By Devin Almonte

​​This is not good news for your skin. Our hormones change as we age and we start to lose estrogen, as well as testosterone. A steady decline in the levels of estrogen and testosterone in the body can cause accelerated aging of the skin and loss of collagen, says BioTe Medical. That means less firmness, elasticity, and moisture. It can leave you with sunken cheeks and sagging skin. It means dryness. Before you know it, you are quickly turning into that shriveled up plant like the one you forgot to water in your kitchen! To make matters worse, many of you are desperately trying to lose a few extra pounds. That's great! But here's the bad news: as you start to lose some of those unwanted pounds, you might also start to lose some of the fat in your face when you exercise (in addition to some of the fat tissue that you are already losing simply due to age). This is one place you want to keep the fat! But now that you’re older and you’re trying to stay healthy, you’ve been cursed with 'diet face', which makes your face appear more drawn and gaunt looking. Lovely, isn’t it?

Luxury: Med Spa
​Many of the issues with skin health are treatable with the BioTE® method using bio-identical hormone pellet therapy. If you haven’t heard of this, the BioTE® method using hormone pellet therapy is a treatment designed to balance hormones naturally. Hormone pellet therapy can optimize the levels of estrogen and testosterone that drop causing the many signs of aging we see in the skin, including wrinkles and loss of youthful volume in the face. Once your hormones are balanced, you may notice improvement in the look and feel of the skin, not just on the face, but the entire body. It does so much more than just improve the look of your skin and face. You can get back to looking and feeling better about yourself with hormone pellet therapy. Find a BioTe Provider near you.

Everyday: Natural Remedies and OTC
​If you don’t want to spend the bucks or you just prefer a more natural way of treatment, you might want to give this is a try: soy, fruits, and veggies.

Adding a supplement that is rich in soy can help your estrogen levels and may bring them back to better levels. And there are many estrogen-rich foods that may help boost your estrogen level. These foods contain phytoestrogen, which is a plant-based estrogen that mimics estrogen once it is processed by the body, says Emily Lunardo for Bel Marra Health. Be on the lookout for fruits and veggies that have natural estrogen content:  alfalfa sprouts, flaxseed, cucumber, olives, olive oil, green beans, and apples

This is when sun damage starts to rear its ugly head. Those years of obtaining that beautiful suntan are now coming back to bite you in the form of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. In fact, sun exposure is the main culprit behind fine and deeper facial wrinkles, freckles, age spots (also known as sun or liver spots), leathery skin texture, dull-colored skin, and enlarged pores, says Hunt Valley Laser and Skin Care Center. So, just when you thought it wouldn’t happen to you, it’s happening.​

Luxury: Med Spa
With Intense Pulse Therapy, you can start to remove the signs of sun damage and restore your youthful appearance! The visible light delivered with Photo Genesis procedure is selectively absorbed by the pigmented spots on your skin. The heating of the pigmented cells causes the therapeutic result, effectively destroying the damaged cells.  Virtually any part of your body with sun (a.k.a. “age” or “liver”) spots or freckles can be safely treated. 

Charlotte's Book, the modern resource for cosmetic health and wellness tell us, "As the years pass, UV rays and other environmental factors cause the skin to lose its elasticity. When this happens, pores clogged with sebum, dirt and dead skin appear to be even larger than before. This is because the skin around each pore is not as firm and collagen-rich as in younger skin. Firm skin essentially girds and supports pores, so it has the effect of making pores appear smaller, while looser, inelastic skin makes pores appear larger or more dilated." 

Luxury: Med Spa
​Comfortably treat excessive redness, enlarged pores, uneven skin texture, and fine lines and wrinkles! Laser Genesis skin therapy is an innovative, technologically advanced way to promote vibrant and healthy-looking skin in men and women. By gently heating the upper dermis well below your skin’s surface, Laser Genesis warms the miniature swollen vessels that create diffuse redness, which are then absorbed by the body over the period of a few weeks. The procedure also stimulates collagen renewal, resulting in tighter pores, smoother skin, and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. This method of promoting collagen renewal also smoothes, flattens, and removes the red discoloration of scars.

