iLift From Emerge Skin Is Coming On January 28th

Someone has said “If you are happy within, world is yours” but I think it needs an amendment. Your appearance reflects your mood so better be happy and let world embrace you! Who won’t love to have a glowing skin? But afraid to make efforts, right? Okeah! Here I have something that need not require any effort. iLift by Emerge Skin Care is a revolutionary transdermal Eye Lifting Fluid that is anticipated to be released on 28 January 2008. This lifting fluid for the eyes contains the highly effectual mixture of Bio-Peptides. It is noticed to be 100% safer and maintains softer skin. A survey reveals that around 91% experienced a visible reduction in the appearance of fine liness, puffiness and sagging.

Ilift Revolutionary Transdermal Eye Lifting Fluid ILift is a lifting fluid for the eyes containing the highly effective combination of Bio-Peptides. Results Of independent study users saw: 100% Noticed softer, smoother skin. 91% Saw a visible reduction in the appearance of fine liness, puffiness and sagging, firm skin. Active Ingredients Pepha1®-Tight - is a unique Algae Extract Pullulan based skin tightener. It tightens the skin immediately and at the same time provides a long-term effect by strengthening the skin's connective tissue. EyePro8X® - Emerge skin care has created naturally based blend pf actives which is proven to reduce puffiness and sagging, firm skin, moisturize, and energize the eye area. Matrixyl 3000® - Increases cell turnover, firmness, elasticity and smoothness and brings about fine line reduction. Emerge Skin Care The Signature of Excellence in Professional Skin Care : the mythology, the professional expertise, the quality process. Today, all people want effective ingredients, organic formulas, real results. This is why our products are developed by leading scientists and constantly reviewed to take account of the latest scientific discoveries and the newest, most effective active principles. Each skin care product then undergoes rigorous checks and tests of effectiveness in our research laboratory, in order to ensure its total safety and maximum efficacy. Everyone wants beautiful skin ... what's new is how we do it! Like NO other skin care products available today, Emerge Skin Care® Cosmeceuticals offers a complete line of professional, natural, high performance skin care products using the latest in Bio-Peptide Technology and a commonsense "be good to yourself" approach blending the best of both science and beauty! Experts agree that Emerge Skin Care® Cosmeceuticals formulated with advanced Bio-Peptide Technology certainly "raises the bar" and that this targeted, science-based approach to healthy skin is here to stay! 100% fresh, natural skin care conceived and formulated from the "molecules up" to be clearly the most advanced anti-aging skin care products that you'll ever use! Your skin has never felt so clean, soft, balanced and pure.

Countdown: In 2 Months For ILIFT From Emerge Skin Care

Emerge Skin Care is coming out with one of the most amazing eye lifting & firming eye serums - smooth and lift your tired eye area with this miracle eye serum called Ilift from Emerge.
Not on the market yet, but it's coming and it is truly amazing stuff.

Battle Plans for Your Skin from the Neck Down

When it comes to skin care, most women tend to focus on their faces, forgetting about the other parts of their bodies. Many women barely have time to deal with putting on their makeup and flossing, much less paying attention to their skin care needs from the neck down!

Yet some of the most telltale signs of aging are often quite evident from the neck down. This is especially true if you haven't been as diligent about protecting your body from sun exposure as you may have been with your face. Your hands, forearms, and chest (décolletage) can look older than need be if the proper steps aren't taken. If you are over 40, sun damage (brown spots, creping, and loss of elasticity) is most likely becoming more and more evident on those areas.

One pertinent fact for skin anywhere on your body is that every inch has the same needs when it comes to skin-care products. Skin is skin and it needs to be protected from the sun and it is far healthier and softer (and, dare I say it, younger looking) when the products you apply are loaded with antioxidants, ingredients that mimic the structure of skin, anti-irritants, and cell-communicating ingredients. Just like the face, the skin on the body can also function better and absorb moisturizer better when it is exfoliated, so the use of a well-formulated AHA or BHA product can create smooth, even textured skin like you've never experienced before. The notion that the neck, chest (elegantly referred to as the décolletage) or any other part of the body has different basic skin care needs is a way to waste money, not help your skin.

The following is a daily Do Not Forget List for those often-forgotten parts of your body.

Avoid Soap: Soap or bar cleanser is almost always drying and the ingredients that keep bar cleansers solid are not the best for skin. Whenever possible, especially if your skin is dry, your body will feel and look much better using a gentle body cleanser (also known as shower gel or body wash). And this doesn’t have to be expensive—it is shocking how similar these products are regardless of the price tag or claim on the label.

Neck and Chest (décolletage): The bottom line is that whatever you are applying to your face, you should also be applying to your neck and chest. Don't forget daily application of the following: sunscreen (SPF 15 or greater with UVA-protecting ingredients, such as any Paula's Choice Sunscreens) if this area is exposed to daylight. At night a moisturizer loaded with state-of-the-art ingredients applied over slightly damp skin is extremely beneficial. An exfoliant can evenly and gently peel away sun-damaged layers of skin. For severe sun damage in this area, speak to your dermatologist about using a prescription tretinoin product (such as Renova) or having a series of AHA or BHA peels. You can also consider a skin lightening product with hydroquinone to deal with skin discolorations. (Emerge Skin Care) Skin Lightening Gel

Hands and Arms: All of the basics for the neck and chest area apply here as well but it helps to be fastidious about your use of sunscreen. Hands get hammered from unprotected sun exposure. The crepey skin and brown discolorations that start showing up on the back of your hands and arms between the ages of 35 and 40 are all about sun damage. Every day of the year it is critical to apply sunscreen and be sure to reapply it every time you wash your hands. This is easier said than done, and it helps to keep a small tube or bottle of sunscreen in your purse, so you don’t skip this step when you’re away from home.

Knees, Heels, and Elbows: The skin over these areas tends to be thick, rough, and often callused. A topical exfoliant containing 1% or 2% BHA (salicylic acid) can eliminate the problem when used daily. Knees, heels, and elbows also benefit from application of an extremely emollient moisturizer or balm-type product.

Special Needs

Blemishes
Though we often think of blemishes as a facial issue, for those who struggle with blemishes on other parts of their body, backs, neck, thighs, or buttocks, they know all too well how frustrating this can be. Regardless of where a blemish occurs, the same battle plans that apply for breakouts occurring on your face apply from the neck down. Do not use bar soap or cleansers--the ingredients in bar cleansers can clog pores. Using a gentle cleanser, a well-formulated exfoliant (to keep pores from getting clogged) and a benzoyl peroxide product (to prevent blemishes) is state of the art for battling blemishes.

Keratosis Pilaris

This skin disorder is one that lots of people struggle with. It is a very common problem involving tiny, benign, raised bumps found typically on the upper arms, thighs, shoulders, and back. Keratosis pilaris tends to be more severe during the winter months but no one is sure why that is the case and it definitely isn't consistent for everyone. Basically, these bumpy rough spots are clogged pores that can get red and irritated but rarely itch. Regrettably there is no available cure or universally effective treatment, though it is generally well accepted that unclogging pores and reducing inflammation can greatly improve matters.

Alpha hydroxy acids (typically lactic or glycolic acid, both very effective forms of alpha hydroxy acid) can help exfoliate skin cells, but these aren't effective for dissolving the sebum (the hardened oil inside a pore) that cause the problem. As a result, alpha hydroxy acids can't penetrate into the pore and exfoliate the lining of the pore to help remove the plug. For this type of problem a beta hydroxy acid product (with the active ingredient salicylic acid) and a pH low enough for exfoliation to occur can make all the difference in the world. It is also helpful to avoid bar soaps that can irritate skin or cause clogged pores. A gentle body shampoo is best. Keep in mind you can’t scrub away the plugs, this will only inflame the area more and still leave the skin feeling rough and bumpy below the surface where the problem exists and the abrasive can't reach.

Note: I hear from many readers dealing with keratosis pilaris that their dermatologist consistently recommends treating it with an AHA product, specifically LacHydrin, available at most drugstores. I'm not sure why these doctors aren’t recommending BHA products instead, but suspect it's because they’re unaware of the small number of options available. Needless to say, the comments I hear are that the AHA product did not reduce the keratosis pilaris, and the doctor had no other options to offer, which left the patient frustrated. Given what we know about keratosis pilaris and how BHA products work, it makes sense to consider them before trying an AHA product, however well-intentioned your dermatologist’s advice may be.

Another common condition that can manifest itself as visible red bumps on the arms and thighs is bacterial folliculitis. This inflammatory condition involves an infection of the hair follicle by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. It begins with mild swelling and redness around the hair follicle and may eventually become small, inflamed pustules. This condition is most common in persons with a lot of body hair, but can occur on anyone. The most common form of prescribed treatment is a course of oral antibiotics (penicillins, cephalosporins) but topically applied antibiotics are also helpful. You can also try treating the affected area with daily application of a product containing 5% or 10% benzoyl peroxide. This topical disinfectant is often helpful in keeping these inflamed, acne-like bumps under control.

