May 26. 2010
When should you start
using eye cream?
Horne to the thinnest skin on
your body, the eye area starts to
show signs of wear and tear by your
20s. Overtime in the office, that extra
glass of wine, and even smiling all
conspire to speed up the aging pro­
cess. The eyes are also the first
place people look on your face.
According to Marie Claire Maga­
zine these are great eye-opening
rules to follow:
1. COUNTING CROWS
W earing sunglasses prevents
squinting, which causes crow's-
feet, explains Dr. Robert Grant, plas­
tic surgeon-in-chief at New York-
Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell
Medical Center. Sunscreen will also
help, but the reason that you sud­
denly start to see fine lines in your
late 20s and early 30s happens un­
der your skin. "Once your body
starts to decrease the amount of
sebum it produces, you need to
moisturize to keep the outermost
keratin layer—our natural sun pro­
tection factor—intact," explains
G rant." If you allow your skin to dry
out, it will get more sun damage."
But before you start slathering on
heavy eye balms that can clog pores
and cause bumps, first try a light­
weight gel.
If you already have noticeable
crow's-feet, vitamin A -derived ret­
inols can help smooth them out by
boosting collagen production in the
area. Gran, likes over-the-counter
retinols (in contrast to stronger,
prescription retinoids) because
they're less drying and easier to
tolerate. And for those who are es­
pecially expressive, Botox can help
soften your smile lines. A topical
formula is currently in FDA trials for
usage around the eyes, but approval
is still years away.
2. BAGGAGE HANDLING
The biggest reason for puffiness
4. TOP SHELF
F a B LIVING
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W / R E B E K A H ST A R
around the eyes is allergies, accord­
ing to Cambridge, Massachusetts,
dermatologist Dr. Ranella Hirsch.
And rubbing will only thicken the
skin and cause darkening, especially
in pale complexions. "When you
hear on the news that pollen counts
are up, take an over-the-counter
antihistamine for twoor three weeks
and you'll prevent most swelling,"
Hirsch says. For additional sooth­
ing, "de-puff with an eye roller. Keep
it in the fridge, because the cooling
effect really goes a long way."
If you're past your early 30s and
have tried the anti-allergy approach
without success, your heavy bag­
gage could be caused by gravity,
not the change in seasons. "When
you're young, the fat below your
eyes lives in a collagen baggie. But
as you get older, the bag is weak­
ened because you're not producing
as much collagen and the fat herni­
ates into a hound-dog look," says
Hirsch, who recommends using an
in je c ta b le fille r (she p refers
Restylane) to firm the skin and hold
up the fat pad. "For less than $5(X),
you can get real results that last 12
to 15 months. You don't need much
product, and it can take years off of
your face," she says. A less inva­
sive alternative is using an eye cream
with peptides. "Peptides are the
building blocks of the skin's pro­
tein," explains Hirsch. Applying
them topically gives skin the ingre­
dients to rebuild and hold the fat
pad in place.
3. BRIGHT IDEA
There are typically two causes of
dark circles: an actual darkening of
the skin due to genetics and sun
damage, or shadows created from
sunken valleys above the cheek­
bones. For both problems, New York
C ity d erm ato lo g ist Dr. D avid
Rosenberg recommends injecting
fat or Restylane to plump the hol­
lowness (cost: about $4,(XX) for po­
tentially permanent fat and about
$ 1,5(X) for Restylane, which lasts up
to two years). And since the skin
here is almost transparent, "fat
bleaches out the area since it's pure
white."
Brightening formulas can also
even the overall skin tone but must
be combined with daily sunscreen
use to prevent further darkening.
Hirsch suggests layering antioxi­
dant lycopene under sunscreen for
extra protection.
As collagen thins and skin loses
elasticity, the upper eyelids can
droop, creating what Rosenberg
calls "hooding." While applying
creams to the upper lids was once a
no-no, new formulas specifically
target this sagging area, tightening
with caffeine or promoting collagen
production with peptides. However,
if you're prone to dry skin, Hirsch
cautions against caffeine-based
creams because they dehydrate in
order to de-puff and firm. "You're
good for two hours, but then you
look like death," she says.
