External vs Internal Aging

Since I wrote No-Nonsense Beauty Book, I  followed the anti-aging skin care rules– I used scrubbing grains to exfoliate  the skin surface, slathered on sunscreen, and avoided the two biggest beauty killers, namely smoking and excess alcohol.  It seemed to work  for years — and then it didn’t .  While I  didn’t develop fine lines, crows feet and  brown patches, I suddenly looked pretty old.  My skin was pale  and sagged along the jawline.  I felt a bit betrayed.  I spent all those years limiting my time at the beach and passing on that second glass of  wine.  And now   there were clear signs of facial aging.    What I learned was that   pale and droopy skin are two characteristic signs of  internal aging.    This means that the decline in hormones as well as a slowdown of blood flow and cell growth, all signs of natural aging, were driving  the changes in my skin.  My pattern of aging — pallor but no freckles and folds rather than wrinkles–  are typical of a 55+ women who avoided sun exposure.  So my precautions were not  totally useless.

External aging is due to exposure to the sun and environmentl pollution.  Also known as photoaging, sun -damaged skin is thicker, with enlarged pores and a coarse texture.  The surface is wrinkled with numerous brown patches and spots.  When not tanned,  the skin  is sallow and dotted with small red lines (burst blood vessels)  Not infrequently there are plenty of brown spots, some of which can develop into a skin cancer.  If you spent  many happy hours in the sun and/or in a tanning bed, this type of damage can appear by age 40.    

  The years are not kind to  sun damaged skin.  When your biological clock passes 55, hormonal changes arrive, bringing with  them deep lines, folds and wrinkles.  That’s the bad news.  The good news?  There are now really effective anti-aging  tools  to restore health and beauty to even the most damged skin.  You won’t look 25 again, but don’t worry, you’ll be very happy with the result.  The challenge is picking the right tools.

Close-Up:  MMPi ( matrix metalloproteinases)

What a mouthful!  This is a cosmetic ingredient with a complicated back story.  MMPs are a group of enzymes in the body that clean-up cell debris.  They destroy  old damaged collagen and elastin to encourage new production of healthy tissue. In the body they are controlled by  enzymes  that inhibit their production.  These are known as MMPi with the ”i”   meaning inhibit  However, certain factors such as sunlight and pollution  can over stimulate   production of these clean-up enzymes. The result?   Destruction of healthy collagen and elastin.  Are you still with me here?  The idea here is that    adding MMPi’s to an anti-aging product  can prevent natural destruction of the skin to protect the strength and elasticity of the skin.   Laboratory studies  have shown this to work, but many experts want to see more research.

Read Full Post »

Even My Neck Has Wrinkles

Until I started this blog, I had pretty much ignored my neck.  I was happy that it held up my head and didn’t hurt. While I was vaguely aware that it was rough and wrinkly, I was pretty much focused on my dark under-eye circles and vertical smile lines.  After about a month on Retin A, I realized that there was a significant  amount of difference between my face and my neck.  The skin on my face looked smoother, pinker and  firmer.  On the other hand my neck, has horizontal lines, loose skin tone and was just plain pale.  The difference is so strong that it looks like I am wearing make-up on my face and my neck is dirty. ( See photo)

I was therefore thrilled  when Dr Marmur,  my  dermatologist, told me that I could apply Retin A to my neck and chest area.   I had assumed that since the skin is so thin on the neck that Retin A would be too irritating.  I was wrong.   Even when the weather turned cold and snowy my neck was  happy to have its nightly dose of Retin A.  Lets see how long it takes to make my neck wrinkle-free or at least show some improvement.

Close-Up: Kinetins

Kinetins are plant hormones that are vital to plant health.  It prevents yellowing of leaves and the rotting of fruit.  Almost all of the research with kinetins have been with plants.  The few studies with human skin were sponsored by the company that holds the patants to Kinetins.   However results were pretty promising, showing that kinetins applied twice a day reduced some signs of sun aging.  These included skin coarseness, dark patches and spider veins. If you are under 50 and have spent  many happy hours in the sun, anti-aging skin products with  kinetins may improve your skin quality.  Look for products that contain .1% kinetin concentration.  Another good fact– kinetins are non-irritating  and can be used  with Retin A  and AHA’s ( fruit acids)

Read Full Post »

The New Beauty Budget

Lets be honest here — an effective anti-aging plan is not cheap: Retin A is $300/tube.  Laser hair removal a painful $800.  Laser removal of freckles –$325.  Still to come  will be a bit of Botox ( $300) and  fillers for  my lines ( $800).   Rather than  dip into my savings to pay for these items, I decided to create a  personal beauty bank.  Here’s how it works. 

