1.    Make sure you get lots of Vitamin A. While vitamins D and E are always important for the vitality of your skin, Vitamin A has long been known to help reduce the secretions of the sebaceous glands, thus keeping naturally made oils and grime out of pores, which keeps skin pimple-free. Luckily you can find vitamin A in many of your favorite holiday foods including sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, peas, and winter squash - even butter.

2.    In our tips for fall skin care we told you to make sure that you moisturized in the post summer months due to the arid nature of winter in North America. Moisturizing is even more important as the true cold sets in. In the winter it’s important to use an oil based moisturizer to keep the moisture in. Don’t worry about clogging your pores with oily substances just yet though; we’ll deal with that below

3.    Wear sunscreen! Just because the heat of the summer isn’t beating down on you, or it’s a cloudy day on the slopes, doesn’t mean you can forget what the sun’s powerful rays are able to do to your skin. You don’t need SPF 55 in the winter, but using a moisturizer with SPF 15 will do loads to slow aging and keep you looking radiant.

4.    Dress in layers. Fall is all about the casual layered look but in Winter it’s a necessity. Over bundling without the ability to unwrap yourself like an onion will lead to sweating under your clothes. Bacterium eat sweat and as you itch and scratch your over-heated body into something that resembles comfort, you rub your skin raw, exposing it to all the bacteria that just feasted on your sweat—a recipe for pimple disaster on your face and…elsewhere.

5.    Make sure you maintain your face care regimen. By making sure to exfoliate and using an acne care treatment system like Proactiv, you can have your oil-based moisturization and eat it too. Proactiv’s main ingredient, Benzoyl Peroxide, helps the skin, which can become chapped in the dryness of the winter; frequently renew itself, pushing oils and other pore-clogging materials out of the skin to keep acne at bay.

Keep these five tips in mind during the cold months and you can expect to look as radiant as a summer day on even the most frigid winter night.

But is that enough to get young people to try out your product? It seems that every big-name acne-fighting product has a celebrity or two endorsing it with TV and infomercial testimonials, but is that enough? Allergan doesn’t think so.* They’re taking their spokesperson to the next level by creating an ad campaign around him that capitalizes on the fame of Disney’s High School Musical series immense fame with pre-teen and young adolescent audiences. Their plan is for the Twilight star to narrate the production on a special website designed to showcase the musical. And all to sell skin care treatment medication.

While there’s no doubt that Allergan’s got their hands on some powerful media forces with their new campaign what is in doubt about how they intend to use their new star and his time. Selling acne treatment medication through an online musical doesn’t seem like the most powerful way to convey what a product can do for its customers. And it doesn’t seem very much like it’s a way to show that the talent they’ve hired actually believes in it. Perhaps the fact that the FDA has disapproved their previous advertising** has something to do with it.

Sure there are a lot of celebrities endorsing products like Noxema and Clearasil, but those endorsements are easily forgettable, despite the fame of the person carrying the message. If you look at Proactiv however, you begin to see something different. Here you have young stars like Jessica Simpson coupled with older stars like Vanessa L. Williams who aren’t simply there to entertain an audience by pushing a product, but who sit down in front of a camera, as themselves (not as characters) and take the time to tell the viewers not only that they believe in Proactiv’s three step system, but exactly WHY they believe in Proactiv’s step by step approach to acne treatment. A treatment that unlike Allergan’s Aczone, doesn’t need a prescription. Proactiv’s endorsements contain accounts of notable people who open up with the viewer and go so far as to show photos that document their struggle with acne and then explain in detail how they overcame it. That’s the difference between Proactiv and other products. It’s not about thirty-second television commercials or fancy online musicals—Proactiv is about overcoming acne. Proactiv is about results.

*http://www.mmm-online.com/allergan-taps-twilight-star-for-acne-interactive/article/147585/

**lhttp://onlineacneclinic.com/blog/?p=12

This is an opportunity for a so called ‘teachable moment.’ The facts are that 1) no one’s born perfect, not even the rich and famous and 2) it’s been a long time (if ever) that break-outs were simply the stuff of teenagers. Nearly everyone gets a pimple from time to time. And we know that more than fifty percent of people over the age of twenty five suffer break-outs well past the age of forty. The bottom line is that pimples are just a fact of life and shame on the LA Times for promoting anything otherwise.

