Anti Aging is a “Life” Strategy

It is inevitable that, as our biological clocks tick by, our skin becomes more sensitive, dull and dry. Fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin start to give cause for concern each time we face a mirror. That, unfortunately, is life and that, consequently, is the reason why adopting an anti-aging skin care strategy is essential.

We are talking “skin care” which means all the things that we can do to slow the inevitable, not just what products to use. As a foundation, here are the top 10 “life” tips for that youthful skin which everyone desires:

1. Avoid sun, or more correctly UV exposure, it’s your skin’s number one enemy! Too much sun will prematurely age your skin, can burn your skin and may even cause skin cancer. If you really need to be outdoors, then apply a broad spectrum (UVA & UVB) protective cream twenty minutes before exposure, one with a sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher. Re-apply as needed. Also, always be ready with an umbrella, hat, and sunglasses to shield your skin against the sun’s blazing rays.

2. Drink lots and lots of fluids. Keeping your skin regularly hydrated with water and fresh fruit juices will give you a healthier and firmer looking skin. Dehydrated skin cuases the fine lines which become wrinkles. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day also washes out harmful toxins from the body, these too can cause premature skin aging.

3. Eat healthy. Proper nutrition plays an important role in anti-aging skin care treatment. Focus more on fresh fruits and vegetables, and fiber rich foods. Avoid desserts, junk foods and fried foods as much as you can. Sweets and treats can cause skin breakouts, making your skin look old.

4. Take skin beneficial vitamins, anti-oxidants and supplements that are truly advantageous to skin. Vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene and lycopene are great anti-oxidants. They can protect your skin from harsh free radicals that will ultimately damage cells and cause diseases.

5. Exercise. Don’t you just love how your skin glows right after working out? Exercising at least 3x a week will guarantee a healthier and more toned skin. If you find the gym boring or scary, engage in sports that interest you. Or, do some brisk walking in the morning or walk the dog—anything that keeps your blood pumping! And, its good for your dog too!

6. Early to bed, early to rise and sleep like a baby. Depriving yourself of sleep or sleeping in late can ruin your skin and make it look old—not to mention it can also cause those panda-like dark circles and bags under your eyes. Plus, skin regenerates best while you are sleeping, so get that much needed beauty rest.

7. You know you really should, so give it up! Generally, smokers look older than their real age and have more wrinkles than non-smokers. Smoking dehydrates the skin, which leads to skin cracking and breaking. Quit smoking to not only prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging, but to also add more valuable years to your life.

8. Sometimes, less is more! Wearing too much cosmetics can clog up your pores and cause many skin problems, which can contribute to premature aging. Light make-up like blush-on, lip gloss, and sheer foundation should be fine. Don’t forget to remove make-up traces before going to bed. Otherwise, you’ll greet the morning with an impending pimple or blackhead.

9. Smile for an express face-lift, free of charge! People forget just how beneficial it is to smile—it effortlessly provides an instant blush to your face. Besides, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

10. Select your skin care products sensibly. Use a firming cream or moisturizer at night and a quality UV protective cream during the day. Choose anti-aging products that contain key ingredients, such as collagen, Vitamin A, retinoids, Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids (AHAs and BHAs) to have a clearer and more youthful complexion. Exfoliate weekly to remove dead skin cells to reveal a fresh looking skin and further prevent wrinkles.

You can take off years and maintain a youthful complexion by following these tips.

Why would you not want to?

Flowers On The Wall

Much is written here and everywhere else “skincare” about the fact that more than 80% of skin damage is caused by the UV rays of the sun and that broad spectrum UV protection is essential as the number #1 anti wrinkle defence.

OK, so, who knows what the #2 is?

How many of you thought “Smoking”? You got it!

Basically, smoking causes your blood vessels to constrict which means that you’re starving your skin cells of oxygen and your skin literally starts to suffocate. Since oxygen isn’t getting to your cells in order to help them rebuild, they don’t regenerate as quickly as normal and your skin cell turnover slows down. As you continue to smoke you get fine lines around your lips, and your skin becomes rougher and thicker, not to mention dull in color and hyper-pigmented.

Did you know that the carcinogens in the tobacco smoke (first and second hand!) degrade collagen and elastin, just as sunlight does, so your skin becomes less elastic and more wrinkled over time. And, as you smoke, you overuse certain muscles in the face leaving you not only with the wrinkles around the mouth but lines between your eyes and crow’s-feet from squinting all the time.

And, if all those bad things that can happen to your skin from smoking aren’t enough to convince you to quit smoking, you also know that smoking is associated with the development of skin cancer because of the build-up of toxins around your face and mouth and the damage caused to the DNA in the skin tissue from the smoke. !!

Sure, there are worse things you can do to your body but if you smoke and want to age gracefully, DON’T!!

“Countin’ flowers on the wall
That don’t bother me at all
Playin’ solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo
Now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do”

Our Skin Ages As We Age

There are volumes written on the internet on the subject of Anti Aging. In reality, it’s an indisputable fact of life, Aging does and will happen! There is nothing that we can do about it. However, we can take very positive actions towards limiting some of the factors which contribute to the degree of Aging that is apparent.