Home methods to get rid of Acne

There can be so many ways and creams that you might have already seen and used. But most of them are not 100% safe and effective. Many creams that claim to finish Acne within weeks would have side effects, or some of the methods told by your friends or elders just don't seem to work in your case. So what to do?

We provide you some of the most basic and simple steps that would help you to get rid of pimples from within.

• Drink 8 or more glasses of water a day. Drinking water hydrates your skin and helps your skin to reatin its health and the same time cleans the pores through sweat. This proves a great deal in avoiding more pimples.
• Avoid touching your face, as this just spreads bacteria. The pimple or acne in your face is also caused due to unhygenic habits. Your pimples are the breeding grounds of many bacteria. The bacteria can be transferred to other parts of your body through your fingers. You would only help bacteria and pimples to grow more.
• Wash your face with warm water twice a day. Washing prevents the harmful bacteria from growing further in your skin. If you use good cleansers and use face-wash you would are more likely to open your skin pores and remove the dirt clooged in it. Proper cleaning also prevents the harmful bacteria from your skin thus, causing pimples to vanish!
• If you want to get rid of your pimples faster then you can try out putting ice on them for 30-60 seconds. Repeat the same procedure every 30 minutes. And then apply alcohol by gently rubbing it with a peice of cotton in your face.
• If you noticed that new pimples have just started to appear in your skin you should try egg white. When you see the first sign of pimple just try applying egg white in your face, particlulary in the affected area. Wash your face as you normally would and use cotton swab to apply. See how pimples vanish!

Accutane Acne Medication

Generic name: isotretinoin. A prescription-only drug derived from vitamin A, and which is taken orally. It essentially stops the oil production in sebaceous glands (the oil-producing structures of the skin) and literally shrinks these glands to the size of a baby's. This prevents sebum (oil) from clogging the hair follicle, mixing with dead skin cells, and rupturing the follicle wall to create an environment where a bacterium (Propionibacterium acnes) can thrive, which can result in pimples or cysts. Normal oil production resumes when treatment is completed, and the sebaceous glands slowly begin to grow larger again, but rarely as large as they were before treatment. "Because of its relatively rapid onset of action and its high efficacy with reducing more than 90% of the most severe [acne] inflammatory lesions, Accutane has a role as an effective treatment in patients with severe acne that is recalcitrant to other therapies".
However, Accutane is controversial for many reasons, principally because of its most insidious side effect: It has been proven to cause severe birth defects in nearly 90% of the babies born to women who were pregnant while taking it. Other commonly reported, although temporary, side effects of Accutane include dry skin and lips, mild nosebleeds (your nose can get really dry for the first few days), hair loss, aches and pains, itching, rash, fragile skin, increased sensitivity to the sun, headaches, and peeling palms and hands. More serious, although much less common, side effects include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, changes in mood, depression, severe stomach pain, diarrhea, decreased night vision, bowel problems, persistent dryness of eyes, calcium deposits in tendons, an increase in cholesterol levels, and yellowing of the skin.

Antioxidants and Free-Radical Damage

Antioxidants and free-radical damage are considered so vital to our understanding of the origins of cancer, aging, illness, and disease that they have become a profound area of research. An "antioxidant" isn't a type of ingredient, but the function a specific ingredient can perform on the skin. Free-radical damage is what antioxidants are supposed to take care of, either by stopping new damage, or by reversing earlier damage caused by free radicals.

Let's begin by saying that free-radical damage is bad for the skin. Theoretically, free-radical damage can cause deterioration of the skin's support structures, decreasing elasticity and resilience. The presence of antioxidants in the diet, and, possibly, the topical application of antioxidants in skin-care products, plays a part in slowing down free-radical damage. Antioxidants are ingredients such as vitamins A, C, and E; superoxide dismutase; flavonoids; beta carotene; glutathione; selenium; and zinc.

Despite the proliferation of skin-care products containing antioxidants, according to Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of antioxidants research at Tufts University, "there is no conclusive scientific evidence that antioxidants really prevent wrinkles, nor is there any information about how much antioxidant(s) or exactly which one(s) has to be present in a product to have an effect."

Even if antioxidants did work to prevent free-radical damage on the skin, the results would hardly be immediate. Free-radical damage in the human body can continue for years before any deterioration can be detected and you can't slap on an antioxidant and expect to immediately notice your wrinkles disappearing.

Despite this lack of hard evidence, fashion magazines and cosmetics companies have heralded the elimination of free-radical damage as the fountain of youth. The excitement around antioxidants is understandable. According to many skin experts, all aspects of aging, including wrinkling, are caused by free-radical damage. Vitamin and cosmetics companies want you to believe their antioxidant products can eliminate it. It isn't known is whether or not you can really stop free-radical damage from taking place on the skin.

Free-Radical Damage
Free-radical damage occurs on an atomic level. Molecules are made of atoms, and a single atom is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Electrons are always found in pairs. However, when oxygen molecules are involved in a chemical reaction, they can lose one of their electrons. This oxygen molecule that now only has one electron is called a free radical. With only one electron the oxygen molecule must quickly find another electron, and it does this by taking the electron from another molecule. When that molecule in turn loses one of its electrons, it too must seek out another, in a continuing reaction. Molecules attempting to repair themselves in this way trigger a cascading event called "free-radical damage."

What causes a molecule to let go of one of its electrons, generating free-radical damage? The answer is oxygen or any compound that contains an oxygen molecule, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide) plus sunlight, and pollution.

You may be asking: With all that free-radical damage taking place, and all this oxygen around us (the air we breathe contains about 20% oxygen), how is it that we are still walking around? Why are we still living? The answer to that is antioxidants.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants prevent unstable oxygen molecules (made unstable by loss of one electron) from interacting with other molecules (taking one of their electrons) and consequently causing them to become unstable, a process that starts the free-radical chain reaction. Fortunately, a vast assortment of antioxidants can be found in both the human body and in the plant world.

So what does that have to do with wrinkles? No one is exactly sure, but theoretically wrinkles appear when the free-radical damage originates from natural environmental factors and fails to be cancelled out by some amount of antioxidant protection. If we don't get enough antioxidant protection, either from our own body's production, from dietary sources, or from antioxidants, including those we put on our skin, free-radical damage continues unrestrained, causing cells to break down and impairing or destroying their ability to function normally.

There's just one problem, the fact that free-radical damage is constant and extensive. Major investigation is now underway in this fascinating area of human aging and sun damage, factors that influence wrinkling. However, the research is still in its infancy, and suggesting anything else is sheer fantasy.

Almost every company makes moisturizers that contain antioxidants, so they aren't hard to find. You won't see any difference in your skin, but if free-radical damage can be slowed, then antioxidants should help. Many scientists think that if there is a fountain of youth, antioxidants could be in it.

Please checkout Emerge Vitamin C Plus

Natural Ingredients

If there is one cosmetics industry buzz word that gets almost immediate consumer attention, it's "natural." Whatever preconceived or media-induced fiction someone might believe about natural ingredients being better for the skin has no factual basis or scientific legitimacy. Not only is the definition of "natural" hazy, but the term isn't even regulated, so each cosmetics company can use it to mean whatever they want it to mean. "If a company wants to call their products natural, it can, and it doesn't matter what they contain. [The] FDA has tried to establish official definitions for the use of certain terms such as 'natural' but its regulations were overturned in court. So companies can use them on cosmetic labels to mean anything or nothing at all."

In the world of skin care and makeup, the claims about all-natural products are either exaggerated because the products are laden with lots of unnatural ingredients, or the natural ingredients they do contain are problematic for the skin. Just because an ingredient grows out of the ground or is found in nature doesn't make it automatically good for skin, and the reverse is also true, just because it is synthetic doesn’t make it bad. Yet there are many beneficial natural ingredients for skin, which makes the whole issue more confusing because consumers are often at a loss (or simply don’t have the time) to determine which natural ingredients are helpful and which are harmful (and more products than I care to count contain a frustrating combination of both).

Fruits, vegetables, or any pure food ingredients are not necessarily the best for skin. When it comes to skin care, more often than not, it is some small element of the plant that has benefit for skin. Extracting this component from the plant almost always requires a process that is synthetically derived. Further, these extracts are far more stable than the whole food. Think about it this way: a plant in its pure form isn't stable in the least, especially in skin-care products. Just think of how long a head of lettuce lasts in your refrigerator. It would be far worse sitting on the counter in your bathroom! Regrettably, natural or plant-based preservatives have extremely poor antimicrobial or antifungal properties. Complications for skin due to a product being contaminated are a serious consideration when it comes to how a product is preserved.

