Characteristics of Impaired Barrier Function

Barrier function refers to the complex of lipids (fatty materials – ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol) that is present between the cells in corneum. This lipid barrier guards moisture (TEWL - transepidermal water loss) and protects against dehydration, redness and hypersensitivity and it also provides a lipid barrier to prevent irritants from entering the skin.

Think of your skin like a brick wall, your cells are the bricks and are held together by the mortar caller intercellular lipid matrix. These lipids fill in the gaps between the cells in the same way mortar fills the spaces between bricks in a wall.

Common causes and characteristics:

• Overuse of aggressive products, and use of products with excessive perfumes and preservatives

• Harsh climate

• Removal of the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF), the substances that are responsible for maintaining the skin’s hydration and pliability, by attracting and holding moisture. Removal of the NMF will result in transepidermal water loss (TEWL)

• Interruption of intracellular lipids found between the dead surface cells and responsible for trapping water in the stratum corneum; this lipid bilayer provides an occlusive, impermeable barrier and prevents the loss of water and NMF

• TEWL from inside the body through the epidermis to the surrounding atmosphere; a small amount of TEWL is critical to skin sensitivity; TEWL is increased when the epidermis is compromised and the NMF is decreased

• Keratin denaturation, an alternative of the protein’s shape through some form of external stress (ex: application of heat, acid or alkaki), may prevent the keratin from carrying out its normal cellular functions.

• Foods containing high levels of Omega 3’s (3000mcg) essential fatty acids provides powerful anti-inflammatory characteristics. Some common sources are salmon, chia seeds and kiwi seed oil.

Love is in the Air!

Couples Facial

Nothing says “I Love You!" better than a couples facial. Enjoy a facial together.

If you are looking for a great way to spend time with a loved one or friend then come try our very popular couples facial. You both will enjoy a relaxing facial in our studio by two of our licensed Esthetician. Guests will also receive a free glass of champagne and free chocolates, or gift.

Call us Today! @ (714) 726 – 0504.

February is a month of Chocolate goodness!

Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health. Chocolate is the processed and sweetened food produced from cocoa. Cocoa is a good source of iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, zinc, antioxidants catechins and procyanidins.

A healthy heart

latest research backs up claims that chocolate has cardiovascular benefits: In a 9-year Swedish study of more than 31,000 women, those who ate one or two servings of dark chocolate each week cut their risk for heart failure by as much as a third.

Dark Chocolate May Protect Your Skin Against The Sun

The flavonols can protect against sun-induced damage, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration

It helps with PMS Symptoms

Chocolate releases calming endorphins that reduce anxiety. It’s high in magnesium, which lifts moods and reduces water retention.

Reduces bad cholesterol

Eating an ounce of dark chocolate per day can possibly increase good cholesterol and stop bad cholesterol - LDL, from oxidizing.

Glowing Skin

Cocoa helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol which works on the testosterone pathway, and can lead to acne break outs. This also means less collagen breakdown and fewer wrinkles in the skin.

May prevent Diabetes

Cocoa has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. So dark chocolate in moderation might delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.

Brain Health

Dark chocolate can help with brain health in numerous ways such as, making you happy by producing the ‘feel good’ endorphins, improving blood flow to the brain, protecting the brain against free radicals and improving learning, memory and focus.

So make sure you buy your Valentine some delicious 70% dark chocolate and a bottle of red wine which also has some health benefits too. Moderation is key and enjoy!

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Why You Should Be Using Professional Grade OVER Over-The-Counter Products

After a facial or treatment, your skin is sure to be glowing, plump and radiant. But it’s just as important to nourish and treat your skin at home as it is to receive regular facials from a professional. And while you think you may be giving your skin what it needs with department store or drugstore products, the truth is that you should be using professional grade products to prolong the benefits of your facial and maintain all of the great results your treatments give you.

Professional grade products work differently than anything you can buy from even the most high-end counter at the department store. Generally, the products that are carried on the market have about 4% active ingredients, the rest of the product, whether it’s a serum or a cream, is just fillers, water, preservatives and fragrance. And while you may be getting visible results from something you find from a designer beauty brand, the fact is that it’s only working on the surface of your skin and most results are just cosmetic – products can trick the eye with special light-reflecting ingredients to blur wrinkles or cause minor inflammation so that your skin looks temporarily full. Professional grade products, like the ones offered at Beauty Journey, contain 90% active ingredients, giving your skin what it really needs to look its best. While most products work on just the surface of the skin, professional grade products penetrate deeper, right into the dermis, where skin problems form. By working under the surface, professional grade products can prevent, reverse and correct existing skin issues and work to prevent any problems from developing. Professional grade products also have more elegant formulations that feel better on your skin and more sophisticated ingredients with proven results.

