Skin Health TODAY

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the great opportunity to get out and talk with the media about an incredible breakthrough in skin care that we’ve been working on at Skin Authority for the past few years - Wrinkle Reversing Serum with SGF-4 Technology™. I talked with beauty editors from Vogue, The Today Show, Good Housekeeping, and Redbook. Let me tell you they are raving. What’s also exciting is that we’ve sold out of our first production run in the first week. (But don’t worry, we’ve replenished our stock!)

This triple-action, skin growth formula harnesses the power of four natural skin nourishing proteins called skin growth factors to immediately transform depleted, damaged cells to a restored, vibrantly youthful state. Yes, it is the fountain of youth in a bottle. After just one application, you will see and feel the incredible result on your skin. The depth of wrinkles is diminished as the tone and texture of skin is smoothed. I have never been so excited about a skin care breakthrough in all of my years in the beauty and spa industry.

I’ve put together a short video to explain what makes this product so different and why you’ll see the results:

For more information you can check out Wrinkle Reversing Serum with SGF-4 Technology™ website page.

I’ll keep you posted on the media buzz for this incredible product.

Celeste

I’ve really enjoyed sharing tips for the bride- and groom-to-be this month. So much has changed since I was planning a wedding! From wedding planners, to editors, to hair stylists, we’ve had several energetic and intelligent guests in May. You can download the three previous shows for this month from the archives or listen to this week’s live show. Just follow these links:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, May 28 at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

We are wrapping up our wedding extravaganza with another outstanding line-up. I’ll be chatting with Amber Milt of FOXNews.com. Amber is a beauty expert who tries all of the latest and greatest products. She will share great tips on looking your best while remaining calm on the big day.

We’ll also chat with two of the experts from Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. This Skin Authority partner is one of the newest, luxury resorts in the Midwest. We’ll be joined by their wedding planner and spa director. I really look forward to chatting about the customized weddings that couples can have at this Michigan resort as well as the spa experiences that are available.

The gown, the make-up, the bridesmaids, the weather, the mother-in-law … there’s a lot to stress about on the wedding day. We want you to be stress-free and stunning for this huge day. After all, no one wants to look at their wedding pics and see a stressed-out, red-faced bridezilla!

As we help you count down to the big wedding day, we’ll take you to the world’s ultimate destinations. For all of those who are planning a wedding, honeymoon or a summer getaway, you’ll want to be sure to tune to our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, May 21 at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

We’ll chat with two ladies who are experts on fabulous destinations that won’t break the bank. Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Editor Susan Moynihan will chat about the hottest locations for a wedding, ways to save on a dream wedding and she’ll share tips to help brides (or anyone else) look their best on their getaway.

Stacy Small will also join us. She is the President of Elite Travel International and is respected by her clients for handling every detail of their dream vacations. She’ll share tips on where to score the best deals right now at some places you probably never thought you could afford.

Last week I gave you a few tips on ways to transform skin before your wedding. We compiled that list with our partner Skin Authority and are happy to have more helpful tips for you this week. Enjoy!

