Liv's Blog

This week was super productive and I got a lot done! This week I both started and finished my script. To do that, I looked over all my past blog posts, gathered the most important information, and organized everything. After that, I practiced my speech and worked on timing, so it wouldn’t go too long or be too short. Then I organized and finished my trifold, which included adding a fun title, fun facts, and lots of information. I made sure the layout looked clean and easy to follow so it would catch peoples eyes. I accomplished and totally mastered how to insert Botox. It was way easier than I thought, and I didn’t run into any struggles or need to make any adjustments. Everything went smoothly and exactly how I planned.  Overall, this week brought everything together, I love how this project turned out, and this is a memory I will never forget!

Seventh grade has given me many fun memories, but here are three. My favorite memory was when Miss.Moffat picked me for Student of The Month. It made me feel recognized for how much effort and hard work I put into school. Another one of my favorite memories is our weekly 20% project work time in core. It’s so fun taking time off of doing schoolwork to do something we are passionate about. Lastly I loved working on the pajama pants in Home Economics. We get to listen to music, talk to friends, and work on a fun project. This year has been a rollercoaster but I’m so excited for next year.

Since I’ve already completed most of my research, I had less to work on. I began setting up my trifold by gluing blue paper onto the trifold as the background. I was planning to use stencils to write my title, “Skin deep” on the top of the trifold on the first section. The stencils were in use, so I wasn’t able to get started on that part yet. While I waited, I cut the paper to match the size of the trifold. This coming week, I plan to continue the work of my trifold. Which includes writing my title and then begin arranging the research and visuals. I also will be setting up my interview with my mom’s friend who does cosmetic procedures. I forgot to contact her last week, but I will make sure to do that as soon as possible. The biggest problem that I had last week was that I had to wait for the stencils, which took up the class period Friday. Also, I forgot to contact the aesthetician which I will be doing this week. As each week goes by, I love seeing how everything is turning out and I’m excited to see what it’s going to look like in the end!

Kind, caring, and loving are three words to describe my mom. My mom is one of my favorite people because she is always there for me. She always gives me the best advice, and lightens my day up when i’m feeling sad. I think of her as one of my best friends, she always listens to me, comforts me, and i’m always learning something new from her. My favorite memory with my mom is when I went to Las Vegas for my birthday to see my favorite country singer Morgan Wallen. I had so much fun hearing my favorite music live and spending time with my family. My mom is so special to me because I don’t know what I would do without her. Whenever i’m hanging out with her, I have the best time even if we are just watching a show or out at dinner. I love my mom so much and I hope she has the best mother’s day.

This week I was very successful researching different injectables and how they work. First, I researched the main type of injectables the most popular treatment is botulism, which is a main ingredient of Botox. Neurotoxin treatments are the most popular single cosmetic procedure in the U.S and are mainly used to smooth wrinkles that form facial movements like frowning, squinting, and smiling. This treatment works by blocking nerve impulse’s to muscles, causing them to relax. Botox typically lasts 3 to 6 months. Next is Dysport, which is another injectable and is similar from Botox. Dysport is faster to show the effect than Botox and dermatologists typically use a higher dosage. It spreads further which makes it a better treatment for larger areas such as your forehead. Then is Xeomin, this type of injectable was FDA approved for the treatment of frown lines in 2011. Xeomin does not contain any additives which means it does not require refrigeration can make it slightly more comfortable to have injected. Finally is Jeuveau, this is the newest neurotoxin injectable and was approved by the FDA exclusively for cometic use in 2019. Jeuveau is approved to improve the look of frown lines between the eye brows. This week, I forgot once again to contact the aesthetician to set up my interview. Other than that, my research was thorough and made my writing this week very simple. Next week I am going to start my trifold, set up my interview, and start writing my script for the presentation. So far, I love how everything is going I’m excited to see the final result!

