What Do The Ingredients in My Moisturizer Do For My Skin?

You couldn’t go a day without water to hydrate your body, so you should hold moisturizer for your skin in the same regard. Both provide hydration for your body and keep you healthy – just in different ways.  Not to mention, it just feels refreshing applying it after getting out of the shower!

Moisturizer Ingredients

Why you need hydration for your skin:

  • To make your skin look healthy – smoother, softer, fresher looking
  • To attract water to your skin cells
  • For your skin to function at peak performance
  • For smoother makeup application
  • To prevent wrinkles and/or slow down the wrinkling process

When you are searching for a moisturizer, the labels can be overwhelming.  Let’s help you get to the bottom of what the different ingredients actually do:

  • Occlusives (such as dimethicone, petrolatum, paraffin, and lanolin) – form a barrier on the epidermis. This prevents the loss of water when skin is exposed to wind or dry air.
  • Emollients – fill spaces between rough or peeling skin cells. This smooths the surface of the skin. Mineral oil, lanolin, and petrolatum are occlusive agents that also act as emollients.
  • Humectants (such as alpha hydroxy acids, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, sorbitol, urea, propylene glycol, and sugars) attract water into the skin cells. This causes the skin surface to plump up (temporarily), which makes it appear smoother.
  • Caffeine – perking and plumping benefits. It helps with circulation and is also a powerful antioxidant, with the ability to calm red or irritated skin from rosacea and sun damage.
  • Vitamin A – encourages healthy skin cell production. Retinol, retina,l and retinoic acid are important to the production and growth or cells. It also stimulates fibroblasts—the cells responsible for developing tissue that keeps skin firm and healthy.

  • Vitamin B5 – stabilizes the skin barrier function, reducing the amount of water lost through the skin. Increases the skin’s hydration and improves its softness and elasticity. Ideal for the dry, scaly or rough skin.
  • Vitamin C –Treats dryness, age spots, wrinkles, and redness. Makes skin feel more firm. Brightens and evens your skin tone. Protects skins and fights skin damage.
  • Vitamin E – Blocks free radicals from the body, which play a large part in the aging process. Reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots. Also known as a wound healer, protects skin, and fights skin damage.
  • PABA-Free SPF Sunscreens – help prevent premature lines and wrinkles by protecting skin from the sun’s harmful rays.

So the moral of the story – moisturize every single day and protect your skin. No exceptions and no excuses! Be sure to read the ingredients before you buy.

Looking for high quality skincare? We carry some great product lines at our cosmetic and facial surgery clinic in Surrey. Call us for more information or come by to check them out yourself!

 

 

Men: Botox is for YOU Too!

It is normal for everyone to want to look and feel their best – not just women. Anti-aging treatments are often thought of as something that women focus on to protect their beauty, but men want to keep their youth as long as possible too! Stats actually show that visible signs of aging are a common concern in counselling and coaching sessions of males. Women just talk about it more.

More and more, men are interested in skincare than ever before too, and this is a great thing. It’s not just about using a drugstore bar of soap and water anymore.

This is likely large in part because we are at a time when people are taking so many photos and posting them online. It makes people notice things about how they look that they may not have years ago. It can also make people feel self-conscious or insecure…and also make them start to compare themselves to others in the same age group.

Certain career paths can also contribute to this movement – body builders, actors, and public figures are more likely to look into ways in which they can preserve their looks and build their confidence.

So what can Botox do for you?

Botox not only softens the lines you currently have. It can also prevent wrinkles from forming. This is a great example of why it is good to be proactive instead of reactive.

botox surrey

If it is your first time and you are apprehensive, start with one area instead of feeling like you need to target several areas of your face. It is also good to take a “less is more” approach in terms of the amount. “Rested and refreshed” should be the goal.

When people say others look “plastic”, this is only because it has been overdone. It takes a lot to get to that point, so don’t let that deter you from trying it.

This is also why it is so important to get this done by a professional in a reputable clinic with a lot of experience. Don’t go for “cheap” or deeply discounted offers. When dealing with Botox or any type of procedures on your face, you don’t want to take any shortcuts.

Plus, it’s a really quick procedure. You can pop in on a work break and head right back to the office. The only thing you should be aware of is to stay away from going to the gym for a day (a good excuse for a rest!). This is simply because it could cause the Botox to metabolize prematurely and you don’t want it veering off from the targeted spots.

So men…if you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles or temporarily get rid of the ones you have, don’t delay, make an appointment for  Botox today! What have you got to lose?!