1. Hands Fit for a Ring. As everyone will want to catch a glimpse of the wedding ring, a bride’s hands will need to be smooth and polished. Skin Authority Hand and Foot Body Restoration resurfaces, softens and hydrates dry, cracked, callused and rough skin on hands, feet as well as all over the body.
2. Bright Eyes. The stress around planning a wedding can lead to sleepless nights before the big day. Eyes can be one of the first parts of the body to show fatigue. Skin Authority Reviving Eye Brightener and Eye & Neck Fortifier helps brides look wide awake (even if they’re not). The Brightener uses Vitamin K, Arnica and Green Tea extracts to help attack the causes of fine lines and darkening of the skin surrounding the eyes. The Fortifier also uses Vitamin K and Grapefruit Extract to improve elasticity, collagen and clarity while providing protection against future damage.
3. Sexy Legs. With a string bikini and tropical beach potentially on the horizon for honeymooners, the unsightly appearance of cellulite and spider veins can be unwanted. The Cellulite & Spider Vein Relief Scrub by Skin Authority includes coffee and caffeine which help drain the fat and water from the cellulite cells, thus reducing the dimpled appearance of the skin.
4. Irresistible Body Glow. To help a woman show off in cute dresses on the honeymoon, the Warming Glow Body Oil makes skin shine! The Warming Oil actually warms and softens the skin using an ingredient that uses cinnamon to generate a gentle heat on the skin while stimulating the senses with exotic, pure essential oils. The oil can also be used on legs as an alternative to lotion, emitting a healthy shine throughout the day.
5. Just Calm Down! To avoid becoming the dreaded Bridezilla, consider keeping cool with Skin Authority Calming Cream. This luxurious-feeling product provides a hydrocortisone-like benefit to help soothe, neutralize, and moisturize inflamed, red, and irritated skin. It’s ideal for calming relief from minor burns, overexposure to sun, insect bites, waxing and laser treatments. As no daily ritual is more important to well-being than a warm bath at the end of the day, the Well-Being Retreat Bath Soak is the prescription for calm. The Soak’s blend of mint, citrus and pine will lift the spirits and relax the body.

   
   

May is one of the most popular months for weddings and I’m sure you have a slew of invitations posted on your fridge! So for May, we begins a month-long look at preparing for the big day.

One of the most important parts of that preparation is transforming your skin. I’ve included a few tips for brides, grooms, bridesmaids, moms, etc. below and our guests next week will have great advice as well. Lori Rosen will join us. Lori is a life coach and an astrologer for Spa magazine. She’ll give all of us a preview of what the month of May has in store in the stars, plus she’ll have great life-coaching tips for brides.

We will also share a few special moments with two spa industry leaders – Sheila and Cathy Cluff – and find out what makes this mom/daughter duo so dynamic and The Oaks at Ojai so spectacular. This interview is a special treat for all of you moms and daughters out there!

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, May 7th at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

Now a few tips on transforming your skin before your wedding:

1. A Bride’s Best Friend. Skin Health Today sponsor Skin Authority recommends two masks for brides - the Calming Mask and the Deep Detox Ritual Mask. The Calming Mask exfoliates dead cells, clears clogged pores, dries blemishes and calms inflammation and is recommended to be used twice daily in the four weeks leading up to the wedding. The Deep Detox Ritual Mask includes Moroccan Rhassoul clay, which is found beneath the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and has been used for more than 1,400 years as a part of a cultural pre-wedding cleansing and beauty ritual. It is recommended that this mask be used three times a week in the four weeks leading up to the wedding and may also be used on the wedding day.
2. Everything Old can be New Again. As the saying goes, a bride is to bring something old to her wedding – hopefully it is not her skin! ‘Resurfacing’ is important for brides of all ages and if started eight to 12 weeks prior to the wedding, can produce excellent results. Skin Authority Resurfacing Accelerator expedites cell turnover and smooths rough, wrinkled, dry or dull skin to give the skin an illuminating glow for the walk down the aisle.
3. Bronzed, not Baked. A tan is a must-have for many brides-to-be, though with the dangers associated with tanning it is important to achieve the perfect bronze glow safely. Using sunscreen every day, rain or shine, can help prevent permanent skin damage. To determine the quality of a sunscreen, one must check the SPF number on the label (those with SPF 15 or greater yield the best results), and the active ingredient label to make sure it has UVA-blocking elements such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or anything in the avobenzone family. Skin Authority Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 30 UVA 4-Stars is one of the first sunscreens to be granted the FDA-recommended 4-Star rating. To achieve a sunny glow without the sun, we recommend Skin Authority Sunless Tanner. This unique formula combines AHAs and tanning agents for rapid absorption without streaking skin or staining clothes.
4. Controlling Acne. Studies have shown that severe stress, such as planning a wedding, can induce acne for some people. In addition to keeping the skin very clean, Skin Authority Acne & Oil Control treatment provides added benefits. This formula blends glycolic and salicylic acids to resurface the top layers of skin, reduce inflammation, deep clean pores, and control oil to eliminate acne breakouts without the usual drying effect of most acne treatments.
5. Kissable Lips. No one wants to say “I do” with chapped lips. Skin Authority AOX C&E Lip Therapy keeps lips kissably soft. This lip quencher with sun protection plumps up lines and keeps lips supple while sealing in moisture.