Many companies claiming to be all-natural are anything but. They achieve the appearance of being all natural by listing a natural ingredient description in parentheses next to the more technical-sounding ingredient on their label. Although this appears to be helpful information, it still leads consumers in the wrong direction. For example, ammonium lauryl sulfate, a standard detergent cleansing agent, is listed on an Aveda ingredient label as being derived from coconut oil. While that makes the ingredient sound natural, what the label doesn't explain is what the coconut oil has to go through to become ammonium lauryl sulfate. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is the salt of a sulfuric acid compound, neutralized with an ingredient like triethanolamine. None of that makes this ingredient bad for skin, and I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid ammonium lauryl sulfate, but that is the more accurate description of that ingredient and it just isn't "natural." Along with this deception, products from companies that want you to believe they are all natural often, if not always, contain a vast array of synthetic ingredients.

It is important to point out that many natural ingredients can cause allergies, irritation, and skin sensitivities. Just think of how many people have a hay fever response to a wide variety of plants, and observe how many of these plants show up in cosmetics. Citrus often shows up in skin-care products, but most of us have gotten lemon or lime juice on a slight cut while cooking and know it burns like crazy because it's irritating to skin. Camphor (which is distilled from certain trees), peppermint, menthol, and eucalyptus can all cause an irritant or sensitizing response. All of the following natural ingredients can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, skin sensitivity, and/or sun sensitivity:

• Almond extract



• Allspice



• Angelica



• Arnica



• Balm mint oil



• Balsam, basil



• Bergamot



• Cinnamon



• Citrus



• Clove



• Clover blossom



• Cornstarch



• Coriander oil



• Cottonseed oil



• Fennel



• Fir needle



• Geranium oil



• Grapefruit



• Horsetail



• Lavender oil



• Lemon



• Lemon balm



• Lemongrass



• Lime



• Marjoram



• Oak bark



• Papaya



• Peppermint



• Rose



• Sage



• Thyme



• Witch hazel



• Wintergreen

The label might say natural, but you could be buying a purely irritating product that might cause an allergic reaction. Simply saying a product is "natural" doesn't tell you anything about the efficacy of the ingredients in a product. Remember, poison ivy is natural too, and I can't imagine a fan of all-natural products applying that to their skin instead of a benign synthetic ingredient.

The notion that natural ingredients are better than synthetic ingredients is even more distressing, because it just isn't true. While vegetable or plant oils may sound better for the skin, varying forms of silicones (i.e., siloxanes, dimethicones, cyclomethicones) are just as beneficial and offer impressive benefits for the skin. But it's hard to glamorize and advertise a "synthetic," unnatural-sounding ingredient. Silicones show up in over 80% of all skin-care, makeup, and hair-care products you buy. Yet you rarely hear about them because the cosmetics companies think consumers won't find them as sexy or alluring as plants, or oxygen therapy, or cellular repair, or a thousand other marketing angles that have nothing to do with what really works for your skin.

I'm not saying there aren't a large range of natural ingredients that are exceptional for the skin, because there are—lots and lots of them—but the idea that they are the "best" (or only) option for skin is just not reality. If you want to use products that contain helpful, non-irritating natural ingredients, what should you look for? The following natural ingredients (though keep in mind the natural form and, at times, the function of these ingredients may be altered after they're treated and prepared for use in a cosmetic product) each have beneficial properties for skin, mostly by making dry skin look and feel better or functioning as antioxidants:

• Alfalfa



• Algae



• Aloe



• Andiroba oil



• Apricot kernel oil



• Artichoke extract



• Avocado oil



• Babassu oil



• Bearberry extract



• Beeswax



• Black currant oil



• Black elderberry



• Black tea



• Bladderwrack



• Borage seed extract



• Borage seed oil



• Burdock root



• Candelilla wax



• Canola oil



• Carnauba wax



• Carrot extract and oil



• Castor oil (all forms)



• Ceramides



• Chamomile extracts



• Cocoa butter



• Coconut oil



• Cornflower extract



• Corn oil



• Cranberry seed oil



• Curcumin (tumeric)



• Elderberry



• Evening primrose oil



• Flax extract and oil



• Ginkgo biloba



• Grape seed extract



• Grape seed oil



• Green tea



• Hazelnut oil



• Hemp seed oil



• Honey



• Horse chestnut extract



• Hydrocotyl extract



• Irish moss



• Japan wax



• Jojoba oil



• Kaolin



• Kelp



• Kudzu root



• Kukui nut oil



• Lanolin (all forms)



• Licorice extract and root



• Linseed oil



• Lotus seed extract



• Macadamia nut oil



• Magnesium



• Mallow



• Matricaria



• Nettle



• Oat extracts



• Olive oil



• Oryzanol



• Ozokerite



• Palm oil



• Peanut oil



• Pecan oil



• Pine cone extract



• Propolis



• Pycnogenol



• Rapeseed oil



• Raspberry seed oil



• Rice bran oil



• Rose hip oil



• Safflower oil



• Sea whip extract



• Seaweed



• Sesame oil



• Shea butter



• Slippery elm bark



• Soybean extract



• Soybean oil



• Sunflower oil



• Sweet almond oil



• Tea tree oil



• Vanilla Planifolia



• Walnut oil



• Wheat germ glycerides and oil



• Wheat Protein



• Whey Protein



• White tea



• Willow bark



• Willowherb (fireweed) extract



• Yeast



• Yucca extract

Stretch Marks

It isn't a stretch (pun intended) to say no one wants stretch marks on any part of their body. Once these grooved, tread-like marks show up, the quest to find something, anything to get rid of them begins. As you might imagine, I receive an amazing number of emails asking me which products or medical procedures really get rid of stretch marks. I'm sure the volume of these questions is in direct response to the assortment of advertisements promising to smooth out these strange bodily striations. In the world of cosmetics, a consumer's burning desire to have flawless skin always leads to hype and myths about what products can and can’t work. And bogus products for stretch marks abound.

Products that lead women to waste their money and hope for an improvement in the appearance of stretch marks include StriVectin-SD, Mederma, Vita-K Solution, Magia Bella, Maternity Solutions, ScarSof Scar Softening Cream, Phytomer, Decleor, Mustela, and Caudalie. Despite the ads you've seen and the claims you’ve heard about these products, none of them have substantiated evidence they can make a positive impact on the formation or prevention of stretch marks, but of course, that never stops the cosmetics industry from trying to convince you otherwise.

Medically speaking, stretch marks are called striae distensae. While we know a lot about stretch marks, there is still a great deal not yet fully understood about their cause and restoration .

Stretch marks occur when skin is abnormally distended or stretched for a period of time, such as from pregnancy or weight gain, causing the skin's support structure (in the form of collagen and elastin) to break down or rupture. In fact, the visibly curled ends of stretch marks are actually bands of elastin broken beneath the skin. Essentially, stretch marks are a scar that has formed from the inside out, rather than scarring that occurs when skin is externally wounded. There appears to be a genetic tendency toward them, but the exact link is not clear. It is speculated that the way each person's skin heals is a good indicator of the depth and severity of stretch marks they may eventually see. A person whose skin heals well with minimal scarring can expect less obvious stretch marks, while skin that heals poorly (or slowly) or tends to develop raised or thickened scars can generally expect stretch marks that are more pronounced.

It may surprise you to know that in the United States it is estimated that 90% of pregnant women, 70% of adolescent females and 40% of adolescent males have stretch marks. There does not seem to be an ethnic tendency toward stretch marks, as all races can be affected. Individuals with fair to light skin typically have pink-tinged stretch marks while the same marks on darker skin tones tend to take on a deeper pigmentation than the skin surrounding them. Discoloration from these marks does fade over time, but regrettably, the striated appearance rarely returns to its original smooth appearance.

Is there anything you can do to improve or eliminate the appearance of stretch marks? First of all, you need to know that, despite numerous cosmetic products (StriVectin-SD being the most heavily advertised) making claims of being able to fade, prevent, or eliminate stretch marks, that just isn't possible. There are no cosmetic ingredients that can change the structure of skin in a way that would raise the indentations back to where the skin level used to be. However, there is research showing tretinoin (the active ingredient in Retin-A, Renova, or in generic form) can have a positive effect. Because tretinoin can stimulate elastin synthesis, remodel collagen in the dermis, and improve skin’s texture and color, it can be a strong (though not curative) ally for improving the appearance of stretch marks. A 0.05% or 0.1% concentration of tretinoin is recommended, and the best results are seen when this drug is used at the first signs of stretch marks.

