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November 11, 2010

antioxidant for healthy skin

Beautiful skin

If you are looking to add more moisture to your skin, or want to get rid of blotchiness or blemishes, you have to make sure that you are eating foods that contain vitamin C and vitamin E. Citrus fruits are good for your skin, and include fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and limes. But I suggest to eat tropical fruits in season(summer and fall)

You can find vitamin E in green and leafy vegetables and as well as in certain lean meats, nuts, and beans.

Foods to eat for clear skin include tuna, brazil nuts, and whole wheat bread, which is rich in selenium, a derivative of vitamin C which is necessary for skin cells to develop and reproduce properly. It has also been proven that even if your skin has undergone significant sun damage and if your diet is high in selenium, the damage will not be severe. Skin rejuvenating vitamins and properties are found in selenium, and these are a great compliment to foods which contain vitamins A and E, and they are essential for skin health.

So what about vitamins and supplements?

Before you switch to vitamin or mineral supplements, be sure to talk to your doctor about which supplements are best for you, especially if you are consuming lots of medicines.

Natural supplements for kids

All Natural

Here is one of the best antioxidants we use: OPC-3 Beauty Blend.

Some of the benefits:

· Supports a smooth, soft and even-toned complexion

· Promotes healthy functioning of the skin at the cellular level, which results in healthy, vibrant-looking skin

· Replenishes essential vitamins and minerals that are co-factors for many enzyme reactions in vivo to help the entire skin to grow and cells to divide

· Helps maintain normal cell growth

· Supports healthy skin with key micronutrients to replenish and rejuvenate skin to look, feel and function its absolute best

· Supports healthy joints

· Supports healthy skin elasticity to keep skin looking young and firm (tight)

· Helps maintain healthy collagen production

· Helps maintain skin elasticity and moisture

· Helps maintain healthy connective tissue

· Maintains healthy collagen and elastin levels to help preserve the elasticity of skin

· Plays a role in maintaining elasticity of capillaries in the dermis, which helps maintain healthy blood flow, minimizing the appearance of spider veins in the skin

October 13, 2010

There is a better way: Antioxidants such as OPC 3

Sun Screens

Sun screen or sun tan?

What’s Hiding in Your Sunscreen?

A lot of the chemicals in sunscreens actually pose serious health risks. In fact sunscreens are little more than nasty cocktails of dangerous chemical agents.

Here’s a sample of what you’re likely to find on the label of your favorite sunscreen:

Chemicals
Commonly Found
In Commercial Sunscreens
Dangerous Side Effects
1. Parabens Endocrine disruptors,” these gender-bending chemicals mimic estrogen, upset your hormonal balance, and can cause various reproductive cancers in men and women
2. PABA (may be listed as octyl-dimethyl or padimate-O) Attacks DNA and causes genetic mutation when exposed to sunlight
3. Mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum Coats skin like plastic and clogs pores, trapping toxins in, slows skin cell growth, disrupts normal hormone function, suspected of causing cancer
4. Sodium laurel, lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (sometimes listed as “from coconut” or “coconut derived” Combined with other chemicals, it becomes nitrosamine, a powerful cancer-causing agent; penetrates your skin’s moisture barrier, allowing other dangerous chemicals to enter your bloodstream
5. Phenol carbolic acid Circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, death from respiratory failure
6. Acrylamide Breast cancer
Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC) Kills skin cells
7. Toluene (may be listed as benzoic, benzyl, or butylated hydroxtoluene Anemia, low blood cell count, liver and kidney damage, birth defects
8. Propylene glycol Dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities, prevents skin growth, causes irritation
9. PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohol Potent carcinogens containing dioxane

