This week, I came across a popular book written by a dermatologist about skin, anti-aging and what grabbed my attention was that he recommended AHA’s.

Now, if you read a couple posts ago, AHA’s can be harmful. So what’s up here? My thought on this is that certain treatments are recommended because they work! Whether he doesn’t know or doesn’t care about the harmful side effects, I don’t know. Or maybe he’s buying whatever hype is being fed to him by the drug companies. I don’t know.

My point here is to not be afraid to challenge whatever your doctor may tell you. Are you willing to risk your health in order to look good now?  You don’t have to!  You have to live in your body and ultimately the responsibility is yours. Ask questions. Do your homework.

I haven’t said it in awhile, but the best thing I’ve found so far that lives up to my standards and expectations for skin and anti-aging is Ageless by Rejuvenate Worldwide.

Here’s a list of more chemicals to watch out for. Most of these are found in cleansers and shampoo products, but you never know where they may turn up.. All of these have been found to cause genetic damage, biological mutations, and cancer. Go read the labels in your house!

•  Diethanolamine (DEA),TEA (Triethanolamine)
DEA and TEA can result in the formation of carcinogens in products containing nitrite preservatives.

• Bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol) may break down in products into formaldehyde and also cause the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines under certain conditions. Reportedly, Chanel often uses this chemical, as do many leading brands of baby products, as well as The Body Shop.

• 1,2-Dioxane in Surfactants/detergents
A wide range of personal care products including shampoos, hair conditioners, cleansers, lotions, and creams, besides household products such as soaps and cleaning products, contain surfactants or detergents such as ethoxylated alcohols, polysorbates, and laureths. These ingredients are generally contaminated with high concentrations of the highly volatile 1,4 – dioxane, which is both readily inhaled and absorbed through the skin. Epidemiological studies on dioxane-exposed furniture makers have reported suggestive evidence of excess nasal passage cancers.

• Artificial Colors Some artificial colors, such as Blue 1 and Green 3, are carcinogenic. Impurities found in commercial batches of other cosmetic colors such as D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5, and FD&C yellow 6 have been shown to cause cancer not only when ingested, but also when applied to the skin.

This is a great site to find out the score of an ingredient or product, although the product lists are pretty short. It’s shocking to see how many common ingredients and products are considered a “moderate hazard”. How many “moderate hazards” does it take?

Arm yourself and make informed decisions about what goes on your skin, what you inhale and what comes into your house.

Technorati Tags: skin antiaging, skin care products

As promised, we’ve been looking into harmful, toxic and carcinogenic ingredients commonly found in skin care and beauty products.

Here are some to start with:

Ingredients to avoid

• DMDM hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl urea toxic contaminants
• Fragrance and dyes allergies, cancer, nervous system
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone allergies, nervous system
• Parabens or “-paraben” hormone effects
• “PEG” and “-eth” toxic contaminants
• Sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate skin damage, toxic contaminants
• Triclosan and triclocarban thyroid and environmental concerns
• Triethanolamine (TEA) allergies, toxic contaminants

Products to avoid

• Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA, and BHA acids
• Hair dyes with ammonia, peroxide, p-phenylenediamine, diaminobenzene; all dark permanent hair dyes
• Liquid hand soaps with triclosan
• Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde
• Skin lighteners with hydroquinone

This list is from FoxNews.com

We have more coming and no, you don’t have to be a chemist to understand it.

Also coming soon is a little bit off the normal subject line, but so alarming that we thought you needed to know: It’s about how teens are especially vulnerable and the common products they’re using that could put them at risk.

Technorati Tags: skin antiaging

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, yet it’s routinely taken for granted. It’s no wonder that it shows age and neglect. Caring for your skin is caring for your entire body. It acts as a big protective layer to keep out bacteria, viruses and harmful chemicals, but it’s not a waterproof or chemical-proof barrier. In fact it’s quite permeable and it gets pretty stressed out when it’s not cared for properly. Everything that stays on our skin gets absorbed to some extent, especially if it’s left there.

