Fit and Youthful Life

For centuries, asian women have been seemingly blessed with flawless complexions and radiant, wrinkle-free skin.

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[Angelina Jolie - Integrate by Shiseido]

While many western women have spent years and fortunes on questionable skin creams and skin lotions (often irritating their facial skin and making things worse), asian women have quietly practiced natural skin care strategies using organic skin care ingredients for luminous results.

Some western women know the secrets of asian skin care. They’re the ones with the baby-soft skin, their faces smooth and free of wrinkles even as the years wear on. We look at them and can’t believe it when we learn their true age. We wonder how they do it.

So, what’s the big japanese skin care secrets? How can the rest of us achieve the kind of facial skin care results asian women enjoy? Can we really look like those smooth-skinned beauties in the japanese skincare ads? You bet we can! It’s not magic, it’s not secret, and it’s not hard.

This is Hong Kong megastar Vivian Chow. She’s 42 years old. Looks pretty darned good, doesn’t she?

The Big Three of Japanese Skin Care

Like most good beauty regimens, asian skin care strategy integrates aspects of diet and natural skin care ingredients.

There are three main components to smooth, vibrant, wrinkle-free skin:

Antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids

Antioxidants can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body from stressors such as too much sun, smoke and other pollutants, stress, and poor nutrition. When our cells use oxygen, they produce a by-product called free radicals, which can cause damage to the cell. Antioxidants prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.

Antioxidants help the body produce collagen and elastin, but they decrease with age, leaving your cells and DNA more vulnerable to damage. This results in loss of skin firmness, radiance and elasticity and accelerates the aging of the skin.

Antioxidants include ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol (vitamin E), CoQ10, selenium, zinc, glutathione, melatonin, and the carotenes family, including retinol (vitamin A).

Alpha-Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant. Hundreds of times more powerful than both vitamins C or E, if used in a natural skin care topical preparation it can be a super-booster for aging skin. DMAE, another powerful antioxidant, prevents the formation of lipofucsin, the brown pigment that becomes the basis for age spots.

Essential Fatty Acids include the gamma-linoleic acids (omega-3 and omega-6), and arachidonic acid. They protect against free-radical damage, keep skin hydrated and balanced, control oiliness, restore proper hydrative functions and protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet rays and pollution.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is present in every tissue of the body, and delivers nutrients to and carries toxins away from cells. It keeps joints and vascular smooth muscle lubricated, and stabilizes proper levels of fluid retention in other bodily tissues such as skin.

Hyaluronic acid acts as a bacterial barrier, soothing skin irritation and redness, and preventing bacterial damage that leads to acne. Clinical studies have shown that it helps wounds heal more quickly, and can reduce the appearance of both old and new scars.

Hyaluronic acid is found in large concentrations in the fluid-filled space between cells. It locks moisture into the extracellular matrix (ECM), keeping collagen and elastin moist and promoting a smooth and youthful appearance.

Injectible hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Restylane and Prelane, are used to lessen the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Topical facial skin care creams and skin care lotions containing hyaluronic acid provide similar benefits.

Minerals

Selenium, copper, magnesium and zinc deficiencies are known to be directly associated with poor wound healing. Studies show that washing your face with mineral water can help reduce many common skin irritations, and the mineral content helps skin cells absorb the moisture better.

Scientists believe selenium plays a key role in skin cancer prevention, and helps protect skin from sun damage. Copper peptides in facial skin care lotion provides rapid, visual overall improvements in skin roughness, clarity, fine lines, wrinkling, and overall photodamage.

Together with vitamin C and the mineral zinc, copper helps to develop elastin, the fibers that support skin structure from underneath. Zinc helps control oiliness and battle acne.

How Asian Women Get The Big Three

Antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), Hyaluronic Acid, and Minerals are the keys to smooth vibrant skin. So how do asian women regularly get these natural skin care ingredients in their lives?

A lot has to do with culture and diet. For starters, the asian diet is rich in fish, seaweeds, and rice. Fish in particular is one of the best sources of EFAs on the planet, and is also rich in selenium.

Rice bran is high in tocopherols and rice ‘milk’ has been used for millenia by asian women as a way to achieve smooth, even and translucent skin. World-class spas use rice bran as part of gentle, healing exfoliation treatments.

Seaweed is the heavy hitter when it comes to the dietary elements in japanese skincare. Seaweed stimulates and improves blood and lymph circulation. It firms and revitalizes skin cells while stabilizing their natural moisture levels. It nourishes, oxygenates and detoxifies the skin, leading to the reduction of wrinkles and cellulite.

Seaweed contains amino acids, vitamins A, C, B1, B12, E, PP, K, D, zinc, selenium and magnesium. It has a complete spectrum of chelated minerals, which makes it easy to deliver nutrients where they are most needed, as well as absorb them directly into the skin when used in topical facial skincare creams.