I looked over my usual expenses to see where I could cut back and save the money for my anti-aging plan and this is what I found–

* one less  dinner out each month@$100/dinner= $1200/year

* 3 less lattes/week @ $5/lattes= $780/year

* 2 less taxis/week@$10/taxi= $1040/year

* Bring lunch from home 2X/week@ $10/lunch=$1040/year

Add it all up and I can potentially   save  just over $4000/year!!.  Following my  new budget guidelines,  in less than nine months I was able to save  about $2700, more than enough for all my beauty goals.   Funny thing about saving this money, once I achieved my financial goals, I had no desire to go back to my former spending  habits.  I love the idea of a personal beauty bank and will continue to  add to it.

Read Full Post »

It Really Worked!

For the past week or so, it appeared to me that I looked “better”.  To my eyes, my skin seemed to have a healthier color, the smile lines seemed less deep and the skin texture smoother and fresher.  But it can be so hard to judge yourself.  But when I compared  my before and after pictures, the improvements  were real.  Photo 1 is my face before I did anything to it.  Photo 2 is after almost three weeks on Retin A. In the second photo my skin is clearly pinker and the texture  looked firmer and younger.  When I started with Retin A,  I read in Natural Beauty by Bobbie Brown  that I could see  real changes within a week to 10 days– and I did. 

I did have to do some real work  to earn these benefits.  Retin A is powerful and I had to adjust my routine to deal with  cold, dry air or sudden skin redness.  Its not something you can apply and ignore.  When  my skin looked dry and/or irritated, it was a signal to take a Retin A holiday  and double down with a heavy duty moisturizer. 

Retin A means  choosing  companion skin care products very carefully.  Not ony did I need to look for ingredients like sunscreen and hyaluronic acid, I needed to avoid poential irritants such as scrubbing grains, vitamin C,  alpha hydroxy acids,  and retinoids.  These are helpful ingredients, but  can be too irritating when combined with Retin A.

I am really pleased with my new improved complexion– but to quote Winston Churchill, this is not the end.  This is not even the beginning of the end.  It is the end of the beginning.  Next on my list–  a date with a laser to fry my freckles.

Close-Up: Copper Peptides

Studies have shown that copper peptides can promote burn and wound healing by stimulating growth of elastin and collagen.  We also know that as we grow older  the level of copper in our skin cells  naturally declines.  In fact, the amount of copper peptides falls about 30%  between the ages of 30-60.  This has led people  to believe that copper peptides have anti-aging properties.  There are a few industry supported studies  which show that copper  peptides can improve fine wrinkling, reduce dark patches and improve skin thickness.  This is not definative, but certainly promising.  Copper  peptides are affordable and  non-irritating and can be used successfully  with  Retin A regimens.  I’m going to try  them for the  nights when  my skin is too dry for a dab of Retin A.

Read Full Post »

A Beautiful Guarantee

It’s a double insult.  I buy a  skin care product  and it doesn’t work.  My beauty problems are still there and I’m  out beween $20 and $100 for something I will never use again.  So, I was really psyched to find a growing number of products now come with a  money back guarantee. Pro-X  from Olay states on the package  and in ads that” satisfaction guarenteed or your money back” .   Bath and Body Works covers all their products with money back guarantee. Nice!  I’m making a list of products and/or brands that come with such a promise.  If you have come across any, let me know.

Close-Up: Niacinamide

A form of  vitamin B, niacinamide appears to  offer solid anti-aging benefits.  Studies have shown it can act as an exfoliator, to take off top dead cells and  encourage new skin growth– much  like fruit acids.  In a study of 50 women who used a 5% niacinamide cream for three months, analysis  of their skin showed  a reduction in fine lines and dark age spots.  Even better, women in the study reported  improved skin tone and color.   Niacinamide is often used in products designed to lighten dark spots and under eye shadows.  As is often the case with anti-aging ingredients,  it can be difficult  to know  how much   niacinamide is in the product.  One clue– the higher  it is listed on the label, the higher the  concentration  in the formulation.

Read Full Post »

Retin A and Snowstorms Don’t Mix

The cold  and snowy weather continues to cause problems for my  Retin A  treated skin.  Apparently it is the low humidity in the air that’s driving the red patches, tightness and flaking.  I’m going to cut back Retin A useage to 2-3x  per week and drench my skin with a  heavy  moisturizer  in the morning and evening. In addition I’m going to address environmental humidity both inside and outside.  At night I’m going  to plug in my humidifier to compensate for radiator dry air.  To humidify myself I’m  going to try to remember to drink  at least a quart of  water a day.  In warm weather I seem to  have a glass of ice tea surgically attached to my hand.  When it gets cold, my daily liquid intake  drops to several cups of tea  and coffee.

