Aging

Aging. Of course it’s something that happens to all of us, every day, and it can’t be stopped. The good news is, we have a bit more control over it than we may think! I’m not talking Botox injections or invasive plastic surgeries, but rather lifestyle habits that you can practice every day to keep you young, fit, and healthy. Try these lifestyle changes out, and see for yourself how much healthier you’ll start to feel and look!

Diet
Diet plays an important role in how a person ages. Fried and fatty foods, sugar (Advanced Glycation End-products, or AGEs), and fast foods speed up the aging process. Eat a balanced diet that is packed with antioxidants and minerals including raw fruits; vegetables; whole grains; seeds; nuts; fish – especially purple; red berries (flavonoids); red, yellow and orange veggies, (carotenoids, lycopene); iron and mineral rich green, leafy veggies and cancer fighting broccoli. Protein from fish and soy is preferable. Processed, artificial or toxic foods accelerate aging due to the harmful chemicals that need to be disposed of. It is also important to get adequate intake of pure, clean water. The average person should drink 6 to 8 glasses per day.

Exercise
One of the most important lifestyle habits to fight aging is regular exercise. Regular exercise promotes healthy oxygen levels in the body. Brisk walking is very beneficial for the brain and cardiovascular system. Other types of exercise are also beneficial, especially strength training, yoga and cycling.

Sleep
The body uses sleep time to do its internal housekeeping – process nutrients, detoxify, renew and recharge in general. If your body is chronically starved for sleep, the effects will eventually become both visibly and physically noticeable. Most people do best with about 7 hours sleep.

Skin
Protect your skin all the time from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, not just while you’re in the sun. Don’t think of it as sunscreen, think of it as daylight defense! Protection from UV rays and the use of age-fighting ingredients is the secret to wrinkle free, younger-looking, healthy skin.

Avoid tanning and DO NOT Burn!
One blistering sunburn doubles your risk of melanoma. It is best to stay out of the midday sun (from mid-morning to late afternoon) whenever you can. Tanning beds are just as dangerous as the sun, if not worse! They produce 2-3 times the amount of UVA rays than the sun.

Beauty Sleep Benefits Skin

If you’re not getting enough sleep, the first place the signs will appear is on your skin.   At night, the skin is hard at work reversing the damage inflicted from the day.  A good night’s sleep is necessary for healthy skin.  During the hours of sleep, cortisol and insulin production peak, and collagen production is accelerated.  Growth hormones, which initiate cell and tissue repair, crest during our deepest stage of sleep.  But getting a good night’s sleep is easier said than done.  Below are some tips on getting a better night’s rest:

• Wake in the morning and go to bed at night at the same time.
• Relax before bedtime.
• Make sure your bedroom is comfortable, dark, cool and quiet.
• Avoid eating, exercising and consuming caffeine within a few hours of bedtime.
• Don't smoke, and avoid alcohol just before bed.
• Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.

Hydration is Key!!!!

Hydration: it’s something we all need. Whether you live in a warm climate or a cold one, you have dry skin or acneic, or you’re an athlete or an artist, your skin and body need water. Lack of hydration is often an underlying cause for many skin conditions, such as that stubborn oily skin that is somehow also dry. And drinking water alone is not enough for the skin. Skin is the last organ to receive nutrients that are consumed internally, and water is no exception, so it’s important to infuse the skin with hydrating ingredients on a daily basis to ensure adequate moisture levels at all times. For those celebrating the summer months, take these words of advice to keep that vital hydration in your skin:

Keep Your Skin Hydrated Adjust your skincare regimen to provide more hydration to your skin in the summer months. Look for light moisturizers, serums or boosters, spritz toners and gel masques. Layer your products to build moisture instead of using one heavy or rich cream. You can spritz toner whenever you feel like it: at your desk, in the car, at the gym, on a plane. Products should feel light and absorb easily; they should never feel greasy or occlusive on your skin.

Keep Your Whole Body Hydrated!
Higher temperatures and more time outdoors lead to internal dehydration, resulting in headaches and dizzy spells! We need to consume at least eight 8-ounce glasses of plain, filtered water every day to maintain the critical moisture balance of the body and skin and to assist in detoxification. For every caffeinated drink you consume, you need to drink triple the amount of 8 ounce glasses of pure water. Consumption of more than eight alcoholic beverages per week will also contribute to skin dryness and body dehydration.

