Anti-Aging supplements: A reality check

There has been a great demand for anti-aging supplements over the past years. From moisturizers to topical creams, these products offer one thing in common—the promise to reduce the effects of aging.

Image Source: livingoffloveandcoffee.com

But are they really effective?

Citing antioxidants as an example, Dr. Karen E. Burke states that majority of all available anti-aging products contain varying concentrations of antioxidants that are not well-absorbed by the skin. However, she notes that there are some that have been proven to decrease the effect of sun exposure and skin damage: selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C.

Image Source: sophisticatededge.com

Meanwhile, a propose the effectiveness of anti-aging creams, Dr. Karin Patterson says the overall picture is complicated.

She explains: “Certain over-the-counter creams and anti-aging substances do work, but it’s not one size fits all. People have different levels of hormones, vitamins, exercise, stress, time spent in the sun – all play a role in healthy skin. So it’s usually a combination of things.”

Image Source: oriental-medicine.org

This, according to Dr. Patterson, is one of the reasons anti-aging cream or supplement is unlikely to be effective for all users. She also stresses that the lack of concentration on some products may be a factor to its ineffectiveness.  

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REPOST: Starting to see some wrinkles?

Having wrinkles may be inevitable as we age, but there are still some ways to slow it down and even prevent it. How is it possible? Read this NorthJersey.com article.

Image Source: northjersey.com

Remember the days of tanning at the beach for hours? You might not, but your skin sure does. In fact, exposure to sunlight and its ultraviolet rays is one of the main causes of wrinkles as we age.

Other external factors include smoking, poor eating habits and dehydration. Internally, loss of collagen and elasticity is the culprit for the formation of wrinkles.

And, one’s face is not the only place where wrinkles appear. According to the website Medical News Today, wrinkles appear on all parts of the body that receive the most sun exposure, including the backs of the hands, face and forearms. As we age, our skin gets thinner, drier and less elastic. Genetic factors also play a role, controlling skin elasticity, how wrinkly a person becomes and when and where the wrinkles will appear.

Inga Bufaro, a cosmetic physician assistant at the Dermatology Group (Riverdale, Verona, West Orange, Paramus and Nutley), says that fat loss under the skin is what causes sagging and wrinkles to appear and what makes the skin look older

"That’s why we can’t be the same weight in our 40s and 50s as we are in our 20s," says Bufaro, explaining that weight loss, particularly loss of fat in the face, makes wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity more prominent, resulting in an older look.

While wrinkles may be an inevitable part of the aging process, their formation can be slowed down and even prevented.

"Always wear sun protection during the day, as wrinkles and sun damage progress over the years," says Bufano.

She recommends wearing an SPF 30 on the face daily and an SPF 50 when spending prolonged periods in the sun, such as vacationing at the beach or doing outdoor activities. Other tips she offers for reducing the appearance of wrinkles: stay hydrated (drinking eight glasses of water a day), following a healthy, well-balanced diet featuring lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and wearing a wide brimmed hat when outdoors in direct sunlight and wearing sunglasses to prevent squinting.

"Anything that is good for the body is good for the skin," Bufano says.

Conversely, what is bad for the body is also detrimental to the skin. According to Medical News Today, regular smoking can accelerate the aging of skin due to reduced blood supply.

Other factors that can lead to wrinkles include genetics, type of clothing worn, light skin pigmentation, occupations that require exposure to more sunlight and UV rays (such as farming and gardening) and repeated facial expressions, such as frowning, smiling and squinting.

Even with healthy living and eating, wrinkles form as we age. However, today there are ways to reduce their appearance.

"The use of Retinol creams and acids at night can help rebuild collagen and stimulate cell renewal," says Bufaro, who warns that these creams can make the skin more "photo sensitive." Use should be decreased in the summer months to minimize sunburns.

"If you are using Retin A products during the summer, it is important to cover your skin," says Bufaro, who recommends sitting under an umbrella while at the beach, wearing at least a 4-inch-wide brim hat and using an SPF 50 on the skin.


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REPOST: Anti-aging Advice for Every Ethnicity

This Allure.com article shares that aging clearly differs from person to person no matter what skin type or color you have.

Yes, it's politically incorrect, but wrinkles and spots discriminate based on skin color all the time. Whites, blacks, Latinas, and Asians are all prone to developing lines, sagging, and spots at different rates and in different ways, but the way you battle back makes a big difference.

MULTIRACIAL 

Image Source: allure.com

There's no crystal ball if you're multiracial, but it's not impossible to predict your future. "In general, your aging is going to depend on the prominent characteristics that you inherited," says Mary Lupo, a clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Most mixed-race women's skin tone falls somewhere between their parents', so the way their skin ages will also likely fall somewhere in the middle. That means, for example, that if you're half black and half white, you probably won't see wrinkles in your early 30s unless you're very, very fair.

Aging clearly differs from person to person—and from heritage to heritage—but these are the top issues for mulitracial women:

• Midface atrophy. It's about as fun as it sounds: By the mid-40s, the tear-trough area under the eye starts to sag, making the cheekbones and middle of the face look flat, rather than plump and youthful.

• Pigmentation. "For people of mixed race, mottled pigmentation—where large, irregular areas on the nose or forehead are a darker color—is a big complaint," says Lupo. "And it's usually from not using sunscreen."

