Faking Perfect Skin with Makeup

by : Melissa Milrad Goldstein

Hide slight imperfections and fake flawless skin in a few strokes of a makeup brush.

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Having Great Skin is as Simple as ABC part 2

BY : NI’KITA WILSON

Vitamin B

Vitamin B3, niacin (aka nicotinic acid or niacinamide) hasn’t been studied as long as the other vitamins. However, the studies that have been done show that, when used at high enough levels, vitamin B3 can help even out your skintone, in particular, reducing the yellowing often associated with aged skin.

Why it works isn’t 100 percent clear. Procter & Gamble has several theories (and twice as many patents) on the mode of action. When used in combination with other ingredients like AHAs and vitamin A, or even simple ingredients like glycerin there is an apparent and visible improvement in the coloring of aged skin.

Having Great Skin is as Simple as ABC part 1

Having Great Skin is as Simple as ABC part 1

BY : NI’KITA WILSON

Skip trendy "it" ingredients and go for these tried-and-true skin savers.

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The choices for rejuvenating (sounds much nicer than “anti-aging” doesn’t it?) ingredients can be overwhelming.

Claims are indistinguishable for even a cosmetic chemist, so I can only imagine how consumers must feel at the beauty counter or pharmacy facing a wall of products in an attempt to pick the best solutions for your needs.

Red algae, brown algae, pentapeptide, tripeptide, oligopeptide, plant leaf extract, plant flower extract, plant stem cells—the list goes on and on.

Our lives are complicated enough as it is. We don't have to include an equally complex skincare routine. It is possible to achieve beautifulskin with simple ingredients. It’s as easy as ABC!

Gluten-Free Skincare: Ingredients to Watch Out For

Gluten-Free Skincare: Ingredients to Watch Out For

by : Ni’Kita Wilson

Beauty companies don't list gluten sources on the labels, so keep this ingredient list handy next time you are shopping for skincare.

New celiac, gluten sensitivity (GS) and gluten intolerance (GI) cases have been on the rise over the last few years and will continue to grow as doctors learn more about these conditions.

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Switching to a gluten-free diet is the primary treatment for Celiac, GS and GI but where does skincare fit into the picture?

As a cosmetic chemist, formulating gluten-free products has never been a concern because the studies and medical journals that I read point out that gluten needs to be ingested to be harmful. So why worry about it in skincare?

It may be possible to ingest trace amounts from a lip product or from hand-to-mouth ingestion from your favorite hand cream—important concerns because gluten allergies are molecular and sensitive to even the tiniest triggers.

Plus, I realize that there is still much to learn about these conditions and new studies may very well reveal that other tissue besides the intestines could trigger negative symptoms when exposed to gluten. 

The Dry Skin Plan part 2

BY : GRACE GOLD

Soothe your itchy, flaky skin with our super-hydrating, skin-saving tips!

Moisturize from the Inside Out

Skin health begins on the inside and what you eat can affect how efficient your skin is at maintaining a healthy protective barrier. “Antioxidants help prevent environmental damage and strengthen collagen elastin,” says Zeichner. Antioxidant-rich citrus fruits like oranges and pineapples help fight free radicals, while green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli boast superpower levels of vitamin K, vitamin C, carotenoids and magnesium—all essential nutrients to glowing, naturally hydrated skin.

The Dry Skin Plan part 1

by : Grace Gold

Soothe your itchy, flaky skin with our super-hydrating, skin-saving tips!

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Dry skin isn't fun. The dryness, flaking, itching and a feeling of tightness it brings on is far from comfortable.

Whether the blame belongs to cold or dry air, over-washing or those long, hot showers that feel so good in the moment, the cause is the same: the wearing away and depletion of the protective skin barrier. For fast relief, you want to treat dry skin in a variety of ways, which tackle all of the major triggers.

Check out these expert tips on how to get your soft, supple skin back.

Use the Right Ingredients

Moisturizers aren’t all created equal: Some treat the root cause of the dryness, while others may temporarily mask or even worsen symptoms.  “Ceramides are natural fats that are depleted in dry, itchy skin,” explains Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical dermatology research at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. Look to these lipid molecules as your most effective tool to rebuild the skin barrier, along with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which bind water to skin.

Look Younger: Hair Ingredients For Aging Locks

by : Ni’Kita Wilson

Missing the vibrant, buoyant locks of your youth? Make sure these key ingredients are in your hair care arsenal.

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Our hair is dead. But there is such a thing as aged hair.  It’s a phenomenon we’ve all experienced, especially when we look at an old photo of ourselves and wondered, “where’d my shiny, bouncy hair go?”

Why We Created You Beauty

by : Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz

The You Docs reveal why being beautiful, inside and out, is so important.

That's us! Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, the You Docs.

Why did two docs (one a surgeon, the other boarded in anesthesiology and internal medicine) start a beauty website?

No shocker here: Folks in this country (and across the globe) aren’t making the healthiest choices. Too many people use a bad diagnosis as a wake-up call. They wait until their health (and quality of life) go down the tubes to do something about it, often because they think doing something about it means avoiding fun. That's as wrong as a three dollar bill.

We’re here at YouBeauty because staying healthy can (and should) be fun!

In everything we do, whether on television, or in our books, newspaper and magazine columns, it's our mission to make your healthy choices complete no-brainers. Even so, it's difficult to sustain these changes.

Beauty and the Heartbeat part 2

by : Rachel Grumman Bender

The swelling (called edema) may be caused by tiny blood vessels leaking fluid into the surrounding tissue, making the area swell like a balloon at a birthday party. Although you can develop edema just from sitting at your desk for too long, persistent swelling can also indicate congestive heart failure, as well as lung, liver, kidney and thyroid diseases.