With aging, the skin undergoes changes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic changes are those that appear due to the aging of body. Extrinsic changes are those that occur due to external factors such as the sun, smoking and other environmental pollution, diet, gravity and bad skin care. We cannot stop any intrinsic change because that is programmed in our body, but we are certainly able to change our personal habits and reduce the changes due to extrinsic factors.

The skin has three layers – the Epidermis (outermost layer), the Dermis (middle layer) and the subcutaneous layer (below the dermis).

As we age, the skin loses its suppleness, texture and strength. The epidermis or the outermost layer begins to thin. The Melanocytes (Pigment containing cells) decrease in number but increase in size which gives a pale look to the skin. The blood vessels in the dermis begin to lose strength and it becomes more easy for skin to suffer damage, leading to bruising and bleeding under the skin. Healing becomes very slow, in fact it maybe four times more slow in old age when compared to our youth.

Changes due to the sun (UV radiation) such as liver or age spots appear. With age spots and other hyper-pigmentation, wrinkles appear on skin in many places on the skin. The “youthfull” look is lost. Sun damage can accelerate the skin aging considerably and is also known to cause skin diseases such as skin cancers.

The subcutaneous layer, that gives fat padding to the skin, thins. This further increases the risk of skin injury. As the underlying fat in the subcutaneous layer is lost, hollowness appears on the cheeks and eye sockets. Jowls form because of gravity.

Both sweat glands and sebaceous glands become less active. Skin turns dry and our sense of touch heat etc. reduces considerably. The hair goes gray and then turns white. Some people lose part or all of their hair and some just grow hair in unwanted places. The nails become thin and half moons on the nails disappear. Other growths such as skin tags and warts, may begin to further mar the appearance.

While many people do make an attempt to protect their skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun, most do not understand just how essential the regular care of their skin is, as part of an effective anti aging strategy which will maintain a youthful look for a longer time.

On the subject of Skincare Value … (again)

I posted an item the other day about Value Perception when it comes to buying skin care products ….

Does a product with a high price and fancy packaging tell you anything more than that its a product with a high price and fancy packaging?

In most cases no! Especially when its carrying the name/endorsement of a (not so) well known personality.

You should keep in mind that, most facial creams and skin care products contain many similar basic ingredients, no matter how expensive the item. Be smart, read the label and find a product that has the ingredients that fit your needs and more importantly fit your budget!

Do not be impressed by elaborate bottles or famous and beautiful celebrities who tout “their product” in return for a lot more than most of us earn in a year! Take a moment to ask yourself, what did they use before they became famous? It obviously worked!

For example, choose a moisturizer that complements your skin type and then use it religiously to combat dry skin and premature aging. Do not be seduced by a product that is advertised to contain some sexy antioxidant “not found in any other cream”. Bottom line is that all antioxidants tend to work about the same way and to the same degree of effectiveness.

You can improve your skin care regimen immensely and save a lot of pennies if you just remember that Hydration is one of the primary keys to successful skin care. For maximum effectiveness, apply moisturizers right after bathing, night creams one hour before going to bed. And, simply drink lots of water every day.

What is Cold Hydration and why is it better than a Steamer?

The concept of Cold Hydration was developed by Ms. Anna Lotan, the founder of the professional skin care company Anna Lotan, more than fifty years ago.

She had originally learned the European style of skin preparation for treatment, especially the deep pore cleansing (Extraction ), that had been traditionally done with steam. For her, Steam did not seem the right solution, especially for acne prone skin, as heat may only irritate and spread inflammation. And yes, it did the job, but only for a short time (or a limited area). By the time you had finished one area the next was already dried and contracted, when you actually needed it to be “plumped” and well hydrated.

She came to the conclusion that there must be a less agressive method to achieve a plumped, hydrated skin. So, she developed an alternative methodology which employs the physiological principle of Osmosis – to increase skin hydration by using a hypo-tonic medium applied as a moist layer on top of the membrane called skin.

The method was universally adopted in Israeli salons at the time and allowed beauticians to work almost entirely without electrical machinery. Needless to say, it was soon adopted and copied by other skin care companies. Today, it is still widely used in professional skin care establishments throughout the world.

Cold Hydration offers many advantages:

• It is much gentler and especially more suitable for sensitive skin and for skin affected by acne, seborrhea and couperose conditions.
• Cold hydration is a much more pleasant for the client and much easier to control for the professional.
• The medium – actually a gel – may be cold (or very lightly warmed) and may be enriched with other soothing, purifying components – or those that accelerate “healing”. [Her first medium was a natural Aloe gel. Later, a "do it yourself" hydration gel (prepared from powder) was added.]
• It can be placed all over the required areas and then removed part by part, to expose a new area that is “ready” for extraction!
• No investment in equipment is necessary.

To this day, although with the benefit of improved formulations, both Cold Hydration and the Anna Lotan Gel and Powder are still being widely used, worldwide.

The Essence of A Great Facial

I came across a blog post yesterday by a lady called Rachel Odem – http://www.makeupbyrachelo.com/.

