Underneath

At long last: two weeks of overdue summer holidays! As a treat, I asked Jeanelle to give me an iSClinical® facial chemical peel. As a general rule, a chemical peel should not be performed during the harsh summer months, but by using a milder strength product and avoiding sun exposure and applying effective sunscreens afterwards, one can still safely have one performed.
There are various types of chemical peels available, which range from fruity glycolic acid concentrations, beta-hydroxy acids, tri-chloracetic acids to extreme phenol (Baker-Gordon Formula) procedures. During the summer months only the milder glycolic acid strengths are recommended to prevent inadvertent INCREASED sun damage. Such products are offered by iSClinical® and RegimA®

The iSClinical treatment consists of a relaxing facial cleansing using the Cleansing Complex which contains mild beta-hydroxy acid, mild glycolic acids, anti-oxidants and chamomile extract, to cleanse the pores and refresh the skin. Next the chemical peel treatment layers are applied and allowed to act from 5 to 15 minutes on the skin. A mild tingling and prickling sensation is felt, but it is not unpleasant. When these are removed afterwards, it tends to burn a bit, but only for a few minutes. The fragrances of these products are exotic and invigorating and an experience in themselves! Next the healing Pro Heal Serum® is applied and allowed to soak into the treated skin after which iSClinical SPF 25 UVA/UVB Sunscreen is applied to protect your newly treated skin for the rest of the day.

After treatment one can expect redness or flushing but this

 fades within a few hours and no severe flaking occurs

afterwards. Downtime is very little, if any at all.

Within a day or two, your skin is clearer, healthily glowing and smooth.

Don't Sweat It

As summer reaches it's sweltering peak in Cape Town, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep a cool and dry composure for those of us who prefer to impress during this hot season without sweating over our friends and colleagues in the process. Although we need to sweat to keep cool, the trick is to find the balance between cool control and wet armpits and sweaty palms.
Traditional antiperspirants tend to have a short effect and are not that dependable, but fresh from Denmark comes Perspirex®, a long-acting antiperspirant that promises to keep one dry through the hottest of days.

This product contains the active ingredient aluminium chloride to temporarily deactive the sweat glands. It should be applied at night to clean, dry, unbroken skin and usually lasts from 3 - 7 days between applications.

It is available in a roll-on and in a lotion formulation. Unfortunately there is no spray formulation yet available, but the roll-on tends to work best for underarms and the lotion for palms and feet.

I applied the roll-on 3 nights ago for 2 nights in a row. The product has a definitely chemical smell and burns slightly on application; you would definitely not want to use this just before a romantic night out. But the value lies in it's effectiveness: on the 4th day after using it, I have almost no sweating where it was applied. The chemical scent is gone after the following shower and you can apply your chosen deodorants as usual.

This is definitely an effective product which lives up to it's claims. It can be used to control excessive underarm wetness and sweating palms and feet (hyperhydrosis) as well as for general comfort. A definite essential for the summer season!

Verattiva

Eye creams are usually produced with a lower percentage of active ingredients in order to avoid causing eye inflammation or irritation. They are best applied by gently patting the product onto the skin and not by rubbing as this can lead to irritation and puffiness.
Verattiva® has launched an eye serum called the Eye Care Serum which combines Aloe extract with probiotics.

Verrrativa® utilizes the trademarked Probiofactor™ to balance the surface skin microflora with the intention of reducing inflammation and balancing skin pH and moisture. Probiotics have had recent success in gastro-intestinal medicine applications, but this is the first product that has applied this concept to skin care, as far as I am aware of.

The serum has the consistency of a cream more than a classic serum though, but has a smooth consistency which is non-greasy and light. It has a subtle scent and can be applied in the morning and at night.

It is moisturizing but the other effects are too soon to evaluate yet.

It can be ordered from http://genaesthetics.co.za/Contact.htm

Eliminating the Greys

Unlike Fox and Scully, I have recently had no problem at all discovering the greys...in my hair! At the age of 38, I am being told by my Mom to colour it; and by my partner not to. In the interests of science and exploration however, I am willing to give it a shot.
I have acquired a box of RESTORIA EXPRESS for men from DisChem stores. Available in 4 varying shades from light brown to black, I opted for the dark brown colour. Advertised as a product that is easy to use, non-messy and would take only 5 minutes, I was interested to see how a complete novice at hair dyeing would fair. The product comes in 2 separate tubes which are combined on an applicator brush. This is then evenly applied to your hair and massaged in and then left for between 2 and 5 minutes.

The procedure went exactly as planned, there was no staining of my skin, no caustic fumes, no burning eyes and the product rinsed out easily not staining hands or towels.
And the result: excellent! All of the grey hair has been covered without eliminating natural highlights and leaving a natural colour very similar to my usual colour.
This product definitely took 10 years off my hair age!

Genaesthetics

Our new Genaesthetics office is set to open up in Somerset West shortly together with with our massage therapist, Jeanelle. 'Genaesthetics' is derived from 'general aesthetics' and will encompass a holistic approach to health and well-being, where we will be testing and offering a variety of health & beauty treatments.
We will keep you up to date of the progress and the news.

Pilot

On the anniversary of the launch of one of our favourite and most influential series in television history, we launch our own investigations into the fringe fields of anti-aging and cosmetic medicine to uncover, document and explore techniques, procedures, devices and products in order to prove or debunk their claims. Our ultimate goal being to provide you, The Followers, with reliable and accessible information on the choices available to you to fight the future.

Bear with us for the first few days, while we settle into our new office, unpack our boxes, hang up our "Your Youth Is Out There" poster and pour through the pile of files to select our first assignment.

You will gradually learn more about us as we file new reports and you will learn more about our mysterious nemesis, The Smoking Woman.

Feel free to subscribe to our blog, add your thoughts, experiences and questions and we will do our best to uncover the mystery and the science behind the anti-aging and eternal beauty movements.