Winter ages a woman's eye by nearly 5 YEARS!!
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free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:15 am

According to the Daily Mail Newspaper:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2070606/Winter-ages-womans-eyes-nearly-FIVE-YEARS-vitamin-D-happy-hormone-levels-drop.html

Winter ages a woman's eyes by four years and eight months, a team of beauty scientists have claimed.
The anti-ageing experts studied the eyes of 5,000 women throughout the seasons for a clinical study.

They found bags under the eyes were significantly darker during the colder months

There's more to the article but I figured posting the link will suffice. Interesting huh!

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:37 am

One of the MANY reasons I need to leave the Midwest and move south! Laughing

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:44 pm

so these are the things i personally do to try to mitigate that reality:

use a humidifier especially at night (i use a tiny travel humidifier (walgreens brand)near my bed..and take it with me when i travel.

eat many more high quality fats (like chia seeds. homemade pinenut and macademia nut 'milk and creams')...i don't gain weight from them when my gallbladder/liver organs and meridians are working well...i make sure i'm doing acupressure points along those meridians..and taking herbs appropriate for those functions

take lots of vitamin d in liquid fat form.

in general i work w/TCM recommendations for good skin quality...for example..the lungs are directly involved...according to TCM practice..with the quality of the skin...and according to TCM, the lung are weak during the fall..so taking herbs good for the lungs in the fall (doing acupressure for the lungs etc.) gives the skin a head start for the winter months in terms of being moister, etal.

drink lots of marshmallow root tea (ala wise woman method) which moisturizes the body/skin from the inside out(it's cooling..so for some it may be wise to add heating herbs/spices...like ginger...to the tea)

take many many angstrom/trace/ormus minerals..which activate/re-balance the body in general..and thus the skin...winter is depleting to our energy in general...and minerals are greatly regenerating...ormus minerals..quite controversial in the mainstream scientific community...as they cannot be seen', hence measured according to the current scientific methodology... are greatly present in pristine nature(soil/water/air) so taking green powders like barley grass which is often grown on volcanic soil.especially rich in ormus min's..is a good way to replenish the body with minerals...when our bodies are not depleted our skin is more vibrant.

anyway there's a lot more..but enough for now!

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:57 pm

SeanySeanUK wrote:

According to the Daily Mail Newspaper:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2070606/Winter-ages-womans-eyes-nearly-FIVE-YEARS-vitamin-D-happy-hormone-levels-drop.html

Winter ages a woman's eyes by four years and eight months, a team of beauty scientists have claimed.
The anti-ageing experts studied the eyes of 5,000 women throughout the seasons for a clinical study.

They found bags under the eyes were significantly darker during the colder months

There's more to the article but I figured posting the link will suffice. Interesting huh!

Oh, this is utterly ridiculous! Let me explain ....

The article states that undereye bags and dark circles are worse during the winter months. It even provides a winter and summer photo of a woman's eye. We clearly see the winter eye is darker (even though part of the reason is a difference in lighting). The article gives a few reasons for this phenomena and quotes an anti-ageing expert from Adonia Organics. Apparently a study was done and it found that the problem is consistently resolved once summer arrives.

Well, it seems that Adonia Organics just happens to make an eye product called Adonia Eye Therapy which promises "attractive, younger-looking eyes in just 21 days". They state that their cream will reduce puffy eyes by up to 58% (after 3 weeks) and dark circles by up to 86.7% (after 8 weeks). They include a before and after photo; the SAME photo that the article in the Daily Mail uses!

http://www.athenaskincare.com/adonia-eyetherapy/

Here's the details on the clinical study of the Adonia Eye Therapy cream:

http://origin.adoniaeyetherapy.com/doc/study.pdf

How ridiculous; the article claims the difference in dark circles and puffy eyes is due to the changing of the seasons; winter to summer (6 months). The website claims the improvement is due to use of their eye cream (3 to 8 weeks). What's the real answer?

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:05 pm

Lol. Oh dear. Although the source being the Daily Mail should have been a tip-off.

free skin care · Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:28 pm

I have not read the article though I agree: The Daily Mail is not a juried source Laughing

but hey Winter is difficult on the body so I guess one can regard it as a heads up.

