Archive for the ‘anti-aging’ Category

Are You Putting on Sunscreen Everyday?

Posted by Allykat on May 28th, 2008


How long have you worn sunscreen everyday? For me, I have worn sunscreen off and on for about 7 years. And I do not even know if that sunscreen that I wore was stable, the odds are that the sunscreen was unstable. So I have worn an stable sunscreen consistently everyday for only two years now.

Now I cannot make any excuses because it is my own fault. I thought that sunscreens would break me out because of my very oily very acne prone skin. Now it is true that some sunscreens will break you out, but some will NOT, it just takes time finding the right one. I also knew about the harmful effects of the sun, but I thought no, I won’t get cancer, not me. And I also really loved looking tan, I mean I live on the beach, everybody around me is tan too. I still love looking tan, but I try to do it by the spray on tan method.

Many people still do not listen to doctors’ advice about wearing sunscreen everyday. They just do not think that cancer can affect them. Many people think they only need sunscreen just at the beach on long sun exposure days, but it is all the incidental sun exposure days that really add up. What will it take for more people to listen? People have to want to do it. Learning more about the sun’s UVA rays and anti-aging might also help, especially since so many people are so anti-aging obsessed nowadays.

Perhaps reading about the sun and anti-aging posts will help too:)

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Do Chinese Facial Exercises Work?

Posted by Allykat on May 10th, 2008

Happy Friday!

Back to Chinese facial exercises.
The face shows so many emotions everyday. Joy, sorrow, anger, confusion, shock, bewilderment, seriousness, mundane, grief…and on and on. Our expressions communicate what we think and feel. Without expressions life would be pretty boring. Therefore the face should be treated with great care and gentleness.

Chinese facial exercises have been around for quite awhile. Many people believe that they are the non-surgical miracle to staying young. Yoga facial exercises classes are even all the rage at exercise clubs. They believe that your face will stay toned and firm by building up all the muscles in your face.

However, skin sags too. Building muscle under the skin will not stop skin from sagging. Plus you know all the expression lines we get from smiling or raising our foreheads, well it will only get worse if you perform these exercises multiple times a day. Chinese facial exercises tell you to hold all kinds of positions for 20sets three times a day… It is a great commitment that has to implemented into your daily exercise routine. And there is no clear evidence that it really works as an anti-aging treatment.

Making your face crease more sounds like it will only create more wrinkles. They are called expression lines for a reason. Besides the face is worked and toned everyday just by making everyday expressions! Relaxing the face more will help you to look younger and have less wrinkles.

What causes wrinkles? Gravity, the sun, and making expressions.

Exercise in general well help your skin and your overall body. It is known that exercising at least 3 days a week can add years to your life! Exercise does help blood circulation causing more oxygen to the skin, thus your skin will look more radiant. So body exercise not facial exercise is the secret to anti-aging!

Keep on smiling too! Smiling and laughing has to add a couple years on to your life, plus it makes everybody more beautiful!
Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mothers out there!

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Don’t leave U.S. Avene!

Posted by Allykat on April 17th, 2008

CVS is discontinuing the Avene line at their stores! It’s not even online anymore either!

This is terrible news! As you know I love Avene! It’s the most potent anti-aging skincare product that you can buy over the counter!

I don’t know why they are canceling it. I guess not enough people bought it. I think it is because many people just go into the store and buy whatever the new anti-aging product out there is! I use to do it! But now I research everything on the Internet and read all the reviews before I buy.

Advertising gets to you, everybody wants the newest next miracle product!

Ingredients come first as always. Researching out the products has helped me save so much money over all!

Fortunately, there is some good news. I looked up the store locater on the Avene website and they are still selling their skincare products in 5 states in the U.S. So if you are in one of the lucky states, then you are in luck!

Lucky me, California, is one of the states! They now sell them at Longs Drug stores!
I am going to have to check out this certain Longs Drugs store, it’s a lot further away from me than the CVS is, but hey, I am NOT complaining! Don’t mean to brag you all! I was just so heartbroken and I am so happy that they are carrying at Longs now.

And don’t worry you can still order Avene skincare products at drugstore.com! So there is hope for everybody! You can also order Avene products from Amazon! I have not talked about this Retrianl .05% cream yet, but it is stronger than the Ystheal lotion! So it may be my next step when I am ready to move up to stronger anti-wrinkle treatments! It will be a few years before that happens.