One kind of seaweed in particular is a stellar performer: Phytessence Wakame. Wakame kelp, a popular sea vegetable culinary favorite, is found in one form or another in most prepared asian foods. In Oriental medicine, it is used for blood purification, intestinal strength, skin elasticity and toning, hair strength and lustre, reproductive organ health and menstrual regularity.

Wakame contains one of the highest sources of antioxidants found in nature, and over 30 vitamins and minerals including sodium, potassium and calcium. It also does something amazing: it stops the activity of hyaluronidase, a naturally occurring enzyme that constantly breaks down hyaluronic acid. The result is a natural defense system against aging skin, allowing it to remain smooth, plump and firm.

Skin-enhancing minerals are obtained not only through diet, but also through the use of one of the best skin care secrets: mineral makeup. Mineral-rich clays and other organic skin care compounds deliver nutrients directly into the skin cells, fortifying their defenses and balancing their fluid requirements.

What If I Don’t Like Sushi?

Not all of us are going to be big fans of a traditional asian diet. We may not want to eat fish and kelp every day or scrub with rice milk at night. But eating kelp and fish are not the only ways to get the terrific skin food our aging faces need.

Supplements

One way to get skin-nourishing nutrients is through supplements. Multivitamin and mineral supplements can be found in pretty much any drugstore or supermarket. You may need to shop at a local health food store or online for Essential Fatty Acids supplements (a balanced Omega 3/6/9 formula is best).

Hyaluronic Acid is also available in supplement form. Do your homework, though – not all supplements are good quality or use bio-available ingredients. That means you could be paying good money for what are essentially useless products.

Injections

There are a growing number of “instant facelift” dermal filler products available. While collagen “plumping” and botox “tightening” treatments continue to be popular, newer products, such as Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm are fast gaining ground. This is due to the superior effectiveness in invigorating the skin, and that is due to their main ingredient: hyaluronic acid gel.

As already discussed, hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring chemical present in all our tissues, particularly skin and joints. It is a molecule that attracts water, and is therefore ideal for plumping up areas where we have lost tissue. The downside? These treatments are expensive and typically only last a few months.

Japanese Skin Care Products

A growing number of skin products manufacturers have been paying attention to the cosmetic science coming out of Japan. They have begun incorporating antioxidants into their formulas, most notably the natural antioxidant vitamins & minerals and more complex ingredients such as alpha-linoeic acid. But the big place where they fall short is in the area of hyaluronic acid.

The top cosmetics manufacturer that does not drop the ball is Shiseido. Their labs have developed a super bio-available form of hyaluronic acid that is easily absorbed and goes directly to work. Clinical trials of the Shiseido products have shown a dramatic improvement is skin suppleness and radiance, the filling in of lines and wrinkles, and the diminishing of age spots and uneven tones. Who needs painful expensive injections?

Available at high-end department stores, the Shiseido line can be a tad pricey, but the results are definitly worth it. No need to bust your budget, though – you can find terrific bargains on Shiseido products right here.

Mineral Makeup

Mineral makeup has been gaining in popularity in the West, mostly due to the strong advertising campaigns of Bare Escentuals “Bare Essentials” mineral makeup product line.

The main ingredients of mineral makeup include mica, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide, and have been the basis of many makeup foundations for decades. Many dermatologists feel that because mineral makeup eliminates classic added skin irritants such as fragrances, synthetic dyes, binders and preservatives, it is considered a more pure product and therefore kinder to the skin.

Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have anti-inflammatory properties, and can have a calming effect on the skin. This is very useful if you suffer from sensitive skin or inflammatory skin issues such as rosacea or acne.

Since mineral makeup is non-comedongenic, it won’t clog your pores. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are also both natural sunscreens, providing an average SPF 15 factor against sun skin damage.

With the success of Bare Essentials mineral makeup has come a slew of cheap competitors, so buyer beware. Read the ingredients list, and understand that “all natural” doesn’t mean “all good for you”. Plenty of natural ingredients are skin irritants and commonly used by unscrupulous manufacturers as filler. You can find solid bargains on Bare Escentuals cosmetics here.

Putting It All Together: Top Japanese Skin Care Strategy

Well, if you’ve gotten this far, you now know more about the asian skincare regimen than 7 out of every 10 women worldwide do.

Here’s your asian beauty skin care secrets for supple, youthful skin:

- Get plenty of vitamins and minerals, especially the Antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids. You can get these nutrients through diet, supplements, and by the use of pure skin care products and cosmetics.

- Preserve and supplement your skin’s natural hyaluronic acid by adding wakame seaweed to your diet, taking hyaluronic acid supplements, or using skin care products and treatments that contain a highly bio-available form of hyaluronic acid.

- Use pure mineral makeup devoid of irritating additions and fillers.

That’s it! Make these simple changes to your regimen, and it won’t just be your face that looks and feels better, it will be your whole body and outlook on life.

And when you celebrate your 85th birthday, no one will believe it, because you won’t look a day over 60!

Additional Resources:
Wikipedia: Hyaluronic Acid and how it works in relation to Japanese Skin Care