Could an Anti-Aging Superstar also Help Acne?

Just when we thought resveratrol couldn’t have any more benefits, another study comes out to prove us wrong. Found in the skin and seeds of grapes, resveratrol has already made waves with its anti-aging effects both internally and topically.


Published in the April edition of the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, the new Italian pilot study found a 66.7 percent mean reduction in acne lesions in patients treated with a resveratrol gel. And just to be certain of their findings, the researchers took images, recorded the type and number of lesions and gave each patient a score based on the Global Acne Grading System before treatment. Plus, the patients only put the resveratrol gel on half the face. The other half was treated with a plain gel as a control. As you may have guessed, the plain gel didn’t do too much relative to the resveratrol (only a 9.7 percent reduction in acne lesions).

So while more research is needed on resveratrol’s potential acne fighting power, we’re excited about the possibility of having a beauty ingredient that basically takes care of all our facial needs single handedly.

Steps for a Flawless At-Home Facial

Before doing a facial, it’s important to assess what type of skin you have. If you haven’t been advised by a licensed aesthetician or dermatologist, there are some easy ways to figure out your skin type, says Suzy Johlfs, general manager at Spa Anjali at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Colorado.


Look at your skin after a typical cleanse in good light. Larger pores and shininess indicate oily skin. Tightness and skin flaking indicate dryness. More even skin tone with occasional oiliness in the T-zone and dryness in the cheeks, lips, and eye areas indicates combination skin. Once you know your type, follow Johlfs’s steps below.

Flawless Facial Steps
1. Apply skin-appropriate cleanser to damp face using gentle circular motion and rinse well with warm water.
2. Proceed to a gentle granular product, exfoliate for one minute, and rinse or use warm damp towel to remove product.
3. Balance PH and prep skin to receive nutrients with appropriate toner for skin type. Dab toner onto clean cotton ball and gently swipe across entire face.
4. Follow toner application with nutrient-rich mask. Apply evenly over face and neck. Leave on for several minutes (follow product-specific instructions).
5. Remove with warm, damp washcloth. Apply skin appropriate serum.
6. Seal in nutrients with moisturizer and finish with eye cream application around the eyes.

Pretty Polish for Fool-Proof Nails

I’ll be the first to admit my DIY mani-pedi skills aren’t exactly stellar. They could perhaps pass for poor at best—on a good day. I’ve been aware of it ever since I started trying it out at the tender age of 10, but it wasn’t until my college-aged brother commented the last time he saw me that “something doesn't look right with your nail polish” (this coming from an individual who views daily showers as a luxury, not a necessity) that I knew I needed help.


Last week I found my miracle-worker: Paul & Joe’s Nail Enamels. Just in time for the slew of Spring colors that are hitting the shelves, the new shades—think a pastel palette of vibrant greens, muted yellows and shimmery pinks—are fresh, fun and, best of all, somehow manage to make it look like someone else applied them. One shade gives you a sheer, clean look, while stacking on a few coats creates a rich hue, regardless of your skill level.
Maybe there’s hope for me yet

High Definition Liquid Lens Can See Beneath the Skin’s Surface

On the horizon of dermatologic technology is a new portable imaging device that delivers a high resolution 3-D image of what lies beneath the surface of the tissue it’s in contact with. In doing so, the device could aid in future skin lesion diagnosis.




Using optical coherence microscopy, where a special liquid lens with water in place of glass changes shape to take thousands of pictures with near infrared light, the device compiles images to create a single comprehensive image of all the tissue up to one millimeter deep. That doesn’t sound that impressive, but due to the infrared light used, the device gives micron-scale resolution compared with the millimeter-scale resolution often found in ultrasound technology. Talk about going under the microscope.

Recently presented at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, the technology could someday enhance and expedite diagnosis of moles or suspicious skin lesions, saving patients time and money.

Would you rather just remove moles that have the potential to become cancerous or trust technology like this to tell if there is real cause for concern?

How much younger will a facelift make you look?

The results of a cosmetic surgical procedure vary from patient to patient, depending on the doctor, the technique, and one's own physical features. These variables can make having accurate expectations a bit of a challenge. But when it comes to facelifts, a new study may allow prospective patients to get a better idea of their potential age-reversing outcomes.

Eric Swanson, MD, surveyed 82 women and 11 men—average age, 57—who had undergone a facelift between 2002 and 2007, and the findings were published in a recent edition of the ASPS's official journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

In tune with previous studies about surgical satisfaction, the vast majority of patients reported improved self-esteem, higher quality of life, and positive reactions to their new appearance. But is that appearance significantly more youthful?

When the patients were asked how much younger they believe the facelift made them look, the average subjective assessment was 12 years, with some patients claiming to look as many as 27 years younger.

"These findings support the recommendation of surgical facial rejuvenation to patients who wish to look younger," Dr. Swanson writes. However, at least one patient said he or she did not look any younger, indicating that both results and self-evaluation vary greatly among patients.

It should also be noted that the majority of the survey participants underwent other procedures, like browlifts and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), which may have enhanced the perceived results of the facelift.

The Next Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic acid has been the go-to buzz word in anti-aging for the past few years. The supermoisturizing, wrinkle-reducing wonder seems to be able to do it all—minus any scary side effects.

But a new ingredient out of Spain, called Hyadisine may be giving the anti-aging all-star a run for its money. Claiming to provide a long-lasting moisturizing effect, along with an immediate wrinkle reduction, hyadisine is sourced from a marine bacterial strain collected from a colony of mussels living in the Bay of Douarnez in Brittany. According to the manufacturer, in vivo tests showed that the active can improve the skin’s appearance and reduce fine lines in a matter of hours.

So do you believe the hype? Would you buy a topical product that contained the new ingredient? Share your thoughts below.

Does Extra Sleep Make You Smarter?

A typical adult spends one third of their life asleep. I’m sure you and I can agree that a good night’s rest is vital to our wellbeing, but there is actually very little scientific consensus on why we need sleep.

A recent study conducted at University of California, Berkeley observed 44 healthy young adults and subjected them to multiple memorizing tasks. Half of the group was given a 90-minute nap while the other half stayed awake. Those that napped performed significantly higher than those who did not. Additionally, the nappers had an apparent improved capability for learning.




The researchers at UC Berkeley discovered that spurts of sleep spindles (fast pulses of electricity generated during non-REM sleep) might be networking across the brain to make way for leaning. Because this process is most likely to occur during Stage 2 of NREM sleep, those who sleep less than seven hours are short changing themselves, having fewer spindles and a reduced ability to learn.

The results of the study indicate that sleep is essential not only after learning, in order to consolidate the material that has been memorized, but also before learning so we can retain new information the following day.
 Do you feel a difference the next day when you don’t get your full eight hours?