Let me know what you all think of the Avene skincare products!? I love Avene and am glad I am getting my money’s worth!

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Antioxidants – Is Vitamin C the Best!?

Posted by Allykat on April 3rd, 2008

Antioxidants! Right now all the rage is about topical antioxidants! Many people think that Vitamin C is the best antioxidant to put on!

Antioxidants have been proven to help skin! They have been shown to help reduce free radicals. And when worn under sunscreen in the morning, Vitamin C can boost the protection of the sunscreen.

Vitamin C, however has to be properly packaged in a tube and stabilized. If it is not stabilized then it will not provide any affect. Air and light will also destabilize it. So a tube does not last long, a few months perhaps. The correct pH is critical, if not, there will not be all the great antioxidant benefits. Also there are only a few companies out there that produce quality stabilized Vitamin C.

I have used a few different antioxidant products. The stable, Avalon Organics Vitamin C and stable La Roche Posay Active C products.

Paula Begoun (Great advice given at her website: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/ ) Although I definitely do not agree with all of it. Anyway, Paula Begoun mentioned that many researchers that are studying antioxidants, say that it is best to use a topical product with multiple antioxidants. Do not just go all out with one. There is no clear evidence that Vitamin C is the best antioxidant for skin!

More research needs to be done on Vitamin C.

So again we need to be careful when we hear claims. There is hype and trends with skincare products, just like there are trends with clothes. Then they often spiral out of control from word of mouth. Most of them are just fads and shouldn’t be followed.

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Aging Gracefully – It’s Smile Time! Anti Aging Products Review

Posted by Allykat on March 31st, 2008

This is my final post of the anti aging products batch of posts. Retinoids really do help prevent wrinkles from forming. They can give you youthful, supple, and smooth skin. There are a few things you should know when you using retinoids. Read on to find out if your skincare routine is right for you and your retinoid anti aging treatments. 

When using Retinoid products, you should put them on twenty minutes after you wash your face. This gives time for your skin’s pH to come back down after washing. Or if you have a cleanser and toner with the correct pH, then that will balance your skin, so you can put on the retinoid right away. If not, then it is important to wait, because the least irritation to your skin the better.

I will talk more the importance of products with proper pH balance.


Now if you have dry skin you can use an moisturizer to rectify the dryness that retinoids may cause. Or your skin may just need the extra moisture. Watch your skin and give it what it needs. However, after you put on the retinoid you should wait twenty minutes or as long as you can before you put on moisturizer. If the moisturizer is put on right after, then it will interfere with the retinol and it’s effectiveness.

For oily skin you really do not need a moisturizer, a facial sunscreen in the morning is enough! You have to wear a sunscreen when using Retinal anti aging skincare products, they make the skin more photosensitive to the sun. Okay, I know enough with the sunscreen, but that is why I said to find the right sunscreen and then bring the retinoids on.

Avene retinaldehyde anti aging facial products are not just great for anti-aging, they really helped clear up my acne too! I mean I had terrible hormonal cysts all along my chin that would not go away for years! Avene’s Retinaldehyde cleared it up so fast. And if I do get a blemish on my chin now it is a pimple, not a cyst and it will go away in a couple of days instead of a week, which is how long cysts/pimples took before. So if you have acne then give the Avene retinaldehyde products for anti aging a shot! They might work for you too and then you get a mult-purpose product, which will prevent wrinkles and acne.

I mean I have tried almost every acne treatment out there and this one finally works. Plus, they say to start using an anti wrinkle cream in your late twenties or early thirties. They say it is easier to prevent wrinkles.

I hope you have enjoy all my past posts about retinoids, retinaldehyde, retin-A, retinol, retinal, or vitamin A anti aging wrinkle products. Whatever you want to call it, Vitamin A gives you clear, smooth, supple skin. Smooth out fine lines and prevent new ones from forming. Taking care of your skin is very important to aging gracefully. And learning what works for your skin, by reading and testing, is the right way to do it! Now go smile and laugh a lot today, that is the real key to staying young, besides all these wonderful anti aging products. 

