Spring Skin Essentials

How to Get a Healthy Glow and Ensure a Fresh Face for Years to Come

Spring is just around the corner, and so is the anticipation of fresh, pretty pastels complimented by sun kissed complexions. It’s only natural, after months of isolation indoors and bundling up with layers and hoods, that your first instinct is to soak in as much of the sun’s warm rays as possible.

But before you do, consider this--although you can’t feel them, ultraviolet rays are silent killers and the primary cause of skin cancer and wrinkles, not to mention a leading cause of diminishing self-esteem through premature aging that so many of us try to correct through surgery and artificial means. Even though the sun may not yet be at its strongest, you still need to be cautious of its lingering dangerous effects. Melanie Vasseur, chemist, aesthetician and founder of Vasseur Skincare, shares tips to ensure your skin stays healthy and young-looking, and that you feel radiant for years to come.

Know the basics
By now, most of us know the importance of wearing a hat, sunglasses and applying sunscreen. But did you know that when it comes to lotions and creams, not all products are created equally? The difference lies in the ingredients. Vasseur recommends clients select a brand that contains both zinc oxide and titanium oxide. The fine mineral particles reflect and scatter potentially harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Be prepared
One of the hidden dangers of the sun is that most people underestimate its power. In addition to reaching you in the shade, rays from the sun can also easily penetrate through clear, and tinted, glass windows. This makes driving to and from work one of the most important times to protect your skin with sunscreen and ward off harmful rays that may reach you while sitting in traffic. By making sunscreen a regular part of your morning routine, you can prevent many adverse effects of the sun on your skin over time.

Check the expiration date
Just like with the ingredients, any old bottle of sunscreen will not do. Vasseur says you can’t necessarily count on last season’s lifesaver. An unopened bottle of sunscreen will keep its effectiveness for up to three years, but when you open the bottle, its shelf life diminishes.  If you just cracked your bottle last season (and the expiration date hasn’t passed), try this test: squeeze out a small amount, smooth it onto your skin and sniff.  If the consistency has changed from creamy to watery or oily, or it has an odd smell, it’s time to invest in a new bottle.

Repair and rejuvenate
Even with the proper precautions, there are times when we all may experience a little too much sun. After a day of exposure, your skin has some major recovering to do.  Ensuring that your skin gets nourishing vitamins and nutrients can help curb aging, whether you eat them for a snack or apply them in your skin cream. Vasseur encourages the following to fend off damage:

 Vitamin A, often found in dark-green vegetables and deep-yellow fruits. Vitamin A (or its active ingredients, retonoid) has been shown in multiple studies to help prevent sun-induced wrinkles. Veggies such as red peppers, broccoli, kale and spinach, and fruits like mango, honeydew and apricots, are rich in this nutrient, which can help to heal wounds and encourage healthy skin. Besides being involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes. Vitamin A helps us to see in dim light and is necessary for proper bone growth, tooth development, and reproduction—all the more reasons to eat it.

 Vitamin C is not just for colds; it protects against burns and is thought to even reverse sun damage. Unlike Vitamin A, Vitamin C is water soluble, meaning that excess is eliminated by the body instead of being stored in the liver. This means you can take in higher doses of Vitamin C without the fear of ingesting too much. In addition to the tablet form, Vitamin C is abundant in strawberries, oranges, tomatoes and vitamin-rich broccoli.

 Green Tea has numerous benefits. Besides being a mood-booster and believed to be beneficial in weight loss, green tea contains antioxidant polyphenols, which can prevent sun damage and possibly even reverse it.

Alpha Lipoic Acid, While only small amounts of ALA can be consumed from foods, science, luckily, has found a way to replicate this powerful nutrient. ALA is found naturally in the body and is responsible for the conversion of food to energy. It can be taken in pill and cream form to provide powerful antioxidants several times beyond what many vitamins offer to help smooth and lift skin.

DMAE, or deanol bitartrate, is a natural-occurring substance in the body and can also be consumed in salmon. DMAE is increasingly appearing in beauty products due to its strong anti-inflammatory abilities to diminish the appearance of scars and improve muscle tone.

