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Saturday, January 30, 2016

Antioxidant Sources

Antioxidants are an important component to a healthy body (and therefore healthy skin). Below are some of the antioxidant sources available today. Some in supplement form, others from food sources. Acquainting yourself with where you can find antioxidants for your diet is crucial to keeping your insides functioning on the highest of healthy levels.

Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals; free radicals contribute to the destruction of healthy cells. If you are eating a balanced diet with a high fruit and vegetable content, you are probably getting lots of antioxidants. But diets are not so balanced for many people. I’m not a big believer in taking pills, especially using supplements as a way of substituting for a poor diet. However, due to our modern lifestyles and busy schedules, supplementing is not only inevitable, but probably necessary. Here are some of the many supplement sources to add more antioxidants into your diet.

Alpha lipoic acid and protective are synonymous. A powerful antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid has the ability to actually help regenerate other antioxidants that have been wounded in the process of ridding the body of free radicals. Alpha lipoic acid can also be very helpful in regulating blood sugar levels. This is something that diabetics and people who suffer from hypo- or hyperglycemia may want to know about. I am interested in alpha lipoic acid not only for its antioxidant abilities but also for its benefits with inflammation; both of these factors have an effect on the health of your cells. And as with many of the supplements available in the anti-aging range, anything that increases the health of your body will naturally be reflected in healthier-looking skin.

Alpha lipoic acid in supplement form is fairly expensive. As an ingredient in skin care products, alpha lipoic acid is outrageously expensive. Even if these products did work wonders for your lines and wrinkles, unless you are well-off financially, you will never be able to afford to keep up this habit. You’ll just have to age with the rest of us and find less expensive ways to keep your skin looking clear, healthy, and if you must, young. I’m still not convinced putting alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C, or any other anti-aging miracle ingredients topically on your skin is truly effective against aging. I prefer to eat my vitamins, whether in food or with supplements.

There is no RDA (recommended daily allowance) for alpha lipoic acid; recommendations vary from 10mg to 600mg daily. Doses over 100mg might have the effect of lowering blood sugar levels in some individuals, even non-diabetics. I am prone to hypoglycemia so I closely monitored how I felt when I first started experimenting with alpha lipoic acid. When I took 100-200mg per day, I had no adverse reaction in regard to my blood sugar levels.

Note: Alpha lipoic acid should not be confused with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 essential fatty acid. They are both beneficial for different reasons.

Also known as ubiquinone, Coenzyme Q10 (more commonly called CoQ10) has shown signs of rejuvenating brain cells in laboratory animals. There is no conclusive evidence yet to show there is an appreciable difference in the human brain, but tests are underway to bring new information to the forefront. What is known is CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant. It has been shown to help boost the power of vitamin E in the fatty part of cells. This is the part that can sustain the worst free radical damage. These fatty cells are concentrated in the brain, so taking CoQ10 may help to protect the all-important brain. There is no established dosage for Coenzyme Q10.

Grape seed extract enjoyed a bit of popularity a few years ago, but has since slipped behind so many of the up and coming antioxidants. Grape seed extract, however, is an excellent source of a complex of antioxidants called OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes). You can take capsules ranging anywhere from 250-1000mg daily. It is the OPCs in red wine that is thought to be good for certain health issues. Grape seed extract is the best all around source for OPCs, so don’t drink wine as your only source for this complex of antioxidants!

If vitamin C isn’t the best-known antioxidant, surely it is the bestknown vitamin. It started when we were kids, hearing how vitamin C helps to keep the common cold away. In fact Vitamin C and the Common Cold is the title of a wonderful book written by Dr. Linus Pauling. Among many other contributions (both social and scientific), Linus Pauling is perhaps best known by the general public for his research and advocacy of high-dosing vitamin C. This investigative pioneer began ground-breaking research into the value and disease-fighting ability of vitamin C, and lived to the ripe age of 93 (1901-1994). He truly was an example of his research and work in nutritional studies.

Now we know that vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants. It is helpful with brain function as well as repairing free radical damage. One of the more interesting benefits of vitamin C is its ability to improve the quality as well as the quantity of brain transmissions. Translation: it helps your brain function optimally.

Vitamin C helps with many other bodily functions. It helps in the production of collagen, which is the supporting structure of your skin. It is the collagen and elastin fibers that break down through sun exposure and the natural aging process, creating lines and wrinkles on our faces as well as flaccid or sagging skin. This antioxidant also helps with bruising as well as the healing of wounds and burns.

