It's your Skinsational News!

Welcome to your August edition of Skinsational topics that will keep your skin looking younger, healthier, and absolutely gorgeous!

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August Issue At-A-Glance:

• Feature Article- How Beauty is Revealed through Exfoliation
• Skin Care Technique- Strategy for Exfoliating Results
• Your Top Secret Facial Treat of the Month- Exfoliating Acid Scrub
• Beauty Tip- Fringe Benefits with Revitalash Eyelash Enhancer
• Skin Care Product Review- Home Microdermabrasion Treatments

Feature Article:

As they say: "Out with the old and welcome in the new". In this case exfoliation stimulates a whole new level of facial rejuvenation. Exfoliation is often a misunderstood skin care practice.

However, exfoliation truly is a critical and necessary part of any anti-aging skin care routine because it facilitates younger, healthier looking skin.

Here’s why. . .

Skin cells have a lifecycle of about 30 days. They are created in the dermis which is the skin’s lower layer. Over the course of their 30 day life they begin to die while migrating to the surface of the skin.

For older women, particularly those who are going through or have gone through menopause, the erosion of skin cells begins to give the face a rough, dry, dull appearance as the dead cells collect on the surface of the skin. Dry, uncared for skin promotes the development of wrinkles!

Exfoliation helps to rid the skin of the outermost layer of old and dying cells to reveal the new cells underneath. The process of exfoliation deeply cleanses the skin, unclogs pores, stimulates new skin cell growth and keeps the skin smoother, healthier and younger looking. (It also helps to prevent acne outbreaks.)

There are two ways to exfoliate your skin; by mechanical or chemical means.

Mechanical Exfoliation:

This method involves the use of an abrasive that gently scrubs the old skin cells off the surface of the skin. Homemade natural scrubs using such ingredients as sugar, salt, oatmeal, coffee, or finely ground nuts work just as well as over-the-counter products with abrasive ingredients that many times include a variety of “microbeads”.

Microdermabrasion is another form of mechanical exfoliation that penetrates the outer layer of skin much more deeply and is an excellent strategy to include in an anti-aging routine once or twice monthly. (Did you know that four to five home microdermabrasion treatments are equivalent to one professional treatment?)

Chemical Exfoliation:

This method utilizes enzymes from fruit and natural acids that act to dissolve the decayed cells that have collected on the surface of the skin. There are many forms and many different strengths of chemical exfoliants.

One popular group of anti-aging chemical exfoliants are the alpha hydroxyl acids (AHA’s) which are typically derived from organic substances such as sugar cane (glycolic acid), milk and dairy (lactic acid), apples (malic acid), citrus fruits (citrus acid) and grapes (tartaric acid). Be sure to select an AHA that is suited to your skin type! Glycolic acid is typically recommended for normal to oily skin types, fruit acids and enzymes for all skin types and lactic acid for dry or sensitive skin types.

Beta hydroxyl acids (BHA) is another chemical exfoliant with natural organic origins which most know as salicylic acid. This acid is derived from plants, in particular willow bark and the herb meadowsweet. Most households have a natural form of salicylic acid in their medicine cabinets; plain aspirin! BHA is an especially good choice for oily and acne prone skin types.

A routine that includes either a gentle mechanical or chemical exfoliation is an important component in an anti-aging skin care regimen along with a microdermabrasion or stronger acid peel once every few weeks.

Caution: Do not over due it! It is possible to over exfoliate which will result in dry, chapped looking skin.

Tip: Once every 4 to 5 weeks, give your skin a complete rest from exfoliation for several days.

Over time, integrating a regular regimen of exfoliation will dramatically improve the appearance of your skin. The stimulation of cell renewal creates younger, smoother looking skin which in turn will reward you with reducing fine lines, wrinkles, age spots along with a host of other skin renewal benefits.

Although, there is so much more information to share about exfoliation such as the appropriate strengths of the “acids” to use, I've blathered on long enough. Here are some links that will be helpful in determining which exfoliant will be a good match for your skin type and aging skin symptoms:

• Home Microdermabrasion
  
• Glycolic Acid
  
• Salicylic Acid
  

Exfoliate after washing your face to fully cleanse and open up the pores. This will create the most receptive environment for your skin to absorb the active anti-aging ingredients in your toner and moisturizer.

Before or after a bi-weekly facial peel or home microdermabrasion, do a facial steam treatment to soften the skin and open pores for the best results. Follow up with a nutrient rich toner and moisturizing treatment with a combination of anti-aging ingredients to allow the skin to absorb the nutrients as deep into the skin as possible.

This natural skin care facial scrub recipe combines the benefits of both AHA and BHA. This acid scrub is loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients along with very powerful exfoliating properties.

Combine:

• Finely grate the peel of one orange
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 plain aspirin crushed
• Squeeze just enough juice from the orange to make a thin paste

Apply scrub once daily in a gentle circular motion to the face. Rinse well with warm water. Refrigerate any excess scrub for several days.

More natural homemade rejuvenating facial treatments: Natural Skin Care Recipes

Quite awhile ago I had researched eyelash enhancers. These are products that claim to grow your lashes longer and thicker, and to be honest I decided to wait to try them until more reports were available.

Well, based upon the consumer review received from Angie and the discussions on our skin care forum I couldn’t wait any longer and gave Revitalash a try. (Like Angie, I have thin, short, blond lashes which require several coats of mascara to make them longer and thicker.)

Well, after more than eight months now I can happily report that after about 2 months I began to see a difference and am now on “maintenance mode”.

Frankly, I was surprised and quite pleased with the results. (Sometimes these types of products tend to be fads that don’t really deliver results.)

Although I didn’t get the “dramatic” long, sweeping lashes that the product hype assures people that they will see and many users report, my lash length and thickness have improved enough that I now can use just a quick swipe or two of mascara. So all in all, it was a worthwhile experiment which I plan to integrate into my weekly routine.

Here is the consumer product review submitted by Angie and information on Revitalash and Eyelash Enhancers.

Luckily for us, home microdermabrasion systems continue to evolve. The quality of the devises as well as the technology that allows the home systems to more closely mirror the professional machines has improved immensely.

Rather than the previous estimation that 4 to 5 home microderm treatments are the equivalent of one professional treatment, with a product like the Crystalift System, modeled after a professional spa machine, just a few home resurfacing treatments are now needed to equal one performed in a spa.

Of course, there are also the hand-help rotating brush microderm models that utilize the similar crystals used in spa machines that work rather well too.

With the average price of $100 for a spa microdermabrasion treatment, home methods represent a significant savings. There a quite a few worthwhile DIY Microdermabrasion Treatment Options on the market now.

Next Month:

Have a beauty filled day!

Until next month. . .

Have a Skinsational Day,

Sue