Anti ageing and sun care

There are no secrets to beautiful, youthful, healthy skin, no miracle ingredients that will take years off your appearance. The only miracle is that the cosmetics industry has managed to persuade us otherwise for so long. The most important thing we can do to manage ageing naturally is to shift the focus away from using anti-ageing products containing AHAs, retinol and other substances which undermine the skin's health - and instead use natural, gentle skin care products and develop a holistic, intelligent and positive attitude towards natural skin health… because a healthy skin is calm, clear, supple and balanced and looks wonderful at any age. I developed the Mir products and skincare methods with this philosophy in mind.

So the best way to stay looking young and lovely is to use Mir and read Section 1 of this Guide.  Simple as that.

What "anti ageing" products really do
Commercially manufactured products making anti ageing claims usually contain AHAs, retinol etc. which induce skin irritation resulting in peeling. A lot of people think that's OK because the irritation will eventually die down and everything will look much better. There is absolutely no sense or logic in irritating and/or peeling your skin to make it look younger.
   
Irritation is your skin's way of telling you that you are damaging it, interfering with its vital functions, making it unhealthy. Be intelligent. Listen to what your skin is saying. Act accordingly. The irritation causes skin swelling and it is this swelling which pads out fine lines. 

(The same effect - without the peeling/irritation -  can be achieved by keeping your skin moist and supple using Mir Argan Beauty Oil with Mir Moisturising Lotion or Skin Silk - containing wonderful skin-enhancing ingredients: argan oil, marshmallow, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, shea butter, allantoin and the anti oxidant green tea - preferable to vitamins A and C which are at best ineffective and at worst irritating when applied to the skin.) 

Eventually, the irritation leads to the loss of the topmost layer of the skin which protects the skin from sun damage, moisture loss and premature ageing! This may make your complexion look smoother but will ultimately accelerate the appearance of wrinkles. If you then apply a chemical spf lotion to your freshly peeled and irritated face, what do you think will happen to it over the years? Only one chemical has been found to have any effect on maturing skin: Retin-A. Despite the similarity in names Retin-A is an entirely different substance to retinol and is available only on prescription because, guess what? it is highly irritating and can have serious side effects. 

There is no miracle ingredient that will take years off your appearance.
The only miracle is that the cosmetic industry has managed to persuade us otherwise for so long.

I said this years ago and you’ll see from the News section that people finally began to sit up and take notice. Yet, despite the publicity, cosmetic companies continue to plug their nasty, wrinkle-inducing, irritating, damaging products - usually tested on animals - advising us in avuncular tones that we are worth it and that they keep their promises. Thereby persisting in treating us like idiots by assuming we don't read the papers and have never heard of airbrushing. One thing I discovered during my many years of researching, developing and using Mir is this: it is essential that skin care products respect the integrity of the skin's functions because in so doing the skin will be better equipped to defend itself against time and environment. In other words, our philosophy is to work with the skin, helping it to help itself - instead of fighting whatever ails it. In short, a side effect of using our gentle, balancing, skin-respecting products, following our holistic lifestyle tips and generally keeping fit and healthy is that your skin will look younger for longer.
 
What about collagen?
Do you really think that applying something to the surface of your skin is going to make any difference whatsoever to the physiology of the deeper layers?

How about pentapeptides?
Here we go again, another five minute wonder.  Experts have said there is no evidence they have any effect whatsoever (that's the good part) and may even be toxic (that's the good part too, because now you won't be fooled into buying products containing them).  The most powerful cosmetic ingredient would appear to be money - the amount these companies spend on advertising may not deduct years from our skins but certainly deducts money from wallets.

Advertising
Notice that anti ageing products tend to say: in clinical trials x ingredient was found to diminish visible signs of ageing… they don’t say their product had this effect, just the ingredient and it was probably used at much higher levels in the trial. As a cosmetic scientist and lawyer I’m very interested in the field of claims substantiation: how cosmetic companies prove the claims they make about their products. Start waking up to the wording of magazine and TV adverts and you’ll see what I mean. One company proudly announces "we keep our promises", look and listen carefully and you’ll see they don’t make any!

What about antioxidant vitamins?
These are reputed to fight free radicals (which can cause sagging and bagging): Vitamin A used in cosmetics can be irritating to the skin. When your skin is irritated it looks unhealthy and is less able to carry out its natural functions properly resulting in moisture loss etc. Defeats the purpose really, doesn't it? Certain sources of Vitamin E can clog pores, however Mir Argan Oil has double the quantities found in olive oil and does not clog pores, in fact it can be used as an anti acne treatment because it helps to restore the acid mantle which, as you already know, protects the skin from bad bacteria.
 
If a product claims it contains Vitamin C it only means this was present at the time of manufacture and not that it is still present and effective in the finished product. Eat up your fruit and veg!

What about anti ageing diets?
Everyone knows that if you eat well and exercise you will look and feel better, this in turn makes you look and feel younger. Some of the anti ageing diets urge us to eat several tons of salmon - or whatever the latest fad superfood is - and we will discover everlasting youth. (Poor bloody salmon!)  Anyway, buzzword in, common sense out. If you want to learn about nutrition and healthy eating then buy a book on nutrition, not one written by some suspiciously taut-skinned, spray-tanned, no-facial-movements, anti ageing expert. If you focus too much on eating one food group/substance because of these claims you might not live long enough for your skin to age anyway. Aha, maybe that's how they work. See Skin Facts section re. walnuts, sugar etc.

And just remember this - the longer you've been using Mir, the more likely it is that you’ll have wonderful skin – and the right to feel smug!  And don't be mean, share the good news - don’t forget to tell your friends, family and everyone you know about us! 

Sun protection
Yes, you need to protect your skin from the sun. No, we don't have an SPF lotion because I only develop products I can use, and test on, myself and I cannot tolerate sunscreen agents. I am also concerned about research linking the increase in the incidence of skin cancer to the chemicals in SPF lotions. My own choice of protection is to avoid sun exposure whenever possible. It's not that difficult, particularly in the UK, after all suntans only became fashionable in the 1920's and people managed to keep fashionably pale before then without the use of chemical lotions. However, when it comes to your skin I would advise that you carry out your own research and consider what is best for you in your particular circumstances.  As with any other health issue, it's simply a case of being informed and using common sense. For example, the needs of a UK office worker will be rather different from those of a Californian athlete spending most of the day outdoors.

Women may have the advantage of being able to use foundations with SPF or mineral makeup.   I have rosacea so I am too sensitive and can't tolerate these either.

After-sun TLC

Mir Argan Beauty Oil and Skin Silk Lotion work wonders.  They help to calm the skin and reduce redness. Also keep your Cleansing Gel and Skin Refresher in the fridge, Cleansing Gel, rich in cooling aloe vera, doubles up as a soothing mask and cooled Skin Refresher on a cotton pad with a drop or two of Argan added is bliss on hot skin.

Vitamin D deficiency?

All things in moderation - a little sunshine is a good thing as it tops up our Vitamin D levels.  Those of us who avoid the sun at all costs may want to look into this further.

Please don't write and ask me to recommend spf products. All I can suggest is that you look at ranges manufactured for sensitive skins or young children by companies specialising in spf products. Try to find products containing physical sunscreen agents (e.g. micronised zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). The product must offer broad spectrum protection (UVA and UVB).