Acne-prone skin? It might be the alcohol in your routine

If you’re still suffering from acne and dry skin past your early twenties, consider getting rid of all your skincare products that contain denatured alcohol, especially your toner. It’s the one skincare trick that I stand by. Since I eliminated denatured alcohol from my routine years ago, my other products work better on my skin.

Denatured alcohol is quite common in drugstore toners, if not the main ingredient. It’s also in some acne spot treatments. A few micellar water formulations also contain a bit of it too. That’s why it’s hard to defeat acne with these products. It’s also hard to believe that something so common in the beauty industry is creating more problems. But that’s the thing with skincare: it is different for every person and it can take a lot of trial-and-error to find something tailor-made to your needs.

A small disclaimer, though: I have encountered people who say that these denatured alcohol products do help them. And denatured alcohol’s prevalence proves that it works for most, given its anti-bacterial power. But if you’re someone like me, who never misses out on doing their nightly routine yet still sees bumps, you may need to go the alcohol free-route.

Pixi by Petra Glow Peel Pads 

A purchase I made last minute at the cashier, this product has rightfully earned its cult status. Not only did it keep my skin acne-free, it also helps lighten the dark spots caused by old pimples. Most skincare fanatics prefer the one which contains 20 percent glycolic acid. But if you’re just starting out, try first the 5 percent one and see how it goes.

Always Sunday Pink Punch BHA Clarifying Toner

This toner is from one of my favorite homegrown brands. It contains beta hydroxyl acid which makes pores smaller and unclogs them. The acid is balanced out by the calming effects of bearberry and tomato extracts.

Kiehl’s  Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-Free Toner

If your skin is particularly sensitive, this is one sure choice. I like how this feels like water on the skin yet still keeps my skin clear with calendula, burdock root and allantoin. All these plant-derived substances make for a gentle but effective way to reduce oil production.

T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel 100% Natural Astringent 

If you’re not yet sure whether the cause of your pimples is indeed denatured alcohol, try using this one for a month. It’s what I did when I initially tested my theory. Buy a small bottle and if your skin is like mine, you’ll see no new spots plus reduced redness, damage and blemishes.

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

The hype over this product from this social media brand is real. There’s a bit of a sting to this formula so I would only recommend this if you’re certain that you can take the glycolic acid. If the witch hazel proves that you and denatured alcohol don’t get along, move on to this one to quickly exfoliate all the blemishes  and old acne marks.  JB

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Practical beauty

September is looking like a great month for beauty. I’ve noticed that most of the products being launched are practical and easy to use. Here are my five top picks for the week.

La Prairie Anti-Aging Collection

Aging is inevitable, but there is a way to age gracefully, and this line seeks to help us do just that. La Prairie’s Anti-Aging Collection is a powerful, multi-faceted treatment system that helps intercept and prevent, renew and maintain, rebuild and rehabilitate, for any age group.

Their newest product targets the eyes and lips—the first to show signs of aging. The skin in these areas is extremely thin and therefore susceptible to damage from the environment assaults, which in time result in volume loss and wrinkle gain. I’ve also noticed that people tend to forget these areas. We moisturize our lips and apply eye cream, but do these products have SPF? I bet not.



How it works: 

Anti-Aging Eye and Lip Contour Cream—A patented encapsulated amino acid complex begins working immediately to fill wrinkles and hollows in the eye area, with an action similar to “lipo-fitting.”

Puffiness and dark circles recede, while an anti-discoloration complex works to prevent future darkness around the eye with marine-derived glycosaminoglycans. As for the lips, a volume-enhancing, nature-inspired ingredient works its magic to smooth the skin around the lips, as tropical fruit acids exfoliate and stimulate for a younger, fresher look.

The result: Lines and wrinkles are filled, naso-labial folds are smoothened out, volume is added to age-related hollowed areas and moisture is replenished and maintained.

Anti-Aging Eye and Lip Perfection Porter—In this product, three innovative line smoothers work together to fill in the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while a unique light diffuser disguises other signs of fatigue and aging around the eye area.



In addition, marine and vegetal extracts correct visible aging signs, reducing the appearances of dark circles under the eyes. For the lips, a derivative of an essential plant oil and dehydrated hyaluronic acid microspheres work together to help restore plumpness, while emollients and a hydrating complex ensure lips do not flake or chap.

Shu Uemura Lasting Soft Gel Pencil and Tokyo Lash Mascara

There are so many wonderful shades of lippies to choose from that you can actually use a different shade every day, without having to repeat for a month. The good news is, when it comes to the eyes, you only need these two products to complement any lip shade.

How it works:

Their Lasting Soft Gel Pencil is true to its name. It glides on easily and stays on the whole day. What I like the most about it is it fades instead of bleeds after you have been wearing it for a while, so I don’t end up with raccoon eyes.

Tokyo Lash Mascara is perfect for those with short lashes (which I unfortunately have) and those blessed with amazing lashes. The crisscross brush catches the lashes for optimal results, as if done by an expert makeup artist. It is also long-lasting and smudge-proof.

L’Oreal Extraordinary Oil 

Dry and difficult hair is a sign of aging, too. Keep this symptom on the downlow with a good hair product. I like this serum, because it gives my hair a fresh-looking vibrance, even in this country’s unpredictably humid weather.


How it works:

When used once a week, it brings out the natural beauty of your hair. Wrap hair in a warm, moist towel so the product can penetrate in-depth for a thorough hair treatment. Leave in for a half hour, and then rinse your hair in cold water to ensure that the hair scales lie flat. You may also use this before coloring the hair, before washing and quickly after shampooing.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Beyond cosmetic treatments or plastic surgery, a healing of the soul

Arianne Vasquez, medical director of Aesthetic Science Clinic, walks her talk. Before she underwent breast augmentation, she meditated, cleansed her chakras or energy centers, and performed inner dancing, the use of movement to release blocked energies and to harness inner power.

During post-surgery, there was the initial discomfort of having foreign bodies in the chest. Her anxiety was heightened with thoughts about surgical complications. Thus, two of her reiki healer-friends healed her through long distance. She then felt a deep sense of calm and returned to work in five days.

Aesthetic Science clinic espouses a holistic approach to cosmetic enhancement as it offers life coaching and reiki healing. Although cosmetic dermatology and plastic surgery can beautify a person, it can’t take take away the bitterness or the harshness of the soul. Hence, the need for complementary treatments.

“Some clients want a change not just on the outside but also on the inside,” says Vasquez. The clinic offers life coaching to help them deal with deep-seated issues that brought them to the clinic in the first place.

Many patients, mostly women, want a boob job, a nose lift or eyebag removal because of low self-esteem born out relationship problems. However, they have unrealistic expectations about the surgical results.

“Surgery is not the cure-all. On the other hand, some patients talk about their problems while others remain silent.”

Stress

Vasquez added that undergoing major and minor surgery can still pose stress.

“Even if the patients come out beautiful or sexy, it will not ease their burden.”

Life coaching or counseling can help women realize that self-esteem is not based on looks alone but on their qualities.

For people with weight issues, doctors recommend diet and exercise before undergoing liposuction or non-invasive body contouring treatments for best results. Jason Peñaranda, the wellness doctor, specializes in detox and digestive cleansing.

JASON Peñaranda

“Some people have a hard time losing weight. The liver doesn’t function properly because of the fats in it,” says Vasquez. Some are advised to detox first, to cleanse the body off bad oils and residues from synthetic medicine.

With obese patients, life coaching can help identify emotional issues that spurred the weight problems.

“The approach is holistic because you’re not just working on the body but also the soul,” says Vasquez.

Peñaranda pointed out that after liposuction or completing their non-invasive body contouring treatments, patients come to him for diet and lifestyle change so that excess weight doesn’t creep back. While other doctors treat weight loss from a physiological viewpoint, he dwells more into attitude in order to affect transformation. Instead of making a restricted diet plan that tends to make patients feel miserable, he suggests adapting new habits and using food as medicine.

Peñaranda underscores the importance of keeping the digestive system in order so that nutrients could be easily assimilated.

Ancient art

Although most people visit the Aesthetic Science to improve their looks, some also come for reiki healing to boost their energy, both psychic and physical. Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing art wherein the healer goes through a meditative space to harness the Source and uses the palms to diagnose and balance the energies.

Vasquez also practices reiki healing with her crystals. Some of the cases range from severe allergies to victim complex. She meditates, puts the crystals on the patient’s energy centers and lays her hands. She stays longer in the weak areas to neutralize the imbalances. The healing takes place on the level of vibrations or frequencies.

Peñaranda explains that the healer is merely a channel of the cosmic energy.

HEALING with crystals

“Supposing your energy is off. It needs another energy to put restore it,” he says. He likens the patient-healer dynamic to the child and adult.

“If you’re sick, your energy is like the kid who bikes in an erratic direction. It needs the assistance of an adult to make the child bike straight. Reiki provides the conduit for correcting an aberrant frequency.”

Says Vasquez, “From my experience, reiki lowers the blood pressure, relieves stress and provides some mental clarity. For post surgery, it speeds up the recovery. We had a patient who had gastric pains. In the process, she started crying as emotional issues came out. It taught me a lesson that you have to address the whole being.”

Although there is still resistance to alternative modalities, Vasquez observes people are slowly opening up to this new alternative. “They say there’s an evolution or a shift consciousness as the Mayan calendar ends,” she says.

Aesthetic Science is at Jupiter Place Bldg., Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati, tel. 8993643 and 0908-9967376; and Kennedy Center Prime St.t, Madrigal Business Park, Ayala Alabang, tel. 8098021, 3833488, 0916-3412464.

source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/31387/beyond-cosmetic-treatments-or-plastic-surgery-a-healing-of-the-soul