Read an Excerpt
Skin and Beauty WISDOM
By GABRIELA VOICULESCU
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Gabriela Voiculescu
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-1272-1
Chapter One
SKIN
Did you know that skin is the only organ we can see getting older with our own eyes? Skin is the largest organ of our body with a total area of about 20 sq. feet. Skin is protecting everything inside the body like a fortress protecting a city!
Skin keeps the right temperature for our bodies and gives us the sense of touch. A smooth, soft skin is healthy and sexy, and we want to keep it this way. The skin looks thin, but it has 16 cellular levels. In order to keep it in good shape and to delay the aging process, we have to treat it with respect.
Your skin protects you, so return the favor to it. And because we mentioned the word "protect," let me disclose you which is our skin's most ferocious "enemy". It's called free radicals.
By understanding free radicals, we'll understand how important it is to take care of our skin. We keep reading about these free radicals, but we need to have a simple explanation of what they mean and what they do in order to protect ourselves from these thieves as much as we can. I said, "as much as we can" because even our own breathing process produces free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen thieves.
Without oxygen we cannot survive, our cells die, etc. Free radicals are like electrical sparks. When one of those sparks hits a brain cell, skin cell, or any other kind of body cell, it damages the cell, thereby reducing its function or destroying it completely.
The reason I am insisting on the free radicals description is to emphasize the importance of daily antioxidants. As the name says, these antioxidants fight the oxidizing process of our body cells. Taking them daily, applying topical products, hydrating and nourishing creams, and by getting them from the food and fruits we eat every day, we provide an important source of protection for ourselves.
For me, taking antioxidants is like having a quality security system installed in my house. Antioxidants will give you peace of mind, and knowing you did this will make you feel good about yourself, and have a healthier lifestyle.
Antioxidants also help to prompt the skin's own healing process and reduce the formation of scar tissue. If you plan to have any cosmetic procedure, keep in mind to take your antioxidants and vitamins, for all the reasons mentioned above. Also, let your doctor know about it.
They are an important component in pre and post cosmetic surgery. By applying moisturizers, we protect the skin against free radicals damage, because dehydration leads to oxidative stress, which generates free radicals. This statement is new to us, we just knew we have to apply moisturizers everyday but now we understand why. In addition, by understanding, I know we'll not miss one day of taking care of our skin. This book is about sharing with you few simple things easy to do, easy to follow, things that you can do for you and your family, in order to delay the aging process.
It Is Easier to Prevent Than Cure
If you are in your twenties and read this book, you may want to pass up the aging stuff, but keep reading because nothing is more important than prevention. I know at this age, you may not even know what the word aging means, but my dear reader, time is flying faster than you think and if you start practicing these beauty tips and tricks, you will be glad you read my work.
Doing the right things for your skin will help you stay healthy and beautiful at any age. I agree that beauty comes from the inside, but a little help on the outside doesn't hurt. Moreover, because we are talking about prevention, I would like to apply the most important prevention measures we have to take starting at an early age.
Those of you who have teenagers at home should start teaching them how to take care of their skin, in a fun (cool) way. At nine years old, they should start exfoliating gently their T zone only. The T zone is the forehead, nose, and chin. It is hard to convince a nine-year-old child to do this, without explaining why it's important.
So, tell your child or grandchild you're going to have fun and create a spa atmosphere. Go together in the bathroom, cover your hair, and ask her to do what you do. Wash your hands, then wash your face, gently scrub it using a gentle exfoliator, splash lots of water (not too hot, not too cold), and rinse well. Use a paper towel to blot dry, without rubbing.
The wood in the paper towel can produce microscopic cuts that can become an entrance for bacteria and viruses. Keep an eye on your child to be sure she does it right. At this moment, apply the mask(s) that you and your children have already made (see the "home remedies" chapter).
I would let her apply my mask on my face and I then I would apply her mask on her face. This way she gets pampered. The next step is to relax together.
Find a nice place, have a cup of tea, juice, treat your child with her favorite dessert. This is the time to learn the meaning of the words breathing and relaxation. In addition, this is the time where you create memories that will last the whole life. It is the time of getting your child into the healthy habit of taking care of and respecting her skin, so she can collect the benefits later on.
And by telling her friends from school about her "home spa," she is spreading the word about good work and bringing your contribution to this world by helping children be educated and informed about their skin. If you have children playing sports, it is important for them to know not to wait too long with the perspiration on their face and body and to wash as soon as possible.
Ok, time is up! Rinse the mask with warm water, paper towel dry and apply moisturizer. If your child is young just let her skin be natural. If she feels her skin tight, let her apply a thin layer of oil-free moisturizer. Without being obvious, watch your child for the next few hours and see how the "home treatment" changed her. The spa treatment will be the topic of the day; she will share it with everybody.
