SKINCARE & BEAUTY BY JANA ELSTON

Congestion can be a stubborn problem to clear, it can linger and be a real nuisance. In oil related congestion, the sebum is thick and waxy and has settled deep down in the hair follicle. Usually found around the chin and cheeks, it feels like a cluster of small, deep lumps under the skin. Congestion is usually skin colored , is not painful and does not itch. Once it appears, it usually just sits there and does not clear on its own. The waxy sebum can be a result of poor nutrition, certain food intolerance, a sluggish metabolism, hormones,  not drinking enough water, etc. and  if left untreated, can potentially lead to ruptured follicles, papules and painful lesions or acne.  To clear it, the waxy sebum has to be broken down, liquefied , and allowed to flow freely to the surface.  If congestion occurs around the jawline and cheeks, and occasionally on the neck, then it is either caused by over nourishing products or it's an internal problem, where the bod...

A delivery system in a skin care formula is the combination and use of certain ingredients that assist in the delivery of other ingredients into the skin.  Some examples of delivery systems include liposomes, nanotechnology, microcapsules - encapsulation, microsponge technology, emulsions, carrier oils,  etc.  Think of a tiny balloon you can fill with active ingredients that delivers  the ingredients deep into the epidermis (top layer of the skin) past the lipid barrier.  Because the skin is so very efficient at keeping things out with the lipid barrier, advanced skin care products encapsulate ingredients to get them down a little bit further.  Besides delivery systems and vehicles, cell-communicating ingredients actually do a great deal of work on the skin too and are particularly needed to affect the skin at the dermal level. How these cell-communicating ingredients work is, they send chemical messages to cells, which pass the message ...

I remembered a case I dealt with, where the client suffered from severe cystic acne. I referred her to a naturopath and after a thorough consultation they concluded that she had build up an intollerance to animal protein.  Apparently,  my client and her family had red meat based meals every single night, roasts, steaks and the like. The naturopath suggested her body was so overwhelmed with so much animal protein it was trying to eliminate the toxins via her skin, hence the acne.  They did the experiment and she eliminated animal protein from her diet and the results were immediate and astonishing. Her skin cleared up within weeks. Whenever she tried a sausage or steak her acne returned. It was mainly from red meat, bird or fish flesh wasn't so bad. She had to get right off red and white meat to keep her skin clear. This made me think of my ex who had severe acne on his back for many years since he was a teenager. On the advice of a naturopath ( after many fai...