Tips for Dealing with Dry Skin

Dry skin most often occurs on the shins, hands and sides of the abdomen. It is more common during the winter months, when humidity is low. Some people also have a genetic, or hereditary, tendency to develop dry skin. In addition, elderly people tend to have more trouble with dry skin due to the natural changes in skin that occur with age.

Treatment is important because extensively dry skin can lead to eczema or other forms of dermatitis.

Dry skin may be prevented or treated by:

- Taking lukewarm baths or showers (instead of hot ones)
- Limiting baths/showers to 5 to 10 minutes
- Applying a moisturizer right after drying off from a shower or washing your hands
- Using a moisturizing body soap and hand soap
- Using heavier creams or ointments during the winter months and lighter lotions in the summer

How Do I know if I Have Dermatitis?

Dry skin is defined as flaking or scaling -- which may or may not be itchy -- when there is no evidence of dermatitis, or inflammation, of the skin. Some flaking along with redness, however, may be a sign of an underlying dermatitis. There are different types of dermatitis that may cause dry, itchy, flaking skin.

They include:

- Seborrheic dermatitis. This type involves a red, scaly, itchy rash on various areas of the body, particularly those areas that contain many oil glands. Seborrheic dermatitis can occur as scaling on the scalp, eyebrows and sides of the nose.

- Allergic contact dermatitis. This occurs when the skin comes into contact with a substance that causes an immune reaction, such as poison ivy. Allergic contact dermatitis of the hands often causes scaling on the fingers.

- Atopic dermatitis. Also known as eczema, this is a long-lasting type of dermatitis that often runs in families. It also may cause excessively dry, itchy skin.

- Athlete's foot. In many cases, athlete's foot, a fungal infection, shows up as dry flaking on the soles of the feet. [Source]

As winter approaches, BORBA offers luxurious skin care products specifically formulated to combat dry skin.

Study: Vitamin C May Slow Skin Wrinkling

You've heard the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Perhaps there is a new saying on the horizon...

According to a recent study "an orange a day may keep the wrinkles away."

In one of the first studies to examine the impact of nutrients from foods rather than supplements on skin aging, researchers reported that people who ate plenty of vitamin C-rich foods had fewer wrinkles than people whose diets contained little of the vitamin.

Diets rich in the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid were also associated with less skin aging from dryness and thinning, while higher-fat diets and those higher in carbohydrates were associated with more wrinkling.

This, of course, goes hand in hand with the inside-out approach to skin care. BORBA's drinkable skin care products have high levels of antioxidant vitamin C.

Sneak Peak: BORBA Drinkable Skin Care Face Lift

As some of you know, BORBA and Anheuser-Busch recently announced an agreement granting Anheuser-Busch responsibility for the distribution and marketing of BORBA Skin Balance Waters in the United States and in countries around the world. [press release]

Included in this effort was a Skin Balance Water face lift which took our bottled skin care from this...

To this ...

Our new bottles will be hitting stores nationwide in the coming months.

Well, what do you think!?

Study: Smoking Breaks Down Skin Collagen

Have you ever noticed how smokers tend to look older than their non-smoking counterparts? They often exhibit wrinklier skin and a grayish pallor.

But why? What is going on internally that would cause this effect on smokers' skin?

Scientists think they may have discovered the answer.

A study by dermatologists, published in The Lancet, shows that smoking activates the genes responsible for a skin enzyme that breaks down collagen in the skin.

Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin and keeps it elasticated.

When this starts to disintegrate, skin begins to sag and wrinkle.

Professor Antony Young and his colleagues from Guys, Kings and St Thomas' School of Medicine, in London, measured concentrations of the gene MMP-1, which breaks down collagen.

...

"Smoking tobacco activates this enzyme that breaks down the skin collagen.

"We did not know that before, we suspected it from studies done in the test-tube, but this is the first proof."

Of course there are skin care products designed to promote your skin’s natural smoothness, elasticity and nourishment.

But we all know the best way to reduce these effects is to quit smoking - or better yet, never begin.

Fashion Staple Valentino Resigns

Just a quick post on recently released news that designer Valentino Garavani has announced his resignation.

VALENTINO has confirmed this afternoon that he will step down from the company he founded in 1960 after just one more ready-to-wear show and one more Haute Couture season.

"My future will be filled with new interests and challenges," he says. "Some may be linked to fashion, as I have a strong desire to create and support institutions to promote the study of fashion design, and to preserve the history of the art of fashion. It will be a marvellous continuation of this amazing adventure that I had the privilege to have. Even as a young boy, my passion was to design, and I have been very lucky to be able to do what I have loved all my life."

Valentino is/was a staple in the fashion community and has dressed some of the world's most glamorous people, including Princess Margaret, Julia Roberts, and Claudia Schiffer.