Located in the Vancouver area? Come see us at New England Oral & Facial Surgery for Botox in Surrey! We have lots of male clients. You will be in great hands!

 

Commit to Feeling Great in the New Year!

When January 1st rolls around, so do the New Year’s resolutions.  People usually focus on health-related goals such as eating healthier, quitting smoking, losing weight, or fitness. How about committing to feeling more youthful and confident with a quality skin care regime, an anti-aging procedure, or finally getting to that cosmetic facial procedure that you have been putting off for years?

In addition to living a healthy lifestyle to make you feel great on the inside, looking more fresh and youthful on the outside will increase your confidence and be a great boost for your self esteem.

How you can do this?

  1. Use high quality cosmetics that will stimulate new collagen and soften the appearance of fine lines. Choose products that contain Vitamins C, E, A, and AHAs. Call us for more information about the Obaji Nu-Derm Skin Care System – it is designed to correct damage on all of the layers of the skin.
  2. Always use sunscreen. Even if the sun is hiding, the UV rays aren’t.
  3. Get Botox – Say goodbye to crows feet, worry lines, and laugh lines. It’s amazing what a difference this can make!
  4. Facial Fillers – Reduce or possibly eliminate deep wrinkles with Juvederm.
  5. Lip Enhancement – Get the look of a provide a fuller lip line or more defined features.
  6. Book a consultation to speak with a doctor about that cosmetic facial procedure that you have always been curious about – whether it be cheek implants, a chin implant, or jaw profile surgery. Even if you don’t want to commit right away, or need time to save money, you will at least have the information and be getting the ball rolling in the right direction!

So start the year off right and put your best foot forward in sticking to your new year’s resolution! Cheers to a safe, prosperous, and healthy 2016!

 

6 Ways to Protect Your Skin from Aging Prematurely

Aging is inevitable, but the health and lifestyle choices you make can help determine how graceful you will age. Poor choices can cause premature aging and make you look older than you are. And no one likes the sound of that, right?

Luckily there are non-invasive cosmetic procedures like Botox and dermal fillers such as Juvederm which can greatly reduce or eliminate wrinkles and expression lines when they surface. However, if you are investing in these procedures, you should also be doing whatever you can to preserve yourself from the inside-out too.

Here are 6 ways to be proactive when it comes to protecting your skin and youthfulness:

(1) Limit Sun Exposure – Everyone loves the sun, but the harsh reality is that is can be very detrimental to our skin. Increased sun exposure leads to sun spots, wrinkles, sagging, and just an overall more weathered appearance. Most importantly, you are also risking the chance of getting skin cancer if you do not take precautionary measures.   Be sure to ALWAYS use a sunscreen that protects against harmful UVA and UVB rays – even on cloudy days, as these can be deceiving. Even if the sun is not beaming down on you, the ultraviolet rays are.

(2) Exercise, Exercise, Exercise – When you are active, your muscles get toned and your blood gets flowing. Working out on a regular basis not only makes you feel healthier – you LOOK healthier too! People will notice you have a glow to you and comment that you look great, because it will show. Plus, just having more energy will make you happier and that will also exude a more youthful appearance.

(3) Stop Smoking – With all of the information we have on the dangers of smoking, it is surprising that so many people still indulge in this terrible habit. Research shows that smoking leads to premature aging, dry skin, and a depletion of Vitamin C. It will also lead to ‘smokers lines’ around the mouth from puffing on the cigarettes.

(4) Limit Alcohol Intake – With alcohol consumption, small blood vessels dilate and blood flow increases near the skin’s surface. In time, these blood vessels can become permanently damaged, which can lead to a flushed appearance and broken vessels on the skin’s surface.

(5) Get Plenty of Sleep – Lack of sleep can make you feel cranky and lethargic, but it can also make you look tired in the form of dark circles and bags under the eyes and sagging skin. Ideally, you want to be getting 8-9 hours of sleep each night…and develop a routine where you go to bed and get up at the same time everyday. Plus, you should definitely limit your caffeine during the day, and eliminate it in the evening.

(6) Reduce Stress – Stress has been referred to as the new biological clock because stress and worry can accelerate aging. With adequate exercise, relaxation, nutrition, and sleep, you can help minimize the impact that stress has on your body. You may also want to seek outside support to better cope with stressful situations when they occur.

The importance of self-care cannot be emphasized enough. Taking good care of your mind, body, and spirit is the most important step of your anti-aging skin care routine.