Vitamin C is water-soluble and not manufactured by the body. Therefore, we have to get this antioxidant through our food and/or supplementation. Vitamin C is found in numerous foods you are probably already eating. Because most of this vitamin leaves through the urine, you might consider taking it in supplement form as well.

Taking anywhere from 500 to 1000 milligrams daily is thought to be sufficient to help protect the brain. Even in large doses, vitamin C doesn’t seem to be toxic. Of course, too much of anything is not a good thing. You will know if you’ve taken too much vitamin C because you’ll get loose bowels or possibly diarrhea. Some people even use high-dosing of vitamin C in order to clean out their colon. If you experience diarrhea, whether you are inducing this type of evacuation or because you are sick, you must also increase your water intake to compensate for the loss of water through these eliminations.

Vitamin E, sometimes known by the name tocopherol, is an important vitamin if you are interested in your brain having maximum help to ward off free radical invasion. This antioxidant works on the fatty parts of the cells that comprise the brain. Research is increasing to see if vitamin E can help fend off such debilitating brain diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

You want to take natural vitamin E. How do you know if it’s natural? It will always have a “d” in front of the chemical name, such as d-alpha tocopherol. Tocotrienols are another form of vitamin E, and can be found alone or in the mixed tocopherol supplements. The mixed vitamin E supplements might contain d-alpha as well as d-beta, d-delta, and d-gamma tocopherols. The mixed forms of vitamin E are said to be the best for brain protection. In most of the literature I’ve read, it says taking 400 IUs (international units) of vitamin E is sufficient; taking more, especially over 800 IUs, can get you into trouble. Most notably, it has blood thinning abilities at these higher doses. I would stick with the lower 400 IUs per day, unless instructed otherwise by your health care practitioner.

The antioxidants you just read about are the most powerful, but certainly not the only ones available. Other antioxidants include:
  • bilberry, an herb
  • cysteine, an amino acid
  • ginkgo biloba, an herb
  • glutathione, a protein
  • green tea 
  • melatonin, a hormone
  • selenium, an enzyme
  • superoxide dismutase, an enzyme
  • vitamin A as well as beta carotene 
  • zinc, a mineral

However you get antioxidants into your body (through food or supplementation), do be sure you are getting these all-important free radical fighters in your daily diet.

For more information, see:
 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Yonka for Men: FOAM GEL cleanser

LOTION YK is a spray toner created by Yonka especially for men that doubles as an aftershave. If you arent using a toner or if your aftershave makes your skin feel sensitive, give *Lotion YK a try.

*Lotion YK contains a higher percentage of citrus than the other Yonka toners, and for some people too much citrus can cause irritation. If after using Lotion YK your skin feels irritated, please give one of the other spray lotions a try for your toner and aftershave. Several of my male clients who have sensitive, true-dry skin use Lotion PS as their toner and aftershave with great success. Lotion PNG is what someone with a normal to oily skin type would use as a toner and also as an aftershave spray.

Skin toners seem to be mystifying for a lot of people. Toners are not cleansers, as I explain in MYTH: Toners are the second step in cleansing (link below). Toners are an important step in your daily maintenance routine. They help to superficially hydrate the skin; they balance the skins pH after cleansing, which is very important; and for men, after shaving the face, toners can really help soothe the skin and reduce irritation and inflammation.

Essential ingredients:
  • Essential oils from citrus (lime, orange, grapefruit and lemon)
  • Yonka “Quintessence” (essential oils of thyme, lavender, cypress, geranium, and rosemary)—balancing, revitalizing, purifying

Directions for use:
After cleansing:
  • Spray LOTION YK over face and neck before moisturizing
  • Apply Yonka day and/or night treatment cream (moisturizer)

Other than using twice daily after cleansing and/or after shaving, this wonderful aromatic toner can be used as often as desired

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Toothpaste could be causing your Chapped Lips—really! A client case study

In the past week, I have developed cracks in the corners of my mouth. I looked these symptoms up and have found that this can be a riboflavin deficiency. I take a lot of vitamins every day, so this seems odd to me. The only other cause that I can think of is stress. Up until last week I was under a lot of stress. What do you think the cause is, and how should I treat this?

