debbiedavis, Author at Sleekskin® Aesthetics of Scottsdale AZ offers facials, waxing, make-up applications, and skin care products. • Page 9 of 54

Protecting ourselves from the sun is more than just an outside job

July 7, 2021 by debbiedavis

With the UV index registering off the charts these days, our need to protect ourselves from the sun is as important as ever! Although sunscreen is a great way to fend off the harmful rays, many do contain very harmful chemicals.

In 2019, the FDA published findings stating that the ingredients…

Homosalate
Avobenzone
Oxybenzone

Are not safe to use and when placed on our skin, it is absorbed directly into our bloodstream and can put us at risk for health problems.

So what does this mean for sunscreen?!

This does not in any way mean that you shouldn’t be protecting your precious skin with sunscreen products that are safe! It just means that you must be more cautious about what ingredients are in the sunscreens you’re using. The FDA did go on to show that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are both safe and effective!

All of this being said, we cannot stress enough that sunscreen is really just one of many steps that we must take to protect ourselves from ultraviolet radiation. Like we always say, healthy skin starts from within, and skin protected from the sun is no different.

What can you add into your diet to protect yourself from sun damage?

Nicotinamide: Derived from B3, this powerful nutrient helps reduce UV induced immunosuppression as well as assisting with DNA repair. You can get this by eating a diet rich in:

Poultry
Fish
Eggs

If these are not a part of your diet, consider consulting your doctor about adding a niacin supplement to your diet.

Red orange extract:

Imagine if you could reduce the intensity of your sunburn by up to 35%?! Red orange extract is definitely worth considering adding into your diet, perhaps just a drop into your water in the morning!

Astaxanthin:

Astaxanthin is known for helping promote moisturized skin while reducing the appearance of wrinkles for more reasons than one! It has also been shown to help protect us from the sun. As if we couldn’t get enough of this stuff and it’s benefits, it is also cancer preventative! Both topically and orally, astaxanthin is worth checking with your doctor to see if it is safe to begin supplementing! Sleekskin® Aesthetics also proudly offers an antioxidant serum that contains astaxanthin, Sleekskin® Brilliance Antioxidant Serum, great to put on before going out in the sun!
Whatever you do, make sure to take care of your skin and to let Sleekskin® Aesthetics help keep your complexion gorgeous, glowing and healthy! Schedule an appointment for a facial and to check out some of the very best skincare products in Scottsdale!

Hormones and their role in our complexion

June 2, 2021 by debbiedavis

Do you feel like you have the perfect skincare routine, but your complexion doesn’t seem to agree? Perhaps your hormones are to blame! Our endocrine system affects virtually every aspect of our body and overall health, so it’s no surprise that it plays a role in our complexion as well. Luckily, knowledge is power! Understanding what triggers unfavorable hormonal responses is the first step to getting these things under control and achieving the gorgeous, glowing complexion we are all after.

Things that could be disrupting your hormones:

Your Diet

The food you eat absolutely affects your hormones, thus affecting your skin. Foods that produce high amounts of inflammation in the body cause a disruption in the hormones that can lead to frustrating breakouts on the face and even eczema on the body. Avoiding foods such as:

Dairy
Processed sugars
Bleached flours.

… can make such a difference in your skin complexion.

Your Sleep Schedule

Making sure that you are getting an adequate amount of sleep each night as well as keeping a semi-regular sleep schedule is extremely important to your skin’s appearance. Not getting enough sleep can severely disrupt your hormones which can have negative effects on your skin, including:

Reducing elasticity and moisture.
Causing breakouts.
Puffiness.

Getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night is a great way to help prevent signs of aging as well as acne.

The skincare products you’re using

I cannot stress this one enough. Using the wrong skin products is arguably worse than not using any at all. Many skincare products contain toxins that disrupt our hormones causing premature aging as well as chronic breakouts. That’s right, the very thing you are using to better your skin could be ruining it!
Use quality skincare products that don’t contain parabens and BPAs.

All about the Gut/Skin Connection and the Role it Plays in your Complexion!

April 30, 2021 by debbiedavis

The knowledge surrounding gut health and how it affects other areas of our lives is continually growing. From our energy levels and mood to our sleep and wake schedule, our gut health affects it all, so it is no surprise it plays a major role in our skin complexion as well. An unhealthy gut can contribute to our skin:

Appearing red.
Being dry and flakey.
Experiencing acne breakouts.
Being overly oily..

…or just plain unpredictable. So why is this?!

The gut, skin axis

The intestines and the skin are the two organs that experience the most contact with the outside world, so it is no wonder that they are in constant communication. Infact, the skin is one of the best indicators for dietary insensitivities or nutrient imbalances. The skin is the body’s main way of detoxification and if our gut is struggling to manage and regulate the bacteria in it, our skin is one of the first places it will show.

How to improve your gut health

Consult your doctor about a probiotic
Would you believe me if I told you that the human body is made up of more bacteria than human cells? Believe it or not, this is the case! Our cells are outnumbered by bacteria 10 to 1, which is why what we feed these

bacterias are important. Probiotics are essentially a way to make sure the good bacteria in our body is outweighing the bad. Just like we would treat your skin with a probiotic mask during a facial, we recommend you consider treating you gut microbiome to a probiotic as well.

Identify food sensitivities

One huge culprit for red and inflamed skin are food sensitivities. A major indicator that you could be eating something that your immune system is trying to fight is if you are chronically experiencing acne breakouts, rashes, and other forms of irritated skin. Other helpful clues of a food allergy or insensitivity can include:

Frequent, unexplained bloating.
Fatigue.
Headaches.

