The Rheal Bane of Winter - Dry Skin

Most of us live our lives with adaptations for the seasons. In the spring we look forward to changing our wardrobe, weeding our gardens and having a wider array of fresh fruit and vegetables for our table.

In the fall thoughts turn to sweaters. The holidays approach too quickly and before we know it we are buried in winter. Winter; love it or hate it, most of us are afflicted by dry skin. Oddly few of us make seasonal adaptations for the cold weather. The light moisturizers and foundations of summer offer little protection in cold temperatures and winds. Dry skin isn’t serious in most cases but it is uncomfortable and turns normally plump cells into shriveled cells that cause fine lines and wrinkles.

As a skin professional, I recommend moisturizers rich in botanical ingredients that deliver nutrients that protect your skin from the cold drying elements. Take warm short showers rather than long, hot showers that deplete natural oils. Avoid harsh soaps and opt for cleansing creams, again your spa professional can guide you to the best winter solution. Remember you skin should feel soft and smooth after cleansing, never tight and dry.

Choose fabrics that are kind to your skin. Natural fibers like cotton and silk allow your skin to breathe and offer gentle skin contact and finally: Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize. Apply after baths, showers and general cleansing and apply through out the day.

Moisture rich skin is healthy and beautiful. Adapt your skin care regimen to acclimatize your skin to the realities of the winter season.

Rheal Destressors

The holidays are winding down and regardless of how you feel about them it is a stressful time of year. Diminishing daylight, hazardous weather conditions and the post holiday blahs further contribute to our stress levels. The icing on the proverbial cake is the self-imposed stress of monumental New Year’s resolutions.

We feel compelled to make a list of all of the things we perceive as faults to be corrected in the New Year. On January 2 of every New Year gyms are wall to wall with resolution driven attendees; pantries are stripped of bad foods, and we commit to spending a full two minutes on brushing our teeth, three times a day.

Change is good and all resolutions are well intentioned, however, success is attained by process rather than monumental goals. Instead of a goal to lose fifty pounds determine to be healthy. Instead of saying you will work out seven hours a week, take the stairs and park your car in the spot farthest from your location.

When stressed stop for 60 seconds and ask why. If you can’t pinpoint the source try to incorporate any combination of the following in your routine:

• Lower your expectations to manageable achievements; small changes become lifestyle changes over time;
• Don’t over-schedule yourself or your family;
• Create a play list of soothing music to be used when stressed;
• Take a few minutes and close your eyes to visualize your favorite place;
• Give yourself a time out even if it is sitting in a bathroom stall for five minutes;
• Loosen up - restrictive clothes force muscles to tense and in turn make you tense;
• Ask for help - yes it is hard but you will be amazed at the willingness of others;
• Take care of yourself - you can’t effectively care for others if you don’t take the time to care for yourself;

Rheal De-Stressors


o Schedule a facial;
o Treat yourself to a weekly manicure - think of it as an hour of you time;
o Walk as often as you can;
o Eliminate one food a month from an unhealthy diet;
o Make a list of places or things you would like to do and then schedule one a month -yes it is all right to do it by your self - think of it as a battery recharge and
o Honor your commitments to yourself.

Small incremental changes, rather than large and sometimes overwhelming goals are the path to healthy life changes. It is not selfish to care for yourself. When you are healthy you are strong. You will be a better resource for yourself and those you care for when you operate from a place of strength rather than a place of stress.

May you have the healthiest and happiest New Year of your life!

Rheal Tips to Avoid Makeup Contamination

Most women have fond memories of playing with their mother’s makeup or remember the first time spent with friends experimenting with eye shadow, mascara or lipstick. Do you remember in sixth, seventh or eighth grade applying lipstick between classes only to wash off every trace before you got home and got in trouble? There was nothing unusual about asking to borrow someone else’s lipstick or mascara.

We have all been taught that sharing is an honorable trait but sharing is never a good thing when it comes to makeup. In spite of our innate training to say, “Sure, go ahead”. Don’t! Dermatologists caution, you should never share your makeup.

At one time makeup counters at fine stores were not very careful about application of the same product on multiple women. That all changed as we became more aware of germ transmission. Makeup brushes and applicators can easily carry bacteria from one person to another, and moist, dark containers allow germs to thrive.

Never share lip and eye products that come in frequent contact with more easily infected areas of the body. Cosmetic counters today, always use disposable applicators for lip and eye product testers.