The National Sleep Foundation tells us that changes to our sleep patterns are a normal part of the aging process. As we age, we tend to have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. And many of us are in the midst of our careers and raising families during this time, which further adds to the exhaustion. Many factors can contribute to this including too much alcohol, stress, or other health-related conditions, When that happens, signs of tiredness and life's excesses can be reflected in your face more than ever before.

Luxury: Med Spa
Go to a Medical Sleep Away Camp. Partake in a multidisciplinary approach that brings together several diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Participate in an overnight study known as Polysomnography. Polysomnography is the simultaneous recording of neurologic and physiologic parameters is an overnight test performed on sleeping patients. Opt in for portable monitoring, which is the simultaneous recording of physiologic parameters in an overnight test to evaluate sleep disordered breathing. Utilize various devices such as continuous positive airway devices and adaptive-servo ventilator. If I've already lost you, you can read more about it at the Wellmax Center. If you have always dreamed of going to a true, sleep-away med spa, check out Skin Inc's top ten list of great sleep spas. 

Dr. Nigma Talib, ND has worked out exactly why we suffer from common skin problems like breakouts, puffy eyes and redness, and it all comes down to our diets. The renowned naturopathic expert has identified four common food groups that leave our skin looking less than fresh - 'dairy face', 'wine face', 'sugar face' and 'gluten face'. Further, Jessica Wu, MD, a dermatologist in Los Angeles and author of Feed Your Face says, “What you eat can affect your hormone balance, cause acne, and create or lessen inflammation, which is associated with skin aging.” 

By Devin Almonte

Is it me, or did makeup recently slither and sneak its way into gyms across America as an acceptable athletic accessory? When did this happen and why? And more importantly, is it really safe to wear makeup during a workout?

​We used to be afraid to show our bodies at the gym out of fear of what people would think of us for being a bit too heavy or untoned. How dare we go to the gym to get in shape looking like that! It’s almost sacrilegious. And now we are afraid to show our real faces? Dear Lord,  we are a sick bunch. 

I guess I can be included in that sick bunch because I am guilty of this relatively new trend. Now, I’m not in a full face of makeup, but I’ve definitely used concealer to hide a few things that make my face look tired and dull. Plus, I want to have blemish-free, glowing skin while I do my burpees and shimmy across the studio floor! 

Before we go any further, I want to stress that I am advocate for good health, including our skin. Good health and good skin is naturally beautiful. So I’m all for nurturing our skin and body for health reasons before caring for it cosmetically. However, given that women want to “look good” at the gym (a place for healthy living), I wanted to find out why women wear makeup to the gym and if it’s okay to wear makeup during your workout. Because that makeup you are wearing could be doing more damage to your beautiful face than you realize. And all for the mere sake of looking good while working out for an hour!

1. To look your best no matter what.
Looking your best is a great motivator to get you to workout. So whether a cute new fitness outfit or makeup makes you feel your best, this becomes the motivator you need to get your butt to the gym and it can help boost your confidence.

2. To feel less self-conscious.
Makeup can help someone feel less self-conscious about themselves and their supposed flaws. Just as someone who is overweight or not happy with their body can feel totally vulnerable and exposed at the gym, so does the person without makeup. Not everyone feels this way, of course, but particularly for those who struggle with body image issues, makeup may give them the courage to show up. And if that is what it takes to get them to the gym, then I am all for it because with a healthy body will come a healthy mind. And hopefully, makeup will no longer be needed for these superficial reasons!

3. For selfie reasons.
It’s hard to believe that this alone is a reason to wear makeup to the gym but it is. In this new world of Instagram and Snapchat, everyone wants to look their best when they post to their accounts, showing off at the gym in their new outfit and newly toned arms. So we dare not take a gym selfie without a face full of makeup! After all, we have an image and reputation to uphold online to all our followers and fans. Not to mention that gyms are encouraging such selfies because it helps to promote their gym. 

