Sara Waxman, OOnt, is an award-winning restaurant critic, best-selling cookbook…
The enemies of our skin are legion, and they take no prisoners. Sun. Cold. Wind. Dryness. These are predators that attack men, women, children, without mercy. We all put up a brave front and ignore the elements in the naïve belief that in doing so, they will ignore us. A recent visit to my dermatologist proved me wrong.
An equal danger comes from within. Breakouts and reactions to certain foods are commonplace, and stress, too, leaves its telltale signs.
We need to save our skin. Is it mission impossible—or mission possible?
I smile and say thank you when I receive the compliment, “You have such a beautiful complexion—such smooth skin.” And they ask me, “What is your secret?”
My secret for beautiful skin is two fold: the topical vitamins and, what I call, the beautifiers from within.
Let’s start with Jamieson Natural Sources Omega-3 age-defense. Loaded with fine fish oils, the supplement is a powerful anti-oxidant, which is important for the skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties can also help my skin protect itself from the sun’s harmful rays, strengthen it so it won’t burn as quickly and even fight sunburn. Like a muscle worked out at the gym, if you feed the skin the right nutrients, it will be stronger. Grapeseed, too, can strengthen my skin cells, and shield them from UVA and UVB rays when taken once a day in the summer months—or anytime I am exposed to intense sunshine.
Leading-edge science has its advantages: These and many other Jamieson Laboratories’ supplements, such as the company’s soft-gels, break down in the body easier for a quicker delivery to where I need it most. The calcium soft gel, for example, is also loaded with vitamin K, D and Magnesium, which ensures that nutrients go directly to my bones and do not falter along the way.
I insist on good quality, toxin-free raw materials whenever possible when I cook; it’s the same with my vitamins and minerals. With the right ingredients, everything is better. But some of us are sensitive, and at Jamieson they say, “Purity is priceless.” The company’s collagen glucosamine is pure, shellfish-free. Once a day, it is my guard against invaders like inflammation and pain, a necessity of an active lifestyle. At night, it is melatonin—Jamieson ensures it is vegetarian sourced—that helps me fall into a deeper sleep, accelerating the body’s natural repairing and healing process.
But we’re also outside and it’s dry, it’s humid, it’s all of those things that is our climate. We must arm our wellness arsenal on the outside as much as we do on the inside. We have to have moisturizer—and Jamieson ProVitamina A Retinol Renewal Night Cream is wonderful with which to treat my skin at the end of the day. There is a significant amount of vitamin A in this jar—active, potent, pure, which makes the difference in battling free-radical damage and speeding up my skin’s renewal process, the result of which is a healthier glow that greets me in the mirror each morning. And then, of course, there’s vitamin E, the hailed healer. Cracked heels, dry cuticles, that little scar on my forehead, not to mention those fine lines around my eyes, drink in the powerful antioxidant properties of Jamieson ProVitamina E Oil. Just 100 percent pure vitamin E oil: No fillers, no lactose, nothing but the ingredients listed on the bottle.
Along with my melatonin, this secret anti-aging regimen works while I dream. Mission accomplished. – Sara Waxman
Sara Waxman, OOnt, is an award-winning restaurant critic, best-selling cookbook author, food and travel journalist and has eaten her way through much of the free world for four decades, while writing about it in books, newspapers and magazines. She is the Editor in Chief of DINE magazine.