I have been waiting for Renee to make her way to LA after hearing so much about her from Tina. After months of anticipation I finally got the famous Renee Rouleau facial. And I can honestly say it was worth the wait. It wasn’t just a facial even though it was one of the best I’ve ever had, it was like an entire lesson on skin but more importantly, my skin!

She asked me what my main concerns were and throughout the 90 minute facial gave me practical tips and a better understanding of my skin. And they aren’t all necessarily product based solutions. My top concern is and has always has been hyper pigmentation. She had such great advise and information about how hyper pigmentation works that totally blew my mind. Of course the most obvious is to wear sunscreen – she lectured me when I told her I sometimes skipped this step in the morning because I’m always late.

The other thing is, because I have over active melanin (having hyper pigmentation also means I can get a pretty decent tan in 5 minutes) my skin reacts to not just the sun but also heat and stimulation – as in, my favorite thing to do, scrubbing my face with exfoliants!! And that includes my favorite beauty tool, the Clarsonic brush!! Oh no. While I’ve been doing all kinds of things in an attempt get rid of my spots all these years, I’ve managed to reverse any results with my habits! No wonder nothing has worked! She said I don’t even need to ever see the sun and my spots will be activated and get darker with scrubbing and heat, for example the sauna or steam room. OMG, another ritual I love – sitting in the steam room after working out.

Wow, what a total revelation! This was truly priceless information. Her suggestions to me were to begin using enzymes and acids to exfoliate, which work deeper in the skin and will not only remove the dead skin cells and promote rejuvenation but will also suppress melanin production. As well as, of course, to curb the melanin production from the stimulation of a physical scrub. I’ve heard of that of course, stopping the dark spots at its root, so to speak. But the piece I was missing is the stimulation I was causing and thus reversing any effects of whichever spot reducing method I was using.

She gave me the following products to include in my regimen, including basics like the Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel for $35.50. She still prescribed the Mint Buffing Beads ($41.50) once a weekly to remove any build up. The stuff that was really going to get rid of the spots is the Glycolic Serum 10% ($38.50) that I am to use 7 days in a row followed by a 7 day rest. This is what will break the cycle of melanin production and give me the smooth skin I crave from a scrub. For a super deep exfoliation, the Triple Berry Smoothing Peel ($85.50) is like getting a professional facial, which I am to use once a month for a total rehaul. On a daily basis the Vitamin C & E Complex ($62.50) is what will continue to keep the dark spots at bay (with a bonus of also helping in the anti-wrinkles department!) with the super concentrated anti-oxidant Vitamin C. Of course, there is the Daily Protection SPF 30 ($32.50) that can never be missed.

So after 3 weeks of diligently following her advise and using these products, there have been miraculous improvement on the dark spots!! No, they are not gone but the grayish cast in between each spot is almost gone, leaving only the freckles I was born with. I still have larger spots that need more fading but there is a dramatic reduction in tone. Suddenly, my skin is brighter and my complexion has evened out like never before. I find on most days that I don’t even need foundation (whereas before I felt like without covering up the dark spots took over my face). I am now religious about sunscreen, avoid scrubbing except for once a week and stay out of the sauna (hot baths are still ok, thankfully!). I seriously owe Renee a big huge THANKS for changing what has been a constant issue most of my adult life. Can’t wait to see you again in LA!!

Her 90 minute facials are $400 but as you can imagine, totally worth it. She has 2 permanent spas in Dallas, comes to LA every few months and is planning on going to New York soon. Friend Renee on Facebook to receive her famously helpful daily tips.