WHITE

All right, out with it: "The fairer your skin, the more signs of aging you're going to have," says Doris Day, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. The sun—and pale skin's minuscule protection against it—is primarily to blame. UV rays break down collagen, causing wrinkles that can start appearing in your 20s. Your skin tries to fight back, making pigment to protect itself, and along come the dark spots. But there is a bright side: "Caucasians can generally be more aggressive with treatments since they don't have to worry as much about postinflammatory hyperpigmentation [discoloration that can pop up after inflammation and take weeks to months to clear]," says Day.

If You Do Nothing Else...

• Get a hardcore sun screen. "A Caucasian's innate protection is relatively low, so you have to do more externally," says Day. In fact, fair skin is naturally equipped with the equivalent of a mere SPF 3.4 (whereas dark skin has an SPF of about 13.4). "So at minimum, apply SPF 30 every single day," says Day.

• Use retinoids every night. Light skin may get stuck with wrinkles and spots, but there's one way to attack them all at once: "Retinoids increase make it smoother, and promote normal maturation of cells, which can help prevent skin cancers," says Day.

• Quit smoking. Besides the whole lung-cancer thing, "cigarettes are toxic to the skin, depriving it of oxygen and increasing the risk for skin cancer," says Day. That means for people who are already on the fast track to wrinkles (i.e., you, whitey), smoking throws the aging process into overdrive.

LATINA 

Image Source: allure.com

There are light Latinas who age like Caucasians and very dark Latinas who age like African-Americans, says Maritza Perez, director of cosmetic dermatology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City. "However, the great majority are beige to brown, and they show signs of aging approximately ten years later than Caucasians."

The main, near-universal complaint, she says, is melasma—brown patches of discoloration that appear most often on the cheeks, chin, upper lip, and forehead. (Women of Mexican descent tend to be particularly hard hit—approximately 66 percent will develop melasma during pregnancy, according to one survey.) Perez recommends a regimen of bleaching creams (look for those with hydroquinone, kojic acid, or azelaic acid); antioxidants like niacinamide, idebenone, or vitamin C to impede future damage; and the right sunscreen. "Melasma isn't just induced by ultraviolet light," she says. "It's also caused by visible light, and to protect against that, you need a sunscreen with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide."

"Some Latinas have used these home remedies to alleviate pigmentation, but they're a bad idea," says perez. "Lime and lemon can cause a phototoxic reaction that may result in hyperpigmentation, and cocoa butter is occlusive and comedogenic, so it can cause acne and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. plus, they don't lighten skin."

BLACK

Go ahead and smile—you can even laugh and squint if you want to—because you're probably not going to start seeing wrinkles until you're in your 50s. "The phrase 'Black don't crack' is true. The more pigment you have, the less you wrinkle," says Fran Cook-Bolden, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. And because of that extra melanin (and therefore built-in protection), she adds, "for women of color, wrinkles happen much, much later than for Caucasians." Like 20 years later.

You may get a pass on wrinkles, but you're not Peter Pan. Your two biggest issues:

• Sagging. "Black women experience aging with volume loss," says Cook-Bolden. Creams with peptides, like Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, are the first step, because "they help stimulate collagen," she says. For the quickest, most dramatic results, a dermatologist can inject fillers to enhance volume or perform in-office radio-frequency treatments, like Cutera, to tighten sagging skin.

• Uneven skin tone. "Black skin has melanosomes, or pigment packages, within the pigment cells that are large and more widely dispersed, and they can react aggressively to the slightest irritation," says Cook-Bolden. To get rid of dark spots, she likes bleaching creams with hydroquinone (start with a 2 percent over-the-counter version, such as Ambi Skincare Fade Cream) dotted just on the spots in the evening. "Some people abuse hydroquinone because they want the skin on their face to be lighter all over," says Cook-Bolden. "If you routinely apply it everywhere, you risk your face being several shades lighter than your body." Dot the solution on your dark spots only, and stop using it as soon as those blotches match the surrounding skin. At that point, switch to something less potent, like glycolic acid or retinol, to maintain your results.

MIDDLE EASTERN/SOUTH ASIAN

Your Blessing: Thanks to the extrapigment in your skin, lines generally don't show up until the 40s, 50s, or even later. "Some of these women never develop permanent wrinkles," says Hema Sundaram, a dermatologist in Rockville, Maryland, and Fairfax, Virginia.

Your Curse: You still have a good chance of developing dark blotches from cumulative sun exposure, hormones, or irritation. To treat them, Sundaram recommends Elure Advanced Skin Lightening Lotion to break down melanin, or if you're ready for the next step, the eMatrix sublative laser. "It is a fractional radio-frequency laser that minimizes the risk of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation," she says.

Top Three Ways to Beat Dark Spots:

• Jump on the retinoid bandwagon. "It's often better than hydroquinone to treat perpigmentation, in this type of skin," Sundaram says. "Biopelle Retriderm Serum and SkinMedica Tri-Retinol Complex are good. You can use them with the Elure cream—just use the retinoid at night."

• Consider regular light laser peels. They can make a big difference, and they're fast. Sundaram's pick: The CO2RE laser. "It's a radio-frequency-activated laser that produces a controlled micropeel to restore skin's glow and improve hyperpigmentation, as well as prominent pores." For best results, she recommends five or six treatments, about two to three weeks apart.

