Pomegranate Seed Extract: The Essence of Beautifully Balanced Skin

Among the many reasons pomegranate seed extract (Punica granatum linn) is now hailed as  an “elixir of youth” is its high content of the remarkable nutrient that bears this exotic super-fruit’s Latin genus name: punicic acid.

A Feast of Phytonutrients in Every Drop

An omega 5 conjugated fatty acid, punicic acid is one of the key elements of a healthy diets. Like gamma-linolenic acid and other plant-derived long-chain fatty acids, punicic acid has demonstrated a variety of positive health effects in laboratory studies, including reducing inflammation, promoting hormonal balance, and decreasing the incidence of skin cancer. Researchers at the University of Michigan have shown that punicic acid also helps regenerate epidermal cells and stimulate collagen and elastin renewal.

Pomegranate seeds are also a rich source of tocopherols: a group of fat-soluble alcohols that exhibit antioxidant properties similar to those of vitamin E. These potent age fighters help strengthen blood vessel walls and cellular membranes, improve circulation, and repair free radical damage. In addition to keeping cells well oxygenated and nourished, tocopherols help skin retain moisture and stabilize the slightly acidic pH of our outmost skin. This invisible natural barrier, or “acid mantle,” helps repel bacteria and other toxic invaders that contribute to acne, fungal infections, and a variety of skin diseases. 

Holistic Skin Care: Healthy Practices for Balanced Functioning

Treat your skin to a double dose of natural rejuvenators: Add the fleshy ruby-red seeds of this luscious tropical fruit to your diet and their concentrated extract to your skin care routine, with daily application of LaVie Organique™ Face Cream.

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Honey: Sweet Relief for Ailing Skin

The benefits of honey as a skin treatment have been recognized for thousands of years. Long used as a wound dressing by traditional healers, honey also enriched the deluxe face creams and soaps prized by aristocratic beauties in Ancient Egypt, Imperial China and Rome, and 18th-century France.

Nature’s Prescription for Depleted Skin

Today, the effectiveness of honey as a cleansing, moisturizing, and anti-aging agent is supported by scientific studies. According to researchers, honey promotes healing and cell renewal by simultaneously playing five vital roles:

1. Humectant By binding water to cells, honey helps keep skin soft and resilient.
2. Antioxidant Honey contains a mix of antioxidant B vitamins that help repair and prevent free radical damage.
3. Antibiotic In addition to releasing the antiseptic hydrogen peroxide, honey contains other antibacterial and anti-fungal agents that help heal acne, bedsores, burns, and diabetes-related infections.
4. Exfoliant By gently sloughing off dead surface cells, honey brightens dull skin and encourages healthy collagen and elastin production.
5. Anti-inflammatory Honey’s natural anti-inflammatory properties reduce swelling, redness, and irritation. 

For a Radiant, Dewy Complexion, Add a Taste of Honey

This remarkable combination of qualities makes honey the perfect antidote to the many diverse ills that  environmental and age-related stresses can inflict on our complexions. To refresh a winter-weary complexion with a thorough "spring cleaning," try adding a honey-enhanced facial exfoliation mask to your weekly skin-care regimen.Whether you've got dry, sensitive, acne-prone, or combination skin, this soothing, nourishing food will restore balanced functioning and a natural glow. 

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Chapped Lips: Is Your Favorite Lip Balm a Joke?

In the new movie Greenberg, there’s one joke that I could’ve written myself. Commenting on the cranky title character’s chapstick “addiction,” his friend actually reveals the true cause of Greenberg’s seemingly compulsive behavior: The more you these popular petroleum-based lip balms, the drier your lips get.

Thirsty Lips and Synthetic Moisturizers: A Vicious Cycle

Ironic isn’t it? The very products we rely on to moisten and soothe the fragile skin on our lips do the exact opposite of what they’re supposed to do.

Instead of hydrating and nourishing new cells in the skin’s deeper layers, the main ingredients in synthetic lip balms—petroleum and mineral oil derivatives—merely sit on the surface. In addition to actually repelling moisture, this greasy surface film often contains potentially irritating chemicals such as phenyl salicylate that can irritate and inflame sensitive skin.

Eliminating Chemical Accomplices

Cracking and peeling can be further aggravated by toothpastes and mouthwashes that contain guaiazulene, sodium lauryl sulfate, or other harsh chemicals. In some cases, severe, chronic chapping is related to a medical problem such as an autoimmune disorder, so if eliminating synthetic products doesn’t help, you should consult with your doctor.

