Feeling Happy and Safe In Your Own Skin - Part 1

Of course I'm worth it and so are you!

Here's my first rant for the new year - I'm not at all reluctant to tell you that I am 52 years old.  That means that I have been being bombarded with skin care, make-up, and other youthful appearance enhancing regimen propoganda for many years.  I'll tell you, I like nothing better than settling in to watch a good episode of Law & Order UK or House Hunters and be confronted with a 25 year old model endorsing wrinkle reducing products.  Really?  Oh yeah, I want to look like that all right.  Will Oil of Olay's latest line do that for me?  Is that beautiful young woman going to make me run out and spend more of my hard earned money in search of the elusive "lotion" of youth?  In a word - no.

Or how about Andie MacDowell, Loreal's "because you're worth it" spokesperson?  Does she or doesn't she?  She's 50+ and her skin looks great.  She claims she hasn't had plastic surgery but I found several anti-aging links to a site featuring Botox and other treatments like retinol.  Plus in addition to Loreal, she uses Caudalie, a French skin line.  Their anti-aging product, "Premier Cru, The Ultimate Anti-ageing Cream" (sic) must really be good stuff - $150.00 bucks for 1.7 ounces.  No wonder she looks good.  Sort of gives new meaning to Loreal's slogan doesn't it?

Love Stacia's youthful 40+ look.

I'm worth it, absolutely, and so are you, but the reality is that most woman and men I know can't afford that kind of money for skin care.  More to the point, it's not necessary to pay that much for quality products.  And what the national brands don't focus on, but I will, is how your skin works, why it is important to take care of your skin and pay as much attention to what you put on it as any other supplement you take.


Think of your skin as your body's Homeland Defense agency.  Skin is the body’s largest and most vulnerable organ. Quite literally, it is the dividing line between you and the outside world. Your skin is the body’s primary line of defense against external injury, ultraviolet light, microorganisms, and environmental pollutants. Your skin also helps regulate body temperature and moisture loss.

In fact, skin is about 20% water. This moisture is critical to healthy skin. It helps keep surface cells supple, plump, firm, and youthful looking. The ability of skin cells to properly regulate the loss of moisture from the skin is a key indicator of skin health. Another essential for optimum skin health and youthful appearance is sebum — the blend of natural oils produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands.

Mom and Dad, the 70's never looked so good.

When natural skin moisture and sebum production are in healthy balance, a hydrolipid (water and oil) film is formed over the skin’s surface, helping to keep skin soft, smooth, and supple. This oil/moisture balance also maintains a slightly acidic pH, which helps discourage harmful bacterial growth.

The continuous shedding of the surface skin layer is the end result of healthy skin growth. As millions of new skin cells push up from the base of the epidermis every day, the outermost cells flake off. This continuous process of renewal is crucial to maintaining the skin’s protective barrier function. Exfoliation — which assists this natural shedding process — can also help keep skin healthier by reducing the amount of time skin cells damaged by ultraviolet light or free radicals linger on the skin’s surface.

Our brother Drew

When youthful skin is functioning at its best, healthy skin cells are created in the basal layer and rise through the epidermis to the surface (strateum corneum) rapidly — there’s a complete turnover about every 28 days. A cushion of fat above muscles pads the bony structure of the body to create rounded contours, while collagen and elastin fibers in the deeper layers of the skin provide firmness and resilience.

There's that word - youthful.   We all know that time doesn't stand still and along with our other organs, skin doesn't remain youthful as we age without help.  Our skin ages in two ways: through the accumulated physical changes that happen with the passage of time (chronological aging), and through the accumulated damage caused by exposure to environmental pollutants and UV radiation (accelerated aging).

The next generation - Sarah Davis and daughter Jaleena

In my next post I'll share information about the specific effects of chronological and accelerated aging and some tips for what you can do at any age to keep your skin functioning at it's best.  Does that mean you will look 25 when you are 55?  No and really feeling comfortable in your own skin at any age is more about inner beauty and spirit than outer appearances.  The most important reason to keep your skin healthy is to keep it working as efficiently as possible to protect your body from the environment and the same things that keep you healthy on the inside keep your skin healthy on the outside.

Stacia and I use Shaklee's Enfuselle line of skin care products.  We love them because they work, are economical, and safe for both our bodies and the planet.  And with Shaklee's guarantee, you have nothing to loose by trying out the products.