• Beat breakouts. Getting acne under control will help minimize the subsequent postinflammatory hyperpigmentation [PIH]," she says. "I recommend cleansers with jojoba beads for gentle exfoliation, chemical peels, and prescription Ziana or Epiduo gels to treat both the acne and the PIH."

EAST/SOUTHEAST ASIAN 

Image Source: allure.com

Most Asians want to be lighter, more radiant, and luminous," says Jessie Cheung, an associate professor of dermatology and codirector of cosmetic dermatology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Asian skin naturally has more melanocytes (cells that produce melanin) than fairer skin. Melanin protects skin from sun damage, but it also can go haywire and lead to brown spots, uneven skin tone, and melasma.

To treat these issues, Cheung recommends a bleaching agent, such as hydroquinone or kojic acid, or pigment-targeting lasers. If you have brown spots, Cheung says, Elure Advanced Skin Lightening Lotion gives faster results than traditional bleaching creams. "This is a great breakthrough," she says. "It lightens the skin by breaking up melanin, whereas bleaching agents such as hydroquinone primarily prevent new melanin formation. You can use both—some of my patients do Elure in the morning and hydroquinone at night, which cuts down on the potential irritation."

Asians are also particularly prone to seborrheic keratoses, raised brown bumps that can be frozen, cauterized, or removed with a scalpel.

Lift and Glow is an anti-aging serum that contains effective ingredients like resveratrol and Matrixyl 3000, which helps in reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Follow this Twitter page for more updates.

Toxic metals at dangerous levels found in lipstick and lip gloss---study

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“I entered the cosmetics industry because I wanted more women to use cosmetics made with safe, healthful ingredients.”—Gloria Swanson, actress, clothes designer, and founder of Essence of Nature Cosmetics.

If Gloria Swanson were alive today, she would have been one of the active advocates of a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes to cosmetics use.

Image Source: nytimes.com

Makeup is a crucial touch in projecting an attractive persona, but only when it doesn’t damage the skin or the body. Unfortunately, some researchers at the University of California conducted an analysis of the contents of lipstick and lip gloss. They detected toxic metals like lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum, and five others at levels that could be significantly harmful to users.

The study’s lead author, S. Katharine Hammond, professor of environmental health sciences, says: "Just finding these metals isn't the issue; it's the levels that matter."

"Some of the toxic metals are occurring at levels that could possibly have an effect in the long term," Hammond adds.

Image Source: ktbs.com

The researchers emphasize that although other cosmetic products may also contain metals at dangerous levels, lipsticks and glosses raise the alarm because they are often absorbed into the skin and swallowed. On this note, the study proponents classify those who repeatedly apply lip color and gloss within the day as excessive users who risk an 87-milligram ingestion of these metals daily.

Pausing and thinking before puckering up for rouge or taking care to choose reputable and reliable brands are sensible moves to avoid long-term effects not just on the skin, but more so on the body’s overall condition.

Be wary of what you put on your skin. Read more related stories by following this Lift and Glow Pro Twitter account.

REPOST: The skin "talks" to the liver

According to a new study, skin can affect the metabolism of the liver. Read more in this MedicalNewsToday article.

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have discovered that the skin is capable of communicating with the liver. The discovery has surprised the scientists, and they say that it may help our understanding of how skin diseases can affect the rest of the body.

Professor Susanne Mandrup and her research group in collaboration with Nils Færgeman's research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark was actually studying something completely different when they made the groundbreaking discovery: That the skin, which is the body's largest organ, can "talk" to the liver.

"We have showed that the skin affects the metabolism in the liver, and that is quite a surprise", say Susanne Mandrup and Ditte Neess, a former student in the Mandrup research group and now laboratory manager in Professor Nils Færgeman's group.

The phenomenon was observed in the researcher's laboratory mice. The Mandrup and Færgeman groups work with so-called knock-out mice, in which a specific fat binding protein called acyl CoA binding protein has been removed (knocked out). Some knock-out mice produced by the researchers had a strange greasy fur, and they had difficulties being weaned from their mother. In the weaning period they gained less weight and showed a failure to thrive. Analyses also showed that the mice accumulated fat in the liver at weaning.

"At first we thought that the fat accumulation in the liver was linked with the fact that the gene was missing in the liver of the knock-out mice. But this was ruled out by a series of studies, and we had to find another explanation", says Ditte Neess.

She and her colleagues took another look at the rumpled and weak knock-out mice. Their fur was greasy, and they had a leaky skin from which they lost more water than normal mice.

"When they lose water, they also lose heat. We therefore asked ourselves whether this water and heat loss could be the reason why the mice accumulated fat in the liver and became weak when weaned from their mother", says Ditte Neess.

To clarify this, the researchers made ​​some mice that lacked the fat binding protein only in the skin. Similar to the full knockouts these mice had difficulties after weaning and accumulated fat in the liver. So this showed that the lack of the fat-binding protein in the skin was sufficient to induce accumulation of fat in the liver.

To get to the bottom of how a defect in the skin "talks" to the liver, the researchers decided to cover the mice with vaseline. This would prevent water evaporating from the skin and thus stopping the heat loss. As a result the fat accumulation in the liver disappeared. But as vaseline contains fat, that could theoretically be absorbed by the skin or ingested by the mice, the researchers were a little unsure if there were side effects from the vaseline. A student proposed to cover the mice with liquid latex, which she found in a local sex shop.

