The Six Big Skin Health Saboteurs

The Big Six Saboteurs of Skin Health 

From UV light to pollution and stress, there are a number of factors that can harm the health of your skin every day.  We all know the risks of sun exposure, but what else in your lifestyle is affecting your skin?  It isn’t only beach lovers; living in our busy capital cities can cause premature skin ageing.

Nor is it just external aggressors.  An unhealthy lifestyle with a demanding, stressful job and inadequate sleep can also accelerate the appearance of fine lines and a dull complexion.  Underlying these is a breakdown of collagen and elastin, the key building blocks for healthy, young looking skin.

CameLife founder Dr Jane Rose believes that most of the signs of skin ageing are due to environmental aggressors.  So if you want to look younger for longer and, more importantly, to maintain skin health throughout your life, focus on the six saboteurs of healthy skin.  

All six generate free radicals in your skin which damage and destroy those vital structural element sot healthy skin, collagen and elastin.  And that is why it is so important to incorporate products with antioxidants into our skincare regimes to fight against these free radicals. Here, then, are the top six skin saboteurs to watch out for…

The sun

Here in Australia, we all know that we have to apply a high SPF product to our faces every day, not just to minimise the harmful and visible effects of photo-ageing, but also to minimise the risk of skin cancers.  Finding a product that you like enough to add to your daily skincare regime is another matter entirely.

Harmful rays that break through and damage the skin’s protective barrier, creating free radicals that stop normal cell function; those cell functions responsible for producing hydrating lipids and skin-plumping collagen.  So, if you’re a sun worshipper or regularly forget to apply broad-spectrum sun protection, you may find that your skin is more prone to sun spots, pigmentation, deep lines and wrinkles.

“It’s vitally important to apply sun protection daily” warns Dr Jane, “The cumulative effect of incidental exposure compounded over a lifetime is significant.”  Despite all of the over sun exposure, there are still misconceptions.   “People tend to think that if it’s not sunny, or they’re not actively trying to tan, then they’re protected. This is quite wrong. You only have to look at people who occupationally sit by a window, such as professional drivers, to see the accelerated ageing that occurs on one side of their face from exposure to ultraviolet radiation.”

 

SPF Moisturisers

But we get lazy; too many of us look for skincare products that also have SPF.  We want our daily moisturiser to also be our sun protection.  But is realistic to expect a cream we apply in our morning routine to work all day?

“We’re often asked if our Day Cream has an SPF” says Jane, “the answer is no; combining a daily moisturiser and a sun block is not a good idea; relying on a an SPF moisturiser that you applied before breakfast is not the answer to protecting ourselves from the sun” .

Sun screens should be applied immediately before sun exposure and topped up during exposure.  Recent US Food and Drugs Administration research has found that active chemicals in sun screens can be absorbed into the blood at concentrations far higher than are safe.  So do you really want to wear sunscreen all day?

The CameLife approach; if you’re going to be out in the sun, use a quality high SPF cream and apply it regularly in accordance with the manufacture’s guidelines.  But cleanse it off when you come back inside.  In other words, wear sunscreen only when you need it and don't look for combination products that make life easier but don't work efficiently either as a sunscreen or moisturiser.

After Sun Care

Ultraviolet rays are present all year round, even on cloudy, grey days when sunshine feels like a distant memory.  The reality is that, however much you protect your skin by, following Cancer Council guidelines, it’s hard to avoid.  Even if your skin doesn't feel burned, a build up of solar generated free radicals is inevitable.

 

There are plenty of good after-sun products out there to soothe sunburn, but few of them have the anti-inflammatory activity of camel milk.  CameLife's Original Camel Balm rapidly soothes sunburn, reducing the risk of pealing and discomfort.  

But even of you aren't feeling obviously sunburned, you really do need to consider dealing with those free radicals.  Adding a powerful anti-oxidant serum like CameLife’s Restorative Serum to your daily routine.

Pollution

So you are protecting yourself from the damaging effects of the sun, but did what about the other environmental culprit that your skin needs protecting from too?

Pollution from toxic chemicals in vehicle exhaust fumes and smoke creates plenty of free radicals which attack the skin every day, making it the most harmful environmental aggressors after sun exposure.  Studies show the need to shield the skin from air pollutant called ambient particulate matter (PM).

