Fitness Skin Care Articles & News by Sandy Alcide

•  How To Keep Your Skin Fit Too
•  New Studies from The American Academy of Dermatology for the Exercisers' Advantage
•  Emulate Your Skin's Youthful Glow Without Chemicals
• Acne Induced by Exercise

Visit Sandy Alcide's new blog at http://fitnessandskincare.blogspot.com/  and........

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How To Keep Your Skin Fit Too by Sandy Alcide

  It's obvious how great exercise is for healthy strong body and mind. But some side effects of exercise are not particularly beneficial for your skin.

When you exercise your cardiovascular system rushes freshly oxygenated blood to the surface to feed your muscles. Because of the high amount of oxygen content the bright red blood plumps up your skin making it larger and thicker. Perspiration naturally occurs to cool off your body and expels salt, oils and natural toxins on to the skin. These natural functions brought on by exercise and heat can cause a variety of consequences to your skin.

As fitness enthusiasts we have different nutritional needs, we need different clothing during our physical activity and we drink more water. However, many may not realize that their skin-care needs also differ.

Even those who have a clear complexion find that routine physical exertion can result in occasional blemishes, clogged pores, dryness and dullness. Scientists are still uncertain about the exact causes, but they do have some worthwhile theories and solutions.

Oily Skin

Sebum, an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands housed in the pores of our skin, reduces the skin's water loss and helps protect it from dryness and cracking. Anaerobic Bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, colonized on the skin, is neither helped or harmed. Sebum's presence in a blocked pore can lead to an acne lesion (blemish) or blackheads. Pimples tend to worsen because the swollen skin from a workout irritates the existing pimples and helps to create new breakouts which can be larger or painful.

Oily skin becomes oiler from sweating as the salts and acids mix with sebum which glues down dead skin cells creating a coating akin to plastic wrap on the skin. A deep pore cleanser and one which includes exfoliation benefits that does not strip necessary oils can help remove the extra oil that is brought to the skin's surface during exercise will remove the bacteria on the skin leading to a clearer complexion.

Adequate moisture levels are still necessary for this skin type. A moisturizer formulated with both Sage extracts to keep skin soft and Citrus extracts to stabilize oil levels and kill off bacteria is key for this skin type.

Dry Skin

During exercise, skin can become dehydrated due to the high levels of sodium in perspiration. People who consume sports drinks with added sodium may increase their likelihood of dry skin even more. Dry skin becomes more prominent, irritated, flaky and rough due to the high amounts of salts and acids deposited on the skin via sweat.

A  cleanser with proper cleansing agents and astringents and a restorative moisturizer which will restore water loss is essential for this skin type. Dry skin also needs to be gently exfoliated twice a week to rid dead skin cells and flaky skin. This will help for the moisturizer and nutrients in the cleanser to penetrate into the skin resulting in a softer appearance.

Some exercisers don't realize their skin has a dry appearance until they are on a specialized product regimen which eventually cures their dryness to a healthier appearance.

Combination Skin

This skin type needs to be balanced. In most cases using only one type of cleanser will not be the solution.

A cleanser formulated for this specific skin type would be best for every day use, but on days when skin feels oily or dry due to climate or workout conditions, alternating to a cleanser formulated for these occasional occurrences is necessary.

Combination skin also needs an exfoliating cleanser on a once daily basis and include a daily moisturizer twice a day.

 Damaged or Neglected Skin

Many endurance athletes, swimmers and persons who engage in outdoor sports (runners, tennis players & sports lovers) suffer from sun damaged or prematurely aging skin. Some simply never made the time to care for their skin because of time demanding workouts. Exercise is said to be the fountain of youth, but when the skin is dried out, a dried wrinkly appearance results, and can make a person appear older.

Disciplining yourself by applying a long lasting sun block formulated for an athletic lifestyle and an anti aging treatment which emulates human sebum is key for this skin type. Cleansing the skin within 30 minutes of post workout will help rid sweat expelled toxins and bacteria that penetrate the skin after thirty minutes.

Applying a restorative moisturizer twice daily is necessary to repair damaged skin within reasonable time, and exfoliating with a microdermabrasion creme will help retexturize this skin type.

Most people will agree that exercise is good for the entire body. With the proper special care, fitness enthusiasts can sport healthy, vibrant skin and with careful product selection that healthy glow of exercise can shine through.

The copyright of How To Keep Your Skin Fit Too is owned by Sandy Alcide. Permission to republish How To Keep Your Skin Fit Too must be granted by the author in writing. Copyright 2005

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New Studies from The American Academy of Dermatology

• Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that produces the toxin botulin, the causative agent in botulism is the main substance in Botox, Dysport and Myobloc. As with any medication, the effect wears off as your body metabolizes the medicine and more injections are needed. Also, the more of these injections you receive your skin depends on them. If you suddenly stop these injections, creasing and sagging become more prominent.

Luckily there are natural alternatives to chemicals.  A natural plant source found in the pit of green olives in Italy called Squalane has been scientifically proven to emulate sebum, our natural important oil and emollient produced by the body. An enzyme called CoQ10 (coenzyme a.k.a Ubiquinone) is known for boosting skin repair and reducing fine lines and free radical damage.

According to scientific and clinical studies, this enzyme produces energy in cells by facilitating conversion of food into functional energy in the body. It is now being made in laboratories for topical use to boost skin cell repair and to function as an antioxidant. Other natural ingredients being used for topical antioxidants are Japanese Green Tea, Vitamin A, E and C, all help to protect skin from environmental damage such as exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays UVA and UVB.

Although a product containing these natural ingredients is not a quick fix and must be used on a daily basis as part of your daily skin care regimen, it comes at a fraction of the price of chemical injections.

• Clinical studies have shown an increase in skin thickness of 4%, reduction in depth of wrinkles by 23% and reduction of depth of major/minor wrinkles by 30% in 4 weeks and contributes to an overall healthier appearance to the skin. This peptide formula with a concentrated amount of key ingredients is available in Motion Medica's Peptide Treatment.

The copyright of Emulate Your Skin's Youthful Glow Without Chemicals is owned by Sandy Alcide. Permission to republish Emulate Your Skin's Youthful Glow Without Chemicals must be granted by the author in writing. Copyright 2006