New Anti Wrinkle Ingredient Fights Acne Too!

New anti aging ingredients promises to not only fight wrinkles but also soothe mid-life acne. But do they work? Here’s what you need to know - by Colette Bouchez

So here you are, looking in the mirror and thinking, “This just isn’t fair …wrinkles and acne?”

But truth is as we enter our middle years, and particularly as our reproductive hormones take on a life of their own, it’s entirely possible that in between those fine lines and wrinkles you may also see a brand new bumper crop of acne breaking out as well - even if you didn't have acne as a teen.

“Almost all acne is hormonal. …and adult acne occurs for the same basic reasons as adolescent acne…. cells respond abnormally to androgens,” says dermatologist Dr. Richard G. Fried, author of Healing Adult Acne.

In fact, experts say that middle-aged acne is usually driven by the same type of hormonal activity we see in puberty – except in reverse. And much like those bouncing hormones of your teen years, today’s middle-aged hormonal surges can cause your skin to react in myriad ways, including causing acne breakouts.

For many women problems are compounded by another common mid life skin condition known as acne-rosacea.

“Hormones play a strong role in the development of rosacea and many women notice flares around the time of the menses, and particularly around menopause,” says Palm Beach dermatologist Dr. Ken Beer, author of Palm Beach Perfect Skin.

As Beer explains, this dermatologic condition causes an acne-like appearance (red bumps and lumps, sometimes filled with fluids) plus it has the added component of causing facial flushing –as if we need more of that this time of life!

Acne rosacea can occur on it’s own, or in conjunction with traditional acne and both can easily flare in the middle years.

While there are certainly enough acne treatments on the market, finding one that works in midlife can be a real challenge, particularly if you’re also concerned with reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

The reason: Since most over-the-counter acne formulations are drying to the skin, they pull moisture from cells – and that make lines and wrinkles look much worse.

At the same time, most over-the-counter anti-wrinkle treatments, particularly rich creams and serums, can irritate sensitive acne prone skin and may increase breakouts, or worsen one that’s already started.

So what’s a middle-aged girl with a pimple and a wrinkle to do?

I’m happy to tell you that new hope – and new help – has finally arrived! There are in fact, several brand new products designed to fight wrinkles and acne in a single swoop!

The New Anti-Wrinkle Ingredients
The anti aging skin care ingredient creating a lot of new buzz these days are plant based growth factors known as cytokininsins -and for good reason. First, they are fast proving to be a powerful anti-wrinkle treatment, working to not only protect skin cells that manufacture collagen and elastin, but also increase their activity. Since it is collagen and elastin that helps give skin that plump, youthful lifted look, keeping them working at full tilt is one way to thwart the natural aging process.

Moreover, cytokinins also have the potential to slow down the breakdown of collagen and elastin cells that results from environmental factors such as the sun and pollution – now considered the two leading causes of premature skin aging.

But what makes cytokinins such an especially enticing skin care ingredient is that they possess all these powerful anti-aging effects and yet don't aggrevate acne or rosacea. In some studies cytokinins even had a beneficial effect on these conditions.

Indeed, in one 12 week study conducted by Dr. Jerry McCullough from the University of California on the patented cytokinins growth factor known as Pyratine 6, research revealed an increase in skin moisture by some 41%, and a decrease in fine lines by almost 30%, with early results appearing as little as 2 weeks.

But perhaps more importantly, Pyratine 6 was also clinically shown to be an effective treatment for redness associated with rosacea, eczema, contact dermatitis, and general menopause-related skin redness and irritation. Skin roughness was decreased by 84%, redness by 67% and discoloration by 41%. The findings were published in the journal Drugs and Dermatology.

But Pyratine 6 isn't going to be alone the shelf. Another plant growth factor known as TFG Beta-1 is also generating quite a stir.

