Posts Tagged ‘anti-aging’
5 Things NOT To Do To Your Skin this Summer.
5 of the worst things you can do to your skin during Summer.
1. Aggressive Facials
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By aggressive I mean any treatments that involve advanced exfoliation techniques, or includes terms such as chemical peels or microdermabrasion.
Also any facial procedures involving invasive techniques – cosmetic surgeries, nips, lifts, tucks – anything that pierces the face, should also be put off until the fall or winter, unless you would be recuperating in some retreat, indoors and far, far away from the hustle of life in the fast lane where the rest of us will be. If you would be at such a retreat, gwaan on along with your treatment and please do us all a favour and, like a good friend, not mention how ‘ super awesome’ it was.
Exposure to UV rays already increases skin’s sensitivity. No need to make this sensitivity worse by dousing your face in glycolic acid. This combination can result in your worse nightmare, including, but not limited to blisters, darkening of skin areas and disfigurement.
2. Skipping moisturizer
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Typically most skin types are more oily during the summer months. Those of us with naturally oily/ acne prone skin tend to forgo moisturizer altogether, thinking that this excess oil means that the skin moisturizes itself on it’s own. Increased oil production is usually a sign of dehydration, therefore it is important to replenish water levels in skin by increasing the amount of water you drink yes, but it’s said that only something like 10% of the water we drink actually make it to the skin. This is not something that you can quote me on, but considering that most of us barely pass the 2-glass mark daily for water, anything less than 115% absorption of this water we drink is cause for concern.
Therefore, applying a water-based, oil free moisturizer can help replenish the water levels in the skin. These types of moisturizers usually are labeled as such, may be referred to as a ‘gel’ or ‘fluid’ moisturizer and usually list ‘Water’ as the first ingredient.
Stay clear of anything that is labeled a ‘cream’, passes the ‘Dairy Queen’ test (you can turn the opened jar upside down and the contents not fall out), or contains mineral oil (or any such oil) in it’s ingredient listing.
3. Showering less
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“So many fun things to do, so little time!”
No papi. Not so fast.
It’s summer. It’s warm, and it’s humid. Bacteria are in love. They breed, and they multiply, which inevitably results in an odour. YOUR odour, aka B.O.
Hygiene in general needs to be thrown into high gear, and on autopilot. Automatic. Noone wants to out more fires than necessary at the BBQ lime.
Let’s remember the Summer watchwords – Shower & Shave.
4. Not exfoliating
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Closely related to #3, exfoliation of the body helps to remove excess oil buildup that may occur during the day. It helps skin to breathe, look instantly refreshed and ‘glow’, as manually exfoliating the body increases blood circulation.
You can cop one of those kazillion commercial body scrubs on the market and and get it on in the shower. However, I find most of them oily, and hardly worth their cost as most contain very little exfoliating ingredients.
Alternatives?
Dry brush your skin using a dry body brush before you shower, brushing in strokes that lead toward your heart (the direction in which your blood flows). I’ve read that dry brushing, among many other benefits such as shedding dead skin cells, rejuvenating the nervous system and assisting in lymphatic cleansing to name a few, also assists with decreasing the appearance of cellulite… could be as good a reason as any to try it I’d say. Hey, I’ve done more for the promise of far less.
I find dry brushing more effective than brushing your skin in the shower (wet brushing I presume, though this term makes me feel like I need handcuffs), as the bristles of the brushes, shown to the left, get softer in the shower.
I prefer my massage-pressure firm though, so if you are more of a light-pressure person, perhaps an in-shower brush-exfoliation may work. I do this twice a day – morning and evening.
For good measure, once a week I also do a body scrub, using a combination of cornmeal, honey and, for some slip, a bit of whatever body wash I’m using at the time. Sometimes I just use ground coffee beans and body wash. Whatever is convenient. For more on body exfoliation see Smooth Criminal.
5. Not using sunscreen
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To my melanin-challenged folks, we aren’t all skin-kissed, bronze goddesses, I get that. But that is no reason to opt to play Cancer Roulette. Besides, sun-burns aren’t sexy, no matter what reality TV says. If wanting a tan is your reason to ride the sun-wave buck nekked, get a sun-less tan. There are tons on the market. I’m familiar with the brand Fake Bake – it’s fairly easy to use, it’s sold where I work, doesn’t leave you looking like like you belong on the Jersey Shore cast, and so this particular brand comes to mind, but there are many other brands. Try that route.
