Looking younger

What are the keys to looking younger?

Happiness:  overall happiness in your life will make you look and feel younger.  This is a decision we make.  Yes life is stressfull, difficult and overwhelming but there is always something to be happy about.  Let the little things that make you happy become important.

Rest:  I don’t mean just sleep, I mean rest, time for yourself to rest your mind and soul.  Take 5 minutes and watch a sunset, go for a run in the rain, savor a few moments of peace in the midst of a busy day.  Sleep of course is very restorative, but sometimes we don’t always get what we need.

Moisturize:  A good moisturizer goes a long way in making skin dewy and hydrated.  Use one every day, spritz with spring water if you can.

Anti aging creams: These are important to diminish fine lines and wrinkles, to rejuvenate and lift skin.  Try bella rosa skin care by Rachel Sullivan MD

Bella Rosa skin care

LUC skin care has now merged and formed a new company, Bella Rosa skin care, dedicated to superior anti aging skin care.  Rachel Sullivan MD remains president of the company. http://www.bellarosaskincare.com

To Botox or not?

Botox is indicated for those deeper lines, forehead ones that don’t respond to topical skin creams.  So what are the drawbacks.  Too much botox and you will look a bit lifeless, somewhat of a “masklike” face.  You will need to be re-injected every 3 months, since it wears off.  Maybe one of these days they will come up with a more permanent injection and muscle paralyzer, but that is a few years away. 

My personal opinion is that the deeper lines can add character, that by all means attack the fine lines, age spots and lack of luminosity with a  good skin cream, but I think that Botox is a bit invasive. 

Rachel Sullivan MD

www.lucskincare.com

LUC skin cream indexed in Blog Catalog

New name for skin care website « Candesca Skin Care

New name for skin care website « Candesca Skin Care

LUC skin care is the new anti aging skin cream and website

www.lucskincare.com

New name for skin care website

Hello

Candesca has now officially changed to LUC skin care. 

Winter Skin Care

Winter is here!  What does that mean for our skin?

Skin easily becomes dehydrated with the dry heat and cold exposure.  A good moisturizer is essential, and one containing dimethicone, a barrier agent is helpfull as well.  Candesca anti wrinkle skin illuminating cream is great for this purpose.  Other things to consider are using a humidifier at home and at night to keep skin moist.  If you are hitting those slopes don’t forget the sunscreen!

Rachel Sullivan MD

http://candescaskincream.com

topical botox or argireline

Topical Botox, What is it and does it work?

There has been a lot of hype about creams that are “botox in a bottle”, topical botox, or “wrinkle relax” creams. Just what are they and do they work?
Botox is an actual toxin that paralyzes the muscle that is injected into the skin and works for several months. Botox can only be injected safely in the periorbital area and forehead, since as you can imagine, you need the mucles around the mouth to smile, talk and eat.
“Topical Botox” is not actually botulinum toxin, but a different chemical, to be specific it is a peptide, a neuropeptide that is thought to work in a manner similar to botox. This peptide is called acetyl-hexapeptide 3 or argireline and it is thought to reduce facial tension, relaxing wrinkles. There are no actual clinical studies in medical journals, but studies from independant cosmetics companies have been done. According to the medical world these studies would not be considered valid, however the premise behind the peptide is a valid one. A concentration of 10% is the maximum amount that has been safely used in most studies and is tolerated quite well. I have found 8% to be just as effective with less side effects. The most common side effect that people report at higher doses is that of skin tingling or burning on application, that is transient, it goes away in a few minutes.
So will your face muscle be paralyzed like botox? No, the effect is much milder, much more gradual, and actually, much safer. And there is no needle involved!
Rachel Sullivan MD

http://candescaskincream.com

soy isoflavones and skin wrinkles

Soy Isoflavones: How do they work to improve the skin?

Animal studies have shown that soy isoflavones protect the skin against sun damage and may increase production of hyaluronic acid, a very important constituent of skin.

Another study shows that soy isoflavones will lighten age spots. Soy has been shown to reduce signs of aging when applied topically to human skin. In addition, oral supplementation has significant effects as well.

Rachel Sullivan MD

http://candescaskincream.com

retinoids, retin a, renova, tretinoin,and skin wrinkles

Retinoids: Retin A, Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate,Tretinoin, Renova, whats the difference and how do they work?

We’ve all heard of Retin A, Renova and most know these are Vitamin A derivative prescription creams that treat wrinkles. Retin A was originally used to treat acne, but then significant anti-wrinkle effects were noticed. Now there are many documented scientific studies that prove its effectiveness. Because it can cause significant irritation, redness and peeling it is regulated by the FDA and can only be used with a prescription.

Renova is a prescription form that was developed specifically to treat wrinkles and is more moisturizing than Retin-A.

Other derivatives of vitamin A, such as Retinol were then developed, which are much milder, therefore much less effective, but with less side effects are widely used in wrinkle creams. Retinol is much less potent than tretinoin but will still work to reduce wrinkles, with the same side effects of inflammation and redness.
Retinol, or its derivatives (Retinyl Palmitate) is one of the few substances that is proven to work in treating the signs of skin aging and therefore is an important component of anti-wrinkle creams.

Rachel Sullivan MD

http://candescaskincream.com