The second important cause of contamination is lack of freshness. We would never dream of eating a food past its sell by date. We change up our toothbrush on a regular basis, but we will keep the same mascara in our bag until we are applying nothing but dried flakes. If you don’t dispose of products on a realistic, self imposed, cycle you may create the perfect playground for germs that cause eye infections, sties or the herpes virus that can cause cold sores and dermatitis.


Neither toothbrushes nor most cosmetics have sell by dates. Old cosmetics should be thrown out and replaced as recommended by your spa professional. Suggested expiration dates vary between products. Liquid makeup ages faster than powder. Mascara should be replaced every eight to twelve weeks. The closed container creates a dark environment that allows germs to thrive.

Finally, be sure you pay attention your brushes and applicators. Treat them with care.

· Do not share brushes with others

· Wash them frequently in warm water with just a drop of non-allergenic liquid soap

· Never wring out the brushes

· Shake excess water from them in the sink

· Allow them to dry on a clean towel

You can share your secrets, your hopes and your dreams with your friends, but please don’t share your cosmetics or brushes. Fresh cosmetics, clean applicators and safe usage are healthy components of healthful beauty.

RHEAL Sugar Tips

Did you know that the enemy of youthful looking skin stares back at you and your children from your sugar coated cereals, sodas and processed food? You might be surprised to learn that your body engages in a sugar coating of its own, through a process called glycation. Glycation occurs when the sugar molecules absorbed into your blood stream during the digestion coat protein molecules in your body. Glycation causes tough, wrinkled connective tissue. This is most visible on the skin as wrinkles. However, it occurs all through the body. Tough, inelastic connective tissue is very damaging to organs where flexibility is vital. This is especially important in the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes and pancreas.

The newly sweetened protein molecules have been given the name "Advanced Glycation End Products" which morphs very neatly into the anagram AGEs, and could not be better named. Why?

Some of the most important protein molecules in your body are those which make up your collagen and elastin. These two substances are found in the lower layers of your skin, and are what give your skin’s surface its firmness and resiliency. The more sugar you consume, the more AGEs your body will produce. By the time you reach thirty-five or so, your skin will begin to dull and early, advanced wrinkling will occur. Glycation will continue to accelerate skin aging as you continue to consume sugar in all of its forms.

You can slow the process by following these Rheal steps:

• Replace processed sugars in your diet with the natural ones found in vegetables and fruits; if you can’t live without refined sugar, limit your consumption to no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake.

• Supplement your diet with 1 mg each of Vitamins B1 and B6 every day. New York dermatologist, Dr. David Goldberg, cites a number of studies that indicate that these two vitamins are very effective in reducing the effects of glycation.

• Limit your exposure to sunlight;

• Use a moisturizer rated SPF 30;

• Wear a hat with a brim wide enough to shade your entire face and neck during peak sunlight season and hours;

• Use an antioxidant enriched cream that will feed your skin directly, such as Rheal Skin Care’s cream for normal to dry skin which is rich in jojoba and apricot kernel oil.

Healthy is beautiful and it turns out that eliminating or minimizing sugar to no more that 10% of your daily caloric intake is both healthy and beautiful.

Reflection & Action

October was Breast Care Awareness Month. People of all ages and products from paper plates to spatulas were sold in the pink of the campaign to raise funds and awareness. Some are blessed to be untouched by cancer. Even if one has escaped personal experience it is a word that resonates with everyone.

In my role as a spa professional people of all ages and experience seek services at Rheal Day Spa. Spa treatments can be very intimate. Treatment rooms are calming and serene to help ease stress and create a safe environment. Even relatively new clients find it a comfortable place to share their life stories in confidence. The first time a female client told me she was a cancer survivor it humbled me to treat and serve someone who had been through so much.

In subsequent years I’ve met people in various stages of the battle with cancer. And then a month ago a client told me she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was scheduled for a double mastectomy within two weeks. In the same time frame another friend’s husband a seemingly healthy, humorous and vital man has been diagnosed with stage three esophageal cancer. Both pieces of news felt like a kick from a mule. A swirl of feelings arise when cancer becomes personal. A slurry of hope and dread mixes to create unease and a sense of impotency.

But we don’t have to be impotent. We can contribute to cancer research, participate in annual cancer walks to raise awareness and be creative in our communities to create our own drives to support services for cancer patients and survivors. We can also be sure that we and our families have a better chance to avoid cancer by living healthy, thoughtful lives.

You know what to do; you’ve heard it a thousand times. Eat more greens, exercise, even if it is only ten minutes a day; don’t smoke, if you drink, do so in moderation and most importantly educate your self about the optimum time frames for physicals. Early detection is your best weapon to fight a cancer diagnoses. Though we have yet to find a cure we have improved treatments and survival rates have risen significantly. This is a war please join the battle.

