Flickr.com user mark sebastian

It’s no secret that smoking is bad for our health, but many people fail to realize how smoking affects the skin. There are many factors that cause wrinkles, and smoking is definitely a culprit. Millions of well-informed people continue to smoke as the health risks they are faced with seem to be way off in the distant future. If you are looking for some motivation to quit smoking now (and the myriad health risks haven’t been enough incentive) think about how it affects your appearance. If you want to prevent wrinkles, put that cigarette down; not only will you look better, but your overall health will improve. Let your vanity help kick you into full-speed quitting gear.

Smoking effects on the skin and the aging process are very real. Even after a short time your skin can start to lose moisture and become chronically dry, as well as being depleted of vital nutrients and antioxidants that keep skin looking healthy and young. Smoking diminishes essential collagen and elastin in your skin too. There are skin care products that can improve collagen and elastin levels in the skin, but despite all of the efficacious beauty products that exist, nothing will reverse the severe damage that smoking causes. Ultimately, prevention is the best cure.

The constant pursing of the lips speeds up the formation of fine lines around the mouth, and the repetitive squinting and shutting of the eyes to avoid smoke exposure adds many more toes to those crow’s feet around them.

The only thing that speeds up aging of the skin more than smoking is sun damage. Smokers in their 30’s generally have as many wrinkles as non-smokers in their 50’s. This is because nicotine affects the way our blood vessels work and cause them to constrict, blocking a lot of the oxygen that is trying to reach your skin. The lack of oxygen on the skin’s surface is what causes the sallow, dull, smoker’s skin.

Quitting smoking is extremely hard, but so is waking up every day and being unsatisfied with your appearance. So if you want to stay looking young and beautiful for as long as possible it is in your best interest to nix the nicotine now!

Here are some helpful tools to help you quit smoking.

Flickr.com user Ninha Morandini

With age comes great wisdom, but unfortunately wisdom doesn’t come alone; and you might be considering a change in your skin care routine. Every year, another unwelcome candle finds its way to your birthday cake, and another even more unwelcome wrinkle appears on your smiling face. Anti aging skin care can make a huge difference in fighting the visible signs of aging. Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Chip Cole shares his skin care advice on the best things you can do keep your skin looking as youthful as possible.

Dr. Chip Cole, a quadruple board certified Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon, who specializes in facial rejuvenation and eye and facial surgery, says the secret to slowing down the signs of aging is a three step process:

“Resurface, Rejuvenate and Protect.  Resurfacing your skin with a retinol will help to address and correct sun damaged skin, acne scarring and rough or coarse texture.  More than 90% off the sun damage we attribute to aging is the result of cumulative sun damage. Rejuvenate your skin by using a topical Vitamin C.  This will help reverse much of this sun damage and help protect your skin from further damage as well.  Protect your skin daily with a hydrating sunscreen.  I recommend a minimum of SPF30 (like Canyon Ranch Your Transformation  Protect UVA/UVB SPF 30 Facial Moisturizer) that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.” –Dr. Chip Cole.

There are other paths you can take when you suddenly stop looking forward to birthdays, and realize your youth is behind you. You can accept that you are growing older, and consider each new line on your face a sign of a happy smile-filled life, and stop caring about your appearance, as your best years have passed. Or, you can start caring for your skin in a way you know you should have been since the first time you noticed your lipstick was exploring those fun little lines around your lips. We recommend taking Dr. Cole’s advice on aging gracefully.

You’ve got the super thick moisturizer to cure that dry skin during this season, but you’ve noticed that something has been missing. Where are these new lines on my forehead coming from?! Settle down Sally, it’s not the end of the world. In fact there are quite a few things we can do to help stay a perfect beauty besides go under the knife or to the needles. (I know sometimes that seems like the best choice because it’s easy.) Using really good anti-aging serums along with your favorite moisturizer can work wonders for your skin tone, elasticity and those itsy-bitsy fine lines. Lucky for you, I’ve scoured the world for the best serums money can buy, so you don’t have to do all the hard work or spend a ridiculous amount of money. Your skin will thank me for it I promise.

flickr user: kanpeki yume

What is a serum? A serum usually consists of a thinner consistency than a cream but not completely liquid. It was created for the purpose of delivering ingredients to the skin that most often, a cream or other products cannot do. The molecules are made to be smaller and use different delivery system-methods to have the product penetrate deeper into the skin. Serums can help prevent, and repair wrinkles and is recommended to be applied under sunscreen or a moisturizer. Common ingredients in anti-aging serums are usually peptides, antioxidants, vitamin C and sometimes retinol. The effectiveness of the ingredients in the serum may vary and not all serums have been clinically proven. They can also boost collagen and elastin production, which can decrease the appearance of wrinkles. After trying a slew of them, which ones do I like the best?