Skin Deep

Author: Nathan
September 27, 2010

Some expected and surprising advise to stay healthy and beautiful.
Eat for great skin.
Omega-three fatty acids promote good skin health — and ground flaxseeds are an excellent source. Add them to your breakfast cereal for a skin-healthy start to your day.
Add a glow to your complexion by eating fish twice a week. The oil found in fish helps nourish your skin and keep it soft.
Healthy skin starts with vitamin A. Eat plenty of dark orange and dark green vegetables each day.
Snack on nuts such as hazelnuts or almonds to give your skin a boost of Vitamin E.
Drink at least 6-8 glasses of H2O (that’s right, water) to cleanse your skin from the inside out.
Use alcohol in moderation as it dryes your skin.
Stop smoking…yep, this zaps the water from your skin too — and causes fine lines around your mouth.
Exercise is great for body, mind and soul…not to mention your skin. All that blood pumping circulates oxygen through your body and does wonders for your complexion.
Surprising suggestions by  Dr. Dennis Gross
1. Outdated glasses/contact lens prescription: Anything that makes you squint — like reading or working in a poorly lit room, or not updating your contact lens prescription — leads to more fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area. Get thee to an eye doctor, stat!
2. Steam rooms: We all love a good detoxifying sesh in a steam room or sauna, but Dr. Gross says to limit your exposure to these extreme-heat bad boys because they decompose skin’s elastin and collagen. Eeeeek!
3. Running (or any high-impact exercise): “While such exercise may benefit our hearts, it can cause the fat pads to slide south, and collagen and elastin to break down. If you enjoy running, try walking,” explains Dr. Gross. OMG — remember on Ally McBeal when Jane Krakowski’s character invented the face bra for jogging? It was for this!
4. Not sleeping: Okay, it’s not news that pulling an all-nighter makes your skin look like crud the next day, but did you know that chronic sleep deprivation leads to long-term skin probs? “Lack of sleep can be so stressful that it actually causes our bodies, including our skin, to generate free radicals,” says Dr. Gross. More free radicals mean you look older, faster.
5. Tap water: Chlorine in tap water can strip the natural oils from skin and cause dryness and irritation, especially in the winter when there is less humidity in the air to balance it out.  I bought a new showerhead with a built-in water filter and have noticed fewer dry patches on my legs.
Obviously, if running is your passion then no one is suggesting you give it up. But maybe a trip to the eye doctor is in order, and get your sleep issues under control.

August 11, 2010

Accutane is a medication used for the treatment of severe cases of acne, especially those linked to permanent and disfiguring scarring such as acne vulgaris, acne conglobata and acne fulminans.

This drug is related to vitamin A, which makes it classified as a retinoid. Most dermatologists and physicians prescribe Accutane for management of acne. Since there are high risks for developing side effects, it is often not used as the first course of treatment. Deep facial cleansers, herbal skin care creams and topical ointments are usually the first round of treatments patients will receive. These alternative methods have become more popular due to the side effects one can develop from using drugs such as Accutane.

Physicians have also utilized the drug to treat Harlequin-type-ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes the skin to present plating as thick as armor after birth. Accutane has also been used sparsely to treat certain types of cancers including pancreatic and brain cancer. However, the drug may work throughout the body in killing cells not related to cancers.

Accutane is linked to the development of severe side effects, including inflammatory bowel disease, which has prompted many patients to file an Accutane lawsuit to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering. In a 2006 study conducted by The American Journal of Gastroenterology, treatment with Accutane was noted as a possible “trigger” for inflammatory bowel disease. Frequently referred to as IBD, inflammatory bowel disease is a gastrointestinal disorder that refers to two chronic conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive tract, known as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

According to a 2010 study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Accutane may nearly quadruple a patient’s risk of developing ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that requires the surgical removal of the colon in 25 to 40 percent of all cases. The study also reported that the risk of developing ulcerative colitis was highest in patients who used Accutane for more than two months.

Despite the fact that a possible association between Accutane and IBD was first discovered in the early 1980s, Accutane contained no warning of an increased risk of IBD for the majority of the time it was available on the market. A number of patients who have suffered these side effects argue that Roche Pharmaceuticals did not adequately warn them about Accutane’s risks. Please be sure to speak or receive a checkup with a dermatologist prior to making a decision.