To get your customized product recommendations, contact Beauty Journey at 714-726-0504.

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Skin Basics - How It Protects You from the Surrounding Environment

Your skin is divided into three layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutis (hypodermis). To understand how skincare, especially anti-aging skincare, works, it is important to know just how your skin works to repair itself and protect you from the world around you. Skin is your body’s largest organ and it’s the only thing that is keeping the environment’s pollutants out of your system, so it is crucial to keep it working at its best and to make sure that all of its processes are running smoothly.

The top layer of your skin is the epidermis, which forms a protective barrier on the surface of your skin. While many skincare experts may lead you to believe that this layer of "dead" skin cells is unnecessary and can lead to a dull or lifeless complexion, it is an important part of your skin. The dead cells are a part of a layer of protection, keeping your skin from being affected by infection, dehydration and are a key part of anti-aging. Television commercials and skincare companies want you to believe that it is imperative to get rid of every single last dead skin cell, but in truth, that first layer of skin reflects up to 80% of damaging UV radiation. So while exfoliating is important, it’s also important to make sure that you aren’t over-exfoliating and causing more damage to your skin. The epidermis also contains a layer of lipids, which keep your skin from drying out. Many products can strip this lipid layer, leaving skin dehydrated and accelerating aging.

The second layer of skin is the dermis, where many skin problems develop. It is the thickest layer of your skin and is where collagen, elastin and other important cells are housed. Every day, the dermis is pushing new cells up into the epidermis. The dermis beings thinning between the age of 20 and 30, and continues to lose about 1% of density per year. Keeping your dermis healthy is where professional grade products and nutrition come into play, since most products can’t penetrate deeply into the skin and a healthy diet keeps your skin working its best. When you do not provide proper nutrition and hydration to your skin, the effects are shown in the dermis and can lead to the formation of wrinkles, acne and inflammation.

Underneath the dermis is the subcutis, which is where your skin keeps a steady supply of stem cells, vitamins, minerals and more. There isn’t much UV damage down at this level, since the bulk of damage occurs above, but it’s important to note that nutrition, stress and other factors can affect the subcutis and can lead to cellulite and other skin concerns.

Together, the three layers work to protect your body from outside stressors, so it is important to keep them working their best. A combination of professional grade products, regular visits to Estheticians and proper UV protection will keep your skin healthy and you’ll see the results in a healthy, glowing and radiant complexion.

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Are You Suffering from Inflammation? Find out NOW

What your body considers a natural reaction can actually be a bad thing for your skin. Inflammation occurs when your body encounters something that activates its defenses. Bacteria, viruses and injuries can all activate an inflammatory reaction in the body, which brings white blood cells to an area of the body to start the healing process. But, sometimes, the process lingers and can lead to low levels of chronic inflammation, affecting your blood vessels, joints and yes, even your skin.

Nobody can pinpoint one thing that affects skin inflammation, but diet, stress and lack of sleep can all be culprits. As the body’s largest organ, and one of the most active, your skin is usually one of the first places that inflammation can appear. Staying on top of stress levels, maintaining a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep can all work to keep inflammation in check, but not all of us can juggle those things. Inflammation can show up on the skin in the form of Rosacea and wrinkles as well as sagging skin. Wound healing and collagen production can slow and your skin can appear sallow when you’re being affected by inflammation. Acne can also flare up when inflammation levels are high, but there are a few ways to keep everything in balance so that your skin can look its best.

Diet is one way that you can monitor the inflammation in your body. Eating a diet rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fats, which can be found in fatty fish, can keep inflammation away. Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables can battle inflammation by reducing the amount of free radical damage in your skin. If you find yourself with dull-looking skin, dry patches or become prone to sensitivity, a visit to Beauty Journey can help, too. Working from the inside out, our treatments in conjunction with lifestyle changes can lead to improved skin. Using high-tech treatments and products with a high percentage of active ingredients, inflammation can be tamed and your skin can look its best.

To find out which treatments will help calm your inflammation and which products can keep it away — all while nourishing, protecting and providing anti-aging ingredients, contact Beauty Journey.

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Is It Possible to Shrink Large Pores?

So you have large pores on your face? Are you also suffering from blackheads which tend to go hand in hand with enlarged pores? If you are, here’s a bare face fact.