I’d love to hear from brides-to-be and previous brides on their best tips for transforming their skin before their wedding…

My, how the times they are a changin’! We’re going from over-the-top beauty, bat-wing lashes and tons of make-up to “econo-chic.” I loved reading a recent report from Mintel Beauty Innovation that details econo-chic as the “it” trend for 2009.

Mintel says shoppers are cutting back and only buying the most effective, necessary products. Manufacturers are answering this call by launching new products designed to help stylish, budget-conscious women continue to look chic.

“Cosmetic companies are quickly responding to the needs of the Recessionista,” states Taya Tomasello, senior analyst for Mintel Beauty Innovation. “Effective and affordable multi-use products and products offering convenience allow women to continue using their favorite brands, but at a reduced cost.” Taya will be on next week’s “Skin Health TODAY” (April 30, noon Pacific) and I look so forward to chatting with her.

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, April 30th at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

At Skin Authority, we are doing our part to help Recessionistas with products that are indeed multi-use and convenient. In fact, our new GO! Gorgeous Kits make professional skin care accessible to everyone.

At Skin Authority, we believe there’s no reason that someone with $40 can’t afford skin care as effective as someone who has $400. In the current economy, it’s more important than ever that people feel good about themselves. When people are going on interviews and considering career changes, they need to feel healthy and confident about their skin in order to present a positive, “hire me” image.

The GO! Gorgeous Kit makes a great skin care routine available for less than your daily cup of coffee. Designed to be perfectly-portable, these products can “GO!” with you on planes and trains, at the gym, in the office and in the school pick-up line. Though, don’t be fooled by their size because the products contain the same active, penetrating concentrations and visible results that people experience from professional treatments at prestigious, authorized Skin Authority spa locations.

The real deal when purchasing the new Go! Gorgeous Kit is the free phone and web support provided by Skin Authority certified skin care professionals. Skin Authority puts a licensed skin care coach within the reach of every budget level because no two people have the same skin needs. It is important to be able to ask questions and receive educated answers so you achieve the results you deserve.

The GO! Gorgeous Kit contains everything you need to cleanse, treat, hydrate and protect your skin daily. More details are HERE.

I’d love to hear your comments on the changes you have made in your beauty routine as a result of the economy.

Also, here is a brief video I created talking about skin care affordability.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Spa Magazine west coast media event at the beautiful new Montage Beverly Hills hotel. I sat down with ten of the top resorts in southern California to understand what made them so acclaimed. I think what struck me was that while each spa offers amazing amenities, each spa is striving to offer guests an unparalleled, personalized experience they can take home with them to improve their day-to-day lives. Click here to listen to the interviews from the Archive of these great spas:

Montage, Beverly Hills
Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai
The Resort At Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes

I’ll be sharing my interviews with the rest of the spas in upcoming broadcasts of Skin Health TODAY.

I was also able to capture some quick video of many of the spa directors and ask them “what makes your spa so unique?” Click on the video below and see how Spa Montage, The Resort At Pelican Hill, The Grand Del Mar, Hyatt Pure Spas, and the Terranea Resort answered my question.

Do you have a top spa of your own? I’d love to hear about what makes it stand out in your spa-going experience.

Is there a better time of year that spring? Everything is coming alive and people are so happy to escape from their winter cocoons. Skin Health TODAY is beginning a Spring Revival for your skin, body and mind. Our April 2 show will feature the always-fascinating Michelle O’Shaughnessy. We’ve had Michelle on before and I love her simple approaches to wellness. She is the owner of Healing Herbal Soups. Michelle’s going to share a Detox Soup (which I’ll post) and have several simple tips to help you detox your mind and body to welcome spring.

