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To Steam or Not to Steam: That is the Question

Well, I have a quick answer here. In spite of all our best girl advice and experience, the answer is: No Steaming!

Most people use steam temperatures too high and steam for too long. This is seriously damaging and promotes even drier skin. Consequently, you are, in fact, burning your facial skin! The most you need to do is take a nice warm water to your face -- which is what you do anyway when you cleanse. Just by cleaning and exfoliating twice a week is equal to the weekly facial steam!

For the last word, here's what a dermatologist has to say (via a Clarins press release). According to Lionel De Benetti, Clarins Global Director of Research and Development, to improve your skin (besides using Clarins products):

Schedule regular facial treatments for yourself that do not include the use of steam and extractions.

Facial Weekend Detox

Midsummer is a great time to freshen up your skin. This weekend or next is a great time to devote to yourself. Stress, sun and overindulgence all shows up in your face, so let's do a quick detox. Part of the detox is also to give your body a detox too. In keeping things simple, this weekend use the minimal amount of product and let your face detox too.

To start:
1) Take it easy this weekend. No long nights, no drinking alcohol, no greasy fatty foods. Also, don't stress about issues that can be taken care of next week. So that means no working on the weekend either! Curl up take a nap, read a book or watch a DVD.

2) Simply wash your face with your cleanser and just apply eye and face cream lightly, and remember to leave a little dew on your face after washing. Do this three times a day.

3) Drink lots of fresh filtered water.

4) It's summer! Walks to the farmer's market and pick up apricots (anti-aging!), peaches (yellow and white), pluots, plums, pineapple, cherries and blueberries. Use these to make yogurt and fruit for breakfast, smoothie for lunch and a fruit salad for dinner. Do this today and tomorrow -- Saturday and Sunday.

5) Make a simple honey mask! I saw that the great book "The Secret Live of Bees" is now a movie hitting the cinema this fall. Just take raw honey and spread on your face like a mask. Keep it on for 15 minutes and wash off with a warm water washcloth.

6) Take a half hour walk morning and night -- and carry some weighs either in a backpack (a couple of heavy books should do it) or carry small weighs in your hands and pump as you walk.

And a quick word here if you are thinking of doing a face steam. I hear such contrary advice about steaming your face. But two people who should know and who I trust say: don't do it. I'll be checking into this issue soon.

Enjoy your weekend!

Part 3 of 3: Eyes & The Three Bads -- Puffiness

Puffy eyes, what do you do? I didn't know since I am lucky enough to not have all three eye issues -- I have just dark circle and winkles. So I had to do some research and ask my friends. Here is what I discovered.

Most of my friends reported that they experienced puffy eyes in the morning and usually after a night of drinking and then not sleeping well. It also happens that if you drink too much soda or have an overload of sodium in food and drink that causes water retention, you may experience puffiness. Other causes include stress, allergies and crying.

Let's talk a little more about the morning puffiness. As you know, I say over and over again to sleep on your back to avoid wrinkles. Well now, it appears that sleeping on your back and with your head slightly elevated will also help prevent puffiness. It seems that fluids are easily stored under our eyes when we sleep on our stomach -- and during the night the fluids in our body go to the head. So if you have puffy eyes every day, try this and you may find that after one or two nights of back sleeping on a pillow will help reduce or eliminate the puff.

Now remember, we are talking about "puffiness" here, not "bags" -- which will be the topic of a different entry sometime soon.

In the meanwhile, if you are just trying to reduce the puffiness of your eyes, here's some things that will help:

• It's true, cold cucumbers, cold gel packs and cold tea bags placed over your eyelids for 5 minutes does work!
• Or trying washing your face with very cold water or try adding ice to your water to make it even colder.
• Take it easy on both drinking and sodium intake.
• For allergies and puffy eyes, talk with your doctor
  
• And as odd as it sounds, drink water (to cleanse your system of the sodium!)

Be Sure to Check Twitter

Be sure to check my Twitter updates on the right hand side. I often "tweet" in between posts.

Wondering about my annual cost for skin care products listed in my last article?

I added up the cost of every item in the product list of my last entry. It all adds up to $485 -- or $8 a day assuming the products last two months. I must admit the eye creams last longer than two months plus the items I do not use on a regular basis, such as the masques, peels, spot control and two moisturizers (Panthenol Protein which I use on my neck and Antioxidant Skin Preserver which I use only when my skin is very dry). Probably the daily tally is closer to $4.50 to $5.00 a day. So, to take the next step...at $5 daily, my skin care regime (without makeup) is $1,825 a year.