4. It helps you play the role.
About a year ago, the NYT had a chance to catch up with Eve Kessner, an instructor at SoulCycle studios in Brooklyn Heights and Union Square, to ask her her thoughts about makeup at the gym. For Eve, getting ready for the gym each morning goes beyond brushing her teeth and pulling on a pair of leggings. Before heading out to classes that often start before 8 a.m., she applies Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara and a face luminizer by RMS Beauty or Josie Maran Cosmetics. “Wearing some amount of makeup makes me feel good,” Ms. Kessner said. “Part of getting ready and feeling prepared for class are the steps I take in the morning.”

5. You're headed to the gym from work.
Many women head to the gym right after work. Some of the women I interviewed have admitted that they are just too lazy to take off their makeup before class. Plus, they are scared to see what is under that makeup after an eight-hour day at the office! Others said they are just rushed trying to make the 5pm or 6pm exercise class and don't have time to take off their makeup, so they don't bother.

1. It clogs your pores.
​Metro.co.uk asked Andy Millward, facialist, aesthetician, and member of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, why working out in makeup is so bad for our skin, and he pointed to congestion and blockages within the pores as a major factor. ‘Unlike skin care products which are designed to be absorbed into the skin, makeup is designed to sit on the surface of the skin to give it that flawless, airbrushed appearance,’ Andy told metro.co.uk.

2. It can make your pores bigger.
​Since the makeup may cause congestion in your pores, the pores may stretch or enlarge to manage the blockage, which could cause larger pores over a period of time.

3. Toxins become trapped in your skin.
We are an organic and all-natural obsessed culture. By wearing makeup during your workout, your own body is essentially working against you because you are not allowing the sweat and toxins to be naturally released. This sounds anything, but organic! You are allowing the makeup to trap in the toxins instead of allowing them to evaporate off the skin, as they should naturally. So for the sake of looking good, you’re holding your sweat toxins hostage under that foundation. Time to let them go free.

4. Breakouts are likely to occur. 
​What happens when you hold in pent-up emotion? It gets worse and worse until it explodes. You need to release it (in a healthy way of course). Your face on makeup is no different. Your skin needs to breathe and release - during a good workout even more so when your pores open up. Mix in sweat, heat and open pores and over time the skin will become blocked under a face full of makeup. Eventually it will explode in the form of blackheads, whiteheads and dull texture. No thanks!

5. It may promote aging.
According to Samer Jaber, MD, of Washington Square Dermatology in New York City,  working out with makeup is believed to be a contributing factor to aging. Wearing makeup while exercising inflames the skin, and chronic inflammation is the root cause of skin aging. 

After reading this, there are many of you who won't listen to this advice and will opt for makeup anyway. I get it. We spend hours of torture to look better anyway, so what if I am trapping toxins in my skin? As long as I look good for that hour, I'm happy! 

So, if you must, I suppose you must. At least the skincare products and makeup products have come a long way to accomodate our needs. And you are starting to see some cosmetic companies specialize in Workout Makeup like Sweat Cosmetics and Tarte. Like I said, if you must, here are my recommendations pre and post workout:

My advice? Do what feels best to you that will help you stay healthy. If that means a little makeup during your workout, then go for it. Thank goodness there are some products out there that work with your active lifestyle. But be sure to always give your skin some downtime to breathe. 

By Devin Almonte

Skin care has come a long way, even in most recent years. There is an old way of doing things and a new way of doing things, Take a look at how we used to treat skin care the old way. Learn why that approach needs to change and why our skin is so important. Discover the new revolutionary way to approach skin care and how Défiderm may help us get there.

I took a quick survey to see what women thought about skin care. First, I asked a group of women what came to mind when they thought of "Healthy Skin". I heard things like, "youthful, soft, and beautiful". Next, I asked the same women how they would go about "Getting Healthy Skin". Answers varied within the cosmetic approach from getting botox to wearing more makeup. Not one women mentioned understanding the health of her skin.

As my results showed, many women would say you "get healthy skin" by finding the best cosmetic skin care regimen out there and sticking to it. Okay, we can do that. After all, it may be a step in the right direction. But, if you aren’t educating yourself about the health of your skin first, you aren’t going to get very far. It’s like committing to your workout, but not changing your eating habits and wondering why you aren’t losing weight! Plus, just like you need to vary your workout, you need to vary your skin care regimen for optimal results.  

