Thursday, October 29, 2015

HOW TO PREVENT PREMATURE AGING EFFECTS ON SKIN.



NY Times article yesterday on the impact of physical activity on aging of our body cells has important advice that middle age (40 to 65) may be a critical time to get the process rolling.
Scientists now view a cell’s biological age by measuring the length of its telomeres for body’s biological and chronological ages rarely match. A cell could be relatively young in terms of how long it has existed but may function slowly or erratically, as if elderly. Paul Loprinzi, Assistant Professor of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Mississippi, who has done several studies on the subject, points out telomeres are predictive of mortality, with shorter telomeres equating to shorter lives.
As a cell ages, its telomeres naturally shorten and fray. But the process can be accelerated by obesity, smoking, insomnia, diabetes and other aspects of health and lifestyle. In those cases, the affected cells age prematurely. Biological age reflects how well (or not) a person’s body is getting older, reflected in the visible facial features like wider mouth, larger nose, drooping of eyes corners, plump face and whole lot sages as gravity triumphs over the collagen and elastin fabric of the skin.
Recent evidence now suggests exercise may slow the fraying of telomeres. Numerous studies have found that physically active persons have longer telomeres than sedentary people of the same age, as do older women who frequently walk or engage in other fairly moderate exercise.
At Herbally Radiant we have been following the latest findings on health in general and the aging process of skin in particular. We believe that youthful appearance is integral part of good health. The multi-billion dollar ‘anti-aging’ skin care business is now on overdrive as consumers are constantly learning more about the aging process in order to prevent premature aging signs on face. Cosmetic businesses are investing a great deal on search of ideal products, and so are the scientists on the look out for new formulae.
Scientists now feel that detailed cell research could be used to test whether products touted for their anti-ageing effects make any difference. It could also help consumers to learn the right kind of facial care products that have healthy effect.
On one point there is total agreement among scientists and cosmetologists that the plant-based preparations to feed, nourish, and cleanse skin have the safest, most efficacious and long lasting effect.  The traditional formulations that are made in harmony with nature are the best recipe for enhancing beauty and preventing premature aging signs. The new statistical studies even tell how flower essences are also a type of energy, or vibrational medicine, that can have a subtle yet beneficial effect on skin.
With over 40-year experience in herbs and Essential Oils, Herbally Radiant has been testing new beauty formulations constantly by testing new herbs and plant essences for deriving most effective results for skin. The results have been astounding. The signature series of its anti-aging formulations: Rejuvenating and Radiant, combine the most effective elements and essential oils in providing richest nutrients to the skin, stimulating cell regeneration and restoring the elasticity. The natural organic ingredients like Patchouli, Vetiver, Sweet Marjoram, Rosemary, Soliga Forest Honey, Lavender and Almond oil, to name only few, combine the best blended organic herbs and oils that do more than just erase the effects of parched skin,  thereby revitalizing, rejuvenating, and brightening facial skin, creating young impressive appearance.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

DO YOU KNOW HOW SUGAR ADVERSELY IMPACTS ON SKIN?



A paediatric endocrinologist in San Francisco reports, according to Guardian today, that sugar is bigger threat than has been assessed so far. It causes metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart diseases whether or not we put on weight.
Dr. Lusig found that the health of 43 obese children (referred to his clinic for their weight and related issues) dramatically improved when sugar in their diet was replaced with other foods. They ate the same number of calories, he says, and yet their metabolic disease, which can cause diabetes, was reversed within 10 days, their diastolic blood pressure,“bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides dropped, fasting blood glucose went down and insulin levels were cut by a third.
As skin experts, Herbally Radiant, has been advising customers to reduce sugar intake to protect skin health. A diet high in sugar is a disaster for the face. ‘There is no point in spending lots of money on expensive skin creams if you are eating a diet high in sugar,’ says Dr. Aamer Khan, a cosmetic dermatologist at Harley Street Skin Clinic. 'Yes, you can protect and moisturize your skin from the outside with creams, but you need to feed and stimulate the growth of good strong skin cells from inside too and sugar will sabotage that.’

A cosmetic physician, Dr. Ross Perry, also cautions that sugar makes the skin lose the plump - elastic qualities that underlie a youthful appearance. ‘This is due to a process called glycation. Essentially what happens is that sugar attaches itself to any protein in the body and produces harmful molecules called ‘advanced glycation end products’. These reduce the effectiveness of elastin and collagen, proteins in the skin that help maintain its youthful appearance. ‘Normally collagen bulks out the skin and gives it a younger plump look,’ says Dr Perry. ‘Elastin gives the skin recoil so that when you smile or frown your skin goes back to how it was. If you persistently eat a high-sugar diet, then  the collagen and elastin will become more rigid, leading to wrinkles formation, loss of youthful appearance and making it harder for the skin cells to repair normal damage.’