Interlude: What I Do & Use

I was just asked about my facial skin care routine. So here it is -- and I realized that it is pretty complex and totally dependent on how my skin feels to me that day or night. At the end of this entry, I have listed the full brand and product names.

Before I go into my routine, you should know that I have fine pore, lightly dry to normal skin that is sometimes sensitive (usually to fragrance) and not prone to breakouts. However, the weather and what I eat can turn my skin either dry or slightly oily in the T-zone. So I have an adjustable routine that includes a variety of products. Plus, I do not always use them in the recommended way. So here is what I do.

When my skin is "normal" my regular morning and evening care is to clean with Kiehl's Washable Cleansing Milk. For the eyes, I then apply Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions (DS) Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate around the orb, then for my face and neck I apply Kiehl's DS Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate with 10.5% Vitamin C. I wait a few minutes before I follow up with Kiehl's Cryste Marine Firming Eye Treatment and I use my fingerpads to gently pat in the eye cream around the bottom half orb (for me that a radius of half an inch -- I also smile and pat in the eye cream around all smile lines sometimes 1-1.5 inches away from my eye). I then apply (by patting unto my face after rubbing the product in my hands to distribute equally over my hands) Cryste Marine Ultra Riche Lifting & Firming Cream to my face. I wet my hands and then use Panthenol Protein Moisturizing Face Cream for my neck and upper chest area. If I need to spot treat, I do so immediately after cleansing my face and before any other product application. In the morning only, I apply eye color corrector and concealer and then gently tap in Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado; then I finish my makeup application.

If my skin is oily I cleanse with Kiehl's Rare Earth Oatmeal Milk Facial Cleanser #1 or even Kiehl's Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub. Then I follow the rest of the above routine. In the evening, I apply Rare Earth Facial Cleansing Masque. Then I will apply spot treatment to the T-zone and will not use face cream at all but do moisturize my neck and chest areas.

If my skin is dry (usually due to the weather), I follow my routine but change face creams and use the Kiehl's Antioxidant Skin Preserver. This is greasy stuff so I wet my hands and apply a small bit of this cream and blend the water and cream in my hands before patting unto my face. This works especially well in the evenings. Also, if I have no makeup on, in the evening I will "clean" my face by using water only then applying everything else.

Twice or three times a week I will apply Kiehl's DS Over Night Biological Peel (actually I will apply this on nights I am home and leave on for 5-6 hours) then I follow with Kiehl's DS Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion. Then back to the routine.

I hope this answers the question fully!

FULL PRODUCT LIST OF WHAT I USE
Face cleansing
Kiehl's Washable Cleansing Milk for dry, normal to dry or sensitive skin types
Kiehl's Rare Earth Oatmeal Milk Facial Cleanser #1 for normal to oily skin types
Kiehl's Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub made with real fruit

Masques & Peels
Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Over Night Biological Peel
Kiehl's Rare Earth Facial Cleansing Masque

Eye Care
Kiehl's Cryste Marine Firming Eye Treatment
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate

Prep before Moisturizing
Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion
Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate

Moisturizers
Panthenol Protein Moisturizing Face Cream enriched with Vit E and beta carotene for dry skin
Antioxidant Skin Preserver for very dry skin types
Cryste Marine Ultra Riche Lifting & Firming Cream

Spot Control
Aveda Outer Peace Acne Spot Relief

Part 2 of 3: Eyes & The Three Bads - Preventing Fine Lines

Dark circles, fine lines and puffiness. Today we are talking about fine lines -- if you can help delay or prevent their early appearance.

Those fine lines, sometimes called crow's-feet (let's stop using that phrase right now, okay?), are often the first wrinkles that develop on the face. Dermatologists agree that the top major causes of early fine lines around the eyes is smoking, squinting and facial sun-tanning. To help keep looking younger before the damage, turn the following behaviors into your new habits.

1) Reduce your exposure to the sun, wear sunblock, a big hat and dark sunglasses. Your skin loses elasticity, especially from sun exposure. Your skin around the eyes is far more delicate and vulnerable to sun damage, so protecting this area by using sunblock formulated for use around the eye area if important. Likewise, wearing dark UV light protective sunglasses is important.

