updated photo

This photo is of me about 6 months ago. I'm 57 1/2 years now.

What have I been doing for my facial skin?
Wearing 70 - 90 factor sunscreen;
Avoiding sun exposure from 11am - 2pm;
Wearing a visor or hat when in direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time
Always wear good sunglasses

I use translucent glycerine soap and don't pamper my face.
I only wear a little blush makeup or a little lipstick but no other makeup.

I use a clay facial mask about once every 2 weeks to tighten my facial skin and reduce enlarged pores.
I use Pascalite Clay which is mined in the Bighorn mountains right here west of where I live.
It is purified and splendid.  it can be purchased at:

http://www.pascalite.com

January 2013

In January 2013 I participated in an eagle survey in Wyoming.  Here I photoshopped an eagle above me as we saw very few eagles this year, due to little snow and warmth of temperatures!

Update & Horsetail Extract Butter

I turned 56 years as of early December.  This is a photo I took of myself around that time.  Actually I have a little make-up on my face, which is a rare thing for me. 

Here is how I looked a month before that, in early November.  I just had blush on my cheeks, and some lipgloss.

I've been using some cream on my skin which is made with the horsetail herb - one of the best wild herbs that is highly beneficial for the skin.  The product I purchased is made by Crafter's Choice and is called Horsetail Butter Blend.  The company makes batches only when you order it, so it is fresh.  It has a vegetable oil base so has no mineral oil in it.    The product has a pleasant natural scent, no chemicals added, and it lasts a long time. 

The description of the product is:

"Proprietary blend that contains horsetail extract which is thought to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells."

and

"Contains Horsetail Extract, believed to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells. Contains Sweet Almond Oil, a natural moisturizer that is thought to relieve (among other things) itching. All Natural."

The company has many other butter blends.

Here is the link to the horsetail blend butter and other butters at their wesbite:

Crafters Choice 

 

How Climate Affects Your Face & Facial Rejuvenation

I grew up in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie - where the climate was very humid.
In my late thirties, I moved to Louisiana where it was extremely humid and lived there for eleven years.

Nearly five years ago I moved back to the state of Wyoming, which has a semi-arid climate.

Yes, you can get facial punishment by wind and other climate conditions, but I am convinced working in an office which has low humidity, especially in Winter when many have the heat blasting, is a huge contributing cause to facial wrinkles!

Hey, heres one idea I haven't tried - Facial Yoga for wrinkles!
You do yoga exercises with your face!

In June, 1911, Science Daily Dot Com reported that a news study found that the worse a woman's skin wrinkles are during the first few years of menopause, the lower her bone density is.  Here is the link to that article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110604181911.htm

Also, in March, 2010, Science Daily reported that significant changes in facial bones -- particularly the jaw bone -- occur as people age and contribute to an aging appearance.

Wow!  Always something as a contributing factor, ey?

Here is the link to that article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100323121836.htm

In August, 2007 Science Daily reported that multiple, distinct compartments of fat in the face age at different rates:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070806090314.htm

And in June, 2008 Science Daily reported that rejuvenating newly identified fat compartments in the facial cheeks can help reduce the hollowed look of the face as it ages:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624145157.htm

Surprising, isn't it that a website like Science Daily has so many articles about facial rejuvenation!  They posted an article recently in February, 2012: 
"...Dermatologists can use fillers or lasers to correct the most notable signs of aging and can recommend skin care products with added ingredients that can further repair damaged skin."

Here is link to that article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207121814.htm

About Me . . .

For those reading my blog who would like to know a little bi about me...

I am a woman who turned age 55 in early December, 2011.
I don't always look this serious.

Actually, most of the time I look like this (with my trifocals!!)

I try hard to keep my sense of humor but yes do have a serious side.

Perhaps many of my wrinkles are from me laughing!

And this..........is my sensual side.... !!

 

 

I was 29 when this photo was taken.  

Just a year and a half later, my smile wrinkles were already getting more pronounced.

What causes changes in a face?

This was me several years ago (around age 52).  I finished menopause at that age, so then my hormones changed, which surely contributed to the beginning of more wrinkles in my face.

I was about age 45 in this photo (with makeup), and I still had all my hormones!

I went through a phase after turning 52 using Pascalite clay facial masks.

The clay helps tighten one's skin.  However, it can also remove moisture from one's skin.  Perhaps that contributed to my wrinkling?