In April, I read a book by Colleen Hoover called It Ends With us. It Ends With Us is about a girl named Lily Bloom who moves to Boston and starts a new chapter in her life. She meets a charming neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, and they quickly fall into a really intense relationship. As things start to get serious, Lily starts to question what she wants, especially when some from her past shows up. The book dives deep into love, choices, and how our past shapes us. I loved this book because it’s not your typical love story, it teaches you something about life and relationships. The book kept me hooked the whole time, and I couldn’t put it down. If you want a deep and dramatic love story, you have to read this. My favorite character is Lily because she’s so strong. Even when everything around her gets overwhelming, she doesn’t give up. One character trait to describe her is brave, “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you simply stop loving them.” That hit me hard because it shows how complicated emotions can be. It’s not always easy to walk away from someone you care about, even if they’ve done something wrong. It shows how Lily is trying to figure things out while protecting herself. My favorite quote is, “There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.” I loved this quote because it really makes you think. It shows how complicated people can be, like someone can mess up and still not be a awful person. It helps you understand that people have reasons for their actions, even if those actions hurt others.  It doesn’t mean that what they did is okay, but it shows that life is messy sometimes.

Since dermatology has a wide range of things to focus on, this week, I narrowed my project down to Botox. I watched many educational videos on how to mark where Botox is inserted, and how to put the needle in at an angle. I bought materials such as needles, a silicone head, gloves, and alcohol pads. I practiced marking where to insert the needle, I used the alcohol pad to prep and disinfect the skin, and then filled the needle with water instead of Botox. Then I practiced the injection and angle to use. I didn’t have any problems besides finding time for the interview and changing my focus, which is changing interview from a dermatologist to an aesthetician. Next week, I’m planning to focus more on Botox and set and complete my interview. Also, I plan to practice how to inject Botox and watch more videos and do more research on different fillers. I wanted to turn my focus on Botox because I have personal people I know who use it. I’m interested in maybe doing that for a living someday.

This week, I learned about breakouts, eczema, and the tools that dermatologists use. Breakouts can pop out when least expect it. They most often appear where our skin has the most oil glands. During a flare up, the hair follicles fill with dead skin cells, sebum (oil), and sometimes bacteria. This causes swelling, redness, and inflammation. If the pores clogged and there is no inflammation, this is called comedone. If the comedone is closed, it is considered a whitehead, and if it is open and has a black plug, it is called a blackhead. Pimples form when clogged hair follicles contain bacteria, which leads to inflammation. Then, eczema is a skin condition that causes dry and itchy patches of skin. This condition weakens your skin barrier, which is responsible for helping your skin retain moisture and protecting the body from outside elements. Eczema is common and affects more than 31 million american, with symptoms like dry, itchy skin, rash, bumps, thick and leathery patches, flaky, scaly, or crusty. Dermatologists use many tools to perform procedures including the following: dermacutter (removes blemishes), blackhead extractor, scalpel, microscope, gloves, laser dermabrasion (skin resurfacer, fillers (cosmetic), dermascope (skin microscope). Really, only one thing went wrong this week, which was not completing my interview with the dermatologist, which I can do this week or early next week. I have no adjustments to make to my project so far. I learned a lot this week about common problems and the tools used to help solve them. I’m so excited to learn more. See you next week!

My favorite room in my house is my backyard. I love my backyard because there are many things to do, such as swim, play volleyball, watch tv, eat nugget ice, and tan. When you walk out through the slider in our kitchen, above you is the white patio cover. To the right, there is a barbecue and bar area. To the left is our fire pit and pool. There is a wooden deck where you can jump off and into the pool. There is turf in front of the pool where there is sporting equipment. There also are tall, bushy trees called Japanese Blueberry trees  that go around the perimeter of the property. Being outside in the fresh air surrounded by beautiful scenery, looking at the trees leaves blowing in the wind, I feel grateful and happy.

Hi, my name is Liv, and for my 20% Project, I decided to learn about dermatology. I chose this because when I’m older I would like to be a cosmetic dermatologist. This week, my goal was to get a lot of research done and contact a dermatologist. First, I looked at different websites and learned about the layers of skin and the different types of skin, and also what dermatologists do. I learned that the outermost layer of skin is called the epidermis. The epidermis is constantly shedding dead skin cells from the top layer and replacing them with heathy cells. The dermis contains all sweat and oil glands, hair follicles, connective tissue, nerve endings, lymph vessels, collagen and elastin. The layer of skin beneath the dermis is called the hypodermis. This layer provides insulation for your body, keeping you warm. Next, I contacted a dermatologist and set up an interview. So far, everything is going according to plan and I haven’t had any problems, so I had no adjustments to make. I am excited to learn more, stay tuned for next week!