Spring is in the air

…so feed the skin on your body well.

After spending a month frolicking in the surf and sun of Costa Rica (such fun!), my skin did feel the damage from the elements.

The toll on our body from sunshine, Melbourne winters, lifestyle or genetic weakness is big, and it all creates bigger problems over time.

With summer just around the corner, we are about to reveal our skin and bodies to the world again, so it’s important to remember the easiest and most effective ways to keep it healthier, younger and problem-free.

My ritual is mixing a small amount of Environ Dermalac lotion and Enhanced Body Oil together, and then applying to my whole body from my jaw bone down, twice daily. Once my skin gets accustomed to this, I add in the body roller. The body roller’s real magic comes from creating thousands of microscopic holes, which lets the medicine in the oils get into the living skin cells. This creates younger, softer, and problem-free skin.

For added protection, I make sure to apply Alpha Day lotion SPF+ to my neck, chest and hands if I know they’re are going to be exposed to the daylight.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that we have to avoid the sun at all times, but in reality, the vitamin A as retinal palmitate and the antioxidants contained in the formulas, actually make the skin more naturally resistant to sun damage.

There is evidence the right amount of antioxidants can build up in the cells and become an SPF in the skin cells, making it even more protected.

In contrast, products with retinol, retinaldehyde and retinoic acid are photo-sensitisers and aggravate the skin when exposed to light of the sun, so make sure to be cautious about sun-exposure and apply a good sunscreen.

Ideally, skin care should start as early as possible, at four to five years of age. This is because, by this age, sun damage can already be detected in Type I and II skins. Most young people in their twenties mistakenly believe that they are too young to use any cosmetic moisturiser, ignore warnings, and continue to go about their daily life in front of computer screens, surrounded by inside lighting and high levels of city pollution without thinking of feeding the precious skin cells Vitamin A/Antioxidants each day – what they need to survive and remain functional. The truth is that 80% of photo-damage is done by the age of 18.

Darker Mediterranean skin types can tan easily and relatively safely but still incur sun damage. Even black skins are damaged by the sun and become blotchy, with irregular pigmentation. Look carefully at the skin of an average person in their early twenties who has exposed themselves to the sun, and you will see evidence of sun damage in the beginnings of fine wrinkles around the eyes, freckles and clumping of the skin pigment. On the body itself, it takes longer to show.

If only more of my clients had the daily ritual of feeding their skin with Vitamin A/Antioxidants daily, I would not be working so hard in clinic, needling away their loose skin and tightening up sun-damaged chests, necks and hands. And we haven’t even touched the real dangers: damaged cells can become abnormal or even pre-cancerous.

As the old saying goes prevention is better than cure! Feed your skin using a recipe tailored to you, making the most of ingredients that will protect the skin, and restore some of the skin’s lost youthful properties.