By providing FDA alerts, drug information and drug side effects about prescription and over the counter medications, we can ensure an environment where patients have the best knowledge on their medical treatment and health. Additional information may be found on DrugWatch.com.

August 5, 2010

Maintain beautiful, healthy skin
Exposure to UV sun radiation generates harmful compounds called free radicals in the body.These unstable oxygen molecules attack healthy cells, damaging their lipids, proteins and DNA.

beautiful skin at any age

Anti aging products

Free radical attacks lead not only to the breakdown of collagen but also to impaired function of collagen-producing cells. Without healthy collagen, skin loses its elasticity, causing it to wrinkle and sag.
To stop free radicals from prematurely aging your skin, antioxidants are essential. These are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, wine, tea and coffee. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, are guarding healthy cells from injury.
While obtaining antioxidants through diet is ideal for protection of internal body systems, it’s speculated that only about one percent of them consumed orally reach the skin.

Powerful antioxidant

Isotonix OPC-3® Beauty Blend

Applying antioxidants topically may be a more effective way to protect skin from oxidative damage.
Idealiy it is best to take care of your skin both from the inside and the outside. For optimal effects, combine a diet rich in antioxidants with topically applied nutrients.

July 24, 2010

Time Magazine issue July 19 2010

By Bryan Walsh

Shampoos

Organic Shampoos

Shampoos

It began, as few great scientific discoveries do, with a $400 hair treatment in West Hollywood. Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt had decided to get Brazilian Blowouts — only to find out later that the secret straightening ingredient was formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Many shampoos and conditioners contain sulfates and preservatives like parabens, both of which are potential hormone disrupters
Solution
Seek out organic shampoos and conditioners — the authors recommend the John Masters line — or make your own with baking soda and mayo
Safe organic maskara

Stay beautiful and healthy

Eyes

Mascara contents may include mercury, a neurotoxin, and coal tar, a carcinogen; eye shadow can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, linked to cancer
Solution
Activated charcoal can sub for conventional eye makeup

Healthy Skin

Beautiful

Skin moisturizers

Lots of big-name moisturizers have parabens and other preservatives, while many sunscreens contain oxybenzone, a hormone disrupter
Solution
Extra-virgin olive oil is a natural moisturizer, and Soléo Organics makes a good all-natural sunscreen
Lips
Beautiful Lips

Organic lipstick

Lips

Your favorite lipstick may be contaminated with lead, a neurotoxin, as well as BHA, a potential carcinogen
Solution
Use an organic alternative like RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek, which is also a blush
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2002338_2002332_2002330,00.html#ixzz0ucZDUk00

Don’t
1. Not drinking enough water
2. Picking your pimples
3. Shaving the wrong way
7. Waxing your upper lip / facial hair
8. Going on a ‘proteins only’ diet
Fad diets deprive your skin (and body) of essential nutrients. You need vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and various micronutrients that a single food diet cannot give you.
9. Late night partying
Your body sleeps at night, but your skin doesn’t — most of its repair and renewal work is done while you’re in bed. Depriving it of the nightly eight hours of rejuvenation will leave it looking dull and tired.
10. Stressing out
Stress shows up after years on your heart and blood pressure, but almost immediately on your skin. So listen to your skin when it is trying to tell you something — patchy complexion, blemishes, dullness, itchy redness, rashes appearing at periods of high stress. Try yoga, meditation, exercise, or whatever your best stress buster is.
Do
Step 1. Clean Skin Is Happy Skin
One simple way to take care of your skin is to keep it clean. Keeping your hands clean is especially important because your hands can spread germs to the skin on other parts of your body.
When washing your hands, use water that’s comfortably warm. Wet your hands, then lather up with a mild soap. You should lather and rub everywhere, including the palms, the wrists, between the fingers, and under the nails. Rinse well, dry thoroughly with a clean towel.
With pimples, you might think that scrubbing your face is the way to get rid of them. But actually, your skin will be less likely to break out if you clean it gently, using your fingertips, not a rough washcloth.
Step 2. Exfoliate

Organic Facial Care products

all organic facial set

Excoriation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference. There are several ways to exfoliate skin: Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and retinoids.
Step 3: Moisturize
A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers. (The only exception is those with acne). Why? Moisturizers seal moisture into skin. So how much should you moisturize? Your skin will tell you. When your skin is tight, it’s crying out for moisture. Be careful not to overmoisturize — this can clog pores.

