They say Sculptra helps you “grow younger.”  The collagen synthesis will cause the skin to reflect more light, which in turn gives the skin an overall more youthful and rested appearance without telling the world you had a treatment of this high level.  After about eight weeks, the injection is realized by the skin and the improvements continue to show for about six months.  What this can do is re-create the jaw line, an area of skin that shows aging very prominently, which is why several of the most popular sellers in anti aging happen to be neck creams.

If you have not looked into sculptra or other cosmetic fillers, it’s an option some people swear by.  How do they compare to the latest anti wrinkle and anti aging creams?  For one, I tend to be a cream person because I hate pain.  I can’t imagine a needle going into my head, but then again, it’s something that most people just shrug off, even women who typically don’t do needles.

Can’t speak from experience, but it’s safe to say that sculptra is among the hottest cosmetic fillers going these days.  We’ll be back with more information as it becomes available.

The development of wrinkles throughout the eye area is a process and it is important to realize this fact before creating a treatment plan, as determining which part of the process that the skin is currently experiencing can help to create a treatment plan that is going to best reduce the appearance of the wrinkles. A lack of moisture through the inner layers of the skin is the first aspect of skin that is susceptible to wrinkles, followed by the fine lines that can occur throughout the skin area. Over time, through additional lack of moisture and exposure to elements within the environment these fine lines can turn into embedded wrinkles deep within the inner layers of the skin.

Learning about how wrinkles are created can be an effective way to determine which wrinkles treatments are right for you – as it can help to target the specific needs within the skin.

Here are some of the common treatments that are available for wrinkles, through various processes in the natural aging cycle of the skin:

Moisturizer is an effective way to prevent wrinkles within the skin through concentrated ingredients that can help the skin become exposed to moisture, but that can also help the skin to retain the ability to lock the moisture into the skin through enhancing the moisture barrier through the skin. Making use of ingredients that are concentrated and that can deliver the moisture where it’s needed, through the inner layers of the skin can be an effective way to ensure that you are able to delay the signs of aging in the form of wrinkles, for as long as possible.

Treatments that are used to reduce the appearance of fine lines through the surface of the skin are used to literally erase the top layer of the skin, where the fine lines are often present. Through the fine lines that can be seen through the course of the skin, you are able to use exfoliating products and chemical peels that can rejuvenate this top layer of the skin, increasing the youthful appearance of the skin and treating the fine lines before they are able to manifest as deep wrinkles.

Deep wrinkles within the skin are treated through the use of fillers. There are various delivery methods that can be seen through these filler including topical concentrations of ingredients that can reduce the appearance of the wrinkles or even injection concentrations that can drastically reduce the appearance of these wrinkles in as little as one treatment.

by Brad Schwartz

We usually write our own stories and dig for our own interviews, information, and content, but we’re all big Julia Roberts fans and we thought this was great skin care news, being that Roberts is the new face of Lancome.

Here are some of the highlights we thought we would share with everyone that reads Simply Skin online journal.

The article stated that Julia “always wears sunscreen because she is worried about impact of the sun’s UV rays on her face.”  The article continued….

“Eye cream is getting more and more important to me. If you have time, add some moisturiser to your neck,” she told the British edition of InStyle magazine. “For skincare, I like something light and easy. I don’t like to put too many layers on or ask myself, ‘How does this work?’ ”

You can read the article in it’s entirety by following this link:  Julia Roberts talks skin care.

Before anything, you need to ensure you are properly exfoliating.  Did you know that your body gets rid of skin cells at a rate of every minute?  This is important because dead skin cells that remain on your skin’s surface make your skin look dull.  To ensure your skin shines with that ultimate glow, you need to exfoliate.  Exfoliating can take place in your shower first thing in the morning.  Sloughing off the dead skin cells only needs to be done about 2-3 times per week.  This will promote healthy, shining skin more than any skin cream can ever dream of doing.  There are several skin care brands that make a solid exfoliation treatment, and you certainly don’t need to go overboard and spend too much money on this particular product.  Save your budget for other skin creams, such as anti aging creams.

Everyone likes to get that “summer tan” – it makes us look healthy and shows the world we don’t live trapped in our homes.  Getting that perfect tan can be easy if you know when and how often to apply sunblock.  If you live in an area where the sun doesn’t reach your skin much in the cold winter months, be sure you approach summer with extreme caution.  Yes, that first tan is always great, adding color to your skin can be a great way to show people you’ve been engaging in outdoor activities, but if you show up to happy hour with extreme sunburn, you will certainly get a few odd looks.  This is why it’s important to use a sunblock each and every time you enter the sun, most importantly, the first time you enter the sun.  If you are staring at a sunblock you purchased last year, throw it away and buy a new one.  While most skin products have about a two year lifespan, the extreme changes in temperature can affect the performance of your sunblock.  If you stored it in your garage, it was definitely prone to cold temperatures!