Symptoms of stress can be anything from looking and feeling tired to more severe problems like the kind my client, Debbie, has described. Many times stress will have a delayed response in the body, so even though the stress may be over (the wedding, the divorce, the new job, the event) the symptoms of a depleted body may keep on coming. It’s as though your body takes the brunt of the stress for a certain period of time, then it crosses over the threshold of tolerance. That is when the symptoms really begin to show.

Cracking at the corners of the mouth is thought to be a riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency. The B vitamins are known as the “stress vitamins.” When we are stressed out, vitamin B is easily depleted from our system. Because these vitamins are water-soluble, they are easily destroyed by alcohol, pollution, smoking, and stress, to name just a few causes.

Although Debbie was on the right track for figuring out why she was experiencing cracking at the corners of her mouth, it wasn’t until another six months went by that she discovered the real culprit. After trial and error with vitamins and products put directly on her lips, Debbie returned to her dermatologist who said it could be toothpaste that was causing her troubles. Honestly, when Debbie first told me this I was skeptical, although I had recently read about toothpaste causing reactions like perioral dermatitis, a condition that I didn’t link to Debbie’s.
Debbie called me and said that she didn’t want to jinx the results, but after switching toothpaste, her cracking problems cleared up within three days! Debbie’s problems began in October and it was now April. I asked her if she switched brands anywhere near the time she was getting cracked lips. Due to an important event (the one she was so stressed about in the email), she wanted to have bright, white teeth and started using a special toothpaste made for this right around the time she started having the problems.

You really have to become your own private detective when it comes to figuring out why you have “all of a sudden” developed a skin condition—or a change in anything having to do with your body. I talk a lot about this in regard to sugar and breakouts. Without finding what the offending substance is, whether a food or in Debbie’s case, a product, your problems may persist. If Debbie’s doctor hadn’t suggested this seemingly unrelated product (toothpaste) as being the cause, she would have continued to use it and continued to have skin problems. Or at some point, Debbie might have gone off the toothpaste, and her lip problems would have cleared up, but she might not have connected the two events.

Awareness is the key, along with being able to dissect your life in such a way as to figure out even the most mundane of activities or products used and how they may be affecting your health. I am happy to report Debbie’s cracking problems have completely gone away, and needless to say, she won’t be using teeth whitening toothpaste ever again!

For more information, see:









  • Kiss Chapped Lips Goodbye!

  • More Help for Chapped Lips

  • - See more at: http://agelessbeautyblog.blogspot.com/search/label/chapped%20lips#sthash.m3998u7R.dpuf

    Friday, January 22, 2016

    Yonka’s HUILE CORPS—aromatic body oil—DISCONTINUED

    UPDATE 4/2018:
    Many of the Yonka body products have been discontinued. A few have simply been renamed, but it looks like the French product line will be coming out with several new body products in the next few years. That is all fine and good. I dont have a spa, I dont offer body treatments (and Yonka has many for capable salons), so any new body products for me will just be for retail and if past tells the future, I wont be selling much of them.

    I concentrate my efforts on the health of my clients facial skin, so time will tell about the new body products and my affection for them, but I think its a good thing Yonka is going to plump up their body product line. For now, Huile Corps, a wonderful body oil that I really like is now discontinued. Hopefully there will be something equally as wonderful to replace it.


    From Yonka headquarters:  
    HUILE CORPS is a fast-penetrating oil that leaves the skin on the body with a feeling of well-being. It nourishes, hydrates, firms, and replenishes while its delicate aromas enliven the body and mind.

    Smooth, quickly absorbed, and naturally aromatic, this triple-action oil repairs the driest and most damaged skin. It firms the epidermis and invigorates blood and lymph circulation. Use daily on slightly wet skin after shower or bath.

    I love this body oil! It has that amazing “Yonka” aromatic and makes the dry, winter skin on your body feel completely hydrated without feeling oily. Body oils are best used when your skin is still wet from the shower or bath. Using body oils in the winter really help keep the alligator skin away.

