The Gym for Skin - Has Your Face Become The Scene Of A Crime?
It's my job to stare at everyone's skin. I get up close and personal with men and women of all ages, varying walks of life, and different ethnic persuasions, but in particular with entertainment professionals for whom good skin is necessity, not a luxury. During the course of any given day I'll see perfect skin, so-so skin, and not so so-so skin. Skin is a great indicator of much of what is going on in a person's life: their work life, their recreational choices, and their diet and nutritional habits. My work is fascinating because it's a lot like being a detective.
In the first step, just like Columbo, I examine the "crime scene." I switch on my high-intensity light and begin to search for clues which will help me help my client improve the look and feel of their skin. For example, I can tell by looking for only a few seconds whether or not a person drinks enough water during the day. I've found that men and women, across the board, drink too little water. For some reason people find it hard to ingest eight 10 ounce glasses per day - but that's what it takes, a minimum, to plump and hydrate the skin!
I can also determine immediately if someone is a cigarette smoker. Any good skin detective knows that the smoke from cigarettes acts like a leech draining the skin of collagen. Smokers almost always have tiny little fine lines (or big, deep ones!) around their mouths and for those who have smoked for many years there can be significant damage to the entire facial area.
My sleuthing usually reveals with 100% accuracy how much time a person has spent worshipping or working in the sun. There is nothing as damaging to the skin as persistent unprotected exposure to the sun's burning rays. Today, more and more people know the importance of sunscreen and use it regularly. I recommend sun protection products from Clarins or Lancome to those who ask for help choosing great products. Unfortunately, I see many victims of crimes of the skin for whom the ill effects of past unprotected days at the beach are just showing up. For them, remedial measures are needed. First, however, I have to remove the victims from the scene of the crime.
I do this by exfoliating as many of the old, damaged skin cells as possible. The uppermost layers of the skin have literally been "murdered" through abuse. Once they are dead, they just lie there at the scene of the crime, blocking any attempts we may make to hydrate and nourish the cells below. All those expensive creams and lotions do absolutely no good if dead cell bodies are blocking their passage through to underlying skin.
Once the dead cell bodies have been removed, I plan my strategy for rescuing the survivors - the healthy skin cells, that is. There are many good products out there. I'm currently using many of the Karen Herzog skincare products since I find that they hydrate the skin beautifully without blocking the pores and causing breakouts.
Like any good detective, I am obliged to give people ways to avoid becoming the victims of future (skin) crimes. Here are my words of caution to Ms. Fitness readers: You fall into a category of women with a high probability of suffering from crimes of the skin. Why? When the body fat gets low and the system is dehydrated through exercise, the skin suffers. If you then factor in tanning booth use or extensive sun exposure, you've got the potential for a weathered, aged, face sitting atop a beautiful, lean body. (Yes, a tan body looks more cut and more ripped, but what good is having a youthful body when the face looks trashed?)
Stop and take a close look in the mirror. Are you seeing fine lines jump out at you? Does the skin on your face resemble a piece of cardboard? Do you see little bumps and breakouts? You may need to get help from a skin professional. It's often worthwhile to hire a trainer for the skin just like you hire a trainer for your body. I suggest that people get a facial once a month to keep the skin in top shape. Think of it as an investment in crime prevention.
Back to Deborah says
It's my job to stare at everyone's skin. I get up close and personal with men and women of all ages, varying walks of life, and different ethnic persuasions, but in particular with entertainment professionals for whom good skin is necessity, not a luxury. During the course of any given day I'll see perfect skin, so-so skin, and not so so-so skin. Skin is a great indicator of much of what is going on in a person's life: their work life, their recreational choices, and their diet and nutritional habits. My work is fascinating because it's a lot like being a detective.
In the first step, just like Columbo, I examine the "crime scene." I switch on my high-intensity light and begin to search for clues which will help me help my client improve the look and feel of their skin. For example, I can tell by looking for only a few seconds whether or not a person drinks enough water during the day. I've found that men and women, across the board, drink too little water. For some reason people find it hard to ingest eight 10 ounce glasses per day - but that's what it takes, a minimum, to plump and hydrate the skin!
I can also determine immediately if someone is a cigarette smoker. Any good skin detective knows that the smoke from cigarettes acts like a leech draining the skin of collagen. Smokers almost always have tiny little fine lines (or big, deep ones!) around their mouths and for those who have smoked for many years there can be significant damage to the entire facial area.
My sleuthing usually reveals with 100% accuracy how much time a person has spent worshipping or working in the sun. There is nothing as damaging to the skin as persistent unprotected exposure to the sun's burning rays. Today, more and more people know the importance of sunscreen and use it regularly. I recommend sun protection products from Clarins or Lancome to those who ask for help choosing great products. Unfortunately, I see many victims of crimes of the skin for whom the ill effects of past unprotected days at the beach are just showing up. For them, remedial measures are needed. First, however, I have to remove the victims from the scene of the crime.
I do this by exfoliating as many of the old, damaged skin cells as possible. The uppermost layers of the skin have literally been "murdered" through abuse. Once they are dead, they just lie there at the scene of the crime, blocking any attempts we may make to hydrate and nourish the cells below. All those expensive creams and lotions do absolutely no good if dead cell bodies are blocking their passage through to underlying skin.
Once the dead cell bodies have been removed, I plan my strategy for rescuing the survivors - the healthy skin cells, that is. There are many good products out there. I'm currently using many of the Karen Herzog skincare products since I find that they hydrate the skin beautifully without blocking the pores and causing breakouts.
Like any good detective, I am obliged to give people ways to avoid becoming the victims of future (skin) crimes. Here are my words of caution to Ms. Fitness readers: You fall into a category of women with a high probability of suffering from crimes of the skin. Why? When the body fat gets low and the system is dehydrated through exercise, the skin suffers. If you then factor in tanning booth use or extensive sun exposure, you've got the potential for a weathered, aged, face sitting atop a beautiful, lean body. (Yes, a tan body looks more cut and more ripped, but what good is having a youthful body when the face looks trashed?)
Stop and take a close look in the mirror. Are you seeing fine lines jump out at you? Does the skin on your face resemble a piece of cardboard? Do you see little bumps and breakouts? You may need to get help from a skin professional. It's often worthwhile to hire a trainer for the skin just like you hire a trainer for your body. I suggest that people get a facial once a month to keep the skin in top shape. Think of it as an investment in crime prevention.
Back to Deborah says