2) Reduce your squinting. Be sure to get your eyes checked out for corrective lenses if you find yourself squinting to see better. Squinting over time creates permanent wrinkles if you do it long and hard enough. If you are outdoors a lot, squinting into the sun also helps imprint the squint lines that are temporary patterns into permanent lines.

3) Don't pull on your eye skin. When applying or removing eye make-up, do not pull your eyes. Don't help the forces of gravity, which plays its own role by pulling skin downward, by pulling your face out of shape on a daily basis.

4) Don't smoke and reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke. In a secondary way, this relates back to "reduce your squinting" because people tend to squint when smoke irritates the eye, especially in nightclubs. Additionally, smoke, which is a pollutant, is a powerful contributor to what is called "oxidative stress." Oxidative stress is one of the creator of free radicals that causes damage to collagen and elastin. Environmental stresses, like smoke, second-hand smoke and pollution contribute to the oxidative stress impact.

5) Pump up with anitoxidants. From food (cherries are my favorite) to supplements to topical application, be sure to pump up your skin with a wide variety of antioxidants. The well-known supplements include Vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene and grape seed extract. These work by inhibiting collagen destruction stablizing existing collagen and elastin. Topically you can help increase tolerance to damage and toxins while strengthening the skin matrix; ingredients to look for in eyes creams are vitamin C, A and co-enzyme Q 10.

Part 1 of 3: Eyes & The Three Bads - Dark Circles

Dark circle, fine lines and puffiness. These are the three big baddies when talking about the eyes and aging.

When I look into my magnified mirror, I seem to take the most time looking at the delicate skin around my eyes. And I am always searching for newer and better eye products (and always go back to Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado and Cryste Marine Firming Eye Treatment) I have tried many products, I hear many claims, but what exactly can a girl do?

At first, I thought I could write one article. However, the information and possible cosmetic treatments for the three bads is voluminous. So I am breaking the topic into a 3-part series. Let's tackle "dark circles" first.

According to Katie Zezima who wrote the June 12, 2008 New York Times article entitled "Putting 'You Look Tried' to Rest" there are not a lot of products that are effective. " ...considering the glut of products on the market with a variety of active ingredients, Dr. Persing said, “If there are that many of them available, that usually means they’re not terribly successful.”Clinique uses whey protein in its All About Eyes Rich cream ($27.50), because it increases collagen production, said Dr. Mammone. But in independent medical research, whey protein has not been proved to plump up skin. (Clinique is also experimenting with various peptides, or linked amino acids, to treat dark circles.) Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment ($50) uses vitamin C, which minimizes melanin, and chestnut rose extract, which the company says thickens skin’s texture, said Blair Bloom, the company’s executive director of education and training."

Since the skin surrounding the eye area is 5 to 10 times thinner than the rest of our face, it seems that most cosmetic companies working to add volume and thickness are on a good track. But there must be more to do about this, so I spent about a day just looking into the dark circles question and their causes.

Causes of dark circles are varied. According to Mayo Clinic dermatologist Lawrence Gibson, M.D., "Almost everyone gets dark circles under their eyes from time to time. Dark circles under eyes usually are temporary and not a medical concern. You may be surprised to learn that fatigue usually isn't the cause of dark circles. Instead, the most common cause is nasal congestion. When your nose is congested, veins that usually drain from your eyes into your nose become widened (dilated) and darker. Another cause of undereye circles is eyelid swelling during sleep. When you lie down, gravity can cause fluid to collect in your lower eyelids. This swelling may create the appearance of shadows below your eyes. In addition, dark circles can result from chronic skin conditions, such as atopic eczema. Dark circles can also run in families. Over-the-counter products may help diminish dark circles under eyes. Look for skin creams that contain vitamin C or K, alpha hydroxy acid and kinetin. Treatment for chronic and severe undereye circles is directed at the underlying cause, if known, and may include bleaching agents and laser therapy."

In addition, I have discovered other causes:

1. Genetics and Heredity. Specifically, excess pigmentation in the skin causes dark circles for African-Americans, Southeast Asians and those of us with Mediterranean descent, who inherit darker pigmentation in the dermis layer of the skin, which creates a blue-black hue below the eyes. Also for women, changes during pregnancy and menstruation may cause blood vessels to dilate.