Take a cue from Hollywood
Still want a gorgeous, golden tan? Today, it’s no problem to get one without the harmful effects. Enter the latest trend in Hollywood --airbrush tanning. Bronzer is smoothly and painlessly misted all over the body for instant, natural-looking color that will last up to 10 days. A solution containing DHA, the sunless tanning ingredient approved by the FDA for cosmetic use, works with your skin’s chemistry to give you a safe, long-lasting tan in minutes.

Give yourself a natural glow
Even without a sun-kissed complexion or the benefits of a “sprayed on” tan, you can still have a beautiful springtime glow. Go for a bronzer in place of blush (or a damaging tan!). Dust it everywhere the sun would hit-- across your cheeks, down the bridge of your nose, and on the top of your forehead. Downplay minor imperfections by avoiding overpowering colors or heavy makeup. Forgo dark eye liner and bright shadows for natural browns, grays and taupes, that applied neatly will make you look younger. Groom brows to a nice natural shape and curl lashes to open your eyes. Top it off with a pretty, pouty lip gloss and a dusting of iridescent powder. Voila! Springtime personified.

Beware of quick fixes
If you have already done damage to your skin and are considering popular Botox injections, educate yourself first.  The neurotoxin, which paralyzes muscles and helps to smooth the skin that lies over them was recently approved by the FDA for its first cosmetic use. But Botox is not everyone’s ticket to the fountain of youth. Side effects can range from minor irritation to facial paralysis, and the long-term effects are still unknown. If you are considering facial injections, make sure you read up on the procedure so you know what to expect.

It’s a state of mind
Above all, it’s important to remember that spring is a state of mind—from the bounce in your step, to taking time to enjoy the small pleasantries, like smelling the fresh cut grass and the budding roses. Nothing personifies spring more than stepping outside your home or office walls and enjoying the fruits of this new season by taking a walk, going for a bicycle ride with a friend or enjoying the flowers.

Along the way, make taking care of your skin a daily process. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and one of the most vital. Using the right products and taking preventative measures to eliminate sun exposure are the critical elements of a good skincare regime that will keep you looking and feeling fabulous for years to come.

For more skincare tips and information, visit Vasseur Skincare's home page.

SIDEBAR:

Five Tips You Can’t Live Without for Maintaining a Healthy, Youthful Glow

Who doesn’t want to look their best for as long as possible? While there is no fountain of youth, you can put off the effects of aging from the sun. Melanie Vasseur, nutritional chemist and founder of Vasseur Skincare offers these helpful tips on how she keeps the beautiful healthy glow, for which she is known.

1. Sun protection—don’t leave home without it.

Think back to the basics: wear a hat whenever possible; make sunscreen a part of your regular morning routine and, if you must expose yourself to the rays, try to be out in the sun early before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Vasseur follows these tips religiously; don’t even think of skimping. For instance, while visors may be in style, they simply will not cover your face enough. Use sunscreen daily, even if you don’t think you are going to be out in the sun.

2. Use Good Skincare

Toss that bar soap in the trash ladies! Solid soaps can suck the moisture from an already dry complexion. Instead gently clean your skin with a ph-balanced cleanser. Vasseur Skincare makes both foaming and creamy cleansers, and there are others on the market, that won’t dry out your skin. Top it off with a vitamin-rich moisturizer and a treatment cream containing DMAE to minimize lines and even-out your complexion.

3. If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It

Do you find yourself catching Zs on your side or stomach? Beware: the second leading aging culprit lurks in the dark—repeatedly pressing your face into a pillow makes your skin crease and causes dreaded sleep wrinkles. If you can’t sleep on your back, consider a beauty pillow specially made of fabric to prevent tugging and creasing of the skin.

4. You Are What You Eat

It’s true that what you put in to your body can make a big difference on how you look on the outside. Exercising and eating right with a diet heavy on fish, fruits and veggies and avoiding white sugar will help you to feel better about yourself and look better too.

5. Water, water, water

Most people underestimate the importance of drinking water. Coffee and tea don’t count. You need up to eight glasses of water a day. Leave bottled water throughout your home, office and in your gym bag to remind yourself to take a sip.