The Top 10 List for Aging Gracefully…and BEAUTYfully Part 1

Well, you asked for it, and here it is! The first in a series of The Top 10 List for Aging Gracefully…and BEAUTYfully from a wholistic perspective, because when we consider how to keep our youthful glow alive, that goal cannot be separated from maintaining our health in general. They are one in the same.

First, let’s consider the obvious…topical skincare.

1. Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Protecting your BEAUTYfull ® skin from the sun’s UV rays will help you stay young. It is well documented that extended sun exposure is known to cause a myriad of skin concerns including wrinkles, age spots, and even skin cancer. Studies from the American Academy of Dermatology have shown time and time again, that the sun plays a significant role in the premature aging of the skin, in fact 80% of aging of the skin is linked to sun exposure, AND furthermore, 80% of that sun exposure happens before we are even 18 years of age.

The single most important thing you can do for your skin is stay out of the sun especially in the middle of the day and keep your skin covered by sun protective rated clothing, as well as using a UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum Physical Block (Zinc Oxide based) Sunscreen with an SPF 30.

To boost the efficacy of sun protection for your face it is important to apply a layer of a Vitamin C serum which is naturally loaded with anti-oxidants and free radical scavengers to help stabilize the skin. Additionally, some professional products also incorporate Grape Plant Stem cells which combine the ability to protect skin from UV damage as well as turn around damage that has already occurred.

And last but not least…PhytoNutrients. The most important way to minimize the aging effects of the sun is often completely overlooked, primarily because it’s a relatively new idea; we need to make sure that we’re getting enough skin protective nutrition. Think about it, plants and algae depend on what could be, potentially damaging solar energy, as part of their very existence. They have had to develop a way to defend themselves against sunburn. These defense agents in plants are colored pigments, called carotenes and flavanoids. When we eat highly pigmented plants, these pigments can in turn be delivered to our skin, thus providing us with the same protection they give the plants. In other words, the reds, blues and greens, in the fruits and veggies that we eat, can actually help us deactivate some of the effects of solar energy, and function as internal, nutritional sunscreens, protecting our skin from the inside out!

2. Build a relationship with a Licensed Skincare Professional

Incorporate professional monthly treatments to fight the good anti-aging fight and maintain optimal skin health. Just like visiting the dentist regularly for routine care, professional skincare treatments, in conjunction with compliance with a personalized home care regimen, can make all the difference in the world. Some treatments are effective for exfoliation and others to maximize collagen production as well as helping to lighten unwanted hyperpigmentation. Advanced therapies offer many youth-preserving options without having to consider plastic surgery. A trained professional can help provide guidance to integrate multiple modalities to yield the most effective results after skincare goals have been identified. Remember with an anti-aging program its all about collagen, collagen, collagen!

3. Wash your Face and other homework

Cleansing the skin twice daily with warm water is the cornerstone of a successful home care program.  In the morning a resting cleanser will refresh and hydrate the skin and in the evening it is important to remove makeup, sweat, natural oils and pollutants that collect on the skin during the day with an active cleanser which will then open the skin to be more receptive to the active/corrective/restorative products to follow. Products in a solid homecare program can be likened to a sandwich (using organic, sprouted, gluten-free bread of course!!) One slice of bread is the cleanser, the other slice is the hydration. In the day that hydration would also include a zinc-based moisture/sunscreen combo, with or without tint. The meat in the sandwich for the day would be Vitamin C and the meat in the sandwich for the night would be Vitamin A also known as retinol. Other components can be added to the sandwich like mustard, lettuce and tomatoes…or for the purpose of this description, eye crème, firming serum and tyrosinase inhibitors…what?? The latter are ingredients that keep new pigment (age spots) from forming.

Take shorter showers and for the body, use an olive oil based soap or consider a  sugar scrub or lactic acid-based cleanser to amp up exfoliation, which can be accomplished by either manual (scrub) or “chemical” means, and should be used judiciously, so as not to sensitize the skin. Add topical, fragrance-free moisture and oil. Using moisturizer every day, especially right after bathing when skin is damp will improve absorption. Both men, as well as women, can benefit from added hydration. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying moisturizers within 3 minutes after bathing to enable your skin to retain most of the moisture from the actual bathing process. Hydrated skin not only looks and feels better but even more importantly, helps to maintain collagen levels to help prevent the crepiness that develops with age.