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Articles I Thought You Would Find Informative
Articles I Thought You Would Find Informative
Treating Acne: A Holistic Approach Written by Brian Goodwin
Original Article Found Here
Diet, homecare, stress levels, makeup usage, and other factors beyond our control can make it seem impossible to achieve the desired results when treating a client’s acne. Of every skin condition we address in the spa, acne might be the most difficult to treat, due to the progress of results being so reliant on a client’s lifestyle habits outside the treatment room. However, we can be the client’s greatest advocates beyond the treatment room in educating them on how to make simple adjustments in their overall lifestyles to make greater progress.
MENTAL WELL-BEING
MENTAL WELL-BEING
Not only can acne be one of the most difficult skin conditions to treat, it can also be the skin condition affecting a client’s self-esteem and stress levels the most.
We all know and feel stress, but what exactly is it? Stress is change and the state of our bodies constantly adapting to it. Weather changes, dramatic life changes, emotional challenges, and constantly changing our skin care routine test both our minds and bodies to adjust and adapt.
Our primary glands responsible for adapting to stress are the adrenal glands and, when they are challenged, they produce a hormone known as cortisol. An overproduction of cortisol interferes with the immune system and other hormones and disrupts the inflammatory response in the body. With acne being hormonally-influenced, aggravated by inflammation, and caused by infection, it only makes sense to keep the adrenal glands happy so that the skin stays in homeostasis or balance.
Some recommendations we can make to clients expand beyond the treatment room into a wellness lifestyle. Some common recommendations include guided meditation or yoga every morning to reduce stress levels, as well as eliminating processed and difficult to digest foods (high sugar content, high animal protein intake, pre-packaged meals). Eliminating common allergen sources (such as dairy or grains) can also go a long way towards reducing the digestive stress on the body and may prevent the inflammatory reaction these types of foods can trigger.
INGESTIBLE TREATMENTS
INGESTIBLE TREATMENTS
Nature has many available herbs and superfoods that can help the body adapt to stress by nourishing the adrenal glands. Herbs like schisandra and licorice root and nutrients such as vitamins B (B1, B2, B5, B6) and C can help to cool the adrenal glands, as well as improve the body’s response to stress. In addition to these nutrients, zinc and specific fatty acids, such as those that are found in borage seed oil, help in lowering inflammation and re-establishing barrier function in compromised skin.
The microbiome of the skin and the digestive system are quickly becoming the topics of choice for overall wellness. The health community is beginning to understand more about the role bacteria plays in our immune system’s health and the functioning of virtually every system in the body. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria living both inside and outside our bodies, helping defend the body against the negative microbes we encounter. Many environmental factors negatively affect the overall microbiome, including synthetic antibacterial agents, antibiotics, harsh surfactants, foaming agents, and pesticides. These potentially harmful ingredients can be found in the foods we consume, household cleaning supplies, and even in skin care, body care, or hair care products. Eliminating these commonly found agents can help to keep the microbiome intact.
Prebiotics might be even more important than probiotics because they are the food probiotics need to eat to thrive and stay alive. Essentially, prebiotics feed the good bacteria in the body and assist in the removal of toxins from the digestive system. Common factors that may result in an imbalance of prebiotics include low fiber intake and lack of prebiotic foods. High fiber foods include whole grains, legumes, apples, avocados, artichokes, and brussel sprouts, while prebiotic foods include chicory root, dandelion greens, garlic, and onions.
Before recommending any supplements or dietary changes to clients, take a course or continuing education about these subjects. It is always wise to encourage your client to check with their healthcare practitioner or naturopath before beginning any supplement, vitamin, or dietary routine.
TOPICAL CARE
TOPICAL CARE
Learning about clients’ current skin care routines is pivotal to the consultation process in treating acne, because many of our clients who suffer from acne often fall into the over-treatment category. In other words, they are using too many potentially harsh treatments to try to clear their skin. While benzoyl peroxide, tretinoins, antibiotics, and other chemicals have success stories in treating acne for some, they are often being overused or prescribed too soon in the treatment process. Nature also offers many topical ingredients that can provide comparable benefit without the tradeoff of negative side effects.