In research conducted at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Cornell Medical College, and Jefferson Medical College doctors found TGF Beta-1 also stimulates significant collagen and elastin production - and it is also proving helpful in healing wounds more quickly and easily. Many believe its potent anti-inflammatory effects may prove to be exceedingly beneficial for those suffering with acne or rosacea.

Anti-Wrinkle - Anti-Acne Care Combined!
Perhaps the best part of this new anti- aging/anti-acne treatment approach is that you don't have to wait years or even months to harness the power - some of these ingredients are available right now!

Indeed, earlier this year Jan Marini Skin Research began offering their Transitions line of products containing TGF Beta-1. It's combined with various peptides also involved in skin regeneration and healing , for a one-two punch that can make skin look younger and clearer.

Pyratine-6 by Lumeris is the new player in the game. Available in a lotion or cream formulation it captures the anti-aging and anti-acne power of Pyratine 6 in another new combination product that is perfect for mid-life skin. Although not a prescription treatment it is sold primarily through doctor’s offices.

That’s said, I have found it- as well as the Jan Marini products - for sale online, but both purchases come with a word of caution. It’s a good idea to have any skin condition checked at least once by a board certified dermatologist before buying any self- care treatment products.

Not only is it possible that your skin condition might be caused by something else entirely, sometimes dry, irritated and even acne-prone mid life skin can be a symptom of a systemic disease such as thyroid disorder - and may require entirely different medication to bring relief.

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Stress Getting Under Your Skin? Here's What Can Help!

Research shows that stress can age your skin almost as rapidly as sun exposure. A new cache of skin care ingredients promise relief – but do they work? Here’s what you need to know.

by Colette Bouchez

In the not so distant past, experts believed that the simple act of frowning was largely responsible for those wrinkles and furrows in your brow.

Today doctors know that it’s not just the act of frowning that makes you look older – it’s also the reason behind the frown that can make a difference in how you look.

I’m talking about links between stress and skin aging – a relatively new idea but one that both doctors and skin care companies are continuing to embrace. .

While experts aren’t exactly sure how or why stress ages skin, many believe that hormones produced when stress is chronic - such as cortisol – cause a disruption in immune function that impacts the cells that normally protect skin from harm – activity that mimics the aging process in terms of damage.

“Stress hormones can cause irritation and loss of immune function in skin, which is very similar to what happens during the aging process,” says Dr. Tom Mammone, executive director of research and development for Clinique.

When skin becomes irritated in this way, Mammone says it causes a break in the natural protective barrier that keeps moisture in and external aggressors, such as pollutants, out.

“When the barrier is damaged, moisture evaporates more rapidly, irritants get in more easily, and both can cause more [aging] damage to the skin,” says Mammone.

Now if you’re thinking it’s purely psychological stress that can take its toll on your skin cells, guess again. In one now classic study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology doctors from Weill Medical College in New York City found that even a physiological stress as common as sleep deprivation can disrupt the skin barrier, causing alterations in the immune function that normally protects skin.

Certainly, a few sleepless nights or an occasional bout of worrying isn’t going to do you much harm. But when stress is chronic, or sleep deprivation ongoing, when your diet is deficient and you don’t get the nutrients you need to run at full speed, you not only endanger your health, but science now says you can end up looking far older than your years.

So what’s the solution? One option is a new breed of skin care ingredients designed to fight the signs of aging by helping to boost the immune function of skin cells. Among those creating the loudest buzz right now: Sea algae - one of the hottest new trends in anti-aging stressed-skin care.

Calming Your Stressed Skin: What To Do

While any good moisturizer can replenish some of the fluids lost when skin is stressed, the latest science shows that various forms of sea algae may also hold restorative properties - powers that go above and beyond simply increasing moisture levels.

Indeed these ingredients harnessed from under the sea are believed to specifically combat skin stress, and in doing so repair the barrier that helps protect cells from the outside in.

