Question:

Answer:  I  love facials and I love Retin A, but together they may  pose problems.  If you are using Retin A, you need to weigh three issues:

1.How long you have been on Retin A ?

2. How is your skin reacting to Retin A?

3. What kind of facial do you want to use?

If you have just started on Retin A ( less than three months),   the short answer is no.  Retin A  is irritating on purpose and adding  a facial  early in the process can be asking for trouble.  Your skin could easily react with redness and peeling  that would require  stopping Retin A  for at least a month. 

If you are able to tolorate  Retin A every night,  and the benefits seem to be leveling off, a good facial can jump start new radiance.  But if you can only tolorate Retin A every other night, again a traditional facial  might be too much of a good thing.

There are facials and then  there are FACIALS.  I love the Hydrafacial that combines, suction microdermabrasion, glycolic peel,  anti-aging serum infusions and extractions to produce a turely gorgeous glow.  However its an intense process and   you should take a  Retin A holiday that starts 4 days before the Hydrofacial and  3 days afterwards.  A less intensive facial with  just  microdermabrasion and glycolic peel  can also be a wonderful way to  prep the skin for Retin A.   If you are a Retin A newbie,  this facial combo  will  take off   a layer of dead skin cells that are coating the surface and clogging pores.  It will allow Retin A  better access to the skin and speed up renewal process.   Just do it no less than  4 days prior to starting Retin A.

I also like facials that use   different types of  face  masks.  While some  are  designated hydrating and others as cleansing,  all masks  share  the  same benefits- they take off  that pesky top layer that makes the skin look dull and  unhealthy.  And while they  sit on the skin they allow the skin to build up  healthy water levels that  help reduce  lines and creases.   Nice.       

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The Science of a Beautiful Smile

I’m now near the end of my second set of aligners, and I’m so happy with the smile I see in the mirror. But as a science writer, the process is at least as interesting as the results.  I’ve shown several before and after photos, but this pix of  two aligners  speaks volumes.  The aligner on bottom is the second device of the first series and the device on top is what I am currently wearing.  You can see how much smaller the top aligner is because the teeth have been  gently pulled back into a more flattering  profile.

I am now down to  the four final aligners and the  trays are getting tighter.   In fact,  for the first time, I’m struggling with a new device.  It so snug that I keep taking it out and going back to the previous one.  Clearly Invisalign is  serious about the final results.  In the first set of aligners, I was instructed to change them every 14 days.   The first few minutes with a  fresh aliger is always  interesting as I could feel  increased pressure– but no problem.  WIthin a few minutes I would forget  I had them on. 

With the second set of aligners, I was told to change them every 10 days.   Its didn’t work out that well.  It was harder to keep track of the time  and the aligners were a little too tight after just a 10 day rotation.  I went back to the standard two week timeframe and  the process went back to normal.  But the current aligner is really really  tight, so I kept the previous using for three weeks.  I’m hoping that the extra time  will pull the teeth back the additional space needed  for the tightie that is next device. I think  that I got a bit careless about  putting the device back immeddiately after eating.  When they say to keep them in your mouth for 22 hours a day, they are serious. 

When we think about signs of aging, lines, wrinkles and grey hair usually top the list.  But displaced, stained teeth  are stealth signs of aging that rob  the face of  youthful contours.  Clear  braces are a much better use of your beauty budget than creams and  serums that make big promises that don’t deliver.

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Does This Make My  Assets Look Fat?

I tried them all.  I bought  Dummies guides to finance, subscribed to  the Wall Street Journal  and watched Jim Cramer nightly — and still nothing.  I hear the words, I’m pretty sure they are english and yet when I try to process the concepts into action…nothing.

Last month I sat in on a session on finance at the  She Did  It conference  sponsored by Better After 50.  The speaker, Susan Hirshman is  a personal  finance expert and author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat? ( St Martin’s Press).  Finally,  things started to make sense.  Ms Hirshman takes an unusual approach to explaining finance, creating parallels between dieting and investing.  After establishing the basics of sound financial planning, she breaks down the risks and benefits of different types of financial products.  From hedge funds to annuities to  mutual funds, Hirshman  helps you understand the pros and cons and  to pick the best personal options.