Dr Perry further adds: ‘Sugar encourages type III collagen to become type I which is more brittle. Consequently, the skin breaks down and looks thinner and more wrinkly. It also becomes more prone to the damaging effects of the environment and UV rays.’

Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, Washington, DC, also explains that sugar causes increased inflammation in the case of those suffering from frequent break outs. “Some people claim their acne gets worse when they have chocolate or sugar …” adds Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi.

Do you know that artificial sugars are even worse. Artificial sugars, although less tested, don’t get experts’ approval, either? These are pure chemicals that can cause more problems. Any type of impurities in the system will cause more breakouts. They also bring on the cravings.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS FACE GROWING DEMAND




Market surveys of natural organic skin care industry show healthy growth over the past many years. The organic skin care products are expected to witness significant gain - expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2014 to 2020 – market had exceeded $ 2 billion in 2014.
North America dominated the global market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2014 to 2020. At the same time, more and more research studies are highlighting the potential  adverse effects of the use of chemicals in cosmetics. 

While studying recent reports on potential growth of natural cosmetics, we found an informative article carried by Huffington Post which also supports Herbally Radiant’s promotional efforts to popularize herbal skin care formulations. It highlights that when we're young, our body is programmed to maintain clear, smooth, soft skin, and we have to really ignore our skin or take it for granted to derail this program. As we age, however, our skin begins to work less efficiently, thinning out, losing elasticity, and sagging. Exposure to stress--environmental, physical, mental--only exacerbates this aging process.

 When one talks about aging skin one doesn’t mean 50- or 60-year-old skin. These changes can begin at a much younger age if one’s skin is not cared properly. It does not have to mean using lots of expensive or complicated products. What is being referred to is organic skin care, a logical and relatively simple approach that holistically nurtures skin's natural ability.

Primary goals in organic skin care are to encourage the regular sloughing off and turnover of skin cells and to maintain the skin's natural acid mantle, which is a combination of sebum and perspiration that our body secretes to protect and moisturize  skin's surface. Achieving these goals can help rebuild damaged collagen and elastin (the chief protein in skin's elastic fibers) in order to maintain skin strength, elasticity, and resiliency.
There are many methods for optimizing cellular turnover. Body brushing, cleansing with a facial mitt or buff, using deeply cleansing masks, and using alpha-hydroxy acids or AHA's (natural organic fruit acids), can all help exfoliate dead surface cells and maintain efficient skin cell turnover. Your skin can get AHA's through a wide variety of treatments, from peels to moisturizing lotions. To protect skin's natural acid mantle, which covers your entire body, use gentle acid-balanced cleansers to wash, and avoid antibacterial or deodorant soaps, which tend to be quite harsh.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

BEAUTY AND FITNESS GO TOGETHER



Though not directly dealing with skin care issues, the Washington Post article offers good tips to those who are conscious of their weight, diet, lifestyle as well as appearance.
Citing a recent study of York University which looked at dietary and exercise data for  thousands of Americans over the past four decades, it says an unsettling but perhaps not so surprising trend has been noticed: Even when one had the same diet and same activity level, a given adult in 2006 had a higher BMI than a counterpart of the same age in 1988.
In other words,“ at 25, you’d have to eat even less and exercise more than those older, to prevent gaining weight,” Jennifer Kuk, a professor at York, and co-author of study said: “Ultimately, maintaining a healthy body weight is now more challenging than ever.”
Just how much more challenging? When comparing people with the same diets in 1971 and 2008, the more recent counterpart was on average 10 percent heavier. Looking at physical activity data, only available between 1988 and 2006, those born later were five percent heavier even if they exercised just as much people two decades earlier.
 “Weight management is actually much more complex than just ‘energy in’ versus ‘energy out,’” says Kuk. “That’s similar to saying your investment account balance is simply your deposits subtracting your withdrawals and not accounting for all the other things that affect your balance like stock market fluctuations, bank fees or currency exchange rates.”
In the case of weight, the “other things” affecting our balance might have to do with our environment — both outside our bodies and within them. Kuk says that the world we live in today makes it harder to manage our weight than it was for people a generation ago.
She feels that the habits and modern lifestyles certainly have strong impact.“We’re sleeping less than we used to; according to  Gallup,in 2013, 40 percent of Americans got less than seven hours of sleep per night. And a Carnegie Melon survey in 2012 found that Americans were roughly 20 percent more stressed than a quarter of a century before.
Another factor is exposure to certain kinds of chemicals that affect endocrine system & metabolic processes. Plastic packaging, pesticides and substances (mostly synthetic toxins that tend to bioaccumulate through the food web) may be impacting the way our bodies process food and store fat.
Growing use of prescription drugs has also a role to play. A CDC report indicates that spending on prescription drugs doubled between 1999 and 2008. Among the adults, antidepressants were the most commonly used drug — large number of studies have linked antidepressants to weight gain. Allergy medications, steroids and pain medications also affect weight.
The tiniest and perhaps least intuitive factor is our “microbiomes,” the brew of tiny organisms that live in our guts and play a role in processing food. Changes in our diets — we each ate roughly 20 pounds more meat per year in 2000 than we did 30 years earlier, and we’re consuming far more artificial sweeteners — known to affect the gut bacteria, which in turn have been proven to affect how we extract energy from our diets. And if an individual is obese, their microbiome might actually be making weight loss harder.