For those of us who are doing backstrokes in the melanin pond, don’t believe the hype that “Black Don’t Crack”. Not only can it crack, it can get mad spotty and unslightly – dark spots, light spots, uneven skin tone – you name it. Skin damage is not known to discriminate.
Be responsible with your skin, and, for wrinkles sake, use sunscreen.
Party on!
b FiercelyFabulous
Spring Clean Your Sunscreen.
To be brutally honest, yes, I am aware that this post maybe a tad late – about a month or two. If I knew exactly how late it was, I probably would have uploaded it on time. BUT, to my defense, I was actually waiting for Spring to arrive; A concept that worked a lot better penned in my journal than executed. I was sitting idly by, all freezing, awaiting Spring. Seeing that I am now sitting, idly by, all …misty… , with umm… *mist* beading down my calves, awaiting Spring, I figured that, perhaps, it would be a good idea to discuss it now.
People watch me funny when I say that it’s hot outside. I can only imagine that is because, of course, being a child of the Caribbean, I should be accustomed to the sun. But, dare I say, there is a difference between the Caribbean sun and the sun a country where the mere presence of it indicates a change of season.
For starters, there is no sea breeze. There is no sight of beachy paradise, and there is, on average, 14+ hours of it, everyday. My grandmother used to tell me that “Too much of a good thing is good for nothing”, and I do believe that that phrase can be applied here.
I will preface this by saying that that, I am in no way complaining about Summer. I love Summer in TO, at least the concept of it. My Prince gets a [welcomed, no doubt] break from the Velvet Hammer, and gets an all-expenses-paid vacay with his dad and grandparents, who he, quite politically, loves equally. “No favourites” he maintains. With any luck, I too will posses said tact one day.
There’s lots for a girl to love about summer in TO too. She gets to eat on patios with people whom she’s never met, and probably will never see again in life, so any fear of being judged because of any preferences regarding, eating with fingers, enjoying the taste of well-seasoned bones, or that fact that she may find people-watching, for hours on end while sipping herbal tea, entertaining. She can eat, or be otherwise entertained for free, go out on weekends, [or week-nights] and not have to be back before 6pm. Hell, she doesn’t have to be back, period. Why? Because apparently these are just some of the many options available to single folk. Or so I’ve heard. How novel.
So ya. Summer does have it’s perks.
But, right now it is rass hot, Period. When the weather man said this morning “a high of 32, but feels like 42″ he wasn’t lyin’. Then, you blink and it is too rass cold for that strapless-frock-and-thong-sandal that you decided to don because it is actually above zero today. HOLLA! Made sense, at the time sure. I mean, 32 degrees? How often does that happen? Just the thought transports one into a state of orgasmic euphoria. Must be, because some of the things that I see Grown people wear because it’s ‘Summer’ blows my mind. Three words when considering your kit:
- Size
- Disposition
- Age
The phrase “You’re as young as you feel” is misleading, don’t believe the hype. Please dress responsibly. Just because you feel like a 10 year old girl doesn’t mean you should dress like it, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. There’s enough fodder in that thought for another post - probably why I can sit on a patio all afternoon and “sip herbal tea”.
But back to the sunscreen. In all of our spring cleaning efforts – too warm or too small clothing, too dark or too long hair, too much extra weight, too flabby muscle, too much idiot or stupid people, do remember to renew your sunscreen.
If you purchased the sunscreen that you are currently using this time last year, REPLACE IT.
Chemical sunscreens, sunscreens that list active ingredients such as Homosalate, Oxybenzene, Octisalate, Avobenzene, Octocrylene or anything of the sort, are considered drugs, and as such, have an expiry date – usually 12-18 months after opening.
Indeed, exposing such products to summer heat, for example when stashed in beach bags, or in cars, can cause a chemical breakdown of the product, which may result in a shortening of its shelf life; In other words, the product spoils faster. Applying expired sunscreen to your skin can result in anything from increased skin sensitivity/ breakouts to sun burn.
For further explanation on the difference between a physical and a chemical sunscreen, see previous post, Sun and Skin type.
It is said that ‘one shot glass’ (1 oz.) of sunscreen is needed for a full body application. However, well, my body and your body doesn’t necessarily equate to the same ‘body’, so If you think that your body is a “little bigger than average”, then apply a little more. If you think your body is “more bigger”, well then apply more still. That’s all.
Regarding the face, a quarter sized amount of sunscreen should suffice. And yes, your foundation or loose powder may contain sunscreen, great for you. However, it’s not nearly enough in terms of real time protection from UV rays, especially during summer, so… gets to squirting.
