Seaweed, Balneotherapy, and Aging Skin…

(Corrective skin care does NOT have to stop at the neck)

Have you ever noticed how the skin on your face and neck can look 10 (or more!) years younger than your chest, hands, and arms?? I see women whose chests, hands, and arms look 10 to 15 years older than their faces! This is especially true if you take good care of your face every day and ignore the rest of your body. Discoloration, sun damage, lines, and wrinkles don’t just happen to the face. If you want to get a good idea of how much damage, neglect and environmental damage can do to your body, just take off your clothes and stand in front of a full-length mirror. Look at the parts of your body that have never been exposed to sun, wind, heat and cold compared to those that are exposed to these enviormental elements daily. We simply don’t think  about the face and body the same way when it comes to skin care. I’ve seen women spend $400 + on luxury creams for their face, then spend six dollars on a bottle of lotion in the drugstore for the body. Basic lubrication is all that’s happening there – do you realise that active, anti-aging ingredents are just as important in body products (if not more so) as are the face. Yikes!! Seriously? Can the damage we see in these areas be corrected? You bet it can –  keep reading…

Let’s take a deep dive into this and get the facts on how to reverse accelerated aging on the body…

How do skin conditions, lifestyle, and the enviorment impact aging skin?

The Problem:

Rough, Coarse Skin Texture: The skin may experience changes in texture as it grows older, resulting in a rough and bumpy complexion. The degradation of elastin and collagen, lack of moisture, and buildup of dead skin cells from a slower cellular turnover all contribute to this shift in texture. Lack of daily exfoliation and proper hydration is a major contributing factor.

Brown Spots and Sun Damage: Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it’s responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.

Lines and Wrinkles:  Here’s the deal: dry skin and the aging process doesn’t cause wrinkles. The reason why this is a common misconception is that dry skin can accentuate common skin problems related to aging.  Wrinkling, creping, sagging and flaking appear exaggerated because the skin lacks moisture. Most people over-moisturize and under-exfoliate the skin – this is where wrinkles and blotchy skin begin. If you exfoliate properly (dry brush daily!), it will eliminate dry, dead cells, and moisturizing with great skin-firming ingredients can get into the skin, so skin looks firmer and plumper.

Redness and Inflammation: Too often, skin redness and inflammation can be present alongside sun damage, discoloration and hyperpigmentation. In fact, inflammation is the root cause of aging both on the skin and in the body.  When it comes to treating aging body skin, ingredients are everything! Seaweed, Red Algae and Niacinamide are some of the most effective skin-brightening and anti-inflammatory ingredients you can get to treat skin aging.

Sun Damage: Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it’s responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.

Chlorine: Chlorine strips away essential oils from your skin, damaging the protective acid mantle of the skin causing redness, inflamation and dry skin. Daily exposure to chlorine can cause rashes on your skin which can turn into blisters if they come into further contact with chlorine. Chlorine protects you from the harmful bacteria that can grow in swimming pools but soaking in the stuff for too long takes its toll: The chemical strips your hair and skin of the natural oils in charge of keeping damage out and moisture in, leaving your skin dry, itchy, flaky, and sensitive, and your hair and nails dry and brittle. Add a water filter to your shower, so you are not soaking in this toxic chemical as you bathe daily!

Diet: Sugar damages your skin through a natural process called glycation. The sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins and produces harmful free radicals called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). As AGEs accumulate (the more sugar you eat, the more they develop) damage the proteins around them, causing the skin to wrinkle and cause “browning of the skin,” commonly known as hyperpigmentation.

The Solution: 

The earlier you begin a whole-body skincare routine – the better! Adopt an effective treatment strategy with the ingredients specific to your individual needs and be consistent – and watch your skin seriously change! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true in this case.

When it comes to ingredients and beauty therapy, seaweed and seawater (Thalassotherapy and Balneotherapy) have been used in wellness spas and beauty treatments for decades, and for a good reason. Let me explain… thalassotherapy is sophisticated skin and body treatment useing seaweed, algae and plankton for detoxication and beauty therapy.  It is a alternative wellness therapy, particularly in Germany and France. The effects on aging and problem skin are awe-inspiring! Some colleges of medicine in Europe include thalassotherapy in their curriculum. On the other hand, Balneotherapy, which involves bathing in mineral rich sea water for therputic effects.  The use of seaweed, algae, plankton, and other marine botanicals proves highly effective ingredients in the treatment of aging and inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, and other frustrating skin conditions.

