Archive for September, 2009

All that it does…

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Our skin is the largest organ of our body and is amazingly complex.  Skin layers, cells, nerves, hair follicles, millions of sweat glands and miles of blood vessels all work in harmony to protect our body.  Your skin accounts for 15% of your body weight.  It contains 1/2 – 2/3 of the blood in your body and 1/2 of your primary immune cells.

Roughly 1 inch of your skin contains….

millions of cells, 15 feet of blood vessels, 12 feet of nerves, 650 sweat glands, 100 oil glands, 65 hairs and 1,300 nerve endings.

Your skin can heal itself when it is injured.  Sensory nerve ending respond to touch, pain, cold, heat and pressure.  Your skin adjusts to outside temperatures to warm and cool your body.  Sweat glands excrete unwanted chemicals and oil glands slow down water evaporation to help maintain water levels in your cells.

Given all that your skin does for you, what do you do for it?

Friday Thought

Friday, September 25th, 2009

“People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkenss sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within”

-Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Waxing keeps your skin healthy and hair-free all year long

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

For the best results keep up your waxing routine even through the winter months. Your body hair grows in 3 separate stages, and by keeping a regular waxing schedule individual hairs are encouraged to continue growing all at the same time. This maximizes the length of time between regrowth by removing the most hairs at once. Rather than attempting to get these hairs growing on the same cycles starting in the spring, keeping up with waxing through the winter can mean that come summer your legs, bikini area or underarms could be hair free for up to eight weeks at a time!

Additionally, each time the hair grows back after being waxed, the root is weaker. Not only does the hair grow back finer and lighter, but it comes out more easily! Eventually you will notice that patches are not growing back at all. Continuing on your waxing routine will amplify these results by the time we are ready to slip back into bathing suits and shorts.

In addition to the obvious benefit of lasting hair removal, waxing also works to improve the health of your skin. The wax acts as a gentle exfoliant removing dead skin that can build up during these cold and dry months. Skin is left smooth and bright, and ingrown hairs and irritated hair follicles are minimized. Best of all though, removing that of the top layer of dead skin allows for deeper penetration of your skincare products, making your everyday lotions and creams work more effectively which is so important during the dry winter.

A Nice Thought for the Weekend…

Friday, September 18th, 2009

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

-Audrey Hepburn

Why Eye Creams?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Looking in the mirror the other day I noticed “them” for the first time. Although I know I will never regret all of those smiles I have cracked over the years (and I refuse to stop now), I guess it is time to invest in an eye cream.

Fine lines and wrinkles start out around you eyes because it is the area on your face with the fewest oil glands. Dry skin is the first to show signs of aging, because it is the oil on our skin that helps to hold in moisture. And it doesn’t help that the thin, delicate skin around our eyes is always moving. The elasticity of our skin is often compared to a rubber band. As it is stretched over and over again, it begins to loose it’s resilience. Additionally, the skin around our eyes is also rich with tiny capillaries, and due to the thinness of the skin they are very close to the surface. Rubbing, itching and roughly removing makeup are easy ways to damage these capillaries. They can certainly break, leaving a small red mark or line, but even just increasing the circulation to the area causes them to swell and appear darker.

There is no avoiding it…this area needs extra attention!

You are never too young to start using an eye cream as it is a great way to help ward off this first sign of maturing skin…and please don’t ever think it is too late! Creams that are designed for the eye area have many benefits, and there are a number of formulations that can address any concern or level of damage.

Eye creams most often come in two formulations, Gel or Cream. A gel eye cream works by cooling, tightening and hydrating the area around your eyes. This is a great choice for younger people, or those of you who are not yet seeing the first signs of lines. This is also an option if you are concerned specifically about dark circles. For an added treat, try keeping your eye gel in the refrigerator. The cool temperature will help constrict the micro-capillaries further reducing any dark circles or puffiness.

Eye creams tend to be a thicker, heavier weight formulation that focus more on locking in moisture. They often include ingredients that aid in plumping up and/or brightening dull, dehydrated skin, and are soothing as well as ultra-hydrating.

It is safe to say that everyone should be using a product specific for the eye area! This skin is worthy of the extra attention, and just a little bit of effort will offer noticeable results. Your makeup will glide on more smoothly, your eyes will open wide and the skin will be relaxed and radiant. There is no need for harsh chemicals or invasive treatments. Just a little everyday TLC!