From his signature color red to his creation of some of the world's most elegant eveningwear, Valentino will be missed. On the eve of Fashion Week in New York, we wish him continued success as he enters a new chapter in his fruitful life.

Thoughts on Valentino: his life, his work, his resignation... his future?

VS Pink Goes Eco-friendly

Apparently green is the new pink! It looks like Victoria's Secret is set to launch an eco-friendly collection.

Victoria’s Secret, which last December agreed to adopt eco-friendly alternatives for its mass-mailing businesses, is about to go one step further come spring... That’s when the brand, along with Victoria’s Secret Pink, a more whimsical line of lingerie and loungewear aimed at the younger set, will further their environmental awareness, launching mini collections of environmentally conscious apparel. Key items will include fleece tees, tanks, and accessories made from organic cottons.

"This is definitely the right next step," a spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret Pink confirmed to The Daily. "Customers love our brand and are very aware of the environment right now. Everyone is conscious of it."

From their cellulite solutions to gorgeous lingerie, Victoria's Secret is always looking for new ways to define 'sexy,' 'innovative,' and now 'eco-friendly' - not unlike what we're doing at BORBA with our revolutionary skin care products!

So what do you think?

Will you be purchasing any organic items from VS?

Combine Caffeine and Exercise to Help Prevent Skin Cancer

If you're anything like me, you love to exercise almost as much as you love your daily cup of joe.

Well, a new study from Rutgers has found that combining the two may help avert sun-induced skin cancer.

Regular exercise and little or no caffeine has become a popular lifestyle choice for many Americans. But a new Rutgers study has found that it may not be the best formula for preventing sun-induced skin damage that could lead to cancer. Low to moderate amounts of caffeine, in fact, along with exercise can be good for your health.

According to the National Cancer Institute, sunlight-induced skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the United States with more than 1 million new cases each year. A research team at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, showed that a combination of exercise and some caffeine protected against the destructive effects of the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation, known to induce skin cancer. The caffeine and exercise seemingly conspire in killing off precancerous cells whose DNA has been damaged by UVB-rays.

Additionally, if the new findings prove true for humans and you are a 'caffeine-drinking runner', you are the ideal example of the lifestyle that can effectively reduce skin cancer risks.

HOWEVER, this does not mean we have the liberty of staying unprotected under the sun for hours! This is just one method by which you can reduce your risk of incurring sun-induced skin cancer.

Sugar: Skin's Enemy Number One?

Everyone knows that sweets add inches to your waistline. But are sweets and - more importantly - the sugar contained within them also to blame for wrinkles and the degradation of skin?

In his new book 10 Minutes/10 Years: Your Definitive Guide To A Beautiful And Youthful Appearance, dermatologist Dr Fredric Brandt explains why he believes sugar is enemy Number One.

"In a nutshell, sugar hastens the degradation of elastin and collagen, both key skin proteins. In other words, it actively ages you," says Dr Brandt, who counts Madonna, Rupert Everett, Cher and Ellen Barkin among his clients.

He saw a remarkable change in his own skin when he eliminated sugar from his diet. Not only did he drop 20lb, but, he says, within ten days he saw an increased glow, radiance and elasticity in his face. And within a year, his body had changed completely as well.

This is one of the reasons BORBA uses sucralose (artificial sweetener) in our anti aging and other skin care products, as opposed to sucrose (table sugar).

Versace's Foxy New Hit

Fashion goddess Donatella is set to launch the Versace Red Fox Fur "Hit" Bag during Fashion Week this September in New York.

Mesh leather and fur may seem outlandish by even the most fashion-forward of standards, but not when your house moniker bears the Versace label. The company’s new "Hit" bag for fall—its success seemingly predetermined by its name—is offered in four versions, including mesh metal nappa fur, patent leather, calf lamé and mirror leather, and fox fur, and ranges in price from $2,330 to $5,120.

What do you think? Do you love it, or hate it?

I will be attending (and hopefully blogging from) Fashion Week in September and can't wait to see what else Donatella has in store!

QLu

I just wanted to let everyone know that my official QLu auction page has been launched!

QLu is a service that collects celebrities' everyday items and puts them up for sale on eBay to generate money and awareness for good causes. All proceeds will go to my favorite charity, Covenant House, which provides hope to homeless and at-risk youth.

I'm very passionate about the work Covenant House does for our youth, so be sure to check out my QLu page and make a bid!

Welcome to the BORBA Skin Care Blog!

Hey Everyone!

This is Scott Vincent Borba, creator of BORBA cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals. I wanted to personally welcome you to the BORBA Skin Care blog, the official blog of BORBA!

It is my hope that this blog becomes your daily dose of expert skin care tips, delicious Hollywood scoop, and chic fashion and beauty insight.

So be sure to bookmark or subscribe to this blog. I've got a lot in store and look forward to interacting with you all!