A Potion of Positive Thinking |
A frequently overlooked aspect of managing acne and getting the most from your acne treatment is getting yourself into the correct mental state. The correct mental state involves having clearly visualised goals and being able to achieve a state of confidence so that you can enjoy life to the full.
Goals should always be positive. In other words they should be where you want to move to as opposed to negative goals which require you to move away from something you don’t like. Positive goals will be more motivating and achievable because as you get nearer your goal it will feel more attainable and consequently you will be inspired to continue with greater energy and enthusiasm. Negative goals have the opposite effect and as you get further from the state you are moving away from you are less motivated to continue.
Many of you who have tried to lose weight will recognise this effect. If your original weight loss goal was to be not quite so fat then as you shed a few pounds you tend to ease your disciplined diet. However if you set a goal that is positive such as fitting into a size 10 dress then as you get closer to that size you will find yourself more motivated to achieve it.
Goals must also be realistic, which rules out being superman, and you must want them and be able to visualise them strongly and clearly. Visualising goals is very important as it focuses the mind on where you want to be, and with that focus comes motivation and confidence. Goals shouldn’t just be about having a perfect skin; you should aim at setting your ultimate goals of wealth, health and happiness and these should be strongly visualised. Then you should visualise where having a good skin fits into your ultimate goals.
Once you have set your goals, you should set aside definite times for visualising them. The easiest time is on waking in the morning, this is also the best as it will give a focus for the day. If you have set your goals properly you will find yourself more motivated and consequently your skin care routines will cease to be a chore and become something you want to do. This is important as complying strictly with your skin care regime really does improve results when treating acne.
The next task is to feel confident about the way you are. Most of us are fortunate in so far we can put our spots into perspective and get on and do the things we want in life regardless. However for some of us it is not as easy as that and we find ourselves hiding away rather than joining the big bad world. You know that acne shouldn’t bother you, and the reason I know you know is that we’ve all known some acne sufferers who manage to just get on with it and get to the centre of the fun and action. In order for us to succeed we just have to be like those people. This might be easier said than done for some, however if you try some of the following exercises you will gradually find it easier and easier.
The first thing you should do is realise that about 90% of the people who come into the SkinGenesis clinics overestimate the severity of their acne (the other 10% get it about right). This means there is a very strong likelihood that you are seeing yourself more critically than others will.
The second thing you must do is just observe people who have acne. For a start you will find that well over half of the people you see who are aged between 16 to 36 are suffering from some sort of acne. When you see someone, categorise them either into someone who is in control of their life (i.e. not letting acne affect them) or those whose lives appear controlled by their acne. Next I want you to think about the people whose lives are controlled by their acne and then think how much better their lives would be if they were like the group who were in control of their lives.
Now think about how good your life would be if you were one of the people who were in control of your life.
You now come to the final part. You will need a little bit of time and some peace and quiet to do this, so make yourself comfortable where you won’t be disturbed. When you are nice and relaxed think back to the first occasion that you were embarrassed by your acne. Think quickly rather than hard because the first event that comes to mind is probably the most significant. Now think back to that event and observe in a disassociated state (i.e. as an observer or fly on the wall), and then replay that event with you being in control of your life. Do this until you feel happy with the outcome. Once you have done this you must go back to the event in an associated state (i.e. it’s actually you reliving the experience) and relive the event with you in control. Repeat this re-enactment until you are completely at ease with the experience. Once you are happy with this first event move forwards in time towards the present moment, stopping at each embarrassing moment that comes to mind and reworking it as you did with the first event until you are happy with the outcome.
Once you have completed this exercise you should find that you are a little more at ease with the idea of getting out there and joining in. Some people may have to repeat the exercise several times to feel completely at ease, so persevere. If you do the exercise thoroughly you should feel better and more confident each time you do it.
Next time you feel inhibited about joining in an event, just recall the last time you did the exercise, then see yourself in a disassociated state (i.e. fly on the wall) participating in the exercise as someone in control of their life. Repeat this exercise until you feel confident and in control of your life and ready to join in.
Feeling positive and confident will actually do more than improve the quality of your life, it will improve your treatments. Happiness, confidence and feeling positive are all great ways to avoid stress, which is good because stress can be bad for the skin. Some stress hormones can aggravate acne and inhibit the rate at which the skin heals, so inhibiting stress will produce great results for the skin. Another side effect of stress can be the comforting behaviours we use to help us cope. These are normally the things we do in a stressful situation that we regret almost immediately afterwards (such as smoking and bingeing). They can play havoc with blood sugar levels and cause spikes in hormone levels, these too can be factors that will aggravate acne.
