Skin Tags

• Skin tags are very common but harmless small, soft skin growths.
• Skin tags tend to occur on the eyelids, neck, armpits, groin folds, and under breasts.
• One person may have anywhere from one to over 100 skin tags.
• Almost everyone will develop a skin tag at some point in their life.
• Middle-aged, obese adults are most prone to skin tags.
• Obesity is associated with skin tags.
• Removing a skin tag does not cause more to grow.
• Some people are just more prone to forming skin tags.
• Treatments include freezing, tying off with a thread or suture, or cutting off the skin tag.

The Jewel of Winter, Fountain of Youth

The pomegranate, affectionately known as the "jewel of winter," has recently been acclaimed for its health benefits, in particular, for its disease-fighting antioxidant potential. Preliminary studies suggest that pomegranate juice may contain almost three times the total antioxidant ability compared with the same quantity of green tea or red wine. It also provides a substantial amount of potassium, is high in fiber, and contains vitamin C and niacin. 

What does this mean for your skin? It means that pomegranate is an excellent weapon to combat aging skin! Since it repairs cells damaged by free radicals. 

Used in folk medicine (to treat inflammation, sore throats, and rheumatism) for centuries in the Middle East, India, and Iran, the pomegranate is about the size of an orange or an apple. It has a tough, dark red or brownish rind. The seeds and the juicy translucent scarlet red pulp surrounding the seeds of the pomegranate are the edible parts of the fruit, although only the pulp has any flavor. Encased within a bitter-tasting, white, spongy, inedible membrane, the seeds can be gently pried out with your hands. Perhaps one of the reasons the pomegranate isn't as popular as it deserves is that it takes time and care to get to the seeds. The flavor of these juicy seeds is delicate, sweet, and tangy. 

Grenadine, a light syrup added to alcoholic drinks or soft drinks, used to be made from pomegranate juice, though now it is made with food coloring. There are concentrated forms of pomegranate juice available, however. Called variously pomegranate molasses, concentrated pomegranate juice, or pomegranate essence, they are available in Middle Eastern markets, gourmet food stores, and some health-food stores. 

Drink up! Your skin will thank you. Pomegranate is like a fountain of youth.

Source:wholehealthmd.com

easy Way to Remember Your Sunscreen...

We know the sun causes skin cancer, wrinkles, pigmentation and premature ageing, yet why aren’t we incorporating SPF into our daily beauty ritual? Don’t lie, I know you’re not doing it!

I don’t want to lose you in the detail, and the number one point I want you to walk away from this post is: Include SPF that has both UVB and UVB in your daily beauty routine.

The best way to do this, I believe, is to purchase a SPF30 facial sunscreen and pop it into your beauty bag so its always front of mind. Make it part of the cycle, it goes Cleanse > Tone > Moisturize > SPF30+ > Foundation. Personally, I mix my SPF with my liquid foundation and moisturizer, so I'm always protected.

At the end of the day, let vanity win this war if nothing else will convince you. If you’re going through the effort of cleansing, toning and moisturizing and layering on makeup, then one extra simple step isn’t going to be too hard to handle. Right?! Right!

A great broad spectrum, non-greasy SPF with no flashback is Bioelements Ray Defense. It's my favorite.


#skincare #spf #sunscreen #protect #raydefense #esthetician #skin #youth #lookyounger #sun #antiaging #cancer

Miraculous Green Tea

Skin benefits of green tea

There have been a number of encouraging studies of skin benefits of green tea. Animal studies showed protection from skin cancer. Both animal and human studies have credibly demonstrated that topical green tea formulations reduce sun damage. Green tea appears to exert sun damage protection by quenching free radicals and reducing inflammation rather than by blocking UV rays. Therefore, green tea may synergistically enhance sun protection when used in addition to a sunscreen.
A small study showed benefits of 2% polyphenone (via a particular type of green tea extract) in papulopustular rosacea. In particular, a significant reduction in inflammatory lesion was reported compared to placebo.
What about wrinkles, skin sag and other signs of aging? Can green tea help? Considering their well-documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, topical green tea polyphenols are likely to slow down the development of some signs of aging. Whether green tea can actually diminish wrinkles and skin sag is far more uncertain.
In a 2005 study, forty women with moderate photoaging were randomized to either a combination regimen of 10% green tea cream and 300 mg twice-daily green tea oral supplementation or a placebo regimen for 8 weeks. No significant differences in clinical grading were found between the green tea-treated and placebo groups. On the other hand, histologic grading of skin biopsies did show significant improvement in the elastic tissue content of treated specimens. More human studies are needed to not only determine the scope of anti-aging skin benefits of green tea but also to work out the optimal usage.
There is preliminary evidence that green tea may inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), the enzymes whose excessive activity contributes to age-related degradation of the skin matrix. In a 2009 in vitro (test tube) study, green tea extract was shown to inhibit two key subtypes of MMP, collagenase and elastase. Notably, in the same study, white tea was even more effective than green tea as an MMP inhibitor.

How to use green tea in your skin care

Some uncertainty regarding the extent of green tea benefits and its optimal usage is likely to remain for years to come. Yet, if you wish to include green tea in your skin care today, there are sensible ways to go about it.
In particular, since sun protection benefits of green tea are particularly well documented, it could make sense to apply a green tea formula under your sunscreen when venturing into the sun. It is best to combine green tea with zinc oxide-based sunscreens because zinc oxide is chemically inert and should not react with green tea (which some chemical sunscreens might do, especially in sunlight).
It may also be useful to incorporate green tea into your skin maintenance routine to possibly slow down skin aging. However, simply buying a green tea cream may not necessarily be the best way to go. Like most other antioxidants, green tea polyphenols are oxidized and lose their activity when exposed to air. Whether commercial green tea creams retain the activity is unclear and may vary widely from product to product.
If you are willing to put in a bit of extra effort, here is some alternatives. Freeze freshly brewed green tea as ice cubes and use them as a toner. (Just don't apply ice cubes to your skin right out of the freezer, let them start thawing first or you may get a freeze burn.) Or you can make your own fresh green tea cream using standardized extract as an active ingredient. You can also drink lots of green tea or take green tea extract in capsules as discussed above - the polyphenols might reach your skin via the bloodstream in sufficient amounts to make a difference.

reposted from smartskincare.com

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