Tag Archive for: Healthy Skin

Tips for hydrating this Winter

Smack dab in the middle of autumn your skin goes haywire. Skin can be dry, flaky and sometimes itchy due to lack of hydration. Whether you are experiencing any of the above or not, ‘seasonal smart skincare’ is the way to go. With winter fast approaching and temperatures and humidity levels dropping, it is important to have your ‘winter regimen’ in place. Whether you live in a freezing cold climate or a mild balmy one, skin needs more hydration during the winter months. With just buy levitra odt spc a few minor adjustments and additions you will be able to ensure a dewy, glowing complexion all winter long.

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Autumn truths

  • Humidity levels drop during the winter
  • Hot showers dry skin out
  • Covering your face with a scarf will protect against environmental elements (wind, snow, sun)
  • Oil is a friend to your skin
  • Hydration after bathing is imperative to soft, healthy skin-
  • Seasonal regimens makes sense- don’t be afraid to switch it up

Ideas to try

  • Invest in a humidifier. Humidity levels drop during the winter months, thus drying out skin, eyes and hair. Add in artificial heat and you’re doomed. By adding humidity back into the air, you can reverse some of the damage. Cool vapor is the best bet to not only feeling better but looking better too. We recommend leaving it on all the time so that your home maintains an even level of humidity, but if tats not possible, at least sleep with it on!
  • Try to introduce warm showers instead of steamy hot ones. If you’re thinking a hot shower will feel good after a brutally cold day, a good trick is to turn the shower on very hot and let the bathroom steam up. Then step inside the bathroom and get warm. Then turn the shower back down to a warm temperature.
  • Staying hydrated from the inside out is also crucial. Make sure to increase your liquid ingestion during the winter. Think teas, juices, water and healthy soups.
  • Always apply moisturizer to damp skin. Post bath or shower; try moisturizing your skin while still damp. This allows the skin to capture and seal in moisture.
  • Take a look at your cleansing regimen. If you’re an exfoliation junkie particularly with physical scrubs, decrease the frequency during the winter. Instead try a chemical exfoliator once a week, like Fresh-A-Peel. On the other days try our gel-based cleanser, Pure Start. Pure Start contains just enough grapefruit exact to keep skin clean, balanced and soft.
  • Switch up your serum. Trade your Vitamin C serum (which can be aggressive + drying) for a serum that also contains Ferulic Acid and Vitamin E (both hydrating). Our NEW launch Brightening Elixir delivers brightness, anti-pollution protection and hydration all in one.

Don’t forget to load up on hot + cool liquids, along with fruits with a high water content, as your body inside needs extra hydration too!

 

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Foods that help you stay hydrated + what to stay clear of

Eating a diet high in anti-oxidant rich foods such as leafy greens and berries and foods high in essential fatty acids (salmon, avocado, almonds) shows on your face as well as internally. Eating healthy can also reduce pollution effects on the skin and the body.

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What to look out for ?

Steer clear of foods that encourage and cause Glycation. The Glycation process, which is basically, sugars (from food and alcohol) breaking down the collagen fibers in the skin and therefore speeding up the aging process. Glycation equals loss of elasticity and collagen, which equals sagging skin. Foods that feed Glycation and cause inflammation in the body and the skin are carbohydrates, fried foods, sugar, fatty meats and alcohol.

So where to start?

  • Say goodbye to sugar, it is NOT your friend. Sugar is addictive and in almost everything! Pay attention to your daily sugar intake. Even that ‘healthy’ green juice you’re drinking has sugar.
  • Read labels thoroughly- Salad dressings, cooking marinades, pastas, breads, cocktail mixers and coffee creamers (even the nondairy types) are loaded with sugar.
  • Remember you are always one meal away from being healthy. It is not the end of the world if you have a cheat day or even a cheat week (realistic during the holidays). Just remember you are always one meal away from getting back on track.
  • Watch the hors d’oeuvres at the holiday festivities
  • Watch alcohol intake. This is particularly relevant during the holiday season. Alcohol has dreadful and hazardous effects on the body and skin. Alcohol dehydrates eyes, skin and inside of the body. Alcohol has a bad effect on Vitamin A, B3 and Vitamin C, which are all imperative antioxidants for healthy skin and organ function. Alcohol also affects blood sugar levels and can raise blood pressure.