July 16, 2010

Published with permission of http://www.skinrejuvenex.com/skin-care/646/#more-646

It is important to remember that what you put in your body, will be reflected on your skin. If you’re the type of person that generally eats fried up food, soda drinks and other foods that lack nutritional value, you will struggle to maintain a flawless complexion.
Estheticians understand the importance of identifying the cause of any type of skin problem. This helps us advise clients to the best of our ability. For instance, if a client has inflammation problems on the skin, you should generally be warned against eating tomatoes, potatoes or eggplants.
Yet once an esthetician identifies acne as the skin problem, how does one approach it holistically?
Acne:
Acne is recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology as the most common skin problem found amongst younger and older persons. The reason there is an increase in the number of older clients looking for acne treatment is due to stress, bad eating habits and a poor exercise regime.
There are various types of acne but the most important are as follows: inflammatory, hormonal, bacterial and cystic. There are a number of contributing factors that can cause these types of acne. Some of these factors are oily skin, allergies, genetics, candidas, an exposure to certain types of drugs, exposure to pollutants, make up and a diet that is full of saturated fats.
Most dermatologists will automatically prescribe antibiotics and Accutane to treat most types of acne. The drugs can treat the problem but there are possible negative side effects. Whenever you take antibiotics, it depletes the body of both beneficial and harmful bacteria. When you take antibiotics, you should remember to take probiotics to maintain the health of your intestinal flora. By taking probiotics you are replenishing your body with essential bacteria.
Drugs with tetracycline can cause your skin to become photosensitive. This can promote hyperpigmentation. Holistically, it’s recommended to rather take colloidal silver, which is a natural antibiotic. Colloidal Silver can be taken orally or applied topically.
If you are struggling with acne, it is essential to increase your cellular turnover. The cells of the stratum corneum (the top layer of the skin) does not shed very fast. This creates a buildup of cells on the surface which can trap bacteria and oil. Facial exfoliation is very important step in our skin regimen, it is helping skin shed quicker than it would normally do. Among the variety types of exfoliation, we recommend MECHANICAL (such as Ultrasound Skin Spatula) or ENZYMATIC EXFOLIATORS.
It is important to realize that there is a direct link between sugar and inflammation. This is similar to the link between blemish-free skin and proper nutrition. There was a survey conducted with Japanese patients, once they switched to an American-style diet, they had an increase in the occurrence of acne.
Acne

Acne treatment

Weather and Acne:
In the summer months, we sweat. For this reason it’s essential to keep the skin clean of excess oils that can be created by sweating. Don’t use harsh chemicals to clean your skin around this time of year. When using harsh chemicals it can strip the skin of its natural acid mantle. This triggers sebum production which can stimulate an acne outbreak.
A similar concept should be applied during the winter months when dryness is experienced. It can be tempting to skip out on using moisturizer during the winter months. However, even acenic skin needs to be moisturized. It is suggested that you increase your intake of essential fatty acids by using either flaxseed or primrose oils. The fatty acids in the oil will help break up the fat deposits that block pores. It will also help restore healthy tissue.
Skin Exfoliation With Ultrasound Skin Spatula Protocol:
1. Cleanse once with cleanser
2. For second cleans, use brush machine with steam (you may also use hot towel if steamer is not available, then apply enzyme peel, and remove peel after 10 – 15 minutes).
3. Using either gauze wipe saturated with distilled water or with a small water spray source, moisten the face before cleaning with the Ultrasound Skin Spatula (in sonic mode / exfoliation).Repeat.
4. Massage lightly to relax facial muscles and follow with extractions then serum applications (e.g. Vitamin C Serum), then penetrate serum with Ultrasound Spatula (in ion +/-).
5. After penetration, apply and remove masque then tone (+ moisturizer with sun screen using Ultrasound Spatula (in ionzyme mode).
Attention:
It is suggested not to use Ultrasound Skin Spatula on Pustular Acne or around areas of  Broken Capillaries.