Think sunscreen isn’t for you? See some common myths regarding sunscreen are discussed in the post Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap.
b Freakin’Fabulous
Cavities, Fat and Wrinkles
We are all more than familiar with the addictive power of sugar. Despite the fact that increased sugar consumption has been associated with increased blood sugar levels, which can result in the storage of excess fat, studies have shown that the average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar, per year. Talk about sweet nothings! (more…)
Natural Sexy vs. Science Sexy
Spy vs. Spy
The ‘Natural’ bandwagon is hugantic. It may not be the most sophisticated or fun at times, but damn, the hype that surrounds it is hella huge. Marketers have caught on to this trend, and are milking it for all it’s worth *squirt *squirt Yummy.
On the other hand, although science has helped us greatly, the term ‘synthetic’ has taken quite a hit at the expense of all things ‘natural’. People love to give the natural vs. synthetic ultimatum, but is it at all necessary? Can’t we all just get along?
Is‘Natural’ necessarily always good, and is ‘Science’ necessarily always bad?
Yes? No? Maybe so?
Science & skin care
With respect to skin care, rather than just assessing the situation stereotypically, perhaps taking a deeper look at the ingredients in the skin care products may be a more productive argument.
Natural Skin Care Ingredients
Natural is great. There is this feeling of wild abandon that accompanies the thought of ‘au naturel’. “Clean”. “Simple”. ”Fresh”. “Good for you”.
However, as with everything else in life, ‘good’ things usually do not last forever. Under the right conditions, natural things are known to rot, decay, or otherwise disintegrate in quality. For example, with respect to plants, fruits, veges – typical sources for most natural skin care ingredients – there is only a small window that’s considered ‘prime for picking’, so one must take this into consideration, especially when a cleanser or moisturizer will typically sit on your shelf for at least 6 months, or longer depending on the product in question.
Things to consider for natural products:
~ Using natural ingredients directly
Of course there is the argument that you can just pick something off the tree and slap it on your face.
If you live in such a place where you can do this I truly envy you, for that used to be me. Womp. For the rest of us, we can hardly eat fruits and vegetables these days without being shot up with pesticides, so want to put that on your face too?
Remember, ‘natural’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘organic’. ‘Organic’ is the one where certain pesticides (not all) are required to be absent. No such is the case with ‘natural’, don’t believe the hype.
~ Nature differs from batch to batch.
This means that you can buy one batch of product that not only has a different colour from your previous batch, but the strength of the particular active ingredient can be different also.
This is not a leather bag we are talking about, where the value and character of the product is heightened by the fact that there is a huge ‘imperfection’ (their term not mine), for which you are expected to pay the not-so-little extra for. It’s not that kind of party with skin care; we don’t go out of our way to look for imperfections in products, but rather we try to minimize them.
In some products this lack of apparent quality control is not a deal breaker. If a product doesn’t contain any ingredients that are considered ‘active’ (read ‘results’) by the FDA, then it really doesn’t matter if you use a product or water.
However, in that expensive serum that derives it’s antioxidant function from those ‘berries’, it might be a problem if the super star ingredient, the Vitamin C say from the berries, is as effective as the ones in the serum that doesn’t contain Vitamin C. Yeah… might wanna check that.
~ Stability of natural substances outside of their environment
Talking about Vitamin C, it’s known to be a powerful antioxidant – it protects the skin from sun damage and helps slow down the physical signs of aging… yadda yadda yadda, but it’s not very stable once exposed to air, a couple minutes max.
All that freshly squeezed orange juice you just made? Most of the good stuff (Dr. C) just poofed* vanished before you’ve finished mixing the ingredients together. I used to be called “Juice Mixer” in university (Chem. Eng.) by all the other engineers so, trust me, not that I’d like to recall the name calling but, I’d know 
With this understanding, Vitamin C in it’s natural form is not going to do much for your skin sitting in a jar for a couple months. It’s usually also quite acidic in nature wherever it’s found (oranges, lemons etc.) so putting that right there on your face is its going to do an excellent job of stripping your skin’s protective barrier, dehydrating your skin and leaving it more susceptible to harmful bacteria.
Fantastic? No.
So then, on to the next one.
Synthetic skin care ingredients
The word chemical is not a synonym for dangerous.
According to the Oxford dictionary, a chemical (noun) is a substance that has been prepared, or purified, (usually) artificially.
