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Sleep
Ok, let’s talk about the classic nature-versus-nurture debate: Is it your genes or your lifestyle that establishes how you look as you get older? According to Tina Alster, M.D., of Washington Institute of Dermalogic Laser Surgery, in Washington, D.C., the rule of thumb is that it is 10 percent genetics and 90 percent environment and lifestyle. If that is true, it means that the remaining 90 percent gives you big time control. I know it’s not as much fun as partying for eight hours every night, but markedly better for your complexion!
Sleep allows your skin the opportunity to repair and rejuvenate itself. A lot of things affect the skin later in the day:
•New skin cell production is highest at midnight and lowest at noon.
•Production of oil in the skin is twice as high at noon than it is at 2am.
•Your skin is more apt to absorb whatever you put on it after 4pm
•You are more likely to experience an allergic skin reaction in the morning than in the evening.
When you are asleep, your skin is given the chance to repair and rejuvenate itself. Your cells need roughly 8-10 hours of rest to replenish themselves and maintain a healthy immune system. Without adequate sleep, you run the risk of impeding the lymphatic activity, which is critical to the body’s ability to drain off toxins. Without enough sleep—and hence good drainage—you will wake up puffy and sallow with dark circles under your eyes.
Another key issue is the position you sleep in. The objective is to reverse at night what gravity does during the day. When you are awake and standing up, gravity progressively pulls down on your skin, which is why your face begins to look tired and saggy at night. Gravity affects how old you look, so beat the gravitational pull by sleeping on your back.
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Lastly, please don’t fall asleep with your makeup on. The buildup of dirt, skin oils and makeup that accumulates up everyday by bedtime clogs pores, which may lead to acne. So, wash your face with a gentle, nourishing cleanser before you go to sleep and allow your skin to breathe.
The simplest good deed you can do for your skin is a good night’s sleep.
Exercise
A standard exercise regime will not only help to lengthen your life and improve your appearance, but benefits your skin by helping to maintain circulation. If your life is void of a regular program, your cells are not being renewed and your skin will be more sluggish and look pasty. Have you ever noticed that when you are at the gym or involved in some sort of work out, your face gets red? It means it is receiving lots of healthy blood flow, bringing nutrients to your skin and carrying away toxins. Aging is inevitable—but a gradual decline in good health and good looks is not.
For those of you who wish to avoid spending tons of money on medical intervention against aging skin, there is an alternative. It is yoga for your face, and is a series of toning and strengthening exercises for the muscles of your face. Yoga gives your skin a healthy glow by balancing your hormones and boosting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your skin. It keeps your skin resilient and prevents dryness and excessive sagging. Yoga also tones the muscles of your face and neck.
Environmental Toxins
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Would it surprise you to know that there are 70,000 synthetic chemicals in commercial use with an estimated 1000 new chemicals being introduced each year? Only an insignificant amount of these chemicals have ever been effectively tested to determine their effect on humans and other forms of life (complete fundamental statistics for only 7% of these chemicals).
Don’t let anyone tell you that your skin does not absorb toxins into your bloodstream. If that were true, then why does the medical community sell transdermal medication? Sources of toxins that are absorbed by your skin fall into many categories; some of which you would not even think about.
Here are just a few:
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•Cosmetics—The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 884 chemicals used in personal care products and cosmetics are known to be toxic. High levels of pthalates (plasticizing compounds found in cosmetics and various household products) have been discovered in the blood and urine of Americans, according to the first National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, released in March/2001 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Pthalates are known to disrupt hormone function and cause fetal malformations in animals, but no studies have been performed to determine whether such effects occur in humans.
California must be concerned about it, because in June of 2005, an article regarding the necessity to catalog toxic chemicals used in cosmetics was released.
•Personal hygiene supplies. Benzene, for instance is one hazardous substance that is found in many forms. It is used in the production of deodorant, soap and perfume. Despite its widespread presence in the environment and its classification as a cancer-causing agent, benzene is generally considered a hazard only for the two million or so industrial workers who are exposed to elevated levels at their jobs.
•Poly-vinyl alcohol (the carcinogenic formaldehyde-based substance that creates “perma-press fabrics) can be absorbed by the skin.
