Stress Destroys Skin

My mother taught me this a long time ago. I find it funny that science is just keeping up. Just remember that stress is not the result of things not going your way, it is a mind set. Two people can be in the same traumatic situation, one will stress, one will not. The secret to avoiding stress is to learn how to solve problems so they do not 'stress' you.

There is a saying that people who smile look younger longer. Stress causes all sorts of problems for the skin. You have to remember that the skin is an organ, like the heart, like the kidneys. If you abuse it then you'll start seeing the damage.


Stress, not Age, is the Big Bad Wolf for your Skin

As you approach middle age, that period between 40 and 60 years old, the reality of aging will finally sink in and tell you that you just don't look and feel the same as when you were in your twenties or thirties. These physical changes, more often unwelcome, generally come with age; but other factors are also instrumental in bringing about these transformations. And the most obvious victim of any change in your body is your skin.

Just take a look at the mirror and you will find wrinkles and creases on your face. The back of your hand is now filled with liver spots and more lines. And if you are like some people, these unsightly appearances on your skin are enough to make you feel depressed. But, suddenly you will realize that there are cosmetic products available to help you reverse or delay the effects of aging on your skin.

So you rush to your nearest beauty bar or log on to your favorite online store and buy all the lotions and salves you can afford. The next thing you know, you are applying all the cosmetic products on your skin. And then you wait for days that extend to weeks or even months; after all, you believe that removing all the unwanted spots on your skin involves sticking to a routine with utmost discipline.

But still nothing happens, so what's wrong? Should you surrender to the forces of aging? You feel helpless and terrible; at the same time you feel that the entire cosmetic industry pulled a fast one on you because their products did not erase your skin problems.

Well, your skin conditions when you reach the age of forty can be influenced not just by the aging process but your lifestyle as well. Surely, you have heard that improper diet, lack of exercise, and bad habits like cigarette smoking can damage your skin tissues even without the impact of aging. But are you aware that there is one big factor that can affect your skin which you often overlook?

It is called stress; which you may have a lot as you enter middle age. Stress can damage your skin faster than the years you lived. Skin experts have found that the skin is very sensitive to the level of stress that you feel.

This is the reason why, for younger people, pimples and other skin problems tend to appear the night before special events like weddings and proms. The same stress-skin connection is also at play when you experience an improved skin condition each time you visit a spa to unwind or go for a vacation to relax.

The link between stress and having damaged skin lies in the hormones that your body produces whenever you are under stressful conditions. You see, hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released by your system to help you in times of danger. But on the downside, these brain chemicals can lower your immune system and cause unwanted skin reactions.

A healthy immune system is vital for your skin's health. With all the toxins in your body, a diminished immune system can allow antioxidants to destroy various cells without restraint, most particularly to your skin cells. What happens next is the appearance of wrinkles and age spots among others.

Prolonged stress and anxiety can be dangerous to your overall well-being. But nowhere in the body can the effects of stress be more obvious except on your skin. And being in the midlife years does not help at all. So, if you want to improve your skin and maintain its youthful look despite your age, you better deal with your stress first.

After undergoing an effective stress management, you will find that cosmetic products will be more responsive to the needs of your skin. Applications like Rejuvinol, for instance, can help protect your skin from damages caused by environmental factors. Visit www.rejuvinol.com for more information.

Women Dying for Beauty

This one scared me. This woman wasn't obese losing pounds of weight. She just wanted a few ounces gone. It does make me wonder why this 'successful' woman was not smart enough to go to a 'good' surgeon. What also amazed me was that it is happening in the USA, Canada and the UK. I would have thought these countries would have more control over doctors and what they were allowed to do.

I read about a woman in Australia that had so much liposuction at one time, she had at least 8" loose skin hanging from each arm, and 10" off her stomach. This is way too much to have removed at one time.


Women Dying to Look Beautiful

Another young, vibrant woman died in late September during a recent liposuction procedure in Toronto. How sad that this talented, successful, single mother lost her life hoping to rid her tummy of a little mound of fat.

It is most bizarre that her surgeon had no specialties and no hospital privileges. She, the surgeon, was training in family medicine but she is not listed as an accredited family practitioner with the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

The scenario of allowing untrained and unqualified practitioners to call themselves cosmetic surgeons that actually perform surgeries is repeated many times a day in many areas of the world.

In the US plastic surgeons must undergo licensing and adhere to strict regulations, but there's little to stop general practitioners from calling themselves cosmetic surgeons and performing the same procedures that licensed plastic surgeons perform.

Family doctors, physicians, not trained in plastic surgery are performing cosmetic procedures because injections that plump and paralyze, liposuction, surgery and other procedures are very, very lucrative to their bottom line. They are in it for the money.

This is a growing public health risk and lax standards permitted this death to happen.

