Skin care: Professional vs. DIY treatments

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Natural skin care products have made a huge impact on the skin care industry as more and more consumers believe that Mother Nature holds the secrets to younger looking skin. Because of this, many cosmetics companies base their products on the finest ingredients that nature can offer. Vancouver, Canada-based skin care specialist Dr. Shehla Ebrahim notes that there’s a surge in home-based devices and do-it-yourself (DIY) skin care products use. The question is: Are DIY products as safe and effective as professional skin care products?

Dr. Ebrahim explains: "While some DIY devices are safe for home use, they are not as efficient or effective. DIY devices operate on limited energy output and have a restricted depth of penetration due to FDA and Canadian health requirements. In addition to being expensive and requiring multiple treatments, these devices can also cause serious damage in the hands of inexperienced users."

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Additionally, the skin care specialist notes that over-the-counter DIY facial products may be packaged to look good and smell good, but they don’t work as effectively as those provided by qualified practitioners. The reason being is that these professional treatment products have active ingredients that act at a cellular level, making a more pronounced effect on the skin, as compared to over-the-counter products which usually contain weaker versions of the ingredients found in professional treatment products.

While natural and DIY anti-aging skin care treatments are accessible, easy to use, and best of all, inexpensive, there’s nothing more important than consulting a professional skin care expert before doing any treatment of any form.

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Lift and Glow Pro is an anti-aging serum that reduces facial wrinkles. This Facebook page provides more information on the product, as well as tips on skin care. 

REPOST: Surprising ways to reduce wrinkles slideshow

Do want to have younger looking skin? This WebMD.com article shares some tips on how to reduce wrinkles.

Sleep On Your Back

Sleeping in certain positions night after night leads to "sleep lines" -- wrinkles that become etched into the top layers of skin and don't fade once you're up. Sleeping on your side leads to wrinkles on cheeks and chin, while sleeping face down gives you a furrowed brow. To cut down on new wrinkles, sleep on your back.

Eat More Fish Like Salmon

Salmon (along with other cold-water fish) is a great source of protein, one of the building blocks of great skin. It’s also an awesome source of omega-3 fatty acids. Experts say that essential fatty acids nourish skin and keep it plump and youthful, helping minimize wrinkles.

Don't Squint -- Get Reading Glasses!

Making the same expressions over and over -- like squinting -- overworks facial muscles, forming a groove beneath the skin's surface. Eventually the groove becomes a wrinkle. Keep those eyes wide: Wear reading glasses if you need them. And get savvy about sunglasses, which can protect skin around the eyes from sun damage and keep you from squinting.

Slather On Alpha-hydroxy Acids (AHAs)

These natural acids lift away the top layer of dead skin cells, reducing the appearance of pores, fine lines and surface wrinkles, especially around the eyes. And stronger forms of AHAs may help boost collagen production. Using AHAs can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so wear plenty of sunscreen every day.

Don't Over-Wash Your Face

Tap water strips skin of moisture and natural oils that protect against wrinkles. Wash your face too often, and you wash away its protection. And unless your soap contains moisturizers, use a gel or cream facial cleanser instead.

Wear Your Vitamin C

Some studies have found that creams with vitamin C can raise collagen production, protect against damage from UVA and UVB rays, help reduce dark spots and uneven skin tone, and reduce redness. You have to use a skin product with the right type of vitamin C, though. L-ascorbic acid may be the best for wrinkle relief. You may also see a vitamin C ingredient listed as ascorbyl palmitate.

Soy for Skin Care

Soy may improve the appearance of your skin and may even protect it, too. Studies suggest soy applied to the skin or taken as a supplement may help protect against or even heal some of the sun's damage. And it has also been shown to improve skin's structure and firmness, and to even out skin tone.

Trade Coffee for Cocoa

Try a wrinkle-reducing drink. In one study, researchers found that cocoa with high levels of two antioxidants (epicatechin and catechin) protected skin from sun damage, improved blood flow to skin cells, helped hydration, and made the skin look and feel smoother. Delicious!

Practice Good Skin Care Basics
  

If you really want to keep your skin looking young, start with the essentials. You've probably heard this advice before, but it's important:

• Avoid the sun

• Wear sunscreen

• Wear sun protective clothing

• Don't smoke

• Use moisturizer

Do you want to read more skincare tips? This Lift and Glow Pro Facebook page contains beauty and health articles that might help you.

Exercising: A way to healthy skin

Health and fitness buffs have the edge of possessing not only a sculptured bod but also glowing skin. It does not entirely matter what exercise they’re into. Whether it’s yoga, jogging, or adventure races, exercise does not necessarily mean driving oneself to exhaustion, bulking up muscles, or losing weight altogether. It only means keeping fit and letting the skin reap the benefits.

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There are many more benefits to exercise than just sweating away clogged pores and reducing oily skin. Some of them are as follows:

• Collagen production. Collagen, which is associated with delaying skin aging, supports the fibers in the skin, making it firm. With regular exercise, collagen production increases. Even manufacturers of beauty products, like Lift and Glow Pro, Ambi Skincare, and Neutrogena would agree that investing large amounts of money in anti-aging products only produces nominal results if not accompanied by regular exercise.

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• Reduction of sebum. Exercise allows the skin to remove not only excess oil but also the reason behind that excessive oil production—stress.

• Fighting acne and other skin impurities. A good sweat pushes out all those clogging elements and prevents looming acne breakouts.

• Improvement of skin tone. Rosy cheeks and healthy glowing skin result from all the sweating, increased blood circulation, and cleansing that exercise provides.

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Making exercise a habit may be the final trick to helping control oily skin, uneven skin tone, and breakouts, independent of feeling better, having more energy, and looking great overall.

Keep yourself looking great by following some skin care tips from this Twitter page.

