Learn How Total Skincare Helps You

A total skincare routine provides everything the skin needs to be in good health and to look good. With all of the cosmetic procedures available today, it is easy to forget about the importance of caring for the skin's health. In years gone by, many people realized the importance of good health to their skin's appearance. The advice of traditional practitioners could not be scientifically verified at the time. Today, it can.

Early science seemed to contradict what traditional healers had to say. Much of their advice was disregarded. Doctors called them folk remedies or said the advice was just an "old wives tale". Let me give you a few examples.

Honey has been used historically as a treatment for colds and sore throat. It was applied to a wound or a bandage to promote healing and help prevent infection.

Masks containing it were recommended for everything from acne to wrinkles. Here's what the latest research has to say about honey.

All varieties have some antioxidant and antibacterial activity. In the weaker varieties, the antioxidant activity is low. They do not act like broad spectrum antibiotics. They seem to be effective against only certain kinds of bacteria.

Some varieties have a high degree of natural antioxidant and antibacterial activity, which makes them an important part of a healthy total skincare routine.

Manuka is an example of one of the most potent varieties. Gels containing manuka honey were recently approved by the US FDA for the treatment of antibiotic resistant staph infections.

Manuka honey can be dehydrated and added to nourishing night creams, deep cleansing masks, body lotions and under-eye serums for reducing bags and dark circles.

The anti-bacterial activity helps to heal blemishes and prevent new ones from forming. The antioxidant activity helps to reverse the visible signs of aging and may help prevent them, too.

Using common sense in the sun is another part of healthy total skincare that has been recommended for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Mothers told their daughters to keep their faces shaded in order to prevent burning and wrinkles.

Doctor's did not deny the risk of sunburn. It took years before the relationship between sunshine and wrinkle formation was scientifically established.

During the 1970s, it was not uncommon to hear people say that the sunshine / wrinkle connection was an old wives tale.

Today, we know that protection from the sun is an important part of total skincare. UV rays from the sun stimulate the production and activity of highly reactive molecules that are missing an electron. When stimulated, the molecules steal electrons from the skin's cells, fibers and DNA strands.

Damage to the DNA can lead to the formation of mutated cells, the precursors to skin cancer. Sun damaged skin cells and fibers result in sagging, wrinkles and other visible signs of aging.

Once the link between sun damage and skin cancer was firmly established by scientists, sunscreen ingredients began to appear in numerous products.

There is some debate about whether sunscreen should be included in healthy total skincare products used on a daily basis.

But that debate is a subject for another article.

Source by Gordon P Hall