Inside Out
The downside of worshipping the sun
By Cory Quirino
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:10:00 03/10/2008
Filed Under: Lifestyle & Leisure, Health
MANILA, Philippines—With summer upon us, let’s look into ways of caring for your skin.
Look at the skin on your face and compare it with the skin on your hips or upper thighs. Is there a difference? If you are 50 years old, you can certainly see the change in skin quality. Why do you think this has happened? The culprit is sun exposure. Exposed skin in general is more discolored, blemished and damaged as opposed to skin that has been covered up. The rule is: If you can cover up, do so.
Compounding the skin damage are pollution and inflammation caused by strong detergents, cosmetics, harsh handling of the skin and disease/sickness.
Winning the war
Did you know that the cells of an 11-year-old have the ability to repair damaged skin almost perfectly? But you are no longer 11.
It’s because of the free-radical damage which attacks the collagen of the skin mercilessly. As soon as you are exposed to the sun and the skin absorbs the sunlight, free radicals are activated. Sunlight soon activates the enzyme that breaks down fat in the skin cells, producing arachidonic acid that will inflame the skin. And you already know inflammation is equal to skin aging. The rescue team is nearly and within reach—antioxidants.
Load up on Vitamins A, B, C. Note that alpha lipoic acid can repair damaged skin and also prevent wrinkles.
Simply natural
Adolescents with skin problems like blemishes, pimples, allergic skin ought to cut back on junk food and sleepless nights. Eating more pineapples, tomatoes and other green leafy vegetables will help immensely in fighting internal inflammation due to poor nutrition.
Adults with skin problems should do the same. One should cut back on caffeine intake and smoking and know how to manage stress.
Tomato-aloe rub
It’s the wonder vegetable. Tomatoes rich in lycopene also contain enzymes that prevent pimples and oiliness. If all these natural regimens seem messy to you, try a new breakthrough in fighting acne. Proactiv solution is a three-part acne system which combines the best of botanicals like aloe, chamomile mixed with finely milled benzoyl peroxide sulfur. Created by Stanford-trained dermatologist Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, this new skin regimen clears white heads, black heads and pimples with no burning or redness side effects. For more info, visit www.proactiv.ph. The product is available at Watsons.
Now, mothers looking for an effective and safe skin regimen for their teenage kids’ pimple problems can rest easy with Proactiv’s presence in the market today.
You are not only what you eat, you are also what you feel. Therefore, be careful about what you feed your heart. Studies have shown that your emotions have a direct effect on your state of health and well-being. Stressors in your life, if not well-managed, will disturb your sense of balance and harmony. Thus, the importance of balance controls the negative effects of anger/bitterness on your body.
Affirm: “A smile in my heart is a smile on my face.”
Because a smile is not only the best cosmetic you can put on your face, it’s also the best vitamin for the heart.
Love and light!
Reference: “The Wrinkle Cure” by Dr. Nicholas Perricone
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