Tag: antioxidants

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PHOTO JOURNALING… A VISUAL WINDOW TO ANTI-AGING

The best thing I ever did was to keep a photo journal of my skin. My skin care journey started when I was 33 years old. I used the BEST QUALITY Skin Care possible, BIOKORIUM of course, followed a regimen of cleansing, toning, exfoliating moisturizing and hydrating. I then believed I was doing everything possible to slow down the aging process

At 62 I knew my skin was looking and feeling a little tired. I came to the realization that my skin was out of control then took a current photo and compared it to a photo taken 10 years before. WOW! I was a mess. I had all the 7 signs of aging* on my face plus a couple extra. What went wrong? I am sure there are many women just like me that spent years following a skin care plan trying to do all the right things in order to have beautiful skin only to wake up at age of 60 plus realizing you look and feel old!

I had no other choice but to figure out if Anti Aging of the skin was a real possibility or a figment of everyone’s imagination.

Trying to turn the clock back on my skin was fascinating, exciting and a little bit scary because I had no clue what I was getting into. I could not have done it without the help of my photo journal. It helped me take a closer look at the changes occurring in/on my skin and I could tell what products and processes worked the best. After 1 week of my new improved skin care plan I saw some changes happening slowly on my skin, but after 3 weeks I knew I was finally practicing Anti-Aging.

Losing weight and Anti-Aging in my opinion are very similar. When you want to lose weight your first step is to set a goal; something like I want to lose 10 pounds. Then you may decide what diet and exercise program you are going to try to achieve that goal, then step on a scale to get that bench mark number, your starting point, your actual weight. After a week or two you may step back on that scale to determine if the diet and exercise plan you selected is actually working.

When Practicing Anti-aging or starting a new skin care program you need to set goals as I would like tighter skin or I would like to get rid of the discoloration on my face. If you don’t know what issues you have, go to the 7 preconceived-industry-standard signs of aging* to determine what it is that is happening to your skin then get your benchmark by taking a series of photos. This way you can actually determine if you are getting little, no, or major results. Then determine what skin care diet or program you are going to try. You can check in with your local Dermatologist, Plastic Surgeon or try your local skin care professional. You can even go to your local drug store to pick up all the products you may need to start practicing Anti-Aging RIGHT?…..Well….maybe? It almost becomes a crap shoot when deciding what treatment procedure or product series will be right for your skin. There are millions of products to choose from. Some products are to strong some are too weak. Here is how I know if a product or procedure is working for me.

In my opinion it takes no longer than a week or less to determine if the program you choose is the right fit. When losing weight in the first week you probably feel better. Well the first week of Skin care is the same. Does your skin feel better? If your skin is red or dry and feels a bit uncomfortable you may need to change your program. Your best bet is before starting or investing in any new skin care regimen start a photo journal. Be sure that new skin care plan is working.

Here are some tips on photo positions I take to keep in my photo journal.

Face Front eyes open

Face neck and chest

Face front eyes closed

Face Right Side eyes open

Face Right Side eyes closed

Face Left Side eyes open

Face Left Side eyes closed

Then week to week, month to month you can see what changes are happening to your skin. Keeping a journal is not only important when choosing the right plan, but also tells the story of your skin care journey.

*Seven Signs of Aging:

  1. Dark spots: Dark spots, also called hyper pigmentation are caused by a variety of reasons. It could be caused by sun damage, inflammation, skin injuries or even acne.
  2. Sagging Skin: Ageing as well as the act of gaining and losing weight reduces the tautness of skin and gives an impression of loose skin and a perpetually tired look.
  3. Dull Glow-Less Skin: Dryness is exacerbated by wind, extremes of temperature and air-conditioning. It causes the skin to flake, chap and feel tight.
  4. Lines & wrinkles: These are a natural, unavoidable part of ageing. But, young people may get wrinkles way before their time due to excessive damage from the sun or by smoking.
  5. Dry Skin: Apart from being uncomfortable, dry skin creates scaly lines and wrinkles and is not to appealing to look at. Fortunately, most dry skin results from environmental factors that can be wholly or partially controlled.
  6. Patchy Skin: It is generally caused by differences in melanin content in different parts of the skin, but could also be caused by vascular (blood vessels) changes or the growth of foreign organisms on the skin.
  7. Open pores: Open pores are sometimes referred to as a “strawberry nose”. However they can occur anywhere on the face, back, chest or upper arms.