    Essential ingredients:
    • Hazelnut, corn and sunflower cereal oils—silkens, nourishes, neutralizes free radicals
    • Petitgrain essential oil—shapes, detoxifies and tones, improves coloring, balancing
    • Everlasting essential oil—improves circulation, slimming effect
    • Lavender essential oil—calms, regenerates
    • Sage essential oil—detoxifies, firms
    • Rosemary essential oil—vitalizing
    • Vitamin E—antioxidant 
    Directions for use:
    Apply any time after a bath of shower, day or night:
    • Apply on slightly damp skin for best results
    • Massage in well
    • Gently pat skin to remove any excess before getting dressed
    Specific uses:
    • Stretch marks: Apply alone or mixed day and/or night with Huile Corps and Creme 55
    • Firming: Apply alone or mixed day and/or night with Huile Corps and Phyto 152
    • Dry skin: Apply alone or mixed day and/or night with Huile Corps and Lait Corps
    • Body contouring: Apply day and/or night with Huile Corps + Creme 55 (water retention) Huile Corps + Creme 155 (fat retention). Apply before exercise to affected areas to increase sedation
    • Heavy, tired legs: Apply in the morning with Huile Corps + Creme 55, in the evening with Phyto 152
    • Muscle aches & pains/exercise relief: Apply alone or mixed with Huile Corps + Creme 155
    • Sun damage: Apply alone or mixed with Huile Corps with Lait Apres Soleil or Lait Corps 

    For more information, see:

    Wednesday, January 20, 2016

    Doing The Next Best Thing

    It’s three o’clock in the afternoon, and you're in need of that cup of coffee or candy bar, whatever you reach for to get you through your afternoon slump. What you really need is a 15- or 20-minute nap. But that’s absurd, right? You can’t nap at the office or when the kids are on their way home from school. Yet that is exactly what your body needs. The very reason it is slowing down is because it’s tired. Your body just needs a little refresher nap to get your batteries recharged, but you can’t fit a nap in. (Older people and babies have the right idea—they take daily naps.)

    My advice? Do the next best thing—whatever that looks like for you. Maybe you could close your office door and do a five-minute meditation to clear your thoughts and breathe. Or slip outside and find a private little spot to quiet your mind for five or ten minutes. Breathe in some clean air and let go of the day. Perhaps taking a walk can help you relax and release tension. If the kids are coming home at three every day, be home by 2:30 and take a 15-minute bath or sit and meditate for 15 minutes. If you don’t have 15 minutes, then take five. Whatever the scenario, try to incorporate the next best thing into your day if you can’t do what your body really wants to do, which is to rest and shut down for a while.

    The same principle applies with exercise. Can’t get your full workout in? Do the next best thing, which is perhaps only half your workout or one set of the exercises in your program. Maybe you can do a simple form of exercise instead of no exercise. The next best thing is always better than nothing at all.

    With diet (your daily intake of food), again do the next best thing if you can’t eat the best-quality food. If you want a snack and can’t find fruit or other healthy foods to munch on, try a smoothie, crackers and cheese (easy to keep at the office), a glass of Emergen-C, or sparkling water with lemon. Anything other than cookies, candies, or other varieties of junk food will work. If you can’t find a way to do the best thing in any given situation, do the next best thing.

    Life is short. We all probably have a mental list of all the things we “should do in the course of a day to keep fit, healthy, and hydrated. But life throws us curve balls and I suggest just running with them. Do the next best thing when you can’t do the “right thing, and don’t worry about the choices you’re making. Really! 

    For more information, see:

    Monday, January 18, 2016

    Crow’s Feet Q & A

    How can I get rid of or prevent crow’s feet?

    In a word, you can’t. Crow’s feet are the lines and wrinkles that form around the eyes from years of expressing, including laughing, crying, squinting, and rubbing the area. Throughout our lives the eye area gets a good deal of sun exposure, too. This will increase both the speed of formation and the depth of the lines around your eyes.

    You have no functioning oil glands directly under your eyes, so it stands to reason that this particular area remains dry (oil-dry) throughout your life, coupled with the fact that the eyes are the most expressive part of the face. This gives just about everyone a recipe for premature lines and wrinkles.

    Crow’s feet are not preventable—unless of course you don’t express and otherwise don’t disrupt the tissue. Obviously, this is not going to happen. Even young people have the beginnings of crow’s feet—they are a natural part of the evolution of our skin. You can’t really get rid of them nor can you prevent them from occurring.

    This is where Botox and other cosmetic procedures step in. And this is where I go my separate way. You get lines and wrinkles due to the natural aging process, like it or not. And my choice is to accept and move on. For others, moving on means reaching for cosmetic helpers that will help diminish or even eliminate the lines. I still contend the lines around your eyes cannot be completely eliminated, but Botox and some laser procedures can significantly lessen their appearance. I don’t subscribe to these procedures, but they are widely available.