Sickness is more pervasive in winter months and what happens inside shows outside. Also dry skin is very common in winter and dry eyes, cracked lips... chapped hands.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:57 am

If, as claimed, the root cause of undereye circles is vitamin deficiencies plus low serotonin, it doesn't make much sense to recommend cosmetic solutions. IMO the cause is more complex than simply lack of sunlight. Year in year out British gyms are deserted in December yet deluged in January, and that is not because of the weather. Wink

Will reserve judgement on the product until the company reveals the ethnic background and nationality of the participants, what skincare they were using prior to the 'study' if any, why there are only two before-and-after shots of the 5000 women, what time of year the 'study' was carried out, the full ingredients list ....

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:46 am

So what about all the women who live in the Northern Hemisphere where it's pretty much cold all year round? Do they all look haggard and old beyond their years?

Just more promotional bunk!

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:50 am

LOL Phew, I was worried about posting that as when I first read it there was major things that jumped out at me and I discussed it with a friend who couldn’t see so the reason for posting was just to see if others could see what I did, and I’m so glad to say that I’m not alone on this. It did highlight to me how easy it was to see how people can be unknowingly brainwashed by articles like this into believing certain things, and whilst there is probably some small truth behind the article, much of it is nothing more to me than a marketing ploy and not a very good one.

I do think that our bodies do get different challenges season to season, and myself eat a diet that could be called macrobiotic in that it changes to what foods harvested or is readily available during each seasonal month. However can adverse weather conditions age a person unnecessarily – I don’t believe that to be completely factual. Yes it can present more challenges, such as temperature changes during winter, we know just like if you were doing hot/cold compresses on the body that this has an impact, so the coldness would of course impact the face, but only during that exposure, most people do not stay out in the cold uncovered and will only experience it temporarily on route to a destination which has central heating etc, so its short lived.

The problem I have with the article is that it does mention a “study” but there’s little if any details of the study itself, the range of people it was carried out on, whether they all had successful results and the time period the study was done for. These are all vital facts. For example, here in the UK its cold and so of course this is impacting everyone. Colds and flus are flying round and we’ve got snow in places. That would produce very different results to say someone in the carribean for example. So whilst its impressive to see “study” it often is nothing more than a marketing tool. People when they first see that headline will automatically start to think that its completely factual, and that winter can age women by up to 5 years, but in reality nothing more could be further from the truth.

The Daily Mail can sometimes be a good source of some informative things, but its like anywhere its subject to the articles it gets and the authorities they come from.

Like JasmineRosey I do look at things from a TCM point of view, and just want to say that even with her excellent descriptions in TCM its never based on just the symptom but looking and analysing whats going on with a person and their body. The traditional TCM theories and practices were amazing and took into account everything from eye and hair colour, to skin colour to tongue colour and shape as well as things such as vocal volume and sounds too. This is why it takes so long to learn and a lot of studying has to be done, and there are many different schools of TCM out there. For example if someone had skin issues, whilst they most certainly would include the lungs in the treatment, they would also consider things like the liver and heart too. So I just wanted to throw that out there as its easy when seeing something mentioned like “lungs” to google TCM lung treatments and no one should be self diagnosing with that stuff, as just because the information is out there it doesn’t equal knowledge. Sorry to go off track but just wanted to throw this info out there.

Thanks for restoring my faith people!

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:51 am

My almost 11 year old daughter suffers from under eye dark circles. She's the only one in our family that does which I find rather bizarre. I wonder if it's due to a deficiency of some sort.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:38 am

I dunno, I find winter (in Vancouver) really taxing. Although our climate is fairly moderate, I find the cold exhausting at times, the central heat drying, and eating more cooked veggies rather than raw & fruit feels a lot different to me. There's no doubt all that, along with the lack of circulation at times, is doing a bit of a number on my body. Most of all I resent not being able to sleep with my balcony door open for fresh air, due to the cold!

I loved the ideas in jasminerosey's post and am going to try and incorporate some.

I don't suffer from depression anymore, but I got a bout of what could only have been S.A.D. in January/February a couple of years ago due to the constant darkness & rain we got for a few weeks straight. If anyone experiences anything similar, I'd heartily recommend Holy Basil, a.k.a. Thulsii which knocked me back into reality, literally within a day!

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:50 am

I really like what Jasmine Rosey said about TCM. After the first time I tried acupuncture, I couldn't believe this was not embraced by Western medicine. I hate that our culture treats symptoms instead of working to keep the SYSTEM working. It physically comes through in our tired eyes and exhausted skin.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:50 am

LoriA wrote:

I don't suffer from depression anymore, but I got a bout of what could only have been S.A.D. in January/February a couple of years ago due to the constant darkness & rain we got for a few weeks straight. If anyone experiences anything similar, I'd heartily recommend Holy Basil, a.k.a. Thulsii which knocked me back into reality, literally within a day!