You can concoct something that is dangerous or, you can prepare something that is effective, yet harmless.
Of course, there are dangerous chemical substances, but there are also dangerous natural ones. Cyanide anyone? One sugar or two?
So, for example, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, is a very stable form of Vitamin C – one that is stable enough to be used in skin care products. The skin’s enzymes then work to break down this ingredient into ascorbic acid, naturally found in most fruits like citrus and berries, which has been found to inhibit the formation of melanin (pigment) as well as assist collagen formation.
Doesn’t make sense to pay the extra for active ingredients that aren’t… active, does it?
However this form of stable Vitamin C doesn’t just morph into a stable by it’s lonesome, it is the end product of research and development i.e. it is born out of a laboratory, and such is considered to be ‘synthetic’.
Why use synthetic ingredients?
So sure, it’s not for everybody, but if the proverbial horse has already bolted out the gate, the skin situation has long surpassed ‘preventative’ and you are actually looking to treat clear and present skin damage, i.e. if you are looking for results, you are going to need to look a little further than mother nature to help you in your mission to ‘age gracefully’.
So perhaps the best bet is to take the best of what nature has to offer, and combine it with the best of what science brings. It’s a win-win situation.
The products last longer, there is less wastage, the ingredients remain active and are therefore more effective, and you get the value for your money. Everyone’s happy.
Food for thought:
It’s like that chick who is so blatantly hot, so much is on display even Stevie Wonder can see it, vs. the librarian chick. Everyone knows the immediate benefits of the blatant hottie. You can milk it almost immediately and get a great high albeit one that is, more likely than not, short lived.
Now enter the librarian. Sure, there’s a good chance that you may not live on the same planet, but there is an even greater chance that you may get longer lasting, stable, surprisingly flexible benefits, that comes with intelligence.
Moral of the story? Never underestimate the librarian.
b FreakinFabulous
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Natural vs. Organic
Skin Care | “Skin Vitamins” aka Antioxidants
Ingredient Spotlight: Hyaluronic Acid
Skin Therapy | Saving Face
The ‘it’ kids on the block – Powerful Peptides
HELP! My skin is schizo
Steppin’ on up!
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The term “anti-aging” is quite possibly one of the best marketing ideas this century, because , of course, it is virtually impossible to get physically get younger with time, whether or not it refers to the skin.
What we can do however is prevent the acceleration of the skin’s aging.
One of the best ways to prevent this acceleration is to do something. Even if you have the most basic of skin care routines – cleansing and moisturizing with pH balanced products i.e. a routine that doesn’t involve using soap-and-water followed by nothing, or worse, body lotion… on your face.
So if you are using a drug store skin care line religiously, twice a day – in the morning and before bedtime, you are already ahead of the pack.
However, if you’ve had this routine for some time and want to up the results of your skin care routine, here are a few options that you can look at.
1. Add an exfoliant and a mask.
Incorporate an exfoliant to assist in ridding dead skin cells, (enzyme or lactic acid based preferably, rather than a scrub type exfoliant) paired with an hydrating mask, to nourish skin/ replenish any water content that has been lost in the process.
If you must go with a scrub, avoid the ones with apricot and walnut shells, and look for ones with microbeads – tiny spherical substances, are much gentler on your face as the perfectly round and smooth surfaces prevent any micro tearing/ ripping action on the skin, which can lead to skin damage, sensitivity and of course, ugh, pigmentation.
2. Try a professional skin care line.
Another way to boost the results of your skin care is to try a professional skin care line. Your skin therapist, if you have one, can recommend the right one, along with the right type of cleanser/ toner/ moisturizer combo.
Professional skin care lines typically have more active ingredients in their ingredient list, either that or they use a higher percentage of these active ingredients, so, though they are typically a bit more expensive depending on the brand, you get more bang for your buck. Of course there is a point where you are just paying for the brand – we no likey those.
3. Get a professional skin treatment at least once a month.
Your skin therapist may recommend a customized program to start, in order that you both work to get your skin where you want to be, after which a treatment every 4 to 8 weeks ought to suffice.
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Regardless of which route you choose to go, you ought to look at the product’s ingredient list to make sure it doesn’t contain skin sensitizing ingredients, for example:
- Mineral oil/ petrolatum or lanolin.
These ingredients have been shown to form an impervious layer that prevents oxygen, water, or anything else really from moving across it’s layer. Great concept for freezing food, but not so good when it comes to skin that needs to breathe, in order to prevent the development of “Dr. Zit”.