Other than topically applying tretinoin there are other medical cosmetic corrective procedures that can have very good results. These methods include chemical peels and non-ablative laser treatments. Studies have been conducted using Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) treatments emitting 585 nanometers (nm) of light. Results after five sessions were labeled as a clinical improvement, with microscopic analysis showing improvement in the length, depth, and coloration of stretch marks. This type of laser carries a low risk of side effects and complications when operated at appropriate treatment parameters and time intervals.

Beyond non-ablative lasers, you can also consider a series of chemical peels. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels may be of some help for improving the appearance of stretch marks when used at the proper concentration (typically 20% TCA) and applied by a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon skilled in the use of this type of peel. A benefit of TCA peels (and the reason it can help improve the appearance of stretch marks) is their skin-tightening effect. Because TCA peels penetrate further than AHA or BHA peels, they are believed to have a greater ability to stimulate collagen and elastin for the depth of damage seen in stretch marks. As you may recall, deep damaged strands of these skin-supporting substances are chiefly responsible for the emergence of stretch marks.

One more myth to bust: you may have heard that specific moisturizing ingredients such as cocoa butter, vitamin E, or other various plant oils can prevent or reduce the appearance of stretch marks. As soothing and moisturizing as these ingredients are, they have no impact on how stretch marks are formed. Stretch marks are not caused because skin is dry or needs a special supplement. Rather stretch marks develop far below the skin's surface due to extreme strain, stress, and trauma that eventually breaks down the skin's support structure. No moisturizer in the world can prevent that kind of injury and damage to the skin from taking place.

Facial Lift Exercises

I am completely bewildered by the enthusiasm facial exercises seems to generate. I get swarms of letters from women telling me that I have my non-exercised head screwed on wrong when I suggest that facial exercises don't work. But is there any research that explains the mania surrounding all this stretching of the face muscles?

For the most part, facial exercises are more a problem for skin than a help. Facial exercises provide little or no benefit because loss of muscle tone is not a major cause of wrinkles or sagging skin. In fact, muscle tone is barely involved in these at all. The skin's sagging and drooping are caused by four major factors:

1) Deteriorated collagen and elastin (due primarily to sun damage);
2) Depletion of the skin's fat layer (a factor of genetic aging and gravity);
3) Repetitive facial movement (particularly true for the forehead frown lines and for smile lines from the nose to the mouth);
4) Muscle sagging due to the loosening of facial ligaments that hold the muscles in place.

Facial exercise is not helpful for worn-out collagen, elastin, or the skin's fat layer, because none of that is about the muscles. It is especially not helpful for the lines caused by facial movement! Instead, facial exercises only make those areas appear more lined. The reason Botox injections into the muscles of the forehead and facial lines work to create a smoother face is because Botox prevents the muscles from moving!

Facial exercises won't reattach facial ligaments; that is only possible via surgery. One procedure in a surgical face-lift is to re-drape the muscle of the cheek and the jaw, drawing it back and then literally stitching it back in place where it used to be. Exercise doesn't reattach the ligaments, it just tones the sagging.

The ads for facial exercises often tout the fact that the facial muscles are the only muscles in the body that insert (or attach) into skin rather than into bone. They then use this fact to explain why, if you tone facial muscles, they directly affect the appearance of the skin. What this doesn't say is that skin movement is one of the things that causes the skin to sag. If you are doing facial exercises and can see your skin move or frown lines and laugh lines look more apparent, it only makes matters worse.

As I was researching this article I found the name of one dermatologist whose name showed up repeatedly on Web sites selling facial exercise programs. Dr. Wilma Bergfeld, Head of Clinical Research, Department of Dermatology at The Cleveland Clinic and the first woman president of the American Academy of Dermatology (1992) was quoted as someone who thought facial exercise was worthwhile. I had to hear this for myself. I spoke with Dr. Bergfeld and it turns out she isn't quite a supporter of facial exercises. "While there is no research or studies demonstrating facial exercises as being helpful, it is a reasonable assumption that it may be useful," she said. "Though I don't recommend them I do believe they could work in some controlled situations. However, you would never want to do anything that moves the facial skin, especially as it ages, or overmanipulate the skin," Bergfeld added, "because it would create more wrinkling, increasing the loss of elasticity in the skin."

If facial exercises that move the skin are problematic, what about electrical stimulation for the facial muscles? Wouldn't that form of involuntary stimulation tone the muscles without causing movement of the skin? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. It would exercise the muscle without moving skin. But there is no research demonstrating that this wouldn't make matters worse by creating surfaced capillaries, and it doesn't address the issue of the muscle being toned in the wrong area (since most women start this treatment only after the muscles are already sagged and stretched). And it won't affect the ligaments that have caused most of the sagging and drooping in the first place.

Battle Plan for Eczema

Eczema is a very personal issue for me because it was a skin disorder I struggled with from the age of 8 until my early 30s. Even now I occasionally get patches of eczema and I always have a tube of prescription strength tube of cortisone cream nearby. It was at its worst when I was very young. More than 70% of my body was covered with itchy, raw, reddened, crusted areas of skin. I was in and out of dermatologist offices trying to find some kind of resolution, which never really came until much later in life when the condition resolved itself. I have the deepest empathy for those afflicted with this condition. While we know more about how skin functions than ever before, eczema is still a mystery. Medicine has taken some leaps forward in this arena, but it has also fallen back in dealing with this enormously uncomfortable skin affliction.

Eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) is a general term used to describe a strange variety of skin rashes ranging from small sections of skin that are slightly itchy, somewhat dry and irritated to chronically inflamed, oozing, crusted areas covering the entire body and accompanied by incessant itching. Though some similarities exist, interestingly, eczema can have multiple appearances, looking and feeling completely different person to person. The most common areas for eczema to occur are in the folds of the arms and legs, the back of the neck, back of the hands, tops of feet, and the wrists.

Despite years of research, the actual cause of this condition remains unknown. One of the predominant theories is that someone with eczema has a short-circuited immune response. What that means is the skin reacts abnormally when a substance comes in contact with the skin. In severe cases of eczema, the substance can be as benign as water. For others the trigger can be anything from clothing, detergents, soaps, grass, food products, allergens (including dust mites) to a lack of humidity, or a combination of elements. Even more frustrating is that the reaction can be intermittent with no real rhyme or reason for why or when. There also appears to be a hereditary component to eczema. For example, children whose parents suffer from eczema run an 80% chance of developing it themselves. Further, in both children and adults, stressful situations tend to trigger, prolong, or worsen eczema flare-ups.

Regardless of the source, eczematous skin reacts to a substance or environmental condition by spinning out of control and generating mild to severe inflammation, which produces itching and scratching.

Some of the more typical forms of eczema are:

Atopic eczema (also referred to as atopic dermatitis): Perhaps the most pernicious and painful types of eczema, it's characterized by its severity and intolerable sensation of itching and irritation leaving skin raw, fissured, and vulnerable to infection.

Allergic or irritant contact dermatitis: This specific form of eczema occurs when a particular substance comes in contact with the skin causing the immune system to overreact, becoming inflamed and sensitized. Most typically this can be caused by fragrance, nickel, detergents, wool, grass, citruses, household cleaning products, and vinegar. Once you’ve identified the specific substance, avoiding it often solves the problem. A subset of this condition is eyelid dermatitis. Typically mild to moderate redness is present, as well as scaling, flaking, swollen skin. This is extremely common and almost exclusively affects women in relation to their use of hairstyling products, makeup, and nail polish when it comes in contact with the eye area with the most common culprits being nail polish, perfume, and preservatives. The best way to solve the problem is to stop use of the offending product(s) and find options that don’t trigger a reaction.

Infantile seborrhoeic eczema: Better known as cradle cap, this form of eczema generally only affects babies during the first year of their life. The crusty, thick, sometimes reddened lesions may look problematic, but this disorder is rarely itchy or even felt by the child.

Adult seborrhoeic eczema: Shows up for most people past the age of 20 and 40. It is usually seen on the scalp as mild dandruff, but can spread to the face, ears and chest. The skin becomes red, inflamed and starts to flake. The condition is believed to be caused by a yeast growth. If the condition becomes infected, treatment with an anti-fungal cream may be necessary.

Nummular eczema: Typically localized on the legs, nummular eczema is characterized by coin-shaped patches of pink to red skin that may take on an orange cast if crusting or scaling is present. If treatment is not used, the dry, scaly spots typically darken and thicken. This type of eczema is most common in adolescent girls and women between the ages of 50–60 and the condition tends to occur in winter.

Treating Eczema

With no cure on the horizon, there are still a number of treatments that can help reduce symptoms and mitigate the level of discomfort.

Gentle, effective skin care: Surprisingly, the first line of defense is a gentle skin care routine that prevents or reduces inflammation and keeps the skin moist and intact. Improving the skin’s outer structure by providing it with antioxidants, ingredients that mimic the substances found in normal, healthy skin, anti-irritants, and emollients can offer amazing results for most forms of eczema. Those specific recommendations are at the end of this article.