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, April 2nd at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

With the sun shining and the warmer temps, we’ve been receiving several questions about safe tanning. I am so thrilled that the message of safe, sunless tanning is resonating with today’s teens and 20-something’s as well as those of us who are a bit older and probably spent too much time in the sun when we were young!

We talked about sunless tanning on our March 27 show. There are also a couple of articles on tanning in the Knowledge Center of www.skinauthority.com. I invite you to check those out and here are a few quick tips to keep in mind with sunless tanning:

Sunless Tanners. How Do They Work?
Frequently Asked Questions About Sunless Tanners.

I also have a short video on how to apply sunless tanners to get the best result.

Here are some of the commonly asked questions I get about sunless tanners:

Will the tan from a sunless tanner protect me from sunburn?
No. Sunless tanners might provide up to an SPF 2 or SPF 4 degree of protection. However, it’s not enough to get by on. You must use sunscreen.

I have a sunless tanner left over from last summer. Is it okay to use?
In most cases, yes. Sunless tanners stored in airtight containers at room temperature will last two years or more. When you store a product, make sure the cap is tightly closed.

I have to shave my legs before applying sunless tanners. Is this right?
You claim that you have to shave your legs first because, otherwise, you shave your sunless tan off. However, the reason you are shaving your sunless tan off is because you didn’t properly exfoliate the dead skin off your legs first.

Skin Authority has an amazing sunless tanner that does not have an odd smell and it doesn’t stain your clothes or sheets - click for more information. And, don’t forget that you need sunscreen every day! Skin Authority’s Sunscreen Moisturizer offers 4-star protection - click for more information.

I’m really happy to bust this myth wide-open. It all has to do with penetrating the top layers of dead skin and getting down to the lower dermis, where all the action is. If your products and treatments just work on the top layers, all you are going to get is a temporary cosmetic effect and no real change. Think of the top layers of your skin as a dried-up sponge. If you apply water (moisture) to it, it will soften and expand. But if you leave the sponge out on the counter, it will just dry up again. So you have a temporary change, but the sponge really wants to go back to its dry state. But if you can get past the top layers and even remove them, you can open up pathways to deliver vitamins, antioxidants, hydration, and essential building blocks to help build support structures (collagen) and new, healthy skin. The result will be skin that is smooth, soft, and radiant.

Here’s my recommended approach to producing lasting changes and not just temporary cosmetic cover-up:

1. Seek the guidance of a trained skin care professional. (Click for my recommendations.)
2. Start on a regular program of daily resurfacing, using high contrentration, low pH exfoliators.
3. Accelerate resurfacing with more aggressive professional resurfacing treatments and laser.
4. Supplement your daily resurfacing regimen, with application of nutrient rich vitamins and antioxidants.
5. Use targeted products to treat specific conditions: acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, tired eyes, etc.
6. Use injectables such as Botox to smooth the frown and Juvederm to fill in the deeper wrinkles.
7. Apply sun protection everyday.
8. Stay on track with proper coaching and support.

Look for new growth factor technologies coming to consumer products very soon. These products will work with your regular resurfacing regimen to boost new cell growth.

I’d love to hear from you, what has really made a lasting difference with your skin.

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, March 26 at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

Celeste.

This is a very important myth to BUST. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG! UV radiation from the sun comes right through the clouds. The odds of getting a sunburn are slight, as the UVB rays are short and will not have a direct affect on the skin. However, the UVA rays are very long and penetrate deep into the dermis layer of the skin, where new skin cells and collagen are formed. When DNA in the skin cell is damaged by UVA radiation, you have the potential for many types of skin cancer and advanced photo aging.

Using a sunscreen moisturizer combo is the best solution. In one application, you can moisturize and protect the skin. SPF 30 with a Four-Star UVA rating is the best you can buy. By this summer, all sunscreens will be required to have the SPF number and a “UVA Star” rating assigned by the FDA. One star is minimum protection, four stars is maximum.