 

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HOW TO SELECT THE BEST PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SKIN

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With the hundreds of thousands of ingredients available to a normal consumer how do you decide what is the best fit for you?  Even before you select the right skin care products you have to decide what your skin care goals are.  Just as you would set up a healthy diet plan to lose weight, you have to set up a regimen plan for healthy skin.

Do you need treatment, moisturizer, peptides, anti-oxidants or peeling agents?  Do you need to see the family doctor, Dermatologist or a Skin Care Professional?  And above all, what’s this going to cost?

The array of skin care products can be overwhelming.  How are you going to choose when every product claims to be the latest and greatest?  Many products are overpriced, make claims that they can’t support, are misleading and ineffective.  You can pick up a product that works great for a couple of weeks then it stops working.  Skin care is not one size fits all.  The skin care consumer has to be educated enough to know what ingredients work and how to work those products to get the maximum benefit for your skin and your overall health.

Here’s the thing, you have to know what your skin care goals are before you can pick the right product.  A product that has the statement ANTI-AGING is just one piece of the puzzle.  What ingredient makes it anti-aging?  Is it a treatment ingredient like glycolic acid, that make the skin move?  Or is it a peptide that’s a cell communicator.  Purchasing skin care products is like grocery shopping.  You know what you want to ear.  You should know what ingredients you need to apply to your skin.  Choosing the wrong product can cause more skin care problems even accelerated skin aging.

My personal Skin Care Plan and the products I use deliver the results I am looking for.  I’m very specific about how I want my skin to perform.  I don’t want my skin wrinkling, sagging, or discolored, I want a healthy glow and I want to look 40 when I’m 60.  Be specific about your goals even if you think there unattainable.  Just as a diet plan whereby you set a goal to lose 10 lbs in 1 month, you have to create a regimen plan for healthy happy skin.

The first step is to ask and answer a couple of question:

  • What are your skin issues?  Such as acne, acne scars, rosacea, dark spots, wrinkles, pigmentation etc.
  • Do you have any sensitivities?  Is your skin on the red side?  Does your skin burn easily?
  • What is your age?
  • What color is your skin?
  • What’s your nationality?
  • What skin program have you been on for the last 6 months?
  • Have you used a treatment product in the last 6 months?  Such as glycolic acid, Retin-A, microdermabrasion etc.
  • Are you taking any medication for your skin?
  • What brand of make-up have you used in the last 6 months?
  • What skin type do you think you have?
  • Do you just need a simple skin care maintenance program?
  • Do you need a complete skin makeover?

If you have skin issues or are aging over 40 you have to treat the skin.  If you don’t have issues and are young, you need to moisturize.  There are all kind of variables that I have to take into consideration when designing the right skin care regimen for each and every one of my clients.  The product, plan and percentage of ingredients has to be the right fit.  I use 6 products for almost everybody I treat.  A facial wash, Glycolic, microdermabrasion, Skin Water, Waterscreen, and an Anti-Oxidant.

Here’s a simple regimen I would design for a person with light color skin, age 19 to 25 with no real skin care problems:

Morning:  No facial wash, after shower gently dry off the face.  Apply a bit of Skin Water and a bit of Anti-Oxidant.

Evening: Original Facial Wash, apply a bit of Skin Water.

Here is a daily skin regimen that is for a client with more skin problems:

Morning Regimen: Before shower or bath apply just a bit of Waterscreen.  This is probably the most important step to take.  (Do not wash your face in the shower).  After shower, gently dry off the face.  Apply a bit of Skin Water and a bit of Anti-Oxidant.

EveningRegimen:  Facial wash.  Apply 5% Glycolic Acid, apply a bit of Skin Water, Seal with Waterscreen.

