23 June 2008
GOT WRINKLES?
In case you didn't know by now, WRINKLES ARE CAUSED BY SUN DAMAGE!
Wrinkles are evidence of scar tissue under the surface of your skin. At the molecular level, oxygen-free radicals bounce around between your skin cells and destroy their proper shape. These little villains happen to us when we stay in the sun too long without sunscreen protection. The best aging skin care first addresses how to prevent this problem and then how to treat it.
So how do you handle wrinkles?
1) USE SUNSCREEN! Minimum SPF 15. Blocks both UVA and UVB. (It says so there right on the bottle.) I have also taken wearing the widest, clunkiest hats I can find and long sleeves even in hot weather. Call me eccentric.
2) USE products that contain at least two of these skin-care ingredients:
If you add, say, three of these ingredients to your daily regimen without adding a lot of harmful additives like fragrance and untested botanicals, you might actually be able to age gracefully with a lovely smile, clear skin, and minimal wrinkling.
Your teen years and early 20s were probably full of experimentation. These later years should be the same. Your body is changing. Let your life-style choices change with it
Experiment. Big hats come in many attractive styles. Experiment. Outdoor exercise does not require bare skin. Experiment. Sunscreen can go over or under makeup. Experiment.
Question: Do you STILL use cold cream?
The cosmetics industry has progressed since your mother’s time. For example your local drug store probably stocks OLAY® micro-bead cleansing serum. It takes out the makeup leftovers and hydrates your skin. Well, yes, it also contains mineral oil and fragrance, which aren’t so good…
Nearby on the shelf you may find Aveeno® Skin Brightening Daily Scrub. This claims to exfoliate dead skin cells from the surface of your skin and give you “Even Tone and Texture”. Well, it does contain fragrance, far down the list, but it also contains oodles of soy and claims to be gentle to sensitive skin. The scrub part is provided by microbeads that they claim are round so as not to scratch. I find the product quite pleasant to use on a daily basis and not at all scratchy as with a regular scrub product such as AVON’s, which by the way I still love.
NEUTROGENA® Healthy Skin™ Anti-Wrinkle Anti-blemish Cleanser contains salicylic acid for blemishes and alpha hydroxy for fine lines. Oops, a drop of fragrance, but it’s the last on the list. That means it’s the least. Okay, so be it. This one is my favorite of the three.
As I say, experiment. Buy two items of the same type and try them out say on opposite sides of the face for a week, or on successive weeks. Have fun!
Wrinkles are evidence of scar tissue under the surface of your skin. At the molecular level, oxygen-free radicals bounce around between your skin cells and destroy their proper shape. These little villains happen to us when we stay in the sun too long without sunscreen protection. The best aging skin care first addresses how to prevent this problem and then how to treat it.
So how do you handle wrinkles?
1) USE SUNSCREEN! Minimum SPF 15. Blocks both UVA and UVB. (It says so there right on the bottle.) I have also taken wearing the widest, clunkiest hats I can find and long sleeves even in hot weather. Call me eccentric.
2) USE products that contain at least two of these skin-care ingredients:
• Vitamin C (citric acid),
• retinol,
• hydroxy acids,
• alpha lipoic acid,
• coenzyme Q10,
• copper peptides,
• kinetin,
• tea extracts.
If you add, say, three of these ingredients to your daily regimen without adding a lot of harmful additives like fragrance and untested botanicals, you might actually be able to age gracefully with a lovely smile, clear skin, and minimal wrinkling.
Your teen years and early 20s were probably full of experimentation. These later years should be the same. Your body is changing. Let your life-style choices change with it
Experiment. Big hats come in many attractive styles. Experiment. Outdoor exercise does not require bare skin. Experiment. Sunscreen can go over or under makeup. Experiment.
Question: Do you STILL use cold cream?
The cosmetics industry has progressed since your mother’s time. For example your local drug store probably stocks OLAY® micro-bead cleansing serum. It takes out the makeup leftovers and hydrates your skin. Well, yes, it also contains mineral oil and fragrance, which aren’t so good…
Nearby on the shelf you may find Aveeno® Skin Brightening Daily Scrub. This claims to exfoliate dead skin cells from the surface of your skin and give you “Even Tone and Texture”. Well, it does contain fragrance, far down the list, but it also contains oodles of soy and claims to be gentle to sensitive skin. The scrub part is provided by microbeads that they claim are round so as not to scratch. I find the product quite pleasant to use on a daily basis and not at all scratchy as with a regular scrub product such as AVON’s, which by the way I still love.
NEUTROGENA® Healthy Skin™ Anti-Wrinkle Anti-blemish Cleanser contains salicylic acid for blemishes and alpha hydroxy for fine lines. Oops, a drop of fragrance, but it’s the last on the list. That means it’s the least. Okay, so be it. This one is my favorite of the three.
As I say, experiment. Buy two items of the same type and try them out say on opposite sides of the face for a week, or on successive weeks. Have fun!
