Green Tea and it's Skin Care Benefits

ORIGINS

Green Tea originates in China; Chinese are frequently credited for the development and cultivation of tea. There is a legend said the God of Agriculture would chew the leaves, stems and roots of Green Tea to find medicinal cures. Green Tea dates back some 4000 years, and some texts have it dating back as far as 5000. Over countless years the Camellia Sinensis plant has produced the buds which give us Green Tea leaves. Today people all over the world utilize Green Tea as a staple in their daily life for weight loss, anti-aging and its ancient medicinal purposes. It’s also a phenomenal way to naturally add antioxidants to your body.

ANTI-OXIDANTS FOR YOUR SKIN
Numerous studies have shown that Green Tea rich in Catechin Polyphenols, a particularly powerful antioxidant are a great way to counter the detrimental effects of Free-Radicals. Free-Radicals exist in every cell within our body and cause body cell decomposition and therefore are the main culprit in our aging process, they have also been linked to aging diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Some situations that will increase Free-Radical activities are sun burn, poor diet, stress, lack of sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, and air pollution. We can counter the constant attack of Free-Radicals on our skin by using antioxidants like Green Tea as a neutralizer. Antioxidants fight of Free-Radicals and convert them into harmless substances.

GREEN TEA TO THE RESCUE

Green Tea is a capable antioxidant and an excellent proven scavenger beneficial in fighting off Free-Radicals throughout the day. Not only can one drink Green Tea for its fabulous flavor but also use as an anti-inflammatory, kill bacteria, lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and relief of stress. Green Tea is amazing for those of you who may suffer from mild to severe Rosacea, by calming down the redness with the anti-inflammatory properties. Acne may also be minimized by the anti-bacterial properties to kill germs that may linger on skin due to over active sebaceous glands. Recently, I read a study that showed 3% of Green Tea in a skin cream is comparable to 4% benzyl peroxide for the treatment of moderate to severe acne. Green Tea normally will have fewer side effects than that of benzyl peroxide. Relax with green tea once or twice a day is a way to de-stress, and escape for a bit while the L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea plants is said to promote relaxation and modify the stimulating effects of the caffeine present in green tea. There is so much to be said about the amazing and inexpensive qualities of this wonderful tea and the benefits it has on our bodies. Let’s give our skin a natural glow, and keep the imperfections to a minimum.

GREEN TEA TONER! THE RECIPE!
I read about this toner when reading reviews on a staple website I use before I try new products. This home recipe for Green Tea Toner had outstanding reviews so I had to try it for myself. I concur with the reviews and have been using toner for over a year now. I am remarkably happy with the results. With my skin on the normal/oily side, with minor bumps and pimples, I find this recipe has done a fantastic job to keep my pH levels in balance, I feel super clean with all imperfections under control. My skin now has a natural glow and I am happy being green with my homemade and most inexpensive skin care product I use.

1. Brew one green tea bag to one cup of water, (I normally do about 3 bags, which lasts me about 2 weeks)

2. Let tea cool completely, covered (to protect from dust and dander)

3. Pour into a disposable bottle with a spout, and store in the fridge up to 2-3 weeks.
I pour toner onto cotton round and wipe onto face once or twice daily!! Great to use after the gym and very refreshing to keep in your cooler at the beach!


Try it and let me know what you think! Ciao

Sunscreen Vs. Sunblock the TRUTH!

The truth is my sun loving fans, protecting our skin daily is essential to the wellness of anti-aging, and the fight against skin cancer. Unfortunately, I repeatedly hear from patients the similar story of "I only use SPF in the summer", "SPF makes me break out", "My moisturizer has a SPF 15 included", I could list a wide assortment of creative excuses on why ladies do not wear sunscreen. The truth is there is a monumental percentage of us in the world that simply relish to have a perfect summer glow year round.
  We lust to feel the warmth of summer, and have the look of glowing skin all year round. Plain and simple it makes us feel incredible.  So ladies the truth is we are only hurting ourselves with excuse on why we choose not to protect our skin daily from the ever powerful rays of SUN. We are causing our skin to age prematurely, and the damage done from unprotected skin is troublesome to reverse, in some cases uneconomical.

UVA, UVB, and UVC How They Effect Us.

  Ultra Violet (UV) is broken up into 3 divided categories, therefore the radiation is types A, B, and C all causing different effects to our bodies. UVA and UVB are the two rays from our sun that are harmful with prolonged sun exposure this entails sun bathing in a tanning booth. The sun emits radiation through the bands of UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC, does not penetrate the earth's ozone layer, and can not cause skin cancer. UVC has a germicidal effect that is used to purify air and water. Unintended prolonged exposure to UVC may cause skin redness and eye irritations.

  However, UVA and UVB act individually upon reaching our skin. UVA holds a longer ray length that can reach the dermal layer of your skin, which is the layer under the epidermis. Sagging skin, loss of elasticity, darker sun spots are mostly caused by the UVA rays. UVB rays reach the epidermis or outer layer of skin, this is the main cause of sunburns. Melanin keeps excess ultra violet rays from causing our skin to burn, over exposure will cause our body to produce more melanin, causing tan or change of skin color. Too much sun is dangerous to the skin is causes the genetic make up of our cells to be altered, and then may lead to skin cancer. UVA rays effect Keratinocytes originated in the basal layer of the epidermis. This can contribute to or begin the cycle of skin cancers, such as basal or Squamous cell carcinoma.

  UVA rays also can create a tan appearance as the UVA rays can affect the skin's DNA. The skin then darkens in an attempt to slow damage. Always keep in mind these UV rays are strongest between the hours of 10-2 daily.

Sunscreen vs. Sunblock

Both sunscreens and sunblocks come in various forms gels, spray gels, lotion, cream, you can even find a form of SPF in your bug spray. All sunblocks embody a sun protection factor (SPF). The SPF determines how long the block will remain effective on the skin. For instance, if you normally develop sunburn in 10 minutes without wearing a sunscreen, then a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will protect you for 150 minutes (10 minutes multiplied by the SPF of 15).

  Sunscreen defends your skin by the chemicals that is contains. These chemicals protect by absorbing and reflecting UV rays. Sunscreens do allow a certain range of light into your skin, leading into change of skin color. Sunscreens do not always protect against the UVA rays. Depending on the quality of the sunscreen, and your activity when wearing it, you should be prepared to lather yourself and you family at least every two hours.

  Sunblock contains physical or inorganic ingredients that reflect and scatter UV light. Sunblock acts as a wall between your skin and the sun. Titanium Dioxide and Zinc are paramount ingrediants in a physical sunblock and the pair are the closet to a broad spectrum. Sunblocks are safe to use on babies, and they do not have to be reapplied as often as a chemical sunscreen.

FDA Four Star System

   As you read this article the food and drug administration (FDA) aim to upgrade sunscreen labeling. The FDA wants to add more information to labeling to tell more about protection against the sun's harmful rays.  The FDA has proposed a 1-4 star rating system; this will inform consumers how much protection you are actually receiving from that bottle.  If new regulation is passed, the star system will prominently be placed near the SPF factor. Including in the proposed regulation is increasing the SPF 30+ to 50+ on all sunblocks.

Love Sun, Protect You!

  Helpful advice I share with my clients that utterly refuse to wear SPF, go out in the sun for 15 minutes without block, capture a dash of color then apply your desired block. Besides the main 3 forms of cancer, the cosmetic ramifications the sun can have on our skin are gargantuan. Repeated episodes of sunburn, although they appear to heal on the surface, can lead to permanent skin damage over time.

  Unprotected skin exposed to the sun can gradually lose essential oils, making it dry, flaky and prematurely wrinkled.   The significant changes we see over time are wrinkles, melasma, uneven skin tones, broken blood vessels, dehydrated, and blackheads to name a few. Endure the warmth of the sun, enjoy your time at the beach on the slopes or on vacations and take that extra step to keep your skin youthful and healthy all year round!