Rodial has launched a new skincare line called Bee Venom, which is clinically proved to halt the damaging effects of the menopause on the face.
Experts say that as well as mood swings, sleeplessness and weight-gain, women going through the menopause also suffer a variety of skin problems.
Deep wrinkles, puffiness and dryness are just some of the symptoms brought on by hormone changes at this time of life.
During the menopause, levels of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop rapidly leading to accelerated skin ageing.
Levels of collagen and elastin also go down, leading to saggy skin and deep wrinkles and production of skin-hydrating acids and oils also significantly drop, causing dryness and a “crepe” appearance to the skin.
In trials involving 14 women aged between 50 and 59, all the volunteers said the bee venom cream improved the texture of their skin, reduced lines and wrinkles and left them appearing “visibly more youthful”.
Honey bee venom is used cosmetically to “fool” the skin into thinking it has been lightly stung with the toxin melittin.
This causes the body to direct blood towards the area and stimulates the production of the naturally-occurring chemicals collagen and elastin.
Collagen strengthens body tissue while elastin is the protein that helps the skin to remain taut and bounce back into shape after being pressed or pinched.
Rodial has launched a new skincare line called Bee Venom, which is clinically proved to halt the damaging effects of the menopause on the face
The venom also has the effect of relaxing the muscles, it is claimed.
Experts collect bee venom by placing a pane of glass alongside a hive and running a weak electrical current through it, which encourages the insects to sting the surface.
Because the bee’s lance remains in its body, it does not die.
Tiny quantities of the venom are then collected. It is so valuable that it costs up to $50,000 for one ounce.
A spokesman for Rodial said: “Bee Venom moisturizer is an advanced formula that revitalizes and renews, giving naturally younger looking skin.
“It works in synergy with a unique complex of plant stem cells to help visibly improve skin tone and elasticity.
“Other ingredients refine the skin’s surface to help plump and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and provide intensive moisturization and long-lasting hydration for a radiant complexion.”
Bees are already responsible for other supposedly anti-ageing products from honey to royal jelly, a health supplement used by celebrities such as Cliff Richard, Lulu and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Demi Moore was seen this week leaving the Cryohealthcare Clinic in Los Angeles, which specializes in skin care and anti-ageing procedures.
Demi More looked fantastic and was sporting a flawless complexion, opting for casual red trousers, black top and denim shirt.
Various treatments are on offer at Cryohealthcare – but a popular one includes the Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC).
The customer stands in a chamber, where they are blasted with icy cold air – with the clinic’s website claiming the procedure helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite.
The cold also forces the body into producing heat – and so increases metabolism – with claims it can result in burning between 500 and 800 calories after a session.
Whole Body Cryotherapy helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite
A host of celebs use the procedure to rejuvenate their skin – but it is also used to help with injuries, as it triggers an anti-inflammatory response.
Dancing With The Stars contestants and professionals, including Katherine Jenkins and Derek Hough, are among the big names to have used the system to treat dancing injuries. The practice was first used in Japan in 1978 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
On Sunday, Demi Moore will turn 50 after a whirlwind year which has seen her enter rehab and come to terms with her split from Ashton Kutcher.
A new study has shown that a fruit drink developed by NASA to protect astronauts from radiation, known as AS10, dramatically reduces wrinkles, blemishes and sun damage after four months.
Visia photographs – which reveal the condition of the skin below the surface by using different types of light exposure – were taken of 180 participants at the start of the trial, and again after four months of drinking two shots of AS10 a day. By the end UV spots were reduced by 30% and wrinkles by 17%.
AS10 was developed as a nutritional supplement for astronauts to protect them from the damaging effects of high levels of radiation outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
The drink contains a blend of fruits including cupuacu (a Brazilian fruit from the cacao plant family), acai, acerola, prickly pear and yumberry, which all provide vitamins and phytochemicals – compounds known to block the harmful effects of radiation. Other ingredients are grape, green tea, pomegranate and vegetables.
A new study has shown that a fruit drink developed by NASA to protect astronauts from radiation, known as AS10, dramatically reduces wrinkles, blemishes and sun damage after four months
Radiation particles alter oxygen molecules in the body to create reactive oxygen species (ROS) – so-called “free radicals” which damage cells in a process known as oxidative stress. This process has been linked to diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. The toxic molecules are also thought to play a role in the skin ageing process.
ROS are created naturally within the body as cells generate energy, but also through environmental factors such as chemicals and ultraviolet light from the sun – the strongest stress to skin. Mobile phone radiation, cigarette smoke and alcohol also generate ROS.
“Think of them as little Pac-men taking bites out of molecules that are essential for cells to function,” says Dr. Aaron Barson, the nutritional scientist from Utah, US, who carried out the AS10 study after patients reported dramatic improvement from the drink.
AS10 is thought to improve skin condition because the drink’s large quantities of antioxidants ward off oxidative stress, allowing the skin to heal naturally. Antioxidants attach themselves to ROS and neutralize them before they cause damage.
Dr. Aaron Barson says: “The skin is the first body tissue to be exposed to UV rays and we know it is sensitive to oxidative stress. Our study shows it greatly benefits from a reduction in this stress. The effects of oxidative stress on the skin can be quickly modified and the skin can heal itself by drinking AS10.”
He suggests that the results may have been even better had the trial been conducted during the winter, when exposure to ultraviolet light would have been less.
A second, larger study is planned this summer to investigate for how long the effects last and whether skin condition reaches a plateau or deteriorates once the drink is no longer consumed.
The main drawback is the high price of the drink. The women in the trial drank a sherry glass – 60ml – of AS10 a day. At $50 per 750ml bottle, the cost was just under $500 over the four months.