Use an anti aging eye cream with spf to protect your eyes from the sun.  The skin underneath our eyes is very delicate, and using an eye cream with spf can help maintain collagen levels as well as protect this sensitive skin from future sun damage.  This is extremely important if you are an active participant in activities such as golf, tennis, or even just as a spectator watching your children play soccer on at the local park.  The sun is certainly a big contributor to skin damage, and even worse, facial wrinkles.

Brad Schwartz

by Brad Schwartz

A few years ago I used to let my wife spend money quite freely on beauty products.  I didn’t really bat an eye when she would spend $300+ per month on various skin treatments and products.  With the economy booming, my investment properties increasing substantially each month, and my portfolio at an all time high, I barely felt the impact of increased spending on things that I really didn’t see as necessary.  I guess I can look back and say those were the “good old days.”  Times were easy, and anyone who had similar investments in place can agree with me that the glass was always more than half full.

Well, those days are well behind me, and I’m working harder than ever to get back to where I was financially. I took a 60% haircut on my financial portfolio, and lost multiple investment properties due to foreclosure.  While this hurt me in the short and long term, it also made me re-evaluate a lot of the purchases I make on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, I had to have a serious talk with my wife about what types of beauty products were absolutely necessary, and what types of products could be avoided so our money could be better spent.  Being an analytical type, I started to do the research, and had constructive, two-way conversations with my wife about exactly which products fit in each category.  Based on multiple discussions, this is what we decided on.  Keep in mind we are both in our mid-30′s and live in the Southern United States, where the sun is always shining.

1.  Eye cream. (Or Serum or gel, depending on what product line you select and the marketing terms they choose to use.)  We felt an eye cream was essential.  For starters, our eyes are basically the focal point of our faces, and our whole body if you really want to break it down.  Furthermore, the skin under our eyes is the most delicate on our body – it thins and loses elasticity as we age.  It’s important to help restore and promote collagen in this area – I can’t stress this enough.  Getting rid of puffiness, dark circles, and bags under the eyes can help us look much younger, and for this reason, we felt an eye cream product was something we simply can’t afford to be without.

Note: Most of the best eye creams are for sale from $49 – 159.  Of course, it all depends on how you value the use of an eye cream and how much you spend on other skin products as part of your budget.

2.  Daily Moisturizer. Our skin needs constant protection and nourishment, and this is exactly what a moisturizer works to do.  Moisturizing the skin is among the most important things we can do on a daily basis.  A good moisturizer brings hydration to the skin cells and keeps them strong.

Note: Moisturizers range from $9.99 – $200.  There are many high end moisturizer products that sell the “luxury” of skin care.  While my wife really enjoys trying one of these brands every so often, it’s not always in the budget.  (Actually, these days, it’s NEVER in the budget but once in a while I find a receipt for one!)  I tend to side with the side of science, and look for something with some clinical data to back it up.  A simple product that is sold at the local drug store usually is something I tend to avoid – I think since this is a daily use product its best to spend a little more money here and less elsewhere.  A $59-79 department store moisturizer is usually in line with what I think is acceptable, and most important, effective.

3.  Sunblock. This is a must for us, since we live in the South and take in some serious sun.  Between pool parties, rounds of golf, and bar-b-ques, we’re in the sun quite a bit.  A sunblock of high spf is a must, and for my money, I look for one with anti aging properties.   I’m at the age where I want to prevent wrinkles, so for me, I choose an spf of over 30.

Note: Sunblock can be purchased from $5.99 and up.  While there are some very expensive sunblocks available at Sephora and other online skin care outlets, there isn’t much difference in sunblock brands, unless of course, the sunblock has anti aging properties, which is always preferred.

Depending on how much money you allocate to buying skin products, you can effectively take care of your skin by purchasing the above three products.  Keep in mind, this routine fits us perfect, as we live in the South.  If you live in the North, where it’s snowing and cold for most of the year, you will use much less sunblock, and perhaps you can spend the money on either an anti wrinkle cream, (it’s NEVER too early to start using one) or just use the product on something that is more of a targeted treatment, such as a cellulite cream or neck cream.