Choose other ingredients like shea butter, or jojoba oil for example that can provide the same benefits, while allowing your skin to breathe.
The following ingredients are well known to increase skin’s sensitivity, especially with regard to the sun:
- Fragrance / parfum
First or last ingredient, just avoid it.
- Denatured alcohol
E.g. rubbing alcohol, typical found in over the counter toners/ astringents, that are targeted to oily or acneic skin. Witch Hazel, as an ingredient, is a much better alternative.
- D&C colour (artificial colour).
Typically indicated by a primary colour name. Must your skin care really be electric blue?
So yeah pass on that Coconut Sorbet facial sunscreen lotion that’s on clearance rack; It’s there for a reason.
Thanks for the question AK!
b FiercelyFabulous.
Photo Credits: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Sensitive vs. Sensitized
The ‘it’ kids on the block
Skin Care | “Skin Vitamins”
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Skin Therapy | Saving Face
Time Lines
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Ain’t nothing like crepey hands to really jack up an otherwise youthful situation.
Your hands are one of the first places to age, and by age I mean get wrinkly, sallow looking, dehydrated, spotty/ hyper-pigmented (mixture of darker or lighter areas). All kinds of fun. All kinds of uber unfabulousness in the mix.
Right after the hands, a few other places that age pretty quickly are around the eyes (otherwise known as crows feet), the neck and the decollete/ chest area.
These parts age more quickly because the skin in these areas are typically thinner than the skin on the face or the body perhaps, where the skin, and fat content primarily, are thicker.
As skin in general gets thinner and thinner as we age, these aforementioned areas are then already at a disadvantage. Noone said life is fair, but geeze. Cut a body part some slack.
Hands are even more particularly at risk with all the harsh hand/ dishwashing detergents we use daily, not to mention the incredibly stripping alcohol-based hand sanitizers we use so that we don’t make social with other people’s bacteria/ germs.
The following are some tips to help slow down the appearance of aging on the skin in the areas (around eyes, neck, decollete and hands) that are naturally prone to age faster than the rest of the body:
1. Moisturize hands after cleansing
Seems obvious, but judging from the number of people who don’t normally moisturize their body after having a shower, I’ll say it anyway.
2. Include your neck and decollete in every step of your usual skin care routine.
How many ever steps you already have – cleanse/ exfoliate/ mask/ tone/ moisturize.
3. Exfoliate hands.
In addition to the usual cleanse and moisturize steups that we follow with our hands, exfoliating hands helps refresh the skin, and helps impart a healthy glow. You can use a normal spherical/ micro-bead scrub or you can get fancy and use a gentle enzyme or hydroxy-acid exfoliating scrub.
The use of a super hydrating hand moisturizer, after cleansing (and exfoliating, if applicable) the hands helps replace the moisture that is often lost by (often harsh) cleansers that we normally use for keeping our hands dirt/ germ-free.
4. Adopt a night time hand routine
If your hands are chronically dry and crepey, spritzing the back of your hands with toner after cleansing at night just before bed, then following with a thicker moisturizer with both hydrating (e.g. hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA, lactic acid, cucumber) and emollient ingredients (e.g. shea butter, aloe and squalene) will assist in combatting dehydration.
Silicones such as cyclomethicone and cyclopetasiloxan, as product ingredients, help seal in the moisture while allowing the skin to breathe, which is a ‘hell yes’ step-up from mineral oil.
5. Use a specialized cleanser and moisturizer for eyes.
That is, one that is specifically formulated for this delicate area.
If you are concerned with any fine lines and wrinkles that have already started appearing around the eye area, an eye cream that contains Vitamin C and a minimum SPF 15 (for day) should be standard ingredients in your eye cream.
6. Include neck, decollete, and hands in your sunscreen application.
This is especially for those of us who drive and/ or are stuck in traffic in the beating hot sun. The sun’s UV rays filter right though the average windscreen, and take a toll on hands that are tightly wrapped around the steering wheel.
FreakinFabulous
Photo Credits: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Tip | Neck, Ears & Décolleté
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Are you wearing protection?
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Anti-Aging Tip #5
Skin Type| Dry Skin
Sensitive vs. Sensitized
A classic case of skin type vs. skin condition.
“Sensitive” and “sensitized” skin, are they one and the same? Are the words interchangeable? Do they both ‘basically’ refer to the same thing?
No. No, and No.
