren’t always accepting new clients, however, because their loyal customer base keeps them fairly busy. At any given time, Skin Therapies Inc. maintains a client base of 2,500. Currently, the company is just below that number and accepting new patients for a limited time only. Initial consultations are always complimentary.

photo credit: Jeffrey Wooten Creative

Tanglewood Moms readers are in for a an extra sweet deal. For the month of February only, mention that you read this blog post and receive a buy-one-get-one offer on photo rejuvenation treatments and a free product.

Have you guessed what I’m getting myself for Valentine’s Day yet? See you at Skin Therapies Inc.

Skin Therapies Inc.
4545 Bellaire Dr. South, Suite 2, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Shannon Moon: (817)731-5303
Dr. Ake: (817)240-2343

Jackie Hoermann-Elliott is the Assistant Director of TCU’s New Media Writing Studio, where she teaches digital composing to Horned Frogs needing to create videos, infographics, blogs, and much more. She wrote for newspapers and magazines around the Midwest before settling down in the Lone Star State. Since she moved here in 2013, she’s written for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Indulge, K Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, and GuideLive. Currently, she writes for those fun guys running The Fort Worth Weekly and is a valuable member of the TanglewoodMoms.com team. When she’s not writing, she’s procrasti-cleaning to avoid her dissertation or reading up on new trends in health and psychology research. For fun, she cheers on her husband, Mansfield ISD football coach Buck Elliott, teaches yoga at Yogali off E. Lancaster, practices poses with her amazing bonus daughter, “E,“ and enjoys the newest addition to the Elliot family, “Baby B.“