I laughed and winced at her profiles of different investment  personalities and I think I saw myself  in at least three of them–  Headline Hannah, Indecisive  Iris and a pinch of Anchored Annie.   Her five “D” chapter ( eg death, divorce, disability) is sobering but essential  and her chapter on estate planning should be required reading for anyone over 40. While   Does this Make My Assets Look Fat?  is not a beauty book, but  a healthy financial balance sheet is one of the most flattering accessories a women can  have.

The post Its Fashion Flash Monday! appeared first on No Nonsense Beauty Blog.

* Cindy of Prime Beauty points out that aging doesn’t only show on our faces, our hair is feeling the years too.   She profiles Nexxus Youth Renewal Hair Care  line that helps fight eight visible signs of aging

* May is  Skin Cancer Awareness Month  and Kari of Fab Over 40  interviews  Dr Piasecki of the Skin Cancer Center on the best ways  to protect your skin from cancer causing UV rays.  Read this timely and important  post at http://www.faboverforty.com/skincare/skin-cancer-center-the-doctor-will-now-see-you/

* Its bold, its electric but can a mature woman wear it?  Find out what style expert Deborah Boland has to say about how to wea those bright green, pink or orange  neon colors at Fabulous After 40.

* Looking for warm weather fashion inspiration?   Jackie from Aging Backwards shares her shopping experience at  Coldwater Creek Store.

* Jane Seymour is upbeat and unstoppable.  Check out our one-on-one interview with her at Fab Over Fifty

* Barbara at Best of Everything After Fifty is fuming mad and  wants to know when the media will get the message that women don’t have to be  thin, young, and perfectly gorgeous  to be beautiful, powerful and strong!

*   Menopausal?  Confused about management options?  72% of women have not received any treatment of menopausal symptoms.  Staness of Menopause Makeover  tells you how to find reliable information online.

Jodell of Black Cat  Plus  doesn’t understand   how its acceptable for a major retailer not  to carry plus size clothing when plus size  men and women make up almost  70% of the market.

* Mirabai of Moving Free with Mirabai  shares  easy and fun “prehab” exercises to get  yourself ready for the golf season.

Get ready for summer with our Glam Squad  line-up of great posts.  As Helena Rubinstein famously once  said ” There are no  unattractive women, only lazy ones”

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 How Tri-luma Works

This prescription- only skin lightener  contains three active ingredients:

1.  Tretinoin ( aka Retin A) is famous for its ability to speed up cell growth and exfoliate darkened areas.

2. Hydroquinone which prevents melanin production and is considered one of the most effective  weapons in the  anti- hyperpigmentation tool  kit

3.  Mild corticosteroid to keep  things calm.  Both Retin A and  hydroquinone can be irritating.  Enter  a  mild steroid.  It allows the skin brighteners to do their job  while keeping the skin calm and comfortable

While Tri-luma can be used over the entire face, I needed it mainly  to lighten my dark under eye shadows.   Plain Retin A  is too irritating to be used on delicate under eye areas but mixed with a steroid it can  address  skin darkness without causing more  problems.

Tri-luma was one of the first anti-aging tools I used and I loved the way it lightened  my long standing  dark shadows.  However while plain RetinA can be used continuously for years, most  doctors recommend using  Tri-luma  only for three montha at a time.   The treatment period  should be followed by a three month  Tri-luma holiday and then the  product can be used again for another three months.  To keep it fresh and effective, pharmacists recommend keeping it in the refrigerator.

There is a whole buffet  of skin lighteners including kojic acid, arbutin and soy extract, but Tri-luma  is often the product of choice.   It represents the new thinking about  medical treatment.  Rather than a single  solution to a problem , researchers are looking at different targets  for treatment.  In the case of  hyperpigmentation,  some skin lighteners like retin A a can help the skin shed darkened skin cells while  while ingredients like hydroquinone  can break up existing  melanin.  Combining them in one product can be much more effective than used spearately.  Since Kojic acid seems to prevent melanin production, I would love to see a  product  that combines all four ingredients.  There are so many me-too  products, it would wonderful to see a formulation that uses all of the science  we  now have about treatmenting dark patches and spots.

