While the concept of mindfulness is not new, and its values have been discussed for centuries in various traditions, only recently has the scientific world captured the health-promoting potential of mindfulness. In the 1942 textbook Fundamentals of Medical Dermatology, many pages are devoted to mindfulness as it relates to sleep and mental rest. The advice cuts to the very heart of the mindfulness-based instructions in every pop self-help book over the past two decades. It is humorous to think that some of the folks who cuddle up with Oprah et al. on talk shows actually think they invented this stuff!

For healthy skin, the textbook advises:

- “Systematic practice at living in the moment and viewing life with serene detachment.”
- “Live in the present from one day to the next.”
- “Refuse to think of the past, stop speculating, planning, and foreboding for the future.”
- “Practice getting outside yourself, viewing your world with detachment, as if looking at it as a parade going by.. .as a spectator, not a marcher.”
- “And one must focus the attention on things that take him (the patient) outside himself. Hence walking out of doors… watching the wind, the clouds, the grass and trees, or if in the city, the life about one, is the proper method.”

Remember, this textbook was the basis for what was being taught to young doctors and future dermatologists! This type of wisdom was forgotten when pharmaceutics showed up.

In recent years, mindfulness has been shown to improve inflammatory skin conditions, including dermatitis and psoriasis. Mindfulness almost certainly reduces inflammation by stress-reducing mechanisms. Here are the facts:

- New Japanese research indicates that mindfulness can increase levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin.
- A 2008 study of patients with chronic anxiety shows that instructions on becoming more mindful decreased worry and symptoms of anxiety, which in turn improved sleep quality and daytime energy and mental focus.
- A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2003) shows that greater awareness and being mindful in life from day to day is correlated with enhanced well-being—improved mood, optimism, life satisfaction, and willingness to attempt new experiences.

Mindfulness of individuals is assessed by inquiring about their focus in the present and preoccupation with past and future. Common questions include, “Do you snack without being aware that you are eating?” or “Do you forget someone’s name almost immediately after he or she has told you?”

One study in Psychosomatic Medicine (2003) exemplifies the value of MBSR. Researchers showed that an eight-week mindfulness course was associated with greater activation of areas of the brain that govern positive emotions. It is important to note that the beneficial results on mood and the immune system were not recorded on the day the eight-week program ended. Instead, the changes were documented four months after the program’s completion.

The topical application of vitamin B3 (as nicotinic acid or niacinamide) can prevent water loss from the skin. It can also stimulate the production of ceramides and the keratin in the epidermis. Vitamin B3 is like an epidermal bricklayer because it has a positive influence on both the bricks and the mortar. In addition, it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties when topically applied. Not only that, but topical vitamin B3 reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (including eye wrinkles!) and can produce a more uniform color to the skin. The latter attribute should not be underestimated as some studies indicate that a non-uniform skin tone with blotches and hyperpigmentation is perceived as a major contributor to a more aged skin appearance, right up there with wrinkles.

An added value of vitamin B3 is that it can help prevent the usual suppression of the immune system after UV exposure when taken either orally or topically. Note that in the beauty realm, the form of B3 used is typically niacinomide. Dosing with oral B3 as the niacin form found in some vitamin supplements may lead to an uncomfortable flushing reaction in the skin.

When inflammation is ongoing in the skin (and with our dietary habits and stressors these days, when is it not?), the skin steps up its demand for the B vitamin folic acid. We know that after UV exposure, the skin’s demand for folic acid increases, likely because one of folate’s most important roles is in the protection and repair of the DNA in our cells and in the formation of new cells.

In a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2008), German researchers showed that topical folic acid (along with creatine, which we will discuss later) protected human skin against UV damage, reduced the volume of wrinkles, and increased skin firmness relative to the control. Based on the grading system, there was a significant decrease in fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, and the skin was smoother after eight weeks of use. While the role of creatine, a nutrient which supports the energy production in skin cells cannot be dismissed, it is almost certain that more studies on topical folic acid will roll out soon. Topical B vitamins are undoubtedly here to stay as part of topical skin foods.

While the key anti-inflammatory chemicals in ginger (gingerols) appear to perfuse through the skin quite well, turmeric’s principal antioxidant and UV-protecting chemical, curcumin, needs help to get through the skin. The EPA from fish oil might be just the ticket to help access the deeper skin layers.

