A bit of Cancer with that younger looking skin?

How much risk are we willing to accept for the pursuit of an misguided perception of or a narrow definition of beauty?

What are you willing to risk to get rid of that annoying wrinkle between your brows?

• Are you willing to inject something called bovine toxin into the coveted area of your third eye to try and get rid of it?
• If the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) warned you that it can cause muscle weakness, blurred vision , droopy eye lids and more, would the short term result be worth the long term risks?

Would you still do it if statistics showed that only about 40% of people who try botox continue to use it? Are you so driven about the short term gain that you would not even care? The low rate of repeat injections is due to first time recipients are not screened properly as botox is successful only in removing the wrinkle caused by repetitive motion or due to negative side effects experienced.

Are you objective when choosing methods to remove that darker spot on your cheek?

• Does the inexpensive route of bleaching creams feel both budget friendly and convenient.
• Did you know that when you choose this method of skin lightening that you have inadvertently chosen to risk getting skin cancer.
• Did you know that the spot only disappears for as long as you continue to use the cream?
• And would you trade hyperpigmentation for hypopigmentation? Vitilago can be triggered by the continual stress of lightening agents on skin cells.
  
  

Many of us are unhappy with the blotchy or wrinkly skin that seems to creep up on us as we age. Hyperpigmentation is caused by chronic skin inflammation caused by sun exposure, irritation and hormonal fluctuations. Due to over sun exposure in our childhood and harsh skin treatments in our teens; some of us are seeing hyperpigmentation as early as in our twenties.

Wrinkled skin comes with the dehydration and poorer circulation of aging. Poor skincare and lifestyle along with careless sun exposure are the main causes. Poor lifestyle choices can be neutralized with nutrition and skincare.

There are many choices to reduce hyperpigmentation and they will also reduce other signs of aging. They range from Intense Pulse Light, Microdermabrasion, Acid Peels to the inexpensive lightening cream. These options offer different degrees of relief from hyperpigmentation depending on the brand of equipment used and the skin characteristics of the client.

The humble lightening moisturizer looks like the one with the least risk, but this is not the case. The most common active ingredient in lightening creams is hydroquinone. The use of hydroquinone is banned or restricted in many countries but allowed in Canada and in the USA. Hydroquinone is the most effect skin lightening agents for non- hormonal hyperpigmentation. But used in effective doses, it has also been known to be a cytotoxic agent that is mutagenic and cancer causing. But the foolishness of its use is more apparent as users risk hypopigmentation (vitilago) and Onchronosis,hyperpigmentation accompanied with skin lesions.

While hydoquinone substitutes like Kojic Acid have not been proven to be health risks, there is controversy. So as the ingredients on the label changes, commonsense still cautions that using anything daily that can change the colour of our skin (by disrupting basic cellular processes like melanin production) will probably not be a good solution longterm.

So better solutions for lightening skin would be skin peeling and light therapy which work more on the physical removal of the guilty mutated skin cell. All methods mentioned will also reduce those wrinkles. Choosing the right method for you requires consideration of your skin-tone and ethnic background.

The most cost effective in the short run is chemical peeling. You can do skin exfoliation daily at home with an alphahydroxy peel (best for light hyperpigmentation). go to http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=552&Itemid=27 to find some excellent natural skin peels like Pure + simple Lactic Acid in a base of kelp. Or visit a professional clinic or spa which can use higher percentages for darker, deeper hyperpigmentation.

For medium skin tones like Asians, the use of microdermabrasion causes less risk increased hyperpigmentation or of possibility hypopigmentation with the added benefit of skin rejuvenation. I recommend sea salt over aluminum crystals as the medium used in your microdermabrasion treatment. It is definitely safe and the sea salt helps skin hydration.

Intense Pulse Light is successful for the darker more stubborn pigmented areas for all skin tones and you get wrinkle removal as a side benefit. I discovered that there is a noticeable difference in safety, number of treatments and in the final results with the different brands of machines when we did our research to purchase our Intense Pulse Light Machines.

I prefer preventative measures which include using sun screens and non -irritating skincare so anti-aging the smart way starts in our younger years.

Be wise about sun exposure by balancing the benefits of vitamin D with the risk of skin aging and skin cancer. The magic formula is dependent on skin tone. Light skin tones need more Vitamin D and are more quickly damaged by sun exposure. Taking Vitamin D as a supplement is also recommended for everyone in Canada to ensure healthy bones and skin. See http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/07/anti-aging-stage-3-4-sagging-skin.html for more info on vitamin D for skin anti-aging.

So when looking to improve your appearance understand the emotional element before you do your research. No amount of make over will replace real self esteem. And if our self confidence relies too much on our appearance, we may make irrational and risky decisions that have long term impact on our future well-being.