​As someone who values health, looking out for your skin is just as important as all the other ways you take care of yourself. It is so important to know the health of your skin before you treat it cosmetically. That's why a new revolutionary approach to skin care is necessary. Keep reading.

​Our skin is more than just a beautiful face. Did you know that our skin is our largest organ in the body? Not only is it the largest, but it also plays an important role in protecting our body. Healthy skin means your skin is working properly. Our skin performs so many essential tasks that our body needs. Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD states, “Healthy skin is important because it is our first line of defense against bacteria and other pollutants in the environment. When our skin is healthy, it is more resilient when faced with external stresses, serves as an important sensory organ and helps to regulate our body temperature.”  Healthy skin is better able to fight signs of aging, heals much faster and staves off potential disease better than unhealthy skin. In other words, our skin is always working on our behalf and for our own good, so we better take good care of it so it can do its job well. 

​So before reaching for your concealer, make healthy choices first. Your skin reveals to the world how healthy you are (and how old you are). Therefore, take the time to learn about your skin and how it operates. Positive lifestyle behaviors will keep you healthy and your skin looking younger. 

​The skincare industry has grown astronomically since the 1980s. Gone are the days when your skincare regimen used to consist of one simple step--washing your face. And if you were really into caring for your skin, you might have taken it up a notch by purchasing some Noxzema face wash at the drugstore instead of that plain old bar of soap. That was the extent of skincare.

​For starters, we are getting smarter. Just as we have learned that sunning ourselves with pure oil with a cigeratte in hand is not good for our skin or our lungs, we have learned that we need to do more to take better care of our skin, especially our faces. Secondly, we have seen great medical advances in the skincare industry that are bringing us cutting edge skin care products designed to help reverse the effects of aging and maintain healthier looking skin. Because of this, the market is just flooded with skin care products of your choosing.

So here we are in 2017. The problem is no longer that we don’t have products to choose from, but how to choose the right products. Skincare products are not “one-size-fits-all” and not all skincare regimens should be created equal. How many times have your tried a product that promised to leave your skin with that summer sun-kissed glow only to find yourself with breakouts all over? Or maybe that exfoliator that worked for your friend left your skin dull and dry rather than renewed and rejuvenated.

​This is why it is so important to know your skin’s health before you treat it. Knowledge gives you the power to make the right decisions and choose the right products for your skin.

So how do we really know what is best for us? As it stands now, it's been a lot of trial and error. We need to recognize that many factors play into this. Our skin needs are always changing and greatly affected by various factors such as our age, the climate, our hormones, the seasons, or even what we eat and drink. So your tried and true moisturizer that works wonders for your skin in the winter may become your worst enemy during those hot and humid summer months.

​In my search for a solution to solve the problem of knowing what skin care regimen is best for us, I do believe I may have found the answer. It’s called Défiderm. While I have not yet tried this product (I don't believe it's available yet in the US), I can’t wait to get my hands on it, as this may very well be a perfect solution to this worldwide skin care dilemma. Défiderm, which is part of a start-up company based out of Taipei, is modernizing skin care using the technology of today which may bring out the best in the health of your skin. 

​Défiderm is a revolutionary skin analyzer device (small enough to fit in your pocket) that works with and in conjunction with your smartphone. It analyzes your skin to give you a customized approach to skincare.

​Défiderm uses Bio-Photon detection to detect the tissue densities of the bottom layer of your skin. This technology gives Défiderm the ability to analyze your skin condition more precisely than ever.

How amazing does this product sound! ​There is no doubt that maintaining our skin’s health is important to us and an extremely important thing to do. Great skin improves the way we feel about ourselves and helps promote overall well-being.

By the looks of it, it appears that Défiderm may be the mover and shaker that can truly help us understand the health of our skin first before we treat our skin cosmetically. There's no doubt that this technologically-advanced skin analyzer is going to be making waves in the world of skin care.