Help for rosacea is on the way......

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition of the face where the small capillaries of the face become dilated and inflamed.  The superficial tissue of the face also becomes inflamed in the areas of the nose, cheeks and chin.  Often times, this condition can be accompanied by acne type lesions as well such as pustule papule red lesions. This is commonly known as adult acne and more commonly affects age groups 20-70. It is more prevalent in fair-skinned people and females. Men can also develop rosacea and some clients develop a swelling of the tissue of the nose called Rhinophyma typical to W. C. Fields.  

The dilated capillaries can advance to broken vessels at the surface of the skin called telangiectasia. These broken and inflamed blood vessels cause a persistent red blushed look, typical to the rosacea client.

Rosacea tends to have periods of flare ups followed by periods of clearing.  The condition is aggravated by acidic and spicy foods, hot or cold extreme temperatures, alcohol and generally hot temperature beverages or foods. Rosacea can also involve the eyelids causing inflammation of the connective tissue.

Treatment of rosacea is very difficult.  Clients should be advised to eliminate all aggravating foods and beverages and well as wash with tepid water only, avoiding excessively hot or cold temperatures. 

Rosacea should be treated early to avoid permanent tissue inflammation.   It can be treated with a topical anti-inflammatory as well as topical anti-yeast medication known as Metronidazole or Metrogel.  Internal antibiotics and external antibiotics can also be used.  Also, regular light glycolic peels, such as Clinage's infused with healing topical Vitamins C, B3, and A therapy can also be helpful to reduce inflammation and control breakouts.

Until next time........

Post Summer SOS for your Skin- The Time is Now!

After summer, we should all strive to brighten up, smooth out and tighten up our skin.  After a long hot summer in the sun and elements, our skin has taken a huge toll.  We have exposed our skin to the maximum level of sun rays while having our fun in the sun.  Many of us know to use sunscreen, preferably sun block religiously, although it is still hard to keep the products on completely and frequently enough.  

Even a T shirt will only provide a sunscreen of 15. So what can happen?  Our skin turns different shades of red to brown but underneath, in the deeper layers our skin  is undergoing serious changes in the immune system, pigmentation cells, dermis layer where collagen and elastin cells are held.  End result is dry, wrinkled, blotchy, looser, spotted skin.  Is it all worth the tan or the activity without great protection?

 

Most skin cancers, serious ones are known to be a condition of lifestyle.  Melanoma, a skin cancer derived from pigment cells can kill fast. There are very few known good chemotherapy treatments. The sun exposure we accumulate over life is what brings these aggressive cancers.  Hereditary predisposition also plays a part.

 

What can we do?  When we go in the sun stay completely protected with at least a 50 to 60 block with zinc or titanium dioxide and cover all exposed areas as well as frequent application, every 45 minutes.  Sounds crazy but the alternatives are not good---old skin with potential for pre-cancers and serious systemic cancer.  

Keep covered up. Sun block clothes, lightweight are also available besides hats, gloves, and trying to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., But don't let that fool you.  Just take a look at the difference in your skin under where we get no exposure (underwear). What a difference in texture and all. The skin is smoother, plumper, and not blotchy 

 

It you want to restore your skin from the summer, try a regime of glycolic peels. Try Clinage!
They are great to restore our skin after all the damage.  The repeated peels help smooth out skin and rebuild and repair with more collagen and elasticity as well as even out tone.  

Vitamin applications, especially Vitamin C (particularly in the form of magnesium C ) work to additionally repair rebuild, tone and protect your skin from further skin destruction. A regular program of products that lightly exfoliate as a cleanser and keep a layer of glycolic acid sugar base on our skin along with vitamins C, A (retinyl palmitate), E, and niacinamide.  Make sure you are using cosmeceutical grade substances not deleted down. Most drug store and retail establishments do not have the right amount of chemical construction to have advanced results.  WE all can have beautiful skin and protection ourselves from future damage. Visit www.clinage.com. Until next time.......

Understanding the skin we’re in…..

Did you know that the skin is the largest organ of the human body? In fact, it covers nearly seven square feet (for an average adult) and accounts for about 16% percent of the total body weight.

Our skin gives shape to the body structure and holds it all together. Our epidermis protects our internal organs from damage, guards against invading bacteria and behaves like a thermostat, regulating our body temperature by conserving heat or cooling down when necessary.

Our skin eliminates waste fluid and purifies the system and acts as a trigger to senses between our environment and us.

As you can see, our outer self has a lot to contend with. Be sure to protect, exfoliate and moisturize it daily. Visit www.clinage.com for ideas and products your skin will love.

Why exfoliating is so very important--a must read!

The skin is made up of many different layers. Some are dead and some are living. To help you better understand the skin and its layers, let’s concentrate on three primary layers of skin. There is the top, dead cell layer, the middle living layer and the lower supportive layer. We don’t need the top dead cell layer nor do we want it. It makes the skin look dry, dull and old and inhibits any topical nutrients or moisturizers from penetrating into the skin. It basically suffocates the living skin cells. Women who exfoliate or remove these dead, dry skin cells with regular European facials, scrubs or peels will look much better than women who don’t. Men’s skin will look younger longer than women’s because they shave their face, removing some of the dead, dry cells.

