Luxury Spa Finder - May/June 2008 - (Page 42)

brains ] [ beauty& A growing body of diabetes research conﬁrms that sugar Skin tech consumption is just as bad for the skin as sun exposure p > Dr. Brandt Lineless Anti-Glycation Serum, US$90, www.drbrandtskincare .com; Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Cream SPF 15, US$70, www.esteelauder.com roteins, speciﬁcally collagen and elastin, give skin its suppleness and spring. And sugar loves proteinÐ to death, it turns out. In a process called glycation, it binds naturally to protein molecules, then takes the life out of them, turning them stiff and brittle. Their buildup makes the skin vulnerable to wrinkling, sagging, and other problems, says dermatologist Fredric Brandt, M.D., whose parents owned a candy store and who now makes an antiglycation serum. Brandt doesn' t mince words: ª Sugar not only makes you fat; it makes you look old.º Incidentally, scientists call these victimized proteins ª advanced glycation end-products,º or AGEs. Has there ever been a better acronym? Skin glycation is akin to caramelizing food. ª The effect is very similar in the skin,º says Daniel Maes, Ph.D., the senior vice president of global research and development for Estée Lauder. Sugar also seems to deactivate the skin' s protective antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and many functional enzymes, such as the ones that tell scaly skin cells, ªB egone!º Both Maes and Brandt say medical research indicates that signiﬁcantly more AGEs occur in sun-exposed skin than in protected skin. (Yet another reason to use sunscreen daily.) But Maes contends that s ª the vicious process of glycationº is worse than UV exposure because ª it' s going on all the time,º whereas you can block out or escape the sun' s rays. The main culprit in glycation, as it is in obesity, is highfructose corn syrup, according to Maes. ª It' s in all the processed foods we eat day in and day out.º Moreover, glycation is ﬁnal. There' s no way to repair collagen and elastin that are damaged by glycation. ª Once it' s bonded, it' s bonded. And breaking the bond destroys the collagen. So don' t believe any companies making that claim. The science isn' t there yet.º kin-care products prevent or3slow sugar' s attack in various ways. Dr. Brandt Lineless Anti-Glycation Serum uses an antioxidant called Alistin as a decoy for the sugar molecules and an amino acid called hydroxyprolisillane C to protect protein ﬁbers. Estée Lauder' s Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Cream SPF 15 works in a similar fashion. ª We tested the prevention of glycation in the skin without changing the diet of the clinical subjects. After three months, we saw a 50 percent drop in AGEs,º says Maes. ª Of course, another way to inhibit AGEs is to limit sugar in your diet,º says Brandt, whose book 10 Minutes, 10 Years explains how diet and topical treatments promote healthy skin and weight. And he knows: He lost 20 pounds and improved his skin by kicking his childhood sugar habit. ª It' s important to do both,º he says. ª The ratio of effectiveness for diet change and skin care on reducing AGEs is about 65 to 35.º 42 may· june 2008 visit spafinder.com PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL KRAUS, CORBIS (BACKGROUND) THE 411 http://www.drbrandtskincare.com http://www.drbrandtskincare.com http://www.drbrandtskincare.com http://www.drbrandtskincare.com http://www.esteelauder.com http://spafinder.com

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Luxury Spa Finder - May/June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Ask Susie Pulse Points Spa Road Trip Beauty & Brains Pound Wise Private Label Real Estate New Tuscan Trio The Real Bora Bora The Spa Collection The Insider's Guide: Ireland Spa Rx From the Sparchives

Luxury Spa Finder - May/June 2008

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