Pycnogenol® for skin disorders

Dr. Lester Packer of the University of California (Berkeley USA) has discovered the mechanism how Pycnogenol®, the famous French maritime pine bark extract, may act to improve psoriasis and other dermal disorders. Since years people with psoriasis have reported that the occurrence of the itching red blotches was dramatically reduced when they took Pycnogenol®. But until now, it was not clear how Pycnogenol® does it.

Dr. Packer pinpointed the action for Pycnogenol®’s help for skin disorders in the genes of human skin cells. The skin of patients with psoriasis and various other dermatoses have high levels of particular proteins called calgranulins. These proteins are typically associated with inflammatory conditions, prevalent in various skin disorders. According to Dr. Packer, Pycnogenol® would dramatically decrease (nearly 22 times) the activation of genes in skin cells encoding these unfavourable proteins. In consequence, dermal inflammations are counteracted and skin conditions are brought back to normal, argues Dr. Packer.

This result is an agreement with a recent clinical study conducted by Dr. Ronald Watson (University of Arizona, Tucson) and published together with Dr. Packer. In this study it was shown that human volunteers irradiated with UV light were more resistant against getting sunburn when they took Pycnogenol®. Exposure of the skin to UV-light causes production of harmful free radicals, which are quickly removed by Pycnogenol®. But more than that, cells of the skin were prevented from initiating an inflammation by Pycnogenol®, thus preventing further harm to the skin. This is how Pycnogenol® prevents the process known as photo-aging of the skin.

Pycnogenol® is among the most powerful antioxidants, but unlike the multitude of other antioxidants, Pycnogenol® provides immediately visible benefits to the consumer. The current studies of Dr. Packer point at the value of Pycnogenol® for a normal, beautiful and healthy skin.

June 10, 2010

Sun is life

Sun is good for you

I have a question to all of you:

How do you feel about sunlight? Does it cheer you up.

Do you like to be tan? Does sun tan look good?

Of course we have to be aware of the possible risks and damages from sun (especially for tanners, who overexposure themselves), but we can’t be let to believe that sun doesn’t do anything good. Sun is the reason we live!

Because of sun this planet is alive!

This is the reason you feel good about the Sun. Sun made all of us.

For years we have been told to cover up in the sun to cut the risk of getting skin cancer. But now it has come to light that sun is actually good for the body.
Recent studies have shown that a sensible amount of UV light reduces your risk of several cancers and health conditions. It’s all thanks to Vitamin D, which is made through our bodies through the action of UVB rays on our skin.
Professor Michael Holick of Boston University School of Medicine is the author of “The UV Advantage” book. “We get about 90 to 95% of our vitamin D from the sun,” says Holick.
He advises people should get 5 to 15 minutes of sun exposure three times a week to boost vitamin D levels.

Tanning controversy

More recently, some researchers have advised that tanning in moderation may be healthier than is commonly believed. Edward Giovannucci, professor of medicine and nutrition at Harvard states that according to his research, people who have sufficient vitamin D due to UV exposure, and other intake, may prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer.[14] His research also suggests that diet accounts very little for vitamin D3 necessary for curbing cancer. Michael Holick, Boston professor of dermatology, claimed that moderate exposure to sunlight probably reduces risk to many forms of cancer, diabetes, seasonal affective disorder, and other diseases.[15] These researchers are vigorously opposed by most dermatologists, for example, Dr. Elewski, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, argued that minutes of exposure to sunlight can be dangerous, and that people can get all the vitamin D they need through supplements. Large clinical studies have found vitamin D produced both through exposure to sunlight and through dietary supplements dramatically decreases cancer risk, and helps cancer recovery. See Vitamin D for more details.

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