My Name is Free Radical and I Suck!

All you hear people talk about are free radicals, and antioxidants.  So what are these pesky little blood suckers?  I decided to write this post because a lot of every day consumers have no idea what free radicals are.  All they know is that FR are bad.  I was also surprised to find that many estheticians only know a small bit about FR.

Brief Information About Atoms(I know, I know, trust me this will help you understand)
The basic building block of all cells is the atom.  All Atoms have protons, neutrons, electrons and a nucleus.
Electrons hold atoms together to make a molecule and orbit the atom in one or more shells (rings around the atom)  The inner shell is full when it has two paired electrons. When the first shell is full the electrons move to the second shell.  The number of electrons in the outer shell determines the chemical behavior of an atom. The goal of an atom is to always be balanced.

How Free Radicals Form
Molecules create cells.  Free radicals are created at the molecular level and then when the damage is not repaired it affects living cells.  A free radical is any molecule that has one or more unpaired electrons, they react with a healthy molecule in a destructive way.
The goal of an atom is to always be balanced. Free radicals are molecules that have at least one unpaired electron and then go around just taking electrons from other healthy molecules causing damage (oxidative stress).

Did You Know: The body produces free radicals naturally.

- Breathing- Oxygen is a potential free radical accelerator.

- Inflammatory Immune Response

- Production of Energy- when the universal energy  molecule used by the body is produced, free radicals are

released.

A healthy body can naturally neutralize free radicals, but a body under stress must have help to neutralize them.  The damage that free radicals cause can be minimized by antioxidants.

How Do Free Radicals Damage The Skin

Free radicals cause damage to the DNA in the cells and the fibroblasts that produce collagen.  Free radicals also produce biochemical damage that can lead to eventual skin cancers and abnormal growths.  The end products of this inflammatory biochemical reaction can cause the skin to produce self-destruct enzymes such as collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase, which destroy collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid (hydrates our skin and cells).   This destructive assaults to the skin happen every day.  When enough of this damage accumulates, we see signs of wrinkles, elastosis (sagging skin), dehydration, and skin cancer.

A Short Film About Free Radicals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn8TvZxTqow&feature=g-upl

Antioxidants- What are they?

Last week I talked about free radicals.  If you didn't get a chance to read it or watch the video you should. Now I would like to talk about Antioxidants.  We all know that they are found in vitamins, minerals, fruits, and vegetables.  As I discussed in my free radical post, antioxidants stabilize damaged cells by giving them electrons. Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals in foods that help to counter the harmful effects of oxygen free radicals, which form during normal metabolism and through external factors.
Did You Know

• A healthy body can naturally neutralize free radicals, but a body under stress must have help to neutralize them.   The damage can be minimized by antioxidants known as free radical scavengers.
• Not all antioxidants will neutralize free radicals.  If an ineffective antioxidant is used, higher damaged producing free radicals will be converted.

Nutrition and Skin
How the skin reacts to diet and hormones is important for the esthetician to understand when designing a healthy aging program for the client.  An acupuncturist once told me that we need to start thinking of food as medicine.  It's so true, everything we take into our body shows in our skins complexion.  Food is the best way to get all over our antioxidants. It is recommended that a blend of multiple antioxidants be taken internally to minimize free radical damage. Every fruit and vegetable has a variety of different antioxidants. These nutrients are designed by nature to work together in your body, and research studies have shown that antioxidants are much more powerful when they are consumed in combinations.

• Beta-carotene -- Found in dark green, dark yellow and orange vegetables and fruits.
• Selenium -- Found in meats, fish, cereal, dairy products, Brazil and some other nuts.
• Vitamin C - Found in orange juice, kiwi, grapefruit, strawberries, watermelon, green peppers, cauliflower and broccoli.
• Vitamin E
  

Brightly colored foods like tomatoes, broccoli, blueberries, and apples are excellent sources of antioxidants.
Almost all fruits and vegetables lose at least some level of antioxidants while cooking. The smallest loses were recorder with artichoke, green beans and garlic.
The fruits that are very rich with antioxidants are popularly called „super fruits“. Blueberries are usually most talked about super fruits.
Herbs and spices are excellent sources of antioxidants which means that adding them to your food may protect your organism against different diseases.

Avocado's Aren't Just Good For Taco Night

Using Avocado's for skin and hair beautification date back to the Aztec civilization.  Avocados are similar to our skin's oil.  It has a great ability to heal and soothe dry irritated skin.  Expressed oil from the seed improves skin tone, and increases hair growth.

Benefits

• Aid in weight loss
• Provide a good source of Vitamin B,C,E,K,A, Niacin, Biotin,Folate, Riboflavin.
• Contains 14 minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, zinc,calcium, and selenium.

How To Use
- Remember that avocado treatments are a one time use and should be made fresh for each treatment.

