TWC Editor’s Blog

I got my first facial the other day at a professional salon while also getting waxing and a pedicure, and I have to say, I don’t know how people go without it unless like me they’ve never had one before.  It is fabulous!  I mean obviously you have to go to the right place.  But they not only provide you with the service and everything else, and it feels great while you’re doing it.  But when you leave, your skin is noticeably different to the touch, and you can generally see the difference in the way it looks too.  There are different kinds of facials.  Some are more of deep moisturizing, some are skin lightening, and otherwise.  But no matter which way you go, as far as I can tell, it’s amazing and worth the money you spend, and yes they are quite pricy.  If I could afford it, I would go in every week.  But obviously, not having that kind of money to throw away to some degree, I can only recommend that before special events and otherwise when you would spend extra money to get ready in general, you should definitely go into a reputable spa and look into getting some kind of facial.

So the other day, I pulled out an old box of stuff we got traveling when I was 12 or so.  They are called collagen pills, and I don’t actually know what the real name would be considering all the writing’s in Chinese.  But I had serious acne problems at that time, and I remember the pharmacy there told us that collagen pills or these pills as we knew them would be great for that.  I didn’t actually understand any of it at that time.  They were also the ones that told me I was eating too many bad fats and that’s why my face was really oily, which panned out.  So why not right?  Anyway, they came in a gold and red box, and they were supposed to help with wrinkles too.

Now that I look back on it, I have to wonder, is that really valid?  I mean you can quite literally put anything in a pill.  That’s not what I’m talking about.  The thing I’m wondering is if taking collagen through a pill would work for that.  I mean we used to supplement our skin with collagen creams and we have since progressed to peptides.  But does it work in pill form?  This I will never know as I’ve never used it since I was 12, and I still haven’t had real wrinkle problems yet.  So there’s nothing to test it against.

In past years, you will find that often times people have come to accept plastic surgery as a fairly normal thing.  Common people in everyday situations have plastic surgery.  Nadya Sulemon, who as I understand it hasn’t worked since she started having kids a number of years ago still got plastic surgery and paid for artificial insemination, which is beyond me as to how she could have even afforded it among other things, even with differing priorities or craziness.

But there is going too far and just getting botched surgeries in general.  Some get it for wrinkles and others get it for nose job purposes.  A classic example is Joan Rivers.  She was quite beautiful in her younger days.  But you only need look at her to see what I mean.  Likewise, Sophia Loren has the same problem and it often seems to be the women who were among the most beautiful in their younger days ironically enough.  Lisa Rinna, who is a soap opera star, wow.  I’d never actually seen her before the surgery, but she looked quite different.  I always just assumed she looked that way before.  There are various other examples.  But the point is that no matter how you think you are aging or otherwise, reconsider other options that are less invasive and less severe before turning to surgery, or you just may end up on a list of botched surgeries, as you would find with Fergie.  And by Fergie, I mean Fergie of the group Black Eyed Peas.

There are myths surrounding every major problem in our lives, bodies, or society, and there are certainly myths surrounding wrinkles.  People have a higher tendency to believe them and therefore follow them without actually seeing the results they want, unless of course they want to see it so badly that they create it for themselves.  So here are a few.

1. Omega fatty acids-some believe that omega 3, 6, and 9 consumption can reduce wrinkles.  Keep in mind, omega fatty acids are really good for your heart and may actually have additional health benefits.  But they do not actually reduce wrinkles, and too much can be too much for your potential health benefits.
2. Creams can be compared to botox-no, no, no, no, no!  While we love creams and we advocate good creams for various reasons such as a lower rate of side effects, the results are not the same.  They cannot really be compared as each is in a class of its own, at least when compared to each other.
3. You should use facial exercises-this is funny, and it’s a popular myth, but it is simply not true.  Sorry to disappoint all you facial exercise fanatics.  But toning your facial muscles by twitching this one and moving that one doesn’t hold up to cold hard science.
4. Tanning machines are better than the sun-actually tanning machines are worse than the sun.  You are exposed to harmful rays just like you would be with the sun, but in somewhat higher concentrations.  So you run the same risks to your health as well as to your skin and wrinkles.
5. Night moisturizers are just a waste-actually they’re not.  Your skin is most receptive to things and the pores open up wider at night.  So if you use repairing lotions at night, it can do more good than it could during the day, and you can pack more in without clogging the pores.  During the day, the main point is to protect your skin.  At night, it is to repair.