Cleansing
One of the most important steps in achieving healthy, beautiful skin is cleansing. It has to be done twice a day, morning and evening.
All the impurities accumulated during the day; makeup products, dust from the atmosphere, and sweat have to be removed to let your skin "breathe" at night and to recover. The skin doesn't breathe, but in cosmetology we use this term to make our clients visualize the process and people understand better. The only time your skin cells renew is between 10 pm and 2 am. The new skin cells are produced, more collagen builds under the skin to support it, and the blood is feeding the tissues and cells much easier. During the night, the workers of the body take a break; your body employees go to rest so they can start working in the morning. This is the time when you are rewarded for everything you did for your skin.
There are not words enough to emphasize the importance of cleansing, especially at nighttime. It is ideal to wash your face as soon as you get home. The longer you wait to do it, the quality of the job will diminish because you will be tired and will want to finish faster so you can go to sleep.
In the acne part of this book, I will write more about cleansing and how important it is to teach your kids at an early age to do it properly.
To be able to teach them you have to be the right example, so start doing it right and you will be glad with the results. Try different products, listen to your dermatologist and aesthetician who take care of your skin and figure out which cleanser works for you. Not all cleansers are the same; some are harsh, some mild and some soft. Some are gel cleansers, some are foaming cleansers, and some are milky cleansers. During a life time your needs change, and you have to adjust the way you clean your face by adjusting, changing, switching the cleansers. If you notice that your cleanser doesn't do the same good job it used to do, try another one and so on. Not all cleansers will agree with your skin because remember, your skin is unique; your skin needs are different from your sister, daughter, friend or neighbor's skin.
I recommend alternating the cleansers and all other skin care products by using different ones every time you treat your face, neck and décolleté. Each product has different ingredients and the skin gets a boost from each. If you use the same one all the time, the skin is getting used to it and the response will be sluggish. Think about this. Do you have the same lunch every day? Do you wash your hair with the same shampoo repeatedly? The answer is most of the time no! So, why not do the same thing for your skin, so you get the benefits. Let it receive the best ingredients from the products you are using and see the difference. Your skin will be very happy.
I know my book is mostly written for women and young girls, but we have to remember to educate our sons and husbands to take care of their skin, too. I kind of know their answer because I have been married for many, many years and even though my husband and I work in the beauty field I see how hard it is to convince him to do something for his skin. However, we have to try it. Don't forget how impressed he will be with your knowledge and the fact that you will save so much money by doing so much at home. Just watch him after you exfoliate his face. He will love the way it feels and you are going to catch him applying stuff by himself, thinking you don't see him. I never had this pleasure, but I know many women who did.
This is something very important that I would like you to pay attention to because it make sense and it is so true:
• Wash your face above the sink-not in the shower. The reason is that in the shower, the water we use is too hot and will bother your skin texture and it can break more capillaries-blood vessel carriers.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation can protect us from skin cancer! Did you know that? I know this is a powerful statement. By eliminating abnormal skin cells before they become dangerous the exfoliation can help reduce the risk of skin cancer. I know it sounds too easy to be true, but it works. We all have these kinds of cells.
For some people skin cancer never happens and for some- the percentage is getting higher every year-skin cancer becomes a deadly predator. It is a powerful statement, but this is the conclusion of a medical study.
You can exfoliate in different ways. The body has a natural process of cell turnover, but as we get older this process becomes lazier, a little sluggish and causes many skin problems. In order to make all the ingredients of your skin care products, including prescription ointments and topicals do their job and go where they should go, you have to exfoliate.
You want the layer of dead cells that covers the pores gone. And you are right, because once the dead cells are gone; everything you apply will find its way easier and will work deeper and better. I like to compare the exfoliation process with trying to bring objects in your house, such as furniture, large appliances, or even if you just want to enter the house. Don't you have to open the door, the window, or do something, so the things get inside? The same thing happens with exfoliation. If you apply crèmes, skin topicals, or serums on a skin that isn't prepared for it, it is like treating a dead thing, a dead surface. It will not work. You pay for those products; get the most out of them.
You can exfoliate once or twice a week or as often as your dermatologist or your aesthetician recommends. There are physical and chemical exfoliators.