The following is a Treatment Plan which can be done twice a month:

Evening: Facial wash.  Apply Microscrub, massage into skin until all waxy build up seems to be gone, then rinse gently.  Apply 7% Glycolic Acid, let sting for 3 to 5 minutes.  DO NOT REMOVE.  Apply Skin Water like a mask.  Let set on face for about 20 minutes. Gently dry off any excess with a dry towel.  Apply a bit of Waterscreen.

Skin Care Products/ Ingredients have to make sense when applying them, and have to deliver the results.  If you would like me to write you a Skin Care Plan, answer the questions above, include your skin care goals and send me a photo to biokorium.vivian@gmail.com

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HAIR LOSS: THE FAMILY CURSE

By Vivian Moreno, Esthetician, My Hair loss Experience

     Reminiscing of my child hood from a very young age I remember my family as close, with an even closer extended family.  Growing up I remember listening to family members talk about the ‘family curse’, Hair Loss! Today 50 years later at our family gatherings 99.9% of all of my sisters and cousins have some form of hair loss, some more than others.  I have one cousin that is almost bald, and another with a full head of hair at 60 something, with everyone else in between. 

     I guess I was getting pretty close to bald, and would not even have notice if on one family occasion, my cousin greeted me and asked what was going on with my hair.  That’s when I became self conscious of my predicament, and began to increasingly take notice of this on more than one occasion.  There was one time I was having a conversation with someone, and notice their eyes moving up looking up at my blank scalp.  Well, it began to effect me so much that I would limit my exposure to normal living, and that wasn’t good.  I wouldn’t want to go anywhere or do much of anything, and would say to myself, “I had the worst hair on the planet”.

     Fifteen years ago my mother of all people, started wearing wigs religiously.  She told me that her hair loss started effecting her life, just as it had mine, and wigs were an option for her. She tried on Human hair, Synthetic Hair, Long hair and Short hair.  I tried to see the light in it when my mother would get complements on her hair, and my sister and I would just look at each other knowing it was the infamous #33, The Mona Lisa Wig at $39.95.  I had to hand it to her, you could not tell she was truly wearing a wig.  My Grand Children didn’t even know her secret, they never knew she wore a wig, and always knew my mom as having a lot of hair. Last Christmas my mom stayed with them for the holidays and when she came down the stairs one morning without her wig, they were traumatized by the sight of her with almost no hair. 

     I said to myself wigs were not going to be an option for me. I WANTED MY HAIR BACK! and I wanted all my hair back…

     I decided to conduct an experiment on my scalp and keep a photo journal. I knew enough about the skin and how it worked, so I started to apply those principles to the scalp, because after all, the scalp is skin, and my hair grows out of skin. My goal was to make my scalp as healthy as possible, because my theory was that if I made my scalp healthy my hair would grow back.  This I would do by removing all and any build up that would impede hair growth thru the follicle.  I went to my husband “the Pharmacist” to design and concoct a hair and scalp serum.  The final hair serum product was 3% Minoxidil, 60% Grapeseed Extract, Açaí Extract- produced in our lab, a Japanese extract with studies behind it- Eriobotrya Japonica (Loquat) Extract, Saw Palmetto Extract, Gingko Biloba Extract, Panthenol B-5, and some impressive French Extracts noted for hair growth-, Lupinus Albus Extract, Juglans Regia (SwissWalnut) Seed Extract-from a 400 year tree, Fractionated Soy Protein in Peptide Form.  All had some study to describe increasing follicle activity with of course, the end result, new hair growth.  This concoction would be an addition to the other products designed to  be incorporated into the planned hair regimen. This was my plan, and based on everything I believe to be true about Skin Care, it should work.

      I started taking pictures Bi Weekly, then monthly, then I got crazy and would photos daily  many photos daily. There were some days that I thought it was working and some days I thought It wasn’t working at all I stayed on course and I just let it happen. My hairdressers would let me know if they felt it was getting better or not. Only sometimes they felt it was getting better. I had highs and lows. Some days I believed and some days I didn’t. I started this experiment the beginning of August 2009 and here are the results as of December 2010.

With continuing the same treatment plan, here are the most current results as of March 2, 2011.