REPOST: What your face reveals about your health

Does your face reveal your true age, or do you actually look older than you really are? This FoxNews.com article shares some insights about how your face and skin can reveal so much about you.

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There’s more to the old adage about the truth being written all over your face than you may think. Not only do we get nonverbal signals about someone’s true well-being from unconscious facial expressions, but the state of your skin reveals a great deal about what’s going on inside, both physically and emotionally.

In fact, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have used facial analysis as a diagnostic tool for centuries, marrying specific facial areas and features with organs and emotional states. So when you get a recurring zit on the same part of your chin or have a perpetually congested or flaky forehead, your skin could be trying to tell you that there’s a deeper health concern in need of attention.

Facial diagnosis is not an absolute science, but it could certainly point you in the direction of a healthier lifestyle. Here's what to look out for: 

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Mid-Cheeks


Your cheeks are linked to your respiratory system, so a slight rash could be an indication that your body is starved of oxygen and you need to work on deepening your breath. 

Hannah Yang, resident naturopath at the unique ESPA Life (ESPALifeAtCorinthia.com) spa in London said, “Anything that allows you to open and utilise the lungs would be helpful. Try breathwork, mediation or increase your exercise.” Smokers, therefore, will inevitably have/get broken capillaries, discoloration, fine lines or congestion in this area, as will those who suffer from colds, asthma or the flu.

The area is also a stomping ground for rosacea, so be sure to seek topical treatment if you have persistent redness that flares up easily. It’s quite possible that too many stimulants like coffee and alcohol could be causing all that flushing.

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Mouth

The mouth, rather fittingly, correlates to the stomach. Where the actual lips relate to the stomach and intestine, the surrounding area at the sides that run down toward the jowls are linked to the colon. Any spots or discoloration dotted around your lips could, therefore, be a sign of poor bowel movements, bloating or a poor appetite. Find a local nutritionist and explore any food intolerances or allergies that may have gone unchecked over the years.

Bloody gums indicate an acidic stomach, while dry and flaky lips are a fairly obvious sign of dehydration. Cracks or sores, alternatively, suggest a spleen in need of care. Stock up on vitamin B and iron if that’s the case.

This Lift and Glow Pro Facebook page offers tips on how to look and feel younger.

Retinoids: From Acne to Wrinkle Treatment

Discover how retinoids treat not only acne but also wrinklesfrom this EverydayHealth.com article written by Diana Rodriguez.

The body needs vitamin A to develop strong teeth and tissues, healthy vision, and healthy skin. Retinol is a type of vitamin A that can be found in food sources like whole-milk dairy products, liver, meats, and eggs.

Vitamin A is also available in topical forms, known as a retinoids, that are used as medications to treat skin conditions. Retinoids were initially marketed and approved to combat very severe acne. But researchers soon discovered another valuable property of retinoids: They could reduce the signs of photoaging (aging of the skin from sun exposure) and were soon used as a wrinkle treatment.

Retinoids for Skin Solutions

There are two major types of natural retinoids used medically.

Isotretinoin (formerly marketed under the brand name Accutane) is an oral medication that may be prescribed for people who cannot control severe acne through topical treatments or with antibiotic medications. Though it's been found to be extremely effective in managing acne, it has serious side effects, including birth defects if taken by pregnant women. Generic isotretinoin may cause depression and, rarely, thoughts of suicide. And while new information is emerging that it could contribute to or worsen irritable bowel disease, a study found that isotretinoin use did not affect the incidence of IBD.

Tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) is a topical vitamin A prescription acne treatment. It's also used to help reverse damage to the skin from sun exposure. Tretinoin works as an irritant, which results in more rapid turnover of skin cells, causing old cells to die more quickly. Tretinoin helps acne disappear as it sheds old skin cells. While it also minimizes the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots on the skin, exactly how it works against wrinkles and sun damage isn't completely understood. There are also synthetic forms of topical retinoids available by prescription for acne treatment: adapalene (Differin) and tazorotene (Tazorac).

Prescription Versus Over-the-Counter Retinoids

Studies have examined the effectiveness of various types of prescription retinoids on both acne and as a wrinkle treatment. Researchers have concluded that topical retinoids are an effective acne treatment and are also effective in preventing acne breakouts. Research has also found impressive results when it comes to reducing — and in some cases reversing — sun damage.

Cosmeceuticals (cosmetics that also claim to treat a skin condition, such as wrinkle creams) that contain weaker forms of retinoids are widely available, but relatively little research has been done to determine their effectiveness. Of the studies that have been conducted, cosmeceticals with the form of vitamin A called retinaldehyde are the most successful in reducing the signs of aging.

The Cost of Care

Isotretinoin and tretinoin are only available through a prescription and should be used under a doctor's supervision. Costs vary according to your pharmacy and health insurance. In some cases, the medication may be covered partially or fully by your health insurance plan, particularly if the treatment is for acne. The use of a retinoid topical cream for cosmetic reasons is less likely to be covered by insurance. A year's supply of treatment with Retin-A can cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $200.

The less potent, non-prescription retinoids, such as retinol and retinaldehyde, can be purchased over-the-counter as ingredients in skin care products marketed to erase wrinkles, sun damage, and other signs of aging. There are many brands available, including RoC and Olay, among others. Retinol- and retinaldehyde-based products are available at drugstores and beauty counters. Products range in price from about $10 to $20 or more.

The uses of vitamin A have evolved over the years, from the body's natural needs to man-made treatments that get rid of pimples and minimize wrinkles and dark spots on the skin. Whether you seek acne or wrinkle treatment, buy it over-the-counter or with a doctor's prescription, be aware of possible side effects, and make sure to follow all instructions carefully.

Source:http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/skin-care-101/retinoids.aspx