2. Medications: And I will include birth control pills in this category, along with hormones may also cause blood vessel dilation.

3. Sun. Yes, sun damage to the eye area may exacerbate dark circles.

4. Stress and lack of sleep. The temporary and occasional dark circles or more pronounced circles are created by too little sleep, stress and drinking alcoholic beverages.

Okay, now that we have covered most of the causes, how to we cover the dark circle? Covering seems to be the most common "remedy" and concealers with green cover up the reddish hue from excess blood vessels and yellow covers dark pigmentation. Most people color correct first, then add a concealer before applying foundation. I find this unworkable for me for several reasons. First, I don't like to wear a lot of product, much less 3 individual products for just under my eyes. Second, it doesn't seem to stay on anyway. And third, hey, that's a lot of money if you include the eye preparation creams! I apply brightener, then color correct and conceal followed by Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado which is non-migrating. I find doing this creates a natural look that blends the corrector and concealer very nicely.

If the circles really bother you, you can try laser treatments. But I will cover this in depth in August with a series on facial lasers.

But what's the bottom line? The one thing I hear from most people is Vitamin C formulated for proper absorption. There are many products with Vitamin C and in varying amounts.

Currently I am using Kiehl's Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate (here's the link with the product details: http://tinyurl.com/5g3wg2 ) which contains 10.5% Pure Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) and is reasonably priced at $40. About 2 years ago I tried Murad's Lighten and Brighten Eye Treatment (at $75), but I wasn't happy with the results, plus it contains hydroquinone (which some people claim is ultimately too harsh for your skin).

There is one company who products has good ratings and that is Cellex-C . Oddly enough they have an eye product for brightening that doesn't include vitamin C. It's called Cellex-C Under-Eye Toning Gel ($39) and is a roll-on with proprietary plant complexes. I like the roll-on delivery system because you don't waste any of the product on your fingers. The ingredient list is: Water, Cornflower Extract, Glycosaminoglycans, Betaglucan, Kigelia Africana Extract, Zinc Sulphate, Azulene, Lavender Oil, Rosemary Extract, Thyme Extract, Olive Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Oil, Peppermint Extract, Cucumber Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20. However, they sell eye creams with Vitamin C and I wonder if it is possible to get away with just one under eye product.

By the way, from what I can uncover, Cellex-C does not use animal testing nor animal by-products. I am going to personally test this product and will report back to you.

Tomorrow, we in Part 2, we talk about fine lines. And right now, I'm going online to order the Cellex-C Under-Eye Toning Gel.

What are you really putting on your face?

I see all kinds of products claiming to be anti-aging. And I see some amazing claims -- the more amazing the claim, the more doubts I have about a product. But what's a girl to do?

I am a believer in knowing exactly what ingredients and what real impacts cosmetic products will have for me. I am very careful about what I put on my face. It is so hard to evaluate products -- and new products are advertised every day. And there are so many issues, safety and ethical, surrounding cosmetic production. These issues are complex and not easy to resolve.

For example, I use Kiehl's products and have since I was a teenager growing up in New York. Kiehl's started as was an independent company completely aligned with my personal philosophy -- they used safe, natural ingredients, never tested on animals and made reasonable claims about what their products accomplished. Kiehl's had been a Moore's family business in the early 1920s until they sold to L'Oreal in 2000. Kiehl's has an excellence reputation since the Morse's family (a Russian Jewish family orginally named Moskovitz) brought with them a combination of degrees in pharmacology while also adding homeopathic cures and herbal remedies from the old country. But it was in the 1960s that Kiehl's achieved its reputation with its hand mixed, simply packaged natural care products.

In 2000, I, along with all Kiehl's users, had a dilemna because L'Oreal, with its headquarters in Paris, has a history of animal testing and making inaccurate claims. However, L'Oreal has honored it's agreement to maintain Kiehl's mission and philosophy. Perhaps, this is L'Oreal way of making a move to the better.

Since my personal goal is anti-aging with adherence to my personal philosophy -- products that are as effective as they can be, use safe ingredients and are not tested on animals -- there are a few organizations whose websites I regularly check. And here they are:

Skin Deep maintained by the Environmental Working Group, it has a search function and rating system for most products and can be found at: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

FDA's cosmetic site that lists warning letters to the industry, recalls and much more and can be found at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-toc.html

In the meanwhile, my product recommendation for Kiehl's remains strong.