“If you have swelling of the legs or ankles, you need to get your heart checked out,” says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of New York University's Women's Heart Program. “Edema is what you see, but there can be an underlying heart problem, like that the blood isn’t returning to your heart fast enough, or a kidney problem. If only one leg is swollen and painful, there can be a blood clot in the vein, known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT.” Having a family history of blood clots puts you at risk for DVT, along with taking oral contraceptives and sitting for hours on long plane or car rides.

WATCH VIDEO: A Review of Edema

Beauty and the Heartbeat part 1

by : Rachel Grumman Bender

You can measure your risk for cardiovascular disease just by looking in the mirror. We reveal the surprising signs.

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Having a healthy ticker is key for good health (duh!) but did you also know that cardiovascular health is directly tied to your beauty?

There are subtle, sneaky red flags hiding in plain sight in the form of beauty issues. Pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you and you can halt the advance of cardiovascular disease.

What is your mouth telling you?
Take your smile, for instance. Smiling is the hallmark of happiness, but for some, there’s a reason to frown: Your pearly whites will increase your risk of heart disease if you don’t treat them right. Periodontitis—marked by bright red, swollen gums that bleed easily—is a gum disease caused by inflammation and infection, which can eventually lead to the breakdown of the tissue and bone that support your teeth.

Inflammation in the mouth may sound the alarm, boosting inflammation throughout the body, including in the arteries, where it may lead to a heart attack and stroke. In fact, a 2007 meta-analysis published in the American Heart Journal found that people with periodontitis were 114 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease.

Super foods for Beauty 2

Age-Spot-Free Skin
They might be called age spots, but those irksome brown blemishes have less to do with the candles on your cake and more to do with the amount of sun damage you’ve incurred. Your first line of defense issunscreen, but you can boost your skin’s natural SPF by eating lycopene, a type of carotenoid found in red and pink produce. One study found that eating two and a half tablespoons of tomato paste (which is rich with lycopene) per day for 10 weeks made subjects 40 percent less susceptible to sunburn.

What to do if you spent your teenage years coated in baby oil, baking in your backyard? According to Los Angeles dermatologist Jessica Wu, M.D., author of “Feed Your Face,” chemicals called polyphenols ingreen tea may help reverse sun damage. We’re talking sun spots and red blotchiness—helped by drinking two or three cups of green tea (250 mg of polyphenols) a day. Huzzah!

Acne, Decoded

Acne affects 40 to 50 million Americans (at some point in their lives) and can range from mild (blackheads and whiteheads) to moderate (pimples) to severe (cysts).

While people with any skin type can experience breakouts, acne is commonly caused by oily skin.

The science: “Quite simply, acne is a clogged pore,” explains New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D. Each pore is a tiny opening on the surface of the skin that leads to a hair follicle as well as a sebaceous gland. When too much sebum, an oily substance that keeps moisture in the skin, is produced, the pore can get blocked with dead skin cells and bacteria to form a blackhead or whitehead (also called a comedone). If this comedone ruptures, oil and bacteria spread to the surrounding area and cause an inflammation, also known as a pimple.

Even skin looks healthy, youthful.

Particulars

Is beauty really only skin deep? Skin is a big part of beauty, but it’s not all superficial. We use skin appearance to make judgments about what’s going on underneath.

In this study, researchers cropped photographs of cheek skin from 170 women and girls, ages 11 to 76. They asked 353 men and women to rate each cheek sample for attractiveness, health and youth. They also asked them to guess the age of the person in the photograph (from no more than a cheek, mind you).

Raters’ guesses about the ages of the subjects tended to be accurate—and the older the subject behind the sample was, the less likely they were to be rated healthy, attractive and youthful.

Still, one factor trumped age: The skin samples with even tone and texture were rated as younger, healthier and more attractive. Even tone and texture are signs of good health and minimal sun damage—no wonder we find it so lovely!

Beauty connection

Skin is the largest organ in the body, and its appearance can say a lot about your physical health. Your diet and lifestyle have a big impact on your skin—even more than genetics.

Want even skintone? Wear sunscreen! Seriously, uneven skintone is pretty much all sun damage, and wearing sunblock (we prefer a zinc oxide formula) every day is your best protection. If you want an extra boost, foods with carotenoids, like carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens and tomatoes are all proven to improve skintone. Next stop: Farmers market!

What Makes a Face Beautiful?

What Makes a Face Beautiful?

Feminine features and smooth skin make for an attractive face. (Psst…makeup can help, too!)

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While you may spend hours scouring beauty counters searching for miracle concoctions to help you look more attractive, what others inherently find beautiful about your face may actually be based more on proportions than potions.

Super foods for Beauty 1

Eat your way to young skin, fuller hair and a whiter smile.

We’re not knocking the power of a fantastic face cream, thickening mousse or high-tech teeth whitening session, but the foundation of your beauty is pretty grassroots—it’s your diet.

The health of every organ affects our appearance. Just as eating well can keep our heart in tip-top shape, we can shave years off our looks if we chew the right things.

Our skin is barraged inside and out by stress,hormones, junk food and weather, just to name a few. A healthy diet helps your skin withstand these insults via nutrients that help repair, maintain and enhance it.

“The more support you give your skin the more support it will give you,” says Doris Day, M.D., a New York dermatologist and author of “Forget the Facelift.” Whether it’s clearer skin you’re after or more lustrous locks, read on to find out which beauty superfoods can help you get even more gorgeous.