Ambient PM generates excess free radicals that damage skin. This harmful pollution is directly correlated to a rise in dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles. So, how best to protect your skin if you live in a city or highly populated area?  “You should protect your skin from pollution using antioxidants,” says Dr Jane, “formulations like CameLife’s Restorative Serum are packed with natural anti-oxidants that help to lessen potential pollution-induced skin damage.”   

Effective cleansing is also critical for removing ambient PM residue from your skin.  Cleanse throughly and regularly using a properly designed cleanser.  Avoid using soaps and shower gels which contain alcohols that dry your skin and do not rely just on water.  CameLife’s Facial Cleansing Bar has been specially formulated to use the gentle lactic acid in the milk to peel away dead, contaminated skin cells whilst drawing moisture into the new cells below.

Stress

Perhaps you have noticed that your skin suffers during a particularly stressful period, resulting in break out or increased sensitivity.  This happens because when we are stressed, our bodies release cortisol, a hormone that helps the body respond appropriately.  So listen to your body and make time for rest and relaxation; take an early night with a good book or take ten minutes out for a mindfulness routine.

Sleep

If you’ve had a few late nights and missed out on your beauty sleep, you’ll probably find that your skin is affected. So why does this happen and how important is it to overall skin health?

“Cellular repair in the skin occurs at night, so your skin is really missing out if you minimise the time it has to do this,” says Dr Jane. “When we don’t have enough sleep we feel more stressed and our cortisol levels go up.  This can wreak havoc on our skin because of the inflammatory reaction.  Accelerated skin ageing then occurs and your skin won’t look as radiant as it should.”

Choosing the right night cream can help with skin repair as your sleep.  CameLife's Restorative Night Cream is specially formulated with a proprietary copper-soy peptide protein to help stimulate collagen repair as you sleep.  

Heating and Air Conditioning

As the winter approaches, it’s worth considering how heating and air conditioning can affect your skin.  Whether you exist in an air-conditioned bubble or like to have the windows flung wide open, the air you breathe indoors does impact on skin and health.

“We know that there’s a drop in humidity, from both outside exposure and indoors, by about 10 per cent from the summer months to winter,” says Dr Jane. “This is why people tend to feel that their skin is drier in the winter.  There’s a measurable  change in the environment, which dehydrates the skin”.

So if you can do things to elevate your environmental humidity levels, this will actually benefit the skin. Get a little humidifier and keep it in their bedroom to help their skin to be less dry and more moisturised.  And use skincare products that contain humectants to draw moisture into your skin; the lactic acid in camel milk is a great humectant.  If your skin is feeling dry now that the office air-conditioning is heating the room, carry CameLife's Restorative Day Cream in your bag and apply a little throughout the day.

Smoking

Cigarette smoke contains over 6,000 chemicals that generate free radicals in your skin.  Those free radicals attack the collagen and elastin matrix that supports your skin, causing premature signs of ageing including deep wrinkles and folds. Smoking also compromises the skin’s protective barrier, affecting hydration and leaving the skin dry and leathery.  

 As CameLife’s Dr Jane says “It’s really simple; if you want healthy skin, don’t smoke.  But if you do smoke, the importance of adopting an effective anti ageing regime is magnified; smokers should use skincare products packed with anti-oxidants to minimise free radical damage.  Also, look for products which stimulate collage production.  I generally recommend CameLife’s Restorative Night Cream to our older customers, but smokers will notice benefits from its collagen-stimulating peptides at a much younger age”.

 The Ideal Solution

CameLife’s Restorative skincare range has been created using the powerful natural antioxidants.  The milk is packed with Vitamin C, a powerful water-soluble electron donor anti-oxidant.   Next, we add powerful plant based anti oxidants, including Spirulina.  Spirulina’s  main active anti-oxidant is called phycocyanin, which gives it a unique blue-green colour.  Phycocyanin can fight free radicals and inhibit production of inflammatory signalling molecules, providing impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects

Adding Dunaliella Salina extract further enhances the ant-oxidant effect of CameLife’s Restorative creams.  Together, these powerful ingredients can help to target premature ageing signs by neutralising free radicals and helping to support the skin’s natural repair process. 

CameLife’s secret is the Magic of Camel Milk; the finely homogenised and absorbent fat structure of the milk means that anti-oxidants go where they are needed; deep in to your skin, not down the sink.  Consider CameLife’s Restorative range as an investment in your ideal complexion as it is specifically designed to address the visible signs of sun-damaged skin while helping to protect it for the future.

 

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