An Ounce of Prevention

This latest blog I’m dedicating to my cousin, who at the young age of 36 yrs, was just diagnosed with stage four melanoma cancer. My cousin is fair skinned and blue eyed and loved to be outside and snowboard.

I’ve already talked about smoking – on a vanity level. So let’s talk about the sun and our obsession with a “healthy glow” .Historically tan skin has  been in and out of fashion. For the last 5000 years, a tanned person meant low-class because they were outside laborers- think "farmer tan". Upper class ladies went to great lengths to keep fair skin; lead paint, arsenic, and layers and layers of clothing.

Since the industrial revolution, the lower-class suddenly went inside to the factories. The tables turned and only the very rich were able to have the luxury of time. Time to lay about outside, time to go on exotic and expensive vacations in the tropical south.

Fast forward a few decades to now; where we still long for the tan look and not caring about the consequences- just watch an episode of Jersey Shore and watch them obsess about their darker-the-better mentality. Listen to popular music on the ipod advocating not caring about the future, just about having fun “…and all that counts is here and now, “ I’m glad you came, The Wanted   

So what happens when you don’t care about the future , and just caring about looking good and having fun? Science shows us that:

·        One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than double a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life.²⁴

·        A person's risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns at any age.²⁵
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts#treatment

And if science doesn’t do it for you- Take a look at these ladies:

Pam shows signs of her years of topless bathing, Lindsay is only in her twenties , but her fair skin just can't take it. 

So what should we do- we all know what to do, slather up in sunscreen. But after a little research, it’s a little more complicated than I realized. I can sum up new research in a few bullet points:

• -         You need 30+ SPF 30  min before you go outside- not 15 minutes like we've been told
• -        You need to pay attention to both UV and UA rays.
• -        There is no such thing as sweat proof or water proof, it just stays on a little longer.
• -        You need to reapply every 2 hours in full sun, and after going in the water.
• -        Moderate exposure in sunlight (with protection) is good for you.
• -        You can still get UV/UA rays on a chilly, cloudy days, so just suck it up and put it on anyway!
• -        You need to put on enough sunblock to fill a shot glass.
• -        70% of people do not put enough sun-block on.

What do I use?

I got the Olay Regenerist 30spf  for $18.00- at Costco

Cheap, effective, preventative.

Happy face-saving, and life-saving,!

Not Going Down Without a Fight! Herbal Hormones and Longevity

When I’m not teaching or caring for my family, I work at my second job as a CNA- working with elderly people in their own homes. It’s a blessing to work with these wonderful people but also gives me some pointers on how I want to be when I’m their age.  It seems that those who do not actively care for themselves spend the last 20 years of their life in a “Groundhog Day” like routine in their favorite recliner barely able to walk around. Then I see the 96 years olds that are still moving around and getting out there, what are they doing?

I am determined to be that active 96 year old living their life to the fullest to the very end. Part of that anti-aging goes beyond vanity of course. I do exercise, and eat right. But one other proactive anti-aging activity that I do I learned from my mother ( we’re all natural born wildcrafters I swear). I found many don’t know about taking herbal hormone supplements.

I’ll take you back…

We have not been living past forty until the turn of the 1900 century. Menopause is something new for all of us- women were bearing children in their late teens and early twenties. It’s only the last hundred years us women have decided to hang around another 40 years while our bodies have not caught up. Our hormones begin to slow down when we get to 30 years old- our hair thins and our cells do not turn over as quickly. Around 20 years ago it was common for menopausal women to take Premarin to put symptoms at bay, unfortunately that led to increased breast cancer.

So now what? And what about young women and other pre-menopausal women? There has been significant research at Mayo Clinic done about using herbal supplements as an alternative. Another buzzword  is called “Bioidentical” hormones. You can pay large amount of dollars to swab your mouth to get the right balance of what you’re lacking. This helps ease the aging process and keeps you healthy and active longer. However studies are not clear yet about its safety- so please proceed with caution, this is truly cutting edge.

Since I turned 30 many years ago, I noticed I was experiencing peri-menapausal symptoms and added Estroven and DHEA to my morning supplement. Taking them early on decreases the severity of aging you would have experienced.

Estroven has Black Co-hosh and mimics a VERY mild form of estrogen- the hormone that keeps us girls! I notice that my body feels like it did, cycle wise, when I was 24 years old. DHEA is a hormone that is found naturally in a human’s body that makes either estrogen or testosterone. In low doses in can increase lean muscle, energy level, sex drive- woohoo, and vitality.  This vitamin is my exercise motivator in a pill. Seriously.