Wear sunblock 365 days of the year

In rain or shine, winter or summer, whether you have ivory white skin or a dark complexion, your skin is always susceptible to sun damage.  You’re consistently exposed to the sun’s rays during daylight hours, even when you don’t realize it. You should be wearing an SPF 30 every day, not only to protect against skin cancer but to prevent fine lines, wrinkles, large pores, and uneven skin tone. In addition, it’s essential that you reapply your sunscreen every couple of hours, especially if you’re out and about — one morning slathering of SPF 100 won’t last you until sundown!

I've already seen alot of sun damage and it's just the beginning of summer.  Please protect yourself!

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• STRAWBERRY - Excellent source of Vitamin C and the flavanoids qeurcetin and ellagic acid.
• BLUEBERRY - Highest content of anthocyanins, improves capillary strength and protects the eyes
• BLACKBERRY - Natural source of salycilate found in aspirin, mildly astringent and antibacterial
• RASPBERRY - Most abundant source of ellagic acid, Vitamin C and manganese
• CRANBERRY - Contains probiotic nutrients that assists waste removal and protect the urinary tract
• ACEROLA CHERRY - Most potent source of natural Vitamin C (80 times more than oranges)
• GRAPE SEED and SKIN - Contains resveratrol, an antioxidant that prevents mutations and extends life.

Now with Acai, Pomegranate and Goji!

Reasons to Get a Facial

Expert Skin Analysis

Wherever you go to buy your skin care products- department stores, pharmacies, etc.- chances are they see your face with your make up on. The benefits of getting your skin analyzed through professional facials are that the Esthetician  will see you without makeup to reveal your true skin complexion. This allows the Esthetician to cater to your unique needs through professional treatments and suggest the best products for your home care routine. In addition to his or her ability to identify and treat your needs, your Esthetician works with your skin and she will achieve a proper analysis of what type of skin you have. This is exposure that a consultant in a department store may not be privy to.

Professional Strength Exfoliation…

Most facials include a professional form of exfoliation using ultra sound, microdermabrasion, enzymes, or acids. Some of the exfoliating ingredients mentioned can be spotted in ordinary skin care products but during a facial you will experience the treatment at a professional strength. The exfoliation is specifically catered towards your skin type so that it will leave you with results that smooth the skin, increase cellular turnover, soften lines, and break up skin discoloration to promote more even-toned skin.

Clean Out Blackheads and Clogged Pores

With proper preparation and skin softening techniques your Esthetician will use a skilled method to gently extract clogged pores, blackheads, and impurities without causing harm to your skin. People usually have a difficult time eliminating blackheads at home because home care products can only help to reduce clogged pores. It takes a professional Esthetician to properly prepare and soften the skin before manual extractions can take place in a safe and effective way.

Intensive Hydration

Every skin type needs hydration. It does not matter if you have oily, acne prone skin, or dry and flakey skin, your skin cells are like fish and need water to survive. In order to maintain healthy skin it is imperative to keep it hydrated. With oilier skin types, the face tends to produce more oil when moisture is lacking which is the opposite of your intention and need. Oily skin needs moisture, but the moisture it’s seeking is water, not oil. Hydrated skin is healthy skin and a facial will help to regulate the proper moisture level for whatever skin type you may be. For home use, serums are beneficial for hydrating the skin.

Problem Solve

Whether it’s dry skin, brown spots, redness, irritation, or inflamed acne, a good facial is always customized to focus on what your skin needs to help solve your skin problems. For example, if your skin is prone to brown spots and discoloration, your Esthetician will use skin brightening or lightening treatments. If your skin is dry then she will use lipid increasing ingredients to repair your skin’s protective barrier to reduce dryness. Facials are always geared to problem solve and the level of your facial’s intensity is contingent on the severity of your skin’s problem. By using the right combination of ingredients, we can really create change in the skin to improve your skin’s appearance to achieve your greatest complexion.

Hyaluronic Acid

It’s a component of your skin’s own natural tissue that is frequently used in skin care products as a good skin-identical ingredient, since the skin responds and accepts it easily into the skin. It’s a bioactive hydrating ingredient to bind 1000 times its weight in moisture to the skin and commonly found in toners (alcohol-free), specialty serums, moisturizers and eye creams. It’s also known as Sodium Hyaluronate and has been used for years and continues to be one of the most commonly used skin-hydrating ingredients. With continued use, skin’s water content improves daily and fine lines and wrinkles become plumper and therefore less visible.