Imagine some really gross substance. Now imagine smearing that all over your face. Next add a toxic chemical or two (or six) to the mix. Now reapply it to your clean skin before you go to bed and then the next morning and the next.

We are too trusting. No one is watching out for us on this one! If it’s sold for skin it must be good, or at least be okay to use. Wrong! Cosmetics are the least regulated products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). It is dangerous and reckless to not know what you’re putting on your skin!

This is a list from the National Cancer Prevention Coalition of the top cancer-causing products in the average home:

• Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder with talc
• Crest Tartar Control toothpaste
• VO5 Hair Conditioner
• Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color
• Cover Girl Replenishing Natural Finish Make Up
• Ajax cleanser
• Lysol disinfectant
• Zud Heavy Duty Cleanser

We’re working on a list of harmful and/or toxic common ingredients in skin products so be keeping an eye out for that.

Technorati Tags: natural skin products, skin antiaging, toxic chemicals

As a female over the age of 50 (shhh!), I have tried who-knows-how-many anti-aging and anti-wrinkle, anti-this, that and -everything products over the years in an attempt to undo what I’ve spent years doing.

And I have allergies/sensitivities, making it extremely rare that I can use any skin care product “off the shelf”, as in available at the grocery store, drugstore, or even the mega-expensive products sold at chic cosmetic counters. (I often wonder how many people pay such a ridiculous price for a product that they then manage to convince themselves that they actually look better, that they must, after having spent so much money!)

A couple of months ago, a friend introduced me to a brand new skin anti-aging product called Ageless. I was not excited. I’ve been down this road before. (At the time, I was using a product no one has ever heard of, available only at a few scattered health food stores, so I wasn’t looking too scary!) After using Ageless for just five days, I noticed a difference. Five days! The huge bonus for me is I’m not allergic to it. Now I’m excited!

Beware of products that advertise fabulous ingredients. Do your homework. Anyone can put a nano-speck of “magic whatever” in their product and then lead you to believe that it’s loaded with “magic whatever”. Do you blindly trust that the FDA or someone is overseeing product claims? They don’t and they’re not! I’ve looked into this company and who’s running it and what their business model looks like. Skin care products are a dime a dozen. But Rejuvenate Worldwide is a company devoted to having the best and being the best, using only the finest ingredients to formulate a product that gets results and ensures that they will be around for a long time.

The incredible bonus is that you can order Ageless and try it for 15 days before you even pay for it. If it doesn’t live up to your expectations, send it back. Does it get an easier?

Technorati Tags: skin antiaging

Skin, or more specifically, the antiaging aspect of it, has turned towards natural ingredients. The world that we live in constantly bombards us with things like smog, smoke, toxins, environmental chemicals, thousands of things that our great-grandparents didn’t have to worry about.

For natural moisturizing agents, skin antiaging and conditioning, look for Aloe Vera Gel and Citrus Aurantium to retain moisture and promote the production of new skin cells.

Glycosaminoglycans, Panthenol and Allantoin moisturize and strengthen the skin enhancing the appearance of the skin by helping to firm and tighten it.

Elastin and Collagen, proteins that diminish as we age, renew skin’s appearance and elasticity.

And you would have to have just arrived from another planet to not have heard about antioxidants. Think red, blue and purple: Acai, Acerola Cherry, Blueberry, Goji, Grapeskin Extract, Mangosteen, Noni, Pomegranate, Red Cabbage, Red Currant, Red Radish, and Raspberry. (Be watching for more in-depth information on each of these at a later date.)

But if you want your skin to benefit from these antioxidants, they must be applied to the skin! Sure, eating them is great for everything internal, but studies show that only about one percent of the antioxidants that you ingest will make it to your skin tissue, the outermost layer of your body.

Technorati Tags: anti aging skin treatments, antiaging skin product, skin antiaging