According to Mammone, among the most effective is a form of algae grown off the coast of Israel, in the Mediterranean Sea. Known as Red Microalgae Extract, it is harvested, cultured in a lab and then the protective elements are isolated and used as a skin care ingredient.
”This works to help counteract the negative visible effects of stress,” he says.

Blue green algae is a similar compound known for its high antioxidant properties and skin relief activity. Often it is combined with other skin-healthy ingredients such as grape seed oil to enhance its protective powers even more.

Padina Povonica is still another marine botanical good for stressed skin. It works to help cells absorb calcium, which in turn contributes to a stronger protective barrier – one that is better able to resist external skin stressors like pollution.

Among the products featuring some or all of these ingredients include Kiehl’s Cryste Marine Firming Cream, GM Collin H50 Therapy Cream, H20+ Moisture Defense Protector, and Aubrey Organics Blue Green Algae with Grape Seed Extract line of products.

But perhaps the one generating the loudest buzz right now is Clinique’s brand new Super Defense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer. It boasts not only the high potency Red Algae and Padina Povonica, but also Cats Claw, a natural powerful antioxidant that both calms the skin and protects it from aging free radical damage. To be sure it also adds a healthy dose of sunscreen as well as Ferulic Acid and Rosemary extract – a triple defense team against damage from sun and pollution. It will be in stores starting in early September with a suggested retail price of $42.50.

The No Frills Way To Younger Skin

While these new ingredients may work well to protect skin, they clearly don't come cheap. And with just about everyone in an economic crunch these days, you may not be willing – or able – to part with the dollars necessary to soothe your furrowed brow.

Fortunately, there are also less costly ways to counter the effects of stress on your skin. Here are four things research shows are proven to help.

1. Reduce stress on your skin by reducing stress in your life. Sounds easier than it is, I know. But if you can manage even a short bout of relaxing activity during the day – 10 minutes of yoga, 20 minutes of gardening, 15 minutes soaking in a hot tub – studies show it can calm your frazzled nerves and reduce production of stress hormones. You’ll not only feel better, you’ll look better – and younger!

2. Eat a more nutritious diet. At least 4 to 5 servings of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables a day could knock up to 10 years off the appearance of your skin. Try peaches, melons and berries for the quickest result.

3. Get more sleep. This is particularly important if you’re over 45. Why? As we age, our entire body, including our skin, needs a little extra sack time to undergo the natural repair processes that counteract cell damage we experience during the day. If, no matter how you try, you can’t log in more than 6 hours a night, try napping in the evening. You could wake up looking younger!

4. Reduce sun exposure. While some sun is good for you – studies show up to 20 minutes of exposure per day may have health values- spend too much time outdoors and that face in the mirror will age faster than you do. If you plan to be outdoors for more than 20 minutes- winter or summer - wear a sunscreen and re-apply it often.

To learn more about the new marine botanicals visit www.RedDressDiary.com - the destination for fabulous women over 40!

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Study: Marijuana & The Fountain of Youth

If you’re old enough to remember the Summer of Love, burning your bra, and the slogan “Never trust anyone over 30”, then you’re going to love this: Marijuana may actually hold the key to the Fountain of Youth - not to mention being a blockbuster wrinkle treatment!

Of course not in the form of Mary Jane you probably remember.

But new studies out of Hungary, Germany and the UK suggest that the human body naturally produces a substance known as an “endocannabinoid” – a molecule very close in structure to THC, the “psychoactive” cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant, also known as “cannabis”

Moreover, the human endocannabinoid appears to play a key role in skin health and anti aging skin care.

“ Just as THC is believed to protect the marijuana plant from pathogens, our own cannabinoids may be necessary for us to maintain healthy skin," wrote lead researcher Gerald Weissmann in a study to be published in the October issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.



Marijuana: Turning On Skin Cells

According to the new research, this human “endocannabioid” helps regulate and produce skin lipids. These are essential fats linked to oil production and believed to play a role in acne (when we over produce) or dry skin (when we under produce).