CELLULITE: You can do something about it!

Regardless of your age or weight do you remember the first time you took a backward glance in a mirror and saw a dimple or heaven forbid dimples on the back of your arm or thigh or sprinkled across your bottom? The first day cellulite becomes a personal issue is memorable. Up to 90% of women and a small population of men have had this experience. Some shrug and try to forget about it and some try to attack it with vigorous spot exercise.

The term was first used in France in the 1920s and began appearing in English language publications in the late 1960s, the earliest reference in Vogue magazine, "Like a swift migrating fish the word cellulite has suddenly crossed the Atlantic."

Hormones play a dominant role in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen may be the most important hormone to initiate and aggravate cellulite. Other possible culprits are insulin, catecholamines, adrenaline, thyroid hormones and prolactin. All are believed to accelerated cellulite.

An Ally McBeel episode shows an exchange between Ally and her current lover about a nude portrait he has done of her. At first glance she is thrilled and flattered by his effort. Cue music. She notices that he has enhanced her posterior with texture. Her facial expression goes from delight to horror as she says, “Is that cellulite?” He naively replies, “Yes, it adds character.” While character is an excellent thing to strive for the presence of cellulite is not the step to achieve it.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a dimple-free butt and thighs? As we pass puberty our bodies tend to develop cellulite. Cellulite is fat that gets trapped between fibers that connect your muscles to your skin. The fibers are like stitching on a down quilt - cellulite puffs out between them; the more fat you have between fibers, the more visible your cellulite becomes. Cellulite stores in the hips, thighs, and butt in preparation for childbearing and it causes fat cells to stick together to create the dimply effect of cellulite.

Because you have cellulite it doesn't mean that you're fat. Regardless of your weight the presence of cellulite is an indication of toxicity. You can minimize toxicity with some simple lifestyle changes:

•Drink lots of water with lemon juice throughout the day to prevent water retention and flush the liver - a culprit in cellulite formation.
•Minimize intake of fried and processed foods; pass on the Big Macs. Processed foods interfere with digestion, blood circulation and lymph drainage. Sluggish circulation and drainage prevent sufficient waste and toxin elimination. Lymph builds up and makes cellulite appear worse.
•Eat greens; fill up on cellulite busting vegetables: asparagus, a great diuretic, celery, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, parsley, green peppers, and root veggies like turnips and parsnips. These foods nourish the liver and have a detoxifying effect on the body.
•Eat apples; an apple a day can keep cellulite away. The pectin found in apples (and carrots) is an important phytochemical that strengthens the immune and detoxification systems of the body.
•Exercise; it helps by increasing lymph flow. In addition, weight lifting builds more muscle, making the skin overlying your hips and thighs more taut. The tighter your skin, the less obvious the cellulite is.
• See you Spa Professional; your spa professional has massage treatments to minimize the appearance of cellulite and to further your commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Stay current with your spa’s news and stay current with the many ways they can improve your health and appearance.

The New Beauty Aesthetic

Not so long ago a woman of thirty was advised not to show her upper arms. Heels were traded in for lace ups with squat heels. Bosoms were covered and hair was sprayed into an inch of its life. Simultaneously Hollywood raced through the glamour girl phase followed by the androgynous waif. Somehow those two styles merged into the trend of recent years of women starving to maintain rail thin frames while supporting huge obviously unnatural breasts. The message sent was stay young or be put on the shelf and with rare exception that is what happened.

Sad to say Hollywood has set beauty trends and remedies since the days of silent films. As actresses acquired pouty lips, cat's eyes, tucked tummies and lifted brows average women emulated the styles and subjected themselves to similar plastic surgeries. Decades of women with drum tight, artificial visages is happily waning.

Today we fear the look of artificiality and instead want to look our personal best. We prefer to have someone say, “She looks good” rather than “I wonder how old she is”. Judith Sills psychologist and author said, “There's a changing aesthetic. To look as young as possible is unrealistic; to look as good as possible is a healthy goal.”


Being healthy and your best at any age is a process of good choices. Simple everyday steps like clean skin that is well moisturized and protected from the sun are the basis of a healthy face. Thirty minutes of daily exercise oils joints and maximizes agility. Attention to the care of hands and feet improves circulation and helps you to present yourself as someone who takes care of herself, regardless of age.

Many advances have been made in skincare products in the last five years. Talk to your spa professional to ensure that the products you are using are the best for you at this time of your life. She can help you make the best choices to look good. Healthy is beautiful® at any age.