The Science of Feeding your Skin: The Down-Low on Vitamins

After the crazy weather all around the country this winter, spring is finally approaching and everyone is rushing to pack in as much fun and activity as possible. In our hurry, we forget to wear sunscreen or stay hydrated. Perhaps we drink one too many sodas (or margaritas!). Just as we need to be conscious of healthy nutrition for our bodies to look fit, our skin needs its own forms of nutrition to maintain its healthy glow. I’m here to give you the dish on feeding your skin with vitamins. Skin is an organ and responds to healthy nutrition as positively as other organs in our body. It is challenging for our skin to get those vital nutrients from food because less than 1% of the vitamins we ingest ever make their way to the skin. This is why applying those vitamins topically is so important. Think of it as a ...

Plan Ahead and Transform Your Skin for the Wedding Day

As you prepare for marriage and your highly-anticipated wedding day, we urge brides to also think about another life partner – your skin. Just as brides-to-be trust hair stylists, dentists, make-up artists, and personal trainers, Skin Coaches can help transform brides and their skin before the wedding day. For best results, give yourself a six month head start, but if you don't have the time, we have tips and tricks for any time up to the day before. Skin Authority Skin Coaches have come up with 10 tips to help prepare for your big day: A bride’s best friend. It would be nice to go to the spa multiple times a month leading up to your wedding day. But we know that's probably not going to happen, so why not bring the spa experience to you? Masks are a great way to start. Look for masks made from clay, eucalyptus, and sulphur to ...

Essential Oils for Your Skin

Think facial oil is simply about moisture? Afraid to use oils because you think they will clog your pores? Think again! Research shows select essential oils have strong anti-aging benefits. Oils are even better for your health when they contain ingredients that not only lift your spirits, but also boost the strength and radiance of your skin. We turn to essential oils because they are proven to soothe, restore, and instantly transform dryness with their high concentrations of vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. The added benefit of using essential oils is the body’s stress release response to the essential oil molecules, eliciting a calming sense of wellbeing while it works What are Essential Oils? Essential oils are very different than common carrier oils that are found in most beauty products. They are also NOT the same thing as fragrance oils. If you see the word “fragrance” or “fragrance oil” or even “perfume” on ...

Tame Tension and Unleash Beautiful Skin

The secret new therapy for amazing skin? Tame tension! Stress damages the skin as severely as smoking and sun exposure. Stress triggers the elevation of adrenaline and cortisol increasing dryness, wrinkles, and acne. But relax, here are four tips that will not only calm your skin, but also your mind! Forgo Facebook for Face Time Anxiety increases as you gain more Facebook friends. The higher the number of friends, the more pressure you'll feel, even to the point of feeling failure. This kind of stress disrupts your hormone imbalance, causing unwanted congestion, breakouts, and even acne. On the other hand, hanging out in-person with your friends and family helps you release chemicals in the brain that ease anxiety, resulting in more balanced hormonal conditions reaching the skin, leaving the skin less stressed and more able to fight infections and breakouts. Tip: Schedule more time for group activities with friends: a yoga class, a community ...

SAD? Boost Your D

Does everyone around you to have the holiday spirit, yet you would rather hide under the covers feeling SAD? The cause may be seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Also known as winter depression or the winter blues, SAD affects up to 20% of people. The condition is four times more common in women than in men and is more prevalent the farther north you go. (Source: American Academy of Family Physicians) Low levels of Vitamin D contribute to SAD as well. It’s estimated that one billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient; a number that goes up in winter. Vitamin D is only made in one place - the skin - and as a healthy skin care expert, I have spent considerable time researching the importance of D to mind and body. Vitamin D is critical for inside-out beauty, health and wellbeing. Vitamin D is the only vitamin which the body makes (all others ...

