SKINCARE & BEAUTY BY JANA ELSTON

COSMETICS Whenever you hear people talking about cosmetics, they generally refer to makeup. The FDA defines cosmetics as makeup and as products designed "for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions". So soaps, shampoo, deodorant, fragrances, makeup, etc are classed as cosmetics. Antiperspirants that stop you from sweating, toothpaste that whitens teeth, or anti-bacterial soaps, as well as SPF 30 or 50+ sunscreens, are classed (by definition) as drugs. Albert Klingman I used to think it was Dr Albert Klingman who first used the term cosmeceutical, however researching it, I found it was Raymond Reed, founder of the U.S. Society of cosmetic chemists, who created the concept of "cosmeceutical" in 1961.  The American dermatologist Albert Kligman popularized the term “cosmeceutical” in the late 1970s. In 1980, he went on to research Vitamin A and its effects on acne, sun damage ...

I enjoy walking my dogs every day and on some days it can get pretty windy out there like today! It's lovely and refreshing but the dry wind can play real havoc with your skin. The wind can suck the moisture out of your skin. And if it's a sunny day as well, it's easy to get wind burned. Imagine a fan-forced oven crisping up the roast. It's a bit like that, the sun heats up and 'toasts' the skin and the wind dries the skin resulting in skin that feels parched, tight, rough, and sometimes stinging & sore, and the surface of the skin looks all crackly. During windy days it's important to protect your skin from over-drying because if it's left untreated it can lead to skin barrier breakdown, severe dryness and dehydration. Untreated dehydration leads to premature ageing, wrinkling, and even skin sensitivities. Dehydration means loss of moisture (water) and it can occur in dry skin as well as oily skin types. In dried-out skin the lack of moisture level...