Britons who want a year-round suntan should turn to fake tan to avoid damaging their skin, experts have advised.
Bevis Man, a spokesman for the British Skin Foundation, issued the guidance after new legislation banning salons from allowing under-18s to use sunbeds came into effect in England and Wales.
He said: ‘The safest way to get a healthy glow, without the associated risks of sunbathing or using a sunbed, is by using fake tan, whether it’s by going to get a spray tan or simply something that you buy and apply to the skin yourself.’
Mr Man added that people should ‘never’ put their lives at risk by exposing their skin to dangerous amounts of ultraviolet radiation in order to get a tan. Read the rest of this entry »
Your 20s is a great time for your skin. You’ve left behind the spots of adolescence, but your skin retains a youthful glow and the epidermis is still plump and dewy.
That said, skin cell renewal plummets by up to 28 per cent. Dead skin cells are shed less well, leading to slightly duller-looking skin.
Action plan
- It’s a good idea to get into the habit of using a cleanser and toner – especially if you wear make-up everyday.
- Use a moisturiser with a high SPF (around 15) daily. Penetrative UVA rays will already start to take the bounce out of collagen fibres and elastin coils in the dermis. Dermatologists say up to 80 per cent of all ageing may be due to sunlight.
- Now is also a good time to give up the cigarettes. Smoking stops oxygen getting to your skin cells and can cause premature ageing, not to mention puckering lines around the mouth in years to come. Read the rest of this entry »
By breaking down Botox molecules into two separate building blocks, Davletov’s team were able to produce them separately and safely, and then “clip” them back together again, they said in a report of work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.
LONDON — British scientists have developed a new way of joining and rebuilding molecules and used it to refine the anti-wrinkle treatment Botox in an effort to improve its use for Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy and chronic migraine.
Researchers at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology said their results also open up ways to develop new forms of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin, commonly known as Botox, which may be used as long-term painkillers.
“It will now be possible to produce Botox-based medicines in a safer and more economical way,” Bazbek Davletov, who led the study, said in a statement about his findings.
The new clipping method produced a refined Botox-like molecule, they said, which would be practical for clinical use but would not have unwanted toxic effects.
In recent years, Botox has been used increasingly as a medical treatment, with doctors exploiting its ability to relax muscles and nerves to try to still spasms and tremors such those in patients with Parkinson’s disease, or to ease pain. Read the rest of this entry »
The mythical fountain of youth discovered? No, even better! We’ve found proven ways to live a longer, fuller life with help from antiaging guru Henry S. Lodge, M.D., author of “Younger Next Year for Women” (Workman Publishing). Complete this checklist to see if a few new habits could add years — and fun — to your life.
1. How many hours per week do you exercise?
Ideal: At least 2.5
Why it matters: If you log two-plus hours of physical activity a week, you’re up to 30 percent less likely to die in the next 20 years than if you do less or none at all. Exercise — even if it’s frolicking in the surf or dancing to your favorite tunes — helps keep weight and blood pressure in check, lowering your risk for disease.
2. What is your body-mass index?
Calculate yours at Self.com.
Ideal: Under 25
Why it matters: Active women whose BMI (a measure of body fat) falls between 18.5 and 22.9 may be 2.5 times more likely to age free of disease than overweight, sedentary women. Excess body fat secretes proteins and acids that can up your risk for cancer and more. A BMI below 23 is best, but less than 25 is good. Keep on movin’! Read the rest of this entry »