It is vitally important to your health and well being to scrutinize the qualifications and training of a practitioner if you are considering any invasive procedures. This absolutely includes injections as well as surgery because injections are invasive.

Do not be intimidated or flustered to ask when, where and how extensive the doctor has been trained in any procedure. Some physicians are trained only hours over a weekend in certain procedures. You must remember that cosmetic surgeon is a misnomer, there really isn't such a distinction in the medical community.

Oh sure there are physicians who call themselves cosmetic surgeons but their training may have been in dentistry, internal medicine or proctology. In other words you really need to think carefully about allowing anyone the opportunity to fool with your long-term health and well-being.

This includes physicians who are practicing in foreign countries. There have been incidents of botched procedures and even deaths directly attributed to untrained and unlicensed, unscrupulous people vying for your dollar. They seem to smell desperation like sharks swimming after blood. Shame on you if you fall for their under-handed ploys. You must perform your due diligence and ask the hard questions before you consider booking your travel or their services.

Liposuction, breast augmentation, brow lifts, facelifts, injections and more lure unsuspecting aging men and women into believing that nothing untoward could ever happen to them.

The statistics of procedures that have been botched or resulted in death are not easily obtained. This is not surprising when you consider how long the industry has gone unregulated. These are toxic secrets that have been hidden from view for a very long time.

There are reported deaths in 2007 from Arizona. The circumstances are so bizarre but you must know how people parade themselves as surgeons when they are not. The Arizona Republic reports on July 12, that a massage therapist performed a liposuction procedure in which a woman died.

A homeopathic physician who was denied a medical doctor's license by the state board did another procedure in which a patient died. Others who performed cosmetic surgery did not have formal medical training; include a bookkeeper and a former restaurant owner. Egads!

Cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, stroke, paralysis, blood clots, adverse reactions to anesthesia, unqualified and untrained personnel are serious complications that most likely can be avoided if you wisely understand that fooling with Mother Nature's handiwork can have dire consequences.

What about those shysters who inject fake serums into their unsuspecting clients? This was reported in Florida when four people went into a coma after receiving botulism and again in Las Vegas when a doc and his wife knowingly injected patients with botulism toxin type A - a cheaper form of Botox®. In Queens, NY, a beautician was arrested after administering fake cosmetic injections into her spa patients.

These and other sad stories are repeated many times during a year. No one intends to become a statistic.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, NBC 4, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children's inheritance.

Are you Fast-tracking on Aging?

I don't know about fast tracking, but I want to stay young looking. Why not? I don't berate myself because of my appearance, but I have noticed that the 'power' I had when younger is waning. I don't get the service I use to, or have people offering to help me in business.

If you live a sedentary life, eat junk foods, drink a lot of alcohol, and work at a high stress job, then you are fast tracking your way to old age. The fact is, there are many people at 45 who are as 'aged' as others are at 70. Aging is not 'really' defined by the number of years you live. Aging is the 'health level' your body is at. One person can be extremely healthy at 75, while another is unhealthy and showing signs of aging at 50.

The sad thing is, many of today's teens are exhibiting signs of aging because they sit all day and eat junk food.


Are you Fast-tracking on Aging?

Are you fast tracking on the "Never ending desire for a more youthful appearance"? See how you fare when answering the following questions:

Have you begun using muscle paralyzing injections before the age of 40?

Have you had plastic surgery somewhere on your body?

Do you constantly berate yourself regarding your appearance?

If you have answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are battling with Mother Nature.

Trying to look younger using chemicals, surgery, and injecting foreign substances that have no long-term testing is detrimental to your good health. The medical profession that deals in enhancement cannot possibly predict how their patients are going to react to these substances or procedures over a twenty or thirty year span.

Once you've decided that surgery or injections is your chosen modality to look younger, you have set yourself up for failure. Why? Because one injection is never enough – twenty injections over 2-3 years won't be enough either and before you know it, ten years will have passed and your body is filled with toxic chemicals that may cause harm. And you still need more injections!

Same goes for surgery. Will one eye lift be enough? Will you constantly want to update your look using surgical techniques that contribute to an old looking face? Wait a minute you say! Isn't surgery supposed to make one look younger? Yes, that's the goal but more often than not, multiple surgeries make your face look like you've had multiple surgeries. The pulling and tweaking can produce a very freakish appearance, especially when fine lines and wrinkles are zapped by a laser.

The adage: "Aging Gracefully" has been replaced with carefully staged propaganda disguised as advertising in upscale magazines, TV and radio proclaiming that you need Botox, Restylane, and even surgery to look youthful.

This is a lie told by big companies who manufacture chemical and cadaver substances; the drug companies and the medical community have tons of money to sway your consciousness into believing this hype. They want you to become hooked on injections and surgery so they can continue to develop more and more substances for you to use. So what if there are deadly complications from over use?

