Beautiful Skin Naturally

By Shelley McCoy

Our faces reveal how we take care of ourselves. Eat healthful foods, drink pure water, get sufficient rest and exercise, and your face will show off these good habits. Eliminate alcohol, cigarettes, sugar, coffee, and soft drinks and you'll be halfway to beautiful skin. The rest of the journey involves using natural skin care products, and in some cases, a few important dietary supplements.

I suggest using skin care products that contain only natural ingredients. While synthetics may appear to have a nutritive effect in the short term, they ultimately challenge the skin's natural vitality and ability to self-correct and may cause rashes and inflammation. The Wedge carries all these natural, synthetic-free skin care lines:

• Dr Hauschka
• Aubrey Organics
• Evan Healy
• Suki
• Weleda

From the Inside Out

A good multiple vitamin-mineral supplement is fundamental to healthy skin. Your body easily assimilates food-grown, food-based or liquid supplements. Be sure to check whether your multiple contains Co-Q10; if not, take a Co-Q10 supplement. Co-Q10 boosts the power of other important nutrients and helps protect the skin from damage.

Essential fatty acids (EFA) help the skin to heal wounds, fight infection and stay hydrated. Natural sources of EFAs include flaxseed oil, sardines, herring, evening primrose, black currant and borage oil. Liquids that stress the kidneys (such as coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol) may cause eye bags to swell. Replace them with good water to remove a burden from the skin.

From the Outside In

Organic essential oils (EOs) combat premature lines and wrinkles, encourage cell regeneration and help maintain the bounciness of collagen. Here are two formulas to make at home:

2 tbsp. jojoba oil and 2 tbsp. almond oil mixed with 5 drops neroli EO and 4 drops frankincense EO.

4 tbsp. grapeseed oil mixed with 6 drops carrot oil or sea buckthorn oil, 7 drops of lavender EO, 5 drops pure rose EO, and 4 drops geranium EO.

The neck is one of the first areas of the body to show age. Treat this skin the way you treat your face! Cleanse, tone, moisturize daily, treat yourself once a week with a hydrating mask, and do facial exercises. Susan West Kurz's book Awakening Beauty has great exercises. As we age, our levels of acetylicholine decline, reducing muscle tone and contributing to sagging faces and bodies. To increase acetylcholine levels, add DMAE into your diet. The only significant dietary source of DMAE is fish.

Here is an easy neck treatment oil: After cleansing, massage the following oil gently into skin. Leave on 15 minutes before wiping off excess.

Mix:

• 1 tbsp. jojoba oil
• 2 tsp. wheat germ or rosa mosqueta oil
• 2 tsp. avocado oil
• Pettigraine (orange) EO 8 drops
• Carrot oil 10 drops
• Palma rosa EO 6 drops
• Lemon EO 4 drops
• Blend well and keep in a cool dark place.

The skin around the eyes is very thin and lacks oil glands, so this delicate, expressive area tends to wrinkle quickly and needs support. For wrinkles around the eyes, my favorite eye creams are Dr. Hauschka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream and Aubrey Organics Lumessence Rejuvenating Eye Cream with liposomes.

The interaction of hormones and sunlight can cause darkened spots on skin (known as melasma). Long term and regular use of the following may be helpful:

Sea buckthorn oil (richest herbal source of antioxidant vitamins e and a, which help prevent the formation of free radicals. Also high in essential fatty acids.)

Vitamin E and lemon EO.

Alternatives to Invasion

As an esthetician, I am often asked about invasive approaches to treating skin conditions, such as laser therapy. It is used to treat aging skin but may cause tissue damage. Retinol and alpha hydroxy acids are still used as anti-aging treatments despite the known drawbacks: increased sensitivity and susceptibility to sun damage. Research now reveals long-term, harmful effects of chronically degrading the epidermis. As an alternative, try using a moisturizer that contains natural Alpha lipoic acid.

For dry, maturing or sun damaged skin and for scarring, clinical tests have shown some success with rosa mosqueta rose hip seed oil. It is very high in EFAs and vitamin C. Now that I am over 50, I put it on under my moisturizer daily.

Prevention and Maintenance

Avoid prolonged direct exposure to the sun. Always wear a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 rating when you will be out in the sun—even when driving! Regular facial treatments from professionals who use natural products are very beneficial. Deep cleaning, toning and gentle skin manipulation, not to mention the deep relaxation factor, all aid in the healthy maintenance and regeneration of skin tissue.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and the most resilient. If treated properly you can maintain healthy, young-looking skin for a long, long time.

Shelley McCoy is a Dr. Hauschka Esthetician working at Spot Spa Uptown. www.spotbodywork.com