Monday, October 19, 2015

BOTOX PARTIES DO NOT TELL YOU POTENTIAL RISKS OF BOTOX INJECTIONS

Reading some letters to The Blade columnist last week, it was surprising how plastic surgery clinics are targeting young girls, luring them to expand their business. They organize Botox Parties for young girls, selling them the idea of how to “prevent wrinkles”. Concerned at this new marketing campaigns, mothers of young girls voiced grave concern at this trend which is being fueled by the social media that idolizes hottest celebrities’ faces. One mother admitted :”This is about money. Botox requires continual upkeep and young women are hooked by fear of wrinkles”. Another said :”I’ve seen the young Botox girls in Los Angeles and they are legion. .. their faces look vacant and robotic”.
While promoting safe and healthy natural means, and formulations, for maintaining and enhancing beauty, Herbally Radiant has been highlighting the adverse effects and potential risks of Botox treatment, face and neck lifts or surgical reconstruction of facial features.
 According to Mayo Clinic, “the most common side effects include swelling or bruising at the injection site, headache or flu-like symptoms. If the injections aren't placed correctly, the medication may spread into adjacent tissues and cause problems such as: Eyelid droop; Cockeyed eyebrows; Crooked smile; Dry eye or excessive tearing.” Mayo Clinic also clarifies, “… .there is a possibility that the effect of botulinum toxin may spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism-like signs and symptoms”. It advises calling doctor on symptoms like : muscle weakness all over the body; vision problems; trouble speaking or swallowing; breathing; loss of bladder control.”
Warning against Botox procedure, a leading neurophysiologist explains that many of these injections use a drug made from poisonous substance – it is a purified derivative of botulinum toxin A, made from a bacterium that can be poisonous, (says Dr. Peter Misra); and its long-term effects on brain, nervous system and muscles are yet to be known. 
The drug works by temporarily paralyzing the muscles that create wrinkles. Liz Hurley, Lulu, Meg Ryan and Leslie Ash are among those who have had botulinum injections to get rid of facial lines. Even Sir Cliff Richard has had them, although he says they made his eyelids droop. But Dr. Misra warns that growing use means more patients are at potential risks.
“Many women are asking for Botox simply because it's fashionable - they want it for the wrong reasons and don't actually need it, say health experts.” Even if they can benefit, it will lead to an expensive commitment because it has to be topped up.
Many people confuse what Botox actually does with other age-fighting beauty injectables. “Its only benefit is to render a muscle weaker for 3-4 months. It doesn't fill lines, it just makes it harder to make the muscle contraction that creates the lines,” explains dermatologist  Dr. Misbah Khan. So will it work on those wrinkles around the mouth? “No. If you have smile lines [the parentheses around the mouth], you'll need a filler [like Restylane] to erase them.”
Black market:Many coupon services run deals for cheap Botox-probably too good to be true. One must know:  who and what you’re dealing with. “Do not look for the better deal.Cheap stuff might have been acquired on black market, or with expiry date," warns Dr. Khan.

Allergic reactions: You may know that Botox is derived from the same bacteria as the toxin botulism, and while you absolutely cannot catch botulism from the use of Botox, there is a small chance that you could have an allergic reactions like itching, rash, welts or feeling faint, says dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross.
Lop sided appearance: “If the Botox is injected wrong in any part of your face, you may have a lopsided appearance,” says Dr. Gross. “Just remember that there is an artistry involved in the technique, so be sure your physician is highly experienced and skilled.”

Overdoing it could lead to drooping—or worse : “Drooping of the eyebrows can happen even in the best of hands and if too much is injected in one place,” says Dr. Khan. And if you’re already using Botox, over-application could make it worse. “Overuse can cause the muscles to become so weak that they can't support the flesh.” The results can look unnatural, and even painfully worse. “If too much Botox is applied during a neck rejuvenation, it can cause the side of the face to droop, or in some cases the muscles that hold the neck up weaken to the point where you can't swallow or hold your head up."

Dr. Gross also cautions that “It takes about three to seven days to show the full effect, and results will last only about four months, and those results vary, depending on the depth of wrinkles”.