Foods that Fight Aging
June 26, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Nothing makes us look older than wrinkles and fine lines around the eyes and mouth. Expression lines and wrinkles can make us look and feel older than we are. Studies have shown that foods containing antioxidants help significantly in the fight against aging. Oxidation is a chemical reaction in cells that releases free radicals into the body. These free radicals go on to damage and kill other normal, healthy cells. In skin cells this oxidation process leads to a breakdown in collagen and the depletion of elastin. The loss of collagen is what causes wrinkles and fine lines to appear prematurely. So many people, women especially, are looking for ways to look younger and feel better. They want to remove wrinkles from their skin and stop new wrinkles from forming.
Antioxidants fight oxidation and stop the spread of free radicals throughout the body. Foods rich in antioxidants have been found to be the key to good health and longevity. Antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E are especially helpful to the skin and other major organs. You want to eat foods that are high in antioxidants such as brightly colored fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin A can be found in sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, peaches, kale, collards, carrots, squash, onions, and other brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, oranges, tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables are great sources of vitamin C. It is best to get your vitamin C through a wide variety of foods, rather than from supplements. This builds your body’s immune system as you gain antioxidants and other helpful nutrients.
You can get vitamin E from fresh fish such as salmon and tuna, vegetable oil, olive oil, liver oil, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and from nuts and seeds. These foods get antioxidants into the body, so that you are fighting wrinkles from the inside out. But it is vital that you find a good wrinkle cream with the best antioxidants to fight wrinkles from the outside in. Use wrinkle creams that contain antioxidants like vitamin A, and vitamin E. Daily moisturizing is an important step to fighting wrinkles. Studies have shown that other antioxidants like gold, are a very effective ingredient in wrinkle creams. Gold is a very powerful antioxidant. It does not rust, tarnish and is impervious to oxidation. You can find highly effective wrinkle creams that contain gold on the internet, without paying a fortune.
So be sure to eat a variety of foods that contain antioxidants. You’ll look and feel better, and stay looking younger for years to come!
How Your Lifestyle Affects Your Skin
Researchers have found that diet and lifestyle alone will suffice to prevent about two-thirds of all skin cancers. While anyone can develop skin cancer, the risk is greatest for people with light-colored skin that freckle easily, researchers said. But what about other factors of your skin’s care?
How often have you skipped your meals just because you were too busy to eat or may be too tired to eat? Our highly materialistic life and hectic schedules have made us too busy to even think about what we are eating. Professionals who do not have time to waste on cooking would simply go and grab a burger or a hot dog along with cola and call it lunch.
For the time being, a burger and a cola would be just enough to satiate your hunger but have you ever given a thought to the long-term implications of such a diet and lifestyle?
The human body’s nutritional needs are highly specific. It needs a certain amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Foods like burgers, pizzas or ice creams do not meet our nutritional needs. You don’t have to plainly eat to satiate hunger instead you should eat to meet your body’s nutritional needs. A diet deficient in all the essentials would eventually catalyze the effect of various potential diseases.
Skin reflects the kind of diet you take. You may have often wondered why there is a healthy glow on some people’s skin. Well, one of the possible factors apart from genetic would be a healthy diet and lifestyle. You might have noticed people who are chronologically younger but look way older than their age and vice versa. With good care of your skin you can control the effects of time on your skin and aging process.
Wrinkles appear on your skin when your skin’s ability of produce collagen reduces. Low collagen levels ultimately lead to the deterioration of the elastin tissues. The skin eventually looses its elasticity and firmness and starts to sag giving creases and folds i.e. wrinkles.
In order to slow down aging, you need a major diet and lifestyle change. You should eat right and healthy. Avoid fatty, oily foods and also foods with high glycemic index. Eat right amount of proteins in right quantities, loads of natural foods like fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Make healthier choices and avoid fast food.
You also need to quit smoking if you are a heavy smoker. Quit alcohol and drugs too. You should incorporate a mild to moderate exercise like jogging, walking or running. Or you could detoxify with yoga. These changes will work wonders on your skin, giving it that healthy glow you always wanted.
These changes when incorporated at an early age, definitely slow down aging and the onset of diseases those come with age.
Benzoyl Peroxide and Tretinoin
When applying antiacne drugs to the skin, people should be careful not to get the medicine in the eyes, mouth, or inside the nose. They should not put the medicine on skin that is wind burned, sunburned, or irritated, and not apply it to open wounds.
Because antiacne drugs such as benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin irritate the skin slightly, users should avoid doing anything that might cause further irritation. They should wash the face with mild soap and water only two or three times a day, unless the physician says to wash it more often. They should also avoid using abrasive soaps or cleansers and products that might dry the skin or make it peel, such as medicated cosmetics, cleansers that contain alcohol, or other acne products that contain resorcinol, sulfur, or salicylic acid.
If benzoyl peroxide or tretinoin make the skin too red or too dry or cause too much peeling, the user should check with a physician. Using the medicine less often or using a weaker strength may be necessary. Benzoyl peroxide can irritate the skin of people with skin of color and cause darkened spots called hyperpigmentation on the skin. Benzoyl peroxide may discolor hair or colored fabrics.
ORAL DRUGS. Oral antibiotics are taken daily for two to four months. The drugs used include tetracycline, erythromycin, minocycline (Minocin), doxycycline, clindamycin (Cleocin), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra). Possible side effects include allergic reactions, stomach upset, vaginal yeast infections, dizziness, and tooth discoloration.
The goal of treating moderate acne is to decrease inflammation and prevent new comedones from forming. One effective treatment is topical tretinoin, used along with a topical or oral antibiotic. A combination of topical benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin is also very effective. Improvement is normally seen within four to six weeks, but treatment is maintained for at least two to four months.
Special Conditions
People who have certain medical conditions or who are taking certain other medicines may have problems if they use antiacne drugs. Before using these products, the physician should be informed about any of the following conditions.
ALLERGIES. Anyone who has had unusual reactions to etretinate, isotretinoin, tretinoin, vitamin A preparations, or benzoyl peroxide in the past should let the physician know before using an antiacne drug. The physician should also be told about any allergies to foods, dyes, preservatives, or other substances.
PREGNANCY. Teens who are pregnant or who may become pregnant should check with a physician before using tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide. Isotretinoin causes birth defects in humans and must not be used during pregnancy.
OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS. Before using antiacne drugs applied to the skin, people with any of these medical problems should make sure their physicians are aware of their conditions:
• Eczema. Antiacne drugs that are applied to the skin may make this condition worse.
• Sunburn or raw skin. Antiacne drugs that are applied to the skin may increase the pain and irritation of these conditions.
In people with certain medical conditions, isotretinoin may increase the amount of triglyceride (a fatty-substance) in the blood. This may lead to heart or blood vessel problems. Before using isotretinoin, adolescents with any of the following medical problems should make sure their physicians are aware of their conditions:
• alcoholism or heavy drinking, currently or in the past
• diabetes or family history of diabetes (Isotretinoin may change blood sugar levels.)
• family history of high triglyceride levels in the blood
• severe weight problems
Using antiacne drugs with certain other drugs may affect the way the drugs work or may increase the chance of side effects.
Do Facials Help With Wrinkles
December 9, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
You may have seen an infomercial on television or come across an ad on the internet that claims their product will completely diminish your wrinkles. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If a product really had the capability to get rid of deep wrinkles 100%, you would hear it all over the news and it would probably be on Oprah. Read more