So here is pretty much what I look like today.

They say wrinkles give a face character.

I think I look like quite a character already!!

 

New approach: Horse Tail Herb and Rose Hips Seed Oil

This is me a few weeks ago.

Well I gave up on the synthetic snake peptide with aloe vera powder and the other stuff I made into a lotion. It was all a waste of money!

So now I've discovered two new products I'm trying.

I picked up some pure Rose Hips Seed oil at the health food store in a town over the mountains last weekend.  Rose Hips Seed Oil helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles and damage to the skin.  It also is used to treat dry skin, scars, and hyper pigmented tissue.  The oil contains high concentrations of Vitamins A, C and E.

Applying the oil directly on my face results in no stinging or burning whatsoever.  I can leave it on my face all day and it leaves no redness and causes no irritation.

I have gathered wild rose hips every Autumn here in the mountains but the seeds are so tiny, you would have to somehow pulverize those tiny seeds to extract the oil from them, and you would need a LOT of rose hips to produce enough seeds to get an ounce of oil!  So for $6.25 an ounce, I think I got a good deal, considering I've seen it cost more on the internet.

The other product I am using on my arms, backs of my hands, neck, legs, etc. is a cream I purchased on the internet in bulk.  The Crafter's ChoiceTM

butter blend contains extract from the Horse Tail herb plant.  I'm excited to find this product because I have not seen any other cream or lotion or other extract of Horse Tail made into a skin care product.

This stuff smells amazing and does a great job of moisturizing your skin!!

And I have dry skin living in Wyoming with our semi-arid climate, plus working in a hot office environment where the air is dry and ruthless to one's skin.

I've gathered horse tail in the mountains and dehydrated it for making tea; also made tinctures from it.  It is fabulous if you get any rashes and the extract can be applied directly on the skin without any burning or irritation.

I purchased it from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  Their website is:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com 

Here is link to the Horse Tail Cream of theirs:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.comProductDetail.aspx?CategoryID=1387&ProductID=6965&ProductName=Crafters+Choice%E2%84%A2+Horsetail+Butter+Blend

It is a company in Cleveland, Ohio of all places.  They sell products in bulk for people who make their own soaps, lotions and cosmetics.

Shipping was well packaged and the product arrived quickly.  I also purchased some Sweet Almond Oil for a decent price, which is also wonderful for the skin and serves as a superb massage oil or carrier oil for massage and hydrating one's skin.

The Horsetail Butter Blend cream comes in 1 pound jars!!  The container says "safe for use on the skin at 100%". It contains Almond Oil (#1 ingredient), then Equisetum Arvense Extract (Horse Tail herb extract) (#2 ingredient), and lastly, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.  It comes in a clear jar so you can see how much contents are left.  It is kept in a dark, cool place (I keep mine in the refrigerator).  The product is good for one year.  Amazingly, it appears the made up the batch of butter blend for me right after I ordered it!!

I paid $28.70 for 3 pounds!!! Not a bad deal at all, considering so many hydrating creams cost that much for just 6 to 8 ounces!

The company describes this product below:

Proprietary blend that contains horsetail extract which is thought to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells.

Common Uses: Cold & Hot Process Soap. Lotions. Lip Products.

Points of Interest: Contains Horsetail Extract, believed to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells. Contains Sweet Almond Oil, a natural moisturizer that is thought to relieve (among other things) itching. All Natural.  

One reviewer who tried it said:

"This butter is silky smooth and penetrates rather quickly, avoiding the greasy feel you'll have with most butters. "

I find that the product does have a very slight greasy feel to it but that quickly goes away so its not a problem if you don't slather globs of it onto your skin.

It is light pistacho-nut green in color and is just plain wonderful stuff!

As far as the face experiment goes:

Other than putting on the Rose Hips Seed Oil on my face, and the Horse Tail herb Cream on the rest of my body, I do not expect miracles.  What I want to do is keep my skin hydrated. I realize wrinkles are inevitable as one ages.

However, on the backburner of my mind, this is my thought:  I think in another two or three years, I'm going to have laser treatments done on my face.  I think that is the best route to take to treat serious wrinkles on the face.  And if that doesn't cut it, then I guess I'll just wear a bag over my head or a scarf over my face, heh heh heh!!!