Having covered the mice in blue latex the researchers saw that fat accumulation in the liver again disappeared.

"We believe that the leaking of water from the skin makes the mice feel cold, and that this leads to breaking down of fat in their adipose (fat) tissue. The broken down fat is then moved to the liver. The mice move energy from the tissues to the liver", Susanne Mandrup and Ditte Neess explain.


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REPOST: How to Perform a Self-Exam For Skin Cancer

Did you know that it takes just five (5) minutes to do a self-check for skin cancer? Read how from this ABC News article:

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Got 5 minutes? That's all it takes to check yourself for skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States.

Though melanoma (the deadliest form of this disease) has been increasing by six percent annually, only 18 percent of women have ever had an annual skin check from a doctor, according to CDC data. Another survey from L'Oréal Paris found that 88 percent of women have never discussed melanoma with their docs and a slim 30 percent do a monthly skin self-exam, as recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

If you're guilty of skimping on monthly self-exams, no worries—they're easy! Here's the best way to do an expert-approved check.

Find a Bright Room

The best place to do your monthly check is in a bright room.

"My favorite location is a store dressing room because the lighting is strong and you can use the three-way mirror to see your back and behind," says Franks. But it's perfectly fine if you want to stick to a full-length mirror at home.

Remember 'ABCDE'

Once you've scoped out a spot, start by carefully examining your body front and back in the mirror, then check each side with your arms raised above you. Use the acronym ABCDE to help you pick out suspicious moles, says Franks.

Look for:

Asymmetry -- mole's halves don't match

Borders are uneven

Color isn't uniform

Diameter is larger than size of a pencil eraser (4 millimeters)

Evolution of the mole-growth, inflammation, itching

Check Unlikely Places

Bend elbows and carefully look at forearms, underarms, and palms. Your palms as well as bottoms of feet and nail beds are the places where you're more likely to get acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) —a type of melanoma that hits women of color more than any other group.

Fingers and Toes

Check the backs of your legs and feet, the spaces between your toes, and the soles of your feet. "Don't forget to examine your fingernails and toenails too," Franks stresses. "New and unusual pigmented bands on the nails could be a sign of cancer."

If you spot a vertical line in any shade of brown extending from cuticle to the tip of your fingernail, make sure to check in with your dermatologist.

Above the Shoulders

Examine the back of your neck and scalp with a hand mirror. "It's ideal if you can get a friend or partner to help you and using a blow dryer will give you a closer look," says Franks. Although less than six percent of melanomas pop up on the scalp, they can be deadlier because they're often found at later stages.

Use a Hand Mirror

Instead of standing in front of a wall mirror, use a hand mirror to take a closer look at your back and butt, says Debra Jaliman, MD, a dermatologist in New York City and author of Skin Rules. See anything funky?

"Don't wait to get a mole checked because you never know what it could be," says Jaliman. "I delayed my appointment for four months and it turned out to be melanoma, scary but curable."

Most derms will be able to get you in ASAP if you spot a suspicious mole or lesion.

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Get to know more about your skin and what you can do to fully protect it from this Lift and Glow Pro blog site.

REPOST: 3 Bad Habits That Are Making Your Skin Age Faster (VIDEO)

Why do some women's skin age faster than others? Watch the video as Dr. Amy Wechsler explains the process of aging in this Huffington Post article.

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Have you ever looked into the mirror and asked yourself, "How did I wake up with these wrinkles?" Well, you really haven't been paying close attention to your skin. According to dermatologist Dr. Amy Wechsler, aging doesn't happen overnight.

The collagen in our skin slowly breaks down as we grow older. However, there are three factors that can speed up this aging process: excessive sun exposure, smoking and chronic stress. Understanding and eliminating these bad habits can help you to live a more beautiful life.

"I think we should embrace our age no matter what it is -- the goal is to feel and look as healthy as possible," adds Dr. Wechsler.

Watch the video above to find at which age collagen usually starts to break down and exactly how these three factors of aging affect your skin.

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For more articles on skin care, visit this Lift and Glow Pro blog site.

REPOST: Young white women still embrace indoor tanning despite cancer risks

This Los Angeles Times article reveals the danger of indoor tanning to women's health.

Image Source: latimes.com

Indoor tanning is a great way to get skin cancer – especially if you start young. People who use tanning beds, sunlamps or tanning booths before age 35 are up to 75% more likely to develop melanoma, and those who begin before 25 may double their risk of other types of skin cancer.

So we are once again surprised to to find that indoor tanning remains popular with the young women whose fair skin makes them the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.

The latest evidence comes from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a research letter published online Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine, they report that 29.3% of white high school girls went to an indoor tanning parlor at least once a year, and 16.7% went “frequently” – at least 10 times in a 12-month period. In addition, 24.9% of white women under age 35 indoor-tanned at least once a year and 15% did so “frequently.”

Why is this a problem? As we explained after a 2011 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology found that 32% of white women under the age of 30 had visited a tanning parlor in the previous year (including 8% who did so on a weekly basis):

“The reason tanning turns your skin brown is that it becomes damaged by ultraviolet radiation. This is true regardless of whether those UV rays come directly from the sun or from an artificial source, like a tanning bed or sunlamp. Both short-wavelength UVB and the relatively longer-wavelength UVA damage the DNA in skin cells, increasing the risk of malignant melanoma and squamous and basal cell carcinomas. (And even if you don’t care about cancer risk, consider that UV waves break down the collagen in your skin, causing it to wrinkle.)”

