Nope, Not Looking Old Here!

By Candy Dye

Just yesterday, I received another reminder that I am aging – and fast! I don’t feel a bit over 30, but my body is giving out signs all over the place warning “Detour ~ Icy Roads Ahead!” My orthopedist gingerly described the condition of my swollen hand yesterday like this: “When you have “seen a few days”, the veins on the back of your hands are more fragile.” Seen a few days? More fragile veins? I pictured my grandma when she was 97 years old, with bruises all over her arms and hands! No sir, this is not  for me in the prime of my middle aged youth! Ha!

On my first day back working in the hospital after an 18 year “rest”, I was amazed to see many of the nurses I had worked with still there…..looking very, very WRINKLED!! Smugly, I said to myself, “It’s sad that they look so old”, thinking that I must not look a day over thirty! I was shocked back to the reality of the cold, hard truth – I was right there with them! Arriving in the cafeteria, another nurse and I met someone from my past, and the two of them began talking. When I joined in the conversation, she looked at me in utter amazement and said “Candy, I didn’t know it was you until I heard your voice!” Thank you very much! Have aged beyond all physical recognition from anyone in my past? It was time to reinvent myself, starting with my skin! Here are some tidbits from what I have gathered during my “pull yourself together” intervention!

While heredity plays an important part, there is PLENTY we can do to protect and preserve our skin! The first step is to understand what our skin is made up of, and the best way to nourish it for a long and healthy life!

Skin is the largest organ in the body, (YES! It is an organ!) measuring about 12-21 square feet. That’s a lot of skin! It is like an envelope that protects everything inside, working to maintain our body’s temperature, providing resistance to the “germy” world, consisting of skin cells, nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, and hair follicles. Collagen and elastin offer support within our skin, giving it flexibility, suppleness and the firmness to hold its shape when we move. Skin holds everything together in a nice, tidy package that makes up our body. Most importantly, our facial skin moves to form the expressions that make up our unique character and communicate emotions to the world around us, forming our identity. Yep, skin is important!!

Now, let’s have some fun picturing the layers of skin that will simplify how it works and the best way to protect it!  Let’s picture the base layer of skin, called the hypodermis, as a cluster of succulent grapes. As the hypodermis matures, and new skins cells form underneath, it rises to form the dermis. Picture the grapes being exposed to the environment over time, losing moisture, and turning into raisins, sitting on top of the grapes. As the cells of the dermis complete their final days of protecting your body, they slowly die, sticking to the dermis until they fall or are rubbed off. Let’s call these dead skin cells of the epidermis, or top layer of skin, our corn flakes. Can you see the “Skin Parfait” that is created with the base layer of young, juicy grapes, covered by the young to middle adult raisins, and the elderly corn flakes as the topping?

There are two ways our skin ages ~ internally (intrinsic aging) and externally (extrinsic aging). Let’s look at how we age from the inside first!

Internal aging is the result of changes in how our skin functions and looks like over time. As nature takes its course over the years, our bodies experience hormone fluctuations, slowing metabolism (I’ve had this since 3^rd grade!), and shortened cell life. Collagen production decreases and elastin loses its spring, resulting in less skin fullness, with skin that sags and wrinkles easily. Moisture loss occurs naturally, and our skin becomes thinner, drier and less capable of healing itself. Dead skin cells do not shed as quickly, and the turnover rate of new cells begins to slow.  Dry, flakey skin is a result of changes in levels of hormones that reduce the amount of natural oils produced.

Picture three different rubber bands: one-inch, half-inch and a quarter-inch wide.  When we try to stretch the thickest one, it is difficult to expand and pops right back into shape with a snap! The half-inch rubber band is a bit easier to stretch, being a little less springy when let go. The quarter-inch band is much easier to expand, and goes back to its original shape without much snap. The thickest rubber band resembles our skin when we are younger, springy with lots flexibility! The other two show how our skin responds as we age, losing much of our elasticity.

External aging is responsible for about 90% of the aging that we actually see. This type of aging results from exposure to the sun, pollution, smoking, poor nutrition, stress and gravity. We see it in age spots, blotchy pigmentation, fine and deep wrinkles and a rough, leathery skin appearance.  Heard of oxidative stress?  Oxygen has a deteriorating affect on our skin, similar to what rust does to steel, accelerating the aging process.

Today, we CAN age more gracefully by caring for our skin, inside and out, avoiding all the harmful factors. Protecting and encouraging skin cell growth with specific essential ingredients to prolong the life of every skin cell is of utmost importance. Feeding and nourishing the deepest layers of cells (our grapes!) will promote the long and healthy skin cell life, fighting the existing damage and reducing the visible signs of aging. It is essential that you are protected from the 4 Core Influences of Aging with:

-       ANTIOXIDANTS (reduces the effects of Oxidative Stress)

-       ENDOCRINE SYSTEM MODULATORS (mediate hormone fluctuations)

-       ENERGY ACTIVATORS (help promote Mitochondrial and Metabolic Efficiency - Mitochondria are the power house of the cell – gives energy to all cell functions)

-       LONGEVITY GENE SUPPORTERS (extending the life of healthy cells- living longer, healthier, preventing cell changes into diseases)

Now, my skin looks and feels so much better – well hydrated with more “spring” to it, the rough, dry patches are completely gone, and the wrinkles are diminished!

When you look at my picture, you don’t see the 89 year old woman that I am, do you?

Gotcha! Have a Fabulous Looking Day, now!

For more information about the Process of Skin Aging, and the Apriori Beauty Products, visit Candy Dye’s Apriori Beauty website at www.aprioribeauty.com/fic/candace.

Apriori Beauty is complete with all of these in the Nutrient Reservoir ™  within every single product. No need for skin injections or plastic surgery! Check the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website, and you will see Apriori Beauty has joined as a company that goes all out to give you the safest, non toxic products available! (www.safecosmetics.org)

For more information on Skin and the Aging Process, browse through some informational “Did You Know” library by clicking on each topic link:

http://www.aprioribeauty.com/FIC/candace/back_office/did_you_know

You may contact Candy Dye by email at aprioricandy@gmail.com.

BTW ~ When my teenage son encouraged me to open a Twitter account, my response was “I don’t need one more thing to check!” Little did I know I would meet two of the most Fabulous Women in the World!! I remember the first time I saw the Perrie Meno-Pudge® avatar on my Twitter page- Absolutely LOVED how PINK and CUTE she was! It was love at first sight!  Joanne and Barbara are the most amazing “gals” I have ever been acquainted with, and the best part is that we are all sharing this passage in our lives called aging, together, laughing all the way! They make it sooooooooo much fun!

PS I just received my Perrie Meno Coffee Mug!! You need one, too – to go with your chocolate!!

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