    I am not sure if 26 is the magic number, but I have started to notice the beginnings of the dreaded crow’s feet (which is why I am stocking up on eye cream!). Is this normal? Am I aging prematurely? How can I make it stop?

    The aging process starts when it does. It is different for every individual, but at 26 you are probably going to start seeing something. Because the eyes are so expressive, it is usually the first place you will see lines starting to form. You can’t “make it stop,” but using eye cream every day will help to keep the skin under your eyes soft and therefore discourage lines from forming due to dehydration.

    The lines will form there, and every year they will get deeper. Now in my 50s, I am of course seeing the aging process take hold. Gray hair, deeper lines, but I don’t obsess or even pay too much attention to all that. I know intellectually those things are going to happen. So I choose to focus my attention on the things I can change like eating well, exercising, and in general continuing to learn how to relax through life.

    At 26 this may all sound like a bunch of “who cares,” but you can’t change the inevitable. You can, of course, use good products on your skin and stay away from direct sunlight on your face. But nature will take its course. Try to enjoy the process! (I’m sure you are rolling your eyes right about now!)

    It is doubtful you are aging prematurely, and yes, seeing some lines is normal. But how much sun exposure you’ve received thus far (and will continue to get) greatly influences how deep the lines get in your mid-20s. For instance, do you ever sit outside to eat lunch? What about driving with your sunroof open? These are really no different than lying on the beach. Sun is sun, and it is the number one cause of aging, both premature and normal aging.

    I would like to instill an air of confidence in younger readers. I encourage you to stop looking so hard in the mirror and live your life. You may see the wrinkles starting to form, but they aren’t going anywhere! They will be with you for the rest of your life. Enjoy your youth; you have the rest of your life to worry about aging.

    For more information, see:
    Well, aging does happen, but focus on something you have control over!

    Sunday, January 17, 2016

    Doglessness has its moments

    I was prompted to write this piece as I walked across my kitchen floor barefoot, something I don’t do very often in the winter; I usually have socks or down booties on. The floor felt a little sticky, which I thought was odd and it’s what took my mind to my love, Quincy Blu, and how he probably spent a lot of time cleaning the floor when I was away from home. He wasn’t allowed in the kitchen, but as we all know, when were out of the house, all bets are off!

    I’ve learned a lot since my pup’s passing last summer. Like a friend of mine once told me, you won’t believe how often your cats throw up until your dog is no longer taking care of things while you’re gone. This, I have found, is all too true. It seems my cats do throw up a lot, although they are all healthy and well. Its just that there is no longer my 4-legged scavenger (aka Quincy) togross as it might be to us humanslap it all up without my ever knowing. Yum yum.

    I’ve learned that, although of course I’d rather be out with my sweet Quincy Blu, I do enjoy not having to take a dog out immediately after waking up in the morning. I like having my coffee and waking up that way vs. waking up outside.

    This is my first winter without a dog since moving to Colorado. Actually, I was here for one winter that first year, but I was so in love with being outside it was pure heaven even without a dog. Now I find I’m not too sure what the weather is likewhat the temperature iswhen I get outside. Since I live in a condo and had to take Q out several times a day to walk and do his business, I always knew the weather and all the nuances that go with outside air. Nowadays, however, I like seeing the weather from inside my home and do not miss being out in the pouring rain, below zero temps, and gusty winds.

    Q & me at the Bobolink trailhead, Open Space

    I do miss the comradery I had with other dog adopters, especially at the park across the street from my home. Although I see some of them every now and then and can catch up, it really was another loss after Quincys passingthe loss of the social component that comes with walking a dog. The two go hand in hand; the passing of a beloved pet and missing the community of dog park friends.

    I miss having a dog. Obviously I miss Quincy specifically, but I miss having a dog in my life in general. Admittedly, I do feel like kind of a cat lady now with 3 felines, the eldest, Grace, being almost 22 years old. I miss the difference between dogs and cats, the different interactions I have with a canine vs. a feline. I miss being a dog person. I love and adore my kitties, don’t get me wrong, but I truly love having both species under my care.

    Yesterday I stopped by the Humane Society. A part of me was saying, “No no no!!!, but another part was saying, “Just go in and look. No adopting. It’ll do you good. And it did. I went through all the cat rooms, then on to the dogs. There were several sweet Pits, older dogs, big dogs, little ones, and 3 puppies sleeping together as though in an enlarged womb, all jerking around a bit as they were dreamingall joined together. Being among so many dogs did put a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.

