Part 2: Habits to give the ‘boot’ to for U and your skins sake…
Continuing on from last weeks blog about the effects of Alcohol on the skin, this week I’m going to focus on another vice, which, at this time of the year, may fall into a habit that you want to give the boot to.
The following maybe an incentive to help you.
Smoking is number two in line of the worst lifestyle habits that we choose to put our bodies and our skin through. Sun still tops the list as our skins worst enemy.
As with Alcohol, smoking has a stimulating effect on the micro circulation of our skin. Remember that this superficial capillary network is vital for feeding our cells and tissues with Oxygen and nutrients and for removing toxic build up. The continued vasodilatation and constriction of these delicate blood vessels can cause damage to their porous walls, thus affecting their ability to oxygenate, feed and then free the skin of waste material.
Look at any smokers skin and you will see the evidence of this appearing as a grey, sallow appearance, deficient in moisture, maybe with spotty outbreaks, visible capillary damage and of course, deep lines and wrinkles.
Still reaching for your lighter? Then read on.
Smoking is one of the lifestyle choices that stimulate the production of free radicals in our body. These unstable molecules wreak havoc and are the ‘thieves of youth’. They course their way round the body causing damage to the proteins in the skin, Collagen and Elastin fibres (there’s your lines and wrinkles); affect the DNA of our cells leading to possible pre cancerous changes.
Then there are the faces that smokers pull. Contorting when dragging on a cigarette gives rise to ‘crow’s feet’ around the eyes and lines around the mouth as well as unsightly blocked follicles that may appear as blackheads or spots and the skin takes on a yellowy hue. Come on you must have extinguished that fag now…right?
All is not lost, it is never too late to, firstly give up and secondly start to repair some of the damage caused to the skin.
Anti oxidants both topically and orally are the first good habit to adopt. Vitamin C in particular is crucial for collagen production and for strengthening that capillary network. 1 cigarette destroys the same amount of Vitamin C as found in 2 whole oranges!
Give yourself an incentive. Several of my clients have started to invest the money, usually reserved for their cigarette habit, on regular skin treatments and active products as a way of reminding them why they are giving up and to reverse some of the visible damage.
If you would like a skin health programme tailored to nurture your skin back to health then call me Louise on 07810 872 633 or email: enquiries@u-treatments.co.uk
www.u-treatments.co.uk
copyright 2009
Sunday 24 January 2010
Wednesday 13 January 2010
What effect are those bad habits having on your skin?
What’s your vice then? A large glass of red wine to help you unwind after a hard days work? A chocolate covered biscuit to dunk in your cup of afternoon tea? That cigarette that you just have to have to deal with the stresses of modern life? Or a handful (half a tub) of sunflower seeds that you just have to have pre dinner…..? Yep ok the last sad addiction is mine…could be worse!!
All this over indulgence after the festive season, and yes I did over indulge and no not just on sunflower seeds, got me to thinking that its usual at this time of year to want to kick some of our bad habits and set ourselves that new years resolution (if you haven’t read last weeks blog then Hello! Where have you been?)
So I thought I would, over the next four weeks, take a closer look at the above vices and their negative, and in one case, positive effects on our skin. What are these bad habits are doing to your complexion and some little tips on how you can maybe repair a bit of the damage caused.
This week its; Alcohol…
The immediate effect of your G & T, glass of wine or pint of lager is to cause a flushing sensation in the skin. This varies, in degree, from person to person, however even if you don’t end up looking like you’ve been extremely embarrassed or just stepped out of a sauna, it doesn’t mean that these little blood vessels aren’t working away madly. Now this action, in small doses, has actually, according to research, been found to be beneficial to not only your skin but the whole of your circulatory system. It’s when we start to abuse the quantities of alcohol that this constant constriction and dilation of those little capillaries eventually causes them to become damaged. In some cases they can be seen under the surface of the skin and in lamens terms maybe referred to as broken capillaries.
These not only look unsightly, but are no longer able to do their job which is to ferry Oxygen and vital nutrients to our skin cells to keep our skin looking healthy.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, which tends to be what gives us the hangover. Our body is forced to lose water and unless replaced can lead to headaches and nausea, need I go on. This dehydration is seen on our skins as obvious areas of dryness, sallow colour, and fine, creapy lines.
Then there’s the obvious fact that excessive alcohol consumption causes extra stress on the Liver. I am expecting to see a lot of this effect manifesting itself in my clients skin as outbreaks usually in the mid lower forehead area, since in Chinese philosophy they believe that this area of the face is linked with the Liver.
Help!!... is at hand quite literally as if you have had one of my bespoke facial treatments you will know that my treatments are about taking an inside/out approach to treating the skin. Aside from having professional treatments with a skin therapist and specialist you can start by reducing your consumption and increasing your water intake. This is quite an obvious first step to improving your skins chances of recovery.
Next I suggest taking the tincture of Milk Thistle which is a great Liver support and will aid detoxification.
Look for moisturisers that contain ingredients that will act as ‘Osmoprotectors’ these are molecules that help to attract and bind moisture into your skin. All the products I use and recommend have this ability.
