One Reader’s Anti-Aging Cream Dilemma: "bliss the youth as we know it" by Bliss Spa

Question: Is anyone familiar with "bliss the youth as we know it" by Bliss Spa? I have used it but can't tell if it is that or the StriVectin that is producing results.



My skin reacts well to the StriVectin which I use during the day since it has the sunscreen in it and then use “youth as we know it” at night.



An expensive regimen.



Star



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Read my answer about bliss the youth as we know it.



Tags: bliss the youth as we know it, StriVectin-SD SPF, best moisturizers, exfoliating ingredient, anti-aging peptides, sagging skin

Better Than Botox?

When considering whether topical skin care products are for you, you have to look a bit more closely at the rationale behind the use of skin care products and the other alternatives.



For example, according to WebMD, a Botox injection costs about $400 and must be repeated every four to six weeks. A collagen injection costs even more, between $400 and $700 and might have to be repeated as often as every three months.



A Botox injection improperly administered can cause permanent damage to the facial muscles. In December 2004, the Palm Beach Post reported that some companies are selling a form of botulism - the main ingredient in Botox - not approved for dermatological use directly to some doctors and that this substance had caused at least partial paralysis in four cases.



Before you have a collagen injection, you have to undergo tests to see if you are allergic to the substance.



Both of these procedures can cause some pain and discomfort, as well as visible swelling and redness for several days after the injections.



More extensive procedures such as laser planing, chemical peels, dermabrasion and face lifts cost even more (although results are longer lasting), entail more risks, pain and discomfort. For example, after a face lift, you will look like you were attacked with a baseball bat, will suffer significant post-operative pain, swelling and bruising and won't be able to return to work for a week or longer.



Skin care companies concede that the results of the use of their products will not be as dramatic as the results of these cosmetic procedures, but that there are benefits for those who want to delay those more intrusive procedures for years - maybe forever.



Read more about the effectiveness of topical skin care products.



Tags: plastic surgery better than botox skin care products effective skin care

Do Topical Skin Care Products Work?

WebMD recently published an article re-igniting the debate as to whether or not topical skin care products can reduce or eliminate facial lines and wrinkles.



One one side are doctors who claim that a skin cream cannot have the same effect as Botox injections and other surgical cosmetic procedures. On the other are the scientists who create these skin care products who maintain that, although their products will not have as pronounced an effect as a Botox injection or plastic surgery, they do produce real results. In their view, topical skin care products are for those who would prefer to avoid costly injections or cosmetic surgery.



Dr. Loren Pickart, the scientist best known for his research into the use of copper peptides in skin and hair care products, feels that the new frontier in skin care will be in the cosmetic field rather than in the medical one. His opinion is that it is simply getting too costly and time consuming to get new drugs through the FDA approval process, so companies are concentrating more on the science behind cosmetics.



And this science is developing rapidily. For example new delivery systems allow the effective ingredients of antiaging skin care products to penetrate the outer layer of the skin so that they can work on the underlying collagen and elastin.



So even some of the skeptical physicians do concede that some of the more effective creams do produce at least limited antiaging results.



This argument will go on for quite some time. In the meantime read Does Topical Skin Care Work? for a list of skin care products WebMD thinks might be worth your consideration.



Tags: antiaging skin care science behind skin care effective skin care peptides

Work-at-Home Possibilities

Do you need sales reps or is this all on line?



I'm a stay at home Mom looking for something way better and beyond Avon or Mary Kay products to sell.



Thanks,



Dawn



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No, sorry – we don’t use sales reps. Ageless Beauty is sort of like a magazine. We publish articles on everything anti-aging. We research and answer reader questions. Advertisers pay to put their ads on our site, especially where we have discussed or recommended a new product, treatment or ingredient that relates to what they are selling.



I’ve sold both Avon and Mary Kay and consider them to be fine lines. I recommend many Avon products on Ageless Beauty. On the other hand, I know from experience how tough it is to make money with them. The commissions are skinny after all your selling expenses, so you really need volume. If you have a persuasive sales personality and are very organized, you can do quite well with these companies.



If you have access to a marketplace where people will pay premium prices for their cosmetics and treatments, I recommend Arbonne (which I also sold for a short while). My clientele wouldn’t pay the prices so, after some initial success, they stopped reordering and I am left with about a year’s supply of great Arbonne products for myself! That was not my goal.



Just be aware that, with a multi-level marketing company like Arbonne, there may be monthly minimums to purchase and a lot of pressure to move up the line and get consultants to sign up under you. If you have the right (outgoing) personality, it can be a lot of fun.



I’ve written a bit about Arbonne products here.



Tags: Avon, Arbonne, work-at-home

X-Ray Risks vs. Benefits

Here is the full article about x-ray damaged skin.



The amount of cell damage from an x-ray is many times less than you get from the cosmic radiation you are exposed to when you fly in an airplane. As well, we are exposed to background radiation in our daily lives.



In fact a typical neck x-ray is roughly equivalent to two months worth of naturally occurring background radiation exposure. If your x-rays were typical, that equates to eight months of exposure.



Radiologists are extremely careful to use the lowest possible dosage of radiation to avoid radiation burns, heritable defects (in pregnant women) and a small increase in cancer risk (twenty or thirty years later). Experts feel that these low risks are outweighed by the diagnostic benefits that x-rays afford.



In a different context, one of our readers wrote, “If it means my health over a wrinkle, I would rather have my health.” Wise words. I hope your health issues have been resolved and that my suggestions help bring significant improvement in your neck wrinkles.



Tags: antioxidants, x-ray risks, wrinkles

Some OTC Creams That Should Help Speed Healing

In my opinion, the two most suitable topical peptides to address your wrinkled skin (after several x-rays) are Copper Tripeptide and Syn-Ake. Interestingly, these are both tripeptides as is Glutathione which I mentioned Friday. Copper Tripeptide is used to treat burns of all types. It is very soothing on the surface and penetrates to stimulate collagen production to fill wrinkles from within.



Products containing Syn-Ake are more costly because this is one of the latest peptide discoveries. The test results for photo-aging reversal with Syn-Ake are really impressive. Read about the various Cosmeceutical Peptides and where to find them here.



X-Ray Risks vs. Benefits

To understand what might have happened to your skin, here is how x-rays work. An x-ray shoots photons into the area to be studied. A small fraction pass right through the body, but most are slowed down by the different densities of the body’s tissues. This allows the creation of an x-ray image. As the photons pass through tissue, their energy can damage cells. Most such cell damage is soon repaired by the body’s internal repair mechanisms.



Here is the full article about x-ray damaged skin.



Tags: antioxidants, x-ray risks, wrinkles

Supporting Your Body Before and After X-Rays

Hi,



I am wondering if I could please get some advice from you. I had to get four x-rays of my neck and now I notice my skin is looking more wrinkled. I am wondering what I could do to help this. I'm afraid it's done some sort of permanent damage in the collagen, etc. Could you tell me what I could do that might help and if there's any chance on it improving? Thanks very much.



Paulina



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Read my answer about x-ray damaged skin.



Tags: antioxidants, x-ray risks, wrinkles