You might find comfort knowing that enlarged facial pores is one of the most common skin problems in Asian women. In fact, you’re most likely to notice enlarged pores around your nose, because that area has more oil glands per square inch than any other part of your body.

What is the large pore?

Pore serves the skin by allowing sweat and sebum, a naturally produced oil, to exit the skin and carry away toxins and debris. As we age, pore may enlarge as a result of excessive oil production or thinning skin. In moving toxins out of the body through the skin, the pore will take a hit and exhibit inflammation. The toxins we eliminate are not totally benign, and as they irritate and inflame the skin they may result in atrophy immediately around the pore.

Over time, the atrophy surrounding the pore becomes even more pronounced because we lose our collagen infrastructure in the dermis. Imagine that the hair follicle is a tent pole and the skin a tent. Even though the extruding hair is soft, the follicle root is fairly rigid, enough so that it causes the skin to be held up slightly. Over time, sagging in the skin around the follicle will occur. Without the stability previously provide by the presence of robust collagen levels, the epidermis collapses beside the pore, enhancing the appearance of enlargement. This appearance can be further exacerbated by dirt that collects in pores from the surface or by overactive sebaceous glands.

Fortunately, enlarge pores can be treated by rebuilding the collagen and elastin matrix in the dermis. Through stimulating collagen and elastin and by decreasing sebum output, we can significantly reduce the appearance of enlarge pores by using Fancy Jasper from Beauty Journey.

Click Here to see what Beauty Journey says about Fancy Jasper Serum:

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Important Safety Information about BOTOX

This is a post from Allergan:

Please read, print and share to your friends or family members.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the look of both moderate to severe crow’s feet lines and frown lines between the eyebrows in adults.

BOTOX® Cosmetic may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX® Cosmetic:

• Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre-existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months.

• Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including: loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.

The dose of BOTOX® Cosmetic is not the same as, or comparable to, any other botulinum toxin product.

There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect when BOTOX® Cosmetic has been used at the recommended dose to treat frown lines, crow's feet lines or both at the same time.

Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported. They include: itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you are wheezing or have asthma symptoms, or if you become dizzy or faint.

Do not take BOTOX® Cosmetic if you: are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX® Cosmetic (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.

Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX® Cosmetic.

Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including: plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles, such as trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX® Cosmetic can harm your unborn baby); are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed (it is not known if BOTOX® Cosmetic passes into breast milk).

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Using BOTOX® Cosmetic with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX® Cosmetic in the past. Especially tell your doctor if you: have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin, such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (be sure your doctor knows exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.

Other side effects of BOTOX® Cosmetic include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, and eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes.

For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.

To report a side effect, please call Allergan at 1-800-433-8871.

Please see BOTOX® Cosmetic full Product Information including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.

© 2014 Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA 92612. ® marks owned by Allergan, Inc. Dysport is a registered trademark of Ipsen Biopharm Limited Company. Myobloc is a registered trademark of Solstice Neurosciences, Inc. Xeomin is a registered trademark of Merz Pharma GmbH & Co KGaA. APC45MQ14

Are Eye Creams a Scam?

The skin around the eye area differs vastly from the skin on the rest of your body. It is the thinnest and the most delicate, far more sensitive to pollutants, sun damage and allergens than the rest of your body.

In fact, it’s the thinnest skin on your body. And unfortunately, it gets even thinner as we age…and more dehydrated…and more irritated. You get the picture.

Periorbital dark circles have a great variety of different causes, genetics being the biggest culprit, especially those with pale thin skin which will have superficial blood vessels which results in purplish-blue hue showing.

Also, we tend to lose fat tissue and collagen as we age – causing the eyes to appear tired and hollow. Collagen supplies the firmness and tautness in young skin while elastin gives the skin its elasticity. Wearing sunscreen everyday (rain, snow or sunshine) and large sunglasses will help protect the skin’s structural integrity.

Eye creams are specially designed to be soothing to the skin by applying the proper moisture content. They should create a smoothing effect for fine lines and wrinkles and firm the skin by promoting cellular regeneration and stimulating collagen production.

Beauty Journey’s TIME REVERSAL EYE REPAIR SERUM targets concerns typically associated with chronological aging in and around the eye area. It strengthens capillaries and reactivates micro-circulation. Skin complexion becomes more even resulting in a younger and a more vibrant appearance.

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"Information is courtesy of www.thebeautyjourney.com, a website with skin care tips, products, treatments and advice from skin care expert and licensed esthetician, Kristina Trinh."

Rejuvenate your skin with this state-of-the-art anti-aging treatment, TAMA Microcurrent.