Soap It Up
How does soap work? It emulsifies oils—that is, it makes oily substances float away in water. Soaps are all derived from fats—the type of fat used determines the qualities of the soap. In its simplest form, soap is fat mixed with lye. Modern soaps add a chemistry set to the mix, but the simplest soaps are really the best, since every added chemical increases the likelihood of skin irritation, called dermatitis, or allergic reactions to fragrances or preservatives (in the subtle form of puffy eyes or red hands).
We like solid soaps because they can be made with a minimum of ingredients. Liquids often add many chemicals and preservatives. The simplest type of soap is made of saponified olive oil, with a small amount of an essential oil such as lavender or peppermint to give it a nice fragrance. Examples of simple, low-chemical bar soaps are Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap and Plantlife Aromatherapy Soaps. To prevent the spread of bacteria between users, treat the soap bar as you would treat a toothbrush—don’t share.
For liquid soaps, we like Neutrogena and Cetaphil. Check the ingredients—fewer is generally better. You might try See the Dawn Purity facial cleanser, which contains glycerin, aloe vera, and lavender flower–scented water, or Garden of Eve Facial Cleansing Nectar, which contains glycerin, safflower oil, wax, sunflower oil, and water.
If you are typical and natural, in your 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, cell turnover and skin healing are even slower, and your skin may be very dry, as well. Mature skin may need special care, starting with hydrating moisturizers and regular exfoliation to encourage cell turnover.
Your Skin: What Else Can Go Wrong
As the primary part of your body exposed to external threats, your skin is not only your body’s greatest protector* but also extremely vulnerable to the outside world.
Of course, we’re most concerned with cancerous growths. Keep an eye out for precancerous growths by self-exam with the help of a partner (have your spouse or a close friend look at all the areas you can’t see and photograph your total skin surface), and have anything new or different evaluated by a dermatologist. You can even use your cell phone camera to record pictures that your dermatologist can use to compare yearly changes. Put a dime next to any growths that you photograph to provide an estimate of size. By the way, in case you think you’re safe just because you stay out of the sun, realize that skin-damaging ozone levels increase in the afternoon, which can affect skin whether it’s sunny or not. That underscores the point that you need to try to keep your skin healthy even if you have the best sun-protecting habits.
Keep Off
One of the tricks to using skin products is not only finding the ingredients that will help you but also avoiding the ones that may damage or irritate your skin. Some ingredients you should think about avoiding:
Imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea. They’re used as preservatives to prevent bacterial growth (not fungi), but they’re also a relatively common cause of contact dermatitis.
Fragrances. They may smell good, but these little molecules are responsible for allergic reactions in as many as 14 percent of people. Most skin-care products don’t really need added fragrances, but some, like soap, simply smell like the fats they were made from without added fragrance.
Sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s common in shampoos and cleaners to create suds and is relatively safe, but longer contact time can cause irritation and dryness, because the detergent strips the skin of lipids.
Mineral oil. Used as a base in some products, it may interfere with perspiration.
MEA, TEA. They’re common pH stabilizers, but when they’re exposed to air, they form potentially irritating substances called nitrosamines. And they have a tendency to clog pores and create blackheads.
Toluene. This chemical solvent, which the EPA designates as hazardous waste, is found in fingernail polish. Toluene can cause headaches, irritated eyes, and memory loss. The website nottoopretty.com lists perfumes and cosmetics that contain toxic chemicals like toluene. They’re not going to kill you, but if you don’t feel good, it’s worth experimenting to see if beauty products could be the source of your general blahness.
DMAE. This common “instant face-lift” ingredient in wrinkle creams actually does its work by causing cell damage and swelling. Sure, the wrinkles will go away temporarily (they also will if you’re slapped in the face), but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
YOU Test
What’s Your Type?
All that time in front of the mirror, in the shower, and at the nude beach has likely given you some pretty good insight into what type of skin you have. But there’s more to skin intelligence than just knowing whether you’re happier exposing it or concealing it. Take this test to determine your skin type.
1 Does your skin look dull or flake like a snow globe?
2 Does your skin look like a bathroom floor with a shiny, slippery texture?
3 Does your skin feel itchy and taut like sausage casing?
4 Do you have pores that are enlarged like craters, or clogged pores, or acne?
5 Does your skin react to cosmetics containing alcohol, synthetics, fragrances, and artificial colors?
6 Does your skin appear consistently moist, vibrant, and plumper than a squishy cantaloupe?
7 Does your forehead, nose, or chin appear oilier than a fast-food kitchen, while the skin around your cheeks, eyes, and mouth is normal or dry?
If you answered yes to 1 or 3, you have DRY skin.
If you answered yes to 2 or 4, you have OILY skin.
If you answered yes to 5, you have SENSITIVE skin.
If you answered yes to 6, you have NORMAL skin.
If you answered yes to 7, you have COMBINATION skin.
Safari Secrets:
Lessons from the animal kingdom
UV radiation comes in many forms, and we can see only a small spectrum. Other animals see things that we don’t (and vice versa), which explains why they are attracted to apparently dull objects or have strange colors themselves. Some animals, including birds, reptiles, and insects such as bees, can see into the near ultraviolet. Many fruits, flowers, and seeds stand out more strongly from the background in ultraviolet wavelengths than in human color vision. Scorpions glow or take on a yellow to green color under UV illumination. Many birds have patterns in their plumage that are invisible at usual wavelengths but observable in ultraviolet, and the urine of some animals is much easier to spot with ultraviolet.
Following are some other health issues that have beauty implications. These are irritating conditions that can influence your appearance and self-confidence.
ACNE AND ROSACEA: While people often like to think that things like chocolate are responsible for pimples, there’s no proof that what pops up on your dessert plate influences what pops up on your nose the night before a big presentation. What we do know is that 80 percent of U.S. teens and 40 percent of U.S. adults complain of pimples. But in Papua, New Guinea, the figure is nearly 0 percent, so it’s a fair guess that something is going on with our lifestyle. One culprit is inadequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids (as opposed to saturated or trans fats or omega-6 fats from corn and soybean oils). Get adequate amounts of these good fats by consuming walnuts, avocados, freshly ground flaxseed, canola oil, fish oils, or DHA supplements from algae. Another culprit? Stress. In studies of college kids during exams, researchers found them to have many more bouts of acne while under pressure. Paradoxically, the steroid medication triamcinolone can be injected to calm a severe form of pimples called cystic acne, but there’s a