    It’s not the time to get a new dog right now. It would certainly mess up the dynamics of my all-feline household. But someday, somewhere, I will have other dogs. It’s in my DNA I think. Cats and dogs. That sounds like a great home environment to mefor me.

    For more about the animals in my life, see:

    Saturday, January 16, 2016

    Dehydrated Skin Quick Tip

    Humidifiers add moisture to the air. If you have dehydrated skin, I recommend putting a humidifier in your bedroom and using it nightly—especially during the winter months. Your skin will be a “captive audience” for the six to eight hours you are asleep. It can make a big difference in the moisture level of your skin. Remember to keep the humidifier away from direct contact with your furniture. (It can warp the wood due to all the moisture.)

    For more information on keeping your skin hydrated, see:


    Thursday, January 14, 2016

    Lysine for cold sores (and cats?)

    PLEASE—don’t touch your cold sore!
    If you have the herpes virus, you know how debilitating it can be. The trick to keeping the painful sores from appearing in the first place is to recognize the early warning signs and take care immediately.

    At the first sign of an outbreak (usually a nerve twinge or tingling at the spot your herpes manifests), (a) take your prescription medication if you have one (Zovirax or other prescription brands), or (b) take lysine (aka L-lysine), which is an amino acid that has been found to help with the herpes virus. Don’t wait for the sore (sometimes referred to as a cold sore) to make its presence known before you take something for it. If you act quickly, it can help prevent the long and arduous task of living with a herpes sore.

    The following has been reprinted by permission from The How To Herb Book, my most favorite herb book to date.

    L-lysine is an enzyme that has been found to help the cold sore virus, Herpes I and II. At the first sign or start of cold sore or canker, taking one 500 mg. tablet of lysine has been effective in preventing them from occurring. (Aloe vera also contains this enzyme.) Some people who have had trouble with cold sores and cankers all their lives have started taking one lysine tablet each day and have had no more problems with them.

    Excess arginine, an amino acid which is in large concentration in chocolate and nuts, is thought to be a contributing cause of cankers and cold sores. Lysine and arginine balance each other. When cankers or cold sores exist, arginine is in excess and extra lysine is needed to bring the body back in balance.

    L-lysine has immune system boosting benefits. One of my cats, Jax, recently caught an upper respiratory infection at a boarding facility. Poor guy, he was sniffing and sneezing for several days when I called the vet. Although I could have taken him in and had extensive (and expensive) tests, his vet recommended starting off with lysine. She said it would help boost his immune system and is something they give animals who have just come from the shelter and whose immune systems are definitely compromised. She said to start with lysine and give it a few days to make a difference, which it did. Jax had symptoms for about 4-5 days, but I do feel the lysine helped to ease his illness.

    I got capsules, not tablets. The caps are easy to open up to access the powder, then sprinkle into wet cat food. I could have used tablets, but I’d have to crush them up (with a hammer, I guess) to get a fine powder. Why bother? L-lysine capsules are easy to find and very easy to administer to a sick cat.

    Please don’t use the above as a prescription for your pet. I’m simply using this as an example of how l-lysine can be helpful for many different things—and beings.

    For more information, see:
    A website I looked at actually said chicken noodle soup could help the cat!

    Wednesday, January 13, 2016

    NUTRI+ (formerly Yonka Serum)—repairing, nourishing facial oil

    NUTRI+ is a nourishing, repairing, hydrating concentrate. It is a true oil vs. many of the hydrating concentrates in the Yonka line (like Optimizer Serum and Hydralia) that are not true oils or what I describe as “oily oils. Therefore, you will want to use caution when using this nutrient-rich product. Nutri+ can be used in many ways, as you will see in the directions below.

    This is one of the very first products produced by Yonka back in the 1950s. It contains the “Yonka Quintessence5 essential oils that are employed by many Yonka products (listed under Essential ingredients below). The essential oils along with the cereal germ oils make this serum hydrating, nourishing, and regenerating. Interestingly, the essential oils in this product are the very ingredients that got Yonka Serum (now renamed Nutri+) a poor review on Paula Begoun’s product review website, paulaschoice.com:

    Yon-Ka Serum is a corn oil–based serum for dry skin that is not recommended because it contains lavender, rosemary, thyme, and cypress [essential] oils. None of these can repair skin in any way, shape, or form. If anything, the irritation they cause can lower skin’s defenses and impede the healing process. The extract form of these plants would be preferred, especially for thyme because it has potent antioxidant ability.”

