Good Foods for the Skin

Different websites are touting the benefits of eating right on your skin to prevent wrinkles and retain that youthful glow. I have a friend who at 50, looked AMAZING and actually looked like she was 40. She credited this youthful, wrinkless, glowing complexion to eating right, drinking plenty of water and taking many supplements. Either her genes were very good and/or the lifestyle was working because she looked incredible.

Lycopene from processed tomatoes provides a great source of an anti-oxidant and also helps to ward off cancerous cell formations. Lycopene, in high doses, flush out free radicals. Since lycopene is not made in the body, we require products such as tomatoes to acquire it.

“Researchers introduced Lycopene into pre-existing cancer cell cultures and the Lycopene prevented the continued growth of these cultures. This is pretty powerful evidence that the health benefits of eating a tomato are really quite phenomenal. It takes as little as 540 milliliters of liquid tomato product to get the full benefits of Lycopene. This means that a daily glass of tomato juice has the potential to keep a person healthy for life.”

Oysters provides zinc which provides that nice little feature of repairing and renewing our skin called collagen. As we age, we lose that ability.

Blueberries prevent cell damage by also being a source of an anti-oxidant. In 2004, a team led by a USDA chemist found that this natural anti-oxidant may lower blood levels of LDL which is the “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides. The pterostilbene in blueberries is similar to the chemical Resveratrol found in grapes. Another claim for blueberries as an antioxidant is the benefit towards slowing down visual loss due to the extract from blueberries. It’s called anthocyanosides and has been found in clinical studies to slow down visual loss.

”A recent study was done in a Boston laboratory by putting one group of young rats on a blueberry-rich diet and another on regular chow. Then the scientist exposed both groups to 48 hours of concentrated oxygen, stirring up in two days the amount of free radical damage that normally takes 20 rat months, or 75 humans to accumulate. Brain cells in the chow group became less responsive to neurotransmitters associated with short-term memory. The brains of the blueberry stuffed rats did not change. He also found that the fruit prevented the kind of short-term memory loss that comes with aging. Blueberries actually stave off declines in brain cell’s ability to send messages to one another.”

Dark chocolate has many benefits to include providing yet another anti-oxidant source. It increases blood flow to the skin which rehydrates the skin and provides additional sun protection.

Walnuts provides omega-3 and vitamin E which is a natural way to ward off psoriasis and eczema. Omega-3 fatty acids also provide benefits ranging from better mental functioning to cardiovascular protection to an anti-inflammatory benefits in asthma.

CellCeuticals® Biomedical Skin Treatments

I woke up this morning after leaving the TV on to see another infomercial on another anti-aging product. I became one of those people who surfed the cable channel for any “paid programming” to see the latest and greatest product on anything. After trying a few anti-aging and a round of Billy Mays products (yes, I actually am admitting this), I quit spending money on these and am looking at more natural products or products with Vitamin C or retina in them. It’s a toss up with one product with the Vitamin C and olive oil. I thought olive oil would make my skin break out but I think I see an improvement and notice a more youthful look and it appears some wrinkles are smaller or it’s just nature diminishing my eyesight a little quicker.

With no surprise here, the anti-aging industy is the fastest growing industry. Plastic surgery is picking up speed and again, no surprise there. Some people can’t afford plastic surgery, some can’t tolerate the procedure or the pain and some just opt to utilize basic over the counter products for whatever reason. I must admit that I’d probably get some procedures done if I had the money to blow as I think after time, you spend just as much on some of these crazy lotions, creams and whatever else there is out there. I tried botox twice and it left a severe droop in my eyes as it was wearing off the second time. I looked at least 10 years older until it all wore out. I’m hesitant to use it again as I don’t think there are enough long term studies of the adverse events in spite of their claims this products has been used for years and years. Yes, the product has for other medicinal uses but not years and years on large population segments for the facial beauty.
I was curious if anyone has tried CellCeuticals® and actually liked the results. It was yet another infomercial of a panel of women who didn’t really need it or already looked like they had some plastic surgery discuss why they love this product.

I read a few articles all stating the same thing under “reviews of CellCeuticals®” and the claim to effectiveness was because some “celebrities” attended a launch party so that’s suppose to mean they actually use it AND they claim it works. I saw one person review their make up remover and admitted he/she has no bad wrinkles so can’t comment on that effect. On another site, ONE person provided reviews on their anti-aging products and gave them 9 out of 10. I think I’ll stick to olive oil for now.

From this website, http://www.dermproducts.com/news/cellceuticals-biomedical-skin-treatments-announces-a-new-approach-anti-aging, here is what the CEO stated:

With years of work in the beauty industry, I know first hand that savvy customers expect more than a ‘glorified miracle in a bottle’ and ‘empty promises,’” says Paul Scott Premo, CEO of CellCeuticals® Skin Care, Inc. “They’re frustrated with unrealistic claims. They want products that deliver their promised results. With this in mind, Dr. Fisher and I developed a new generation of bio-treatments that apply the latest advancements in cellular science, which help counteract the visible effects of skin aging.”

The Science: Proprietary & Patent Pending Technology: The CellCeuticals Growth Factor Peptide (GFP) Cellular Complex is a groundbreaking technology combining next generation lipopeptides, retinol and antioxidants in a proprietary nanoemulsion delivery system that targets cellular skin aging. The GFP Cellular Complex was designed to facilitate a “proliferation response” and eliminate the “inflammatory response” common with other anti-aging ingredients and procedures.

CellCeuticals’ patent-pending, bioengineered lipopeptides are developed and tested using state-of-the-art DNA Microarrays and represent the next generation of peptides. Many first-generation peptides not only increase expression of genes that code for elastin and collagen but also increase the expression of genes that code for Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes that breakdown the extracellular matrix of the skin. In addition, some of these peptides increase expression of the interleukin genes involved in the inflammatory cascade.

The CellCeuticals patent pending lipopeptides are targeted to increase expression of certain genes (elastin, collagen) and to decrease others (MMPs and interleukins.) An additional, unexpected and surprising property of the lipopeptides is their broad-spectrum anti-microbial properties, making them ideal candidates for anti-acne products.
The GFP Cellular Complex triggers cellular stimulation to encourage the regeneration of vital proteins responsible for firmer, thicker and youthful looking skin.

Stephens & Associates conducted the extensive eight-week, independent clinical study under the direction of Chief Science Investigator Dr. Thomas Stephens. The results of the clinical study concluded the CellCeuticals® Skin Treatments System with GFP Cellular Complex was proven to:

• Diminish visible wrinkles by 36%
• Decrease the appearance of the deepest wrinkle depth by 45%
• Renew skin smoothness by 64%
• Refine skin texture by 31%
• Reveal skin radiance by 33%
• Revitalize skin tone by 24%
• Restore skin firmness by 20%
• Replenish skin moisture by 48%
• Reduce skin redness by 87%

In addition, the CellCeuticals® Skin Treatment System has been carefully formulated and undergone rigorous testing to substantiate both product performance and safety.

• Clinically & Efficacy Tested
• Dermatologist Tested
• Ophthalmologist Tested
• Irritancy Tested
• Fragrance-Free*
• Paraben-Free
• Phthalate-Free
• Non-Comedogenic
• No Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• No Artificial Color
• No Animal Ingredients
• No Animal Testing