Do you have dry skin? Almost everybody experiences dry skin at some point, especially in the winter. Some people have it all the time. It’s no fun. Flaking, tight, red, cracked, or maybe itchy. It’s uncomfortable and doesn’t look great either. There are two reasons your skin may feel dry, tight, red, or flaking: oil and water. Especially after 50, often  a lack of both oil and water are often the culprits. Let me explain. Oil is your skin’s new best friend As a teen, you probably thought of oil as public enemy number  one for your skin. But by the time you’re in your late 30’s, that ..read more

Collagen supplements are hugely popular right now. And with good reason-they seem to work. Taking collagen supplements improves skin elasticity, firmness, hydration and texture. There are some small but promising studies to back this up.1 In a double blind study of women 35-55, half the women were given collagen peptide supplements daily for 8 weeks. These women showed a statistically significant improvement in firmness and elasticity compared to the control group (who got no supplementation). 2 Another study of post-menopausal women showed similar improvements. 3 These women showed a noticeab ..read more

January is the time of year many of us decide this is the year to be healthier, happier, lose weight, look better, etc. etc., etc. If you’re thinking about these things anyway, this blog will help you hit a couple of goals with some simple diet changes. You’ve no doubt heard (or noticed) that your skin starts to show fine lines and become a little looser in your 30’s. This is because your collagen production starts to decline then. And the collagen that you do make isn’t as good a quality as it used to be. Collagen is responsible for firm skin. Is it time to throw in the towel? Only if you wan ..read more

January is the start of a new year and, for me, another birthday. I tend to use this time to take stock of many things in my life including my “look”. And, of course, my skin. Skin is an organ, it’s a reflection of what’s going on inside and outside, and it’s a social thing too. Your skin is one way you interact with the outside world. So as much as we like to say looks don’t matter, they do, at least some. More importantly, how you feel about how you look is what matters. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how my skin is changing as I get older and that leads me to think about collagen. A ..read more

The past few weeks have been crazy busy and all of a sudden Christmas and the holidays are only a little over a week away. It would be so easy to ignore my own needs and get drawn into the (fun) holiday bustle. But after a challenging year, I’d like to do a few things to make myself look and feel better before the holiday. For those of you feeling the same way, I’ve got some suggestions on how you can quickly improve how your skin looks These aren’t instant fixes (except for #5). They’re things that will give you glowing radiant skin pretty quickly and the results will get better with time. Ex ..read more

Gratitude is more profound than you might think There’s no doubt about it. The past few years have been challenging in so many ways. It’s understandable that you may be feeling a little unsure or negative. Please don’t let this become your new normal. It’s so easy to get distracted by all the negative news (and fake news) you see in the media and social media. But if you get stuck in distraction long enough, you run the risk of projecting that every day negativity onto your future goals and dreams. One of the best antidotes to negativity is gratitude In any situation, there’s so much to be gra ..read more

 What are the most important products you need to take good care of your skin? It’s a loaded question. There are so many products and ingredients out there. Yes, everyone has slightly different skin and theoretically each one of us has slightly different skin care needs. These might mean different timing for using skin care products and using some skin care products instead of others. On the other hand, there are certain things that nearly everyone should include in their skin care routine, especially as you get older and want to decelerate the aging process. My top choices for skin care ..read more

Would you love to use retinol, vitamin C or some of the exfoliating acids (AHA, BHA, TCA) to improve your complexion but find that they’re just too irritating for your skin? If your skin tends to be sensitive or even if you just haven’t used an ingredient before, you may find that certain active ingredients seem to be too strong for your skin. Retinol is one of those active ingredients that have a slew of benefits, but require a break in period for almost everyone, especially those with more sensitive skin. I get it. It doesn’t matter how beneficial an active ingredient is if it makes your ski ..read more

What’s your favorite season? I’m fond of them all but autumn is my favorite. Beautiful skies, amazing colors, and cooler,drier air. I love it all. But cooler drier air can make your skin a little drier. So can central heat. Now that we're most definitely into fall, it seems like a good time to talk about taking care of your skin in the cooler, drier autumn weather. The good news is that if your skin care routine is working for you, you don’t necessarily need to change it. But if you’re over 40, you’ll probably notice your skin is more dry in the fall and winter months. It may even become itchy ..read more

If you want to decelerate your skin’s aging process, you need sunscreen every day and a few stellar active ingredients. Most of the active ingredients are designed to replace things like vitamin C or squalene that tend to diminish in your skin over time. Others, like retinol or peptides, are used to encourage the production of important skin building blocks like collagen. When your skin starts to wrinkle or sag, it’s because your collagen (and its close friend elastin) are breaking down and not giving your skin the same support it’s used to. Collagen is the protein that gives your skin it’s st ..read more