Nina Livii  
Skin Care & Wellness

Q: How much will the virtual skin assessment with Nina Livii cost and what form of payment do you take?

A: Virtual Skin Assessments are approx. 30-45 minutes long (sometimes longer if needed) during the first session.  The fee is $100. This includes your written protocol (which I email to you after the consultation) and a 15 minute follow up call in 6 weeks, as well as text message/email support as needed.  At the moment, I only take Venmo or Zelle.

The skin care products that you will be using are a separate cost.  This cost will depend on what products you are assigned.  I always do my very best to work within your budget. Once you have agreed to the product protocol, you will Venmo or Zelle me the payment for the products so that I can have them ordered and drop-shipped to your house.   Any 'wellness' products that I recommend will be left to you to order at your own discretion.

 

 

Q: How long will it take to see results?

A:  It generally takes about 6 weeks of consistent use to start seeing improvement in your skin, however many people start to notice a difference much sooner.  It will take about 6-12 months to to see 'final' results, which can be maintained by continuing to use a healthy skincare routine.  Although I always try to eliminate 'trial and error', sometimes it is inevitable to have to make a switch in your routine.  I generally start you off with a minimal routine to see what's working for you, and add products to your routine if/as needed.  Many clients find that they are ready to add another product or 2 to their routine at the 6-8 week mark, however, for other clients the minimal routine is enough.  This depends on your skin needs, goals and budget.  The key to seeing results is being 100% committed to the protocol I recommend.

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Q: How many skincare products should I expect to order after a skin assessment?

A:  This depends on your skin needs, goals, lifestyle and budget.  Your skincare routine is individualized. Generally, I will start you off with a minimal routine consisting of about 3-4 products (give or take), but some people find that they are ready to add 1-2 more products once their skin has adjusted to the initial routine (if needed).  It is better to start off with less to minimize negative reactions, and to see what's actually working for you.  I will never assign a 10-step skincare routine as this is completely unnecessary and not conducive to the health of your skin.  Often, less is more, and products aren't everything as I want to leave enough time and space for 'wellness' which is 50% of your skin health.

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Q: What should I do if my skin doesn't react well to the products I was assigned?

A: The chances of you reacting negatively to a product I assigned are low due to my approach to skincare, however even with the most knowledge and best products, it's impossible to be 100% sure that you won't react negatively to something.  

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First, it's important to understand the difference between an allergy, reaction, and purge:

 

An allergy is an allergic reaction to something that can result in uticaria (hives that generally appear as itchy welts) and can be mild to severe.  In the event of a severe allergy, always go to your nearest ER and discontinue the product.  This is extremely rare.  I always take note of any known allergies in the consultation process before recommending anything, however there are not enough allergy tests in the world to completely rule out the possibility of an unknown allergy. 

 

A 'reaction' to a product can produce an inflammatory response like continuing break-outs (different from a 'purge' which I will cover below), dermatitis, rosacea flare ups, etc.   Usually it appears as small red bumps and/or pustules.   It is normal for some people to have a brief 'adjustment' period in the beginning of a new routine, but if this continues, you may have to discontinue the product as this may mean that your skin cannot tolerate an ingredient in the product.  This is why I like to start everyone off with a 'minimal' more gentle routine, so that if you react negatively to a product, we can rule out which one.  

One of the main reasons most people 'react' is skin barrier impairment.  If your skin barrier is impaired more than I can see, we may have to go back a step and address this more first - we can always come back to the product that you aren't reacting well to later.

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A 'purge' is when congestion underneath of the surface of your skin comes to the surface.  This generally happens with exfoliating products or products with 'actives'.  This will appear as a temporary break-out, and it is a completely normal and healthy skin response.  This means that the product is helping your skin to clear out the gunk!  A purge is temporary, and should only last a few weeks.  If you continue breaking out longer than a few weeks, this most likely is not a purge, but your skin reacting to something in the product.  If this is the case, the product will have to be discontinued so that we can find an alternative. 

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When in doubt, please reach out with pictures and a description so that I can offer support.

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Q: What kind of 'wellness' products will be recommended to me and why?

A:  Your skincare protocol will not just include skincare products.  Products are only 50% of your skin health.  The rest comes from the inside.  Without addressing your overall wellness, products will have limited results.  I have studied and taken classes in the connection between skin & nutrition.  Based on my knowledge and studies, I will most likely be making dietary and supplemental 'suggestions' as well.  Please note that these are only suggestions.  It is not in my scope of practice to assign you a full blown diet and supplement protocol.  Although I will collect information about your overall wellness (including any underlying conditions) before I make suggestions, it is still important to use discernment before making any dietary/supplemental changes.  This means if you are taking any medication and/or have an underlying condition, please ask your doctor (a functional medicine doctor may be best here) before utilizing the suggestions.   I believe the type of clients that come to me are smart and will make educated decisions before putting anything into their bodies.

The wellness recommendations I make are individualized and depend on your skin needs.  For example, if you have a specific type of Acne, I may suggest eliminating dairy to see this is an acne trigger for you.  Oftentimes, once the skin has been clear for awhile, many people find that they can add foods that they've eliminated back into their diet.  Since, nutrition and nourishment depend on having a wide variety of food groups in your diet, I don't believe in eliminating too many food groups because this can lead to a lack of nutrients.  I may make some supplement 'suggestions' that I feel can be helpful for you in your skin journey.  These are supplements that I have vetted out as being the highest quality products you can get, and I may be able to provide you with discount codes for some of them.  Most of them can be ordered online.  I may also make recommendations to see a practitioner that is not within my scope of practice if I feel that it would be conducive for your skin health - for example, if I feel that whole-body lymphatic drainage would be an important step in resolving facial inflammation and puffiness, I may suggest that you see a certified lymphatic drainage specialist as this will be key to allowing your skincare routine to work.  If I believe that acupuncture could be beneficial to resolve high stress levels that trigger break-outs, I may recommend an acupuncturist, and so on.  Healthy skin comes from both topical and internal care.