•  Mask For Sun Burn - Mashed half of an avocado with a 1tsp of honey, and 1/2 tsp of lime juice.
• Mask For Everyone- Mashing half of an avocado and apply to freshly clean skin or hair for five min will add luster and shine.
• Oily Skin Mask- egg white from one egg, 1 tsp of lemon juice, half of an avocado in blender, and leave on the skin for 20 min. Remove with tepid water.
• Dry Skin Mask- half avocado, and two tbsp of honey, leave on for 10 min.
• Dehydrated Skin- half avocado and 3 med chunks of fresh pineapple, leave on for 20 min.
• Eye Treatment- Place thin slices of avocado under your eyes for 20 min. (This really does work well!)

Why So Blue? (Aging & Self-Esteem) Part 1

First Day On The Job!
When I got out of school and landed my first job in a spa, I was trained by an esthetician that was twice my age.  Her age was not big deal to me, but for some reason it was to her.  The first amazing piece of advice she gave me was, “You are not going to make it in this business because you are too young; and older people will not respect you or listen to your advice because you can't relate to them.”   Wow, thanks for your words of wisdom lady.

What I Noticed in the Following Months
My trainer looked wonderful for her age, she exercised everyday, ate really healthy, took lots of vitamins.  All of her clients were amazed by how great she looked; which was great because she helped her aging clients understand that they can look great by taking care of themselves and their skin.  Her clients would buy all of these products, expensive services, and followed all of her recommendations.  One day she decided that she was going to get lipo and a facelift because deep down she was not happy with the way she looked. In my opinion, if a little nip and tuck makes you feel better about yourself, then you shouldn't be ashamed about getting it or denies having it done. My problem is when people lie about getting work done.   She couldn't hide it from her existing clientele but when it came to new customers she made it seem that she got her astounding looks by the products and services she offers (false advertising).  This set of events caused me to do some real soul searching and find out what clients need when it comes to aging gracefully.

The Lessons I Learned
I have concluded that the major thing that customers want from their esthetician is honesty.
I decided to write about this topic because it's important for estheticians to understand what our clients are going through, and how we can help them through the process on an emotional and physical level.  Honesty and sincerity are the keys to helping people deal with aging.  For example, don't tell a client that all of their hyperpigmentation will be gone by the end of a 125.00 dollar bottle of serum.  When someone is having issues with their skin you never want to make empty promises or claims, it will only end in disappointment for them and a loss of respect for you. Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.

WHAT!! MY ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS ARE AGING ME FASTER!

How can my anti-aging products be aging me faster? There is a little saying that states, "too much of a good thing can be a bad thing."  Just look at diet cookies; just because they are only a hundred calories does not mean the whole box is a hundred calories, same goes with skin care.

Real Life Scenario:

• Esthetician- So what brings you in today Mary?
• Client- I just turned 35 and my skin is going crazy with acne, I have never had it before! I think I have adult acne.
• Estheticain- Ok. So you have never had a problem with acne before besides your monthly breakouts.  What has changed in your skin care regimen?
• Client- Nothing.
• Esthetician- Ok, so you have not changed anything. What product line do you use?
• Client- I use this product line from the drug store called Aging Eraser (not a real line). I also have a prescription for a retinoid.
• Esthetician-  How long have you been using it?
• Client- 1 Month.

BINGO!  Did you know that the majority of Anti-Aging products on the market today are meant for women 60 and older.  30 year old skin is still producing oil and functioning properly, 60 year old skin does not produce much oil, and their cell life cycle slows down.  Anti-Aging products are ment for skin that does not produce oil.
Once a women hits 35 she start to see cumulative damage to their skin and begin to freak out.  It doesn't help that product companies put at 20 year old on the cover of an ad for aging products (which makes our job a lot easier, NOT)    We as estheticians and the public haven’t quite accepted that too many topical anti-aging products with active ingredients might actually do more damage than improvement. Retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids, peptides and vitamins, to name a few, can all be extremely effective in fighting signs of aging like wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. But when used incorrectly, they can be harmful.
"Using too many products on your skin, especially more than one anti-aging product, tends to irritate the skin which in turn may make aged skin more noticeable. "Applying more than directed can cause clogged pores, a blotchy complexion or other unwanted effects," says New York dermatologist Susan C. Taylor, MD."

WHY DO WE DO THIS?
So why are we all slathering on tons of anti-aging beauty products? Because we are impatient. As consumers we are told to want and expect instant results from active ingredients, but most products and ingredients take time to work. "It’s very important that you allow time for a product to work. While a moisturizer can immediately plump up fine lines, most products take at least six weeks to work and sometimes, it can take up to three months."

If you don't see results from active ingredients after six weeks, or if you believe the product you know and trust has "stopped working," talk to your dermatologist and then and only then should you consider trying a different product. THIS GOES FOR ESTHETICIANS AS WELL!  Do not give your client more products just to make a cheap 10% commission.  Our job is to take care of the client.  The best thing I ever adopted in my practice was taking  before and after pictures.  When we look in the mirror we see everything wrong  with us, we don't focus on the good things, or even the small changes, hell we just want to look 20 again.
Just be beautiful in your own skin, and accept things you can't changes. Products can only do so much, it's up to you take care of your skin inside and out.