Chocolate and Your Skin

I am a chocolate feen. I eat out of a jar of Nutella - yes, I'm that disgusting. Remember that acne commercial back in middle school that pretty much linked chocolate to bad skin? Some people say I eat too many chocolate bars or that I don't wash my face... But that didn't scare me, I still ate chocolate anyway. I love chocolate and it's about time I shed light on the real deal behind chocolate and the skin.

I saw a book today and the title was: Why Red Wine and Chocolate Will Cure Your Heart. Okay, I got the red wine part down, now let's see the benefits of chocolate.

The good news: There is no evidence that chocolate triggers blemishes.

Cocoa actually contains more antioxidants per cup than red wine or green tea and if you really want to head down to the healthy route with chocolate, eat them dark. Dark chocolate protects the skin from UV light and therefore, fights aging.

It also has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system and helps your body recover after a hard workout. In a recent study, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who had sports drinks.

The antioxidants in cocoa are known as flavanols, which increase blood flow and prevent cell damage and inflammation.

What does seem to cause acne are diets heavy in high-glycemic foods—including highly refined carbs like white bread, pasta and potatoes, as well as sweets like doughnuts and jelly beans.

So eat up, my chocolate feens, but skip the bread.

Second-hand Smoke and Your Skin

My boyfriend is a smoker and believe me, it bothers me. He tried to quit on multiple occasions but always falls back into the same routine and while it is his life, it does affect mine. I'm sure we've all heard about second-hand smoking and how dangerous it can be for our health. I know it causes premature wrinkles and can make your skin look dull, but I wanted to take it one step further and learn the biology (sort of) behind how smoking damages the skin.

Ever go clubbing and come back smelling like a pack of cigarettes? Smoke sticks to your clothing, hair and even skin and sometimes the smell takes a good couple washes before it's finally gone. And if it sticks that badly to hair and clothing, imagine the abuse our skin is taking.

Cigarettes are made up of over four thousand chemicals. One main poison that is used is formaldehyde, an adhesive that can be found in our everyday house-cleaning products. When formaldehyde is released into the air and is absorbed by our skin, it can cause skin rashes, promote scarring and make your skin smell (as noted above). Note: I will never overdose on cleaning products again.

Smoke damages the surface of your skin by changing the way skin cells move - it slows down the healing process. I've read somewhere that there is a certain amount of days when we can help promote skin healing and reduce the scar intensity before it leaves a deep scar. If the healing process slows down, the amount of healing days will be reduced and your skin is more susceptible to deep scars that will take longer to fade away.

Smoke also breaks down collagen and elastin (which are fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity) and does not allow blood vessels to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to the skin's surface. This will therefore create premature wrinkles and a dull looking complexion. In a nut shell, oxygen helps cleanse the body and if the amount of oxygen is reduced, more filth will remain in your body.

And while I'll keep pushing my boyfriend to stop smoking, know that there is no glamour in smoking. No one wants to look ten years older than they really are.

Sunday Tip: It Takes [Your Age] Days To See A Brand New Layer of Skin

It Takes [Your Age] Days To See A Brand New Layer of Skin.

At one of Dermalogica's Skin Savvy workshops, they taught us that it takes about [insert age] days for you to see a brand new layer of skin. At that point, all the skin shedding would be completed and a new cycle will now begin.

So when you start using new products, give it approximately [insert age] days for you to see "results". You can then decide whether or not that product truly worked on your skin. But of course, if you've developed a reaction (pimples, dry rashes, etc) before that date, there is no need to continue its use.

I'm 22 so I should use a product for about 22 days before I can really see its true results. Twenty-two days is kind of long so I would take a picture on day 1 and compare it to day 22.

After twenty-two days, I'm hoping to see some paparazzi skin or the product is going straight to the garbage bin with a big fat F label.

No Sleep = Pimples

I'm pretty much a night crawler.

I would stay up all night doing absolutely nothing and sleep during the day if I could, but I can't. I'm currently taking summer courses and because of my procrastination, I lose a lot of sleep. Everything comes at a cost and my punishment for being a-last-minute-rush-rush-person are pimples.

Inflammation causes acne... and lack of sleep can worsen this condition.

When you lose sleep, your body produces more pro-inflammatory cytokines (messenger cells) in the blood. Thus, increasing regular inflammation levels.

Of course this isn't the case for everyone. Some people are born with gorgeous skin and while I'm green with envy, I need to find out what's best for my skin and how I can prevent future breakouts.

And my number one issue: lack of sleep!

Contest Update: It's coming! I'm just waiting for some cards to come in before I post contest details. It'll be my first give-away so I'm looking forward to it.

Exercising Is Good For Your Skin.

My boyfriend and I love the commercials for Concerned Children's Advertisers, especially the ones trying to get kids to become active.

They're not the greatest quality but you can still see the humour behind it:

Not only is exercise good for your health but for your skin, too.

Exercising speeds up your metabolism and keeps your blood pumping to your skin and other body organs. As we age, muscle mass shrinks and depletes the muscle tissue that helps to anchor and support skin. By staying active, your skin will maintain its firmness and as a bonus, stop you from gaining that extra weight.

So keep those muscles working and stay active!