I went for biofeedback today so it made me think about the importance of relaxation. I certainly know that stress impacts the skin. Living in a city like New york certainly has its benefits but it is very stressful and does take a toll on your skin. I have certainly seen patients who have moved to NYC from other parts of the country claiming that their skin has suddenly become much worse and they want to know why. Is it the late nights working or partying hard? Or is it the air pollution? Or is it just eating poorly? It could be a combination of all of these things. The exhaust from motor vehicles and the combustion from fossil fuels in the air and the benzene found in cigarette smoke finds its way into the atmosphere. We breath this through our lungs and also gets absorbed into our skin. Pollution depletes the ozone and so more UV light reaches our skin as well. We are also exposed to toxic cleansing products, pesticides and electromagnetic radiation and microwaves. All of this increases the free radicals that break down our collagen and elastic tissue. These are the major structural support for our skin, so as these decrease our lines increase and our skin sags. Drink green tea daily. My favorite is Jasmine, make sure it steeps for five minutes to get the poly-phenols. you can also take green tea supplements in capsule form it is also important to eat foods rich in antioxidants. Try to find fruits and vegetables that are the most colorful for example a pink grapefruit has more antioxidant than a white grapefruit. You can also use topical antioxidants for your skin my favorite product is Super Serum which has green tea it is very soothing and helps get the red out of the skin. Another great product to use is Skin Booster which combines retinol with green tea and hyaluronic acid.