by Linda Chaé

Why would Chaé create a serum just for the fall? Is skin any different in the autumn than any other time of the year?

Well, all of nature goes through cycles, no matter what the climate. Animals and birds instinctively respond. Because of our temperature controlled homes and automobiles, we forget and ignore the subtleties of transitions we experience from summer to fall, then winter and spring. Our ancestors ate according to the season which gave them the food groups available at that time of year. This automatically and intelligently regenerated each of their body’s systems.

Chinese use the terms ‘yin’ and ‘yang’. Yin is expansive – like spring and summer when the buds are opening, trees and flowers are expanding. Fall is yang – contracting when energy is moving away from the leaves and into the roots. Moisture is contracting into the inner tree or root system; leaves are falling away.

In the fall, the skin likewise guides our moisture retention system to build up deeper reserves in the skin to recover from damage that occurred during the summer months. In September, the surface skin cells become drier and the skin exfoliates away old cells. Your skin’s health and ageless appearance depend on the amount of water retained by the intracellular fluid (the semi liquid “mortar” between the cells and surrounding elastin and collagen that keep your skin from sagging). For more about Hyaluronic Acid (HA) see footnote.

There’s another problem to solve in the fall because of summer’s sunshine. It involves tyrosine (an amino acid that contributes to pigments that produce a tan or brown spot). Sun and stress often cause an over-production of destructive enzymes that attack and aggravate HA and tyrosine.

The skin’s pigment producing cells are often left over-stimulated by a switch turned on by tyrosine which stimulates the appearance of brown spots all year long - even from a small amount of sun coming in through the window. During autumn, our skin often needs help turning off this over-active pigment switch.

Chaé’s Perfection Serum for Autumn contains live cells from this season’s harvest of organic pumpkins. Not only is it critical these are freshly harvested, live cells; it is important to realize a new “diet” for the skin is more beneficial as it actively responds better than if this nutrient is given 365 days of the year. The pumpkin cells synergize with other nutrients for clinically proven results. Give your skin the help it needs to accomplish all of the following with Chaé’s Perfecting Serum:

• 42% reduction in the destructive enzyme, tyrosinase, to inhibit over-production of irregular pigment
• 31.3% reduction in destructive enzyme, hyaluronidase. By inhibiting enzymes and free radicals that deplete the skin’s ability to produce sufficient hyaluronic acid, skin maintains its moisture retaining properties by over 30%.
• 37.4% reduction in the damaging hydroxyl radical which attacks collagen, elastin and DNA proteins. This free radical is stimulated by low-level UVA exposure.
• 49.3% reduction in the destructive superoxide free radical (caused by stress, inflammation (sun burns), and lack of water / hydration.

Every three months it is ideal to saturate your skin with different benefits. You will visibly see how your skin regenerates from a seasonal boost of special nutrients. Don’t put off till next season the repair and protection needed right now.

Footnote: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a protein that moisturizes skin from the inside out, smoothing out wrinkles in the process. HA acts as an internal cosmetic to hydrate the skin.

As Hyaluronic Acid is present in every tissue of the body; hyaluronic acid’s importance cannot be underestimated. Retention of water is one of the most important biological functions provided by hyaluronic acid. This water and HA protein are the system that provides nutrients and removes waste from cells that do not have a direct blood supply, such as skin, the moisture in the eyes, and cartilage cells. With a lower than adequate amount of hyaluronic acid, nutrients cannot be moved into these cells and waste cannot be eliminated from cells.

Large amounts of water are held in the skin’s intracellular fluid by HA. When elastin and collagen are not bathed in water, these elastic fibers become dry and brittle, thus the look of older, sagging, wrinkled skin. Thus it is critical to assist the skin’s “yang” process of building up moisture reserves in the deeper skin tissues.

By the way, half-life is defined as the time required for one half of the total amount of a particular substance to be consumed, broken down, or depleted. The half-life of hyaluronic acid in knee cartilage, for instance is 2-3 weeks. But the half-life of hyaluronic acid in the skin is less than 1 day, especially if an abundance of over stimulated hyaluronidase enzymes from sun and stress are attaching the HA production factory! Hyaluronic acid is present in both the dermis and the epidermis. 50% of the body’s naturally produced hyaluronic acid that is found in the epidermis is metabolized and excreted in less than 24 hours. By supplementing the skin with HA the skin is able to retain HA in the interior skin longer. All of the Chaé moisturizers contain the maximum amount of HA. By using the Perfection Serum before applying moisturizer, the skin gains the benefit of maximizing all the benefits listed above.