"Over use" is big business and that is exactly what is hoped for no matter if too many injections equals repeat business. These repeat procedures equate to easy dollars for the medical community. And, there is little risk to them when they're using injections to line their pockets; no large insurance premiums are required for non-surgical procedures. That's one reason why Medi-Spas are prevalent in and adjacent to shopping malls and structures in high-traffic, high-dollar areas; there are no national standards in place to protect the consumer and they offer everything from facials to pharmaceutical injections and other medical procedures. The lure of the "lunch-time facial" with easy in and out can affect not only your appearance but your over-all health and wellbeing.

At some point, someone has to take a stand and say "Enough!" Taking control of your health means you must be willing to stop having frivolous surgery and multiple injections that paralyze and artificially plump up sagging facial features.

Taking back your power doesn't mean you have to look old or dowdy. In fact, if you stop squandering money on needless procedures Mother Nature never intended you to use, you can actually treat the cause of aging in the face.

Most aging is caused by loose and flabby facial muscles; if you're sporting a double chin, a wattle or hooded eyes, this is a result of muscles that are no longer strong and tight. If the apples in your cheeks sag even when you smile and your forehead droops into your upper eyes, do not be discouraged because you can actually exercise all the muscles in your face and neck. When you do this, your muscles will experience increased circulation, plumping the skin so that the face looks younger and fresher.

Using exercise techniques that are proven to lift and tone your face makes sense; there is no risk, it's very affordable and instead of looking freakish, you just look like you did 10-15 years ago…wholesome and recognizable.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, NBC 4, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.

Author: Cynthia Rowland

Stay Toned Stay Young

Most people do not understand the relationship between keeping their body exercised and toned, and keeping it working efficiently. When you ask most people why they exercise, the answer is 'to look slimmer.' This is a consequence of keeping your body in tip-top condition, but it doesn't need to be the main reason.

A toned body exercises the muscles, but it also keeps the organs in top condition. When you exercise, you think of the heart, but you rarely think of the other body organs. Exercising works them all. It tightens the muscles so they keep them in place, and reduces the amount of work they must do.

Any stress on the liver, kidneys, colon, etc., increases the strain and the amount of work the organ must do. This in turn, increases the risk of disease.




A Non-surgical Anti-aging Solution for Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers everywhere are searching for the Fountain of Youth and they have been looking in all the wrong places!

Men and women born between 1946 and 1964 are facing the most arduous and difficult challenge of their existence– the challenge of growing older while maintaining their youthful essence that stems from the Flower Power era.

The fitness craze that began with Jack LaLanne in the 60's has mushroomed to encompass many avenues and modalities of boomers seeking better biceps and rock hard abs. After years of working out, running, lifting, bicycling, tennis and more, these die-hard seekers of youth are still seeking something greater that will keep them looking younger than their years because their faces have not enjoyed the benefit of exercise. A toned, healthy looking body does not produce a toned, healthy looking face.

The crusade to look young has been lead by women; they embraced skin care products early on and they have continued to act as guinea pigs for the drug companies and plastic surgeons by allowing new products and procedures to be practiced and tested on them. Whether the procedure is strings embedded in the face, paralyzing injections or fillers; long term affects are unknown. The media's fascination with looking young has fueled women's desires making surgery and injections glamorized, sensationalized and well publicized.

The men have been slowly lured to join women into actively using skin care, hair dye and even plastic surgery. The metro-sexual males now frequent salons and spas on a regular basis for facials, hair removal techniques, massage and dermabrasion. Why? Who wants to look old and used-up? No one raised their hand.

This full-court push for youthfulness has no end in sight. More than ever we read statistics that demonstrate how millions and millions of dollars are spent each year trying to catch the elusive "young" gene. Some ads even suggest paying for these expensive, risky and temporary procedures with a second mortgage and maxed out credit cards; after all, with the average procedure nearing $25,000, not everyone has the kind of disposable income available that can buy a new face.

Facial plastic surgery is a temporary and very risky procedure. Plastic surgery requires frequent updating and even when the surgery goes well, the patient may not like what they see. Considering these surgical procedures are voluntary, it is frightening that people consent to them knowing that scarring and nerve damage occurs with every procedure. Blood clots, infection and irregular bleeding are also common side effects associated with surgery.

Injections, too, are temporary and made from chemicals that have no long-term test results. How many injections are too many? It is reported that patients sometime have more than one doctor injecting substances on a regular basis resulting in double the prescribed amounts recommended.

Facials do make the skin look cleaner and healthier but are you under the misconception that facials and chemical peels can correct a sagging double chin or heavy eyelids?

Plastic surgeries, facials, peels, or injections will not stop the root cause of aging.