Finally being positive and confident will result in you looking positive and confident and also happy as well. This positive, happy, confident look is both noticeable and very attractive. If you are in any doubt compare a spotty but happy, confident and positive person with someone with clear skin but looks negative, insecure and unhappy. You will be in no doubt which is the most attractive person. |
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Are Facial Dermal Fillers Safe? |
There have been some reports recently of dermal fillers injections that have gone wrong. As these injections are growing in popularity – they’re now almost as popular as Botox – it seems the right time to lift the lid on fillers and give you some tips to avoid potential pitfalls.
It’s a fact that our facial structures loose volume as the years go by. As a result the skin develops ever deeper lines and starts to sag, changing the shape of the face as ‘jowls’ appear. Fillers can restore some of the lost volume and so reduce the appearance of lines and give a more youthful shape to your face. When done expertly the effects are quite impressive and it’s easy to see why the procedure is becoming so popular.
So what are the problems that are filling up the column inches in our newspapers and magazines? The first thing to be aware of is that fillers fall in to 2 categories: temporary fillers and permanent fillers. Permanent fillers are relatively new and seem to be where the main problems are today.
Temporary fillers are made of collagen or hyaluronic acid, both of which are natural substances which can be reabsorbed by the body. This means their effect wears off after a year or so, which might sound like a problem, but this means that any ill effects are likely to be temporary and, in fact, the filler can be dissolved or removed if anything goes wrong. The only drawback of temporary fillers is that the client will need to attend for top-up injections periodically.
Permanent fillers are also based on collagen or hyaluronic acid but include synthetic particles and gels that won’t be absorbed by the body. This ‘breakthough’ may sound appealing but there are concerns that the client will be left with an unnatural look when the shape of their face changes over the coming years.
There are also concerns that not enough is known about the long term effects of some of the newer brands. In the US , there are only 6 fillers approved by the Foods and Drug Administration (FDA), who carry out stringent long term tests before a product is brought to market. By comparison, there are over 100 in the UK with its much more lax standards. It has even been claimed by Which? magazine that the Americans are using us as a testing ground before allowing products to be used in the US .
And then there’s the question of the training and skill of the practitioner. Because of the lack of regulation, anyone can set themselves up to inject fillers, even the permanent ones, into unsuspecting customers. The Department of Health has looked into tighter regulation through the Healthcare Commission. However it changed its mind last year and has asked for voluntary self regulation from the industry itself, with this new approach being led by the private health industry’s body the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS). IHAS has now said that there’s little that can be done unless another agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), classifies fillers as medicines. This would mean they would be regulated, like Botox, under they Medicines Act and would only be administered by licensed medical practitioners. At the moment though there doesn’t seem to be any political will to make this happen so it’s very much a case of ‘buyer beware’*. Here are our tips for ensuring a successful fillers procedure:
- Have the procedure carried out by a doctor
- Ask to see their training certificates and testimonials from happy clients
- Find out whether the filler is temporary or permanent. Question whether you really need a permanent filler.
- You might be told the filler is ‘semi-permanent’. Find out what this means and why it’s being recommended.
- Ask who manufactures the filler. Big names such as Allergan, Bio-Form, Q-Med and sanofi-aventis will have had extensive trials.
*Filler procedures at SkinGenesis clinics are carried out by Dr Nyree Whitley and Dr Bret Claxton. They use Allergan, Bio-Form and Q-Med products. |
SkinGenesis Jargon Buster |
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Squeezing the Jargon on the Tube!
If you’ve taken part in our poll and are wondering what the true meaning of these terms is, then here is the SkinGenesis quick guide to marketing pseudo-science in the skin care products industry!
Penta-Peptide
A compound containing 5 amino acid molecules linked by peptide bonds. Amino acids are organic molecules that are the building blocks of protein and essential to human life. Peptides could be regarded as smaller protein molecules. By convention a protein is made up of one or more poly-peptides containing at least 50 amino acids. The body is capable of synthesising some amino acids but not others. The amino acids that the body cannot synthesise must be obtained from the diet (proteins) and are called essential amino acids. Synthesised peptides can mimic peptides that occur naturally in the skin and are specifically formulated to stimulate various skin functions. They are increasingly used to stimulate cell turnover and renewal as well as mimic other cosmetic interventions such as Botox.
