Seven Virtues of Skincare

By Gaynor Alder

Balance has never been my strong suit. I either live like I’m in a nunnery or like I’m a celebrity on the verge of rehab. However, as I edge into my mid 30s, I’m finally beginning to grasp the subtle art of moderation.

We all know that alcohol, smoking and a poor diet are bad for our skin. However, if we try and cut out all of these things, we will more than likely end up failing, which is why most new year’s resolutions fall apart by February.

Instead of pacing ourselves, many of us crash diet and exercise like Bridget Jones, and then wind up exhausted and bingeing on anything, just anything that tastes good, especially after existing on nothing but lettuce leaves and thin air for two weeks.

Sometimes, less is more. If we start off with small achievable goals, and then gradually build on them, we will achieve far more in the long term. Going at it hammer and tongs will only result in burning out and achieving nothing.

For those amongst us who are challenged when it comes to finding the middle ground, yoga and meditation are practices that will help to keep you calm and centred. When we are stressed, we produce a chemical in our bodies called cortisol, which causes premature aging. So the calmer we are, the younger we are.

We should treat our skin how we would like to be treated. If we lavish it with love, care and attention, it will love us in return.

Cleanse, tone and moisturise is the mantra that has been instilled in every woman from a young age (that is if you started reading Dolly like me at 13). However, these are just the basics. Important, yes, oh so important, but there are many other things we can do to preserve our youthfulness.

I remember going to my friend Katie’s house when we were in high school, and drooling all over her makeup collection. Her mum Pam (my second Mum) not only kept her in make-up, but also taught her to look after her skin. As a result, Katie has religiously used eye cream since she was a teenager, and now in her 30s, she still looks like she is 17. She would beg to differ, but you’d have to take a magnifying glass to her face to find even a hint of a wrinkle.

Monthly facials are a beautiful way to keep our skin in pristine condition. I recently visited the Flawless Beauty Concept Salon in Melbourne, for an anti-aging facial. Paola, my therapist, was not only extremely knowledgeable, but also lovely and attentive. She took the time to properly assess my skin and tailor the treatment towards my skin’s needs. It was so much more than your traditional facial – it was deeply cleansing, and also included a peel and a series of anti-aging treatments.

Afterwards, my skin felt cleansed, nourished, plump and hydrated.  There was also a visible difference to my skin that lasted for a number of days after my treatment.

www.flawlessbeautyconcept.com.au

If we want our skin to look younger than its years, we must take care of it, all 12 months of the year.

Supermodels swear by drinking water (annoyingly so, because all of us are thinking, yeah right, all you do to look that good is “drink 2L of water and stay out of the sun”) and health professionals tell us it’s as essential as brushing our teeth. It’s something that I admit I muster little enthusiasm for, but the results of doing so on a regular basis really do make a dramatic difference to our skin.

Exercise can also drastically improve our complexions. Exercise burns off cortisol, which as we know, is the chemical that causes aging. Did you know that exercising at different times of the day has a different effect on our mind and body?

If you exercise in the morning, you will increase the level of serotonin in your brain. This is why people often feel exhilarated and happy for the rest of the day after they have gone for their morning run. Exercising at lunchtime produces melatonin, which is the chemical that helps you to sleep at night. Finally, if you want to burn off stress, then exercising in the afternoon is the best time for you. No matter what time of day you exercise, it will all have a positive impact on your skin.

One of the worst things we can do for our skin is smoke. Not only can it shorten our life span, but it also dehydrates our skin and causes us to look older than we are.

I have been an off-again, on-again smoker over the past four years. I bum sucked a few cigarettes when I was 16, trying to impress the boy I had a crush on as we walked to school together, but it wasn’t until I was 28 that I really took up the habit (a late bloomer – like so many other areas of my life, including my first bra and drivers licence).

But now, thanks to Anna Vidali, Hypnotherapist, I finally feel like I am free of nicotine’s grasp over me. Like Anna explained during our initial consultation, there’s a major difference between an ex-smoker and a non-smoker. Up until last week, I was still an ex-smoker grappling with the urge that was constantly sitting at my shoulder to light up “just once more”.

The first thing I noticed about Anna was her skin – dewy, plump, hydrated and virtually wrinkle free. I nearly fell off my chair when she told me her age. Anna was a smoker herself nearly ten years ago, and commented that people who meet her now that knew her back then are also bowled over at how young she now looks.

Anna immediately makes you feel at ease with her professional yet warm and friendly manner. She takes the time to thoroughly talk you through the process of hypnotherapy so that you feel comfortable and can relax into the experience.

There are a number of things that the tobacco industry do to keep people hooked on this nasty habit, and Anna is able to help mentally and physically free people from this. As a result, Anna was able to enlighten me as to why smokers put on weight when they quit smoking, and gave me nutritional advice on how to combat this.

What I really liked about the process is that you don’t have to spend too much time dwelling on why you smoke. Instead Anna focuses on the present and changing your subconscious thought patterns to create healthy habits for the future.

Not having been hypnotised before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve seen those TV shows where people cluck like a chicken, but Anna explained to me that I would be completely in control throughout the process.

As someone who struggles to relax during a yoga class (I am always too worried if my thighs look fat in my leggings), I was amazed at how quickly I fell into a deeply relaxed state.

During the process I was aware of my thoughts, but at the same time I was also in a trance like state (I wouldn’t be surprised if I had been dribbling down the side of mouth). Anna asked me how long I thought the process had taken, and I thought it was a mere 20 to 30 minutes, but I had in fact been under for 65 minutes. The distortion of time is a phenomenon of hypnosis, and a sign that I had successfully been hypnotised.

Besides feeling deeply relaxed for days (very pleasant in itself), I have had no desire whatsoever to smoke since I was hypnotised well over a week ago. I haven’t really even thought about smoking, or been cranky like I normally would have going cold turkey, and the thought of smoking a cigarette makes me feel ill.

This is definitely a worthwhile investment, especially considering that most people that visit Anna have already spent nearly $100,000 in cigarettes during their lifetime. Anna also has a measured 95% success rate, which is a testament to her expertise and experience as a Hypnotherapist.

www.neuro-hypnosis.vpweb.com.au

Anna is offering 2 lucky Onya readers the opportunity to become “non smokers for life” with a $500 hypnotherapy package. To enter, email info@onyamagazine.com with the subject line ‘I want to be a non smoker’ and the reason why and you’ll go into the draw to win this incredible package. Entires close on Monday the 15th of February at 5pm. Winners will be notified via email.

If you want your skin to be radiant, you have to give it lots of nutrients by feeding it well. There are many super foods that will make your skin glow, including blueberries that are rich in antioxidants, and salmon that is rich in omega 3.

If you would like to learn more about how to feed your skin, you can follow this column next fortnight, as it commences its 3 month bridal beauty feature, ‘Here Comes the Bride’. The first week will be dedicated to skin care, cosmetics and eating a healthy diet to help your skin glow.