Yes, the picture is all butterflies, flowers and pink and all but it’s not a ‘girl’ only issue. The guys walking around with itchy, burning, red, or inflamed skin would attest to that I’m sure. Holla.
SENSITIVE
Sensitive skin is considered a skin type, meaning that you were born with it. As it’s in your genes you aren’t going to grow out of it, ever. It’s embedded in your DNA and nothing can be done to change the fact that you indeed were born with this particular skin type.
It is not uncommon for people of Celtic, Scottish or Irish descent to have this skin type. Other common traits of people with this skin type are:
- Light eyes
- Red hair and
- Almost transparent looking skin.
However, this is not absolute. This is a global world, breeds get mixed. Medium skin with light eyes? Yes. It is not impossible for darker skin to be genetically sensitive.
As sensitive skin is a genetic condition, it would stand to reason that if you have sensitive skin there is most likely someone else in your immediate family with sensitive skin – mom, dad, son, daughter, sister or brother.
It has also been found that:
- Allergies (e.g. hay fever)
- Eczema and/ or
- Asthma
are genetic predispositions often associated with a sensitive skin type.
SENSITIZED
Sensitized skin, or skin that has been environmentally sensitized is considered to be a skin condition.
A skin condition is the present state that the skin is in. As such, skin conditions can vary from year to year, season to season and even from day to day. Your skin condition in the morning can even be different from that in the afternoon. It is a temporary state of the skin which can be treated.
Many factors can trigger sensitivity/ environmental sensitization of the skin. These include but are not limited to:
- Aging
- Cosmetic Products
- Diet
- Climate
- Hormones
- Stress
- Environmental Assault
- Impaired barrier function of skin
All of which will be discussed in a later post.
Keeping the skin both calm and hydrated is the most effective way to decrease skin’s sensitivity and keep it under control.
And you’d want to do this why? Because skin that remains in a red, irritated or inflamed state over extended periods of time is skin that is prone to hyperpigmentation (darkening), deep lines and wrinkles aka signs of accelerated aging. Yeah, you’d want to not do that; Premature aging is not Sexy.
If you can help slow down the signs of aging just by soothing inflamed, irritated skin, why wouldn’t you?
Stay tuned for a further discussion on triggers, treatment options, and my favourite topic – useful ingredients to look for in skin care products .
b FiercelyFabulous
Photo credits: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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POSSIBLY RELATED GC POSTS
Tip | Skin Types
Q/A: Skin type vs. Skin condition
Are you wearing protection?
HELP! My skin is schizo
Skin Care | “Skin Vitamins”
Skin condition | “Acne”
Anti-Aging Tip #3 | Preserve the skin’s protective barrier
Skin Care | “Skin Vitamins”
Antioxidants.
How do they work and why are they an important part of an ‘anti-aging’ skin care system?
Simply put, antioxidants are substances that protect the skin against the damaging effect of free radicals, i.e. unstable atoms that are generated by:
- Sunlight (UVA & UVB radiation)
- Pollution
- Smoke
- Stress
- Certain foods
- Drugs
- Exercise, etc.
The presence of these free radicals not only assist causing disease, but they also accelerate the skin’s aging process. Antioxidants are substances that increase the body’s (or in this case the skin’s) defense against the damaging effect of free radicals.
With the understanding that exposure to the sun accounts for 80% of the aging that we can prevent on our skin, it would seem that addressing this issue alone can go a long way to preserving the face we have for a few more years.
Think it’s all hogwash? Maybe.
How do ‘antioxidants’ work?
Well, let’s see. Perhaps the best analogy would be the case of the apple.
Slice an apple in half. Leave one half exposed to the atmosphere for a few minutes and the other half you sprinkle some lemon juice on. What would happen?
You will notice a browning colour starting to appear on the exposed inner parts of the part of the apple .
However, what would happen if you were to drizzle some lemon juice over the other half of the apple and let it sit for a while? The result? Nada.
The original colour of the sliced apple is preserved, enabling you to still serve it to your guests after having it sit out for some time, or have your kids actually eat the apple at school rather than throw it away because it was ‘rotten’.
This browning process is called oxidation, and it’s the same thing happens to silver, or almost any other metal that is exposed to the atmosphere (the mixture of water and oxygen primarily) over time. Rust, for example, is the extreme case of a metal that’s been oxidized. Your skin is no different. Like the lemon, antioxidants in skin care assist in slowing down this ‘oxidzation’, which accelerates aging.