The CDC says indoor tanning is dangerous, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns consumers that the UV radiation from sunlamps and tanning beds “poses serious health risks.” The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer says UV-emitting tanning devices are "carcinogenic to humans." The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agrees, saying that “exposure to sunlamps or sunbeds is known to be a human carcinogen.” (Spray tans seem to be OK, since they don't involve UV radiation.)

The statistics reported in JAMA Internal Medicine were gathered as part of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, both administered by the CDC. Although survey-takers may have been less than truthful about their tanning practices, the researchers found the results troubling.

“Indoor tanning is widespread among non-Hispanic white female high school students and adults ages 18 to 34 years, and the frequent use of indoor tanning is common,” they wrote. “This widespread use is of great concern given the elevated risk of skin cancer among younger users and frequent users.”

What will it take to reverse this trend? California is one of a handful of states that has made it illegal for minors to use tanning beds, and at least 33 states regulate the industry in some way, according to National Conference of State Legislatures. Some cities restrict the use of indoor tanning salons by minors as well.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to discourage indoor tanning by imposing a 10% tax on tanning services, among other things. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has found that peer counseling and videos that emphasize how tanning ages the skin are two interventions that actually work.

A 2010 report in the Archives of Dermatology, however, reported that one out of three indoor tanners could be addicted to the practice. That may help explain why 1 in 50 melanoma survivors told CDC interviewers that they continued to go to tanning parlors.

For more about the dangers of indoor tanning, including the truth behind myths such as “Indoor tanning is safer than outdoor tanning,” and “A base tan will protect me from cancer,” check out this site from the CDC.

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REPOST: Beauty Undercover: Be a Smarter Customer

Do you want to become a savvier shopper of beauty products? Take away all your retail anxiety by reading this Cosmopolitan.com article.

Cosmo Beauty Editor Jessica Matlin always felt pressured around beauty salespeople. To overcome her retail anxiety, she trained at Origins to become one.

Image Source: cosmopolitan.com

I'll never forget Timothy: a soft-spoken makeup artist in New Jersey, he sold me my first MAC lipstick at 14. I saw him on the reg during high school, and he made me feel more beautiful than my first boyfriend did—he showed me how to "own my look." When he left the store for a new job, the other salespeople were so pushy, I quit asking for advice and kept convos to a minimum (I didn't want to lead them on). But I knew my phobia meant I was missing out. So I approached Origins to curb my anxiety—and became a savvier shopper. My lessons:

DON'T BUY IT JUST BECAUSE IT'S POPULAR

During my training, a customer held up a Facebook page featuring a well-Liked night cream. "I need this!" she told me. I practically skipped to get the product. But when I got back, my coworker was selling her a different one. He learned she had breakout-prone skin, and the heavy cream would've made her skin go berserk. (#Fail!) While social media is great for making new discoveries, don't be a slave to it. Unlike a trendy shade of nail polish , the wrong skin product can have major consequences.

YES, REQUEST SAMPLES

I used to think taking samples made me look like a cheapskate or, worse, a sucker—it told the salesperson, "You almost got me!" But smart beauty companies want to get you hooked on their products. Their philosophy: If you try it, you might just buy it. And there's less of a chance you'll go home with a $40 jar of cream you end up hating, then bash the brand to all your buds.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, BRING IT BACK

How many bad beauty buys of yours are sitting unused in a drawer? It's time to stop the madness! Whether you bought a product in a moment of weakness or it just doesn't work, most companies will exchange or refund it if you have a receipt.

ASK ABOUT EXTRAS

Origins offers free mini facials to anyone, but many customers are clueless or too embarrassed to ask. While asking about free services might seem like something your crazy aunt might do, the worst thing they can do is say no. Best-case scenario? You're getting pampered, for free.

When my shift ended, I was a little bummed to hang up my apron. I got hooked on solving customers' skin issues—my coworkers' passion was contagious. Sure, selling product is always going to be part of staffers' jobs, but remember: the truly remarkable ones won't lead with it; they'll ask about your concerns first. So make them your personal shoppers. They'll keep tabs on what you're using now and know what you should be using next. Let go of the retail fear factor, and treat the store as your own beauty playground. It can really pay off.

Jessica's top picks!

(1) CC CREAM

Fights free radicals and evens skin tone. Smarty Plants CC SPF 20 Skin Complexion Corrector, $35

(2) MOISTURIZER

Java and ginseng give this one a kick. GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturizer, $26.50

(3) SERUM

Softens the look of lines and wrinkles. Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum, $55

Facial rejuvenation is possible. Follow this Lift and Glow Pro Twitter page for skin care updates and tips.

REPOST: Unhealthy lifestyles 'age a woman's skin by 10 years'

An international study says that having an unhealthy lifestyle can age a woman's skin by more than 10 years.  Read this article from The Telegraph for details:

 

The true damage caused by sun beds, smoking and a lack of fruit and moisturisation in accelerating the ageing process emerged following research by a team of top skincare experts.

The study, which involved 585 women in the UK, China and Spain, showed the factors influencing their skin were the same even taking into account the backgrounds and skin type of the women involved.

