Do you love a Challenge!

Change the future for your skin in just 7 days

Want to make an investment that pays serious long-term dividends? Change one thing in your life each day for the next seven days, and it could dramatically change how well your skin will age. In time, you’ll look 10 years younger than your contemporaries who have kept up their old habits. Here’s what to do.

Day 1: Start using broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sun protection. Instead of your regular moisturiser, switch to one with an SPF formula and use it every single morning, all year-round summer and winter. I always use my IMAGE SPF 30 Tinted Moisturiser daily and without fail. Whether I plan to spend time outside or not, rain or shine. Aiming high with sun protection does not always mean its the best, since studies have shown that we rarely use enough product to reach the SPF factor stated on the package anyway. What you need to look for is a physical Sun cream that has a high content of Titanium Dioxide in it. And sun beds? Don’t even go there…

Day 2: Get the antioxidant habit. Apply a good antioxidant serum to your face, neck, chest and hands every morning before you apply sun protection. Vitamin C is always a good place to start. Vitamin C is a wonder ingredient – and not just for fending off colds. it is one of the few proven anti-ageing skincare ingredients (it encourages collagen production), can improve visible signs of sun damage and scarring, and helps defend skin against environmental damage caused by free radicals. Check out Image Vital C range, its simply the best!

Day 3: Change your diet. So while your skincare routine plays a part in your skin’s condition, a nutrient-packed diet can work wonders to maintain healthy skin from the inside out. What actually helps though?

To start make sure you include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, variety is the key.

Antioxidants

Omega 3

Zinc

Are 3 key micro-nutrients I make sure are in my diet!

You can download my 10 Timeless Tips Guide to find out more about diet and nutrition for the skin.

Day 4: Drink 2 litres of water daily. Remember your skin is an organ. In fact, it’s the largest organ in your body, and it’s mostly made up of water. Without water, your skin can’t function at its best. If your skin doesn’t get enough water, not only will it become dry, tight, and flaky, but it will also become even more prone to aging.

The truth is that your body loses large quantities of water every day, so if you don’t replace it by drinking more water, your skin will suffer the consequences. It’s easy to see the visible difference that hydration can make for your skin when you increase you daily quota!

Day 5: Start using a vitamin A ‘repair’ cream. Retinols and Retin-A are both retinoids. They are both derived from vitamin A. Think of it this way: retinols and Retin-A are types of retinoids, just as apple and key lime are types of pies.

So now you know that retinol and Retin-A are both types of retinoids, however Retinol is a natural form of vitamin A.

Retin-A is actually the brand name for the medication tretinoin. Retin-A is a synthetic form of vitamin A.

Its always best to get professional advice before purchasing. Link up with one of our Virtual Therapist to find out more.

Day 6: Make sure you have enough sleep and reduce your stress levels! Sleep deprivation and stress raise your levels of cortisol – a hormone known to have negative effects on collagen metabolism. Did you know too, that increased cortisol levels due to chronic sleep loss can lead to insulin resistance, a risk factor for obesity and diabetes? Set your clock and aim for 8 hours a night Zzzzzzzzzz

Day 7: Exfoliation Is A Lot Like Cleaning Out Your Closet! Slightly messy, sometimes emotional, and potentially irritating, but when all's said and done, both are necessary labours. Exfoliants on the market today currently run in two lanes: physical and chemical. They both technically do the same thing slough off dead skin, but they do so in very different ways. You want to make sure you're doing it right, because proper exfoliation allows your serums, moisturizers, etc to sink into your skin a whole lot better. Which means you're getting more for your hard-earned money. Check in with our Virtual Therapist to find out what is best for you.

It only takes a week to change the future of your skin. Start now – and prepare to look fabulous for your age!

Hugs and Kisses

Emalene xxx

Ageing is more than just lines and wrinkles!

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s we age, we develop ‘dynamic lines’ (i.e. lines caused by repeated movement of mimic muscles such as frown lines and crow’s feet) and ‘static lines’ (i.e. lines which develop independent of mimic movement such as the nose-to-mouth lines).

With age, our skin tone become less even and we may develop brown patches and ‘freckly’ sun spots. This is a clear sign of chronic sun damage (you never develop them in sun-protected skin areas such as the buttocks!).

With age we loose volume in our face and one of the first areas our fat ‘padding’ goes, are our upper cheeks. So with age, our cheeks become flatter and our face looses its youthful heart shape.

As we age, our skin’s collagen and elastin content declines, which leads to reduced skin elasticity, crepiness and fine criss-cross lines.

The combination of a) loss of volume, b) reduced skin elasticity and c) gravity leads to skin sagging (for example visible on lower cheeks and jowls).

Especially after the menopause with declining oestrogen levels, our skin will become noticeably drier and thinner. It also heals more slowly and bruises more easily.

Babies and young children have a very fine and smooth skin surface with virtually invisible pores and extremely fine facial hair. However, with increasing age our skin surface appears less refined, develops enlarged pores, a duller skin surface and courser, darker hair on chin, jawline and above upper lip.

We also loose volume in our lips with age, which leads to less youthful appearing lips with development of vertical lines on and around the lips (a bit like a plum loosing water and turning into a prune).

So that’s the low-down of common signs of skin ageing, many of which are commonly overlooked when planning skin rejuvenation measures. However, in order to achieve a harmonious look, one needs to address all potential problem areas and plan a variety of different treatments over time.

Check out our programming solutions with one of our Virtual Therapist.

Hugs & kisses x

H20 the Elixir of youth

How much water do you drink each day? That is question on everyone’s lips.

If you are not drinking at least eight full glasses a day, you are not drinking enough, and that can be a major problem.

Staying properly hydrated is necessary for your overall health. Not only does water play an important role in your digestion and circulation, but it is also vital for your skin’s health and beauty.

Water helps you from the inside out!

For your skin’s sake, it is one of the easiest and best beauty treatments you can do. No, you might not be able to get rid of all your favourite beauty products just because you are drinking more water, but it will help.

Remember your skin is an organ. In fact, it is the largest organ in your body, and it is mostly made up of water. Without water, your skin cannot function at its best. If your skin does not get enough water, not only will it become dry, tight, and flaky, but it will also become even more prone to ageing.

The truth is that your body loses large quantities of water every day, so if you do not replace it by drinking more water, your skin will suffer the consequences. It is easy to see the visible difference that hydration can make for your skin.

So Why does drinking more water not improve dry skin?

I get asked this question in clinic a lot. “I drink lots of water, but my skin is dry – how can that be?”

Drinking lots of water will improve skin hydration and gets rid of dry skin, but the main problem with dry skin is not that you don’t drink enough water, but that you lose too much water via invisible evaporation from the skin. Think of it like trying to fill a bucket of water that has a huge hole at the bottom. You need to fix the leak first!

Supporting our skin’s barrier function will reduce excessive water loss. Good skincare is a very important first step. This decreases further water evaporation from the skin by forming a thin film on top of your skin. Certain types of water holding ingredients such as hyaluronic acid will also hold water in the skin. Certain supplements, for example collagen drinks and fish-oil can also help.

Be aware that what feels like “dry skin” is not always dry skin. Rosacea for example is a very common skin condition, your skin feel dry and tight, but this is not because of dryness. It is important to diagnose the skin properly, rather than ‘numbing’ the dry skin feeling by smothering your skin with too heavy skincare.

Our Virtual online therapist will be able to tell you more. You can book in for a consultation online via our booking platform.

Hugs and kisses. Bye for now.

Emalene x