It’s summer, which means time outdoors, time in the water and time in the sun. Daily sun protection is essential no matter the season and diligent sun protection is vital for outdoor summer activity.

But sunburns can happen, and relief means more than easing discomfort – it also requires treating injured skin.

A sunburn is exactly that – a burn that results from the heat energy of the sun. Cooling the skin surface is important to ease the burning sensation, but equally important is treating the moisture loss, or dehydration that results with any form of heat. Over-the-counter cooling sprays and gels may provide short-term relief on contact, but for longer lasting relief, you’ll need to restore moisture as well. Balms and creams that coat the skin may feel good going on, but they seal in the heat and therefore are not your best source of moisture. Instead choose treatments that are absorbed by the skin and attract moisture, like plant oils and hyaluronic acids.

Hyaluronic Acid is a natural substance which is very effective as a treatment for sunburns. With the PURE TDA SYSTEM, Hyaluronic Acid, in its purest form, is non-invasively delivered to the dermal layer of the skin, where it quenches the skin’s thirst after a burn and accelerates the repair of UV induced skin damage.

For more information on PURE TDA, please visit www.pure-tda.com or write us at info@awlakeonline.com.

What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? You’ve probably heard both terms used before, especially if you’ve had your skin analyzed by a skin care professional. The differences are significant and when it comes to choosing skin care products, it’s important to understand both skin conditions.

What is dry skin?

Dry skin as a skin type is alipidic skin, which means it doesn’t produce sebum or oil. Skin relies on oil to hold moisture into the skin and without it, it can appear rough and flaky and the appearance of wrinkles are more pronounced. Dry skin can also lead to a damaged barrier function, increasing long term sensitivity and inflammation, causing a chain or biochemical reactions that lead to collagen and elastin breakdown.

How can you treat dry skin?

• Dry skin needs moisturizers containing protectants and emollients to provide a protective layer to prevent moisture loss. Choose moisturizers with phospholipids, yeast peptide, lecithin and rose oil.
  (See Cellular Protect & Repair Face Cream)

• Use gentle exfoliants (try Gentle Repair Cleanser with bamboo crystals) which gently buff away dead skin to remove surface flakiness and promote cell renewal, as they improve natural production of intercellular lipids for the barrier function.

• Wash with mild cleansing lotions formulated for your skin type and avoid using bar soap or harsh foaming cleansers.

• Use a humidifier in the winter months to keep moisture in the air – and in your skin.

• Never leave the skin bare for more than 60 seconds after washing. Immediately apply alcohol-free toner, serum and moisturizer.

• Use a moisturizing skin serum under moisturizer to provide an additional layer of protection to the skin. (See our collection of serums).

What is dehydrated skin?

Dehydrated skin as a skin condition lacks water content, but may still produce oil. It may be biologically inspired (genetic) or environmental. Dehydrated skin, while it can be flaky, generally feels tight and can form fine lines easily due to the surface cells being “deflated,” lacking water that normally makes the surface smoother. If looked closely through a magnifying glass, dehydrated skin has tiny triangular fine lines. Dehydrated skin is common among those with oily and acne-prone skin who use harsh products that strip the skin of water.

How can you treat dehydrated skin?

• Use moisturizers with humectants like Glycerol, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E, Glucosamine HCL and Propolis (see our PURE TDA treatments) .. These are ingredients that help to attract water from the environment into the skin to keep it soft and supple.

• Never leave the skin bare for more than 60 seconds after washing. Immediately apply alcohol-free toner, serum and moisturizer.

• Go easy on exfoliants and if possible, almost always opt for a “manual dermabrasion”. Using too many acids and scrubs too often and too aggressively can cause surface dehydration and inflammation.

Knowing the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin is important and treating it for what it needs is important. The best thing you can do for a dry or dehydrated skin is be disciplined. Treat your skin and body to routines that will support it from the inside as well as the outside. Be disciplined with your daily skincare routine. Get into a good habit of cleansing, toning and moisturizing your skin twice a day every day.

• In 1937, Hans Adolf Krebs published a study on cellular respiration.  The study shows that the level of cellular respiration was higher in younger than older skin.  This led to some to speculate that INCREASING skin respiration is the key to reversing skin ageing.
• We now know that FREE RADICALS and OXIDATION are the by-products of cellular respiration. The very act of breathing is aging us.   The body also produces anti-oxidants to mop up these free radicals, but more oxygen may not necessarily be healthy for us or for our skin.