I purchase mine from Swanson Health products, I trust their safety processing and their price- 3 month supply for DHEA 3.99 plus shipping. I can buy Estroven there as well or at Wal-Mart- both cheaper alternatives than Bioidentical “doctors”. Safer too. 

Plant Stem Cells- Cellular Fountain of Youth

As Shirley McClaine says in Postcards from the Edge “ I don’t mind getting old, I do mind looking old.” If science could find a way to stop the aging process, at least the in the epidermis layer (i.e. esthetic skin layer) I would be all for it! Thankfully we are living in a highly technical age where we are beyond moisturizing creams .

In my early twenties, I worked for a biotech company while they played with programmed cell death- or apoptosis.  Our genetics are programmed when to start shutting down. What could happen if we could simply- “reprogram” our genes to stop aging? I do feel science is getting close to finding these answers because of progress in cancer treatments and with nanotechnology.

So what does this newfound research mean for us frugal gals looking for real answers that are also effective? Scientific articles in the Life Extension field have shown that plant stem cells as well as topical DNA technology are effective in anti-aging.

Let’s discuss the effects of using plant stem cells as a topical treatment. Miebelle Bio Chemistry in Switzerland discovered the use of a rare Swiss apple known for its ability to stay fresh for an extended period of time. Most of us know about stem cell research in the news- mostly from embryonic sources. Scientist wanted to know if plant stem cells would “show” animal cells how to not age, and help the new cells keep their longevity. Through research, it showed that there were some positive results. They measured line depth of the face in20 subjects over 28 days.  All confirmed shallower line depth and each cell sample proved to be more effective in “rejuvenating” itself.

Are there any side effects? None so far, like any new technology long term effects are not documented yet.

I have been using Apple Stem Cell with 35% active for about a year now, three drops in my emu oil “medley” morning and night. I also put it directly on my face after a chemical peel to get it right to the new layer of skin asap.  I have done a lot of research on the best product of apple stem cell and so far the product with the highest percent of active is… you guessed it, Platinumskincare.com at 35%. I’ve used Life Extension ($28.00)and other healthcare brands, as well as cream that cost about 130.00, and  none of them disclose the amount of active in their formula.  This product for me is a little pricey- 42.95 but it seems to last me about 4 months.   I notice that before I used it my laugh lines would return about 10 days after a peel, now with the stem cell it is about 35 days for the lines to return.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Happy Face Saving!

Smoking is the Anti-Aging Deal Breaker

    I remember being in my 20’s when you could eat like crap and stay out all night but not have to pay too dearly afterward. Now in my thirties I recognize how little that time frame of “no consequences” really is. It’s only about 8 years that you can do “whatever you want” to your body and not seem to do any real harm to your body. Again I say “seem” to do any harm because none of us can look inside or readily do any screen tests on ourselves.

    Let me be clear, I’m not talking about cancer in any form; however cancer can sure bite anyone’s efforts of looking young in the bud quickly! I will try, instead, to appeal to your vanity.

     I remember watching an episode of Third Rock from the Sun, where Dick (the alien) discovers smoking. The female says” Dick- that can take ten years off of your life!” Dick replies, “but they only take it off of the end of your life, those are the crappy years anyway.”  I know, I remember feeling that way in my twenties too. 

    We know sun exposure and smoking are the big anti-aging no, nos.  However when comparing anti-aging, and not counting cancer, smoking seems to age a woman faster. In WebMD states that for a “social smoker”*  middle age comes in their early thirties. We are "young" for about 20 years, and "old"   for about 60+years if lucky. We are older longer than we are younger; we need to take care of ourselves!

    The term “smoker’s face” is an actual medical term. The smoke literally suffocates the blood supply of oxygen causing wrinkles, sagging, dryness etc. You can see some effects of reversal if you quit- but sadly your skin will never be the same. 

* ( meaning that they only smoke when out with friends)

And if this didn’t convince you,  these stars were the hotties about 30-15 years ago. They smoked, tanned and drank:

 

Bridget Bordeaux- blonde bombshell, smoked and tanned ,
she was gorgeous....for about five years.

Kathleen Turner- She was famous for her Jessica Rabbit voice...

  which came from smoking...

Poor Melanie Griffith, She battled drugs and alcohol, and smoking.

And now an example of someone who did NOT smoke:

This woman took care of herself. She has not smoked, tanned,

but does exercise and has eats well.

We love Helen Mirren!

I will now get off my soapbox but before I do I will apply sunscreen and thankfully not (or will never) light up;p

"Weaving" Yourself With Better Skin: Collagen.