Gold, platinum and palladium do not oxidize at room temperature, which is the reason they are used in jewelry and electronics. Stainless steel, titanium, tantalum and niobium are highly resistant to oxidation… not sure how I traveled so far on this tangent, so let me hop off here.
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Back to the skin, this is not to say that you ought to put lime or lemon juice directly on your skin of course. Well you can, but that wouldn’t be very intelligent.
Lemon juice may work for the apple, but it is much more acidic than the natural pH of the skin’s surface. The skin’s natural barrier would be degraded leaving your skin more prone to, among a host of other things, increased dehydration (less moisture) and inflammation (more redness/ sensitivity) in skin, both of which accelerate the skin’s aging, which will bring you to square negative five (-5).
So, as I said, not very intelligent move.
However, Vitamin C is a very powerful, common antioxidant. So how can we capitalize it’s effect on our skin?
With the understanding that the Vitamin C that is freshly squeezed out of an orange breaks down before you can top up your tumbler and add that umbrella, a more stable form of Vitamin C needs to be packaged for use in skin care products.
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a very stable form of Vitamin C, stable enough to be used in skincare. After all, we’ve all been told to up our Vitamin C intake to prevent the common cold, and to boost our immune system in general.
In the same way, you can have vitamins for the skin. These “Skin Vitamins” can be thought of as Antioxidants.
Ingredients, Ingredients, Ingredients.
Some of the best antioxidant ingredients found in skin care (and their cosmetic ingredient names) are:
- White Tea (the most powerful) or Green tea (Camellia Sinensis)
- Soy (Glycine Soya Protein)
- Vitamin C (Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and other Ascorbic Acid derivatives)
- Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate)
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza)
The presence of any of the above in your skin care products, hopefully as one of the first few ingredients rather than the last, will assist in the fight against the damaging free radicals that your skin encounters from day to day.
Because free radicals are also found inside the body, having a diet loaded with antioxidant foods will assist you immune system in general. And, as you thought I’d say, don’t forget the sunscreen, a minimum of SPF 15 daily.
b FiercelyFabulous.
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Are you wearing protection?
Ever see someone your age and wonder if he/she was REALLY in class with you? I mean like seriously? You either look like their youngest child, or their grandparents. What’s even more ‘wtf?’ is when you see an 18 year old who looks more like… 30tylate at best. What’s happening here?
‘Exposed’ aging y’alls. The result is far from fab as this right here is a first class ticket to looking twice your age.
So what is ‘exposed’ aging and how does it differ from ‘unexposed’ aging?
Unexposed Aging.
This is often referred to as ‘aging gracefully’. The grandparent for example, who doesn’t look like a 20 year old spring chicken obviously, but clearly looks ‘better than’ most in his/ her ‘age’ bracket.
It this is largely the skin that has been protected from UV rays. Unexposed aging comprises of:
- Thin, smooth skin
- Fine lines and wrinkles, usually associated with superficial dehydration and light diagonal lines
- Inelastic, saggy skin
- Skin is usually ‘dryer’ (less oily) than skin was 20 years ago
- Growths on the skin are usually benign rather than malignant, and are associated with aging rather than photo-aging.
And this is unexposed aging. Ready for the exposed aging?
Exposed aging
Exposed aging refers to skin that as been indiscriminately exposed to the sun’s damaging UV rays. It has been determined that 80% of extrinsic aging (aging that we can control) is attributed to the sun’s rays.
This skin appears:
- Rough in texture, may be even classified as ‘leathery’, skin may also feel very ‘thick’
- Coarse, deep, wrinkling
- Significant loss of skin’s elasticity, and there may be the presence of broken capilaries (redness)
- Dry and scaly
- Darkened spots/ patches/ areas on skin aka hyperpigmentation
- Both benign and malignant growths
Overexposure to damaging UV rays can create long term damage to various layers of the skin. The protective outer layer (barrier function or acid mantle) of the skin is damaged which can lead to dehydration of the skin, as well as inflammation which, especially in darker skin types, can lead to all kinds of pigmentation issues, and darker skin already doesn’t need much help in the scarring/ darkening department.
Cell renewal, i.e. the ability of the skin to exfoliate and regenerate itself in order to reveal reveeal younger, brighter, more supple skin, slows dramatically and skin can have a sallow devitalized appearance. Collagen and elastin in the skin also breaks down. This sucks major donkey balls as for starters, only 3% of the ‘true skin’ (the layer of the skin where all the action happens) is elastin – that substance that gives the skin it’s elasticity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. *poof*
So what’s the remedy?