Their suggestion that Kristen Bell try out Proactiv’s acne treatment system was probably the only realistic aspect of that article. With stars like Vanessa Williams (46), Jennifer Love-Hewitt (30) and Jessica Simpson (29) all using an acne treatment system like Proactiv, Kristen Bell (who’s only eight days younger than Simpson) would be in great company. The reality is that unless treated, breakouts are a part of life—even into your late 40s if Vanessa Williams is any indication. It’s an adult problem. Perhaps the LA Times should get a clue and realize that Proactiv and treatments like it are the adult solution.

* http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&usg=AFQjCNGUGGmBq9TYkDqxINO6kqyamYT7Og&sig2=mHtM7wJU6tSVSkLkThhpNg&cid=0&ei=p1mYSvD6OoTslQTaycXIAQ&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Flatimesblogs.latimes.com%2Fthedishrag%2F2009%2F08%2Fkristen-bell-has-really-bad-pimples-for-about-a-week.html

ONE: Keep your skin on time

The free-for-all of vacation’s over and just as you’re organizing your class schedule and extra curricular activities, organize your skin care regimen. Without the sandy beaches to keep your skin exfoliated, you’re going to have to do it yourself! Keeping a regular schedule of cleansing and exfoliating helps your body make the most of these efforts, getting your face into a pattern of regular renewal that keeps grime and other zit-causing agents at bay while you slay your way to the top of the class.

TWO: The Sun’s still mean, so wear sunscreen!

People all too often forget that just because the summer’s over, doesn’t mean those ultraviolet rays have gone anywhere. Remember; sun screen isn’t only for beaches. During the fall the sun’s rays can age and mark your skin, so get your hands on some SPF and make sure that after you’re done with your daily exfoliation and acne treatment, you moisturize and protect. If you know you’re the type to forget, there are several face lotions out there that have SPF 15 built into them. Since it’s unlikely that you’ll be sunning yourself in the chilly October months, SPF 15 is more than enough.

THREE: Don’t forget your feet!

Summer flip flops and sand do enough to make your feet dry and hard. Sometimes calluses are unavoidable but this fall and winter, don’t let your feet go without proper care. Think of the latter seasons as a time to heal your hooves in preparation for sunny times next year. Between wearing winter’s boots and pumps, make sure you keep your dogs moisturized, and think about exfoliating them with some pumice at the end of your showers once a week. By taking care of your feet this fall and winter your toes will twinkle and come spring you’ll be the bell of the ball.

Remember, taking care of your skin is a year-round task. If you take care of it properly, one look in the mirror should show that it’s taking care of you too!

The fact is that acne isn’t all about puberty. Here’s some information on when Americans typically get acne, and suggestions on how to treat it.

Baby Acne is a totally common skin condition that emerges very soon (between two and four weeks) after birth in many infants. It usually lacks white heads but shows up as patchy, rosy skin in their cheeks or buttocks or even their scalp. Most people confuse the condition with a rash. We’re not sure where baby acne comes from but it’s thought to be hormonally based, and depends on the mother’s hormonal condition and may even be passed on by her milk. Regardless, it’s nothing to fear with break-outs being short and the entire condition greatly overcome by beginning of the child’s first year with no need for any type of treatment.

Teenage Acne is the variety that every American knows well and gets hazed with during their adolescence. It’s estimated that between seventy-three to eighty-five percent of people suffer from acne during their teen years. The vast hormonal changes that turn children into adults are responsible for this issue. As hormones rage, bodies grow quickly and keratin, sebum oil and other naturally produced particles get stuck inside of pores where the bacteria acne vulgaris finds and feasts on them, causing breakouts. The good news here though is that unlike baby acne, teens nowadays have a lot of treatments to use to fight back. While some companies promote simple face washes that can dry out your skin, or even prescription drugs that get the job done but can behave even harsher, there is now a step that straddles the no-mans-land between these solutions. New step-based Acne treatment systems force the face to purge acne-causing particulates while supplementing the moisture lost with pH balanced moisturizers. You can find systems like these under trade names such as Proactiv.

Adult Acne doesn’t effect as many Americans as does teen acne but it’s estimated that more than half of adults between the ages of twenty-five and forty experience some sort of breakout from time to time even though they’re no longer in teenage bodies with raging hormones. In fact, sometimes adult acne occurs on faces that never experienced regular acne break-outs as teenagers. In addition to pregnancy and menopause, stress factors and adult hormone changes can contribute to adult acne. Regardless, the same sorts of solutions that work on teens are just as effective on adults. Regular use of step-based acne systems will significantly lower chances of break-outs and keep acne in check by preventing it.

