Before New You / After New You: Ana’s Story

“I'm 48 now, I've lost 70 pounds, and ironically I take better care of my skin today than I ever did when I was younger.”

When I look at my “before” photo from 2022, my skin honestly wasn't bad. I had done chemical peels periodically and was just starting to get back into Botox and regular skin treatments. I was also beginning to get more serious about what I was using at home.

But I was still carrying the weight I had gained during COVID, and no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get it off.

I tried dieting. I did Peloton. The weight just wouldn't budge.

Then Came the GLP-1

In 2022, when GLP-1s first started being used for weight loss, we decided to try it. At the time, I really had no idea what it would do for me—or even if it would work.

But I stuck with it.

I lost about 10 pounds a month for seven months straight.

Seventy pounds total.

The weight loss was incredible, but there was something I hadn't really thought about beforehand: what losing that much weight would do to my face.

I started noticing a loss of elasticity and volume in my skin. Suddenly, taking care of my face wasn't just about treating a little pigmentation or getting a facial because it felt good. I became much more focused on collagen, skin quality and preserving what I had.

That's When I Got Serious About My Skin

I started microneedling regularly pretty quickly. I became diligent about using my retinol and eventually added a little cheek filler to replace some of the volume I had lost.

Over the years, I've tried plenty of treatments—one of the perks of being an esthetician—but there are a few things I continue to come back to.

My non-negotiables are microneedling, VI Peels, Botox and filler when I need it.

I'm not someone who wants a lot of filler. I still want to look like myself. For me, it's about using it conservatively when I need a little volume restored rather than trying to change the way my face looks.

And microneedling will probably always be one of my favorite treatments because stimulating my own collagen has become such a big part of how I approach aging.

But Treatments Aren't the Whole Story

If there's one thing becoming an esthetician and working at New You has taught me, it's this:

Consistency matters.

You can come in and have an amazing treatment, but what you're doing to your skin every morning and every night for the rest of the year matters just as much—if not more.

I honestly attribute about 80% of the change I've seen in my skin to being consistent with my home care.

My routine has changed and evolved over the years, but there are a few things I'm rarely without: vitamin C is my number-one non-negotiable, along with growth factors, a good moisturizer and sunscreen.

And I use them. Consistently.

That's probably the biggest difference between me now and me when I was younger. I owned skincare products then, too. I just didn't necessarily understand how much the everyday consistency mattered.

Four Years Older—and That's Kind of the Point

When I put my 2022 photo next to my photo today, what surprises me most isn't some huge, dramatic transformation.

It's actually that there isn't one.

I'm four years older. I've lost 70 pounds. I've experienced the volume, collagen and elasticity changes that can come along with significant weight loss—and I still feel like my skin looks really good at 48.

That's the win for me.

I'm not trying to make myself look 30. I'm not trying to completely change my face.

I'm trying to preserve the skin I have.

I want to continue stimulating collagen, protecting my skin, treating changes as they happen and hopefully make the aging process happen a little more slowly.

And when a woman comes to me after significant weight loss and tells me she suddenly feels like her face has aged, I understand it differently now because I've experienced it myself.

My advice is not to panic and try to fix everything at once.

Start with your skin.

Get consistent with a good home routine. Protect it from the sun. Use ingredients that support the skin and address your concerns. Then think about treatments that stimulate collagen and improve skin quality. If volume loss is bothering you, that can be addressed too—but it doesn't have to mean changing your face or using a ton of filler.

There isn't one treatment or one product that got my skin here.

It's the cumulative effect of doing the right things over and over again.

At 48, that's really what “New You” means to me.

I don't want a different face.

I just want to take really good care of the one I have.