If  these adjustments don’t help, I  have two other options:

1) Twice a week I can apply Retin A, leave it on for 30 minutes, rinse it off and top with moisturizer.

2.  Stop using Retin A  entirely until spring

I think I really see  a difference with Retin A and I don’t want to lose  what ground I have gained.

Close-Up– Peptides 

Peptides are fragments of proteins.  They don’t directly affect the skin, but rather trigger activities in the cells that help them stay young.  Research has shown that peptides can encourage growth of collagen and improve blood circulation in the skin– all good when it comes to anti-aging.  But outside the laboratory, the jury is still out deciding if  beauty products with peptide can deliver  on their promises.  There’s also concern about the ability of  peptide  to get through the skins layers or even how much peptide  is in a product.   I’m going to try  a peptide- rich  moisturizer with a money-back guarantee.  Definately a win-win situation.  If  it works, my skin  will look better.  If it doesn’t, I’ll get my money back.

Read Full Post »

Date with A New Dermatologist

To move forward  with my anti-aging  make-over I need to partner with a dermatologist.  When I asked Dr Laser about different options, his answer for everything  was a TCA peel.  This is an expensive and extensive treatment that leaves you bright red and swollen for weeks.  It usually reserved for  heavily lined skin with widespread sun damage.  Since I hate pain and have just seven, count ‘em seven sunspots, I felt that TCA  was overkill.

I found a great new partner in a  young dermatologist with impressive academic credentials and who is pretty enough to model.  She looks like she is in her late twenties and actually just turned age 40.  This is a dermatologist who clearly walks the walk.  My original game plan was to (1) use Retin A  to refine the surface,(2) laser my freckles and then(3)  plump up smile lines with a filler like Juvederm.  My new  doctor liked the  steps but suggested that we deal with the freckles now.  She explained that  the lasers work best on darker spots and Retin A tended to  lighten freckles.  So, in a few weeks   my freckles will be history.   

Close-up:  Caffeine

Extracted from coffee beans, caffeine  may offer some pretty heavy duty beauty benefits.  Studies have shown that it can repair sun damaged skin, reduce inflammation and shrink swollen blood vessels.  It is this feature  which makes caffeine helpful for reducing puffy eyes.  Tea also  has significant amounts of  caffeine which is why a cold wet tea bag is a time honored treatment for under-eye bags.

Read Full Post »

Retin A in the Winter

I’ve been using Retin A for almost a week and its been fairly easy.  But when the weather turned cold and windy, my cheeks got a bit red and my chin looked flaky.  It looked so minor, but  knowing  the potential for real irritation, I decided to take it seriously.  I decided to skip Retin A  that night and drenched my skin with Aveeno Soothing Moisturizer.  By morning the skin  was calm and soft. 

For me, the take away is that when using Retin A, you have to be flexible and think ahead.  I need to keep using Retin A  regularly to get the maximum beauty benefits– and this means changing routinue at the first sign of the irritation and dryness.

Close-up: Alpha Hydroxy Acids ( AHA)

Alpha Hydroxy Acids ( AHA), which are also called fruit acids, are naturally found in a wide range of foods including grapes ( tataric acid), apples (malic) , buttermilk (lactic acid), sugar cane (glycolic acid) and tomatoes (lactic acid).  Women throughout history have recognized the beauty potential of AHA.  Cleopatra is reported  to  have bathed in  sour milk to soften her desert-dried skin.  In the court of Louis XIV, woman made  facemasks of wine  to clarify their complexions.

Today you can find AHA in cleansers, body lotions, moisturizers,  face masks, and eye creams.  There’s a lot of great  research done on AHA  to back up beauty claims.  AHA’s can improve skin tone and texture, fade dark patches and  even stimulate growth of new  collagen and elastin.   AHA’s are sort of Retin A  light.    They work beautifully for younger skin ( under age 40).   I liked AHA so much I wrote a book about  it ( see photo) Its out of print now, but I’m looking to download  some chapters  if I can figure out how to do it. 

The best way to use AHA is in a   moisturizer or body lotion. ( A cleanser is on the skin too short a time to have an impact)  Look for a product that has between 5-10% AHA.  If a product doesn’t  give  the AHA percentage, check out where an AHA appears on the list of ingredients.  It should be among the first  five-seven ingredients to insure that the product  is going  to deliver  maximum beauty benefits.  Like Retin A, AHA makes the skin more sensitive to the sun, so you need a daytime moisturizer  with a 30 SPF. Its hard  to find to find a AHA mositurizer with a sunscreen- the two dont usually get along  in the same formulation. I found two AHA/sunscreen combo’s– Neutrogena Healthy Skin Skin Lotion SPF 15 ($12.99) and Skin Effects Glycolic Day Cream SPF30.  I don’t like to recommend products without trying them first, but I’m using Retin A and the combination with AHA can be very irritating.  I will try these products on my  winter-dry hands and legs.  I’ll take a before photo of my right hand and leg , use the products for two weeks and then take another set of photos.  The left hand and leg will act as controls.  Lets see if these AHA - rich products really got  game.    