Keeping in mind that for some people, acne will never simply be ‘a thing of the past’ helps us understand what we need to do to treat the condition instead of simply being embarrassed

See pimples, zits – whatever you want to call them – are actually mini deposits of bacteria and other irritants that have found their way into the pores of your face. Sometimes, as in the case of puberty, pimples happen automatically since adolescents grow so rapidly dead skin cells and material from the sebaceous glands often get stuck in pores. Bacteria then feeds on that material and suddenly, you see a pimple.

Once your body realizes that one of its pores has some foreign bacteria in it, it sends soldiers to fight the infection and our evolution ensures that if it’s left up to them, they nearly always win the fight, leaving a pussy white substance just under the skin. The problem comes in when you begin to pop those pimples!

No matter how careful you are with a tissue or whatever, when your break the skin while popping a pimple, you release that substance over nearby normal, healthy pores which can then fall victim to the same bacteria that your body was trying to isolate! Popping pimples also leaves a tiny open wound on your face, which is, you guessed it, susceptible to getting infected once again!  That’s one reason why our faces have certain persistent breakout spots. Making things more complicated is the fact that your body doesn’t like broken skin. Whenever there’s a cut, it bulks up the flesh in that area, making it tougher so it’s harder to cut it again. This effort is the cause for scarring.

So if popping isn’t the answer, what is? A regular, consistent acne treatment. Don’t just react to acne, prevent it by making sure those pores never get clogged in the first place. By using safe, organic, topical ingredients that cause facial skin to replenish itself, you’re left with pores that are constantly flushing out the bad stuff and keeping pimples from occurring in the first place.

Regular treatments of organic compounds like Benzoyl Peroxide can keep your face renewing its skin in order to minimize breakouts, but using such a product by itself, will leave your face feeling dry. Three steps solutions like Proactiv use Benzoyl Peroxide to maintain healthy facial skin renewal and then back it up by pH balanced moisturizers and other ingredients to leave your face feeling as soft and smooth as it is clear. When it comes to pimples, prevent—don’t pop.

They cited Galderma for saying that its Tri-Luma Cream was a long term product when in fact, its been proven that long term use of the cream by pregnant women can lead to birth defects including “embryo-fetal death, altered fetal growth, congenital malformations, and potential neurologic deficits.” What were they thinking and where’s their integrity? Congenital malformation is no small issue! All of this came to light as the FDA and peer-reviewed journals found a report from Galderma with medicine that looked like “an act of madness.”

The FDA also called out Allergan for their new claims on their Acne-fighting product—Aczone. Aczone’s issues were much like Galderma’s. They were shown to be misleading the consumer by saying that the product produced a 24% decrease in inflammation at two weeks, which dermatologists around the country dismissed as “a complete misrepresentation” of the product’s abilities.

Fancy products like Aczone and Tri-Luma Cream offer a lot of promises, but at high financial cost and it seems, now, considerable health risk.

The trick is to GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW. Acne fighters like Benzoyl Peroxide have been around for nearly a century, and it’s been proven safe for topical use for everyone, even pregnant women!  If that’s not reliability, I don’t know what is. Clear skin without offering your unborn child potential birth defects is a win-win situation. Look for acne treatments that use Benzoyl Peroxide like Proactiv. It’s a name that has been keeping faces beautiful and doing so honestly and consistently for years. With more than five separate systems for skin care treatment, there’s a solution for every face.
*http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_4_0_t&usg=AFQjCNF_dVR_ejTlqZRa6iI1lRJABcffiw&sig2=1z0ZfzhszFEwgwI1JHiGvA&cid=1302400720&ei=l3WYSsDwGYTslQTaycXIAQ&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.pharmexec.com%2F2009%2F08%2F26%2Ffeds-chase-down-faulty-skincare-promos%2F

For the body, stress can be broken down into two types: internal and external. Let’s start with the outside and then move in. Whether it’s mid-term time at school or it’s time for mid-term reviews at work, people go into overdrive. They grab food on the go, get less sleep and generally take less care of themselves in their effort to keep at pace with these high-octane times. The effects are obvious— takeout and fast foods leave grease on your hands which always manage to make it to the face. Sleeping too late or taking impromptu naps leaves you thinking less about washing the day’s toxins off your face and leaves you more susceptible to break-outs.