If you’re unsure what it is that triggers the reaction, elimination diets, such as Whole30 can help you discover what foods are the issue.

Clean up your diet

Even if you don’t necessarily have a food intolerance, certain foods still wreak havoc on your gut health. Foods that are overly processed, including artificial sweeteners and bleached flour, have been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome. Eliminating these foods can truly benefit your skin.
Interested in learning more ways that you can improve your skin complexion? Head over to www.sleekskin.com and schedule an appointment today!

What science is deeming a main culprit of aging!

April 5, 2021 by debbiedavis

There are plenty of external culprits that age skin, like our skincare (or lack thereof ;)) but science has identified a major cause for aging skin that actually starts from within. Inflammation has been majorly linked to aging; so much so, the scientific community has given it it’s own name, “inflammaging.” From this type of inflammation our skin can begin to experience:

Fine lines
Dryness
Age spots

What exactly is “inflammaging?”

Inflammaging is chronic, low-grade activation of the immune system that causes inflammation and results in downstream tissue damage. This tissue damage is greatly to blame for visible skin aging as well as putting us as risks of chronic diseases including:

Diabetes.
Autoimmune disorders.
Dementia.

Not all inflammation is bad, infact, some inflammation is good. It acts as a protectant from an injury or an infection. It is when it is a constant, low level of inflammation that it becomes worrisome. This chronic inflammation causes our skin to show signs of aging such as fine lines and skin spots but how do we stop it?!

How to prevent “Inflammaging.”

Eating resistant carbs: This is a great way to get prebiotics. Starches like rice and potatoes are normally very easily digested when cooked. When we cool them, the starches get bound together and our bodies cannot break them apart and use them. What we can’t absorb becomes food for the bugs in our gut, balancing our immune system and inflammation. Another great source of resistant carbs are ripe bananas! Both of these actually nourish the good bacteria in your body.

Reduce Cytokines: Cytokines are what your cells put off to create an immune response. Overproduction of these triggers a chronic inflammatory response. Ways to combat these include:

Melatonin.
Vitamin E.
Healthy fats.

Retinoids: Retinoids have been linked to reducing inflammation. When directed by a skin expert (we recommend retinol radiance by Sleekskin Aesthetics® when used topically), they have great benefits and have been shown to reduce inflammation. But did you know we can get retinoids through our diet as well? Red and orange colored foods are colored that way because of retinoids. Dark leafy greens and liver are also excellent sources.

The bottom line is, there are countless steps we can take to slow the aging process and protect our health. What do you choose?

The Secret to Staying Young Forever

March 1, 2021 by debbiedavis

So many of us are in pursuit of eternal youth. We all want to know how to look and feel young for as long as we possibly can. So what is the secret? Whether we desire flawless, supple skin or pain-free movement, we must take a holistic, or WHOLE-istic approach as I like to call it, to our health. When we do this we will not just feel “young” forever but for a majority of us, we will actually feel even BETTER!

What does the WHOLE-istic approach look like, you say?! Well, I’m glad you asked!

The secrets to staying young forever

Gut Health is Key

Gut health is such an important component of our overall well being. Our gut health affects so many things including our skin complexion and energy levels. Effective ways to improve your gut health include:

Removing processed and artificial sugars from your diet.
Reducing stress levels.
Adding fiber-rich foods to your diet.
Taking a probiotic.
Eating fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.

Inflammation is not our Friend

There has literally been a term coined for the damage inflammation causes. “Inflammaging,” is the new way that the scientific community refers to the metabolic response and age-related diseases that are brought on as a result of high levels of systemic inflammation. You can help combat high levels of inflammation by:

Eating plenty of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon.
Remove processed sugars from your diet.
Identify any food sensitivities you might have, such as dairy or gluten, and cut them out of your diet.
Eat plenty of foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, to help fight free radicals.

Detox, Detox, Detox

Everyday, just by existing, we are exposed to so many toxins. Giving our body plenty of opportunity to rid itself of them without putting added stress on the body is very important. Effective ways to assist the body in detoxification include:

Saunas.
Eating cruciferous vegetables.
Drinking plenty of water.
Vigorous exercise.

We can also remove toxins from our life wherever possible. Choosing the correct, and healthiest skincare or house cleaning products can truly make all the difference.

Take Care of your Hormones

Would you believe how much our hormones dictate our health?! They affect how much energy we have, how and where we hold our weight, they even affect the appearance of our skin and hair. That is why keeping your hormones balanced is so important. Little things you can do to keep your hormones healthy include:

Getting enough sleep.
Managing cortisol levels by eating after intense exercise and reducing our stress levels.
Make sure you’re getting the right nutrients, such as vitamin D and magnesium.

Limit Your Stress

Just by minimizing your stress levels you would help improve everything we have covered on this list so far. We underestimate how much stress actually ages us. Easy ways to limit your stress include:

Get a facial!!!
Taking up a yoga or meditation practice.
Journaling.
Spend time doing some self-care.

Stay Active

Whether our priority is how we look or how we feel, staying active is a huge part of aging gracefully. Getting regular doses of moderate exercise is key to:

Slowing cell aging by increasing the length of telomeres (which can also be done with Sleekskin® Telomere Intensive Moisturizer).
Helping you strengthen and create more energy producing mitochondria.
Making your heart more efficient.
Keeping your metabolism and hormones properly regulated.

Get a Sleekskin® facial

Rather than being reactive with your skincare routine, consider being proactive. Regular facials can help keep your complexion clear and the muscles in your face firmed to reduce wrinkles.

We may not be able to stop the clock, but there is a whole lot that we can do to preserve our youth and our health! Or as Mary Kay would say, “If a woman doesn’t take the time, time will take the women!”

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