Exfoliating dead, dry skin cells is the first step of any skin care program and extremely important. If we don’t remove these cells we are wasting our time applying topical vitamins, or moisturizers over them because nothing will penetrate or be absorbed into the skin. Without absorption, you will not get the benefits of using good skin care products. The beauty of using Glycolic acid is that it dissolves the glue or sebum, which holds dead, dry cells on the top layer of skin, loosening them and gently lifting them off. I say gently because this type of exfoliation is called a chemical exfoliation and it is less harsh than a mechanical one, which uses abrasive grains and scrubs. If you look under a microscope, you can actually see the small scratches caused by a mechanical exfoliant.

Using a Glycolic cleanser will allow your skin to breathe by unsufficating the pores.  Check out our Clinage cleanser by visiting www.clinage.com. It allows the pores to absorb essential vitamins and to become refined. Until next time……

Why your skin LOVES Vitamin C

Using topical vitamins on your skin is just as important as taking and eating foods with vitamins.  Only 25% of what we eat reaches our skin surface so it's important to apply skin care products containing vitamins.  Serums usually contain a high concentrate of vitamins and these are usually applied before your moisturizer.

 

Vitamin C is a staple and has been in skincare products for many years and has stood the test of time because of it's effective results and benefits to the skin.  Vitamin C comes in various forms to address different skin issues. How it works... Vitamin C stimulates a protein called "proline." This protein then turns into collagen.  Collagen synthesis feeds the skin resulting in smoother, more radiant, and plumper skin.  Fine lines and wrinkles are less visible, pigmenatation is lightened, and it calms the skin so clients with rosacea see a reducement in redness and iritation. 

There are many forms of Vitamin C that you can find in creams, serums, and powders.  A highly effective formulation is called Mag C. Vitamin C is known to be an unstable substance to work with and oxidizes quickly.  However, when adding magnesium to Vitamin C it allows it to penetrate the skin into the lower layers with less oxidation.  Therefore, the skin starts receiving all the many benefits that Vitamin C has to offer including enhanced collagen production and an improvement in the skin's overall health.

 

In our next session we will discuss the benefits of Niacinamide, which is a B3 Vitamin. Until then.......

Did you get your Vitamin A today?

  

Our skin needs both topical and internal vitamins to maximize skin regeneration. Vitamin A is also known as Retinyl palmitate.   

It is crucial that vitamins be applied topically since only a small percentage enters the skin from oral administration.  Vitamin A promotes elastin and collagen formation, which helps keep our skin plump and supple with fewer wrinkles.

It is also important in the production of substances that keep our skin moist and hydrated. It’s a potent antioxidant and enhances cell humanity. Vitamins A, C, and E actually work best when taken together.

Vitamin A is also effective in reducing the occurrence of acne and is also helpful in the treatment of psoriasis and eczema. 

It is recommended that topical vitamins are best used with some form of glycolic acid intended to remove the dead layer of the skin and clean out the pores to enhance penetration for maximum results.  Vitamins should be regularly used and are safe for skin types and ethnicity. 

It is always a good idea to augment your topical vitamins with foods rich in natural phytochemicals such as dark green leafy veggies including spinach and collard greens. In addition to milk and eggs, choose dark yellow and red pigmented vegetables such as peppers, carrots and squash.

Until next time……

Intrinsic versus extrinsic influences regarding your skin

Generally speaking, aging can be divided into two main categories of influences. These are called intrinsic (internal influences) and extrinsic (external influences.)

Extrinsic influences factors in the amount of sun exposure a person receives during their lifetime.  The amount of sun exposure starts at infancy and is culmulative to their current age.  The skin can survive the extrinsic aging caused by the of sun if is kept well-protected.  Areas that are not protected or exposed to the sun start undergoing structural changes in the skin and show up in the form of a hyperpigmentation which can be described as a mottled and leathery appearance.

Other extrinsic influences that affect aging are smoking and alcohol.  Smoking and alcohol affect the vitamin levels in the skin that are responsible for preventing aging.  Both of these influences also affect the circulation of skin which compromise the general health of the skin, and can possible increase in the rate of aging.  Smokers also use facial muscles around the mouth that tend to produce linear wrinkles from pursing the lips during the smoking process.

Intrinsic influences that affect aging are primarily our genetics composition which we inherit at birth, such as our skin type and color.   For example, fair-skinned individuals usually have a greater sensitivity to the sun because they have less natural melanin in their skin to protect them from photo-damage.  Comparatively, darker-skinned pigmented individual have plenty of natural melanin to protect against the sun’s natural rays. Some disease conditions such as diabetes can also affect the general health and rate of aging of the skin. Generally, diseases that lend themselves to poor nutrition or poor circulation can increase the aging process by depleting special co-factors in the skin. These co-factors mobilize important vitamins A, E and C which increases healthy collagen and elastin production count.  

For more info, visit www.clinage.com, Until next time......