Skin Care

This winter has been especially rough on skin. Not even body butters (without any water in the ingredient list - the water actually gets into the skin layers and freezes - not good), Vaseline, and drinking lots of water have saved my hands from cracks that don't heal and brittle lips. Ew, I know. On a recent trip to the Alps, I gave up thinking I had all the answers. Worried over a crack near a finger nail that would not heal for two months and headed into an Italian pharmacy. I simply held my finger out to the pharmacist, who then inspected and gave me a cream with an antibiotic in it. Within three days it had healed. Bizarre. I had worked with my best stuff from over here to heal that crack and nothing worked. Lesson? Don't hesitate to ask a professional. And for skin care, Italy and France pharmacies seem to have magic potions - if you travel there, explore those shops.

All of my winter adventures interrupted some experiments I was conducting with June Marie Russo over at You're So Vain. She works hard to find the latest skin care regimens and bring them to our area. She treated me to a Bio-Visage Microcurrent Face Treatment, and I was working on testing out Silk Peel on my forearm and shins (left side only, for control purposes), to get them ready for Spring. These treatments use different methods to infuse botanicals and serums into the skin, working on hyperpigmentation and hydration. I could tell that the Silk Peel was removing the darker, blotchy skin tone that plagues my always sun-exposed forearms, although I didn't work with it long enough to see how it would effect fine lines around my wrist and fingers. And it made my decollete to look fantastic - a really tough area to keep young-looking. It must have plumped the area up somehow. If I were twenty-five again, these are the treatments I would start investing in to keep the skin in such great shape: a solid sunscreen and micro-technology. At my age, they help keep me healthy looking - which helps in its own way, including pychologically. As for cost, well, every budget has a set-aside for appearance. We spend on hair cuts and manicures, waxing, etc. Work these skin treatments in. The result is less obvious (which can make it hard to stay committed), but it is impossible to overestimate the value of having 30-something skin in your 40's and 50's. No haircut or nail color can do that.