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Aging Gracefully – Secrets Still Continued – Anti Aging Products

Posted by Allykat on March 28th, 2008

Time for more talk about Avene’s anti aging products! The best part is Avene products are pretty reasonably priced, well compared to the expensive products in department stores, that may not even work! Ystheal facial lotion is only $32 and can be found at many CVS drug stores! Check it out on online to see if your local store carries it, not all do, or you can buy it right online. If you joined the CVS club you will get coupons and cash back. They also have a $4 off of $20 coupon a lot too! Of, course you should check out Amazon as well. 

Now $32 really is a great deal! One bottle lasts for about 6 months! All you need is a pea-size drop for your whole face. And I mean pea-size. This stuff is strong.

Also you must start out slowly. Use it three times a week and then move up to four times a week, then every other day and then every day, if your skin can handle it. Retinaldehyde a form of Vitamin A will make your skin purge (causing little pimples). And your skin may become dry and flaky for the first couple weeks, this means the anti aging skincare product is working though. The Retinaldehyde is turning over your skin’s dead cells. Isn’t it great to know that the anti aging product is working and is strong enough to do something!? So if you started applying it everyday right off, your skin will really flake and get irritated, the skin adjusts gradually to Retinoids. Make sure to watch your skin, and treat it accordingly. 

Also if your skin never stops flaking, then Retinaldehyde anti aging beauty products may be too strong for your skin. Then you can move down to retinol and work your way up or try different anti aging facial products out there like antioxidants (more on these soon). Some good retinol products are from the Neutrogena and Roc skincare lines. I will post even more about Retinoid anti aging products in my next post as well, so stay tuned!

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Aging Gracefully – Secrets Continued – Anti Aging Products

Posted by Allykat on March 27th, 2008

Retinoids anti aging products are some of the best wrinkle fighting products out there! There are actually different names for Retinoids, which can tell you their level of potency. First of all there’s retinol which is what’s in most of the over the counter anti aging facial products now.

And really retinol is not strong enough to do anything!

Retin-A is the strongest retinoid that you can buy and you have to have a prescription.

Retinaldehyde is the level that Avene produces and again it is the strongest you can buy without a prescription! In the U.S. you can buy two different types or strengths of Avene’s Retinaldehyde anti aging skincare products. Ystheal + Emulsion lotion for normal to combo skin. They do not have one out yet for oily skin, but this is the one that works for my very oily acne prone skin! There is also an Ystheal cream and Eluage Retinaldehyde cream for dry skin. The Eluage has Hyaluronic Acid in it as well, so it enhances the Retinaldehyde! Therefore, the Eluage is the more potent anti aging wrinkle cream. To go with the Eluage Retinaldehyde cream, is a Eluage firming gel, that can be applied to only the deep lines and wrinkles and not the entire face.

As a beginner or a women in the mid twenties, I would start off with Ystheal, it’s more gentle. Starting off with the Eluage can lead to irritation. If you wish, after a few years you can move up to the Eluage, but I would hold off until your forties/fifties or get a prescription depending on your budget and desire. (Remember Retinoids can NOT be used while pregnant.)

I have heard it really is best to start with anti aging beauty products in your twenties or thirties. Preventing is easier than erasing. So you want to prevent the aging for as long as possible.

(I will talk more about Avene’s anti aging products and how to apply it properly in my next post!)

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Sunscreen, Does Yours Protect You from UVA Rays?

Posted by Allykat on March 21st, 2008

Hi all:) Back to sunscreen we go!

So I have used that Neutrogena Dry-Touch sunscreen with the cool Helioplex ingredient and I really liked it! It didn’t break me out and it has a pretty nice finish, even though it felt thick to put it on at first. Unfortunately, it balls up on me. So then I tried out the Hawaiian Tropics oil free SPF 30 sunscreen and it work pretty good, but it was 8 UVA and I thought I needed higher. I was getting a little obsessed…so I tried more different kinds the Banana Boat Sunwear SPF50 one with the UVA12 and it did not do well for my acne either….and so I tried others, such as ones from Drug Stores, Department Stores, and Europe.


I also tried Shiseido, which has a very nice fluid one, this sunscreen is the best for oily skin it actually made my skin matte for a few hours! And believe me my skin gets really oily in a half an hour after I am done with my makeup! However, this sunscreen did leave a slight white cast on my face, which is fine for those of you with porcelain or Scarlett Johansson skin. Also it is $50! And yes, you should spend the $50 if it is right for your skin, sunscreen is the number one item to invest in! And it is hard to find a sunscreen that your skin tolerates and one that you will happily put on everyday!