A few examples of chemical peel exfoliators:
• glycolic acid
• lactic acid
• malic acid
• alphahydroxy acids
• betahydroxy acids
• kojic acids
A few examples of physical exfoliators and some possible, safe combinations:
• brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and olive oil
• kosher salt mixed with olive oil
• one-half seedless grape dipped in brown sugar or salt
• shaving foam mixed with fine salt
• baking soda mixed with honey
• crushed walnuts (very fine) mixed with olive oil
• crushed berries (fine) mixed with honey and olive oil
• glycerin mixed with brown sugar
• corn meal mixed with salt or sugar, or just corn meal
• 1/4 cup corn meal mixed with 1 Tbsp. grated ginger root (washed and peeled) and a splash of whole milk
• 1/2 cup corn meal mixed 1 tsp. honey, 1 egg white, 1/2 banana, 1 Tbsp. avocado
• Mix coffee grounds with sea salt. Use this mask-exfoliator in the shower. Coffee grounds contain oil and you have to be careful. Put a dark color towel in the tub before entering. Apply this mixture on the thighs and under chin first, to make them stay longer, then exfoliate your body. This combination releases the extra liquid accumulated in your body. After showering, your skin will radiate health. It will have a tinny tan color from the coffee grounds, depending on how long you keep it on the skin. When the excess water accumulates between fat cells, it will be distributed evenly and the trouble spots will look smoother and will be less noticeable.
• Mix 1 tsp. raw honey with 1 tsp. aloe vera juice. It takes a little time to blend it completely. It works as a mild exfoliator and as a mask. It is messy but it feels good.
• Mash a ripe plum and apply all over your face, neck and décolleté, rub gently, leave on 20 minutes. Rinse with tepid water. It works very well for large, clogged pores.
The olive oil listed in all mixtures can be replaced with jojoba, rosehip or grapeseed oil. It is a personal preference; I just like olive oil, the bible moisturizer. All those wonderful exfoliators will give you a nice, clean skin. By exfoliating, you help your skin to get new, healthy layers. The home exfoliators cannot replace a professional microdermabrasion treatment but they are good helpers for your beauty.
Since we will talk about microdermabrasion, I need to explain and clear a few details. I know you purchased this book to be able to do your "homework." There is a home model, but the results will be different from the professional model. You will need to choose depending on what your expectations are. You can achieve good results using the home model or exceptional results when you go to a professional.
In 1992, I trained in Paris on how to do microdermabrasion treatments. I had to wait for a few years for the FDA to approve the system to be used in the USA. I was one of the first to buy and use the reputable Italian model called Power Peel. The results that you can get by using Power Peel are exceptional.
Now let me tell you about the difference between the professional and home model. The professional machine uses a coarse or medium grit, aluminum crystals, baking soda, water jet, etc. When the skin is treated with these kinds of particles or methods, the treatment will produce a microscopic wound-healing response, leading to collagen production.
The vacuum used by the professional equipment stimulates blood circulation, so more nourishment goes to the skin; more oxygen, more of everything the skin can benefit from. The home model softens and smoothes the skin, but it doesn't have the "oomph" of the vacuum to address scars and wrinkles.
Keep using the home model and get professional treatments anytime you can afford the time and money. One more thing about exfoliation: be sure you treat your neck and décolleté the same way you treat your face. The body should be exfoliated 2-3 times a week using upward, circular movements. The body lotion will penetrate faster and will do a much better job. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much advice, but if you can master a paraffin cover after your exfoliation procedure without burning yourself, then you are a pro. If you decide to use paraffin be sure you test the temperature before touching your skin.
• Dip some cheesecloth into paraffin and wrap it around your elbows.
• Dip your hands few times keeping your fingers apart, wait few seconds, cover with dry towels and RELAX ...
After removing the paraffin, add more night cream and more body lotion. Cut the toes of some old cotton socks and put them over your elbows. Wear socks and gloves to sleep and in the morning, you will not believe how soft the skin is.
Hydration
Skin hydration is vital for a healthier, good-looking skin. If you want to have a glowing skin, hydration is a very important step in your beauty regimen. Look what happens if you are not hydrated enough: dry skin, fatigue, weakness, dry mouth, loss of appetite, decreased urination, dark colored urine and thirst.
Nature gives us a strong lesson about hydration. We just have to be able to see the similarities: Dry a grape and you get a raisin. Dry a plum and you get a prune. If I have a shirt that has wrinkles, I just toss it with a wet towel or a wet dryer sheet in the dryer for a few minutes and the wrinkles will be gone. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to do this for our own wrinkles?
Drink the recommended amount of water and apply hydrating creams.
Drink before you are thirsty and a good reminder to help you remember to drink the water is to keep the glass or bottle of water in your sight. If you see it, you will drink it.
Hydrating from the inside out will help your skin stay firm and plumped and I think is the most beneficial hydrating process. To prevent water loss from skin cells, apply a moisture sealer that can be a rich, emollient moisturizer followed by a hydrating oil that will act like a protective barrier.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Skin and Beauty WISDOM by GABRIELA VOICULESCU Copyright © 2012 by Gabriela Voiculescu. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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