Signs you’re over drinking:

  1. Frequent urination during the night
  2. Dry eyes upon waking in the AM
  3. Stomach issues + bloating
  4. Facial puffiness
  5. Breakouts
  6. Fuzzy mind
  7. Overall dehydration

How to reverse Glycation?

  • Limit the intake of the ‘bad’ foods
  • Exercise daily
  • Eat a healthy diet of vegetables and antioxidant rich foods
  • Use topical skincare products that encourage collagen reproduction
  • Stay out of the Sun/wear SPF

Healthy foods to replenish hydration

  • Leafy greens
  • All berries
  • Lettuce
  • Raw spinach
  • Tomato sauce
  • Bell peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Pineapple
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Understanding The Science of Your Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. Your skin does far more than serves as a fancy covering to make you look good. In fact, the list of job responsibilities it handles is actually quite impressive. Dr. Goldfaden breaks down what your skin in actually doing all the time!

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A bodyguard:

Your skin shields your insides from ultraviolet radiation and other forms of physical damage, it also carries a powerful defense system that seeks out and destroys any foreign invaders that manage to get through.

As a communicator:

Your skin is constantly sending you the latest news from the outside world. About 45 miles of nerves connected to heat and touch sensors located in your skin are always busy relaying vital information about your physical environment.

As a maintenance worker:

When the outside temperature gets too hot, your skin is in charge of regulating your interior thermostat. It automatically turns on the sprinkler system by activating close to 200 sweat glands per square inch. This helps cools you down because the perspiration evaporating on the skin surface lowers your body temperature. When the mercury dips too low, a tiny muscle at the base of every hair on your skin contracts and makes the hair stand up. This helps trap a layer of air on the surface that insulates you from the cold.

As a water conservationist:

On average, about 55% of a woman’s total body weight is water. This means that a 130 pound woman is made up of almost 36 quarts of water. What keeps all this moisture from evaporating and escaping into the air around you is your skin. The outer layer of your skin, although it’s thinner than a single coat of paint, is as water-tight as a plastic sheet of equal thickness. In fact, your skin is 1000 times more impermeable than the membrane of any other living organism.

As a waste management specialist:

Sweating does more than help regulate your body temperature. It actually takes out your garbage as well. Every day your body loses about two and a half quarts of water. A lot of this comes from your sweat glands that work overtime to rid your body of unwanted byproducts like urea and ammonia that are dissolved in your perspiration.

As a vitamin manufacturer:

Your skin houses all the necessary equipment to produce vitamin D from sunlight. Just 20-30 minutes of summer sun

can help generate 10,000 IU of vitamin D that your body needs to activate over 2000 genes responsible for controlling everything from bone growth to immune function.

Interesting qualities that make your skin truly unique:

  • 12% to 15% of your total body weight is made up of skin
  • By comparison, the second largest organ is the liver, weighing in at a little over 3 pounds
  • Your skin sheds somewhere in the neighborhood of 40,000 cells every minute and replaces them with other cells that rise to the surface

How to keep your skin fully functioning:

Your cell turnover slows down every single day. Ever wonder why a baby’s skin is so soft? It’s because babies naturally replace their skin cells every few days. As you grow older, however, the rate of skin cell turnover slows down dramatically. Dead cells on your skin’s surface hang around much longer, a fact that tends to accentuate those fine lines and make your complexion look dull, gray and lifeless. By removing these dead skin cells, exfoliation helps make up for the gradual slowing down of your natural skin renewal process, improving the tone, texture and brightness of your skin.

The process of exfoliation is a lot like peeling away the dry, crinkly skin of an onion to reveal the living supple layers beneath. Whether the exfoliation is done using mechanical abrasion (Scrub) or a controlled chemical reaction (acid peels), removing dead and damaged skin cells on the surface allows the fresh new skin underneath to become visible. This newly exposed layer of skin feels much softer and smoother. Its surface reflects light better, making fine lines and other small imperfections harder to see. Age spots and other areas of unwanted pigmentation are less noticeable because the dead skin cells containing the pigment have been removed. Exfoliation unplugs clogged pores and allows for the release of natural skin oils. Regular exfoliation also helps to maintain open pores, decreases pore size, and minimizes many types of superficial scarring. In addition, removing the top layer of dead and damaged cells allows other health-promoting agents such as moisturizers, antioxidants, and collagen-boosting ingredients to better penetrate the skin and work more effectively!

 

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