HOLISTIC HEALTH NOTEBOOK

I am in favor of looking good at whatever age, but not striving for unnatural beauty. I think that skin tucks are at some point counter-productive because skin should not look like plaster-of-paris or shrink wrapping. But as one sage put it, "If the barn needs painting, paint it!." So I paint.

As I age, I am continually amazed how much more money it costs and how much more time it takes for me to look like myself. My bathroom light is perfect; it reveals just enough to make me think I look younger and I prance out for the day, thinking that I have fooled everyone about my real age. But when I go out into the bright light of day and look into the mirror, I am stunned. Those wrinkles were definitely not there this morning.

As would be expected, lots of products on the market target our natural need for beauty. Some are successful; most are hype and jive. My standard for skin care is that the products should be as natural as possible because skin is porous

and absorbs many materials from the exterior. Why would you put something on your skin that you would not put into your mouth?

For people who struggle with disfigurement from spider veins, bruises, burns, scars, eczema, and psoriasis, there is help with vitamin K cream. Vitamin K is an important fat-soluble nutrient that aids in blood clotting. According to research, oral vitamin K helps prevent osteoporosis and steroid induced bone loss, to lower total cholesterol in dialysis patients, to help treat prostate and breast cancers. But topically (on the skin) it is helpful for eliminating spider veins, bruises, scars, stretch marks and burns, treating rosacea, and speeding healing from surgery or other injury.

People of all ages can suffer from unsightly skin problems. If you stand on your feet all day or sit behind a desk which can impair circulation in the legs, it is important to maintain good leg and vein health. Dermal vitamin K phytotherapy helps strengthen veins and capillaries to reduce the appearance and discomfort of varicose and spider veins.

Make sure the cream provides at least 5 percent vitamin K and does not contain any irritants to your skin.

— Ms. Simontacchi is a certified lifestyle educator at the offices of Dr. Alan Gruning in Fort Myers and owner of the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel.