On a recent trip to the ancient Incan empire on the coastline of Peru, I discovered one of history’s great beauty secrets.
I brought back this prized ingredient used by Incan queens so the women in my clinic could get the same radiant glow.
It was a prized ingredient used by Incan queens and noblewomen for hundreds of years. They would collect pearls from the Pacific and grind them into a fine powder called Concha de Necar – or shell of the sea.
This powder was added to creams and lotions to give them a radiant glow and soft, supple skin.
It’s a skin-rejuvenating secret I brought back to my clinic. And it’s an important step in the signature facial I offer my patients.
In my past few letters, I’ve been sharing steps in my signature facial with you. And that leads me to the next key step – exfoliation. In fact, if I had just one piece of advice for a woman who wants to look her very best for that future event it’s this:
Exfoliate – and do it often. Here’s why this step in my age-reversing skin facial is so important…
You have 19 million skin cells covering every inch of your body. And new cells are constantly replacing the the old ones. In fact, your body sheds about a million cells a day. And if you don’t exfoliate them, they stay on your skin. When you were younger, your skin renewed itself about every 25 days. But by the time you turn 30, the process starts to dramatically slow down.
This results in a build-up of skin cells on the surface of your skin, leading to a dull skin tone and sallow complexion.
These cells also start to collect in your pores where they combine with your body’s natural oils. Before long, your clogged pores could even erupt into skin blemishes and breakouts.
This build-up can even make you look older by accentuating any cracks on your skin’s surface.
But getting rid of old skin cells through exfoliation reveals the newest skin layer that’s underneath and gives you the youthful glowing look you want to show off. It also gives you other benefits like:
- Thoroughly cleans skin pores
- Unclogs and minimizes pores
- Stimulates blood circulation
- Removes toxins from your skin
- Helps to regenerate new skin
- Keeps your skin looking younger
- Softens texture and improves tone
- Brightens dull skin
Concha de Necar’s microscopic crystals are the ideal exfoliant – and were the real power behind the Inca’s ancient beauty secrets.
As you massage this exfoliant onto your skin, the tiny crystals gently break through the film and grime of toxic sludge and carry dead skin cells away. They reach deep into your pores to gently remove the dead skin cells that makes your face look old and dull.
But there’s more…
A recent study found that Concha de Necar can stimulate fibroblasts to grow. Fibroblasts are the collagen-producing skin cells that keep your skin strong, healthy and elastic.1 Simply stated, the more of these cells you have, the younger you look.
With every use, you are literally washing away old, skin-dulling cells and helping create strong, youthful skin cells that glow with good health.
If you can’t come to the clinic for my signature facial, you can still get similar results at home using all-natural exfoliating ingredients. Here is a simple recipe for the exfoliating face scrub my patients love:
Recapture Your Skin’s Youth With Honey-Salt Exfoliating Scrub
This scrub can bring a healthy glow to dull, dry skin, while it boosts collagen production by increasing fibroblast production. I recommend using this scrub when you need a thorough cleanse — but not more than once a week. The salt gets rid of dead cells and dirt while the honey helps retain moisture.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon organic raw honey
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon organic lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons softened coconut oil
Directions
- Mix honey, salt, lemon juice and coconut oil in a bowl.
- Moisten your face with warm water.
- With your fingers or an organic cotton pad, massage the mixture gently into your skin for 2 to 4 minutes. Use a circular motion and avoid the eye area.
- Rinse with warm water and towel dry.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
P.S. If you’re in the South Florida area or just want to learn more about our signature facial, feel free to call my staff at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine at 561-784-7852. They will be happy to answer any questions. And stay tuned. Next week, I’m going to reveal the final step of my signature facial.
1. Jian-Ping D, et al. Effects of pearl powder extract and its fractions on fibroblast function relevant to wound repair. Pharm Biol. 2010;48(2):122-127.