Natural antibacterial ingredients such as tea tree, eucalyptus, oregano, and cinnamon provide a similar benefit to their chemical counterparts in killing harmful microbes without destroying the beneficial ones we need. Probiotics have also been shown to provide benefit when applied topically to the skin, including enhancing the natural immune defenses of the skin to prevent infection and boosting the barrier function to keep inflammation in check. Some of the studied probiotics for this benefit are L. paracasei NCC2461, streptococcus thermophiles, and lactococcus sp. HY 449.1,2,3
Ensure your client has a regular, easy-to-follow homecare routine and that they are committed to following a regimen for the weeks or months ahead. Encourage clients to book bi-weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly facials with you to review progress and adjust recommendations, as needed. Consider offering return clients a discount for booking treatments in advance to encourage the process and keep their results on track.
In summary, here are some key, simple adjustments clients can make in the holistic treatment of acne beyond the treatment room:
- incorporate daily wellness practices to regulate stress, such as meditating or yoga, and support the body’s stress response
- re-establish the good microbes of the body with probiotics and support their growth with prebiotics
- increase fiber intake to help eliminate toxins from the body
- use natural, effective alternatives in skin care that keep the good bacteria and barrier function of the skin intact (SLS and SLES-free skin care, incorporate probiotics topically)
The Power of Peptides Written by Susan Wade
The Power of Peptides Written by Susan Wade
Original Article Found Here
Peptides have been around for many years, but they have gained more attention as scientists are discovering new possibilities of cellular heath in areas such as cancer, bacteria communication and DNA.
Emil Fisher, noted as the father of peptide chemistry, was a German scientist and the 1902 recipient of the Nobel prize in chemistry. He influenced how people understand proteins by separating and identifying individual amino acids. He found new types of cyclic amino acids: proline and oxyproline. In 1907, he began to form chains of amino acids connecting to a bond which became a polypeptide1. This discovery laid the foundation for additional studies of amino acid structuring to form peptides.
UNDERSTANDING PEPTIDES
Chemically speaking, peptides are amino acids that consist of a carbon atom bonded to an amino group (usually positive), a carboxyl group (usually negative), and a hydrogen atom. Every amino acid also has another atom, or group of atoms, bonded to the central atom known as the “R group”, which determines the identity of the amino acid2.
In order to understand peptides, it is important to be familiar with amino acids. Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of protein. There are approximately 20 amino acids with nine being essential, meaning they are required for health but the body does not produce them, so they have to be obtained from certain foods. There are also 11 non-essential amino acids, meaning the body produces these amino acids without relying on ingesting certain foods.
With 20 amino acids, there are endless possibilities for peptide formation and sequencing. For example, if only five amino acids were sequenced together, there is a possibility of 3,125 different messages that can be communicated to the cells.
HOW PEPTIDES WORK
Peptides are crucial to almost all biological actions in the body. Scientists now understand that cells do not like to grow in isolation. However, they thrive in a system of communication where there is a two-way connection between cells and organs. It is important to note that the body functions best at – and is always striving to achieve – homeostasis. Peptides provide a link to homeostasis with a network of communication that is very clear and specific to the cells and ultimately the entire body.
Each cell, tissue, and organ has a very specific task to perform in order to maintain optimal health of the body. One of the main purposes of peptides is to communicate very specific messages to the cells as they perform millions of tasks. This message has to be recognized and received by the desired receptor of the cell. In other words, it has to be bioavailable or recognizable by the cell.
This is similar to the process of verbal communication. A good example would be individual phone numbers as they are assigned to an individual. If a caller misdials just one number, it will be unrecognizable to the receiver and the message will not be received.
Skin is the body’s largest organ and has a very important responsibility. Its primary function is protection. It also regulates temperature, protects from the environment or harmful ultraviolet rays, acts as a barrier to microbes and viruses, prevents excess fluid loss, and protects against harmful diseases. Again, skin functions optimally in a state of homeostasis.
When cells advance through the stages of aging, there are visible results in the epidermis, specifically the stratum corneum. Peptides are able to target the growth (dermal) area of the skin, providing the missing link between damaged cells and the ability to supply messages, ultimately bringing the skin back to health or homeostasis. By providing messages or communication to the cells, the cells have an opportunity to become rejuvenated, eliminating the plateau or a threshold effect and essentially restoring the skin back to health and youthfulness internally.
Many possibilities include, but are not limited to: creating new collagen or elastin, modulating neurotransmitters for muscle tension, improving cellular turnover and metabolism, generating tissue repair, reducing inflammation, improving energy of the cell to improve cellular turnover, and bringing the skin back in balance. Understanding the functions of each layer of the dermis to the epidermis and how peptides communicate and influence the cells is exciting for endless and new possibilities that professionals can create with their clients.