There is no way to make this point more clearly than Rachel did:

“Recently I took the time to schedule a facial with a well known skin care company. I was really excited to have an evening away from my kids:) I like to get skin care services without telling the therapist I am also an Esthetician. I do this because it allows me to see what other companies are offering their clients and it is also an opportunity for me to learn from others in my field.

The facial was AWESOME!! The décolleté and shoulder massage almost made me fall asleep. I loved the steam therapy and hot towels, it totally relaxed me! I needed it so bad. The facial was very pampering! So I am sure you are asking “what was missing”, you probably want to know if your skin therapist is giving you what you need. The most important part of a facial with any client is education. The therapist did a great job pampering me but did not talk to me during the entire treatment, she didn’t even do a skin analysis. Before performing any services or selecting products, your skin type must be analyzed correctly. Every facial should include a consultation, this is where your therapist should ask you questions about your skin, take a look at your skin through the magnifying lamp and tell you about your skin type, the texture and tone of your skin, he or she should also mention any special areas of concern. Lastly you should also leave the facial with a home care regime.”

Thank you Rachel!

Let’s Test Your Value Perception!

I saw something today that I just had to share with you.

Have you ever encountered the La Prarie Luminous White Caviar Collection?

“This collectible gift includes full sizes and convenient travel sizes of White Caviar Illuminating Cream, Serum and Eye Serum nestled inside a replica coffret of the Cream. All three White Caviar Illuminating products diminish age spots, reduce uneven pigmentation and minimize future discoloration with fast-penetrating formulas that drench skin with moisture. Unprecedented lightening, brightening and lifting are now yours.”

When you get down to the basics, its three anti aging products in a fancy box with three “deluxe travel companions” (aka product  samples).

Neiman Marcus and Nordstrum both list it as a $1,365 value!

But its onsale for only $950!

I challenge anybody to persuade me that this represents a shrewd skincare purchase.

Skin Care Product Storage and Safety

Most Skin Care products will remain safe and fit for their purpose for a long time, provided they are stored under suitable conditions and not subjected to extreme temperatures. To ensure the maximum durability of skin care products, they should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and with the lids firmly closed.

It is important to avoid contaminating the products during normal use and so hands should always be clean before putting fingers into products and the sharing of cosmetics is not encouraged.

Shelf life
Most products are made to last a long time, although it is not always clear just how long ‘a long time’ is. If a product has a limited shelf life (less than 30 months – two and a half years) it is required to be labelled with a ‘best before’ date.

However, “Best Before” dating is not common as most cosmetic products are formulated to ensure they have a long shelf life.

How long should I keep my products for?
Durable skin care products, those with a shelf life of at least 30 months, are in the majority. Even so, some consumers want to know how long an opened product can be kept.

A symbol introduced by the industry in conjunction with European Union guidelines recommends the length of time a product remains useable after opening. This period is referred to as the ‘period after opening’ (PAO). The period is given as a number of months and is marked with a letter ‘M’ under or within the ‘open jar’ symbol. When a PAO symbol is required this will appear on the product itself and on the outside packaging.

Period After Opening

In practice, most cosmetic and personal care products are formulated to ensure that they are safe to use and have a shelf-life which far exceeds the normal time it would take to use the product up.

With correct storage and handling, they should remain in good condition for their expected life. However, if a product discolours or has an unpleasant odour, it should be discarded immediately since this indicates the product is not as originally intended.

It is also worth noting that very special care should be taken with truly natural (not the 95% pretenders!) or organic products which claim to be “preservative free”. Both shelf life and useful life can be significantly impacted by even the slightest of contaminations.

Some useful tips

• Always read the instructions carefully; including any warnings for use
• Keep lids on products when not in use and use the product within the recommended time
• Avoid storing your products in the direct sunlight or near sources of heat and chose dry, cool (but not freezing) storage areas where possible
• Never dilute products or mix with other products (unless directed to do so by the product instructions)
• Apply cosmetics with clean hands or an applicator and routinely wash all applicators thoroughly with soap, detergent or a mild shampoo
• Allow applicators to dry thoroughly before use
• Avoid sharing your personal cosmetic products with another person

An Idiots Guide to Google Search!

You do it, I do it, we all do it, every day!

The Google Search Engine has become as important to our every day existence as air, food and water.

The verb “To Google” is now common in many of the languages spoken on this planet.

But, have you ever wondered how the Google Search Engine actually works?

Here is their published explanation, in simple terms, so that we may all understand the absolute brilliance of what Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed while at Stanford.

The technology behind Google’s great results.

The result is only Natural!

OK, you have read all those marketing pitches and blog posts and are now feeling that, just maybe, your New Years Resolution should be to only buy “natural” skin care products. Thats OK, a lot of people may feel that way.

HOWEVER!:

Make sure that, if you do, you buy a product that is clearly labelled – “Naturally Preserved”.

The argument for and against the use of parabens to preserve skin care products continues to rage and, only a few days ago, an EU research team (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)) published a report supporting the use of parabens when used appropriately in a formulation.

Just for the record, if you are applying your day and night creams with your fingers, direct from the jar, click here to see what happens when there is no protection against contamination from micro-organisms.

The result is only Natural!