These same oil secretions are also linked to hormone production, particularly estrogen - one reason our skin looks plump and moist when we are young and estrogen production is high, and dryer and wrinkly as we creep towards menopause – a time when estrogen production is dropping.

So what’s the link between cannabinoids and aging skin? They appear to act as a kind of “signal” regulator, that turns lipid production on and off. Keeping it “turned on”, say researchers, may be one way to encourage plumper, younger looking skin.

The next step will be to isolate the human cannabinoids and, if possible, turn them into an anti aging skin care ingredient.

The other alternative: Extract the cannabis molecules we already have in the hearty marijuana plant - a move that may not be as far off as you might think.

Indeed at least one part of the cannabis plant has already made its way into several skin care products in the form of hemp oil – currently available in a number of moisturizers, creams, and other cosmetics. The Body Shop, for example, features a hemp-based line of products, as does Burt’s Bees.

But if you’re thinking you can get high on your skin care, guess again. According to Dr. David West, who holds a degree in plant breeding from the University of Minnesota (yes, they really give degrees in this!) unlike THC, which contains high levels of the psychoactive component of marijuana, industrial hemp is mostly CBD, which is the anti-psychoactive constituent of marijuana. Still, the anti aging effects on skin lipids may be similar.

But just in case you’re getting the idea that you can just “light up” and give your skin a boost of youth – not a good idea. Legalities aside, ( and won’t you feel silly telling the judge you were just trying to get rid of your wrinkles) the truth is that when it comes to skin aging, smoking marijuana is a lot like smoking cigarettes: It produces pollutants that actually gobble up collagen and cause skin to prematurely age ( think Mick Jagger and Keith Richards). Of course you might not care …but still, you will look older!

My advice for right now: Until we have more research on the role of cannabis in skin care, stay out of the sun, use sunscreen when you do go out, and when you’re indoors – put on some moisturizer and an old Joni Mitchell album and just relax. You won’t recreate the summer of love – but your skin will look a lot better.

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Fashion - Beauty - HealthCare - Antiaging - Product Evaluations - And More!

Study: You Can "Teach" Skin To Look Young!

If you feel as if the hands of time have a stranglehold on your wrinkling, aging skin, here’s some news you’ll want to hear: New research shows we may be able to “instruct” the body to make more of at least one biological substance skin needs to look young – and in doing so turn back the hands of time in a major way!

That substance, says experts is collagen. Long believed to play a major role in skin wrinkling, collagen production declines as we age - and for a long time, doctors believed there wasn’t much we could do about that.

But a new report in the current issue of the Archives of Dermatology, says otherwise. Here, researchers from the University of Michigan write that specific advances in skin care made over the past decade have opened the door to the idea that we can "teach" the body to begin producing this vital substance in much the same way it did when we were young.

" Collagen fragmentation is responsible for loss of structural integrity and impairment of fibroblast function in aged human skin - treatments that stimulate production of new, non fragmented collagen should provide substantial improvement to the appearance and health of aged skin," write the researchers.

In essence this means that not only can we stop the hands of time –we have the opportunity to effect a permanent physiological change in skin that can reverse some of the signs of aging - something that has never before been possible.

The best news of all: You don't have to wait a decade or even a year. The study found this was all possible with some dermatologic treatments already in use today.

Old Skin Vs. Young Skin
One of the major differences between “old” skin and “young” skin is the amount and quality of collagen found below the surface. A type of connective tissue, collagen, along with elastin, form a kind of invisible criss-cross netting underneath skin to help support and keep everything in place.

It is, in fact, collagen that gives skin it’s buoyant, dense youthful look and feel, keeping those cheekbones from sliding into your chin and your chin from sliding into your neck - forming a boatload of wrinkles along the way.