That’s where all this ‘anti-aging’ marketing talk started and so here it began.
Remedies
Basically, any remedy, regardless of the cost, will seek to:
1. Help exfoliate the dead skin cells lingering on the surface, that the skin is unable to do because of it’s decreased cell renewal, which happens naturally after the age of about 25.
2. Stimulate cell renewal i.e. decrease the length of time it takes for new cells to make it to the outermost layer of the skin
3. Control darkening (hyperpigmentation) 0f the skin
4. Hydrate skin i.e. add moisture which will help reduce the appearence of the superficial fine lines that is normally associated with skin that is dehydration.
5. Calm skin. Sensitive skin is the skin type that ages the fastest, after this is dry skin. Reducing any sensitivity or inflammation on the skin
6. Restore the skin’s protective barrier to a healthy state
Any product/ action that enables any combination of the above can be considered to help in preventing accelerated degeneration of the skin/ and as a result can range from having a skin care regimen that target your main concerns (dehydration, sensitivity, breakouts) to of course the hard core approach of paralysing nerves in an effort to prevent wrinkle formation or flat out plastic surgery.
Ingredients, Ingredients, Ingredients.
Regardless of the brand, it’s what’s IN a product that will get you the most results. What are the top 5 ingredients in the product? Are they ‘active’ ingredients, or are they fillers? For example, in that ‘Hydrating’ moisturizer, is the first ingredient Water, or better yet Hyaluronic acid or Sodium PCA or is it Mineral Oil? You do the math.
You reap what you sow.
The earlier you start paying attention to your skin’s needs, the better off you will be. You can switch up your hair and get a new wardrobe, but the passport that is your face stays with you forever.
be FiercelyFabulous.
.
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She got it from her mama
Humans are an interesting bunch.
We are so technologically advanced at times, yet at the same time it’s amazing the things we accept as truth. “Anti-Aging” for example, must be one of the most overused words this decade, yet when you really think about is, is ‘anti-aging’ possible?
No.
A perfect example of marketing at it’s finest.
Truth is, although aging (an alteration in structure, appearance and function of skin as taken in this context) cannot be prevented, it can be accelerated.
Aging is a continuous process that starts the day that you were born. It is one of life’s harshest realities; the degree of harshness of course, is dependent on many factors including both Skin Type (genetics) and Lifestyle (how you choose to live your life) – just how much you didn’t care about your skin in your 20s shows up in your 40s, if you’ve paced yourself socially, earlier if thought then that life was running away from you.
As you can imagine, there are many factors that influence how a person ages. These factors may be classified as being either Intrinsic or Extrinsic in nature.
Intrinsic Aging refers to that which may be naturally expected to happen with time. It is said that 10% of our aging is intrinsic i.e. 10% of how we age is beyond our control and is affected by:
1. good old Father Time and
2. Genetics, that which your parents were so kind enough to give to you, like those allergies, and those toes.
A whooping 90% of our aging however, is extrinsic, meaning that it is under our control. Can you imagine that? Ninety percent.
What we eat, what we do, where we go and how we go there, as well as what we don’t eat, what we don’t do, where we don’t go and how we don’t go there can determine how well or how dreadfully awful we age.
Extrinsic factors would include:
- Diet, nutrition and overall health
- Lifestyle
- Exposure to UVA and UVB radiation, like the sun’s rays)
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Medication
- Environment, or other such external factors, for example if you injured yourself or otherwise did some damage to your skin. Or for example, if you live day in day out in metropolitan smog or if you live your life breathing in the fresh Caribbean breeze in some laid back tropical paradise.
- Hormonal
As you may, or may not, imagine, a significant amount of extrinsic aging may be attributed to aging as a result of the damage that is done to the skin as a result of the over exposure to UV radiation, which is otherwise referred to as ‘photo-aging’, a state where the skin is irreparably damaged.
Photo-aging may occur on it’s own or as a result of other ‘lifestyle’ factors. For example, the heightened sensitivity to the sun’s UV rays that occurs within the skin when something like alcohol is ingested. Smoking, quite a few over the counter medications as well as poor nutrition can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays aka burn more easily when you are outdoors.
So yes, she may have got it from her mama, but if she’s over 35 and can still get carded, best believe that there are a whole lot of other things that she, and her mama for that matter, have been doing right, like using a cleanser that’s an upgrade from soap perhaps, or using sunscreen… for starters.
be FiercelyFabulous.
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