Remember being a child spending time with those weaving looms making potholders for your family?    Do you remember those loop type materials you had to use? Those loops are essentially what collagen is, and the woven potholder is your skin.

Collagen is the most common type of protein found only in animals (ourselves included). This protein comprises about 30% of our skin, joints, cartilage, nails, etc. and is found everywhere! Think of collagen as the formed box that holds the cell in a shape! Without it we would be a gelatinous mess around our skeleton. Referring back to our potholder analogy, if I were to fold a potholder in half in the same place over and over again, the fibers would wear and eventually make a permanent crease.

That’s exactly what happens to our skin and other collagen dependent organs. So what are we to do? Several creams tout collagen ingredients, but does external delivery work(i.e. topical creams)? Science says “no”! Creams will only moisturize the area temporarily and look plumped for about 1/2 an hour. This would have the same effect as putting chap-stick on your face.

You can get collagen injections (from cows) as line filler to help boost your collagen fiber and get that plump firm look again. Those can cost anywhere from $200.00-$600.00 a treatment. You can also get laser therapy and “rough up” your skin so it forces itself to rebuild the collagen. This treatment costs about 400.00-600.00.

So what should value conscious ladies do? The best method, science states, is to feed collagen to yourself internally. I currently take Neo-cell collagen +C (you need vitamin C to correctly convert the proteins) supplements every morning, Wal-Mart $9.00-ish. I’ve noticed my hair growth to be otherworldly! I also know that my chemical peeling helps “rough up” my skin and build up collagen.  And, honestly, I’ve seen the ad on my blog, the collagen “You” mixture from GNC, if anyone ever tries this please let me know:) 

Go Retinol or Go Home; The Magic Molecule

As I sit here slathered in emu oil, with my smile lines still slightly tender from my tca peel, I’m thinking about what is really working in my morning and nightly mixture “medley” of products I’m trying. That’s right, I try new products, then stop, then start again to see if I can tell a difference. Why? Because I have no life, but we digress…

We already know what really works in wrinkle creams; Mayo Clinic says that the ingredients that do work are:
Hydroxy acids,  Coenzyme Q10, Copper peptides,  Kinetin, Tea extracts and… Retinol! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wrinkle-creams/SN00010

Retinol is another name for Vitamin A. We can get it from our leafy greens, our carrots and now in our face products. This is the “bottom-feeding-carp” of skin activity. It cleans your skin so your skin can do its job better ie: create more collagen, fight free radicals etc.

I’ve used retinol for acne- that is essentially what Epiduo is. My face is shiney, more firm and bright. But the down side is it does “sting” at first and you need to stay out of the sun as it can become unstable.

LOTS of skin care boasts retinol and all its forms: retinoids,tretinoin (prescription only), and the whole compound- retinol. But which skin products are effective AND cheap. I have tried:

o    All of the big box and over the counter lines

o    Olay, Neutrogena, Roc .- minimal notice of any effects, I did break out from the moisturization

o    Prescription, etc.: great results

o    Platinum Skincare- ok, not as potent as prescription and 3x for me

o    Afirm 3x- Awesome!! Comparable to prescription.

I am currently using Afirm 3x and it’s only 30.00-ish and it will last me a year I’m sure. You can’t use more than a pea size or your skin will scream! There are also other strengths available. Below are some guidelines, I know some of these will sound like bomb instructions but it’s worth it.

Guidelines when using something that is potent:

            DON’T use if you are pregnant or nursing

            DON”T buy the product in a jar, sunlight breaks it down. Pump or small cap with opaque cover.

DO put it on at night so the sun does not have the opportunity to break it down.

DO wear sunscreen as you are now more vulnerable to sunburn which is counterproductive. Spray-tan if you must girls! Elise- are you listening?

Remember we are old longer than we are young! Happy Face Saving!

Mad for Melaleuca

This blog entry I thought we’d get a perspective of a mature woman’s needs in a beauty line.  Vee Dub from the mid-west has the prettiest, fairest skin and prefers to use a natural line called Melaleuca: a natural line of products at a reasonable cost. Without further ado:

"A bit newer to the whole anti-aging issue, I’ve finally decided that at 50-something I NEED to do something.  If I don’t my jowls are going to need a bra!  What I don’t like, though, are face preparations that are harsh on your skin, or have chemicals in them that I have no business absorbing into my body.  A recent find is Melaleuca’s Sei Bella line of beauty products, including skin care solutions.  Their products do not contain sulfar, and are made from pure and natural plant extracts like the goji berry, with lots of Vitamin C and E added to protect your skin from the environment.  The solution has a wonderful citrusy scent and costs roughly $20 (if you are a Melaleuca member, a little more if you’re not) for a fluid ounce-size container (goes far). 