Benefits of Seaweed

Algae is a botanical extract found in seaweed and wild fungi rich in Vitamins A, C & E, and a fabulous, natural source of nutrition for the skin. Many dermatologists consider algae extract to be a potent, active substance with a powerful capability for moisture retention. It can normalize the skin’s moisture content and provide maximum hydration and suppleness to the epidermis. If you are concerned with dry skin or aging, this is a beautiful anti-aging source and a fantastic treatment for psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

• Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: Seaweeds like Laminaria Digitata are a potentially rich source of amino acids (like glycine) and natural antioxidants (like vitamin C). Both of these ingredients promote collagen production to smooth lines…giving you the appearance of plumper, more youthful-looking skin.

• Heals acne, rosacea, and sensitive skin: Seaweed can help soothe inflammation-related skin conditions like acne and rosacea. It has anti-inflammatory properties and contains natural minerals like magnesium and zinc, which have been known to help improve the appearance of redness in sensitive and hypersensitive skin. It also shields the skin from harsh environmental conditions by creating a protective barrier.
• Regulates oil production: Some seaweed is shown to decrease oil production, while others have shown a decrease in the bacteria involved in acne formation, making this a potential ingredient for anti-acne activity.

• Brightens the skin: Seaweed helps with dark spots by either affecting pigment production or by affecting how pigment is transported in the skin.

• Exfoliates dead skin cells: The benefits of Corallina officinalis (a red seaweed that forms calcium carbonate) help to gently remove dead, loose skin cells from the skin surface.

• Moisturizes the skin: Seaweed not only contains essential fatty acids that help maintain our skin’s protective barrier, but it’s also rich in polysaccharides.

The Strategy:

• Cleanse & Exfoliate
• Brighten & Detoxify
• Replenish & Repair
• Hydrate – Hydrate -Hydrate!!

OK – so how do you fit this into your busy day? Simple! We made this easy and perfected the process of seriously transforming aging body skin. Here’s how…

The Tools: 

• The Dry Brush: Made from pure, natural plant fibers. This brush exfoliates and sweeps away dry, dead skin layers to reveal smoother, healthier, glowing skin.
• Purifying Body Polish: Purifying Body Wash will exfoliate your skin from head to toe and infuse dull, dry skin with vital nutrients from the sea… laminaria algae and a triple blend of seaweed extracts restore a youthful look and healthy *glow’ to the entire body. Our fine pumice and unique blend of sea salts will slough off layers of rough skin while rich nutrients will nourish and restore dry, aging skin.
• Bodylixir Firming Body Oil: This nutrient-dense skin quencher is packed with laminaria seaweed extract and restores vital moisture to thirsty, parched skin and leaves it soft, supple, and absolutely gorgeous! Chock full of minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, this elegant formula also contains therapeutic levels of bakuchiol – which is a botanical form of Retin-A that will minimize wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and photo damage.
• Brightening Body Cream: This elegant hydrating cream/serum penetrates the skin immediately, provides much-needed protection from daily environmental assault, and restores balanced moisture levels with no greasy residue. This deeply nourishing cream/serum delivers high levels of DNA-repairing enzymes (Artemia Salina: plankton), mineral-rich red algae, and vital marine nutrients to penetrate deep into the epidermis to help repair dry, environmentally damaged skin and restore balanced moisture levels. Results are both impressive and immediate, and it is a perfect daily anti-aging treatment for your whole body.
• The Ritual Sea Salt Bath Soak: Sea salts are loaded with vital minerals that have therapeutic properties that help reduce body stressors and relieve many skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, and acne. This takes a daily “bath* to a whole new level… sea salts have also been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of muscle aches and joint stiffness.

I hope this information helps you find your solution, and I can’t wait to show you more! Follow us on FB, YouTube, Our Blog, and sign up for our newsletter. Sending much love and blessings!!

My Passion Is Your Solution!

XOXOXO