Description
Intelligent skincare facts for intelligent people by Dr. Anita Dormer
Debunking myths and modern gimmicky phrases or JUST GIVE ME a BREAK
Aging is not, I repeat, not a disease. It might be a state of mind but it is also a natural physical metamorphosis that is built in to every organism. So to anti-age is a myth. However, you can fight to signs of aging by making decisions such as avoiding risky and aging habits like smoking, sun worshipping and the over-use of alcohol and drugs. These activities all age your organs along with the one that is most obvious to the naked eye and your largest organ, the skin.
I say start young with smart skincare and you will look and feel like a natural older person instead of someone’s whose skin clearly shows the signs of a lifetime of poor choices. Every time I walk past by a group of young women with cigarettes in hand, it never ceases to amaze me. I know that they will be paying for that choice one day with the extra dollars they will need to treat the diseases that occur as a result. It impacts our society and that behavior is not only stupid and but is unfair to us as a society. The only thing I can say is that one-day they will wear that choice on their face. So aging is a natural process that is influenced by choices that we make as individuals as well as genetics and environment.
I say embrace the aging process but take good care of your body and skin by making wise choices and using effective skincare to slow down the visible signs of aging. Here are some little facts to keep in mind to help you age gracefully:
The skin is a barrier to keep most things out. If the skin were as easy to penetrate as many cosmetic claims, we city dwellers would have died long ago from pollution in our bloodstreams and nervous systems. The science of how to get substances into the skin is continually developing. We do know that the skin has actually receptors like a lock and key that allow retinoid compounds to penetrate the skin. Why we have this vitamin A receptor is unclear. We also know that if we prepare the skin with certain chemicals that the penetration of collagen producing substances can occur – this requires some topical injury along with a prescription strength Retinoid for true moisturization to occur. This is the inconvenient truth for the cosmetic industry and consumers are prone to believe their lies.
An effective skincare regimen is two fold. First, it should address present problems with a problem oriented treatment system. For instance, pigmentation and sun damage can be addressed aggressively and corrected and then that treatment plan should end and give way to preventative skincare. This brings me to the second part – smart skincare should be preventive skincare. It needs to be looking out for future problems and preventing them. Many years before menopause a woman should be preparing her skin for the changes that will occur with protective maintenance and strategic intelligent thinking. This is something that most consumers never stop to consider instead they blindly believe the claims made by the cosmetic industry – Hope in a Jar.
Facts about the skin you should know. The skin loves acid. Most skincare products are alkaline or have a high Ph and do just about nothing.
The skin is a lipid barrier that allows very few products to penetrate and this can only be done by certain processes. Look at products labels and check to see how much of the desired compound is in the jar. Many times you will find water first and then further down the ingredient you bought the product for is there. The gov. makes the company list the ingredients in order the greatest amount at the top and least amount at the bottom. So the further down the list of names, the less the amount of the ingredient. if the vit e cream has vit e near the bottom, it is probably barely a vit e cream at all.
Many of the chemicals that help the skin are unstable and the stable chemical is put in the product. It is not effective but at least it can say Vit Too much exfoliation damages the skin. Too much drying of the skin, producer more oil.
tight feeling skin is not nec. healthy skin.
The skin is not the body’s priority. When stress or infections occur the skin suffers. the blood is shunted away from the nonessential organs like the skin and increased to the brain, heart and lungs. The skin is one of first to suffer when the body is not healthy.
Drinking water and taking oral supplements do not really help the skin substantially. I hear all the time that pts drink plenty of water and they still have dry skin. The 2 are not related unless severe hydration has occurred which is rare. Skin needs direct contact to get the most benefit. Dry skin becomes more of a problem as we age since our natural exfoliation rate of dead skins slows down. We look sallow and dry. This is where medical skin care is needed.
Drying out oily skin makes you oilier. the body sends a signal to produce oil and so you create a vicious cycle.
Natural skincare does not mean better or more effective. In fact there is no regulation on how much is in natural products and most dont even enter the skin’s barrier. Manmade or synthetic chemicals are often derived from a functioning chemicals found in nature and the other compounds that are either more irritating or not useful are taken out. I think natural sounds so great but it is not based in reality. Natural in the cosmetic skincare world to me and most scientists just means it does not work. It is not for the intelligent consumer. Being raised on a farm, I can tell you there were a lot of very natural things found there that I would never ever want on my face. Natural definitely is the new PR term kind of like oil free products. Just marketing gimmicks.
Lastly, be careful of becoming a scientist and interpreting pseudo scientific studies published by the cosmetic companies. They bank on your lack of understanding of a proper study and so most are just anecdotal, unbelievable photos with a small number of people studied. Good studies are very very rare in the cosmetic beauty industry so be smart and be incredulous.
I have to say for years I have been the least welcome person at the beauty counters.. I used to confront the idiocy of the idea with science and the saleperson would just become angry and want me to leave so no one else would hear what I was saying. Now I just stay away from these areas and I can tell you, the companies are very happy I do.