 You can get it at :

http://www.melaleuca.com/

VeeDub"

Why Did You Have Be So Good? When only the best will do...

Sometimes you can’t avoid it. Only the good stuff works. Deep down we all want to believe that the good (i.e. expensive) products are just over-marketed, over-hyped, Vaseline in a jar. But as most of us know, that isn't so. Sometimes that miracle in a jar is worth the price. So what is a cheap (broke) girl to do?

My secret weapon- www.ebay.com!  Let me clarify “the good stuff”. I am not  speaking of the la prarie ($10,000 per jar) in a Hollywood star’s home; I’m talking about the products that you would find in a medical spa.

For example:   

• Murad Skin Care,
• Dr Brandt
• Perricone
• Obagi
• MD Skincare,
• Skin Medica,
• Skinceuticals 

Unfortunately, Dr. Perricone has the best eye cream this side of the Mississippi, and his new Acyl-Glutathione, works so well on any lines, it gets rid of any creases. However at full price, they are $95.00 and $175.00 respectively.

On ebay I’ve been able to buy the travel sizes for anywhere from $12.00-$25.00. I recently just purchased 12 “trial size” Arbonne lift gel (it is an eight hour face lift) for $12.00.

The only negatives are neighbors commenting on how often the ups truck stops at my door ;p.

So happy ebaying and remember to never pay more than $40.00 of a trial/travel size anything! Some people can get taken for a ride.

Temple Viper Anti-Aging Technology:Science and Nature at its Best

This specific product is why I get so excited about anti-aging technology. The Swiss scientists at Pentapharm (now DSM Nutritionals) have developed a way to synthetically reproduce a snake's venom for several medical uses such as anti-coagulants. Along the way, they found ways to use a viper's venom for cosmetic reasons in a product called "Syn-ake". One of them is producing a paralyzing -like effect of  venom. Much like botox.  A quote from the manufacturer :

SYN®-AKE’s mode of action is similar to that of Waglerin 1

which acts at the postsynaptic membrane. The peptide

is an antagonist of the muscular nicotinic acetylcholine

membrane’s receptor (mnAChR). As the muscular

nicotinic ACh receptors are blocked, the ion channel

remains closed. There is no uptake of Na+ and the muscle

cells stay relaxed.

In lay terms, Syn-ake keeps your muscles from fully contracting or relaxing and therefor leading to less wrinkling. This is an actual botox alternative. In fact, botox users use creams with syn-ake included to extend botox benefits. I have used this product for years and your first few applications feel like you've applied novocaine. During a "Holes" By  Loius Sachar unit, I brought my SynAke for the kids to try to experience being bitten - they thought it was pretty cool. So teachers- yet another application ;p

I need to remind you that I have tried all of the botox alternatives (I buy the expensive stuff off of ebay to try it... more about that later) and this is the only product that works.

You can find creams with syn-ake  for 130.00 and up. I buy mine (in pure form) for 35.00 and it lasts me for about 6 months.Of course you know where I buy mine; platinumskincare.com with 5% active ( I swear I get no kickbacks from them- although a discount or two would be nice) But you can google  Syn-Ake and find several sources. 

Happy Face Saving!

The Magic Cure All Oil. No not snake oil but...

This wonder oil I have been using for eight years- Emu Oil! It’s been referred to as the “the aspirin of the modern days”. It’s been known to help treat burn victims to anti-inflammatory issues. The magical component to this oil is that it mimics the same lipids as humans and therefor can truly replenish moisture. 

Emu oil is the only moisturizer that can push below the subdermal layer. This can be two- fold: 1) it can deliver excellent moisture and 2) it can “push” other active ingredients below the subdermal layer as well. That’s why I use it after a chemical peel and I use it last after my serums and whatnot.

Make sure your emu oil is certified, so it won’t be contaminated (yuck!). My mother complains she feels too “greasy”. I do leave it on my skin from about 5 minutes before I put on any makeup. I also have used platinumskincare.com version so I’m not sure that made any difference. This can be used on any skin type as it is non-comedogenic and hypo-allergenic as well. The price ranges from 15.00 for 2 ounces to 30.00 for 8 ounces.

Here are some proven uses and effects emu oil:

·         Moisturizing ·         Anti-inflammatory ·         Non-comedogenic ·         Wound healing ·         Topical enhancer

·         Burn treatment ·         Skin thickening ·         Acne treatment ·         Wrinkles...