It also emerged 'lifestyle choices' often account for as much as 33 per cent of how old a woman looks.

Dr Andrew Mayes, a scientist for Simple skincare which pioneered the research, said: "We already knew genetics accounted for about 50 per cent of how old people look, but we didn't know how much would be accounted for by their lifestyles.

 

Image Source: Telegraph.co.uk

"Even we were surprised by just how much it was; both in terms of the number of years and the percentage."

The study which was carried out over the last eight years involved women aged 45 to 75 in the UK, 30 to 70 in Spain and 25 to 70 in China.

Study sites with controlled laboratory conditions were established in Bedford in the UK, Madrid in Spain and Shanghai in China.

Those who took part were asked a string of questions about their lifestyles including whether or not they like to sun tan and if they were smokers or non-smokers.

Other questions included how often they moisturise, whether they eat fruit and veg, whether they brush their teeth, and have all their own teeth.

The research team also took digital images of the women which were then assessed for how old they looked to identify their perceived age and whether they looked younger or older than their actual age.

The research team, led by Dr Mayes, then compared the perceived ages of those with good versus bad lifestyles.

They concluded the difference was 10.4 years.

Dr Mayes added: "The number of years difference was most staggering – we had just seen some data out of a group of plastic surgeons in the US and Canada suggesting that a face and neck lift (together with eyelid and forehead modifications) could take an average of about 8.5 years off your facial age.

"Then we got our data through demonstrating a saving of over 10 years. It's fair to say at first we couldn't quite believe it.

"But the evidence was there in front of us – women with a healthy lifestyle looked much younger than those with an unhealthy lifestyle.

"Simply put; good skin health is about more than fancy creams and lotions – it's about how we live our lives and how we treat our bodies and the steps we need to take do not need to be extreme.

"They can be small and steady and the effects will be seen over time without the need for plastic surgery."

In direct response, Dr Mayes has helped create Simple Sense, a skincare tool which takes lifestyle as well as skincare products into consideration to provide personalised tips to help women so they don't feel the need to turn to plastic surgery.

A spokeswoman for Simple skincare said: "We've taken this valuable insight and combined it with over 50 years experience caring for sensitive skin to develop this unique online tool called Simple Sense."

The team behind Lift and Glow Pro emphasizes that living a healthy lifestyle contributes to a youthful and healthy glow.  Access this Facebook page for more materials about skin care.

 

Sun protection explained

Most people do not get adequate sun protection, but the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends using broad-spectrum SPF 30, which blocks 97 percent of the sun’s rays.


However, proper protection doesn’t stop there. Using products with the highest SPF protection has raised confusion among consumers. Below are some of the things that sun protection users should be aware of:  


The highest SPF
Bruce Katz, MD, a dermatologist in New York City, says that SPF 50 should be enough to be considered a good number for maximum sun protection. When the products say SPF 80+, this would most likely be a marketing strategy.  


 

Image Source: Bellafloria.files.wordpress.com

Protecting the hair
 While some hair protective products can be put to good use, they’re not an assurance of protecting the scalp as well. An effective way of covering the scalp from the sun’s harmful effects is by wearing a hat and applying sunblock all over it.

Image Source: Standup2cancer.org

The right way to apply sunscreen
To maximize protection, the product should be applied properly. Sunscreen should be applied 20 minutes before sun exposure. One application is not enough throughout the day. The product should be reapplied every two hours, especially when the person is out swimming. The amount of product to use has to be an ounce for creams, a 0.002 mm layer for liquids, or a 30-second application for sprays.

Image Source: Unoriginal123.tumblr.com

With the help of the US Food and Drug Administration, which has issued a new regulation on sunscreen distribution and use, the protective properties of a product can now be easily spotted on labels, the level of SPF included.  


Lift and Glow Pro is one with various health organizations in advocating healthy skin for all. This Twitter page provides resources on how to prevent different skin maladies.

REPOST: The Surprising Secret to Perfect Skin

What is the role of ethnicity in the overall condition of your skin? This Cosmopolitan article reveals the secret.

The latest research shows that the key to attaining an awesome complexion may be linked to your ethnic background.

You know that many factors can affect your skin: the weather, your menstrual cycle, your cleansing routine, the Pill, and yes, your diet. But there's one factor you don't hear much about: your ethnic background. At the latest American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, several research dermatologists spoke about the role ethnicity plays in the overall condition of your skin. Here, top skin docs offer insights that'll help you score and maintain a gorgeous complexion based on those revelations.

Fair 

Image Source: cosmopolitan.com

If you have a pale skin tone that's between porcelain and bisque, this is your group. Most fair-skinned people are Caucasian, but they can also be light-skinned Asians and Latinas.

Basic Characteristics

Fair skin can range from being extremely dry to very greasy, but the most common denominator is a susceptibility to irritation, sensitivity, and damage caused by UV exposure. The good news is that your relative lack of pigmentation means you have the easiest time scoring a uniform complexion. Even when your coloration is slightly off in places (from sun exposure, a breakout, a scratch, or whatever), getting back to normal usually doesn't take the amount of time and effort often required of people with deeper skin tones.