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of curcumin and the gingerols after topical application are becoming more apparent with each passing month. Recently, an extract from Asian turmeric was shown to promote collagen production and decrease collagen-destroying MMPs in a more effective manner than green-tea antioxidants. Chemicals from both roots have protected the skin against UV damage in experimental studies.

A study in the International Journal of Dermatology (2006) showed that a topical ginger extract inhibited wrinkle formation in animals exposed to chronic, yet only low-level UV radiation over three months. The researchers set it up that way on purpose so that the low-level UV rays did not cause the usual redness and acute sunburn in the animals—this to reflect the day-today UV exposure of most humans. Incredibly, the ginger extract maintained the normal elasticity of the skin and prevented wrinkles despite the chronic UV exposure. Indeed, the ginger extract inhibited the enzyme that breaks down the elastic fibers (elastase), and the natural structure of the dermal elastic fibers was maintained.

Interestingly, the same researchers also applied a synthetic topical UV sunscreen, and while it may protect against sunburn, it did not protect the elastic fibers and did not prevent wrinkling. Again, we are not saying that sunscreens are of no value. They are, yet we should not rely upon them as the sole means to stop the aging process. Doing so might set you up for disappointment.

Most studies on the topical application of ginger and turmeric are only in the experimental stages, so at the time of this writing, human data is still lacking. All we have at the moment is one human study that used a 0.1 percent curcumin formula along with other herbs. In that study, published in Phyfomedicine (2007), the combination herbal formula with curcumin improved skin firmness and elasticity after four weeks.

New ginger extracts that have some of the skin irritants removed are in the development phase and will be in commercial use shortly. This is an important development because ginger has some fat-soluble components that can irritate the skin and cause undesirable flushing.

You should protect your skin from using an oil free moisturizer and ensure further protection by seeing that it contains sunscreen. Moisturizers that are oil free contains a mixture of glycerin and water, and those that are top class may contain tea extracts and oatmeal as well. The oatmeal face mask is highly recommended as a cure for oily skin.

To treat oily skin, you need to treat it first for blemish control as well as well as preventing the problem from recurring. The treatment needs to be gentle, have the proper right oil control and nutrition that helps to prevent the skin from becoming oily. If you are used to eating junk food in your daily diet and suffer from oily skin, try taking a couple of weeks off from the junk food and see the difference it can make to your skin.

Oily skin ages slower than dry skin, and it may be considered as an advantage. Sebum, which is the skin’s natural oil, is the protection of the skin that helps to lubricate the skin and also shed the dead cells from the hair follicle walls.

Start with some budget products that are available for oily skin care. But make sure that your skin does not dry up, as this can only ensure that the body glands produce more oil.

Oily skin is very sensitive and washing the skin with cleansers that contain harsh ingredients can cause irritation and inflammation on the skin. You should never sleep with make up on if you suffer from oily skin. Remove the makeup and use those cold creams. Fruit acids retain the skin’s natural moisture while removing the top layer of the skin that is dead.

Commercial products that are use for medications for oily skin are available. Aromatherapy oils can also do a lot of good to your oily skin. Oils from cedar wood, clary sage, geranium lavender, sandalwood, tea tree, ylang-ylang, grape seed and jojoba can be safely selected. Oily skin care requires you to treat the acne and excess oil production of the skin. This problem is quite common amongst people irrespective of their age. The artificial chemicals that most skin care products contain can only increase oil secretions. When looking for a skin care product you need to ensure that it is specially made to suit your skin type.

During the day you should use an oil free light foundation that is not glossy, and when the skin gets oily, wipe the skin with tissue and again apply the foundation. This will remove the tan and help to lighten your skin.

Wash the skin with cold water. If you use rose water to clean the skin instead of plain water it will surely help you. Do this after 15 to 20 minutes and pat the skin dry, instead of wiping it. Another ingredient that is very good for the skin is neem. It has very good medicinal properties which are best for skin blemishes, acne and all other skin problems.

For the oily skin, you can also wash your face two or three times with soap, put on a mixture of mint and rose water and wait for 10 to 15 minutes before washing the face again with cold water.

Apply the skin care cream to your face, leave on for 20 minutes and then wash your face with cold water. If you want to make sure that the ingredients in your skin care cream will benefit you, look for Babassu oil and grape seed oil. These natural products can take care of your skin perfectly and you could get the skin back to its healthy look.