7 Resolutions for a Year of Healthy Skin

The new year is in full swing and my focus is to identify and avoid “hidden” sugars when choosing the food I eat. Not an easy task when on the road, but I can feel the benefits of sticking with it! Of course, any change to your lifestyle is a commitment. As a healthy skin expert, I hope you’ll consider embracing the simple daily steps to protecting one of your most important health resources…your skin. Here are 7 tips to set you on the right foot for skin care success. Resolve to: Wash your Face – Yes, it’s that simple! Cleaning your skin is one of the most important things you can do when you wake up and before you go to bed. Bacteria and dead skin build up can cause surface irritation and breakouts. Remove make-up and deep cleanse in one step by using cleansers incorporating AHAs which kill bacteria and loosen dead ...

Facial Cleansing Essentials, Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation

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Part 1: The Basics Part 2: Cleansing Like A Pro Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation In parts 1 and 2 of this series, we took you through the basics of daily cleansing and how to increase the effectiveness of cleansing at home by introducing controlled exfoliation into your routine. In this final installment of the series, we are going to look at how you can get a sustained transformation to a healthy complexion by stimulating your skin cell turnover cycle through home and professional resurfacing. What is resurfacing? Resurfacing is simply the natural process of replacing dull, sagging skin cell build-up on the surface with healthy, new skin cells, for a brighter, more youthful appearance. The natural process of resurfacing is accomplished by shedding the upper layers of dead skin and the body producing new cells at the lower levels of the dermis, pushing them to the surface to replace the shed cells. Unfortunately, as we age this process ...

Facial Cleansing Essentials, Part 2: Cleansing Like a Pro

Part 1: The Basics Part 2: Cleansing Like A Pro Part 3: Resurfacing Transformation In the first part of our cleansing series, learned that a proper cleansing routine is essential to completely removing makeup, dirt build-up, excess oil, and environmental pollutants. In this second part of the Facial Cleansing Essential series, we are going to take a look at introducing controlled exfoliation into our cleansing routine to stimulate the skin's natural renewal process and open up pathways that allow skin care products to absorb and work better. Combining basic cleansing with controlled exfoliation is what we call "Cleansing Like a Pro." There are two types of exfoliation, chemical and physical. Whatever method used, exfoliation in moderation is key. Over-exfoliation whether through aggressive use of a washcloth or using facial scrubs containing rough particles, will result in painful and unsightly irritation, especially for acne-prone individuals. Physical Exfoliation: Scrubs Basic physical exfoliation at home typically is accomplished by incorporating into your cleansing routine a ...

The Power of Antioxidants

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Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation damage to cells. Some of the most well known antioxidants are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and Pycnogenol®.  The highest concentration of antioxidants in the body is contained in the epidermal layer of the skin, forming a protective barrier for the living dermal layer and the internal body. With age, the concentration of antioxidants in the skin declines considerably. Without the protective capacity of this layer, damage to the skin increases. Only about 1% of orally ingested antioxidants will arrive at the skin. Antioxidants applied topically can help restore an effective barrier and help reduce further damage. By maintaining an ideal level of antioxidants at the skin level, we can control free radical and oxidation damage. The action of antioxidants can reduce or partially neutralize the harmful power of free radicals (FR). The combination of antioxidants and sunscreen is a powerful and effective way ...

Teen Skin Care: Battling Blemishes and Beyond

By Tamar Nordenberg "Parents just don't get it." That's not the quibbling complaint of a pimply-faced kid, but the disappointed observation of Manhattan area dermatologist Bruce Katz, M.D., who for more than 18 years has helped hundreds of acne-plagued patients banish their blemishes. What's clear to Katz's teenage patients is also critical for their parents to understand, says the doctor: Acne is no trivial cosmetic problem to be waited out until the pimples disappear on their own, but a medical condition that, left untreated, can leave youngsters with unsightly scars that lead to emotional pain and social inhibition. "Acne should be taken very seriously," Katz says. "Because of the stage of life when it's most common — during puberty — breakouts can be very depressing for young people." Acne is by far the most common skin complaint among teenagers, affecting nearly all of those in the 12-to-17 age frame at least occasionally, according ...