Basic Care

Start your routine off with a gentle cleanser suited for your skin type (dry, oily, or combo), but dermatologists emphasize that selecting moisturizers that'll help protect your fair skin from UV damage is key. During the day, use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen laced with antioxidants. At night, opt for a cream that contains alpha-hydroxy acids or retinol to help speed up cell turnover. Another must: Get an annual total-body check from a derm. In between, look for moles and bumps that change shape or color or that hurt.

Common Problems

Hate to break it to you, but you're the first to show signs of sun damage (wrinkles, dark splotches, roughness). To speed up the sloughing off of damaged surface skin and reveal the fresher, sexier layer underneath, check out one of the new at-home acid peels or microdermabrasion kits. A good buy: L'Oréal ReFinish Micro-Dermabrasion Kit, $25.

Your relative paleness also makes redness look more pronounced. If irritation is causing your skin to appear ruddy, try a "calming cream" containing chamomile or other soothing botanicals. Color-corrective concealers, foundations, and powders, often tinted a light green, can cancel out the red of pimples and broken blood vessels (your lack of natural UV protection makes you especially prone to these).

Medium 

Image Source: cosmopolitan.com

This spectrum spans skin tones from light beige to olive or deep tan. More likely than not, you're in this category if you're of East Asian, Latin, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern descent.

Basic Characteristics

Having more melanin-rich skin gives you some natural UV protection — not enough that you can ditch the SPF, but premature aging shouldn't be a huge concern. Also, your skin tends to be relatively thick, which often means fewer lines and wrinkles. But because it can also contain more oil glands, your skin may have enlarged pores and be prone to breakouts.

Basic Care

A salicylic-acid wash can help keep both oil and breakouts at bay. We like Benefit Wooosh!, $18. Also — unlike powder, which can sit in and exaggerate pores — blotting papers are a great temporary fix. Try Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets, $5. Another trick: Use a mattifyer under your sunscreen and makeup. One cult favorite: Peter Thomas Roth Max Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel, $35.

Common Problems

Skin with a decent amount of melanin is predisposed to produce even more melanin at the slightest provocation. Derms report that hyperpigmentation, such as marks that outlive whatever caused them in the first place (like a bug bite or scratch) and melasma (masklike facial blotchiness), are the biggest concerns. Hydroquinone-spiked fading creams reduce the production of new melanin and help to whisk away existing spots. Try DDF Fade Gel 4, $42. Newer fading formulas use botanicals purported to help disperse existing pigment clusters into less noticeable particles.

Because thick skin tends to have high concentrations of hair follicles, you may also have to wrestle with extra facial and body hair. Consider adding a hair-inhibiting lotion, such as Aveeno Positively Smooth Facial Moisturizer, $14, to your routine. Also, be aware that hyperpigmentation can be triggered by waxing burns, so if you let it rip at home, don't overheat the wax. If you go to a pro waxer, be up-front about your skin's sensitivity. For facial hair, try threading, a safe, time-tested alternative technique that tugs on skin less than waxing or tweezing.

Dark 

Image Source: cosmopolitan.com

Skin tones in this category can range from café au lait to ebony and usually include African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and women from India, Sri Lanka, and other areas of South Asia.

Basic Characteristics

The lucky news: Your skin is the best-protected against UV damage — not so much so that you can forget sunscreen (ever!) — but enough that you're likely to look a few years younger than your lighter-skinned contemporaries. Your pigmentation also provides camouflage against redness and even cellulite. On the other hand, hyperpigmentation can be a big issue — the skin pros point out that acne scars are a particular bummer.

Basic Care

Wage a war against pimple scars by making your cleansing routine about acne avoidance: Use a pore-cleansing salicylic-acid wash once or twice a day. We like Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser, $6. But because you can't ensure against breakouts one hundred percent of the time, consider applying a cream that contains both salicylic acid as well as a brown spot-fighting ingredient. Try Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Acne Mark Fading Peel, $15.

Common Problems

Keeping your b-day suit free of any ashy patches of dry skin is challenging because the contrast between dead, grayish cells and your rich dark skin tone can be obvious. Go for rich lotions and creams, and moisturize as often and as thoroughly as possible, especially when your skin is still damp after a shower. And stick with gentle cleansers versus drying soaps. Try Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash, $4.50. For stubborn ashiness, keep a humidifier on while you sleep.

You may also be plagued with ingrowns. The culprit: a combo of coarse hair and curved follicles. Simply put, the hair has a hard time breaking through the surface of your skin. And as tempting as picking and excavating may be, just say no. At best, you'll invite hyperpigmentation...at worst, infection. Instead, opt for exfoliating and/or antiinflammatory products that coax trapped hairs out. Try Completely Bare Bikini Bump Blaster, $35, or Tend Skin, $20.

African-American Skin Alert

No matter where you fall on the spectrum of dark skin, the most important thing to remember is that sun-induced skin cancer poses a particular risk. Cancerous growths are usually caught at a later (and more dangerous) stage in dark-skinned patients than in others. It's not that questionable spots are trickier to spot on dark skin than they are on light skin; rather, says Dr. Downie, "there's a lack of awareness among women of color that cancer could even be a problem for them." Plus, a lot of doctors aren't being sufficiently trained in skin of color. So you need to be especially vigilant about self-monitoring.

Here are all the classic patterns of potential cancerous growths to look out for: moles and bumps that change shape or color, or that bleed or hurt, or that don't heal. Pay special attention to your palms, soles, and the skin under your nails, areas where there is a higher incidence of melanoma among African-Americans. So remember: Wear SPF 30 (yes, 30!), get an annual skin exam and self-monitor in between those visits.