Would you like to know some wonderful tips to achieve younger looking skin? If so, you definitely need to know about these following 5 tips to help you achieve just that. See, there are many things that can affect how fast you age and this includes your skin. Of course you cannot control all of them, like your genetics but most of them are controllable. You can do many things to help keep your skin looking young and the following are the top 5 tips we offer to help you achieve that younger healthier skin.

1 – Reduce Sugar Intake

Sugar can make your skin look more wrinkled and dull when you have a high consumption of it. This can make you look years older than you really are. You might ask how sugar does this and that is a good question. Sugar attaches itself to the proteins in your body thus forming ‘AGE’ proteins. This also includes your skin’s elastic and collagen. Free radicals can be caused by sugar and these radicals make your skin age faster, especially the older you are, around 35 and over. Type 3 collagen is fairly tough but sugar can turn it into type 1 which is a more brittle and not so youthful looking collagen.

2 – Consider A Shower Filter

This might surprise you but a shower filter can actually help your skin look and feel younger. Chlorine is a potent oxidant and it can age the skin therefore adding a shower filter can remove all the chemicals including chlorine. This gives you healthier, softer and younger looking skin. KDF filters or activated carbon filters will take out as much as 95% of the harmful chemicals from your water. Many users of these filters have reported their skin looks younger and also feels smoother and better than before the filter.

3 – Have Low GI Foods

What is GI? GI means glycemic index. This index ranks the carbs by the effect they have on the blood glucose levels in your body. Many people struggle with alternating levels of blood sugar and this can affect your mood, increase your waist and damage your skin. When you eat low glycemic index foods you produce a lesser amount of cortisol which in turn makes your body produce DHEA will has anti aging effects on your body. This means you achieve natural younger looking skin and feel younger as well in a healthy manner.

4 – Use Non-SLS Skin Care Products

What does SLS stand for? Sodium Laurel Sulfate which is a dangerous chemical found in a majority of skin care products that can irritate the skin and oxide it as well. The scary truth to SLS is that it is used in industrial cleaner along with engine degreaser. This is a turn off for many people and probably yourself now. This is why it’s important to know the ingredients involved in your skin care products and make sure they do not contain SLS. This is a huge step towards achieving that younger skin.

5 – Minimize Saturated Fats Intake

There are both good and bad fats but you want to have the right ones in your diet or else your skin will pay the price. Did you know saturated fats should only make up 10% of your daily diet? Try to avoid any saturated fats that are in sour cream, ice cream, fatty meats, cheese, pastries and processed foods. You might wonder which fats are best for your body. The answer is monounsaturated fats. These fats can be found in foods like avocados, nuts and even olive oil. The omega 3 fats that are in fish, flax seed oil, salmon and walnuts are also a good fat to consume. Having the proper diet with the proper fats can benefit your skin by making it look younger and healthier.

I could tell winter was coming just by the way my skin was feeling. The humid summer evenings seemed to turn to arid winter days that left my skin dry and parched.

The cool winter winds coupled with central heating is a double whammy, sucking the moisture from your skin. This often leaves your skin dry, itchy and flaky. If not protected from the drying effects of winter conditions, your skin may be permanently damaged.

To prevent excessive moisture loss and keep your youthful appearance try the following tips:

Drink plenty of water: Supply your body with adequate moisture by drinking eight 250 ml glasses of water per day. Moisture loss really can not be prevented, so, provide additional moisture for your skin to draw upon to prevent dryness.

Take short warm showers: Taking long hot showers will rob your skin of its natural oils. Not only will your skin thank you your electricity bill will thank you to!

Avoid harsh soaps and cleansers: Choose mild ones to avoid excessive drying and stripping of your natural oils.

Moisturize your skin: While it is still damp, once your shower is complete. This helps keep the succulence in the skin instead of permitting the water to evaporate from the surface. Use a moisturizer suitable for your skin type. If you have problem areas extra attention with emollient cream can help provide much needed relief.

Use a sun screen: Just because summer is finished, do not over look the value of a sun screen. To protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, apply a block with a minimum SPF 15. Do not forget about your lips. Prevent chapped lips by using a SPF 15 on your lips as well!

Use a humidifier: Using a humidifier will put more moisture in to the air thereby slowing the moisture loss from your skin.

Protect your skin from harsh winter conditions. Taking care of your skin is important and an investment in the future. A simple routine can prevent damage and leave your skin healthy and feeling hydrated throughout the arid Canadian winter.