DAYSPA Magazine Product Spotlight

Sustainable Investments

Looking to green your spa, but worried about the expenses?

Our upcoming Green Scene ("Mayan Marvel," August 2010) contains lots of information about cost-efficient ways to incorporate eco-friendly supplies into your spa.

HereÕs a taste to get you started:

Make investments that have a proven return.
John Vater, co-owner of Spa Adriana in Huntington, New York, says, "solar panels pay off, as long as you continue using them to save on energy costs."

Shop locally.
When Vater and his wife Adriana recently remodeled their spa, they wanted to enrich their Mayan theme by building a faade with limestone from the Yuc‡tan Peninsula in Mexico. Instead, they found a local company that manufactures precut concrete. "That way our renovation doesn't have the environmental impact that would result from shipping and trucking materials all that distance," John says. "It saves a lot of money too."

What supplies, products and materials do you employ to increase your spa's sustainability? Send your ideas to Katie O'Reilly, associate editor, at koreilly@creativeage.com.

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Go Nuts

Some nuts have gotten a bad rap, but almonds' reputation seems continually on the rise. Since they're packed with vitamins and minerals—including high levels of skin-healthy vitamin E—doctors and health experts have touted their benefits and urged the public to include them in their diets. Prebiotics in the nut help in digestion, and eating almonds may also have antioxidant effects, which scientists say could help reduce cholesterol. Two specific indicators for a condition that can lead to atherosclerosis and Parkinson's disease were significantly decreased in those volunteers with elevated cholesterol. Those who consumed a full dose of almonds each day—about 2.5 ounces in this study—decreased one of these biomarkers by 19%. The other was lowered by 27% in groups that ate a full dose or a half dose. Further research is needed to assess the contributions of vitamin E and polyphenols, such as flavonoids.

A Bright Spot for Photoaged Skin?

The appearance of sun-damaged skin may improve with laser therapy, a study in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Dermatology reports. Called photodynamic therapy, the treatment combines the application of a topical product that increases the skin's sensitivity to light with a pulsed dye laser session. The resulting levels of increased collagen and other molecular changes improved the appearance of skin, according to researchers at the University of Michigan Health System Department of Dermatology. Photodynamic therapy has also been used to treat precancerous lesions and some types of skin cancer. Future research is needed, however, to determine if this study's results—which were performed on forearm skin—can be replicated on the face.

An Itch You Can't Scratch

Chalk another one up to the negative effects of stress. As your anxiety-ridden clients already know, they can include acne, digestion problems, headaches and more. Now scientists are saying stress might also make you itch.

Jangled nerves may activate immune cells in skin that result in inflammatory skin disease, according to researchers at the University of Medicine Berlin and McMaster University in Canada. When the immune cells overreact due to high tension, skin diseases—such as psoriasis and dermatitis—can emerge. Additionally, stress often triggers outbreaks in those who already suffer from such skin conditions.

Go Nuts

A Bright Spot for Photoaged Skin?

An Itch You Can't Scratch

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