Learn how to take care of your skin by following this Twitter page for Lift and Glow Pro. 

REPOST: Great Skin: Look Younger from the Neck Down

Most women have spent years pampering their faces but forgetting to take care of some areas of their body. This Health.com article provides some tips on taking care of one's body from head to toe.

Image Source: health.com

Sure, your face looks young, but what about your hands? Your neck? Your chest? Erase years with these smart strategies.

Wise to the sun’s evil ways, you diligently coat your face in sunscreen every day. Nice work. But as you slather on the sunscreen, you may notice that the skin on your hands doesn’t look quite as ageless as your complexion. “Your hands, along with your neck and chest, are what I call give-away areas,” says Kenneth Howe, MD, a dermatologist in Brooklyn, New York. “They can show your real age, even if you have a youthful-looking complexion.” That’s because these three areas get almost as much damaging sun exposure as your face—but they get a lot less care. Remedy the situation with these strategies that will keep you looking gorgeous from head to toe for years to come.

Take time off your...hands

“Most women notice the first signs of aging on their hands in their early 30s, as the skin begins to thin and lose moisture and sunspots come to the surface,” says Robin Ashinoff, MD, chief of dermatologic and Mohs surgery and cosmetic dermatology at Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey. In your 40s or 50s, you may also notice a loss of fat, which makes tendons and veins more visible beneath skin. There are ways to remedy the problem, but the easiest fix is to prevent it from happening in the first place by applying a thick layer of moisturizing sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) immediately after washing your hands.

Simple fixes: Improve the look of your skin by smoothing a retinol cream, like RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum, on the backs of your hands every night. Retinol “minimizes fine lines while stimulating cell renewal to even skin tone,” Dr. Howe says. For darker spots, ask your doctor about pre­scription Tri-Luma, a blend of the bleaching agent hydroquinone and the retinoid tretinoin; a 30-gram tube costs $188 and lasts about six months (apply at bedtime for several months).

Intensive solutions: If you still see discoloration, head to your derm for a series of one to three treatments with an Nd:YAG or Q-Switched Ruby laser ($300 to $500), which can erase spots. Injecting hands with a hyaluronic-acid filler like Restylane will restore lost fullness; one to two syringes (costing about $850 per syringe) are usually needed to treat both hands, and results last about six months. If your skin is thoroughly dappled and has a crepey texture, fractional lasers can “sweep the area clean while stimulating a good deal of collagen production, making skin look healthier,” Dr. Howe explains. Unfortunately, the treatments aren’t cheap—you may need up to five at a cost of $1,000 each.

Take time off your...chest

“I often see women in their early 20s who have blotchy, freckled chests—a clear sign that their skin has gotten too much sun,” Dr. Howe says. Eventually, the broken vessels and brown splotches will be joined by wrinkles, loose skin, and white spots, which appear when pigment-making cells sustain so much damage that they simply shut down.

Simple fixes: The best way to keep your decolletage from deteriorating? Cover it with clothing or sunscreen during the day and a lotion that contains antioxidants like co-enzyme Q10 and vitamin E at night; try Gold Bond Ultimate Restoring Skin Therapy Lotion. “The combination of these two ingredients neutralizes sun-induced free radicals and helps reduce wrinkles,” Dr. Ashinoff explains. To improve skin tone and texture, dermatologists often prescribe retinoid creams, like Renova and Avage. If the skin on your chest is too sensitive for these, over-the-counter retinol or retinaldehyde lotions work similarly but not as quickly; try Avène Eluage Cream ($39; www.spalook.com).

Intensive solutions: Glycolic peels ($300 to $500) can lighten spots and improve texture on large areas of skin. Fractional lasers also “do a good job of correcting most aspects of sun damage: freckling, blotchiness, rough texture, and deep lines,” Dr. Howe says. Each treatment costs a bundle (about $1,000), though, and you’ll need between three and six. If discoloration is your main concern, intense pulsed light can wipe out brown spots and red vessels in three to six treatments and is slightly less expensive ($500 to $900 per treatment).

Take time off your...neck

Smoking, genetics, sudden weight loss, the sun—you can blame any or all of these for the current state of your neck. Horizontal grooves and blotchy tone are a result of too much time in the sun without sunscreen. Far more troubling, however, is the dreaded “turkey neck” that may appear thanks to a combination of sagging skin and protruding neck bands (caused by the tightening of a thin sheet of muscle called the platysma).

Simple fixes: Since the skin on your neck is thin and sensitive, all-star ingredients like retinoids and alpha hydroxy acid may be too irritating. Instead, doctors suggest applying face creams that have gentle anti-agers like copper peptides, which boost collagen production and tighten skin over time; find them in Dr. Jeannette Graf, MD, Copper Collagen Infusion.

Intensive solutions: Unfortunately, creams are no match for ultra-lax skin and rigid bands. Botox ($500 to $1,000 a visit) is the best solution because it weakens the platysma muscle, relaxing the tight cords so skin lies flat for up to six months. The radio frequency treatment Thermage can tighten the neck in just one visit, but it’s really pricey, costing upwards of $5,000. It’s a relatively new treatment, so doctors aren’t sure how long results will last. But the company that developed the technology estimates at least several years.

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