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, March 19 at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

Trying to navigate and smooth out cellulite fact from fiction isn’t easy but there is a small amount of good news: there are options that may make a difference. The bad news, is that even the treatments that have some potential of working rarely live up to the claims asserted, but improvement as opposed to merely wasting your money is definitely a turn for the better. A great way to start is to straighten out some popular myths about cellulite.

Make sure to catch our Skin Health TODAY radio broadcast on this topic:

Click To Listen Live, Thursday, March 12 at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.

Click To Listen From The Archive.

Now back to the common cellulite myths.

Men don’t get cellulite.
To some extent, that’s true. Physiologically, women are far more prone to accumulating fat on the thighs and hips while men gain weight in the abdominal area. In addition, for women, the connective tissue beneath the skin has more stretch and is vulnerable to disruption, which is the perfect environment for developing cellulite. Some men do get cellulite, just statistically not as much as women do. (Source: Journal of Cosmetic Science, March-April 2005, pages 105-120)

Drinking water helps.
If water could change skin structure and reduce fat, no one would have cellulite, or for that matter, be overweight. Drinking water probably is beneficial, but there is no research showing water consumption will affect fat anywhere on your body, let alone the dimples on your thighs. (Source: American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, November 2002, pages 993-1004)

Water retention causes cellulite.
It’s ironic that low water intake is considered a possible cause of cellulite, and the polar opposite - retaining too much water - is thought to be a factor as well. There is a lot of speculation about how water retention can affect cellulite, but there is no actual research supporting this notion. Furthermore, fat cells actually contain only about 10% water, so claiming to eliminate excess water won’t make a difference and any measurable result would be transient at best. It is true that water retention can make you look bloated and feel like you’ve gained weight, but water itself doesn’t affect fat or the appearance of cellulite. (Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, November 2003, pages 817-821)

Eating a specialized diet can help.
A healthy diet that encourages weight loss may help your entire body look better. However, because weight is not a cause of cellulite, dieting won’t change the skin structure of your thighs. For some people, cellulite is made worse by the accumulation of extra fat. In those cases, weight reduction may decrease the total area and depth of cellulite. (Source: Clinical Dermatology, July-August 2004, pages 303-309)

Cellulite is different from fat on the rest of the body.
Theories abound about how cellulite differs from regular body fat. However, few studies show how cellulite clumps differently than other fat on your body. Overall, most researchers feel cellulite is simply fat. Besides, even if cellulite is different in how it congregates, what you can and can’t do about fat on any part of the body remains the same. (Source: www.quackwatch.com.)

Exercise can help.
Exercise helps almost every system in the human body, but it won’t necessarily impact the appearance of cellulite. Exercise doesn’t improve skin structure and it can’t affect localized areas of fat. In other words, you can’t spot-reduce fat accumulation in a specific area. (Source: British Journal of Plastic Surgery, April 2004, pages 222-227)

Detoxifying the body reduces the appearance of cellulite.
As used in the scientific community, “detoxifying” the body is the process of reducing cellular damage caused primarily by antioxidants or enzymes that prevent certain abnormal or undesirable cell functions from taking place. There is no doubt this is helpful for the body. Whether or not detox reduces cellulite is completely unknown because toxins in the environment do not cause skin structure and fat accumulation. (Sources: Journal of Endotoxin Research, April 2005, pages 69-84 and Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, May 2003, pages 258-264)

What We Do Know…
There are three leading theories about cellulite formation:
1. Women have unique skin structure on their thighs, which causes cellulite to form easily
2. The connective tissue layers on the thigh are too weak or thin to maintain a smooth appearance, thus allowing fat contour to show through
3. Vascular changes and possible inflammatory conditions may be to blame
(Source: Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy, December 2004, pages 181-185; Journal of Applied Physiology, April 2002, pages 1611–1618; and Skin Research and Technology, May 2, 2002, pages 118-124.

Check out these links from our Skin Health Digest

Cellulite Basics

Caution Cellulite: Bumpy Road Ahead

Click here to learn about a great Cellulite & Spider Vein Relief Scrub I recommend to helps redistribute fat cells and decrease the formation of cellulite while tightening and shrinking blood vessels to help reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with cellulite.

Celeste