The post Tri-luma– Its back! appeared first on No Nonsense Beauty Blog.

 I have spent most of my professional life as a health and beauty writer.  I loved gathering  accurate information and sharing it in a timely  helpful lifestyle book.  But over the last  few years, publishing  became less and less interested in this type of book unless the author had a celebrity platform. I was asked to ghost some of these books and the process was not pleasant.  I decided to start publishing  my own lifestyle e-books and   this week I am so delighted to announce the publication of the  first e-book from Chase Communications– The Magic of Facial Exercise by Cynthia Rowland. Its available on Kindle Select and on May 7-9  you can download it  for free at http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-Facial-Exercise-ebook/dp/B00C33WJ7E/.

The Magic of Facial Exercise is an introduction to the power of isometric training to reshape the face.  Rather than just a book of exercises, it is an in-depth guide to the science of  facial aging.  The Magic of Facial Exercise looks at what is behind sings of  aging  such as crows feet and  double chin and explains exactly which muscle groups  need some TLC.  

Cynthia Rowland is a widely redognized fitness and beauty expert.  Creator of the Facial Magic System  she has been on  the Today Show, The View, The Rachel Ray Show as well as on QVC and HSN.  More than 1,00,000 men and women in more than 40 countries are fans of the Facial Magic System.

I am working with terrific experts  on several new e-book  projects including  a  beauty guide for blondes, an amazingly effective diet based on science rather than science fiction and  the first  book on anti-aging smile makeovers.  Producing  beautiful professional e-books turned out to be a lot harder than it looked, but I’m having the time of my life. If you have an ideas for books you would like to see or an idea for a book you would like to do,  I’d love to hear from you.

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Different Answers for Different  Aging

Like everything else  in the body, skin changes naturally over time and its not surprising that anti-aging skin care differs over time.  Under  age 30 our skin is rich in estrogen and natural hydration.  The challenge is not to mess it up.   To prevent aging, women often use overly rich cleansers and night creams which  can provoke the reappearance  of teenage style acne.   Called acne cosmetica, its the trigger in over half of   adult acne problems.  Not only  are breakouts   just not necessary, acne scars  tend to become lines and wrinkles as  we get older.

Rather than drowning still  youthful skin in   heavy anti-aging products ,  good skin care starts with gentle  but through cleansing,  and regular exfolitation with microdermabrasion brush.  At night  use an oil free   glycolic acid or lactic acid lotion.  These ingredients  are like a baby step Retin A.  They shed dead dry skin, hydrate the surface and encourage  collagen and elastin growth. 

Its during the day that  thirtysomethings can take major  steps  to prevent aging. Up to age 60,  between 80-90% of skin aging is due to UV damage– but  using  effective sun protection  will short circuit environmental aging. 

After age 40, the good times and bad leave their mark on your  face. Sun filled vacation days  reappear years later as dark patches, red spots  and crows feet around the eyes. Work and family stress show-up as deepening  lines on  the  forehead  and along the sides of the mouth and chin. That’s the bad news.  The good news?  All of the signs of living can be reversed. But before buying a buffet of creams and serums with  a boatload of anti-aging claims, think about what you skin actually needs.    Before you  swipe your credit card at a store  or make an appointment at a doctor, identify what your skin issues.  Brown spots  and splotches?   IPL, Clear and Brilliant  and Fraxel lasers are different ytpes of lasers that quickly zap discolorations.  Lines around the eyes?  Botox will erase them in moments. Dull pale skin color and fine lines? Retin A will deal with both by reving up  circulation and  boosting   healthy collagen.  And when you’ve done with all the heavy lifting repairs, be sure to protect your investment  with a 30-50SPF sunscreen  to prevent new  UV damage.

The post Preventing Aging vs Reversing Aging appeared first on No Nonsense Beauty Blog.

