What part of our body is seen by everyone the most, exposed to the elements the most, and ages the quickest? Isn't it our face? Shouldn't we, therefore, take every advantage to preserve something that is so precious? Would you be surprised to learn that women don't take care of their skin like they should? The truth is, most women will put more importance on gaining instant appeal than on their long lasting attractiveness and health.
Hard to believe? Well consider this: Girls will sunbathe and try to achieve a dark tan just for a date! Waterproof mascara is worn every day causing eyelashes to fall out prematurely.
Harsh cleansers are used to remove eye makeup causing premature wrinkles.
Lipsticks are worn daily that contain lead to achieve a longer lasting look.
And many more examples could be mentioned.
Looking good at the expense of health? Looking great is a wonderful thing! It is well known that people who take care of their appearance tend to be more successful.
They reflect more confidence and are more outgoing.
They even tend to get married sooner.
What could be better than that? Yes, when society puts emphasis on appearance it makes social interactions pleasurable.
We certainly wouldn't want to live in a world where people walked around with dirty faces and unkempt hair! Taking all of this into account, wouldn't it be better to take care of our looks with longevity in mind? Too soon old, too late smart? Once the onset of discoloration, white blotches, or wrinkles set in, women turn to experts to get these problems fixed.
But seldom can these problems be fixed after the damage has been done.
Also, seldom can a particular problem be pinpointed to a particular incident.
At this stage would it do any good for an expert to say "getting that dark tan and burning your skin, was it worth it?" This rhetorical question may not help this person, but it may help the rest of us reflect upon a simple reality.
We must do nothing to harm our skin and everything to protect it! Yes our skin is in a losing battle in which our biggest enemy is time.
Therefore, we know that we will not look young forever, but when is it that we appreciate our appearance the most and need it most? Wouldn't you agree that it is in our adult years? Wouldn't it be nice to shift the spectrum of optimal good looks for a little bit later in life, and look better, longer? How can we look better, longer? It's not so much the big things that make the biggest difference, but rather the small things.
Things that we are not even conscious of.
These things oftentimes mean the most.
The eye area is the first place that shows signs of premature aging.
This is partly due to the sensitivity of this area.
Surprisingly, this is the area which is treated the most aggressively.
Long lasting mascaras are worn that are extremely difficult to remove.
Compounding the problem, harsh cleansers are therefore necessary to remove this mascara.
Of course, mascara does not come off that easy, so women repeatedly pull at the skin, damaging the skin's elastin fibers.
Why treat elastin with care? Elastin is basically what keeps our face in place, it is found in connective tissue and keeps our face resilient.
When skin is pulled and tugged, up, down and sideways, the little fibers of elastin lose their hold and firmness.
When this happens the skin begins to sag and loose it's "stay put" ability.
In fact, it does not matter how gently you do this.
Any tugging on it will cause the elastin to be overstretched.
Which will make these wrinkle lines and sags around the eyes occur that much sooner.
How can we be gentler around the eyes? If you wear mascara, choose a water soluble mascara that comes off easier with a gentle cleanser.
Mascara should come off so easily that a washcloth should not be necessary.
The rule of thumb is, if we find that a washcloth is necessary, then either our mascara is not soluble enough, or our cleanser can't dissolve it.
On the other hand, if a cleanser is too harsh the surrounding eye area is sure to suffer.
Let's use a comparison to understand this better.
Would you use a chemical solvent such as acetone to remove a pencil mark off your kitchen counter? Of course not! Why use acetone and risk damaging the countertop if simply using water would suffice? The same holds true with facial cleansers.
Harsh cleansers deplete the sensitive eye area of natural oils and humectants! So remember; the more soluble the mascara, the gentler the cleanser, the easier it will be on the eye are.
Of course a fine balance must be struck here, mascara should not be so water soluble that it causes raccoon eyes.
Remember, since the eye area is so sensitive, and the application and removal of mascara is a daily routine, a perfect combination of a cleanser and mascara is a must! Remember, we must be careful of the long term impact from the small things we do.
Take steps to immediately correct harmful skin care habits.
By doing this we will safeguard our good looks longer.
After all, our face is what is noticed the most.