Interesting, thanks!

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:20 pm

For those living in a cold climate - think of it this way: We all know that meat kept in the refrigerator will last longer than that kept at room temperature. So maybe you will be better preserved than someone like me who has been left out in the hot sun to go off!!!

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:57 pm

LoriA wrote:

I dunno, I find winter (in Vancouver) really taxing. Although our climate is fairly moderate, I find the cold exhausting at times, the central heat drying, and eating more cooked veggies rather than raw & fruit feels a lot different to me. There's no doubt all that, along with the lack of circulation at times, is doing a bit of a number on my body. Most of all I resent not being able to sleep with my balcony door open for fresh air, due to the cold!

I loved the ideas in jasminerosey's post and am going to try and incorporate some.

I don't suffer from depression anymore, but I got a bout of what could only have been S.A.D. in January/February a couple of years ago due to the constant darkness & rain we got for a few weeks straight. If anyone experiences anything similar, I'd heartily recommend Holy Basil, a.k.a. Thulsii which knocked me back into reality, literally within a day!

LoriA, this is so interesting about depression and S.A.D. I do feel more tired in the winter, but I do suffer low iron. Without having much thought, every winter, after Christmas, I always accessories my home with bright colors and purchase on weekly basis fresh cut flowers.

I didn't read the article yet, but with every season change, there is always some form of hiccup with your skin and any form of stress is aging.

free skin care · Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:23 pm

Yeah, and not to be morbid, but I noticed long ago that all the people close to me who'd died from long illnesses or old age, went in the fall months.

I honestly don't know what we'd ever do without the excitement and "prettiness" of Christmas & NY, even V-Day celebrations, etc to distract us from dreary weather & darkness! I love how you find yourself naturally drawn towards bright colours & fresh flowers...

From what I read, Holy Basil is extremely effective in reducing cortisol levels. They accumulate, along with adrenaline, due to our "Fight or Flight" response at times of stress (since there's often no where for it to go), and kind of shuts down our rest & repair functions. I was literally stunned at how quickly it took me from being on the verge of tears & all my alarm bells ringing, to being ok. One day for a natural/herbal/ayurvedic remedy is amazing to me.

free skin care · Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:36 pm

I suspect it has more to do with skipping sunscreen (most people skip it when its not summer) and not adequate wind protection. I live in Minnesota, my eyes take a beating if I don't wear goggles. Don't care if I look like a dork. I ride my bike to work, and even walking outside I wear snowboarding goggles. The skin is too thin, can't handle the extreme temperatures.

free skin care · Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:20 pm

Ava with wings wrote:

I suspect it has more to do with skipping sunscreen (most people skip it when its not summer) and not adequate wind protection. I live in Minnesota, my eyes take a beating if I don't wear goggles. Don't care if I look like a dork. I ride my bike to work, and even walking outside I wear snowboarding goggles. The skin is too thin, can't handle the extreme temperatures.

You make a very good point on protecting our eyes. In the cold, I'm sure the skin around my eyes take a beating. Usually I apply a heavy later of eye cream.

free skin care · Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:00 pm

Yeah, that does make sense. Last year I noticed that I had purple discolorations under the outer corners of my eyes and have been treating them in various ways. They come from my eyes creasing there when I smile, salty tears collecting there in the cold & my being too harsh wiping them away. I've been careful to use sunscreen all over my eyes, and extra eye oil/protection there but I don't think its enough.

Now that I think of it, the other day the cold wind made tears actually run down my face so I probably need something heavier and stickier that won't wash away.

free skin care · Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:03 am

Yeah I will have to read later. Last night I was looking at my eyes noticing the dark circles that are so hard to get rid of & all of the sudden I started feeling really tired and a big bag popped up under my left eye. Am starting to think I need an eye gel or something, sometimes I use ice cubes or cold spoons. There's no reason for the circles or occasional bag to be there, very frustrating.

free skin care · Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:21 am

The Daily Mail is the last place to go for beauty or fashion advice. Laughing

free skin care · Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:28 pm

You can put your facial lotion in the fridge and that could help some when applied around your eyes.

I use an expensive brand called Cellcosmet eye cream and I find that it works better in the winter when I am outside.

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