ZO Skin Health
Under a Lot of Stress? It Shows!
Stress. There’s just no getting away from it. Women have more stress than men at least partially because they’re so hard on themselves and try so hard to please others. All that stress shows–in fact, it’s written all over your face!
Problem: Chronic stress triggers a hormone called cortisol, which reduces the ability of the skin to retain water. The result: a dull, dry complexion.
Solutions:
1. Although it seems counter-intuitive, reduce the amount or frequency of moisturizer. It causes your skin to stop collecting water from the food and water that you consume.
2. Avoid the use of hot water and highly fragranced skincare products.
3. Don’t use cleansers that strip your skin of its natural oils.
Problems: A furrowed brow, fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. All of this may be caused by a decrease in the amount of collagen and elastin fibers, as well as increased dryness (which exacerbates the appearance of wrinkles)
Solutions:
1. Stimulate the production of collagen and elastic with active Vitamin A (ZO Skin Health’s Radical Night Repair Plus) or Rx Retin-A.
2. Drink more water.
Problem: Chronic stress causes or complicates other skin problems, including rosacea, acne, eczema and psoriasis. There’s a new term for this–psychodermatology–skin disorders that are related to your thoughts or feelings.
Solutions:
1. For acne–use products specifically for oily or acne-prone skin. Dr. Obagi’s favorite cleanser is ZO Skin Health’s Exfoliating Cleanser. Cleanse twice a day, but avoid the use of hot water. Slough off the surface skin cells that trap debris–try the ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish. Apply a product that has salicylic acid–like Dr. Obagi’s TE pads, which help to break down the sebum. Once a day is sufficient for maintenance; twice a day if you have active or persistent flare ups.
2. For rosacea, or if your skin appears red in the nose, cheeks, forehead–there are lots of OTC that claim to reduce redness, not as many that really work. Dr. Obagi is a fan of Growth Factor Serum to reduce redness. If a prescription is required, he frequently recommends baby-doses of Accutane.
For advanced medical conditions or persistent problems, see a dermatologist.
This is a stressful time. You can’t take care of all of the problems, but you can take care of yourself. Physicians are now saying that strict dieting is very stressful–so take it easy; don’t be too hard on yourself. Take a walk, put a slice of cucumber over your eyes and close your eyes for a few minutes, have a glass of wine, enjoy some me-time.
ZO Skin Health
Take Good Care…
When you’re in debt, a financial advisor will advise how to pay off creditors, based on which debts are most costly and damaging. After you prioritize your credit problems, you can knock them out accordingly. But if you’re concerned about wrinkles, and you know you can’t expect to solve all of your problems overnight, where do you start? Should you avoid sunshine and UV damage, reduce stress, change your diet, quit smoking and/or drinking, use better (or more!) skincare products, eat foods rich in anti-oxidants, take nutriceuticals, stay hydrated, exercise, have more facials? Taking good care of your skin isn’t your only priority, so let’s address the biggest problems and worst offenders, and then face the facts.
* 1 UV exposure. This one is the real culprit of aging. UVB rays cause burning, but UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, cause wrinkles, loss of elasticity and photoaging. You’re exposed to UVA rays even when you’re inside—about 90% of UVA rays are transmitted through ordinary glass and windshields. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen (like Oclipse SPF 30) every day, and use skincare products high in anti-oxidants.
- 2 Wake up your skin cells. Dormant skin cells exacerbate all of the signs of aging. You need to activate and stimulate them with high concentrations of retinol, which is generally considered the best topical anti-aging ingredient. In fact, scientists recently revealed that retinol (and other Vitamin A derivatives) is the only topical ingredient proven to provide anti-aging benefits.
- 3. Kick the sugar habit. Too much of the sweet stuff—either as sugar or as fructose– is the most common cause of glycation and inflammation. It binds to collagen, weakens it, and then induces sagging and wrinkles. Too much sugar will also reduce skin circulation and damage the texture.
- 4. Stay hydrated. Drinking 8 glasses of water/day is important for digestion, circulation and excretion. For skincare, you need even more than that, especially after reaching age 40. Water helps hydrate the skin (thereby disguising wrinkles), flushes toxins from the skin (reducing acne), reduces dark circles underneath the eyes, and reduces eczema and psoriasis. Water is surely the most readily available, and the cheapest, skincare remedy.
- 5. Huff and puff (but not nicotine!). Cardio-vascular exercise is good for your skin. It improves the circulation and delivers nutrients to the skin. Plus it makes you feel better about yourself, and the radiance shines through.
- 6. Relax. Being divorced, a single parent, employed (or unemployed!), a caregiver for an elderly parent can all increase stress, and that stress can cause or exacerbate a blotchy complexion, blemises, dullness and acne and rosacea flare-ups. It’s impossible to eliminate stress, but you should help reduce it. Find time for yourself, exercise, get 7 hours of sleep a night, enjoy friends, practice yoga—whatever works for you.
- 7. Eat a healthy diet, rich in anti-oxidants and Omega-3’s. It’s the perfect excuse to have an ounce of dark chocolate.
Peels, laser treatments, Botox and fillers may be an option, but they shouldn’t be your first choice. What you do every day, how you treat your skin every night may make medical procedures unnecessary.
Women are great at taking care of others. Now try something else: for the benefit of your skin and your health, take good care of yourself as well.