More about Sunscreen and Sunblock

I was recently asked about which sunscreen or sunblock to use. In checking into this, I discovered that the FDA in still in the process of revising recommendations on the effectiveness and safety of sunscreens. They have been working on this since August 2007 and not a word on it since. We are in the middle of summer now, and for those with the hottest part of their summer yet to come, I have looked into this subject more deeply.

An important first question that needs to be answered is this one: what exactly is the difference between sunscreen and sunblock? Sunscreen is UV (ultraviolet light) protection by absorbing the UV so these rays don't reach your skin. Sunblock literally and physically blocks the UV rays -- in addition to UVA and UVB, making it the better choice as I see it.

On my face, I personally use Bullfrog SuperBlock Lotion SPF 45 which contains the necessary ingredient, titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), that makes it a block instead of a screen. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are one of the two items you should look for in the ingredients list to ensure you are really getting a sunblock product. The Bullfrog web site is www.bullfrogsunblock.com and they have a range of products. I apply lightly twice and then reapply during the day. Also, I use this without foundation and frankly, I prefer the slightly pale white effect I achieve then applying Bullfrog lightly twice. Next, I just use eye makeup. Then, apply to your hands as well. That and a big hat will help protect your face from damaging sun radiation. Yes, it is actually radiation.

UV light is also called UV radiation by researchers. Scientists believe that both UVA and UVB light causes skin cancer. In the past, scientists thought that only UVB caused skin cancer, but recently they discovered that UVA radiation penetrates even deeper into the skin than UVB -- which is one of the major causes of skin aging.

A little more about the sun, sunblock and sunscreen. Many people have an issue with using the term sunblock. It is true that sunblock doesn't "block" all of the sun radiation, but as a marketing term, it does describe a virtue that I seek in the best sun protection. Keep in mind that some sunscreens "block" UVA rays as well. Check the ingredients list to see if the sunscreen contains one of the following: aveobenzone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene.

Remember, make sure your loved ones, especially your children use sun protection too.

PS: the following is an excerpt from a New York Times editoral published July 4, 2008: "...the Environmental Working Group, a Washington research organization, issued its own warning about sunscreens. After collecting studies on sunscreens, the group recommended only 15 percent of those on the market with S.P.F. ratings of 15 or higher. The others either did not protect skin enough from some radiation that can cause skin cancer or included ingredients linked to possible health hazards. Major producers of sunscreens and some dermatologists were alarmed about televised versions of this report. Manufacturers protested that their products are safe and effective. Dr. C. William Hanke, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, reiterated his organization’s recommendation that sun worshipers still use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a S.P.F. rating of at least 15 as part of a skin-protection program. But Dr. Hanke added that dermatologists, like the rest of us, rely on the F.D.A. to confirm the safety of these lotions."

Pleased to Announce Dr. David LaPatka as Advisor to Dew Your Face

I'm so very pleased to announce that Dr. David LaPatka is now Dew Your Face's advisor on facial plastic surgery. To learn more about Dr. LaPatka visit his website at http://faces.sansumclinic.org. There will be much more about facial plastic surgery in late August, so bookmark this blog and visit us again.

One thing I do know about anti-aging! If you smoke - STOP.

If sun damage is the number one cause of faster facial aging, then number two is smoking. Smoking, alone, will age your facial skin by 10 to 15 years. And that's not all. "Smoker's face" is a term used in a mid-1960s health study to describe gray, pale and wrinkled skin of those people who smoke regularly. Is this what you want?

And in case you are wondering what exactly smoking does to cause your skin to age faster, read on:

1. First of all, smoking prevents oxygen and necessary nutrients to get to the skin by restricting blood flow.

2. Vitamin C absorption is inhibited by smoking, and vitamin C is known to be vital for skin protection. That's why I recommend application of vitamin C via facial products on a daily basis.

3. Smoking accelerates the loss of collagen in your skin. We all lose collagen as we age, but we don't need to rapidly accelerate this natural process.

4. Smoking creates wrinkles. Just like my recommendation to "sleep on your back" and "don't pull eyes to apply make-up," -- again imagine what the continual lip puckering to inhale deeply does -- yes, it produces earlier and deeper wrinkles around your mouth.

The biggest favor you can do for yourself to prevent early aging is to minimize whatever damage is caused externally (sun, smoke, pollution, unnecessary pulling and crushing of your skin) and to replenish internally (proper nutrition, adequate vitamins, and most important, a self loving attitude).