Free Make-up Master Class

Last week I went to a work-shop by master make-up artist Francisco Valera, hosted by Marmur Medical in New York City.  You’ve seen his work in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Marie Claire and Elle and his clients include  Christy Turlington, Kate Moss,Giselle and Sandra Bullock. 

Francisco ( just first name, like Cher or Madonna) used techniques  that I’ve never seen before.  He started by applying a dab of Eight Hour Cream from Elizabeth Arden to the lips.  Although he  does the lips last, he wanted  to give  the cream time to hydrate the often  dry skin on the lips.   I was fascinated as he used three different shades of the same  cream foundation to cover redness, add light and create definition.

For a daytime  look, he brushed  champagne beige eye shadow on the lids.  Then he mixed the same eight hour cream with a cherry red Chanel lipstick to  produce a translucent yet intense lip color.  To switch to  a party look, Francicso created a delicate smoky eye and “took down”  lip color to a softer neutral beige.  Watching Francisco work, I could see why Christy, Kate and Sandra look so good.

Marmur Medical will be holding a second make-up master class on May 9 2013.  From 5:30-7:00, Francisco  will share the secrets of supermodel beauty and you will go home  with both great knowledge and a great goody bag. To reserve a  seat,  RSVP to Marie.Lum@marmurmedical.com. I’ll be going back  for another session and I hope to see you there.

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The Green Beauty Guide

April is Environmental Awareness Month  and the perfect time to  take a look at  The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel.  I get many questions and  comments about  chemicals in skin and hair  products and  The Green Beauty Guide is filled with useful information on natural beauty care.

The book begins with  extensive background info on potential   hazards and toxins in commercial products such as DEA in shampoos and    petrochemicals in baby cleansers.   Gabriel also points out that some so-called green and/or green beauty products  can inadvertently contain toxins used in the manufacture of the products.   Scary stuff but  the  book just does not just raise problems, it offers solutions.

The Ten Commandments of Green Beauty

The author  raises  a lot of issues and offers  some pretty dense science, but  then puts her approach into an easy to understand  format with  ten green beauty rules.  These include a list of ingredients to avoid   ( eg caoal tar, phenols, phthalates, formaldehyde  and synthetic fragrances), avoiding celebrity endorsements and advice,  tossing  out products  when they pass their ” use before date”, and don’t overspend on skin and hair care.

I was esepcially impressed with her dozens of home recipes that used  organic yet inexpensive and readily available ingredients.  For example I I LOVED her green tea and lavandar cleansing powder that also  contained  vitamin C and a crushed aspirin tablet.  The green tea  provides world class antioxidants, the dried  lavendar is anti-inflammatory and the aspirin  contains salicylic acid which is  a super safe and effective exfoliator.  Brilliant.

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Question:

Answer:  You’re righ,t a 15 SPF  is pretty low, but adding  another product with a 15 SPF will not give you a 30SPF.  Its not fair but the math on sunscren products  are not cumulative.  Your final SPF  will only be the  highest SPF you are using.  In this case, the final SPF  will still be 15.  If you use a moisturizer with a 30SPF  you final SPF will  be able  to face  the sun with a  very respectable 30 SPF.

Please  keep in mind that  the SPF numbers  are just an indication of how long you can stay in the sun without burning.   A 30 SPF means that you can stay in the sun  for 30 minutes without sundamage.  However these calculations were done in the laboratory and  made on the assumption that   at least  two teaspoons of sunblock  is  used on the face and  1-2 tablespoons are used on the body. I decided to put these  standards to the test and the results were both funny and troubling.  Clearly  few if anyone actually  use  the prescribed amount of sunblock  and   we often fail to reapply  during the day.  This means that   the SPF which we  have to  face the sun is much lower than  we think.  For that reason I recommend using at least an SF30 and in the summer aim for a 50 SPF.  During the day I dust on a mineral sunscreen powder like Brush On Block by Susan Posnick.  I can apply it over foundation  to  boost  sun protection.

One final thought.  If you have sensitive skin, rosacea, psoriasis you might find  chemical sunscreens too irritating.   Look for broad spectrum physical sunscreens that get their  sun block powers from minerals like  zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

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