And finally, if you look forward to your weekend tipple then swap spirits for wine or beer and drink plenty of water with your alcohol to stave of that morning after the night before reflection in the mirror.
www.u-treatments.co.uk
All this over indulgence after the festive season, and yes I did over indulge and no not just on sunflower seeds, got me to thinking that its usual at this time of year to want to kick some of our bad habits and set ourselves that new years resolution (if you haven’t read last weeks blog then Hello! Where have you been?)
So I thought I would, over the next four weeks, take a closer look at the above vices and their negative, and in one case, positive effects on our skin. What are these bad habits are doing to your complexion and some little tips on how you can maybe repair a bit of the damage caused.
This week its; Alcohol…
The immediate effect of your G & T, glass of wine or pint of lager is to cause a flushing sensation in the skin. This varies, in degree, from person to person, however even if you don’t end up looking like you’ve been extremely embarrassed or just stepped out of a sauna, it doesn’t mean that these little blood vessels aren’t working away madly. Now this action, in small doses, has actually, according to research, been found to be beneficial to not only your skin but the whole of your circulatory system. It’s when we start to abuse the quantities of alcohol that this constant constriction and dilation of those little capillaries eventually causes them to become damaged. In some cases they can be seen under the surface of the skin and in lamens terms maybe referred to as broken capillaries.
These not only look unsightly, but are no longer able to do their job which is to ferry Oxygen and vital nutrients to our skin cells to keep our skin looking healthy.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, which tends to be what gives us the hangover. Our body is forced to lose water and unless replaced can lead to headaches and nausea, need I go on. This dehydration is seen on our skins as obvious areas of dryness, sallow colour, and fine, creapy lines.
Then there’s the obvious fact that excessive alcohol consumption causes extra stress on the Liver. I am expecting to see a lot of this effect manifesting itself in my clients skin as outbreaks usually in the mid lower forehead area, since in Chinese philosophy they believe that this area of the face is linked with the Liver.
Help!!... is at hand quite literally as if you have had one of my bespoke facial treatments you will know that my treatments are about taking an inside/out approach to treating the skin. Aside from having professional treatments with a skin therapist and specialist you can start by reducing your consumption and increasing your water intake. This is quite an obvious first step to improving your skins chances of recovery.
Next I suggest taking the tincture of Milk Thistle which is a great Liver support and will aid detoxification.
Look for moisturisers that contain ingredients that will act as ‘Osmoprotectors’ these are molecules that help to attract and bind moisture into your skin. All the products I use and recommend have this ability.
And finally, if you look forward to your weekend tipple then swap spirits for wine or beer and drink plenty of water with your alcohol to stave of that morning after the night before reflection in the mirror.
www.u-treatments.co.uk
Friday 8 January 2010
New year..new U..
New year …new U…
It’s a little obscene, don’t you think, our obsession with looking to a new year before we have even had a chance to eat way too much turkey, drink too much bubbly and jig around to ‘ole Lang syne’ pretending we know all the words. But the promise of a newer, brighter, fitter, happier, younger looking, svelte you is everywhere as the January magazine editions hit the news stands in December.
It’s these types of articles and media hype that come around every year forcing us to all fall into the ‘new years resolution’ trap and ultimately, come February, have failed miserably to achieve any of what we set out to do.
As part of my bespoke facial treatments, I like to not only give product related homecare advice, but little snippets of lifestyle skin health related changes that can be started the minute you have had your treatment and that can be easily achieved.
Like anything in life, whether it’s to become more confident, drop post Christmas weight or gain a glowing, healthy skin, it’s a gradual process that can’t be sustained by quick fixes.
Setting SMART targets (that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time scale) is the way forward and if you read my ‘12 days to glowing Christmas skin…. ’ blog, you should already be well on the way.
Why wait for January the 1st, it just puts you under more pressure to achieve your goals, when you could already be on your way to optimum skin health.
That said if your struggling for the motivation or know how to solving your skin problems then make January the excuse to schedule in that facial and let me set your SMART targets to a ‘new U’, or at least a U with a healthier skin. www.u-treatments.co.uk bookings 07810 872 633
It’s a little obscene, don’t you think, our obsession with looking to a new year before we have even had a chance to eat way too much turkey, drink too much bubbly and jig around to ‘ole Lang syne’ pretending we know all the words. But the promise of a newer, brighter, fitter, happier, younger looking, svelte you is everywhere as the January magazine editions hit the news stands in December.
It’s these types of articles and media hype that come around every year forcing us to all fall into the ‘new years resolution’ trap and ultimately, come February, have failed miserably to achieve any of what we set out to do.
As part of my bespoke facial treatments, I like to not only give product related homecare advice, but little snippets of lifestyle skin health related changes that can be started the minute you have had your treatment and that can be easily achieved.
Like anything in life, whether it’s to become more confident, drop post Christmas weight or gain a glowing, healthy skin, it’s a gradual process that can’t be sustained by quick fixes.
Setting SMART targets (that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time scale) is the way forward and if you read my ‘12 days to glowing Christmas skin…. ’ blog, you should already be well on the way.
Why wait for January the 1st, it just puts you under more pressure to achieve your goals, when you could already be on your way to optimum skin health.
That said if your struggling for the motivation or know how to solving your skin problems then make January the excuse to schedule in that facial and let me set your SMART targets to a ‘new U’, or at least a U with a healthier skin. www.u-treatments.co.uk bookings 07810 872 633
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