So that’s the threat from without—but what about the threat from within? Low self esteem, depression and anxiety are all things we feel in some measure or another when it comes to the stressful times in our lives. These emotions aren’t just in your head—they’re real actors in the chemistry of your body. In order to get you through these stressful times, your adrenal glands work on overdrive, synthesizing cortisol and giving you more energy to get through the day. The extra energy does come at some cost though. Cortisol causes the sebaceous glands to excrete more sebum oil (a greasy substance that is regularly released from everyone’s skin at manageable levels) than is normal. The sebum oil clogs the pores, allowing naturally occurring bacteria to flourish in them and leave you with a break-out.

There are ways to stem the tide of stress related break-outs though! It might take some discipline, but it’s important to maintain a consistent routine—even in the face of stressful times. This doesn’t mean that you need to get your coffee at exactly 7:30am every day (flexibility and consistency can indeed work well together) but it means that during stressful periods, streamline your day, which will streamline your emotions and leave you feeling in control. Here are some tips:

•    Make sure to clean your face off at night before hitting the pillow. Your face is exposed to all sorts of break-out causing material every day and if you’re stressed, you’re making some of that material yourself. Cleaning your face before bed doesn’t allow bacteria to thrive during your six to eight hours of unconsciousness. Using a tried and true system like Proactiv before bed allows your body to clear pores of that muck while you sleep.

•    Think about the day’s outfit while taking your shower. Too often we either try to figure out complex scheduling or other work-related problems in the shower and then spend fifteen minutes deciding what to wear once we get out of it. As you clean yourself think about the best outfit for everything you intend to do that day. Scheduling problems tend to work themselves out when you process them in a medium you enjoy, like wardrobe

•    Even if you eat out at every opportunity, make a stop at the grocery store and get yourself some fruit. Fall’s a great time to pick up a cheap bag of apples and there are candy-like golden ones, bitter green ones and spicy red ones to match any taste. Keeping an apple or orange in your bag at all times allows you to not stress out about where to get a snack and makes sure that at least one snack during the day is healthy.

Managing your stress is about managing your time, diet, and hygiene. By keeping up with those three aspects of your life, you’ll be more relaxed when the going gets tough.

Age: 18-25

Skin concerns: Excess oil production

Products: Dior Rinse-Off Cleansing Foam, Noxzema Continuous Clean Foaming Cleanser, Proactive Solutions, Aveeno Clear Complexion Correcting Treatment

Age: 26-30

Skin concerns: Collagen production and cell renewal is slowing down

Products: Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Anti-Blemish Daily Cleanser, Lancôme Resurface Peel, L’Oréal Revitalist Double Lifting Pump

Age: 31-35

Skin concerns: Some lines, discoloration and dryness

Products: Chanel Rectifiance Intense Serum, Murad Cellular Serum, Elizabeth Arden Prevage, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive Night Cream

ONE: Always wear sunscreen, but make sure it’s oil free! Thick lotion, sweat and acne-hungry pores do not make a flattering combination. Cheap suntan lotions and thick sun tan promoting oils may get you that nice glow for a few days, but your skin will illustrate the damage a few weeks later. Be smart and get that glow while protecting your skin.

TWO: Continue your daily routine. A different activity schedule often makes us change other stables in our lives – the food we eat, the amount we sleep, the activity we get and the way we take care of our skin. Don’t let the extra sunshine change the routine you take when washing your face. Make sure you clean your face after an extra sweaty outing, but don’t over-do it with cleansers and masks. Continue to wash your face with a regiment like Proactiv or Clearasil, but don’t use more than bar soap and water in the in-between times. Also, a little tan may mask your acne. Know that your acne has not gone away, and will appear again (and even worse) when your tan begins to fade.

THREE: Know your climate. Don’t forget your moisturizer during the dry heat in states like Colorado or Arizona and try to periodically blotting away grease and sweat in humid states like Florida or New York. Just like your hair, your skin will need different care depending on the weather.

School might be out for another month or so, but don’t forget the important lessons you’ve learned during the summer season. You not only want to look your best throughout the summer, but it’s now time to get ready for yearbook pictures back in the fall. Good luck!