Stay tuned!  I'll post more pics as time goes on here.

After all --  I still don't think I look all that bad, considering I'm 55 1/2.

This photo is me without makeup a few weeks ago.

Now, I need to dig out the chin exerciser I bought where it tightens the chin and do face massage -- these are easy to do and can't hurt, but only help!!

 

 

 

 

New Treatment for Face -- The Acupuncture Pen!

Well here I am today - October 28th, 2011.  I turn 55 in early December.
Apparently I diluted the synthetic snake venom too much -- it was ineffective, even though I added Q10 and powdered Aloe Vera.

So I'm trying something completely new -- a battery operated acupuncture pen that is designed simiar to a TENS unit.  It delivers mild electrical zaps to one's skin through a copper tip on the end of the pen.  You control the strength of the electric zap, the rhythm, etc.  You listen with an ear bud to the beeping as it hones in on the acupuncture points.  It beeps real shrill in a high tone when you get on a point.  Then you zap it.  Doing this has definately helped me relax my facial muscles.  When they're relaxed, you don't look as wrinkled.  I find it so relaxing I can lie on my bed and do the zapping for an hour or more.  It is extremely wonderful and I recommend this for anyone who has muscular tension, pain, etc.

The reason I bought it is because it said that using it on the face reduces facial wrinkles.  I think this is the best thing I've tried so far to help with facial wrinkles.  I bought it for $35 on Ebay.  There are various models but you want one with an earbud so you can listen to the beeps.  It came with batteries.
Its easy to use and is cordless and very portable.

I need to use the chin exerciser I bought that strengthens the skin beneath the chin so the neck gets less wrinkles.

I also bought what is like a straight jacket for the face!  Something on Ebay.  A cloth facial wrap.  You end up having your face cocooned and it is framed tightly with an elastic type of cloth.  It was comfortable to wear but I haven't slept with it or really tried it yet.  We'll see how the acupuncture pen does.

I got a crown put on this week on one of my side front teeth so it helped my smile improve.

What lies ahead?  I believe I will save up and get laser treatments on my face next year.  I've spoken with several older women who had wonderful skin and they all told me that it was laser treatments that did the trick. They said its better than plastic surgery, better than dermabrasion and removes age spots, fine lines and wrinkles.


Problem is, I'm a very expressive person and use my face a lot to express myself.  I smile hugely and sneeze loudly and grin and use my smile and face a lot when I interact with people.


Another thing that is helping - sticking to a regular sleep schedule and getting 7 1/2 hours - 8 hours sleep at night.  I don't look as tired.

Just cut my hair tonight - how does it look?
I get so hot.  At the office its been 72-74 degrees which is way hotter than my apartment.  I can't wear longer hair because I'd sweat to death.  Besides, shorter hair makes me look younger!

Lately I've put on a few pounds but joined the Y and am going to start working out regularly so I hope that will also help with the wrinkles - getting better circulation, sweating to remove toxins from the body, etc.

Stay tuned!  I'll post another pic soon.

 

Oh yeah - I'm developing more wrinkles on edges of my lips.  That sure sucks!

I've used lip protection all of my life daily.  

 

And those forehead wrinkles -- they're hereditary.  My dad had them and I look a lot like my father.  

So, to all who glimpse at this blog, please check back to see how the acupuncture pen is working for me.  I believe it will be very beneficial to my health in many other ways as it is stimulating all these acupuncture points on my face, scalp, shoulders, neck, hands, etc.

well...

folks, haven't really seen too much improvement so new new photos thus far ... stay tuned!

June 18th, 2011

June 18th, 2011

 

Face 6-8-11.

Forgive me - I'm about ready to go to bed here and its late.  However, this shows the results of the cream thus far.  What I've noticed is that wrinkles between my eyebrows and my crowsfeet seem less deep.  Other than that, no real improvement thus far.

Forehead Wrinkles 6-8-11

Forehead wrinkles 6-8-11.


Well with a camera, not a webcam, tonight this is what my forehead wrinkles look like.  Don't mind the dent on my nose from my glasses!
I've read that these wrinkles are hereditary, so I may not be able to fix them. 
However, growing longer bangs seems to help hide them!

My face 6-7-11

Last night on 6-7-11 this is what my face looked like.