Peter Thomas Roth’s Un-Wrinkle definitely does what it says. It UN-WRINKLES. This hasn’t been the first time using this product for me. When I was working back as an esthetician in the Stone Age, I’d add a few drops of this little bad boy in my facial treatments to give them the wow factor when they walked out and looked in the mirror. This serum can be used on all skin types and uses a 23% blend of neuropeptides and peptides. This can help reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles, fine lines, expression lines etc. Not to mention your skin looks fantastic almost immediately after using it. They do tend to call it “Botox in a bottle” because of the unique ingredients it uses which is my favorite part. It uses 4% SYN-AKE and 10% SNAP-8 that are pain-free synthetic ingredients that mimic snake venom and injectibles to target wrinkle formation. This serum also helps boost collagen production, increase firmness and visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles. I’ve loved this line of anti-aging products so much; I have also bought the Wrinkle Preventer and the Un-Wrinkle eye cream.

Since sometimes serums can have a lot of artificial ingredients and fillers in them, it’s good to try out something on the natural and organic side once in a while. One of my favorite hydrating serums is John Masters Organics Green Tea and Rose Hydrating Face Serum. This serum has a blend of nourishing certified organic ingredients that focus on the hydration of your skin. At the same time this serum encourages collagen production and stimulates cell turnover leaving your skin radiant and gorgeous after application. It’s also full of antioxidants to nourish your skin and help your complexion. What I love about this is how silky it is on application and it doesn’t interfere with your eye makeup. It leaves your skin dewy and supple. This is perfect for any skin care regimen.

Another that I’ve fallen in love with blindsided me because I personally thought it was too good to be true. At lunch one day talking about my mission of finding the fountain of youth, my friend had recommended I try iQ Derma’s SkinTensive xCel serum day and night to help me with my lovely fine lines. They offer a free trial and focus on anti-aging formulas made with “intelligent ingredients.” After using for about 3 days morning and night I was astonished to see the results even after the first day. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and it really shows. I feel like those lines of mine are diminishing faster and faster, not to mention my sun spots have been evened out quite a bit, which was an added bonus. Since using this, my wrinkles have improved and it’s more radiant than ever. When applying you don’t have to use much, so you don’t feel like you’re wasting product and it glides on evenly not interfering with makeup either. I’ll be using this one for a while.

When on your own search for that perfect anti-aging miracle serum, just remember that samples can be your best friend and don’t be afraid to branch out and try new brands! Not every product is meant for every skin type but I highly recommend using a serum under your moisturizer ever day. It’s great for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and it’s amazing for prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Being that I exfoliate on a daily basis, I am always looking for new beauty products to help me in my effort and apparently Hawaiian women turn to Sugar when wanting to shed dead skin cells. Raw Sugar is their exfoliant of choice. It’s not only natural but it also has antiseptic properties and is a mild Hydroxy Acid that has been used in skin rejuvenation for centuries. Sugar is also much gentler on the skin than salt since it dissolves quicker. A Sugar body scrub you might want to consider using is the ME! Bath Shower Sherbet. It looks good enough to eat – but please resist the temptation! Our sisters in Brazil rub coarse sand on their bodies to help with cellulite reduction while those in Japan opt for dry brushing. Dry brushing not only exfoliates the skin but also helps with temporary cellulite reduction. (I’ll write more about dry brushing in an upcoming post).

White tea sprinkled with orange tea flowers. White tea has become a popular ingredient in beauty products. Photo by Chashitsu LaSere.

One ingredient that has really become popular (and for good reason) in beauty products is White Tea. White Tea is one of the strongest antioxidants in the world and a long-time anti-aging skin care secret for Chinese women – now I see why Chinese women seem to have the most beautiful skin! White Tea also reduces puffiness & increases firmness around the eyes. It is being added to many beauty products such as eye shadows, moisturizers, lip treatments, and many others. The Global Goddess iDivine Eye Shadow is infused with powerful antioxidants from White Tea so you not only get a satiny eye shadow but you also get anti-aging benefits. Another beauty line that is a fan of white tea is Pur-lisse. Jennifer Yen, the creator of Pur-lisse, combines French skincare technology with her grandmother’s Asian beauty recipes. The formulas used in her products feature white tea and blue lotus in order to reverse skin damage caused by every day exposure.

Here’s one for those of you that suffer from brittle nails. In the Dominican Republic women use Garlic to strengthen finger nails. They chop it up and add it to clear nail polish. They let it sit for a week in the bottle and then apply it to their nails as a top coat.

In Thailand Tamarind is used in many beauty routines. In addition to lightening and brightening, it purifies, exfoliates, and cleanses the skin for a radiant look. In many Asian countries, light skin is considered beautiful. The Juara Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner is a must-try for those searching for a quick beauty fix (pun intended) for dull, tired skin.

Last but not least, the ladies in India use almond oil for just about everything! It softens and gets rid of dry skin. It is also used as massage oil for after a shower or bath.

These beauty secrets from around the world are definitely interesting and helpful. I love that in spite of our cultural differences, women in general are all in search of the same thing – beauty!

Do you have a beauty secret you like to share? If so, I’d love to hear it.