The root cause of facial aging begins with sagging facial muscles. Yes, there is aging due to sun exposure; it typically begins to show up about the same time that your muscles are affected by the downward pull of gravity. This means that over time, your skin and facial features will be adversely affected resulting in the look of old.

That's right…as we mature we begin to resemble our mothers, fathers, grandparents, Aunt Hilda and Uncle Bernard. The facial muscles lose their tone and resiliency; in fact, by age 55, the muscles in your face may have already elongated by one-half inch. This means your face is sagging, pooling downward, making you look old and tired.

There is a solution. Sagging facial muscles can be remedied using specialized isometric contractions that work to plump up those small, wayward muscles. Muscles thrive when blood flow is increased – think of curling your arm using a dumbbell – after 5 to 8 reps, you feel the muscles respond. Couple the resistance with contraction and your face responds by lifting. In just minutes a day, you can pro-actively give yourself a youthful face just by exercising it.

The great part about using this type of exercise, rather than contortions, scrunches and puckers, is that these unique moves work for everyone. That's right, when the exercises are performed regularly, you will see a visible difference that is better looking than a surgical facelift.. Your face will tighten and your skin will thicken.

It just makes sense. When you tone and sculpt your body with Pilates, weight and resistance training, you are proud of your new look. The same goes for your face. When you see and feel the lifting, your confidence soars!

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, NBC 4, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.

Author: Cynthia Rowland

Beauty is Power

We all know that beauty is power. I've noticed a major drop in the number of doors that magically swung open ... until I turned 35... then the trend slowed down. Now, at 44, I rarely see the smile and amicable attitude, just after seeing my face and skin.

A lot of professionals use plastic surgery and botox to keep their youthful look. I don't think the world still associates youth with beauty, but they still associate beauty and power.

A beautiful woman is always seen as powerful, smarter, educated, and more socially connected. It doesn't matter whether this is true or not.




Botox - Wrinkles and Job Insecurity

Botox, once the “darling” of the celebrity crowd has moved front and center into the business world where daring men and women go to great lengths to disguise frown lines, age lines and anything resembling Mother Nature’s wicked march across their faces.

Why? They know their jobs require them to look fresh and healthy; old, deeply lined, tired, faces are becoming passé because ideas coming from someone wearing an out of shape, soft, sagging face can equate to old, stale ideas in the business arena. Botox, once used primarily by women is now used by more and more men as they, too, realize the importance of maintaining a more youthful appearance. Their jobs may just depend on it.

Some say Botox is a wonder drug that smoothes wrinkles and indeed it does; however there are a few drawbacks that are a concern. According to the Independent, a London based newspaper, “Increasingly, people who have used or considered Botox are worried about possible side-effects, including developing fresh wrinkles as they change expressions to compensate for the paralysis in parts of their faces.”

Wait! Develop fresh wrinkles??? Dr. David Becker, professor of dermatology, Cornell Medical College, issued a caution linking Botox injections to development of new wrinkles when users recreate facial expressions. The paralyzed muscles cannot respond so nearby muscles are automatically summoned. The result? New wrinkles. Oh dear.

Botox has been used since the early 1990’s to treat lines and wrinkles associated with the motion of underlying facial muscles. Expressions such as excessive brow movements can cause horizontal lines, eye squints produce crows feet and subtle sagging of the facial muscles can make skin drape strangely

Botox cannot stop the sagging muscles; in fact, Dr Michelle Copeland, a plastic surgeon in NY said, “…Because Botox wears off, more frequent injections are required to maintain its effects or the patient’s face will return to its wrinkly state.”

And what if you are wearing a “severe/angry facial expression” that after botox develops into a frozen, smooth, plastic look? Does that work to your advantage? Perhaps. Your facial expressions are who you are; take those away and you just may resemble a Stepford wife; however, there are those users who swear that having a subdued expression has helped them with intense negotiations and other business related circumstances, calling the poker faced look a “competitive edge”.

Just remember:

1) Botox can result in the development of fine lines and wrinkles in other areas of the face.
2) Botox requires more painful injections to maintain results.
3) Botox is costly; treatments range from $200-$600.
4) Botox can result in undesirable side effects including allergic reactions, difficulty breathing, unusual muscle weakness, chest pain, headaches and dizziness.

What if you could avoid needles and scalpels and look younger? What if you could be in charge of the aging process and look healthier? What if you could manipulate and retrain your facial muscles to look and act younger without resorting to expensive, barbaric measures that are risky and dangerous? Well, you can!

Muscles in the face can be retrained when they are exercised. Your forehead muscle can tighten, crows feet can diminish and your face can look firm and healthy without any risk from costly injections or fillers. And actually if you think about it, facial exercise makes sense medically. After all, when you exercise your body, you're going to tone and tighten the muscles in your body. So why not apply the same principles to your face? If you continue to exercise your face, you will look substantially younger indefinitely.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.