Although many of us thought that troubled Britney Spears would never win another award, she has just been presented with a prize commemorating her ‘Lifetime Achievement.’ However, the accolade isn’t quite as impressive as it sounds; the award was a ‘Skinnies’ gong, presented by a skincare expert to raise awareness of her problem skin.

Britney Spears has been plagued by spotty skin throughout her long career. It began as adolescent acne during her time as a Mouseketeer on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club, before her troubled twenties gave her a “tendency to adult acne.” Although Spears’ current mental problems are arguably more severe than her bad skin, many dermatologists still believe that the star should seek treatment.

Perhaps Spears should take a leaf out of Will Smith’s book? The formally spotty Men in Black star was also commended at the Skinnies, which named him as an ‘Action-packed Acne Survivor’ for the clear skin he sported in the blockbuster, I Am Legend. Judges praised Smith for beating his adult acne, they said: “Smith appears to have found an effective treatment for his condition… he is this year’s acne survivor.”

The Skinnies are held every January to honour “epidermal excellence in entertainment.” Nicholas Cage’s noticeably fuller hairline won the ‘Back in Theatres’ award with judges suggesting that the star may have benefited from hair restoration treatment. A ‘Sun Protected Princess’ award was given to Amy Adams for her porcelain skin in Disney’s Enchanted, which caused judges to surmise, “to appear this wrinkle and freckle-free in her 30’s confirms a lifelong devotion to sun protection.”

Rounding off the awards was the ‘Hollywood’s Greatest Villain’ gong, which was awarded to cellulite for plaguing the beautiful bodies of many leading ladies. However High Definition television also received a mention in this category for its extreme close ups that can draw unwanted attention to problem skin and facial imperfections.

Botox injections and treatments are gaining popular through mainstream society these days. Women of all ages now use it to prevent lines, wrinkles and to enhance their appearance, and older women use it to reduce the appearance of wrinkles that may have already formed.

So, what about the negative side effects of Botox? Are there any? Even though botox has gotten some bad publicity over the years, we rarely hear anything about the negative side effects of Botox.

A Little Botox History

Way back in the 1820s, a German physician by the name of Dr. Justinus Kerner set out to find answers to the deaths of German citizens who had consumed sausage. Through is research he learned that of the many that died most had been overtaken by botulism - food poisoning. OK, so that means that one negative side effect to botox is death, although it is very rare and highly unlikely these days, but you should consult a licensed physician before undergoing any procedure.

Continuing his research, Dr. Kerner also distinguished seven different strains of botulinum toxin, naming them strains A through G. But he found that only four strains - A, B, E, and F - are life threatening to humans.

Mid-Century Development

During the mid 1950s and 60s, two other doctors, Drs. Edward J. Schantz and Vernon Brooks experimented further into botulinum toxin , using controversial animal testing techniques that could not be used today because of their cruelty and inaccurate results. Nevertheless, the two doctors found that botulinum toxin type A, despite its risk to humans, was very effective for treating people with crossed eyes and spastic vocal cords. So, ok, something that could potentially kill us can, in small doses, be helpful in relieving muscle spasms of all kinds.

The Birth of Botox

The Year is 1989, and the FDA approved botulinum toxin type A for treatment of crossed eyes and eye muscle spasms. Through a miracle of marketing genius, the botulism poison that had once killed German sausage eaters was renamed “Botox” and treatments took off like wildfire. Through further experimentation it was found that Botox also temporarily cured excessive sweating and some symptoms of cerebral palsy. After the botox treatments, patients were monitored closely for any negative side effects of Botox treatments.

A breakthrough in keeping us looking younger was on the horizon. In the 1990s, Dr. Jean Carruthers noticed that many of the patients being treated with Botox were surprisingly wrinkle-free. Using this information, Dr. Carruthers and her husband, a dermatologist, conducted various clinical studies that confirmed the ability of Botox to reduce frown lines and wrinkles on the human face.

Botox Now

Today, Botox is so widely accepted that you can go to a botox party and have your lips injected right on the spot. The fear of negative side effects is almost none existent. So much so that Botox Sales in 2006 exceeded $1 billion. Starting out as a deadly poison killer Botox has quickly transformed itself into a successful cosmetic treatment that helps millions of people look younger everyday.

Botox also remains a staple for non-cosmetic treatments, like reducing muscle spasms in cerebral palsy patients, uncrossing eyes, and relieving patients of embarrassing facial twitches and spasms. Botox treatments are not permanent and must be repeated every three to six months. Most patients are so pleased with the results that they ave no problem returning to the doctor regularly for scheduled treatments. The early fears of botox no longer prevail and although there are a low number of cases each year that result from negative side effects of botox, it is clear that botox is here to stay.

Wrinkles and other signs of aging can be incredibly embarrassing, especially if you have been told that you look years older than you really are. After trying some of the different skin care products on the market without any results, you may feel a little bit hopeless.

You don’t need to, however. Here are some anti aging secrets for keeping your skin looking youthful.

Probably the most important antiaging secret that you should know about is diet. Your skin can be effected greatly by the food that you eat. Fruits and vegetables can help prevent your skin from showing the signs of aging, due to the antioxidants that they contain.

If your diet is high in junk food or fast food, your skin is more likely to develop wrinkles and other signs of aging. Also keep in mind that, due to its cleansing benefits, water is known to help prevent the signs of aging. One of the easiest techniques for anti aging is making some simple changes to your daily diet. 

Exercise is another one of the anti aging secrets that you should know about. The more that you exercise, the less likely your skin will be to show signs of aging.