But collagen doesn’t last forever. Environmental factors like the sun and pollution – especially chemicals found in cigarette smoke – combine with the natural aging process to damage cells that produce collagen, causing them to become fragmented, or "broken", and no longer able to give skin the support it needs to look young.

"This imbalance advances the aging process in a self-perpetuating, never-ending deleterious cycle," say the researchers.

And what that means is that slowly, over time, “holes’ pop up in that support netting and eventually, get so large that our skins entire support structure begins to collapse. (Think of it like popping a hole in your pantyhose and suddenly the support from that area is gone!).

When the collagen "matrix" or netting becomes broken in enough places, skin support is lost almost entirely. And that means it begins to sag, and eventually, wrinkle.

The Science of Keeping Skin Young
For a while everyone thought the answer to collagen loss was to simply apply more collagen – as in the explosion of collagen creams hitting the market in the 1980’s. But it wasn’t long before science also realized that collagen applied from the outside wasn’t doing much good on the inside. While skin looked temporarily better, the effects weren’t lasting.

And this is where the new Michigan University research sheds some important new light on some current treatment options.

Their report asserts that certain types of topical treatments, as well as some specific wrinkle filling injections, not only provide the immediate skin fix we’re all after, but also work from a long-term standpoint to actually alter the amount of collagen in our skin.

More specifically the researchers say that when certain treatments make their way to skin cells, they are able to create an environment in which damaged fibroblasts (collagen producing cells) can recover – and begin producing collagen in much the way they did when skin was young! In a sense, these treatments are teaching skin to "act" and eventually look the way it did when we were young.

What This Means To You:
You can slow down the hands of time – and with the right treatments and products, maybe even reverse some of the nasty effects of aging that have already occurred.

But at the same time, it doesn’t mean you can throw caution to the wind and ignore the things that cause premature skin aging – including sun exposure, smoking, and other lifestyle factors such as a lack of sleep or a nutrient -poor diet.

Experts say all these things still matter, since the longer you can keep your collagen producing cells healthy and functioning, the less repair work you’ll need.

That said, it’s also comforting to know that with the right treatments and ingredients not only can we compensate for some of the damage that has already occurred to skin cells, there is now good evidence to show that at least some of that damaged may be reversible.

To learn more about which specific treatment types the study found to help initiate the production of new collagen, as well as the skin care ingredients shown to effect change visit
the RedDressDiary.com : The Source For Fabulous Women Over 40!

BOTOX: Study Reports New Concerns

If you're on the fence about whether or not to take the wrinkle-removing BOTOX plunge, here's something you may want to consider:

A new study has found the potent injectable may not stay strictly in your wrinkles. It could migrate to your brain.

It's true. Animal research published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, confirms suspicions that the botulinum-based wrinkle injectable known as BOTOX ( also Dysport, Neuronox, Xeomin and VISTABEL) can migrate from the site of injection into the central nervous system.

The research adds to a growing body of evidence that the popular cosmetic wrinkle filler - also used for treatments of muscular disorders - has more than just a local effect. Now, however, there is some proof that it can travel along nerve pathways in the body to other distant areas, and impact the neurological function in that area.

BOTOX works by damaging a protein that is essential for cell communication. In the case of wrinkle injections, it stops the signal from the brain to the muscle in the face that is holding on to the wrinkle. When the muscle relaxes, the wrinkle disappears.

The new research, conducted by doctors at the Italian National Research Council, say that while nerve cells at the site of the injection absorb some of the botulinum toxin, some of that toxin was also carried along nerve lines and released into other cells, where proteins were also destroyed. The study, conducted on mice, and rats found that 3 days after injections into the whisker muscles, remnants of botulinum were found in the brain stems and in the back of the eyes of the rodents.

This research contradicts earlier studies which reported that the injected material was confined to the injection site where it eventually degraded.

Translating results into [possible human effects, experts caution that the amount of toxin injected into the wrinkle, along with the concentration of t he dosage, may play a key role in determining whether or not the migration takes place.

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