Writing this pamphlet is cathartic for me. I believe that beauty care should be as widely taught as reading. I could have avoided all the painful physical degeneration I am currently experiencing. Well, with this pamphlet I want to aid people my age and older in mitigating their own appearance-despair, and, especially dear to my heart, help guide young people into never having to experience the horror of premature aging themselves.
The Sun
Source of All Life, and,
Source of All Wrinkles
The following is far and away the MOST important beauty advice I can give to anyone.
The sun is responsible for 90% of wrinkles. In other words, practically ALL wrinkles are caused by the sun.
80% of the damage is likely already done by 20 years of age. I love the sun for making life possible, a bit upset it gave me wrinkles.
I'll review what I wrote about at length in my first pamphlet.
The sun produces 3 types of UV rays, 2 of which make it through the atmosphere and affect our skin.
UVA : Ultra Violet Aging radiation. Penetrates through the epidermis and damages collagen (gives skin its plumpness), elastin (skin elasticity) and skin cell DNA.
UVB : Ultra Violet Burning radiation. Produces the “sun burn” effect. Damages the epidermis of the skin and is responsible for skin cancer.
A tan is not a good thing. It's your body's way of protecting itself from UV rays through the production of the pigment melanin. Basically, your poor body is raising its arms up to ward off blows from the sun's rays, but eventually it becomes exhausted and the UV rays start wailing on your poor skin and leave it, well...a mess.
Don't tan. You look good how you are. I think White girls are hot ; p.
SPF on a Sunscreen bottle is 'only' an indication of the amount of 'UVB' protection offered, not 'UVA'.
Most Sunscreens only protect against UVB effectively. There are currently only 5 ingredients which offer protection against UVA (the radiation which makes your skin look old). Parsol 1789 (aka Avobenzone), Mexoryl SX, Mexoryl XL, Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide (the white pigment found on Lifeguard's noses).
Parsol 1789 breaks down easily under the sun's rays,so the sunscreen MUST also have Octocrylene (stabilizer) in a ratio of 2:1 (2 parts Parsol to 1 part Octo).
I use Wal-Mart's Equate SPF 45 sunscreen on my body and neck, and L'Oreal's Ombrelle SPF 45 sunscreen on my face and forehead.
Edit : [I have recently been introduced to Cliniderm's SPF 45 Lotion which uses a combination of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide at a very high concentration to deliver UVA/UVB protection with exclusively physical blockers (the other UVA ingredients I mentioned are chemical blockers). It's expensive, but apparently it does not break down at all under sun exposure, needing to be reapplied only after being physically wiped off. I will be investigating more.]
Wear Wrap-Around Sunglasses which clearly indicate 100% UVB/UVA protection.
Wear a Hat with a pronounced brim (I am very fond of The Legionnaire style hat from Australia with its neck cape to prevent burns to that area)
Consider wearing sun protection even on cloudy days (clouds are just water vapor and no impediment to UV rays)
Don't forget protective Lip Balm. I like Polysporin's brand.
Aloe Vera is fantastic if you get burned. I use Fruit of the Earth 100% Aloe Vera found in Wal-Mart.
Remember, if you see wrinkles on anyone (including yourself) 9 times out of 10 it's because of sun exposure (the 1 time it's not is because of natural creases formed by the movement of muscles below skin).
For The Young People :
Watch For The Signs
I remember when I was young, my Mom would encourage me to put Vaseline brand cream on my hands, so they wouldn't get dry. I thought doing so was a “girl's thing” and I already didn't feel particularly “tough” nor “manly” so I didn't want to add to my deficiency. I also figured “moisturizing” was an “old-person” thing. Something old ladies did in a desperate attempt to regain their lost youth. I felt kind of bad for them, but I was more preoccupied with trying to find some meaning in my young life. Too bad I didn't know I could do both.