Smoking causes much more damage, but I'm just focusing this post on what it does to your skin.

What I accidentally learned about anti-aging.

People are constantly amazed to learn that I am 56 years old and ask me my secrets. In speaking with physicians and anti-aging researchers, I know that genetics plays a huge role in how your face ages. So my first answer usually is, "I got good genes." But I also discovered many preventive measures -- accidentally. Some you know because we have all hear them, and some are not. (PS: I will do an interview with a genetic researcher so we can all learn more about how much impact genetics really has.)

Here are my top ten tips that I observed when I was in my teens, 20s and 30s.

1. Stay out of the Sun. You have heard this time and time again. I'm proof that it is true. I started ballet when I was three years and was good enough to perform from the age of five until my mid-20s. As a child, as a teen and as a woman, I was inside, in classes, rehearsals or performing. I did not have time to play in the sun, tan in the sun or any fun in the sun. I adored my ballet and did not miss being outside -- and now I adore that I have practically no facial sun damage now.

2. Wear Sunblock, Wear Sun Hats. And let me add, wear sunblock on your hands too because the real first aging giveaway is your hands. Keep them as protected as your face. So if you must have your fun in the sun, apply sunblock daily and reapply. And another tip: When driving, consider wearing gloves while you are driving, I have read that the left hand can look older and it's because of the sun coming in the window while you are driving

3. Sleep on your back. Just do it, just learn to sleep on your back. You sleep between 7-9 hours a day and imagine if your face is being crushed like that! Dermatologists have told they can tell what side of your face you sleep on -- just by them looking at you!

4. Don't pull at your eyes while putting on makeup. This is my best advise for teens -- and perhaps the equivalent of "sleep on your back" for eyes. But again, imagine pulling the gentle skin tissue out of shape every day for years!

5. Less make-up. I believe that regular wearing of medium to heavy make-up damages your skin. Unless you have an impeccable cleaning routine, try to wear less. By the way, as you age, to look younger you should definitely wear less make up and use lighter colored eye shadow.

6. Let your skin breathe. Take it out of the city where the air is clean. I discovered this when I used to weekend out of the city and in the country.

7. An impeccable care regime. As a performing ballet dancer wearing stage make-up, I picked up the habit of caring intently for my skin. There's tons of information about how-to and which products. By the way, I have used Khielh's for decades and swear by it.

8. Vitamin C. I am a big proponent of using vitamin c products for your face.

9. Get facials. Aside from deep cleaning skin, you also get the benefits of lymphatic drainage, exfoliation, acupressure and aromatherapy. I also recommend oxgyen facials for their repairing effect.

10. Eat healthy. Each of us has a food that doesn't do our face any good at all. Chocolate, sadly, is mine. I always break out if I eat it. It was true as a teen and it's still true today for me. So watch what you eat and it's impact on your skin. As we all know, fruit is a marvelous face food.

What is Dew Your Face?

I started "Dew Your Face" to pass on the information I have gathered over the past few years on anti-aging techniques, products and procedures. And why me? I am a health care writer who has written articles for more than ten years. Most recently I have written a series in Food & Home magazine, a California central coast publisher, on tips about facial anti-aging strategies. The content of these articles covered the array of facial lasers, botox and beyond, and facial plastic surgery.

Working with Dr. David LaPatka, a double board certified facial plastic surgeon practicing in Santa Barbara, I learned a lot about surgery for men and women. I learned some ways to "question" yourself to see if you really want cosmetic surgery, how to seek a qualified physician, preparation planning, post care and more. After many conversations with Dr. LaPatka, I also developed the concept of a "The Well-timed Once" (TWO) which is about an optimal time for a person to rejuvenate through facial plastic surgery. TWO is about having the face you want for the second half of your life.

But well before TWO, there are many many things you can do to your face to maintain the dewy look of youth. I have learned the inside secrets and thoughts of physicians, and people who care for your skin. I will reveal these. I have undergone some procedures myself as preparation for articles. For example, I had a laser remove dark facial pigmentation. I will share with you when I have tried something and if not, what the people who perform and recommend them really think.

This blog is not just for women concerned about anti-aging; it is also a blog for Gen X and Y who want to ensure that they are doing the best they can to dew their faces in order to look their best as they age.