Avoid irritants: Aside from using a gentle skin care routine and a well-formulated moisturizer, avoiding the things that can trigger skin reactions is also of vital importance. Steering clear of known irritants and prolonged contact with water can be incredibly beneficial. It also helps a great deal to reapply moisturizer within seconds of washing any part of the body, but especially the hands because soaps and cleansers are notorious for triggering a reaction. If you know what substance is causing your skin to react, don't wear or use it ever again, if possible. And if you use bar soaps or bar cleansers, definitely switch to a water-soluble liquid cleanser that contains gentle detergent cleansing agents (avoid any that contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate).

Topical steroids: The most typical and successful medications used are prescription-strength topical steroids (cortisone creams). Over-the-counter cortisone creams can be effective for very mild or transient forms of eczema but when those fail, prescription cortisone creams can save your skin. Though there are no short-term detrimental side effects of using most strengths of cortisone cream, it is still important to only apply it on the affected areas and then only as needed. Repeated, prolonged application of cortisone creams (over years, not short-term treatment) can cause thinning of the skin and prematurely age skin.

Oral steroids: In severe cases of eczema when topical steroids have failed to produce any relief, oral steroids may be prescribed, but only under a doctor's scrutiny due to the serious side effects associated with this type of medication.

Topical Immunomodulators: In 2000 and 2001, Protopic (active ingredient tacrolimus) and Elidel (pimecrolimus) were approved by the FDA as new topical drugs for the treatment of eczema. These are not cortisones or steroids but drugs that can regulate the skin's immune response. Initial studies were extremely positive and "The FDA based its approval on the results of three 12-week studies which indicated that 28-37% of patients using Protopic experienced greater than or equal to 90% improvement of their skin condition, as measured by physicians, and two one year studies that indicated that the drug is safe for intermittent long term use." (Source: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS01060.html.) Elidel works in the same manner and studies were equally positive. In other words, by suppressing the immune system it prevents the skin's own problematic immune response to otherwise benign substances from causing red, itchy, inflamed rashes.

Regrettably, in March 2005, the FDA announced a public health advisory for Elidel (pimecrolimus) Cream and Protopic (tacrolimus) Ointment "to inform healthcare providers and patients about a potential cancer risk from use of Elidel (pimecrolimus) and Protopic (tacrolimus)…" The FDA went on to explain that "This concern is based on information from animal studies, case reports in a small number of patients, and how these drugs work [suppressing the immune system can cause cancer cells to proliferate that would otherwise be attacked and destroyed by a normal functioning immune system]. It may take human studies of ten years or longer to determine if use of Elidel or Protopic is linked to cancer. In the meantime, this risk is uncertain and FDA advises that Elidel and Protopic should be used only as labeled, for patients who have failed treatment with other therapies." (Source: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/elidel_protopic.htm.)

Phototherapy: Research has shown that exposing skin to UVA or UVB light can help reduce the symptoms of chronic eczema. Under medical supervision the use of specially designed bulbs encased in a box can allow affected parts of the body to be exposed to the light source. More severe or chronic eczema can be treated with UVA light in combination with a prescription medication called psoralen. Psoralen can be administered either orally or topically, increasing the skin’s sensitivity to light. This treatment is known as PUVA (Psoralen + UVA light).

Phototherapy treatments are complicated and expensive. They are administered several times per week over a span or one week to several months at a doctor’s office. Moreover, the risk of accelerated aging of the skin and increased risk of skin cancer from ultraviolet radiation therapy can be the same as for sunbathing.

Alternative treatments: For those looking for alternatives to prescription treatments and methods over and above the ones mentioned above, an interesting study on eczema appeared in the January 2001 issue of The Archives of Dermatology. This study reports research in Japan that d emonstrated that two-thirds of the patients with eczema improved after a month of drinking a liter of oolong tea daily. According to the study "118 patients … were asked to maintain their dermatological treatment. However, they were also instructed to drink oolong tea made from a 10-gram teabag placed in 1000 milliliters of boiling water and steeped for 5 minutes. After 1 month of treatment 74 (63%) of the 118 patients showed marked to moderate improvement of their condition. A good response to treatment was still observed in 64 patients (54%) at 6 months."

The study concluded that "The therapeutic efficacy of oolong tea may well be the result of the anti-allergic properties of tea polyphenols." While the study didn't look at the effect of tea drinking if the topical treatments were stopped, the patients did receive some benefit. So by combining topical treatments (moisturizers and possibly cortisone cream) with some oolong tea, perhaps the benefits will add up so those with eczema can breathe a sigh of relief.

Ways to Help Prevent Wrinkles

The plan below is designed to improve the overall appearance of your skin by supplying it with gentle, effective, and protective ingredients that have a proven track record for helping wrinkled skin look and feel better. Providing such benefits to skin on a daily basis will enhance its health and appearance, encourage collagen production, and help generate normalized skin cells, which means wrinkles can be greatly reduced! Notice I did not write "eliminated." Regrettably, there is no magic potion or combination of products in any price range that can truly make wrinkles disappear. The wrinkles you see and agonize over (not to be confused with fine lines caused by dryness—these are easily remedied with a good moisturizer) are the result of cumulative sun damage and the inevitable breakdown of the skin's natural support structure. Skin care ingredients, no matter who is selling them or the claims they assert, cannot replace what plastic surgeons or cosmetic dermatologists can do.

The basis of the following step-by-step plan is what the skin needs to repair itself and function optimally:

* A state-of-the-art sunscreen whose formula goes beyond basic sun protection. The first and foremost best defense against wrinkles is the daily use of an effective, well-formulated sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher. Daily application of a sunscreen (be it in your moisturizer or foundation) is critical to preventing new wrinkles and keeping existing lines from deepening each year. Ignoring this fundamental principle and focusing instead on anti-aging claims (which, if they don't involve sunscreen, don't require proof of efficacy) is an open invitation for more wrinkles, skin discolorations, and potentially, skin cancer. The basics to look for are a product rated SPF 15 or higher, and make sure it has one of these ingredients listed as active to ensure adequate protection from UVA rays: avobenzone (also known as Parsol 1789 or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide. Outside the United States, Mexoryl SX and Tinosorb are effective UVA-protecting ingredients. Beyond that, it is extremely beneficial if the sunscreen you choose is also loaded with antioxidants, anti-irritants, cell-communicating ingredients and ingredients that mimic the structure and function of healthy skin. An abundant amount of scientific research is proving how antioxidants not only boost a sunscreen’s efficacy but also play a role in mitigating sun damage by reducing free radicals and skin inflammation that sun exposure generates. A state-of-the-art sunscreen contains not only effective UVA-protecting ingredients but also includes antioxidants and other ingredients that help skin look and feel better. In short, for optimal benefit and healing, your sunscreen needs to go beyond just deflecting ultraviolet rays; it must also work on a cellular level to prevent damage.

* Retin-A, Renova, Avita (drug name tretinoin) and Tazorac (drug name tazarotene), prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist, are still the gold standards among topical prescription products for improving the appearance of sun-damaged (wrinkled and discolored) skin. Tretinoin has the ability to return abnormal skin cell production back to some level of normalcy—think of it as the guru of cell-communicating ingredients. The result in most cases is an improvement in skin's collagen production, which makes skin smoother and offers a modest (but noticeable) decrease in the depth and appearance of wrinkles; Tazarotene is believed to work similarly to tretinoin.

* An effective AHA or BHA product. One significant consequence of sun damage is that the outer layer of skin becomes thickened, discolored, rough, and uneven. The best way to help skin shed abnormally built-up layers of dead, unhealthy skin is to use a well-formulated alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta hydroxy acid (BHA) product. Such exfoliation will not only even out skin tone it will also produce a significant improvement in the texture of skin. Another benefit is that exfoliating away accumulated layers of dead skin cells helps other products you use, particularly moisturizers, penetrate skin and be far more effective. The most researched forms of AHAs are glycolic or lactic acids. Salicylic acid is the sole BHA option. For AHAs, look for products that contain at least 5% AHA, but preferably 8-10%. If the percentage isn’t listed on the label, then the ingredient should be at the top of the ingredient list. For BHA products, 0.5% to 2% concentrations are available.

The difference in concentrations between AHAs and BHA is not a qualitative one. AHAs are not more effective or better than BHA because of the increased concentration needed for one versus the other. Rather, leave-on, daily use AHAs are effective at 5% to 10% and BHA at 1% to 2%.

If you are battling wrinkles and stubborn blemishes or blackheads, BHA is the better choice because salicylic acid can also improve the shape of the pore. Whether you choose an AHA or BHA product, it is essential that the pH of the product is between 3 and 4. This range is necessary for either ingredient to exfoliate skin. You can find products with a pH lower than 3, but these tend to be too irritating for all skin types, which negates their benefits. (When I rate skin-care products with AHA or BHA, the pH is always tested to be sure it can indeed exfoliate skin.)

* Hydroquinone-based, skin-lightening products. If sun- or hormone-induced discolorations are present, a skin-lightening product is needed. Look for one with a texture you prefer (cream, lotion, gel) that contains 1% or 2% hydroquinone. This ingredient has an abundant amount of research showing its safety and efficacy in improving the appearance of brown discolorations by inhibiting melanin production. Hydroquinone is also available in higher concentrations by prescription (an example would be TriLuma, which combines 4% hydroquinone with tretinoin and a corticosteroid). You may want to consider a skin-lightening product that also contains glycolic or salicylic acid because these exfoliants can speed up the results. Although hydroquinone has the highest efficacy and longest history of safe usage behind it, there are alternatives that have shown some promise for lightening skin, but these have been minimally researched and the results pale when compared to hydroquinone. It is interesting to point out that these alternative ingredients are, ironically, derivatives of hydroquinone. They include mitracarpus scaber extract, Uva Ursi (bearberry) extract, which contains arbutin, and forms of arbutin. Other options with some degree of research regarding their potential skin lightening abilities are kojic acid, licorice extract, azelaic acid, and stabilized vitamin C. What has not been conclusively established for most of these hydroquinone alternatives is how much is needed to obtain an effect. Compared to the extensive research concerning hydroquinone's effect on human skin, these alternatives may very well disappoint.

* Be gentle! Don't forget that gentle cleansers and products that don't contain irritating ingredients play an important part in helping your skin look better. Using a gentle, water-soluble cleanser further minimizes skin irritation, prevents moisture loss, and won't leave a skin-dulling residue. No cleanser will change a wrinkle, but cleansing skin gently and reducing irritation and inflammation helps the healing process that occurs from such products as sunscreens and tretinoin.

* A well-formulated, state-of-the-art moisturizer (serum or liquid textures if you have normal to oily or blemish-prone skin) can go a long way toward improving skin's texture, enhancing its radiance, and creating a smoother, more supple surface. A gel, cream, serum, or lotion that is loaded with antioxidants, ingredients that mimic the structure of skin, cell-communicating ingredients, and anti-irritants can generate new collagen, create normalized skin cells, and reduce further damage. Make sure the packaging will keep its beneficial ingredients stable once the product is opened. That means opaque tubes or bottles with pump applicators or small openings, and avoiding clear packaging and jars of any kind.

Because most cosmetics companies (and the cosmetics industry at large) are acutely aware of consumer desire to forestall aging and stop wrinkles in their tracks, you will repeatedly encounter products at every retail venue promising to lift, firm, and tone the skin, along with decreasing (or dramatically reducing) wrinkles via this week's miracle ingredient or complex. Don't fall for it, at least not at the expense (and it often is very expensive) of not using an effective sunscreen or considering the proven options above for improving the appearance of sun-damaged (wrinkled) skin. Almost without exception, if an anti-wrinkle claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That doesn't mean the product in question isn't worth considering, just that is isn't the fountain of youth so many of us are perpetually seeking.

These routines are a great way to start. Use these links for more Emerge Anti-Aging Skin Care product options:

Battle Plans for Fighting Acne

There is very little mystery about how a pimple is created. It essentially starts with hormones causing some amount of excess oil production in the pore. For some reason, the oil cannot get out in an even flow, possibly as a result of an abnormally shaped pore. This backed up oil, along with a buildup of dead skin cells in the pore lining, form a blockage and eventually, a clogged pore. A specific type of bacteria (called propionibacterium acnes) existing in the pore thrives on the oil and dead skin cells, flourishes, and as a result causes the skin to become inflamed. The inflammation and bacteria proliferation result in a pimple.



There are limited studies looking at the role diet plays in causing and/or treating acne. For some individuals an allergic reaction to certain foods such as nuts, salmon, or dairy products can trigger inflammation in the pore, resulting in blemishes. Research indicates that dietary supplements, such as zinc or vitamin A, are most likely not effective in the treatment of acne. These supplements may very well be unhealthy if too much is taken.



For optimal results when fighting blemishes and acne:



1) Reduce oil to eliminate the environment that acne-causing bacteria thrive in.



2) Exfoliate the skin's surface and within the pore to improve the shape and function of the pore.



Please Checkout Emerge Acne Skin Care

Getting Rid of Blackheads

A lot of people are frustrated or confused about how to win the battle against blackheads (technically called comedones) or whiteheads (technically called milia). Why all the confusion? Primarily it's because the many products claiming they can rid the face of these black dots don't work. The problem persists and often these same products don't improve conditions, but make matters worse. In reality, aside from misleading marketing claims, the truth about blackheads (usually accompanied by oily skin) and whiteheads (accompanied by either dry or oily skin) is hard to accept. What is the truth? To put it plainly, they are just hard to get rid of. It is difficult to fight clogged pores but there are things you can do.

Here's how it works: A normal functioning pore produces a normal amount of sebum (oil). When a normal amount of oil is produced, it effortlessly moves through the pore and out onto the surface of skin, where it melts into an imperceptible film forming a protective, healthy barrier over the face. The amount of oil produced is regulated almost exclusively by hormones, specifically androgens, which are the hormones that create masculine human characteristics.

When hormones cause too much sebum (oil) to be produced, dead skin cells are in the way, and the pore is impaired or misshapen, the path for the oil is blocked, creating a clog—a perfect environment where blackheads or/and whiteheads can occur. Further exacerbating these conditions are the use of skin-care or makeup products containing ingredients similar to the composition of sebum (human sebum is a mixture of triglycerides, fatty acids, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol, and cholesterol esters). All these substances are typically found in thousands of cosmetic products and they can absorb into the pore, adding to the build up of sebum. Interestingly and contrary to popular belief, the ingredients mineral oil and petrolatum cannot absorb into the pore because their molecular size is too large. Both ingredients feel greasy, especially on oily skin, but neither has been proven to clog pores or contribute to blackheads. In short, when a combination of skin cells and too much sebum are trapped inside a pore and the pore is not covered over by skin, the clog is exposed to air, causing cells and sebum to oxidize and resulting in the dark color of a blackhead. When the sebum and skin cells are inside a pore that is covered by skin, they are not exposed to air and therefore stay clear, but form a slight white bump under the skin.

The never-ending questions are: Why do some people get whiteheads and not blackheads? Why does the problem occur in some areas of the face but not others? What causes some products to make people break out but not give them blackheads? And finally, what makes some products cause blackheads but not acne? Those questions have no specific answers. It seems to be primarily a genetic predisposition accompanied by the right conditions (mentioned above) randomly taking place in any one of the thousands of pores we have on our face. Not to mention an unknown reaction to the thousands and thousands of different cosmetic ingredients we may come in contact with from the various products we use.

Other than avoiding products that are too emollient (meaning thick or greasy creams) and not using moisturizers unless you truly need them, there are really only four essentials for dealing with whiteheads and blackheads:

1) Gentle, water-soluble cleansers (and avoiding bar soap). The ingredients that keep soap in its bar form can clog pores, and irritation can cause skin cells to flake off before they're ready and accumulate in the pore. The good news is that there are lots of gentle cleansers to consider. It's actually getting more and more difficult to find a cleanser that isn't gentle. Someone with dry skin would want to use a slightly more moisturizing cleanser—but be careful: cleansers that are too emollient can contain ingredients that add to the sebum in your skin causing further problems.

2) Gentle exfoliants that can both remove the excess skin cells on the surface of the face (so they don't build up in the pore) and exfoliate inside the pore (to improve the shape of the pore, allowing a more even flow of oil through it). Keep in mind that the pore itself is lined with skin cells that can build up, creating a narrowed shape that doesn't allow for natural oil flow out of the pore. But don't get carried away with this step. Overdoing it (removing too many skin cells) can cause problems and hurt skin. Exfoliation is essential for both dry and oily skin to eliminate blackheads or whiteheads. Again, someone with dry skin will want an exfoliant that has a more moisturizing base.

The best option for a good exfoliant is a 1% or 2% BHA gel, liquid, or lotion. There are still only limited options for this one, including Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Anti-Blemish Daily Moisturizer, Paula's Choice 1% or 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid products, and Serious Skin Care Clarifying Treatment with 2% Salicylic Acid. If you cannot use a beta hydroxy acid, you might want to try an alpha hydroxy acid, but AHAs are not able to penetrate the pore lining and affect mostly the surface of skin. That can be helpful, but salicylic acid can absorb into the pore lining and improve conditions.

By the way, topical disinfectants such as benzoyl peroxide or topical antibiotics available by prescription do not help in the treatment of blackheads and milia because there is no bacterial involvement related to these conditions.

3) Deeper exfoliation treatments for stubborn blackheads and milia are options you may want to consider. Microdermabrasion, either from an at-home treatment (Neutrogena's At Home Microdermabrasion System) or the procedure performed at a doctor's office or spa are options. Also AHA or BHA peels and laser resurfacing may possibly have a positive impact on the appearance of blackheads and milia. However, the research on this is at best limited. Anecdotally, it appears to be an option. Keep in mind that none of these treatments alter hormone function or the structure of the pore, or improve pore functioning—rather, they temporarily get rid of the surface problem, making the skin look better in the short term.

4) Absorbing excess oil. This step is for those with oily skin and is not necessary for those with whiteheads and dry skin, because with dry skin the problem isn't about excess surface oil, it's only the oil trapped inside the pore. For those with oily skin, clay masks (that don't contain irritating ingredients of mint, peppermint, camphor or the like) are an option and oil-absorbing papers can also help.

5) Retinoids play an important role in successfully battling blackheads. Retinoids are forms of vitamin A that can actually help skin cells function normally and improve the shape of the pore so oil flow is normalized and clogs are far less apt to take place. The most typical and well-researched retinoids are tretinoin (found in prescription medications such as Retin-A, Renova, and Avita,), adapelene (found in the prescription drug Differin) and tazarotene (found in the prescription drug Tazorac). These can be used on their own or with a BHA product. Research has definitely established that tretinoin and adapelene have positive effects on how pores function, and these products should be a strong consideration for battling blackheads or breakouts in general.

6) Hormone blockers, birth control pills, and Accutane: For those with severe oily-skin conditions, prescription medications such as hormone blockers or certain low-dose birth-control pills can reduce hormone levels of androgens which are the cause of excess oil production. And, when all else fails, Accutane should definitely be considered. Though many doctors are reluctant to prescribe Accutane for "merely" oily skin and blackheads, for those with that kind of persistent skin problem, it does not feel like a "mere" problem in the least and Accutane can be a cure. Either way these are all options (albeit serious ones) you can talk over with your physician.

7) Removing blackheads: This isn't a pretty topic, but it is a fact of life and human nature that just leaving a blemish or blackhead alone is almost impossible. Fortunately, gently removing a blackhead or blemish with light-handed squeezing can actually help the skin. Removing the stuff inside a blackhead or especially a pimple relieves the pressure and reduces further damage. Yes, squeezing can be detrimental to the skin, but how you squeeze determines whether you inflict harm. If you oversqueeze, pinch, scrape the skin with your nails, or press too hard, you are absolutely doing more damage than good. Gentle is the key word and, when done right, squeezing with minimal pressure is the best, if not only, way to clean out a blackhead or blemish.

How not to over-squeeze? Although I never recommend steaming the face (heat can cause spider veins to surface and create irritation), a tepid to slightly warm compress over the face can help soften the blackhead or blemish, making removal easier. First, wash your face with a water-soluble cleanser. Pat the skin dry, then place a slightly warm, wet cloth over your face for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once that's done, pat the skin dry again, then using a tissue over each finger to keep you from slipping and tearing the skin, apply even, soft pressure to the sides of the blemish area, gently pressing down and then up around the lesion. Do this once or twice only. If nothing happens, that means the blemish cannot be removed, and continuing will bruise the skin, risk making the infection or lesion worse, and cause scarring. Again, only use gentle pressure, protect your skin by using tissue around your fingers, and do not over-squeeze.

What about pore strips? What has me most concerned about pore strips (which are not as widely available as they once were) is that most people don't pay attention to the warnings clearly printed on the side of the box. Pore strips are accompanied by strong warnings such as not to use them over any area other than the nose and not to use them over inflamed, swollen, sunburned, or excessively dry skin. It also states that if the strip is too painful to remove, you should wet it and then carefully remove it. What a warning! You may at first be impressed with what comes off your nose. (Well, if you have extremely superficial, noticeable black-looking blackheads, there is no question: you will be impressed.) Most people do have some oil sitting at the top of their oil glands (most of the face's oil glands are located on the nose), and whether you use these strips or a piece of tape, black dots and some skin will be removed. Is that helpful? Briefly, but if you use these repeatedly, they will not eliminate the problem and the ingredients on the strip can eventually irritate skin and potentially trigger further breakouts.

The way these strips adhere can absolutely injure or tear skin. They are especially unsafe if you've been using Retin-A, Renova, AHAs or BHA; having facial peels; taking Accutane; or if you have naturally thin skin or any skin disorder such as rosacea, psoriasis, or seborrhea.

Skin Care Tip: Overnight Blemish Repair

For those who suffer from the occasional pimple. This tip was given to me in my 20's by a friend who did part-time modeling and it never fails. I am still passing it on to friends and colleagues (even men) 40 years later. If you do not suffer from acne, you are unlikely to have skin blemish remedies on hand for that pimple, which by the way always seems to appear the day before a big social event or date.
The answer is a simple Emerge Drying Lotion on the cleansed pimple. The effect is visible overnight or at least effective enough to use concealer successfully. The product is cheap and does not have a use-by-date, so it's on hand three or six months down the line for the next "skin emergency".

Beauty at its Best

As we venture into 2007, let’s take a moment to look back on the products that really wowed me, based on my strict criteria coupled with the latest substantiated research.

All the skin-care items listed here truly represent the best of the best from 2006, and it is gratifying that not all of them carry prohibitive prices. One surprising point is that there was no state-of-the-art new anti-acne products launched last year. Instead, skin-lightening and “brightening” options grabbed a foothold, perhaps a testament to the reality that many baby boomers are facing: that their years of sun-tanning are finally catching up with them. What’s unfortunate about many of these types of products is they omit hydroquinone, which is still the most well-researched and effective skin-lightening agent. Regarding acne, the good news is that there are still effective over-the-counter products out there (just not new ones) to help manage this all-too-common condition, though keep in mind this is assuredly a category of products that you want to be well informed about when you shop.

The pinnacle of makeup in 2006 is almost exclusively in the realm of improved powder and silicone technology. Not only are strides in this area producing some of the silkiest textures around, but also the products that use these technologies adhere better to skin and blend beautifully, providing a polished, refined look. It is now easier than ever to find makeup products that enhance, rather than detract from, good skin. And even if your skin isn’t in its best state, the products listed here will create that illusion. Just make sure you’re doing what you can via skin-care products to improve your skin’s appearance, and to protect it from harmful influences, such as sunlight.

Skin Care for Rosacea

Whichever method of treatment or combination therapy you and your physician decide on, it is important to take steps in your regular skin-care routine to ensure it is as gentle as possible. For those with rosacea, reducing any risk of irritation or sensitizing reactions will help reduce the risk of flare-ups and exacerbations. Fragrance- and irritant-free products are paramount but avoiding topical scrubs, washcloths, at-home facial peels, products containing alcohol, hot water, or steam rooms can also be significant. Generally speaking, it is best for those with rosacea to stick with the basics:
Gentle, non-drying water-soluble cleanser (absolutely no bar soap or bar cleansers)
Sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher containing the active ingredients of titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide (other sunscreen agents can prove irritating). Those with rosacea and oily skin may find using a foundation and pressed powder with sunscreen is a great alternative.
Moisturizer formulated with antioxidants and barrier-protecting ingredients (to improve skin function).
Salicylic acid (BHA) exfoliant.**
Until your rosacea is under control, you may want to avoid all sources of flare-ups, including strenuous exercise, cooking over a hot stove, spending too much time outdoors when the weather is summer-hot or winter-cold, alcohol consumption, or anything that causes your skin to feel hot and redden. Many patients find it helpful to keep a diary of their rosacea triggers, and that includes noting what causes their flare-ups or reactions to skin care and cosmetics used. As much as possible, try to minimize sources of stress; you may want to consider alternative methods of stress control, including meditation and controlled, focused breathing. Talk to your dermatologist about which over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen) may be suitable for calming flare-ups.Ingredients to AvoidWhile it is almost impossible to list all of the ingredients that can potentially trigger reactions for those with rosacea, the following is a good general list to consider. Keep in mind that not everyone reacts the same to any of these elements:
Acetone
Alcohol or SD alcohol followed by a number (Ingredients like cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol are standard, benign, waxlike cosmetic thickening agents and are completely nonirritating.)
Ammonia
Arnica
Ascorbic acid
Balm mint
Balsam
Bentonite
Benzalkonium chloride
Bergamot
Camphor
Chamomile
Cinnamon
Citrus juices and oils (such as grapefruit or orange)
Clove
Clover blossom
Cocoa butter
Coriander
Cornstarch
Eucalyptus
Fennel
Fennel oil
Fir needle
Fragrances of any kind
Geranium
Horsetail
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Marjoram
Melissa
Menthol
Mint
Oak bark
Papaya
Peppermint
Phenol
Sandalwood oil
SD alcohol, ethanol alcohol or isopropyl alcohol
Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate
Sodium lauryl sulfate
TEA-lauryl sulfate
Thyme
Wintergreen
Witch hazel
Ylang-ylang

The Rosacea Review, an online newsletter of the National Rosacea Society, at www.rosacea.org/rr/, is an excellent source for detailed and ongoing information concerning treatment and research for rosacea. *As effective as an oral antibiotic can be when you begin taking it, after a period of time bacteria can become immune to the antibiotic, causing symptoms to return. Most of the research about antibiotic bacteria-resistance is based on research regarding other uses such as acne and infections. Whether or not this is a concern for rosacea should be discussed with your physician. **BHA is an interesting option for rosacea, not only does it exfoliate skin and improve pore function, it has anti-inflammatory action (due to its relationship to aspirin—acetyl salicylic acid), which may help reduce the facial redness caused by the papules and pustules that can accompany rosacea. BHA also has antimicrobial properties that can reduce the presence of the microbe thought to be causing the problem. Just like any other rosacea therapy, salicylic acid won't work for everyone (indeed, some rosacea patients find it intolerable)

Sun Bathers Skin Care

Emerge Labs has launched an anti-aging cream formulated to help repair skin damage specifically caused by sunbathing, in a move that aims to bridge the gap between maintaining a tan and preventing the sun damage that can lead to wrinkling.
The new peptide-based formula, which is being launched as the sun tanning season in the Northern hemisphere gets into full swing, claims to be effective in three different ways, being able to repair sun damage, moisturize, whilst also extending the duration of a sun tan.
The company says it has developed the product because so many people are tempted by the ‘Golden Glow’, yet increasing awareness of the damage excessive sun worshipping can do to the skin is prompting more and more individuals to not only protect themselves with sunscreens, but also to pay more attention to skin care following sun exposure.
Emerge Organic Skin Lightener With SPF 30 was created with Sun Bathers in mind” stated Cleo Londono, product development team leader.
Emerge Labs company points out the fact that 80 per cent of sun damage actually occurs before the age of 18, which means that for the majority of people the formulation will be useful to help repair damage.

Acne Skin Care Treatment - 5 Useful Tips

The face is the most exposed part in a person's body. Taking care of the skin is essential to looking good. Knowing proper acne skin care treatment can help you banish this unsightly problem to make you feel better about yourself.
Following these simple tips can help you get rid of those unwanted acne fast.
1. Emerge Medicated Daily facial cleaning clears away dirt and bacteria that causes irritation to the skin. Using a mild cleanser to gently wash away dead skin cells and grime will help your skin in its goal to achieving a smoother, clearer face. When washing the face, always remember to be very gentle. If you have to scrub the face then do it very gently. Scrubbing may result to irritated skin, which can then spread the bacteria making the acne worse.
2. Watching what you eat also helps in your acne skin care treatment. Fruits and vegetables are very good sources of Vitamin C and A, which helps clear the skin and improves its appearance. Drinking eight glasses of water everyday to flushes out toxins that are harmful to the skin. These methods are not only good for your health and skin; they are also inexpensive ways for your acne skin care treatment.
3. Doctors are available for a reason. Consulting with your doctor helps in your acne skin care treatment because they know what you must do in order to prevent acne. Your doctor to prevent further damage to the skin must review all acne skin care treatments or products. Harsh chemicals from certain products may cause irritation and swelling. In addition, if you plan on using natural remedies as your acne skin care treatment, your doctor must be aware of what you are going to use. You may never know but you may be allergic to a certain product.
4. Facials are not only meant for the pampered and the rich. Facials can help you clear acne and prevent them from spreading or coming back. Facials deep clean the skin and pores, which can get rid of excess oil and dirt.
5. Keep your hands to yourself! Excessive touching of the cause can cause irritation of acne. It is also possible for the acne to spread if you keep touching the face with dirty hands. It is very tempting to touch an acne prone skin especially if you are very conscious, however, the effects in the long run is far more damaging and it may become infected making it more difficult to clear your skin.
Acne is an inevitable force of nature. The hormones in the body, which makes getting acne unavoidable, cause the outbreaks of those unwanted spots on the skin. Early prevention, a healthy lifestyle and proper hygiene are the most important acne skin care treatments to keep your face clear without being afraid of the mirror.

Metamorphosis Day Spa New York

I have been to Metamorphosis Day Spa in New York several times and every time I have been there, I never found anything to complain about. I have had many facials, massages and waxing services and Metamorphosis is a great place to have these services done. Just do not be surprised of the size of this place. The staff is very knowledgeable and extremely friendly and capable. After my facial, my face was so clear and my skin felt great. I would recommend Metamorphosis Day Spa to anyone.

Wrinkle Relaxer Ingredient

The quest for a Botox alternative is a popular pursuit among both skin care manufacturers and consumers. While Botox is highly effective in reducing motion wrinkles, it is expensive, requires physician-administered injections, and occasionally leads to side effects, such as droopy eyelids (see our article on Botox for details). Not surprisingly, products touted as Botox alternatives keep popping up. Acetyl hexapeptide-3 (trade name Argireline) is one of the seemingly promising new Botox alternatives.
Argireline is manufactured by a Spanish company Lipotec and is a hexapeptide (a chain of 6 amino acids) attached to the acetic acid residue. It is believed to work by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters. When applied to the skin, Argireline supposedly relaxes facial tension leading to the reduction in facial lines and wrinkles with regular use. This remotely resembles the effect of Botox, which reduces facial tension and movement by paralyzing facial muscles. Note that Argireline is unrelated in its physiologic effect and mechanism of action to other bioactive skin peptides, such as palmitoyl pentapeptide.
So far, the evidence to support the benefits of Argireline is skimpy at best. In a clinical study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, acetyl hexapeptide-3 at a 10% concentration has been shown to reduce the depth of wrinkles up to 30% after 30 days of use. There are no other credible clinical studies to be found. The benefits and adverse effects of long-term use, if any, are unknown.
Is it worth a try? The rationale behind Argireline is plausible enough and eventually it may be validated by research as a safe and effective wrinkle fighter. However, at this point neither its effectiveness nor safety can be considered even tentatively proven. Besides, Argireline-based products are not particularly cheap, even compared to Botox. However, I am not sure if their prices reflect a large novelty-hype premium or high costs of the concentrated (10% or more is required) active ingredient. If it's the former, the prices may eventually decline.
There is one more concern worth mentioning. Botox injections target specific muscles, whereas Argireline (if it indeed works) is likely to relax most of your face. And while Argireline may reduce wrinkles, it may also, in theory, increase facial sag because the neurotransmitters whose release Argireline inhibits, help maintain facial firmness. Notably, a popular firming skin care ingredient DMAE firms by stimulating the release of neurotransmitters and increasing facial tension, i.e. by producing roughly the opposite effect to Argireline. Whether Argireline may indeed contribute to facial sag has not been studied. Until more is known, people prone to facial sag should approach Argireline with caution and monitor their facial firmness while on it.

Emerge Skin Care

Since I'm going to be 36 this coming October, I've started looking into skin care products not only for my face but for all over too. There are so many out there that I just don't know which ones to try. I've even asked friends which ones they use and then tried them. But because everyone's skin types are different, it doesn't always work for me like it would on someone else. So I gave up for a while until I came across Emerge Skin Care Inc.. Their products are natural and free from synthetic chemicals, fragrances and preservatives. I have very oily skin, so I need a product like that. Their products have also been formulated, tested and used by some leading physicians around the world. These physicians have used the products to treat skin related problems. Emerge Skin Care products are based on the medical knowledge of how substances interact and how they can affect the skin.
I was looking around their web site and am really interested in their sun care products. Skin cancer is big on my dad's side of the family and being I have fair, freckled skin, I need to really watch it. I have spots on my face right now that I'm a bit worried about. I also looked at their anti-aging products and think I'm going to try some. I really need the eye cream. I'm getting crows feet (is that what those wrinkles around the eye are called?). I also saw they have some mens skin care products too. Sean works outside in the sun all day and I'm always on him to start using sunblock and lotion. Maybe if I just buy it for him he'll use it! What I like too about the site is that you can get some mini free samples of some of their products such as Emerge eye firming gel, the Emerge intensive hydrating serum, the moisturizing protection SPF 30 and the Emerge therapeutic acne moisturizer all for .01 cent each! That's awesome that they let you try those out first before buying the bigger bottles and bigger quantities.