Adult Acne and Clogged Pores

Adult Acne And Clogged Pores

Wrinkles and breakouts? When adults are breaking out, they automatically turn to harsh acne products to help with their breakouts, but they also need to cater to skin that is showing the signs of aging. There is a way to address both the breakout problems and to keep the skin nourished and healthy with anti-aging ingredients. Simply Skin can help take the confusion out of your confused skin.

What Your Skin Needs

The key concepts are exfoliation and hydration. By aggressively exfoliating your skin (using both chemical and physical exfoliators), you will be unclogging pores underneath the dry skin cell buildup while also helping to stimulate new, healthy, and fresher skin cells. To hydrate, use lightweight, non-pore-clogging products to plump up the skin cells, giving your skin a smoother, softer appearance.

Ingredients To Avoid In Your Skin Products

Mineral Oil and Petrolatum - These can clog pores.

Sodium or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate - Found in gel and foaming cleansers, these ingredients encourage dry skin cell buildup.

Apricot Kernels or Seed/Shell Powders - Natural particles found in facial scrubs, these can scratch and irritate the skin, causing bacteria to spread.

Skin Tips

Avoid dairy products if your skin is prone to breakouts - Many people have heard that greasy foods and chocolate cause breakouts. I don't find that to be true. When breakouts are cyst-like in the chin and jaw area, most often this is related to excessive ice cream, yogurt, milk, and cheese. Try cutting back on dairy products, and watch your skin clear up!

Don't pick at your skin - The life of a breakout is just 3-5 days but, when you pick at a blemish, the red mark can linger there for 1-2 months! I know it's tempting to pick, but you can make problem skin much worse by forcing bacteria deeper into the skin, resulting in scarring and further breakouts. A better solution for problem skin is a regular facial schedule, where your pores can be cleaned professionally.

Avoid using toners that contain SD Alcohol 40 - Often, people feel the need to dry out their skin when breakouts occur. Trying to dry skin prone to breakouts can backfire, as stripped cell buildup traps oil and leads to more breakouts. Toners without alcohol, on the other hand, are crucial for keeping the skin healthy and hydrated.

5 Tips for Healthy Skin

Good skin care can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.

1. Protect yourself from the sun

The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots and rough, dry skin. Sun exposure can also cause more-serious problems, such as skin cancer. For the most complete sun protection:

• Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun's rays are the strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. You might also opt for special sun-protective clothing, which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.
• Use sunscreen when you're in the sun. Apply generous amounts of broad-spectrum sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water.

2. Don't smoke

Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin - fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking - such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke - may contribute to wrinkles.

3. Treat your skin gently

Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin, so keep it gentle:

• Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, and use warm — rather than hot — water.
• Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers.
• Shave carefully. To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows, not against it.
• Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
• Moisturize dry skin. Find a moisturizer that fits your skin type and makes your skin look and feel soft.

4. Eat a healthy diet

A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The association between diet and acne isn't clear - but research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in fats and carbohydrates may promote younger looking skin.

5. Manage stress

Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin - and a healthy state of mind - takes steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results may be more dramatic than you expect.

Sun Exposure = Skin Aging

Sun Exposure = Skin Aging

So now we know. Sun tanning causes wrinkles. The days of baby oil and iodine are a thing of the past. However, it is difficult to avoid the sun altogether. . But you can do the next best thing by protecting your skin every day from the dangerous ultraviolet rays.

Did you know that 78% of the sun damage that occurs in a lifetime is from day to day exposure such as driving in the car, walking to the mailbox, lunch with a friend outside and sitting in your office near windows? The times when you think you're not exposed long enough to truly get any kind of damage. But the truth is, every time the sun or its rays see your skin, whether it's inside or out, you are increasing how fast your skin ages.

Sun Exposure = Wrinkles

It's that simple. A little sun means a little damage, and a lot of sun means a lot of damage. The good news is that it's never too late to slow down the aging process. Every day, you should wear a broad-spectrum SPF . It is suggested that you use an SPF #30. I often hear, "My foundation makeup has sunscreen." Although this can help, you really need to use a SPF #30 that will coat the skin cells first for the best UV protection.  And don't forget about the front and sides of the neck! The neck ages just like the face, so be sure to give that area attention also.  And for those who spend a great deal of time outdoors, learn to dress defensively. Choose wide-brimmed hats as these protect both the entire face and neck areas, as opposed to baseball hats that protect only the face. Sunglasses are a must. Not only do they protect your eyes from bright UV light, but they also prevent unnecessary "squinting" wrinkles.

THE BOTTOM LINE...

Using a good SPF containing UVA/UVB protection every day, as well as limiting your time outdoors, will pay off years down the road!