Combining a regular cardiovascular exercise routine with a healthy diet is one of the best ways to slow down the aging process without using a single antiaging cream. This is another antiaging secret which is very easy for most people to follow.

Anti-aging supplements are also known to play a significant role in preventing the effects that aging can have on the skin. One of the antiaging secrets that most people do not know is that these supplements are often made from ingredients which are used in home remedies for skin care.

For this reason, anti aging supplements ten to be very effective and are made from natural, healthy ingredients.

There are a number of different anti aging secrets that anyone interested in preventing the effects of the aging should know about. These are just three of the most popular anti-aging techniques which you may want to take advantage of.

If no anti wrinkle crème has worked for you in the past, then incorporating a regular exercise routine, healthy diet and anti-aging supplements into your life is a very good idea.

And there are some outstanding natural anti aging products available as well, however as they come from a small niche company that doesn’t advertise on TV you won’t have heard of them, and they are probably the best anti aging secret of all.

Women are very interested in the science of skin care, particularly as they age. As those wrinkles and lines form, as they notice their skin starting to sag and look less youthful, they begin to consider the use of good skin care products. But what about skin care for men?

For men, skin care can be something that they never consider. The closest they may come will often be the use of an aftershave so that they smell better. However there are good reasons why they ought to consider high quality skin care for men.

You see skin care isn’t just about looking good, although more and more men are also becoming interested in their looks. But skincare for men is also about health. Because our skin is the biggest organ in our bodies, and just like other organs our skin is affected by age, and can become unhealthy.

Often if our skin is unhealthy that’s a reflection of our general state of health. Unhealthy skin, unhealthy inside. So serious skin care for men, or for that matter women, doesn’t just involve the use of high quality skin care products, though of course that’s essential.

Good mens skin care involves a total approach. If unhealthy inside equals unhealthy skin, then healthy inside equals healthy skin. And this is equally true for women. So good diet, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a good exercise regime both contribute to overall health, and good skin health.

And there’s 2 things that men should never do if they want to maintain overall skin health. The first is to smoke and the second is to avoid sunburn. Both are extremely damaging to the skin, and both can lead to serious skin problem.

Smoking, for example causes vascular problems, and poor blood circulation is not good for the skin. And sunburn can lead to serious skin problems, including skin cancer.

So men, like women, should take care of their overall health as a part of a good skin care routine. Good skin care for men starts exactly where it starts for women.

And for men, skin care should also involve the use of high quality skin care products and anti aging products. Men also should be able to maintain healthy skin that keeps adequate levels of moisture, for example. And which has good levels of collagen and elastin, 2 essential skin proteins that help maintain skin complexion, suppleness, youthfulness and skin elasticity.

As men age their skin loses skin collagen and skin elastin, and it’s essential to replace these. Using a skin care product that has collagen and elastin in it won’t replace the lost collagen and elastin as the molecules of these 2 skin proteins are too large to penetrate the skin, so remain on the surface.

But modern science has found a way to stimulate the skin to produce more of it’s own collagen and elastin, and the best skin care products in the world contain ingredients that will replace lost collagen and elastin like that. Way more effective than trying to replace them by adding them to the bottle and hoping they go in, which they won’t.

So for men, as for women, a total approach is needed to skin care. Serious skin care for men requires a healthy lifestyle, avoiding smoking and sunburn, and the use of the worlds best skin care products.

The worlds best mens skin care products aren’t found on the shelves of your local department store, just as the worlds best womens skin care products aren’t found there either. You have to track them down, they’re made by a small niche skin care company.

So men, skin care is important. Be serious about skin care for men, and you, and your skin, will be healthy and look great, and serve you well into old age.

A few simple techniques and tips can help us all maintain and keep a healthy, clear complexion.  Hydration, a good choice of diet, and an effective skin care regime can keep our skin toned, firm and wrinkle-free.

Our skin comprises of various layers and the outermost layer is the worst affected of all. If we are to ensure that our skin is looked after and remains healthy forever, we need to protect it from excessive pollution and harsh UV rays.

These two are also known to make your skin appear dull and dark. To help achieve fairness, we need to first remove our tan. For that, we need to ensure that only natural skin care techniques are used. Avoid chemicals as they are known to damage your skin in the long run.

Below are a few tips that would regain your fair glow.

1) Eat a Healthy Diet - Diet plays an important role in nourishing your skin and is known to make or break your skin tone. If your diet is rich in carbohydrates and fats, your skin is bound show the effect. It might become oily and break into pimples.

At the same time, if your diet includes ample servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, it would again reflect on your skin. Your skin would glow, it would become healthy and your tone would eventually lighten. An effective means of lightening your skin and a tried and tested natural skin care tip, a healthy diet paves way to a healthy skin.

2) Use Natural Face Packs - If you feel that your skin is starting to get dark, you need to ensure that your face and neck are massaged with a liberal dose of natural face packs.

Known as an effective anti-wrinkle remedy in the dictionary of natural skin care, the use of papaya to cleanse your skin, cucumber to lighten your dark circles, lemon and sugar to remove your tan and raw milk to cleanse your dirt are known to work wonders for your dark complexion.

3) Use an Effective Sun Block - Always wear a sun screen when out in the sun. It is to be noted than an organic sun screen, which has an ample serving of aloe vera is an effective means of reducing sun tan and is a tried and tested remedy from the house of natural skin care.

4)  Drink Water - Natural skin care clearly states that an individual should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Water rids your skin of toxins and makes your skin glow. It is also the safest and the cheapest way to ensure that your skin is well looked after.