MYTH 2:  OXYGEN CAN BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN

• Up to a certain size (flatworm, for example), animals can absorb oxygen through their skin and let it spread through their tissues.  Insects need air tubes to get oxygen in to their bodies, and larger mammals, like us, need a ‘gas-exchanging air pump’ or lungs to distribute oxygen through out our complex systems.
• Contrary to popular belief, our skin does not “breathe”.   Skin cells do not get oxygen directly from the air but indirectly from the lungs through the blood supply.
• Although we have pores, our skin is not ‘porous”.  The pores key function is to RELEASE substances (wastes/toxins through sweats, for example), but the skin is a very effective barrier that keeps harmful microbes and chemicals out and water in to protect us from infections and dehydration.

MYTH 3:  HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY (a clinical method for wound healing) is an effective method to deliver active ingredients and promote younger, brighter, and healthier skin.

• AnHyperbarric oxygen treatment in a NON-SEALED chamber is impossible.
• Oxygen concentrators in oxygen facial machines are not capable of producing 100% oxygen
• As soon as oxygen is released and pumped through the air, it is mixed with air and its effectiveness in wound healing is greatly diminished.

WHAT IS HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY?

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves exposing the body to 100% oxygen in a pressure –controlled, sealed chamber.  In this environment you are completely immersed in pure oxygen at high pressure (more than 3 times normal atmospheric pressure).
• Oxygen therapy can also be given through a gas mask, which delivers pure oxygen to your lungs.
• “Topical” hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be applied to different parts of the body by wrapping a plastic bag around the wound and pumping 100% oxygen into the bag, exposing the wound directly to pure oxygen.   The effectiveness of ‘topical’ hyperbaric oxygen therapy is questionable, at best.

WHAT DO DOCTORS AND EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OXYGEN FACIALS?

• “So many celebrities are doing the treatment because it temporarily diminishes all the tiny imperfections that would otherwise be visible on high-definition TV,” said Michelle Peck, a masseuse from Los Angeles. Ms. Peck is referred to as Madonna’s personal oxygen treatment facialist on the Web site madonna.com.
• As trendy as the oxygen facial may be, there is no hard evidence of its effectiveness, and academic experts are skeptical. Dr. Christopher B. Zachary, a professor and the dermatology department chairman at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, put it bluntly: “The concept that high-pressure oxygen would do anything to help the skin is such nonsense as to be laughable”.
• “We hope that the oxygen is creating a pressure bubble that drives vitamins and nutrients into the skin,” said Dr. Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist in Miami and New York City. “But we have no data to support that.”

NEW NAME OLD TRICK?

1938 Helena Rubinstein Oxylation Treatment. “To make your skin velvet-smooth, glow with life and radiance, have the vitalising new Oxylation Treatment just introduced by Madame Rubinstein. By a special process, live oxygen filtered through a gentle herbal vapour is sprayed on the skin, so that the pores can actually breathe it in. Under the oxygen’s influence, the skin is cleared of sallowness, dullness and every trace of discolouration. Leathery weatherbeaten skin becomes satin-soft, fair and younger looking.”

1947 Helena Rubinstein Oxylation Treatment. “Already relaxed and purring from the massage, you lie back with pads over your eyes, while oxygen is pumped into your face and neck. It strikes cold at first, but is wonderfully stimulating when you get use to it.”’

A modern version of the oxygen skin treatment with updated claims. “For this procedure we use medical cosmetic products containing vitamins A, C and E, aloe vera extract and oxygen activating liquid. Oxygen pressure has a massaging effect during the procedure which fastens collagen and elastin synthesis.”

A.W.LAKE has developed its new Pure skin, hair and body care range.

The skincare is comprised of a Basic face cream or gel plus Supercharged serums, containing bio-active ingredients for specific skin concerns.

The range is made with natural ingredients, plant essences and botanical extracts with high concentrations of bio-active ingredients that target specific skin concerns.

It allows users to tailor their skin care to changing skin conditions, while minimising the number of products needed and simplify the users skincare routine.

Products include a chamomile and calendula-based cleanser, two masks, three moisturisers, botanical serum and three specialist serums plus body and hair care products.

learn more at pureonlinestore.com