•In autopsies, they have found that all the deceased had styrene in them, which comes from Styrofoam cups. It is magnified when used with hot drinks! For more information, please check out this link: bss.sfsu.edu/raquelrp/projects/Styrofoam.ppt
•Chemical or fragrance additives that are added to soaps and cleansers
•Fabric softeners may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that can affect thyroid absorption and cause weight gain along with many other serious health problems.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) US analyzed 2983 chemicals used in personal care products. The results were as follows:
•884 of the chemicals were toxic
•314 caused biological mutation
•218 caused reproductive complications
•778 caused acute toxicity
•146 caused tumors
•376 caused skin and eye irritations
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have a list of ingredients that have been banned for use in cosmetics.
Lastly, please don’t shower in chlorine! According to Francis T. Mayo, the Director of the Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory, "Chlorine is used almost universally in the treatment of public drinking water because of its toxic effect on harmful bacteria and other waterborne, disease-causing organisms. But there is a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that chlorine in drinking water may actually pose greater long term dangers than those for which it was used to eliminate.”
These effects of chlorine may result from either ingestion or absorption through skin. Scientific studies have linked chlorine and chlorination by-products to cancer of the bladder, liver, rectum, and colon, as well as heart disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), anemia, high blood pressure, and allergic reactions. There is also evidence that shows that chlorine can destroy protein in our body and cause adverse effects on skin and hair.” For more information please use the links below:
So how do you minimize chlorine exposure?
•Avoid highly chlorinated swimming pools and jacuzzis
•Use a high quality shower filter
•Drink filtered or distilled water
Dehydration
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The skin echoes the state of the body’s health and looks it best when all cells in the skin’s layers are suitably nourished and hydrated. There are scores of benefits of water for the body and your skin, and these are just a few:
•Eliminates waste—moves toxins out
•Controls body temperature—when properly hydrated, we sweat more efficiently, which helps keep skin clear.
•Helps the body & skin absorb nutrients
•Aids in the conversion of food to energy
•Guards and cushions vital organs
•Carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body
•Moistens oxygen for breathing
•Keeps your skin supple and soft |
Ample intake of pure, clean water generates the body’s healing process. It is required by the body to prevent toxins and chemical substances from accumulating and injuring cells and to carry neurotransmissions from one nerve cell to another efficiently. Water also helps preserve proper muscle tone, by giving muscles their natural aptitude to contract and by preventing dehydration. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plumps our skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.
Without sufficient water, we would poison ourselves with our own metabolic wastes. Your kidneys eliminate waste products that must be dissolved by water. In other words, by consuming at least 8 glasses of water a day, you are flushing out the toxins that would typically escape through the pores of your skin hence preventing acne breakouts. Your kidneys cannot perform properly without enough water. When they do not function to capacity, a portion of the load is then dumped into your liver. One of your liver’s first jobs is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for your body. Unfortunately, if your liver has to do some of the kidney’s work, it cannot work at complete capacity. A liver that is not working optimally can worsen acne because it cannot break down and clear surplus hormones from your body.
The question of how much water you should drink will usually get you several answers. A good rule of thumb is to drink 8-eight ounce servings of pure, filtered water a day to maintain the health of your body and skin. Most tap water contains chemical and toxic contaminants, so please replenish your body water with pure, filtered water. This does not include coffee, black tea, sodas or soup. In addition, please make sure that you drink your clean water from a glass or stainless steel bottle. Bis-phenyl A is a chemical that is distributed worldwide, and is used in numerous plastic containers including plastic bottles. This chemical produces a powerful estrogenic effect.
When water in your blood is polluted with chemicals, it alters the cell structure, which may lead to changes in DNA and the commencement of the disease process, which is very akin to the aging process. Pure water transports the minerals and nutrients necessary for cell metabolism, and removes materials that can injure the cell.
Facts:
•Bones are composed of 22% water
•Your body is approximately two thirds water
•Normally, the body loses 4 ½ pints of water each day
•Muscles are 75% water
•By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already undergoing the first stages of dehydration
Here is something to remember: The skin is the last organ to receive nutrients from the body, and first to show signs of nutritional deficiency, imbalance or illness.
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