    I assume from the remark, “The extract form of these plants would be preferred, the fact that essential oils are extracts from plants and flowers has somehow escaped this reviewer’s understanding. I actually don’t know where to begin with my opinion of Paula Begoun’s critique and her comments about essential oils. Below you will find a link to a review I gave of Paula’s review of Yonka products.
    Please see *Note* at the bottom of this page.

    Here is the product description from Yonka headquarters: “Nutri+ deeply repairs and nourishes lifeless and damaged complexions. A vitality booster that stimulates optimal energy flow by eliminating toxins, increases blood circulation and oxygenation of the tissues. Helps skin heal after specific in-depth resurfacing procedures. [aka: peels]
    Essential ingredients:
    • Corn, sunflower, soybean oils—regenerating, nourishing
    • Vitamin F—hydrating
    • Vitamin E—antioxidant
    • Yonka “Quintessence” (essential oils of thyme, lavender, cypress, geranium, and rosemary)
      • Thymeantiseptic, antioxidant
      • Lavenderantiseptic, soothing
      • Cypressvasotonic, clarifying
      • Geraniumbalancing
      • Rosemarydetoxifying, anti-inflammatory
    Directions for use:

    No matter how you choose to use Nutri+, remember this is an oil, so don’t overdo it. Here are some recommendations:
    • Add 2-4 drops of Nutri+ to your day and/or night cream for extra hydration
    • Nutri+ may also be applied in a thin layer around eyes or mixed in with eye cream (one drop is enough)
    • Apply to closed wounds and scrapes to aid recovery and minimize scarring
    • Use on chapped lips
    • Nutri+ can be added to hand creams for extra nourishment
    • If you are a skier, apply a thin layer of Nutri+ to your entire face to help with the extreme exposure of cold and wind

    Nutri+ is a favorite with many of my clients. If you feel the need for extra hydration, give this nourishing oil a try and fall in love.

    *Note*
    As I do before I post any of these articles, I was reading over this piece before it published. Sometimes I write posts weeks or months before they appear on this blog, which was the case with today’s article. I went onto Paula’s website to find the review, something that was available just a short while ago, and could not find anything pertaining to Yonka, Yonka products, Yonka-Parisnothing. All I got after my searches was “Sorry, no results were found. As I updated in my previous post listed above on my review of Begoun’s review of Yonka, I’m not sure why this is the case, but at this time Yonka products are not available to see on either of her sites. Perhaps this will change in the future. Regardless, the above review along with any others on my blogsite were taken verbatim from pages I found on her site in 2015.

    For more information, see:

    Tuesday, January 12, 2016

    Teens, Accutane, and Diet

    My teenage daughter has had problem skin for several years. She has been treated by a local dermatologist with antibiotics and has been using special cleansers, but nothing is working. Now he wants to put her on Accutane, and after reading about the side effects of this medication I’m really opposed to it.

    The first question I would ask this woman is “how is your daughter’s diet?” What is bad in her diet? Other than raging hormones, chronic skin problems can surface due to poor dietary habits. My guess, especially since she is a teenager, is that she eats a lot of sweets. If you are sensitive to sugar and you continue to consume it, you will probably end up with (chronic) problems.

    Diet may have little to do with her skin problems. She may be predisposed genetically to having teenage acne. This is always a possibility. But in all of my years in practice, I find that even when there’s a genetic predisposition, diet plays a key role in problem and acne skin—whether it is happening to a teenager or an adult.
    I agree with this mother’s hesitation about putting her child on Accutane, especially because of all the possible side effects. Since she hasn’t responded favorably to previous attempts to clear her skin up, it indicates to me that she is probably continuing to feed the problem, which might be centered around sugar.

    Accutane may indeed help this young lady’s skin to finally and totally clear up. But before subjecting your body’s health to this or any drug, wouldn’t it be worth it to try a new dietary plan and see what effects changing food has on the state of your skin? You may end up saving your skin and avoiding all the potential side effects of taking Accutane.

    For information on a young person’s skin care routine, see:
    There are several articles about Accutane on this blog. Here are just a few: