Hold the Sunscreen Please!

Hello Sunshine, Yes!  The season of abundant sun is here!  
Your skin, hair and nails need the byproducts found in healthy doses of sunshine. Those byproducts would be Vitamin D and Vitamin K.  And with the epidemic at hand across America with 90% of the population being Vitamin D deficient I am thinking there may be a link to sunscreen on this. Call me crazy but... 
Beyond the beauty bennies, in that pretty orange ball up there, is long term preventive medicine. New research has found that low vitamin D is associated with premature death from many causes, not just bone disease. It also lowers blood pressure, breast cancer risk and lessens joint pain. Benefits also include increase in natural antidepressant, helps to heal psoriasis and improved brain power. (ok! I need more time in the sun for sure!) This recent article goes into great detail about the health benefits and the best sources for it. And one other article of interest goes on to say that sun exposure may help prevent - not cause - skin cancer for certain skin types! Very interesting read! With this new information at hand it may be time to rethink the chemical laden products that we all slather on to "protect" us from catching ANY rays on our precious skin. If you have fair skin that does not tan easily, I am not suggesting that you hangout on Tahoe all afternoon with no protection. But what I am suggesting, is that maybe we have gone a little too far. Healthy doses of 10 to 20 minutes of sunshine on our face and bodies we are discovering is what we need.  Then cover with some loose cotton clothing, and a fun, floppy hat rather than using a bunch of chemicals that may or may not be "protecting" us. These opinions are my own. I have done minimal amount of studying on the internet to come to the conclusion I have presented here. Please do your own research and decide what is best for you and your family. Thanks for stopping by for my controversial topic today. I would love to hear what you think or what information you are looking at when deciding on this subject. Please leave a comment below. Feel free to share with your friends, or "like" this on Facebook. Thanks for stopping in!
Michon :)

Rosacea Triggers

Today I got the lovely news that I have Rosacea. This skin disorder typically begins after age 30 and the tell-tell signs are redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead that may come and go. Eventually the redness becomes ruddier and more persistent. In other words you look like a hot mess, and not like the picture! I had a feeling this would be my diagnosis but I was in denial and wanted to stay there. I had been using very aggressive products with a bunch of retinals and AHAs to combat this 'condition' I felt I had, only to find out that I was using the exact opposite of what would be helpful. So today I have been studying up on what causes rosacea and what triggers it. According to the National Rosacea Society, there are 16 million of us being diagnosed. With summer in full swing, (heat and sun being big triggers) I thought I would share what I have learned from my doctor and from the wonderful world wide web!

1. Hot Temperatures. This can be anything from a hot bath, sauna,  exercise, or too much sun. The one thing the dermatologist stressed to me is that I NEED to be wearing my sun screen even if I am not going outside. People with rosacea are very sun sensitive. 
2. Skin Care products that cause stinging or redness. Stay away from drying cleansers, retinols, alpha hydroxy acids, glycolic acids, and the like. Be kind to your skin and use hydrating cleansers and anti-inflamatory cosmetics and moisturizers. 
3. Vitamin D. A new study is being considered now. One study group found that patients with rosacea had an average vitamin D level 25 percent higher than the healthy individuals in the group. Something to consider. I am faithful with my daily D3, but now that it is summer and I am getting more D naturally I think I will back off of it for a bit and see if that helps.
4. Beverages. Alcohol, especially red wine, (excuse me while I sob into my pillow for a bit), beer, bourbon, gin, vodka, or champagne. Hot drinks including, hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Ok, my tea is usually luke warm by the time I drink it so I am safe there, but my wine, oh, this could be problematic. Have to work on that one. ;)
5. Foods. Wow! The list of foods that I found really shocked me. Here is the complete list. (Note that not all foods effect all people with rosacea the same way. The recommendation is to keep a food diary and make note when you get flair ups).  Wouldn't you know it, chocolate is on the list along with spicy foods!! OMGosh! Life is not fair! 

Okay, my pity party is over now. I just thought I would share this little tidbit that I learned today. I will be on the look out for more information on the subject. Gratefully, I have found a new skincare line that will be aiding me in my skin's recovery. Lira Clinical, as I mentioned in last week's post ,actually has an anti-inflamitory line which is specifically what my dermatologist suggested.

Let me know if you have had anything that has worked particularly well for you or any of your family members that may have had to deal with this disorder. I would love to hear it. Please share this with a friend or to Facebook or any place your like to share.

Thank you for stopping by my blog.

Have a great week!

Sincerely, 

Michon :)