ZO Skin Health
Think All Cleansers are the Same? Think again.
There are a wide range of ingredients used to formulate facial cleansers, so it is important to understand
how cleansers works. There are basically three functions of a facial cleanser: (1) to remove surface debris, make-up and oil; (2) to dissolve the bonds that hold dead skin cells to the surface of the skin; and (3) to prepare the skin to better absorb treatment and moisturizing products. Most drug-store cleansers remove surface dirt and oil, but they do little or nothing to promote cell turnover and prepare the skin for the benefits of the products that follow. In fact, many cleansers leave the skin feeling either tight and dry or like a film of oil has been left on the skin, counteracting the effects of applying additional products. Additionally, they typically include fragrances, dyes, or oils that can irritate skin, leaving it red or sensitized.
A good facial cleanser is usually very light weight, most likely a gel-based formula rather than a cream-based formula, and contains some concentration of either salicylic acid for oilier skin, or hyaluronic acid for drier skin. Cleansing is an important first step for all skin types, but for oily, acne-prone skin, it’s critical. The key to managing oily skin is gently exfoliating dull, dry skin cells that trap bacteria; reducing excess oil with salicylic acid; and neutralizing free radicals. ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser does all of that and goes one step further–it boosts collagen production. It uses encapsulated beads with Vitamin E – the most important anti-oxidant for healthy skin. For dry skin types, you’ll want a gentle cleanser that will not disrupt the moisture barrier. ZO Skin Health Hydrating Cleanser hydrates, rejuvenates and uses panthenol to soothe, repair and restore skin, allantoin to clean away dead skin cells and support cellular renewal and hyaluronic acid for additional hydration support. Dirt, make-up and premature aging…down the drain. Washing your face never felt so good!
ZO Skin Health
TIP: Save $$$ on Skincare
Want to save some money on health and beauty purchases? Here’s one easy way:
Stick with a simple regimen, from one skincare company. If you mix and match brands, you’re likely to have redundancy–too much of one ingredient–or voids–not enough of another.
Your regimen must include a good cleanser, treatment product (that activates cellular function), anti-oxidant (that suppresses free radicals), moisturizer (for occasional use), SPF 30 sunscreen, and nighttime repair product.
If you have acne or oily skin issues, other specialty products will need to be added. And of course, the older you get, the more cellular function slows and the more repair you need. So you may need more products–or least products that work harder.
Another benefit of sticking with just one company: you can generally get value-priced kits that give you a good selection of products. These are typically positioned as “introductory” kits–to entice you to try the brand the first time. But if they work for you, keep buying the kits… they’ll save you money.
ZO Skin Health
TIP: Eat More Water
Drinking 8 glasses of water every day is easier said than done.
Looking for alternatives? Eat more fruits and veggies. Not only are they a healthy blend of vitamins and anti-oxidants and fiber, they’re high in water.
Here are some of the best:
Strawberries. Usually on the tops of everyone’s list–including this one. A 149 gram serving has 92% water.
Melons. A typical portion size of watermelon or cantaloupe is 160 grams, but the water content is 90-92%.
Blueberries and apples. You can count on getting 84% of their weight in water. Oh well, what they lack in water they make up for in anti-oxidants.
Banana. One of the lowest in water content: only 74%.
Fresh Vegetables
It’s no wonder that veggies are low in calories; they’re also high in water!
Lettuce is at the tops of the list–it is 96% water.
Zucchini and spinach have 95% and 92% water, respectively.
Green peas, which also generally are higher in sugar content, are 76% water.
Drinking water has its redeeming qualities. But consuming fresh produce has many benefits that water alone can’t offer.
ZO Skin Health
TIP: Get Better Results with this 10-Second Tip
Skincare products that sit on the surface of your skin have little to no benefit. Massage the creams/lotions into your skin until they have vanished. Here are the added benefits:
1. Dr. Obagi recommends applying products vigorously in a circular motion. You’re giving your skin added exercise to stimulate dormant cells.
2. You’ll enhance the activity of the functional ingredients, because you’re increasing penetration and absorption.
It only takes a few seconds. Give your skin a little extra exercise today!
ZO Skin Health
TIP: The best way to start your day
Want some breakfast food that works for your waistline as well as your skin? It’s so good you may even want to have some for dessert.
It’a a mango, and although it’s relatively new to the American diet, it’s been around for 4000 years. Not only are mangoes low in calories and high in fiber, they have some very interesting properties.
* Mangoes are powerhouses for anti-oxidants (like beta-carotene) that neutralize free radicals that damage skin cells and lead to premature aging. Just one mango contains 1-3X your minimum daily requirement of Vitamin C.
* They’re a very good source of silica. Never heard of it? Our bodies hold a small supply of this important mineral, but that reserve diminishes as we grow older, causing dry skin, wrinkles, brittle hair and nails. Silica retains 300 times its weight in water, so it helps your skin stay hydrated and plumped. .
The only problem with mangoes? It’s a little difficult to cut the fruit away from the stone. But the best things in life aren’t easy, are they?
ZO Skin Health
Skincare Products at the Academy Awards. And the Winner is…
In case you ever had any doubt, celebrities sell skincare products.
Case in point: about 8 years ago People magazine reported that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt ”slathered Kinerase all over their beautiful bodies.” Sales of Kinerase soared.
Now, no one knows whether Jennifer and Brad actually used Kinerase (and they are not talking to each other, let alone the media!). But after packages of Kinerase were given away at a big celebrity event, Jenn and Brad took them home. A good PR firm did the rest!
