Wrinkles…..

Wrinkles, Wrinkles…..what can you do about wrinkles?

Believe me, I have tried everything short of a face lift. You know the kind where they cut you from ear to ear and pull the skin-tight. This method seems to be rare today, as you see advertisements on TV for everything but.

There are creams, injections, lotions, and women have even used Preparation-H for hemroids. They figure that if it shrinks hemroidal swelling it should shrink wrinkles. I tried it once: it did work: and no harm was done. As I understand it now, the company that makes Preparation-H has changed the formula, so the results, when used on the face are not there.

So. What do you do? Go to the grocery store for a facelift? The grocery store shelves are stocked with items that are supposed to either fast forward or turn back time when it comes to wrinkles.

In case you didn’t know – your skin is your body’s largest organ, making it a huge target for free radicals. What are free radicals? They are unstable molecules which form as you process oxygen. They travel the highway throughout your body damaging cells and causing all sorts of havoc – to include wrinkles. There are other reasons for wrinkles, as well. As you age, your body naturally produces less collagen and elastin. These are the connective tissues that make your skin firm and supple. The fat layer under your skin also begins to disappear. Then you see your saggy and wrinkled face – and want to scream….and it’s not even Halloween. It has been my observation, though, that women who are overweight, seem to have pudgy faces and no wrinkles, especially the older women. I have a hard time letting myself get overweight just to avoid a wrinkled face. I read somewhere that its your genes that determine when sag and wrinkles occur and how fast this process progresses. But, and I am sure you have also heard, that smoking and too much exposure to the sun can speed up the process. I think I have the gene problem and the sun problem. I was a sun-loving child…even used Crisco on my body to get a sun tan. It worked. However, I now think I am reaping the consequences of that fetish.

A person can’t help producing ‘free radicals, but they can be neutralized. How? Well what do you know – it’s in the food you eat. How often have you seen me write about FOOD for health? It was found by Dr. Mark L. Wahlqvist of Monash University in Melbourne, “that if foods contain powerful antioxidants – whether in the form of vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols, or other phytochemicals – they counteract dangerous ‘FREE RADICALS'”.

SO! What foods should you be eating? Most of the ones on my list when I counsel my Detox Clients. They include some of the following:

• Eggs (did you know they are an animal by-product and are not considered dairy?)
• Spinach, Eggplant, Asparagus, Celery, Garlic, Onions, Lima Beans, Olives
• Cherries, Grapes, Melons (lots of melons), Prunes, Dried fruit, Apples (lots of apples), Pears
• Herbal Tea and water
• Fish

What foods should you avoid? They are on my Detox food list too.

• Dairy products – to include Milk, Butter, Ice Cream, Yogurt (unless you make it out of Coconut Milk)
• Red Meats – all of them to include beef, pork, lamb and their derivatives
• Soft drinks – all of them,
• Cakes, pastries etc. (eat berries, melons, and other alkaline fruits as a replacement for sweet, sugary desserts
• Potatoes (did you know potatoes are Alkaline when you eat them raw and acidic once they are cooked)
• And last but not least – Coffee, Regular tea, smoking, chewing tobacco, etc.

Follow the above FOOD etc. changes and you just might be seeing a younger-looking you in the mirror.

Other news, I read about, is that “Doctors in England speculate that if you have wrinkles, you might actually be protected from skin cancer. Most people believe that wrinkling indicates sun damage and a higher risk of skin cancer. But, that is not the whole story.” According to Dr. Christopher E.M. Griffiths, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester’s Hope Hospital, “there are different types of skin and they react differently to sun exposure.” I like this information – living in Florida and still being a sun lover.

More interesting information from Dr. Griffith – Yes, the ultraviolet rays from the sun destroy the elastic collagen fibers in all types of skin. He goes on to say that “if you are wrinkled, that means your skin type repairs itself but doesn’t replace the collagen.” For you with smooth skin – like many of my friends, “your skin is replacing the damaged collagen.” I wonder if there is an age limit in there somewhere.

That brings us to the age-old question about ‘Skin Cancer’. Dr. Griffith believes that the amount of collagen in your skin could affect your risk of skin cancer. He explains, “a substance, called transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, helps rebuild the collagen. HOWEVER, it also suppresses your immune system. For you who understand the immune system you know that a weakened immune system has a difficult time fighting off all diseases – to include cancer. To put it mildly – the same process that keeps your skin smooth and firm might also allow cancer to develop. Gives you something to think about. Presently, this theory is still speculative!

From talking to my friends who suffer with skin cancer, the most common term used is ‘basal cell carcinoma’. Dr. Griffith noticed that patients with this ‘common form’ of skin cancer, had fewer wrinkles than other patients. They did a study of over 200 people and discovered that those with heavily wrinkled faces were up to 90% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma than smooth-skinned people. I had better start loving my wrinkles.

You can’t control the type of skin you were born with. However, it is very important that you take the usual steps to protect yourself from the sun. I guess I am a rarity. Other than the Crisco I used to get tanned (in my youth), I rarely use sunscreen. For some strange reason, I rarely get sunburned, even when I am in the sun all day long. I do have the wrinkled skin – but no signs of skin cancer. I use a few of the ‘grocery store’ skin care products, and DIY remedies (oils) to curtail further wrinkling.

When I asked my Primary Care Doctor what he could do for me to get rid of my wrinkles…he looked at me…laughted…and said, “Wear them as a badge of honor!”

NOTE: Dr. Griffith recommends: ” It’s best to avoid sunbathing and use the higher factor sunscreens.” From me – just remember that they wash off if you are swimming, and from perspiration, so if you use them, you need to apply more often.

• Here’s and old Folk Remedy: Zap your wrinkles with a homemade, scented moisturizer. Choose an essential oil, such as lavender, lilac, or rose, from the health food store, or beauty store. The oils must be pure and not full of fillers or diluted. Pick up an atomizer as well, then follow these simple steps.
• Fill the atomizer with 1 cup of pure water
• Add 2 or 3 drops of an essential oil
• Refrigerate the solution overnight
• Simply spray on the face, and then blot your skin with a tissue

I don’t blot with a tissue, as I want the mixture to soak into my skin, so I distribute it around my face with the light circling motion of my fingertips.

It would be nice if we could look like the TV and Movie Stars, but then you have to remember – they are HEAVILY MADE UP – except for those who have had BOTOX treatments, and/or have had multiple old-fashioned FACE LIFTS. Is it worth the money, and pain? Only you can decide!

Note worthy last-minute thought: Why is it that men seem to wear their wrinkles well? But then, many of the men cover their wrinkles with all that facial hair that is so popular these days – especially the beards all the way down the neck.

HAVE A GREAT WRINKLE FREE DAY – OR, “JUST WEAR YOUR WRINKLES AS A BADGE OF HONOR!