I've been faithfully applying the cream to my face, neck and ears now ever since about May 6th - so it is about a month now.  The claims of the synthetic snake peptide say after this period of time, wrinkles on my face may be reduced up to 50%.
This is a webcam photo so it doesn't reveal finer wrinkles.

1989 - age 33

Heres a photo of me taken in 1989, at age 33 -- this was 22 years ago!

With a Smirk

With lotion 5/25/11

Me 5/25/11

5/25/11 with lotion

Face Today without Lotion

Face 5/25/11 without lotion, just after removing clay facial mask.

My Face Today 5/25/11

Heres what I look like 5/25/11.  The redness from the clay masque has subsided. I applied the lotion.

Side Profile of Face

Side profile of face 5/25/11.

Side of Nec k

Side of neck 5/25/11.  I just removed a clay facial masque so skin is reddened.

Wrinkles by side of mouth & side of chin

Wrinkles by side of mouth and side of chin 5/25/11

Mouth

Mouth area 5/25/11

Forehead Lines

Forehead lines 5/25/11. I just rinsed off a clay facial masque so my skin is reddened.

Between Eyebrows

I believe the crinkles between my eyebrows are improving; this photo was taken 5/25/11.

Chin

Here is my chin today May 18th, 2011.

Photo of my chin taken May 6th - 14 days ago, with lotion on. I don't notice an improvement yet in this area.  
I must remember that noticable results aren't to be expected until one has applied this lotion faithfully twice daily for 30 days - at that time, I hope it will reduce appearance of facial wrinkles by up to 50%.  I'll post updated photos in about 1 week so stay tuned!

Better color in cheeks

Side of my cheek and mouth taken today May 18th.

Photo taken May 6th - 14 days ago.  My skin appears to have more color today than before; perhaps the lotion is stimulating the blood vessels and tissues beneath the surface layer of skin. 

Mouth & Lips

Here is what my lips, area around mouth and area above chin look like today on May 18th.

This photo was taken May 6th -- 14 days ago, with lotion on.  It appears to me that the depth of the wrinkles don't look as deep or pronounced.  Also the wrinkles above the top lip don't look as pronounced.

Side of Cheek

This is the side of my cheek today.

Here is the same view on May 6th.

Crowsfeet Wrinkles by Eyes

Here are what the crowsfeet wrinkles by my eyes look like today.

This photo was taken with lotion on May 6th -- 12 days ago.
I don't notice any improvement yet in this area.

Forehead & Between my Eyebrows

Here is what my forehead and area between my eyebrows look like this evening, without makeup or lotion applied after just washing my face.


It appears to me that the wrinkles between my eyebrows don't appear as deep as they were a few weeks ago.  

Here was my forehead on May 6th -- 12 days ago. I had lotion applied, which I think may not give a true impression of the wrinkles so from now on I will take photos of just my plain face with nothing applied to it.  It appears to me that the forehead wrinkles don't appear as deep as they first appeared.

Update - new photos 5/16/11

 

These photos I took of my face with my webcam 5/16/11.

Webcam photos aren't as clear as camera photos but wanted to show an update of how I look now.

Happy to report applying the lotion to my face, ears and neck 3 times a day results in no stinging sensation to the skin, no irritations to the skin (no redness, rash, etc.).  

Happy to report the lotion keeps my face moisturized, the skin supple and is not taut - stiff or dry - but keeps my skin flexible and soft and luxuriously moisturized, without having excessive shine. 

My face appears soft but does not look artificially moisturized.

The lotion adds no extra or unusual color to my skin but blends in perfectly with it's natural color.

As far as the appearance of facial wrinkles goes, I haven't noticed improvement yet, but its only been about a week since I began to use it, and reports say it takes 30 days of applying it daily before the appearance of wrinkles may be reduced as much as 50 percent.

I am so happy with the moisturizing effects of this lotion -- you never feel like your face is tight during the day, even working in an office with dry air, even hiking outdoors this weekend in the dry mountain air -- that I think I want to use this lotion the rest of my life.  I have never been so happy with a facial lotion.

I hope this lotion slows the chances of my developing a "turtle neck" -- a highly wrinkled neck.  So many older women cover their necks with scarves, etc. because their necks are wrinkled badly.

I am also trying to drink more water now that the weather is warming up.  I don't drink enough water in winter months, which doesn't help with wrinkles.  One must hydrate both externally AND internally to help keep skin vibrant.

Stay tuned for more updates soon...