Replenish and Revitalize with a Healthy a Dose of Green Medicine

To help your chapped lips recover from the ravages of dry weather and chemical irritants, I recommend trying one of the new green lip balms that have recently become available. But before you take out your wallet, read the label. Many so-called natural products contain the very ingredients you want to avoid. To hydrate, nourish, and restore the youthful luster of your lips, opt for lip balms made with natural beeswax or plant-derived moisturizers and lubricants, such as shea butter; sunflower, grapeseed, avocado, and almond oils; and honey.

I’ll explain the special benefits of honey as a natural skin healer in my next blog spot.

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Retinoids: Too Much of a Good Thing?

While the anti-aging benefits of retinoid creams get a lot a press, I’ve yet to see an ad that vividly portrays their negative side.  As a practicing aesthetician, however, I see the unfortunate consequences of overusing prescription and over-the-counter vitamin A derivatives every day.

The Two Sides of an Anti-aging Vitamin

Topical retinoids such as retinyl palmitate do, of course, play an important role in anti-aging regimes. Used correctly, retinoids can help firm the skin and reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots by stimulating cell turnover and collagen and elastin production. But the same exfoliating action that produces these positive results can cause serious trouble when an overdose of retinoids strips the skin too vigorously.

The scaly, raw complexions of the retinol “junkies” who come to me for treatment speak more convincingly of the dangers of over-exfoliating the skin than the fine-print warning label on their favorite anti-aging cream. By inducing a state of chronic inflammation, excessive doses of retinoids can overwhelm the body’s natural ability to heal itself. In addition to disrupting collagen and elastin renewal, this state of chronic injury increases the skin’s susceptibility to sun damage, infection, and disease. 

Restoring Balance to Stressed-Out Skin

My professional training and experience has taught me that the most effective way to counteract the irritation, swollen capillaries, dryness, and other damaging effects of inflammation is an all-natural, holistic approach. To restore the strength and healthy function of the skin’s stratum corneum (the outermost layer), exfoliated skin requires complementary treatment with a synergistic blend of plant-derived anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, antibacterials, fatty acids, and moisturizers. The following botanicals are among the most effective for calming, nourishing, and soothing inflamed skin:

• Capsicum pepper (Hungarian chili peppers)
• Avocado oil
• Shea butter
• White tea 
•  Aloe vera
• Rosemary 

Add a Dose of Kindness to Your Skin Care Regime

In their zeal to combat the signs of aging, many beauty industry professionals as well as many consumers lose sight of their real goal. The point of an anti-aging regime is to nurture a fresh, youthful appearance—not to attack your skin. Like all living things, our skin needs proper nourishment, hydration—and gentle, loving care—to stay healthy and beautiful.

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Rosehips: Nutrient-Rich Seeds Promote Petal-Soft Skin

Rose bushes are one of nature’s most lavish gifts. While its magnificent blossoms and luscious scent provide a feast for our senses, the plant also offers us invisible riches. Hidden inside its unassuming fruit is one of nature’s most valuable skin foods.

The Inner Beauty of Rosehips

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, the small red fruits known as rosehips contain a treasure trove of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients,including:

• ·      Vitamin C Did you know that rose hips contain more vitamin C than oranges and other citrus fruits? An anti-aging powerhouse, this antioxidant vitamin not only helps prevent and repair cell damage caused by UV radiation, but also fights inflammation, boosts cell-turnover and collagen production, lightens brown spots, and brightens skin tone.

• ·      Vitamin A By accelerating cell turnover, Vitamin A helps combat acne as well as wrinkles and fine lines.

• ·      Vitamin E In addition to its antioxidant effects, vitamin E promotes circulatory health and helps regulate cellular functioning.

• ·      Flavonoids/bioflavonoids With its combination of antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiallergenic effects, this class of phytonutrients constitutes an all-in-one defense system against environmental stressors.

• ·      Malic acid  An alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), this gentle yet effective skin  exfoliating compound sloughs off the buildup of dead cells that can contribute to acne and a dull, lifeless complexion.

• ·      Linoleic (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic (omega 3) acids These essential fatty acids promote smooth, supple skin, heal damaged tissues, and support healthy circulation.

• ·      Zinc In addition to protecting against sun damage, this vital mineral helps prevent and heal acne and other skin irritations.