Next time:  A Date with a Dermatologist

Read Full Post »

Anti-Aging Plan– Game On

I’m five days into using Retin A and so far so good.  I’m so anxious to see a  a  change in my lines and wrinkles  that I want to use it every day. I need to be patient and stick to  my plan to use it very other day for the first 10 days to two weeks. If I rush and  my skin rebels, I  will have to  stop using until irritation  fades.  Pushing ahead too fast  will only cost me time while  I wait for things to settle down.

Close-up: Collagen

Collagen fibers  give our skin strength and flexibility.  Time and sunlight gradually destroy  both collagen and its close cousin elastin, contibuting to the appearance of lines and wrinkles.  Well-designed clinical studies have repeatedly shown that  Retin A can stimulate the growth of healthy new collagen– which is one of the reasons that I plunked down $300 for a less than  1/2 ounce tube of the stuff.  

A quick walk  walk thru the cosmetic counters in a store   ( either drug or department)  will show you a wide range of  beauty products that include collagen as an ingredient.  Most doctors don’t believe that a molecule as large as collagen ( its really big)  would be able to pass thru the layers of the skin to regrow new collagen.  However collagen  is a turbo powered moisturizer.  It fills in microscopic  cracks inthe skin, holding in water and  making the surface smooth and even. Collagen acts likes an emolliant but without a greasy feel– perfect  for under  make-up.  Collagen is a great choice when using  Retin A which  tends to dry out the skin.

Read Full Post »

The Beauty of Retin A

Most dermatologists, even those  pushing their own line of products, recommend some form of Retin A  as “the foundation of anti-aging skin care” ( their words, not mine).  Yet many of my friends are dubious about using it.  I tried it   a few years ago, but just wasn’t into it.   At that time I didn’t  have sun damage or wrinkles and probably did not see the point.   Now I really want it to live up to its promises.  To improve my chances of success  and reduce  redness and irritation, I came up with a Retin A tip sheet:

1. Use a very mild cleanser, avoid  scrubbing grains, exfoliators, alpha hydroxy acids, and wash cloths.

2.  Wait 30 minutes after face washing  to apply Retin A

3. Start with a low dose of a milder product in a cream base.  I’m using Retin- A Micro  which is a low dose product where the medication is encapsulated to reduce iritation

4. Use only a tiny pea size dab  and apply to the whole face– not just on dark spots and wrinkles. 

5. Twenty minutes after Retin A application, top it with a mild moisturizer.  Avoid products with potential irritants including vitamin C,  over- the- counter retinoids, and alpha hydroxy acids.

6. For the first week or two, use Retin A only every other night.  If the skin seems calm and happy, work up to every day application.

7. In the morning, use mild cleanser and top with gentle moisturizer that  has a 30SPF.

8. If the skin starts looking irritated, avoid using Retin A on the reddened areas.  If irritation persists, take a 2 day holiday from Retin A.

This is what I’ve gleaned from reading clinical guidelines and talking to dermatologists.  Lets now see how well  these “rules” work in the real world. 

CLose-Up:  Hyaluronic Acid

I got a very interesting comment asking about Hyaluronic Acid.  There are so  many ingredients out there that I decided to add a little ingredient paragraph to every post.   Some of these I had  written about in The NonNonsense Beauty Book, while others  are  new to me.  Hyaluronic  Acid is an old friend with new  uses.  Found naturally in our skin, it has the ability to attract and hold  water.  In fact it has been reported that one molecule of hyaluronic acid  can hold up to 1000x its weight in water.   As  time passes  our  body produces less and less of  this great moisturizer.  By age 50, the skin has about half  that  we  had when  we were in college.  It’s an  expensive ingredient and primarily found in high-end products .  For example, a  moisturizer  rich in hyaluronic acid  is Skin Medica Hydrating Complex ( $76 for one ounce). Another form of hyaluronic acid  is used  in long lasting injectable fillers such as Restylene.  Because hyaluronic acid is a naturally occuring  substance there is far less risk of inflammation and allergy compared with some  of the other fillers.  In case you can’t tell, I really like hyaluronic acid.

Read Full Post »