Coenzyme Q10
A vitamin like substance (sometimes called ubiquinone) that helps stabilise cell membranes while bringing more oxygen into the cells and the mitochondria (the ‘power plant’ in cells). It facilitates healthy cell renewal and inhibits oxidisation. Good natural sources include red meat, oily fish and spinach.
Proxylane
(I think should be Pro-Xylane). Pro-Xylane is a derivative of xylose (wood sugar) produced by L’Oreal for its Skin Genesis (no connection with SkinGenesis Ltd) range of products. This product is known as DermaGenesis in the UK to avoid confusion with our clinics. L’Oreal’s publicity states that Pro-Xylane will replenish and tighten skin.
Marine Bio-peptides
It is hard to imagine a peptide that is not “bio”?. This implies peptides derived from something in the sea, which could be anything from contaminated sea water off the Bay of Naples to the hearts of the endangered arrowtooth flounder. Worth avoiding if you have a shrimp allergy!
Pro retinol A
Pro retinol (there isn’t a ‘B’ or a ‘C’) is a form of vitamin A that has been formulated for topical application to the skin. It has proven characteristics of regulating cell growth and causing slight exfoliation. It is widely used as an anti-ageing ingredient and is particularly effective in treating sun damage, especially fine lines, coarse skin texture and unwanted pigmentation. It should be used with a certain amount of caution as it will cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight.
Pro Calcium
A form of calcium (hydroxyapatite) used by L’Oreal in its Re-Perfect range. The molecular size is small enough to be absorbed into the skin where it can supplement the calcium in the epidermis. Higher levels of calcium in the epidermis will stimulate skin renewal by increasing cell turnover. This process will have a rejuvenating effect. Research has linked premature skin ageing and skin cancer with low levels of calcium in the skin.
Poly Collagen Peptides
These refer to peptides designed to stimulate collagen production and renewal. The poly prefix implies there are many amino acids in the peptide.
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Helping Women Avoid PMS Skin Problems |
As national PMS Awareness Week approaches (08/09/08 – 14/09/08), SkinGenesis is focusing on the effects which the menstrual cycle can have on women’s skin.
To help women fully understand how much PMS can impact on the skin, we have devised the SkinGenesis essential guide to ‘Skin changes during the cycle’.
This unique guide looks into the four phases of the menstrual cycle and how they can affect the skin’s natural balance, while also offering simple help and advice on how to improve the health of your skin.
During the premenstrual phase, which lasts around 14 days, women’s bodies undergo a number of changes and it is throughout this time that the skin is at its most vulnerable. Skin cell membranes are at their weakest which can cause higher moisture loss, while varying levels of the body’s natural hormones and a higher skin bacteria count can lead to skin becoming more susceptible to spots and breakouts.
As result of these factors it is during the premenstrual phase that women should be the most selective when it comes to choosing good skincare. At a minimum, a low pH anti-inflammatory wash should be used to cleanse the skin. This will help to make the skin more acidic, reduce bacteria, strengthen the cell walls as well as helping to retain natural moisture.
To read more about PMS and your skin read our essential guide ‘Skin Changes during the Menstrual Cycle’. |
First Ever Beauty Creams Amnesty! |
As part of our campaign for better skin we have launched the first ever Beauty Creams Amnesty. “What is a Beauty Cream Amnesty?” I hear you say.
As you know, at SkinGenesis we are constantly looking at new ways to improve your skin and we have had a major breakthrough! Last month we launched our Expert Skin Analysis service which gives the most in depth view of your skin ever.
A major part of understanding your skin and selecting the right treatments is knowing the acidity (pH) of your skin, but not just your skin. The pH of the products you apply to your skin is also important.
The majority of over-the-counter anti-ageing creams have an alkaline pH of 7 or above. However, the skin’s pH should be acidic and the sustained use of alkaline products which break down the skin’s natural acidity can lead to weaker, ageing skin.
So this month, we are offering you the chance to bring in your lotions and potions and have them tested along with your skin to see if they are right for you.
In return for surrendering your creams, we will devise a bespoke skincare plan for you, as well as offering 10% off our entire product range during September.
For more about the Beauty Cream Amnesty including what our Director of Treatments, Peter Beard has to say about it, see our press release . |
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