Rosa Canina: The Perfect Rose for Your Complexion

Recent scientific studies of the dried, ground seeds from the fruit of the wild rose variety Rosa canina (“dog rose”) support its efficacy as an anti-inflammatory and healing agent for aging and injured skin. One of the rejuvenating ingredients in LaVie Organique™ Serum, Rosa canina seed powder provides a wealth of skin nutrients that help increase elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and encourage cell renewal. I recommend  adding this ingredient to your springtime skin care regime. Try it and see if you agree: When it comes to restoring dry, depleted skin, the fruit of this rose contains the seeds of perfect health.

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Spring Ahead! Why It’s Time to Freshen Up Your Skin-Care Regime

For my mother and grandmother and generations of Romanian women before them, the first day of spring has always signaled an important transition in their natural skin-care regimes. According to our Old World beauty traditions, the season of planting and cultivation is also the perfect time to concentrate on nurturing and renewing our skin.

Spring Training for Your Skin

As members of a culture strongly in tune with the rhythms of natural world, Romanian women believe in shifting the focus of their skin routine in synchrony with the changing seasons. After our wintertime exfoliation program, has sloughed off the accumulation of dead cells on the skin’s surface, we turn or attention to the delicate new skin cells that have emerged. Like the tender young seedlings in our spring garden these new skin cells require a strength-building diet to achieve and maintain robust health.

The Care and Feeding of Skin Cells

According to recent scientific research, a diet rich in superfoods, such as blueberries, nuts and seeds, green and white teas, avocados, and peppers, can help prevent premature aging and restore healthy cellular functioning in all the tissues and organs of the body, including our skin.

Superfoods That Perfect Form and Supercharge Function

The same amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that we consume to boost skin cell health from within can also beautify and strengthen our skin from the outside. Skin care products made from certified organic extracts and natural plant-derived ingredients are a safe, effective solution to the damage that environmental stresses and the passage of time inflict on our complexions. In my upcoming posts, I’ll discuss some the specific nutrients that will help you not only shape up your skin for spring but also keep it in the pink all year-round and at every age.

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Green Sugar Part 2: Traditional Food of the Goddesses

During a recent visit to India, I was struck by the vibrant energy and youthful appearance of so many of the older women I saw. They looked like walking advertisements for India’s legendary Ayurvedic health and beauty secrets. Despite their aura of mystery, the underlying mechanisms of these ancient treatments are proving to be anything but magical. In fact, the latest scientific research suggests India's ancient holistic healers may have invented the world's first anti-aging diet.  

A Holistic Diet for Balanced Health

Unlike the typical fad diet, an Ayurvedic eating plan isn’t about temporarily  excluding certain categories of food. It strives instead to permanently sustain the optimal balance of physical tendencies in each individual by including a full range of food types—sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent, and sweet—in every major meal. 

You have to love a culture that considers dessert essential! In India's tropical regions, traditional desserts like kheer (rice pudding) are considered one of the best ways to cool the body. The source of this refreshing quality, also gives Indian sweets their intriguingly complex flavor—a little like molasses or brown sugar, yet ultimately indefinable—as well as some surprising nutritional benefits.   

Jaggery: The Green Bonuses

Also known as “medicinal sugar,” jaggery is prized through Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean as not only a healthful food, but also a soothing remedy for coughs and other ailments. Produced by cooking sugarcane or the sweet sap of date, coconut, or sago palm trees, jaggery's golden-brown crystals retain more vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients than chemically extracted sugars—and no toxic residues. The purity and wholesomeness of date palm jaggery is particularly revered among Hindus, who consider it a worthy gift for their deities. How does this shining reputation stand up under modern scientific scrutiny? Compared to refined sugar, jaggery's  nutritional value looks pretty impressive:

• A motherlode of minerals, including iron, magnesium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium, is packed in every bite. From regulating blood sugar levels and boosting cell metabolism to promoting healthy circulation, these vital nutrients keep all physiological functions in peak form.

• Anti-aging assets The antioxidant compounds in jaggery help counteract free radical damage from aging, sun exposure, and environmental pollutants. Its established use by industrial workers to relieve smoke- and dust-related respiratory symptoms—together with research findings on its effectiveness in preventing coal-induced throat and lung lesions—underscore jaggery’s potential as a healing agent.

The Golden Mean of Anti-Aging: Consume Moderately, Live Longer

As with all of life’s riches, however, moderate consumption is key. Minimally processed plant sugars like jaggery are smart alternatives to highly refined carbohydrates—not an excuse for overindulging an overactive sweet tooth.