So finally I went back to the Hawaiian Tropics. My skin tolerates this sunscreen, I don’t break out! And UVA 8 is good protection, way better than what I was using years ago which was like no UVA protection at all, only SPF protection! Plus it’s pretty light and does well on my oily skin!

So yes, oily, acne skinned gals can wear a sunscreen everyday!! And I wear it even when it is raining and when I am at home, because I have lots of windows and you never know when I have to run to the store or get the mail. But it is up to you if you want to wear it at home. Not everybody does.

Don’t forget you neck and chest area and hands! Hands, always put it on when you have to commute home and what not!

Remember you have to put on the full ¼ teaspoon to your face and ¼ teaspoon to your neck! If you don’t put on the full amount you will only get half of the UVB/UVA protection!!! So this is very important!

So please experiment a little to find the sunscreen for you! It has helped balance out my skin tone and my acne pigmentation marks are fading, due to sunscreen and some other skin care products!

Sunscreen is the most important thing you can do for your skin to prevent aging, especially premature aging! You should start everyday when you are a baby! So don’t forget to put it on your cute babies, Moms. But if you are all grown up, then it is never to late to start preventing future damage! Go buy that sunscreen right now, even if there is cats and dogs pouring outside or a foot of snow blocking your driveway!

(On my next post, I will post the ingredients and their percentages that you should look for to get the right kind of UVA protection for you!)

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Do You Know How to Pick the Right Sunscreen?

Posted by Allykat on March 20th, 2008

Now just because it is Winter/Spring (depending where you at) right now does not mean one should not be wearing sunscreen everyday! That’s right everyday!

Now I know, I know. Everyday? Yes, everyday! I did not start wearing sunscreen everyday until about a year ago! I thought yeah, yeah, blah blah…. I only need sunscreen in the summer. And even in the summer the most I wore on my face was SPF15 because I was a tanner! I mean there were some summers growing up that I lied out almost every single day! Now at least I only tanned with the real sun and didn’t use tanning beds, because they ARE worse. And now I do have a couple sun spots on my face, not a lot, and they pretty much look like freckles, but I know they are from the sun!

I have research a lot and joined beauty forums, where I discovered skin care products that work for my skin. Of course the products make me photosensitive to the sunlight. And since everybody was so sunscreen obsessed on the boards, I caved. Yes, I did wear sunscreen occasionally when I was outside for long periods of time, but apparently these sunscreens were not stable!

What? Stable? Yes a stable sunscreen last longer on the skin and protects the skin longer than an unstable sunscreen by a couple hours! A stable sunscreen also protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. When I use to pick up sunscreens I just grabbed ones that either had Avobenzone in it or the ones with the Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide in it. However there is another ingredient in the Avobenzone sunscreens that can destabilize the sunscreen, which causes it to degrade faster in the sun and be less protective on you!

So yes, you have to look at sunscreen ingredients! It only takes one second to look! First you have to learn about what they mean! It’s pretty easy and you only have to learn the active ingredients. Because the active ingredients tell you how much protection from the UVA rays you are getting. The UVA rays are the rays that causes the aging (wrinkles)! The SPF number protects you from the UVB rays.

An SPF 30 is good for everyday, but you should really put on higher if you are going to be walking around in the sun a lot or at the beach! So remember to look at the ingredients because the UVA protection # is not on the front of the bottle like the SPF.

In the U.S.A. one can now buy UVA protection as high as about 19! This is the new sunscreen that was released last summer, by Neutrogena! The Dry-Touch SPF 55 and 70 with the new Helioplex ingredient! However, a UVA protection of 8 is good for everyday, 19 is great, but 8 is good for everyday going to work days. In Europe one can buy up to about 35 UVA protection! It’s interesting that Europe is so far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to sunscreen. At least the U.S. is finally getting better! Of course I can’t say I was waiting around for the U.S. to get better since I didn’t start wearing it everyday until the Neutrogena sunscreen hit the shelves. I guess I just lucked out!
(I will post more about the importance of UVA protection next time!)

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