If topical creams aren't enough
fo r y o u r tire d -lo o k in g lids,
Rosenberg suggests two surgical
options: trimming away the excess
skin at the lashline or an endoscopic
brow-lift (cost: $2,(XX) to $7,(XX) for
each procedure). With gravity's pull,
eyebrows fall as we get ojder, and
"as the brow gets lower, the more
skin droops," Rosenberg says. Rais­
ing the brow with tiny hairline inci­
sions lifts the upper eyelid skin,
making eyes appear more open and
youthful. "It's a 30-minute proce­
dure, and the results last for a de­
cade." Now that's foresight.
EVENT FaB:
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lla m -4 p m
Nordstrom, Washington Square:
“Mascara Madness” Buy 2 Mas­
caras, get 1 Free. Be sure to visit the
Giorgio Armani Counter for “Eyes to
Kill’, my #1 choice for mascara.
Hope to see you all there! For
questions and comments please
visit our Facebook Page: FaB Living
w/Rebekah Star. Until next week,
Live Fabulously!
MM
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need.
___________ THE______________
SPINAtCOLUMN
An ongoing series of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession
Part 3. ALLERGIES: Why Chiropractic
often works more effectively than drugs.
| : Nothing else has ever really tem. controls the body’s flow of just the sym ptom s, Chiropractic
y helped my allergies. What energy. We also know that when can often provide complete, last­
can Chiropractic possibly do?
the spinal column is out of align­ ing relief. W ithout drugs or
ment, it interferes with the central drow siness. For help with your
: First, take a look at the word nervous system’s flow of energy. allergy-related problem s or an­
■ itself. “Allergy” is a short­ When those nerves leading to the sw ers to any q u estio n s you
ened form of “o/tered energy.” eyes or nose or throat are being might have about your health,
Way back when patients first interfered with, “altered energy" your will find that Chiropractic
complained of allergic symptoms, symptoms result. By correcting is often the answer. Call us for
it was obvious to the physician the source of the problem , not an appointm ent today.
who coined the term that some­
how, the body’s energy configu­
ration had shifted and caused the
2124 NE Hancock, Portland Oregon 97212
problem . Chiropractors now
know that the central nervous sys-
(
flowers' Chiropractic Office
Phone: (503) 287* *5504
Heart Disease Predictor Found
UC Davis researchers have dis­
covered that a blood component
linked with inflammation can pre­
dict coronary artery disease in Afri­
can-Americans.
Known as lipoprotein-associated
phospholipase A2, the blood factor
is also associated with but does not
accurately predict heart-disease risk
in Caucasians. The findings are
published in the current issue of the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism.
“This study suggests that inflam­
mation may be a more important
mechanism in heart disease for Afri­
can-Americans than it is for Cauca­
sians and increases our growing
understanding of how heart-disease
processes vary in different ethnic
groups,” said Lars Berglund, senior
study author and associate dean for
research at the UC Davis School of
Medicine. “The more we appreciate
such differences, the better we can
individualize treatment and preven­
tion approaches.”
Lp-PLA2 was recently identified
as a marker for the inflammatory
processes involved in atheroscle­
rosis. It is considered key to the
progression and rupture of fatty
plaques that can block coronary
arteries and lead to heart attacks.
Although the test for Lp-PLA2 is
widely available, Berglund said it is
too soon to recommend widespread
testing to affect treatment decisions.
The study population was not rep­
resentative of the general popula­
tion as all participants already had
symptoms of heart disease.
Berglund’s team plans further
studies of Lp-PLA2 and other in-
• flammatory components of the blood
in a wider range of patients to get a
clearer picture of roles in predicting
heart disease for different groups.
The outcomes of his current study,
however, give him hope that Afri­
can-Americans at high risk for heart
disease will one day be treated for
inflammation more aggressively and
earlier in the disease process.