(one thing to note about Jennifer Aniston–she’s one of the few celebrities in Hollywood that refuses to endorse any product–no matter how much $$ is offered!)
Hey, even though they make $$$ millions, celebs are like the rest of us; they like free stuff. They just get a lot more free stuff than the rest of us do. And at these award shows, the give-aways are pretty lavish–expensive watches, trips, and jewelry, all valued at about $30,000 per gift bag.
The give-aways at celebrity events (like the Academy Awards, the CMA Awards) aren’t as lavish as they used to be though. That’s because the IRS sent out letters saying that the recipients would be responsible for paying income taxes on the freebies. So many of the celebrities graciously said, “uh, thanks, but no thanks”.
So is it wrong or unethical to give away free products to celebrities? In our opinion, no. We just thought you might like to know that that’s the way the game is played. What brought all of this to mind was an infomercial that said that “many of the celebrities who went to the Academy Awards already have it”.
The next time you see that a celebrity has a particular skincare product, you have to wonder–did they get it for free?
Dr. Zein Obagi
Sunscreen and Vitamin D: The Controversy
Eggs are bad for you; no, eggs are good for you.
Carbs are bad for you; no, carbs are an important part of a healthy diet.
Coffee is bad for you; no, frappuccinos with double whip are bad for you, coffee is actually good for you; it reduces the risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s.
You need to apply sunscreen every day. No, sunscreen limits your body’s exposure to Vitamin D, which is important for strong bones and auto-immune functions.
Wait a second. Which way is the wind blowing today?
Here’s my opinion. UV rays are an important—and very efficient—source of Vitamin D which helps prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure and cancer. But you can still apply sunscreen every day, and get all of the Vitamin D that you need.
- You only need about 10-15 minutes of exposure per day, and that can come through any part of your body—your hands, your arms, etc. If you’re going to be outdoors, you still need sunscreen on your face!
- That UV exposure doesn’t have to be between the hours of 10-2. Go outside during off-peak hours.
- You can get vitamin D from a variety of sources—including salmon and eggs. Milk, OJ, yogurts and cheese are also frequently fortified with Vitamin D. You can get Vitamin D from vitamin supplements.
- Looking for a good facial sunscreen? I like ZO Skin Health’s Oclipse SPF 30. For body, dermatologists like Neutrogena sunscreens.
There are things that we all need to be concerned about. Getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D doesn’t need to be one of them.
Stick with the sunscreen!
ZO Skin Health
Oclipse Sunscreen was Voted one of the Best in the US!
Total Beauty, the online beauty authority, gets its 13 million readers to submit product reviews on their most favorite (and least favorite!) skincare products. And guess which sunscreen was voted the #2 favorite??
Oclipse Sunscreen SPF30. You can read their editorial at:
http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/best-facial-sunscreens/p60442/page11
Let’s party! No, let’s wait. Look out next week, we’ll have a special Gift with Purchase, so you can celebrate too!!
If you want a free sample of Oclipse, contact our Customer Service department at Sue Munz–smunz@zoskinhealth.com.
deborah
A Day in the Life of Zein Obagi, MD
Dr. Obagi doing one-on-one consultations at one of his Personal Appearances
I learned something new on Saturday; in fact, I learned a lot.
There were 600+ women who began lining up outside a Nordstrom store at 7 am to see Dr. Obagi and a few other celebrities like Kate Somerville and Deborah Lippman. It’s a big show, but that’s not what impressed me.
Sitting next to Dr. Obagi, while he visited with people was a great experience. Even for me, and I’ve known and worked with him for a while. What made it most interesting was not what he said, but the people with whom he met—some of whom had traveled thousands of miles to see him. A few of the surprises:
- Many people told him that he had changed their life—given them self-confidence and happiness, because he treated difficult skincare problems that other dermatologists refused. We’re not talking lines and wrinkles here—we’re talking very serious and debilitating skin diseases.
- The mother who brought her son, who had severe nodular acne. Dr. Obagi asked this woman why she had not taken her son to a doctor before this. She said that she wouldn’t let anyone else treat him, because she herself had the same condition 25 years ago, and only Dr. Obagi was able to correct her skin. So she waited—and waited—until she could see Dr. Obagi. He gave her his card, and asked her to bring her son to his clinic right away.
- The number of different races and ethnicities that were represented. Part of the reason is because Dr. Obagi led the dermatology profession in the treatment of different skin colors. Only about 25 years ago, many dermatologists treated skin like it came in only two different colors: fair-skinned and slightly tan. They were color blind; they didn’t understand anything other than Caucasians. Dr. Obagi changed all of that. Now he’s a hero to people with skincare problems, all over the world.
- The number of different languages that they spoke. And he talked right back–in four different languages.
- There were some women whom he admitted that he couldn’t help—they had diseases for which there was no treatment. One woman left in tears, because he said, “I don’t want to mislead you. My products won’t help you.” Understandably and unfortunately, she was desperate for a solution. But at least he was honest.
- His 18-year old daughter, who sat and listened, so very proud of her father. She has heard it all before, I’m sure, but she wanted to hear it again.
- The number of people who came to him because they were disillusioned with skincare products that didn’t work. They left feeling stronger and optimistic, that this time will be different. They left with hope; but more than that, they left with solutions.
- Scores of women who use the Obagi® Nu-Derm® products that Dr. Obagi developed, and just wanted to thank him, personally.
It’s not very often that Dr. Obagi makes a personal appearance, but if you have the opportunity, join him some time.
For me, it was a day that I’ll never forget. For him, it was just another day.
ZO Skin Health
