Crimes Against Beauty: Smoking

Smoking has to be one of the worst crimes against beauty. Aside from the obvious health implications, smoking really takes its toll on your looks.

Smoking damages skin, teeth and hair and it accelerates the skin's ageing process. The horrible habit causes:

• Wrinkles
• Discoloured skin
• Dehydrated skin
• Stained teeth 
• Stained fingers and finger nails
• Thinning hair 
• Dark circles

Furthermore, those who smoke are at higher risk of developing:

• Psoriasis
• Stretchmarks
• Gum disease
• Warts
• Skin cancer

So if you are a smoker try your best to stop! Your outer beauty (and health for that matter) will thank you for it in years to come, I promise!

Understanding...Antioxidants

If there is one thing you expect to see in a great skincare product, it's a s**t load of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are natural molecules that are found in plants, fruits, vegetables and even meats, fish and dairy. What make antioxidants truly amazing is that they protect skin from damaging free radicals, which are unstable molecules caused by environmental nasties (for example UV exposure, pollution, and smoke). It is these free radicals that cause wrinkles, pigmentation and poor skin condition. 

In addition to protecting skin from free radicals, antioxidants can:

• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles 
• Reduce the appearance of scars 
• Firm skin 
• Treat sun damage 
• Calm the skin and reduce inflammation 
• Increase collagen production 
• Treat pigmentation 
• Treat acne

Due to their amazing benefits, antioxidants are considered active ingredients that are commonly found in result-driven skincare products. The most common and most effective antioxidants in these products are:

•           Vitamin C
•           Vitamin A
•           Vitamin E
•           Retinol
•           Alpha-lipoic acid
•           Polyphenol
•           Zinc
•           Selenium
•           Coenzyme Q10

So the more antioxidants a product contains, the better that product will be at achieving great results (see antioxidant-rich product recommendations below). Don’t forget that ingredients are always listed on the packaging in descending order of predominance - so make sure that the product's advertised antioxidants are listed as high as possible. 

It is important to mention that although antioxidants are beneficial when put onto the skin, they are even more beneficial when put into the body. For these reasons, make sure you have a balanced diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables to ensure your body is healthy from the inside out!

Recommendations

1. Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque 75ml (£34.50 Liberty / $48.00 ULTA Beauty)
2. The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash 100ml (£8.00 The Body Shop)
3. StriVectin-AR™ Advanced Retinol Night Treatment 50ml (£79.00 Harrods / $109.00 www.strivectin.com)
4. Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator 59ml(£99.00 www.cultbeauty.co.uk / $120.00 Sephora)