Dear Young Person Reading This Pamphlet : I know you likely think as I thought when I was younger, so I won't prompt you to start moisturizing right now. I would just like to ask you to Watch for the Signs. When you see that first wrinkle form on your forehead, or under your eyes, or on your neck, or on the knuckles of your hands, don't wait as I did for the wrinkles to deepen. Start moisturizing. After all :
“There is no shame in getting old, only in getting ugly, because that really is a shame, since it is so easily preventable.”
My Skin Care Routine
Here's my Skin Care Routine which I follow every, single night, and has helped me to manage the damage cumulative sun exposure and not having started moisturizing earlier has already caused.
I apply Jamieson Eye Cream under my eyes. It has been awesome. The lines under my eyes have been seriously softened by this great stuff. I'm going to give Yes To Carrots Eye Contour cream a try though. I just like their products vibe, like they care and they're cool. Oh btw, DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES! Under-eye skin is very thin and creases fast.
I apply Life Brand 100% Vitamin E Oil to my horse lines (smile lines) and my goatee line (jaw line).
I used to apply Life Brand Vitamin A Night Cream to my forehead and face. But I've discovered Parabens are yet another potential evil, so I'm using Yes To Carrots : Deliciously Rich Body Butter instead and I've noticed no deficiency.
I apply Life Brand 30,000 I.U Vitamin E Cream to my neck. I also use the Carrots Body Butter there too sometimes and everything still looks good (except for the ugly wrinkles I got while baking under the sun tree planting a few years ago. Sigh. Wear Sunscreen!)
I apply the Life Brand Vitamin E Cream to my hands, but, now I'm also using Yes To Carrots : Hand and Elbow Moisturizing Cream. I put on my “Moisturizing Gloves” after and go to sleep. -_- zzzzzzzz
I wake up in the morning with my skin wonderfully soft, but, the old wrinkles still present. Sigh. Laser Resurfacing I'm coming!
Picking Beauty Products :
The General Rules
If The Company Does Not Test Their Products On Animals, They Probably Care About People Too. Unfortunately Down Under Naturals Shampoo follows the rule, but they still use Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Sigh.
The fewer chemical names you don't have the slightest clue as to what they do or are, the better.
I have been using Jamieson brand for years now and it has been wonderful. I have used Shoppers Drug Mart's : Life Brand generic knockoff more often admittedly, because of the price difference (and no noticeable difference in quality).
This January 09 I found a gift box of Yes To Carrots brand products on sale for $15. The cream alone was normally worth $12, so I bought it. I'm changed. I like the company's attitude. They say stuff like, “we love each and every one of our products” and “Each product has been prepared with your happiness as our number 1 goal.” and “Try Yes To Carrots and live happily ever after!” These guys are spunky and alive. I like that. Also their products are all Paraben-free. Parabens are used as preservatives because they are, wait for it, cheap. They aren't “scientifically-proven” to be bad yet...but, they just might be carcinogenic. Sigh. Why can't I buy stuff and not have to worry about being slowly poisoned to death? I guess because Humanity doesn't love itself yet...until we do, I do my utmost to avoid Parabens if at all possible.
Laser Resurfacing :
Smoothing The Landscape Of The Skin
When I was trying to understand what Laser Resurfacing was I sought a real-life example that would help me visualize the process. The one I currently find satisfactory is that of landscaping. The skin is like earth (the dark, rich soft kind). Wrinkles are like furrows and trenches in the earth.
Laser Resurfacing is like going over those furrows and trenches with a hoe. The hoe removes the top layer of dirt completely. The furrows and trenches are no longer so deep because the surrounding dirt has been lowered. The more laser treatments you have, the more times you pass the hoe over your skin, the shallower and shallower wrinkles become until they aren't wrinkles anymore, they are once-depressed skin which is now at the same height as the surrounding skin.
Just applying creams to my skin has only reduced my wrinkle's appearance. To remove my wrinkles, I believe I need to change the infrastructure of my skin.
When I can afford it, I'm going to give the Micro Laser Peel Treatment at Dr. Joanna Day's clinic on Broadway a try. The only reason I have wrinkles, is because I wasn't taught how to take care of my skin at a young age. I want my lost time and beauty back.
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